Amelia's Story

by C.P. Murphy

  Chapter Eleven

  Patrick returned home after being away on his trip to Albany. It had been a long four days, starting with the day he left Millersport. He was unprepared to take a journey and his decision to go came to him quickly. He didn’t have the proper rest and was tired long before he reached his destination. He set up camp as soon as he arrived at the capital. Patrick knew of several inns he could have stayed in but he always preferred to save his coins and lay under the stars. The next day when he awoke he set out to seek the governor and tell him what he had heard at the docks. Patrick refused to discuss the funding with anyone other than Governor Tompkins. Unfortunately, Tompkins wasn’t available until Wednesday afternoon. Patrick didn’t enjoy hanging around an unknown city. He was very impatient, and he frequently checked in with the Governor’s office to see if there had been an opening in which he could get into the office. By the time he had told the Governor what he had overheard, it was just about time for the sun to set again. Patrick had wanted to get home but wasn’t about to travel in the dark.

  He stopped thinking about his trip as his horse neared the land he owned. He was thrilled to know that his bed was waiting for him and his tired body but never would have imagined what else was waiting for him.

  As he hurried into the house to relax, he heard the dog bark and then he heard the shuffling of a chair. His first thought was to grab a hold of the barking iron he carried with him for protection on his long trip. He thought that the men who he had heard on the loading docks had found out about him and that he traveled to turn them in. If a fight was what they wanted, a fight was what they would get. Patrick held on tight to his weapon and flung the door wide open. He put the weapon down though when he saw Amelia sitting there. He couldn’t tell her but she was a sight for sore eyes. Her blue eyes reminded him of crystal waters in a lake which made him thirsty. It was a thirst he couldn’t tell her about; a thirst for her. Her smile displayed her sparkling white teeth and her hair flowed down the curves of her breast. He shook his head to rid himself of the impure thoughts running through it and told himself that she wasn’t that kind of girl. “Amelia,” he said, “What are you doing here?”

  Amelia blushed. She wasn’t sure when he would return home and his sudden entrance had startled her. “I hope you don’t mind,” she explained. “The dog let me in.” She laughed as she bent over to pet the animal that had barely moved the whole time she was there. “I needed to get away, and this was the only place I could think of where I wouldn’t be found.”

  Patrick then slapped his hands onto his legs and said, “Here boy,” and the dog ran and put his front paws up on his owner as fast as he could. He stuck his tongue out and panted as he smelled Patrick all over. He heard Amelia say she brought the dog water so he let the dog outside for relief. When the dog ran out, Patrick said, “That is fine, I told you that you are welcome here anytime you like.”

  “Thank you,” Amelia replied. “How was your trip?”

  “Long,” Patrick replied the only answer he could give her. He wanted someone he could confide in but he didn’t want to put her in dangers way if it should come looking for him. He took a seat across the table from her and the two of them caught up with what had been going on while he was away. She told him she would bake something for the dessert table for the social and he looked at her as if he hadn’t a clue of what she was talking about. “A social, a dance,” she explained. “Haven’t you ever been to a dance before?”

  “No, I don’t recall ever going to any back home.” Patrick stopped to think about his old home. He missed it very much, but he needed to get away from the memory of his wife and child. “Now, don’t get me wrong. That doesn’t mean I don’t know how to dance,” he teased her.

  Amelia laughed and asked, “So does that mean you will ask me for a dance at the social?” She would gladly give up a night with Thomas to dance with Patrick.

  Patrick grinned. He wanted nothing more but knew that being the new man in the village, it would cause a stir. “Who said I was going,” he decided not to answer her question.

  “You have to,” she pleaded. Society says she must go with Thomas, given their so- called courtship but she would be overjoyed if he came out to meet some of the people of Millersport. “I’m inviting you.”

  Patrick thought about it for a minute or two before saying anything else. The governor had asked him to get a description on the traitor. All the authorities would need was a description of the man and they could take it from there. He would meet someone by the name of Major General Downy in New Baltimore on Monday. Going to the social would be the perfect opportunity to search for the unknown man and get a description of him. “When is this dance?”

  “It’s Saturday night, this Saturday. Oh say you can attend,” she about begged. His arrival would give her something to look forward to and something to take her mind off of whatever tricks Thomas had up his sleeve. She saw him nod his head in agreement and she was more than happy. Without thought, she jumped out of her chair and embraced him. It was a friendly hug to thank him for saying yes, but the way the hug felt told her that the two of them were not destined to be friends. His skin was warm and had a masculine smell that had waken her nostrils. She took another deep breath while her arms were still around him and hoped that she could always remember the aroma. Beneath his shirt she could feel the strength of his muscles, both on his arms and in his upper body. This was how a man was supposed to feel, she thought to herself, not the skinny little shell that Thomas was. Though the embrace only lasted for two seconds, to Amelia it was the highlight of her day that lasted forever. When she felt his hands wrap around her backside to return the embrace, she tingled all over. It was as if every single hair on her body stood and was trying to get beneath his gentle hands. Nothing lasts forever, and she had to be polite and pull herself away from him; blushing while she did. Then she decided that he should get rest after his long trip and she told him she would go.

  “So, I’ll see you in two days,” he said to her as she prepared to leave. It would be the longest two days of his life for she was getting to him.

  “Two days,” she agreed and turned and walked out the door.

  She only took a few steps away from his house before she turned to look back. He was standing by the window waving to her and her heart skipped a beat.

  That was the first night Amelia didn’t return home for dinner. She wanted to test Anna and see if the younger girl could prepare the evening meal by herself. Amelia went to David and Beth’s house to help out with their meal instead. It was nice to be around different company; to be around people who wouldn’t remind her of her duties to marry Thomas. Besides, she thought to herself, it wouldn’t be long before Beth needed more help around the house with her swollen stomach and sore back keeping her from her daily chores. It would be a practice for her.

  It was a peaceful evening and Amelia was at ease. By the time she arrived at her brother’s house, Beth had most of the meal already done. Amelia asked how she could help as soon as she got there but Beth said that she had it under control. She wasn’t used to doing nothing at all so she set the table. Not long after her arrival, the three of them sat down to eat. To her surprise, Amelia ate more than usual. With all the stress she had been feeling at home, her appetite had diminished.

  The conversation was pleasant too. There wasn’t one word spoken that wasn’t welcomed. They talked about the social for it was the talk of the village; something that everyone looked forward to. “I’m not too sure if I can still dance,” Beth giggled.

  Amelia knew that Beth was referring to her pregnancy. She realized that her sister-in-law might not make it through the whole night. “Sure you can,” she replied.

  David couldn’t help join the conversation about his wife. He was looking forward to the social because after the baby arrived there would be less time to spend with her alone. “The question is,” he put his thoughts into the discussion, “Am I going to reach her backside when we dance?
Or will that midsection get in my way?” The three all laughed as they imagined the couple on the dance floor.

  It wasn’t long before it had turned dark and Amelia knew that she should head home to see how Anna made out. She wished that she didn’t have to go. David’s house was the only place where she could forget about her troubles. There was also Patrick’s house but Amelia knew that there was a different kind of trouble there. She would fall head over heels for the handsome man and that would make for more trouble than she knew what to do with. She snapped her head to bring her out of her fantasy then gave her hosts their thanks and left to go home.

  Once there, Amelia looked around the house. It was quiet and Amelia knew that all was fine. There was a note on the kitchen table from her father that said he wanted to meet her in her room at noon the next day. It said he had important work to finish at the office and that he wouldn’t be there for breakfast. She moaned. She wondered what he was up to. After entering the bedroom she shared with Anna, she realized that her sister was sleeping. Hard work must have tired her out. Amelia tipped-toed over to her bed and pulled the blanket up to Anna’s shoulders. As long as she could remember, Anna always kicked the blankets off and being the big sister she was, Amelia always tucked her back in before she too went to sleep. She bent over and placed a soft kiss on Anna’s head and then turned to get ready to retire herself.