Swan's Way

by Weyrich, Becky Lee

  Oh, how Virginia longed to commit that necessary evil!

  “What have you decided?” Melora asked her daughter, as soon as Agnes left.

  Virginia stood a bit taller and squared her shoulders. “I’ll be beside you in the receiving line today, Mother.”

  A gentle smile curved Mrs. Swan’s lips. She touched her daughter’s arm affectionately. “You don’t have to, you know. But I’m awfully proud that you will. Having you there will mean a lot to Rodney and Agnes.”

  Virginia tossed her long, golden hair over one shoulder. “Rodney and Agnes won’t know whether I’m downstairs or not, Mother. They’ll be too engrossed in each other. I’m not doing this for them. I’m doing it for myself… and for Channing. In a way, I suppose, it will be rather symbolic. My proof that this bride is waiting at the altar for her man.” Her eyes flashed suddenly. “And I will wait, Mother! I plan to be right here—still waiting—when Channing comes riding home.”

  “You are a brave girl, Virginia Swan! The bravest of the brave.”

  Virginia didn’t feel very brave a few hours later. She bit down hard on the inside of her lower Up to keep from bursting into tears. Standing in the parlor with the wedding guests, she turned her gaze toward the graceful staircase, when the music for the bride’s entrance began.

  For a moment she closed her eyes, imagining what might have been. Channing should have been standing beside her handsome brother, Rodney, at the bottom of those stairs. Virginia could almost see herself poised on the landing above, her satin and lace wedding gown glowing like candlelight.

  Yet, when she opened her eyes, only Agnes was there. Petite, lovely Agnes, looking radiant and frightened at the same time. She stared down at Rodney, the ghost of a smile trembling on her lips. Little Agnes looked as if she might bolt back up the stairs at any moment. But halfway down, her demeanor changed. Had it not been for her father’s restraining arm, she might have taken the steps two at a time, in her eagerness to reach her beloved. A wide smile broke across her face. Suddenly, she was beaming. Virginia could well imagine why. Her own heart gave a faint lurch when she put herself in Agnes’s place. If Channing had been standing at the bottom waiting for her, she would have hiked up her skirts and slid down the banister to get to him the fastest way possible.

  Conventions be hanged! she mused.

  Time seemed to pass in fits and starts during the actual ceremony. The only way Virginia could get through it, without breaking down or actually fleeing the room, was to keep her mind on other things. She dared not listen to the minister’s words or think of Channing again. She concentrated instead on the room itself. She tried to imagine what this room would look like a decade from now, a century from now.

  Again, she closed her eyes. When she opened them this time, she had the strangest sensation. She felt quite faint for a moment. Glancing about, she realized that the wedding party, the minister, the guests all looked like mere shadows in the room. The parlor looked different—new wallpaper, new furniture. And an odd box with glass on one side occupied the corner where the Bible stand had been, moments before. Sitting about the room were a group of elderly people, all staring at the strange box.

  One of the women, a slave, by the color of her skin, said, “That Peter Bergman is to-die-for gorgeous! He is Jack Abbot! If they ever kill him off of this show, I’m quittin’ ‘The Young and the Restless’ for good.”

  The old woman sounded strangely familiar. She bore a striking resemblance to Polly, the cook, at Swan’s Quarter. And that tattered doll she was holding in her arms. Why, that was Virginia’s doll!

  Virginia turned to look at the glass-faced box that seemed the center of attention. She gasped. Small people where trapped inside—walking, talking, looking perfectly normal, except for their strange clothing. How on earth did they get in there? Who could they be?

  She was about to go over and speak to the woman with her doll, when all the strangers vanished from the room, as suddenly as they had appeared. The box went with them, as did Peter Bergman and Jack Abbot—whoever they were. Once more, the mahogany Bible stand occupied the corner. The ceremony was almost finished. Soon, Reverend Bulwer would open the huge family Bible to record Agnes and Rodney’s marriage on the special page between the Old and New Testaments.

  “I now pronounce you man and wife,” the parson said.

  Virginia felt tears of regret and envy choke her throat. She wondered where Channing was at this exact moment. Was he thinking about the wedding taking place at Swan’s Quarter? Was he as sad as she?

  Suddenly, the room began to spin around her. Strange sights and sounds mingled in her senses. The old black woman with the doll flew through the air, followed by the glass-faced box, whirling over the heads of the wedding guests. She heard Agnes’s shrill, girlish laugh and her own mother’s voice. But the old people from that other time were talking too. Virginia covered her ears, trying to block out the maddening babble. One voice cut sharply through the others.

  “Ginna! Ginna, speak to me! Open your eyes. We’re back.”

  Slowly, she did as the male voice instructed. She felt odd, disoriented. It seemed almost as though she were two people at the same time, groping for a single, stable personality.

  “Channing?” she whispered.

  “Ginna, it’s me. Neal!”

  “Neal?” The name sounded oddly familiar, but unfamiliar too.

  “We got separated. I couldn’t find you. When I got back, you weren’t here in the greenhouse. God, I nearly went crazy! Then, all of a sudden, you reappeared. I’m not going back there, Ginna, not ever again.”

  She stared up at the face. One of his eyes was slightly puffy and the flesh below it showed the yellowish tinge of an aging bruise. Suddenly, she remembered the confrontation Channing had had with Jedediah and Rodney Swan at the parsonage.

  “Your eye!” she gasped.

  He touched the fading bruise. “It’s nothing. I took a sucker punch a while back from an old man.”

  “My father hit you?”

  No, Ginna! Not your father. It was Virginia’s father, Colonel Swan. And it wasn’t me he hit, it was Channing.”

  “Then why do you have a black eye, Neal?”

  He touched the tender flesh gingerly and shook his head. “Damned if I know. I don’t understand any of this, if you want the truth.”

  She lay back against the soft dirt floor of the greenhouse, her mind reeling once more. “What’s happening to us, Neal?”

  “I couldn’t even venture a guess. But it’s sure as hell not going to happen again.” He leaned close and gathered her into his arms. “We’re not of that place, you and I, and we shouldn’t have gone there. We won’t go again. Promise me that, Ginna.”

  She rubbed a hand over her eyes. “I don’t know, Neal. I just don’t know. I can’t think straight, right now.”

  “Just lie still for a few minutes. You’ll feel better. What happened to you? Where did you go when you left me at the parsonage?”

  “My brothers, I mean, Virginia’s brothers, took me home. Colonel Swan told me later that you had gone on to Washington to join your unit. I didn’t know where you were. I was so worried when I heard of the fighting in Alexandria. You didn’t send word. And then our wedding day came, but of course you weren’t there.” Tears streamed from her eyes when she spoke of the wedding. “Oh, Channing!” She reached up and clasped her arms around Neal’s neck, pulling his bruised cheek close to hers. “I wanted everything to be so perfect for us. Why did they have to ruin it? Why did that terrible war have to tear us apart?”

  “Sh-h-h, Ginna,” Neal said softly. “Don’t do this to yourself. It’s over now. Channing and Virginia may be separated, but you and I are right here, together. Everything’s going to be fine, darlin’.”

  She tried to smile through her tears to reassure him, but in her heart, she knew that nothing would ever be right between them as long as Channing and Virginia were so much in love, yet kept apart by the war
. As her mind began to right itself, her first clear thought was that she and Neal somehow shared the fate and the destiny of Virginia and Channing.

  “Ginna, I didn’t want to press you before, but I have to ask again. Will you marry me? Soon?”

  His mention of marriage brought a new flood of tears. She knew who and where she was now, but she still shared some of Virginia’s deepest emotions. Although she didn’t believe it was possible for her and Neal to be together as long as Virginia and Channing were apart, she nodded and whispered, “Yes, Neal. I’ll marry you. Soon, my darling.”

  The kiss they shared to seal their commitment was interrupted when old Zee, the gardener, ambled into the greenhouse. He cleared his throat loudly to alert them to his presence. They pulled apart and both smiled sheepishly at him.

  “Don’t mind me,” Zee said. “Just coming in to check if my ferns need watering.”

  Neal helped Ginna to her feet. He thought about trying to explain why the two of them were lying down on the greenhouse floor, but decided it would be a lot easier to let the old man figure it out for himself. With only quick nods toward Zee, Ginna and Neal left the greenhouse and headed back to the main building.

  “What now?” Neal asked.

  “I need to get back to town. I have to work tomorrow.”

  “But, Ginna …”

  She brought his hand to her lips and kissed his fingers softly. “No buts, darling. I’ve stayed longer than I should have.”

  “I don’t want you to go. I want to get married. Now!”

  The eagerness in Neal’s tone made her smile. “It’s not that simple, darling. We’ll have to get bloods tests, a license, arrange a ceremony. I’ll check on everything when I get back to town. Then I’ll call, and we’ll set a time to take care of all the red tape.”

  As they walked up onto the veranda, hand in hand, Dr. Kirkwood came hurrying through the front door. “Oh, there you are, Neal. I’ve been looking all over for you. You have a phone call.”

  Neal frowned. “Who is it?” He couldn’t think of a soul who would be calling him; no one even knew he was here.

  “It’s Christine’s father, Mr. Henderson.”

  Still holding Neal’s hand, Ginna felt him go tense. She looked up and saw a nervous twitch at the side of his jaw. His eyes had narrowed, and his lips were pulled taut in a grim line.

  “It’s all right, Neal,” Ginna whispered. “He probably just wants to thank you for saving his daughter’s life.”

  “I don’t want his thanks,” Neal snapped. “I don’t deserve his gratitude. His wife saved their little girl’s life. I should have saved her.”

  “Do take his call, Neal,” Kirkwood urged. “I think you need to talk to him.”

  “And I agree,” Ginna said. “Go on, Neal. I won’t leave until you get back.”

  “Promise?”

  “I promise.” She went up on tiptoe and kissed him gently, hoping to wipe the anguish from his eyes.

  “You can take the call in my office,” the doctor said.

  After another moment’s hesitation, Neal went to the door. He turned and looked back at Ginna. “Come with me?” he begged.

  She gave him a reassuring smile, but shook her head. “No, Neal. You need privacy for this call. Go ahead now. You don’t want to keep Mr. Henderson waiting any longer.”

  Once Neal disappeared inside the house, Kirkwood asked, “What happened to Neal’s eye? Don’t tell me he got fresh and you had to sock him.”

  Ginna forced a laugh. “Nothing like that. In fact, we’ve decided to get married as soon as possible,” she stated bluntly, never quite answering his question, but diverting his attention satisfactorily.

  Kirkwood frowned at her. “And what are you doing out of bed? I told you to rest today.”

  She shifted her gaze away, unable to look the doctor straight in the eye. “I needed to be with Neal more than I needed a nap.”

  “You’re impossible, Ginna Jones!”

  A warm smile lit her face. “Not impossible, just in love. I’ve never felt so absolutely marvelous in my whole life.”

  It was on the tip of Dr. Kirkwood’s tongue to give her a good scolding for not following doctor’s orders. But why spoil her happy mood? What good would it do anyway? Ginna did as Ginna pleased!

  “How soon are you planning to get married?”

  “As soon as we can make arrangements. Neal will have to come to Winchester. Will you allow that?”

  “Of course. He’s considerably better now. I doubt he’ll be staying at Swan’s Quarter much longer.”

  Ginna smiled brightly. “That’s wonderful news. I had wondered how we would manage, where we would live after we got married. We can’t very well stay here, and my place is so tiny.”

  “Neal has a home in the Washington area. I know that from his records. I don’t believe he’s lived there since his wife died.”

  This information brought a frown to Ginna’s face. “Maybe he’ll sell it and we’ll buy a place of our own. I don’t like the thought of sharing him with a ghost.”

  Elspeth had been sitting at the far end of the veranda, rocking Miss Precious. She could be deaf as a post, when she conveniently wished not to hear, but, in truth, her senses were all intact and as keen as a young person’s. When she heard Ginna mention ghosts, she rose and came to her. Standing directly behind Ginna, the old woman said, in a sharp whisper, “You’ve been sharing Swan’s Quarter with more than one ghost.”

  Ginna nearly jumped out of her skin. She had had no idea anyone else was around.

  Just then, someone called Dr. Kirkwood inside. The two women were left alone.

  “Elspeth, you scared me,” Ginna said.

  “Didn’t mean to. Just thought I ought to let you know you and young Mr. Frazier aren’t the only two that knows about Miss Virginia and her Channing.”

  Ginna took Elspeth by the arm and led her back to the rockers. “Tell me what you mean.”

  “Zee’s ghosts in the greenhouse. I know you and Neal’ve been visiting them. I went there once my own self. Got to visit with my great-granny. Those were painful times. You shouldn’t go back, unless you mean to set things right, good and proper. This ain’t something to play with.”

  Once Ginna got over her shock, she was fascinated that Elspeth shared their secret “Neal doesn’t want to go again, but I feel like we must. I have to find out what happened to Virginia and Channing.”

  “Their heartache ain’t yours, Ginna. Leave it be. Let go of the past. You ain’t got the strength Virginia had.”

  “I can’t leave it be.” Ginna was suddenly convinced that she would go back, that she had no other choice. “Tell me what happened to them.”

  “Only if you promise to marry your young man and stay right here where you belong—in the here and now.”

  Staring into the old woman’s eagle-sharp eyes, Ginna knew she could not he to her or fool her. “I can’t promise, Elspeth. I’m sorry.”

  “Then it’s woe be to you and to your young man.” Having said her piece, Elspeth rose from the rocker and went inside, leaving Ginna alone on the veranda to ponder her warning.

  For a long time, she sat in silence, thinking over all that had happened, all that had been said. Suddenly, she realized it was getting dark. If she didn’t hurry, she would miss the last bus. But she couldn’t go without saying goodbye to Neal. She went inside to find him.

  Leonard Kirkwood spotted her coming down the hallway toward his office. “If you’re looking for Neal, he’s not here.”

  “Where is he?”

  The doctor looked solemn, worried. “I don’t know, Ginna. I came in just as he finished talking to Mr. Henderson. He slammed the phone down, rushed right past me, and took off. I thought he was going to find you.”

  “He didn’t come back to the veranda.” Her heart was thundering. What could Christine’s father have said to Neal to upset him so? “I have to leave or I’ll miss my bus. Don’t you ha
ve any idea where Neal might have gone?”

  “I’m afraid not. I checked his room. He isn’t there. I think he just took off to the woods to clear his head. Whatever Mr. Henderson said got to him, that’s for sure.”

  “I’ll check his room again, but then I really have to go. Will you explain to him why I had to leave? Tell him I’ll call him.”

  “Of course I will.”

  Ginna was feeling weak and dizzy. She took the elevator to the floor above. As Dr. Kirkwood had said, Neal’s room was empty. She found a sheet of stationery and wrote him a short note, telling him she was sorry she had to leave and that she loved him.

  She waited a few more minutes, hoping Neal would return. She paced his room, scanning the grounds from his window. There was no sign of him. Finally, with a sigh, she headed back downstairs.

  Her heart was heavy, as she walked past the pond and saw that only one lone swan swam on the mirrorlike surface.

  “Neal?” she called. “Neal, where are you?”

  But the rising wind took her words and threw them back at her. As she hurried into the darkening woods, fear clutched her heart. Not fear of being alone with darkness gathering, but fear that something in that call from Christine’s father had driven a wedge between her and Neal.

  “Please, Neal,” she whispered, “please don’t let anything come between us, this time.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Neal left Ginna and Dr. Kirkwood on the veranda, when he went inside to take his call. He dreaded picking up the receiver. Some warning tone seemed to sound in his brain, as if he anticipated bad news. What could Christine Henderson’s father possibly have to say to him? And why did he have to call? If all he wanted to say was “thank you for saving my daughter,” a note would have served.