by Bess McBride
He held out a rigid arm. “Come, let me return you to the hotel. I meant to tell you that I have your train tickets for tomorrow and will have Joseph pick you up in the morning at six-thirty. The train leaves at ten past seven. They will serve breakfast aboard the train. Joseph will be in possession of a small amount of currency to see you on your way.”
They had only taken a few steps from the hotel stairs, and Rory was able to return Annie to the door of the hotel in the amount of time he took to speak. That she arrived out of breath due to his brisk pace troubled him, but he needed to leave so that she would not see his pain. His most fervent hope at the moment was that he had not caused her undue discomfort with his declaration.
He nodded. “Good night, Miss St. John.” Rory ran down the stairs and jumped into the carriage, banging the side of it as he shut the door. The carriage moved forward with a jerk. He looked out to see Annie standing at the top of the stairs, seemingly stunned and staring after him. He resolutely turned his face away.
Rory leaned out of the carriage opposite the hotel and shouted, “Anywhere but home, Joseph!” He could not stomach returning to his silent house at the moment. Even the solitary pleasure of his dark room failed to entice him.
Joseph slowed the carriage several blocks away and came to a standstill in front of a club. A perceptive man, his driver understood that what Rory needed most at the moment was a stiff drink.
“Thank you, Joseph. I do not know how long I shall be.”
“I’ll wait, Mr. O’Rourke.”
“If I am not out in an hour, come and get me. I shall have drunk myself quite under the table by that time, I would say.”
Joseph tipped his cap. “Yes, sir.”
Rory was admitted by the doorman into the building—a small supper and dancing club. He had been to the club on several occasions previously but always with friends. The maître d’ recognized him.
“Mr. O’Rourke! It’s good to see you. Are you accompanied?” The maître d’ searched behind him as if to find his companions.
“No, I’m afraid I’m quite on my own this evening, Raymond. Do you have a private table? Something out of the way?”
“Yes, Mr. O’Rourke,” the small, wiry man in coattails said. “Right this way.” Raymond led him toward a series of small booths along the far edge of the wood-paneled walls. An orchestra played on the dais.
“Rory!” a female voice called out to him. “Mr. O’Rourke!”
Rory stopped and looked to his left. Miss Washburn called out to him and stood to wave, though he hardly recognized her. Her costume of bright red with a matching feather headdress seemed out of keeping with the proper young lady who had accompanied her parents. She sat with several other young women and men at a circular table near the dance floor.
“Come sit with us,” she called.
Rory sighed. He was really in no mood for company—however, neither was he desirous of being alone.
“Thank you, Raymond. I shall join Miss Washburn’s party.” The maître d’ nodded and faded away.
Rory approached the table and took the empty chair next to Miss Washburn.
“Rory! How delightful to see you. I had hoped to see you at the hotel at dinner tonight, but you weren’t there.” She pretended to pout, a typically flirtatious gesture that Rory had once enjoyed. It left him cold now.
He attempted to rally his old self, and forced a bright smile to his face.
“I am saddened that I was not able to see you then, Miss Washburn. I was having dinner with my mother. But here we are at night’s end.”
“Please call me Shirley,” she said. “Your blue eyes, Rory. Goodness, they quite take my breath away.” She placed a delicate hand to her heart. Rory had seen the motion many times, designed to pull a man’s eyes toward a woman’s neckline and beyond. He had appreciated the ploy in the past but was unmoved this time, and frustrated by his apathy.
“Thank you, Miss…Shirley. How do you come to be here tonight? Do you frequent the clubs often?”
Rory was interrupted by the waiter, who took his drink order and an order for a round for the table.
“Yes, I do,” Shirley responded. “I love to go dancing. My parents are not aware, of course. They think I am staying with my friend, Sara. You wouldn’t tell them if you saw them, would you?” She put a tempting finger to her lips.
Rory was not tempted. He hadn’t thought about it before, but Annie never employed such tactics to draw attention to herself. No, Annie simply fell down often.
Rory downed his drink, and quickly signaled for another.
“Not at all, Shirley.”
“I can’t tell you how pleased I was to discover that the beautiful young ladies at your table the other night were your cousins, Rory. I lost hope when I saw your eyes sparkle as you regarded them, especially the smaller of the two. But my hopes were renewed when you reported they were family…whether they are cousins or sisters.” She grinned coyly.
Rory smiled briefly and nodded. He seemed to have no words. Had he spent them all on Annie?
Several of Shirley’s companions rose to dance, and she eyed him pointedly. When he failed to respond, she asked him point blank.
“Would you like to dance, Rory?”
Rory, staring at his glass, almost jumped. “Dance?” His drink was delivered, and he tossed it back.
He rose. “Do forgive me, Miss Washburn. I find I am not feeling well and must leave. It was a pleasure to see you again.” He nodded and turned away, feeling like a cad at the look of disappointment on Miss Washburn’s face.
Joseph, chatting with other drivers, turned and hurried to the carriage to open the door.
“I know, Joseph, that was quick. Drive around.”
Over the next half-hour, Rory argued with himself about returning to the hotel to seek out Annie and press his case. It was the wrong thing to do, he knew it, and yet had he really tried hard enough? Had he put forth as much effort in convincing her of his love as he could have? He could not let her go without letting her know how much he loved her, and he was prepared to lay bare his soul and promise her anything. He would even go with her to the future if she would have him.
He pulled out his pocket watch. Half past ten. He leaned his head out of the window.
“Joseph! To the Hotel Seattle!”
****
“Are you asleep?” Annie whispered. She had been sitting in the window of the sitting room for the past half-hour watching the nightlife of the city. Pedestrians strolled, often arm in arm. A few automobiles drove by. The clopping of a horse’s hooves as it pulled the occasional carriage could be heard.
Marie, in bed, turned over as Annie peeked in the door.
“Not really. I’m way too excited to go home. Well, nervous about the time travel part of it. What if we can’t get back?”
Annie came to sit on the bed, and Marie reached for the bedside lamp.
“Dani said she’s done it a lot. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
“Me? You mean us,” Marie said.
“Us.” Annie nodded. “He told me he loved me, Marie.”
“What?” Marie pushed herself up in bed. “Oh, for goodness’ sake! Why did he do that?”
“Well, maybe because he does,” Annie said dryly.
“Don’t tell me. Did he beg you to stay?”
“Actually, no,” Annie said. “By the time he was done speaking, my head was spinning. He told me he loved me, and then almost right away said he was sorry he’d said anything—something about how I probably felt only gratitude and he shouldn’t impose or something—and then he practically threw me into the hotel and took off in the carriage.”
“Well, good!” Marie said. “He’s right. He has done a lot for you, for us, and you’ll never know if you feel just gratitude or real love.”
Annie looked at her sister with a beatific smile. “You’ve got to be kidding, chickie. I am grateful, you betcha. And I’m in love for the first time in my life.”
Marie pulled her legs up underneath her and crossed her arms over her knees.
“Don’t do this, Annie. We’ve already talked about this.”
“Well, that was before Rory told me he loved me. Of course, I didn’t get a chance to say anything back to him because he kind of lost it, frankly.”
“Annie, I really think you need to come back with me, even if it’s only for a little while, just to get your head on straight. Remember, he’s leaving. He’ll be gone for what…six months? If you still feel the same way, you can come back then.”
Annie eyed her sister thoughtfully. “That does sound sensible, doesn’t it?”
“Well, yeah! I’m not the one with my head in the clouds…or the swirling black hole we fell into.”
“Okay, I agree,” Annie said. “But no fussing in six months when I come back…if I can come back.”
“No fussing,” Marie said. “Besides, I’ll be married by then and have my hands full with my own love life. I won’t have time to meddle in yours.”
Annie chuckled. Knowing that Rory loved her made everything seem possible, warmer, brighter. She would miss him terribly, couldn’t even think about it at the moment, but she would return in six months.
Annie awoke early the next morning and shook Marie.
“We have to get going. The train leaves early this morning. We’ll have to eat breakfast on the train. Rory should be here soon.”
Annie ran around the room stuffing clothing into bags and boxes.
“What should we do with the clothes? We can’t take them with us. Maybe Rory can return them? No, they’ve been worn. What do we do with them?”
Marie crawled out of bed. “We’ll carry the clothes out to the carriage and ask Rory to hang onto them, or donate them to charity or something. We still have to wear something today, though. Last day for the corset!” she chuckled.
“I hate to throw all this stuff back in his face. Maybe he’ll hang onto the clothes until I come back?”
Marie stopped to stare. “Are you going to tell him you’re coming back? Oh, gee, Annie, what if you don’t? What if you can’t? You might break the guy’s heart.”
Annie turned to look at her sister. “I thought I would,” she murmured. “In fact, I’m sure I should tell him. I want him to know how I feel. I didn’t get a chance to say a word last night.”
“Do what you want,” Marie shrugged. “He’ll probably have Mrs. Sanford hang onto the stuff anyway.” She slipped into her unmentionables and laced her corset with ease, pulling out a lavender skirt and bolo jacket to wear over her white shirtwaist.
Annie had struggled into her corset already, and retrieved a chocolate brown suit from a box to wear over a pale yellow shirtwaist. She threw her hair on top of her head, and turned to work on Marie’s hair.
“I can’t say I’ll miss the hats,” Annie muttered. “These things are huge. Maybe they get smaller in the next six months.”
Marie gave her a pointed look in the mirror but said nothing.
“Okay, let’s go,” Annie said, grabbing boxes and bags. She checked the clock over the mantle. “I’m not sure why Rory isn’t here yet, but we can be ready and waiting downstairs when he gets here. We’re cutting it close.”
They lugged their packages down the stairs to the sounds of giggles, and arrived in the lobby to find Joseph waiting, cap in hand. He ran forward to grab as many bags and boxes as he could.
“If you’ll just follow me to the carriage, miss, I’ll come back for the rest of your things. We are running a little bit late.”
Annie froze and searched beyond him.
“Where is Mr. O’Rourke?” she asked, a feeling of dread robbing her of air.
“I’m not sure, ma’am. He left in the car early this morning. He told me to take you to the train station. I have your tickets and some money for you.”
Marie turned wide eyes on Annie. “Oh, gee,” she muttered.
Annie swallowed hard and almost bit through her lip. “I have to talk to him. I have to talk to him,” she said. “Where did he go, Joseph?”
“You already asked him, Annie. He said he doesn’t know.”
Joseph nodded, and moved toward the door, his arms laden with packages.
Marie grabbed Annie’s arm to pull her. “Come on!”
“Miss St. John, Miss Marie!” Mr. O’Rourke called out, stopping at the front desk to pick up a newspaper. “Do you leave this morning, then?”
“Yes, we’re on our way to the train station,” Marie said. Annie’s throat seemed to have closed.
“You were here such a short time,” he said with a voice of regret. “I know Rory will miss you, as will my youngest son, Eddie, I suppose.” He smiled.
“Do you know where Rory is?” Annie managed to eke out. “I thought he’d see us off on the train.”
“I do know where he is, Miss St. John, as I saw him here at the hotel late last night. I believe he had a few errands to run this morning and then had plans to visit with his mother this morning to discuss a matter of importance.”
“Errands? His mother?” Annie said. She checked the clock behind the desk. “So, he didn’t plan to see us off at the train station?” Tears welled up in her eyes, and she blinked them back. She couldn’t break down.
“I am not sure about that, Miss St. John. May I take a message for him?”
Joseph ran back in and grabbed the rest of the bags. “Ladies, we must leave if we are to get to the train station on time!”
Marie pulled Annie’s arm again. “We have to go, Annie. Goodbye, Mr. O’Rourke.”
“Safe journey, Miss St. John.” He raised his hand in a wave.
Annie opened her mouth to speak. What was she supposed to say? Tell him I love him? Marie had pulled her to the doorway. No time to write a note.
Annie turned. “Mr. O’Rourke!” she called. “Tell Rory I love him!” She thought she saw him nod and smile before Marie pulled her out of the building and down the stairs.
Joseph held open the door, and they climbed in. No sooner had they taken a seat than the carriage lurched forward. The ride was exciting, if nothing else. A few pedestrians jumped out of the way, and several carts hastily maneuvered over to the curb.
Annie heard the whistle of the train as they careened around the corner of the station. Joseph pulled up to the sidewalk with a flourish, and jumped off to open the carriage door. Marie and Annie stepped down, and Joseph handed them their tickets and an envelope.
“Hurry, you only have a few minutes before the train leaves. You still have to present your tickets.”
Marie took off toward the station in an athletic jog, hanging onto her hat with one hand and clutching her skirts with the other.
“Thank you, Joseph! Say goodbye to Mr. O’Rourke for me.” Annie ran after Marie, holding her own hat and skirts. A hiss of steam from the train startled her, and her ticket flew from her hand.
“Wait!” she called after Marie, who had already barreled through the door of the station. Annie ran after her ticket and missed the curb, falling to her hands and knees. Her hat flew off her head, pulling her hair along with it.
“Oh, my love, you are so clumsy,” Rory said as he ran toward her from the station. Annie saw his car parked outside the front door. “Come, dearest!” He hauled her up and steadied her on her feet. Her hair hung about her shoulders, and passersby stared at her curiously, but she barely noticed them.
She threw herself in Rory’s arms.
“I love you, Rory. I love you, I love you, I love you!” She pulled his head to hers and kissed him. His lips were warm, firm, soft, perfect! Rory slid his arms around her waist and pressed her against him.
“Annie, Annie! Come on!” Marie popped her head back out of the station door and waved. “Let’s go!”
“Wait, Annie!” Rory said. “Please wait. I love you. I want to marry you. Now! Here is a marriage license, and here is a ticket to accompany me to the Orient. Please say you’ll come with me. If you won’t, I won’t go. I will
stay here, but please do not leave me. I do not think I can live without you!”
“Annie!” Marie shouted. “Come on!”
Annie turned in her sister’s direction and waved her away. “Go! Go, Marie! I’m staying. I’m getting married! Just go! I love you, Sis. I’ll see you soon!”
Marie hesitated and looked over her shoulder toward the train. “I love you too, Annie! Take care of her, Rory! Six months! I expect to see you all in six months! Bye!” She ran back through the door, and exited the building in seconds to hop onto the train with her skirts lifted to her knees. In the fashion of the great black and white movies, she clung to the railing, kissed her hand and waved it at them as the train pulled away.
Annie jumped up and down and waved back. “See you soon, Marie!” she shouted. The train’s whistle drowned out her words, but she knew Marie saw her before the conductor pulled her inside.
Tears flowed down Annie’s face as she watched the train move away. Black smoke billowed from the engine.
“I know how much you will miss your sister, Annie,” Rory said. He pulled out her handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes as he had done once before.
“Ya know? I think I would miss you more, Rory. I love you. I was so terrified when you didn’t come for us this morning. I wanted to tell you last night that I loved you, but you went off in a tizzy, and I didn’t get a chance.”
“Tizzy indeed,” he murmured. “I consulted with my father last night, and he contacted his friend, the city clerk, to obtain the license early this morning, while I dashed off to the port to purchase your ticket—all with the fervent hope that you would stay. I am not sure what ‘tizzy’ means, but it sounds as if it accurately represents the chaos of the last eight hours.”
He pressed his lips against hers again.
“Can we do this in public?” Annie pulled back and looked around, but they seemed to be alone on the walkway at the station’s entrance.
