Always and Forever

by Wendy Lindstrom

  Just one chore remaining before she could deem herself ready. She hurried outside and snatched the two bed quilts off the sagging clothesline. They were dry and they smelled wonderfully fresh. It would be blissful to settle into her comfortable bed after a night of dancing and romance. She took the quilts to her bedroom and made the bed.

  Pleased that she was finally ready for her evening out, she collected her gloves from the dressing table and hurried to the parlor. The kitchen door was closed, telling her that Hal had come home and was bathing.

  “I hope you heated your bath with the water on the stove,” she called through the door.

  “I did indeed and the bath felt wonderful,” he called back. “Thank you.”

  True to his word, Hal dressed quickly and was soon striding into the parlor where Nancy sat trying to settle her nerves. She stood as he entered the room and her mouth gaped. His black hair, still damp from his bath, was combed back off his forehead and tangled in a loose wave below his collar. His cheeks were scrubbed to a low shine and his jaw was smooth from his recent shave. When she met his eyes, they seemed alive with excitement, with anticipation, and something more. Romance.

  He reached for her hand and raised it to his lips. “How is it possible that you are even more stunning than you were on the day we married?”

  His sincerity made her smile. “I was just thinking the same thoughts about you. You are quite dashing this evening, Mr. Grayson.”

  “I’m glad you find me a suitable escort,” he said, tucking her hand into the crook of his arm. “Shall we head out?”

  Gloves on, reticule in hand, her parasol waiting by the front door, Nancy gave her gallant husband a warm smile. “Where are we going?”

  “Dancing,” he said, and they both left the house laughing because he refused to share his surprise.

  Outside she came to a halt on the wide stoop, her parasol half opened. Tied in the shade of the red maple tree was a beautiful chestnut colored Morgan harnessed to a sporty phaeton. The sleek black carriage sported four large black wheels and an open top, a welcome attribute on the warm summer evening. The harness jangled as the horse gave an all over shudder to shoo away pestering flies.

  “A horse and carriage, Hal? My curiosity is suddenly as voracious as Captain’s,” Nancy exclaimed, snapping open her parasol and angling it overhead. “Where are you taking me?”

  “Tsk tsk,” he said wearing a self-satisfied grin as he guided her down the steps. “You know what happens to the cat that gets too curious?”

  “Yes, it finds a home, takes over the woodshop, and eats all the table scraps.”

  Warm laughter erupted from Hal. “Not the point I’d intended, but I must concede you are right on all counts. But don’t get your tail in a twitch, Mrs. Grayson. Your voracious curiosity will soon be satisfied.”

  Nancy twirled her sunshade and faked a pout that made Hal laugh again.

  “Come now, darling, anticipation is half the fun of any worthwhile event.”

  Nancy silently agreed, but anticipation was also creating wild butterflies in her stomach. She had no idea what her husband had in store for the evening, and that left her in a quandary.

  Needing to distract herself, she walked to the front of the carriage and stopped within the horse’s sight, but didn’t crowd or touch him. “Hello handsome fella,” she said, blowing lightly toward his flared nostrils, knowing he was seeking her scent. Tugging off her glove, she slowly extended her hand and allowed the horse to sniff her fingers. Within seconds he nuzzled her palm.

  “Oh, he’s seeking a treat and I have nothing to give him,” she said, glancing at Hal.

  “I’ve got a couple of treats for him tucked away in this sack,” he said, gesturing to a burlap bag beneath the seat. “I brought a few lumps of sugar and a couple of apples.”

  Her heart melted. “You are such a thoughtful man, Hal.”

  “Don’t give me too much credit,” he said. “William provided the sugar. I added a couple of apples is all.”

  “Well, this fella appreciates your kindness, don’t you?” she asked, feeding the horse a lump of sugar, which he promptly ate.

  Laughing, Nancy patted the horse’s neck. He rewarded her with a nudge of his muzzle.

  “Well, I can see that Gus is already in love with you, but I simply cannot afford to feed and house a horse.” Hal said, his voice teasing. “So the answer is no, we can’t keep him.”

  “That’s too bad, isn’t it, Gus?” She eyed the tall beautifully sculpted horse then looked at Hal. “Where did you get Gus and the carriage?”

  “I made arrangements with William.”

  Oh, are we traveling far?” she asked, scavenging for clues to their destination.

  “I couldn’t have the birthday girl walking tonight, now could I?” Hal extended his hand to Nancy. “Milady, if I may?”

  Nancy actually giggled at his play and his skillful evasion of the question. She placed her hand in his and allowed him to guide her to the side of the carriage as if they were promenading around a ballroom. The carriage sat high above the ground and Hal had to lift her onto the seat. The warm look in his eyes made her stomach flutter. She settled on the black cushioned seat and tucked her yards of skirts in around her legs.

  Hal circled around and climbed in beside her. With a wink at her, he took up the reins, clicked his tongue and gently encouraged Gus to cart them out of the driveway.

  Gus seemed to be enjoying the outing as much as Nancy was. Instead of heading into the village, they went the opposite direction. They traveled out Liberty Street and turned right onto a road Nancy had never before traveled. A few minutes later Hal turned the sporty phaeton left onto Shumla Road, a place of green fields tucked between heavily wooded areas. The road followed a creek that Nancy could hear but rarely see. The steady clip clop of Gus’s hooves and the jangle of the harness mingled with the crunching sound of the large wheels upon the dirt road. Nancy drank in the rhythmic sounds and the fresh scent of pine and grass. The outing felt positively wonderful and she sat proudly beside her husband, momentarily overcome by her good fortune.

  She’d come from wealth, but there were so many other treasures in life that filled her soul: A carriage ride on a summer evening, the rich aroma of a morning pot of coffee percolating in her kitchen, the feel of Captain’s warm little body curled in her arms, the sound of her husband’s laugh, the spontaneous joy of tumbling into the creek with her playful husband on a hot summer day. She had all of this and more with Hal... because of Hal.

  She turned her eyes to her husband and she found him looking at her.

  “You seem to be enjoying the ride,” he said, his voice quiet as if he didn’t want to intrude upon the peaceful setting.

  “I feel ten pounds lighter out here,” she said. “I wish we could take a drive or a walk every evening.”

  He nodded. “We’ll be able to do more of this when I can hire a man at the mill.”

  “Hopefully that will be soon. The furniture you build and the carving you do is stunning, Hal. I wish you could work at that full-time.”

  “I used to wish that as well, but ironically the mill has begun to grow on me. I’m beginning to understand what John had loved about it. Don’t mistake me, I’ll never walk away from woodworking, but I plan to find a way balance both. Either trade will make a good business for our sons one day.”

  The fluttering in her stomach started again. The idea of having children with Hal was feeling more possible each day. And despite her mixed emotions about crossing that intimate threshold, she found she was eager to have a child. She could imagine their round-cheeked infants with dark-hair and bright eyes. They would become gangly teens and grow into tall, strong men like their father. Hal would teach their sons about honor and integrity, and she would teach them about love. Perhaps their sons would inherit Hal’s talent with woodworking or her love for music. There were so many possibilities and she felt hopeful for the future of her family.

  She lifted her face to
the refreshing breeze and embraced the moment. The days were becoming humid and sometimes stifling. But tonight the air was lovely and she closed her eyes for a moment and allowed the breeze to blow across her face.

  Hal chuckled. “You aren’t napping, are you?”

  She smiled and met his eyes. “I’m trying to distract myself so I don’t ask you where we’re going.”

  Hal laughed. “I’ll help distract you by asking what you wish for your birthday.”

  “I wish you would tell me where we’re going.”

  He looked at her with sparkling eyes and the warmest smile. “Your persistence is adorable. Other than wishing to appease your curiosity, is there anything you want for your birthday that I might be able to give you? This is your first birthday away from your family and I know you miss them. I’d just hoped to make the day a little less sad for you.”

  An upwelling of tenderness filled her and she placed her hand over his forearm. “Thank you. I am a little sad and homesick on and off today, but I’m truly glad to be here... with you, and that makes me happy. Today was to be my debut ball with Elizabeth and I’m sorry she must attend alone. But I’m not at all sorry to be free of the arrangement with Stuart. I can’t help but wonder if Elizabeth has been able to convince my father to allow Stuart to court her, or if she’s still stuck in a dreadful arrangement with Robert.”

  “You should write home and ask Elizabeth about all of this, and let them know that you’re safe and that you’ve married a dashing artist and are blissfully happy.”

  Nancy laughed at Hal’s witty use of her words to describe himself in such a fanciful light. “Perhaps I will write home,” she said, but she knew she wouldn’t. Not yet anyhow. Maybe when enough time passed Hal wouldn’t be so angry or hate her father so deeply and she could tell him the truth without him also hating her. She couldn’t forget the anger in his voice when he described her father’s role in repossessing his own father’s mill. It seemed unlikely that Hal would ever see her father in a kind light, or that he’d ever forgive her for lying about her identity if he learned she was Lloyd Tremont’s daughter.

  “All right then,” he said. “This is your birthday and we’re going to celebrate and have our own fun tonight.”

  His declaration turned her thoughts back to the here and now and the dashing, wonderful man at her side.

  “We have arrived,” he said, turning up a long drive towards a huge gambrel roofed barn that reminded her of her stables back home in Buffalo. As they approached, she noticed a number of other wagons and carriages parked along the drive and several men in their Sunday best and ladies with parasols and pretty dresses milling about outside the barn.

  Four sets of double barn doors were thrown wide, leaving the majority of one barn wall open to the outside. Lanterns were strung across the inside of the barn, illuminating thick rafters overhead and benches that lined the inside perimeter of the barn. Another gathering of people inside captured her attention. Men in dark suits and ladies in all manner of colorful dresses milled about. There must be twenty couples or more visiting with one another.

  Nancy glanced at her husband, surprised and confused by the sight. “I thought we were going dancing this evening, but this is a... a barn, not a ballroom or a public hall.”

  Hal laughed and parked their carriage under a sprawling oak just off the drive. “We shall be dining and dancing right here.”

  “In a barn?” she asked. She’d never heard of such a thing.

  “That’s right. You’ll need to hike up your skirts to keep them free of manure.”

  “What!”

  Hal laughed so hard it bent him double and drew curious looks from the men and ladies gathered outside on the lawn.

  Nancy angled her parasol to hide herself from their inspection. “Are you jesting with me, Hal?”

  “About dancing in the barn? No.” He wiped his eyes and grinned at her. “About dancing in manure? Yes. The barn is used for wood storage or for occasional barn dances, so there’s no chance of soiling your lovely dress, darling.” He stepped down and secured the reins to the oak and then reached up to assist Nancy. “Come on down and see how us common folk live.”

  “Where are we?” Nancy asked curiously.

  “This is one of Thomas Drake’s lumber buildings. He’s the one I told you about who’s interested in leasing our mill.”

  Nancy’s heart sank at those words. So tonight was going to be about business as well. Her hopes for a romantic evening were quickly dashed at the thought. She extended her hand, expecting Hal to grasp it and allow her to step down from the carriage. Instead, he clasped her waist and swung her down from the carriage, whirling her in a full circle before placing her on the ground. Her heart raced and she stared at him in surprise. “That was rather enthusiastic,” she quipped.

  With a wide smile on his face, he extended his elbow to her. “Shall we?”

  Nancy tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow. Hal placed his over hand over hers and together they said hello to neighbors and friends and introduced themselves to several members of their community. Nancy met ladies in stylish hats and women with ribbons woven through their coiffed hair, all of them friendly and welcoming her with such warmth she had to swallow tears of gratitude.

  The men quizzed Hal about his mill output and the women complimented him on the beautiful furniture he was making for Edwards. They confessed their envy of Nancy because, being married to Hal, she must surely have a house full of magnificent furniture. Hal grimaced, but Nancy merely smiled and pointed out the hairpin that Hal had carved for her. The ladies oohed and begged their husbands to solicit such a piece from Hal’s skilled hands for their anniversary or for Christmas or some other special occasion. The husbands rolled their eyes and headed for the beverage table. Hal took advantage of the moment and escorted Nancy through the open doors of the barn.

  Lanterns hung everywhere casting a warm golden hue inside the barn. The center of the barn was completely cleared and a floor of wide pine planks was scrubbed to a rich luster. Nancy assumed it was the dance floor and found it surprisingly suitable. The enormous barn wasn’t full of people by any means, but it was filling quickly as many of the couples from the yard made their way inside. Outside the perimeter of benches sat four long tables and more benches.

  The barn felt cavernous as Nancy gazed up to the loft above and rows of thick square rafters extending high into the ceiling. The barn wasn’t dirty and musty as she had expected. It smelled of wood and food and a mixture of colognes and perfumes from the many guests.

  Intrigued, Nancy turned slowly to take it all in. From the back side of the barn, just beyond the dance floor, the discordant strains of instruments being tuned reached her ears. A group of four gentlemen sat on overturned wine barrels, two of them tuning their fiddles and one tuning his banjo. She surmised that the man without an instrument must be their caller. Looking towards the opposite side of the barn, she spied a long table draped with colorful linens. Bustling around it were a dozen ladies and young girls arranging dishes and platters of an abundance of food. The savory scents from the warm dishes wafted through the barn and made her mouth water — and made her stomach drop to her feet. She should have brought a dish to pass!

  Mortified, she turned to Hal. “Why didn’t you tell me they would be serving food here? I should have brought something, Hal.”

  “I know, but I wanted to surprise you so Mary Tucker has brought an extra dish that she’ll say is from you.”

  “What?” Nancy’s stomach dropped yet again. “I know you wished to surprise me, Hal, but you shouldn’t have asked Mary to do this.”

  “I didn’t ask. She suggested it to help me keep all of this as a surprise. But don’t fret, darling. We are going to repay her kindness by having her and William over for supper and to play cards next weekend. I thought you’d like the chance to entertain in our home.”

  Hearing him refer to his house as their home thrilled Nancy. “I would love to have our friends over. May
we invite Tom and Martha as well?”

  “Already done. Not stop fretting over this. Mary was thrilled to do this for you.” He smiled down at her. “Happy birthday, Nancy. I thought it only appropriate for you to celebrate your birthday at a dance. Think of this as your own personal birthday ball. And as your husband, I have the added bonus of showing off my beautiful wife for the evening.”

  Nancy shook her head, overwhelmed by all she was seeing and hearing, but mostly by her husband’s devoted attention.

  “Happy birthday, Nancy!” Mary said, greeting her with a wide smile and warm hug. She was stunning in her dress of deep rose. The hem, sleeves, and collar were trimmed with cranberry colored ribbon and the fitted bodice was accented with pretty pearl buttons. Mary had also opted to forgo a hat and had pinned her shiny black hair in a stylish twist and added a sprig of pink baby rosebuds that complimented her dress. Her emerald eyes sparkled as she clasped her husband’s hand and drew William to her side. He immediately wished Nancy a happy birthday and begged a dance with the birthday girl.

  Before Nancy could return their warm welcome, Hal slipped his arm around her shoulders and said all dances with his wife were his. And so the four of them spent a minute laughing and joking, and then Hal and William stepped away for a moment, giving Nancy and Mary a chance to chat.

  “I’m so sorry that we didn’t join you on Sunday afternoon,” Nancy said to Mary. “It had just been a long week and I was feeling a bit maudlin thinking about spending my birthday without my sister.”