History Lessons

by Fiona Wilde

  She nodded, breathless and he kissed her. His hands gently roamed her body as he did and Lucy felt herself relax into him. He picked her up and took her to the sofa, laying her down gently. Lucy was wearing a then flannel night set, not the sexiest pajamas, but they hugged the soft curves that his hands now explored.

  When those hands reached her bottom he stopped and cupped her cheeks gently, squeezing them. Lucy felt a naughty thrill rush through her as she recalled his words. He'd spanked her before and it had hurt. He had spanked her to tears. Tonight Warren had alluded to a totally different kind of spanking, one that could bring pleasure. It made no sense to her and she realized that he was right; she really as still an innocent in so many ways.

  She looked up at him, aghast at the words that came out of her mouth.

  "Teach me?"

  He looked down at her and smiled.

  "Teach you what?"

  Lucy blushed and took her lip between her teeth, worrying it as she looked up at him demurely from beneath her long lashes.

  "Teach me what the others were to inexperienced to teach."

  Warren kissed her again.

  "All in good time, my dear." He raised her up then and put her in his lap, stroking her face with the back of his hand. "We have all the time in the world for that. I want to make sure you're ready."

  She blushed again. This was becoming a habit. "Great," she said. "Now you think I'm some sort of fast woman."

  "Lucy Primm, if I thought that then you wouldn't be here," he said. "I think you a fine, honorable woman. But I detect a bit of the wanton and you and I would be a complete liar if I said part of me did not take delight in that knowledge."

  "Really?"

  "What man wouldn't? A woman as passionate about life as you are is surely to be as passionate in bed."

  Her eyes met his. "And a man who is as take charge as you are?"

  She wasn't sure what he was going to say in reply, but when it came it thrilled her for reasons she did not comprehend.

  "Yes," he said. "But I will try not to frighten you. Or to overwhelm you."

  "And I will try very hard not to be too overwhelmed he said."

  He stood. "It's getting late. I suppose we should go to bed."

  Lucy wanted to join him and she knew he wanted to join her. But she also knew he wanted to do this only after they'd enjoyed the kind of proper, old-fashioned courtship befitting the man and woman of honor be believed the to be.

  On the way to his room he stopped by the one she was sharing with Keegan and looked in on the sleeping lad.

  "He really is a fine little man," Warren said.

  "When I was pregnant I was so afraid," she said. "I often thought, 'What am I going to do with a child?' Now I think 'What would I do without him."

  Warren looked down at her. "Don't you have any family at all for support?"

  Lucy shook her head. "No. I didn't have the benefit of a close family. What's left are strangers, relatives in name only."

  "You won't have to worry about being alone again, Lucy," he said.

  She wanted to believe this. "You don't really know me," she said.

  "Men and women in colonial times often married without knowing each other at all," he said.

  "We're not in Colonial times," she reminded him.

  "Perhaps not, but as you know I believe in adopting the values and traditions that work. Some things don't go out of style. Like honor, chivalry and the anticipation that only a long courtship can bring.

  She laughed. "Well, this should be interesting, having you as a suitor. And as a conscience."

  He leaned over and held her, kissing her again.

  "Ssssh," she said. "Don't let Teegan see. I'd hate for him to solicit any more advice from the likes of Sybil Anderson."

  "Hmmm," he said. "I'll take that under advisement."

  He took a step back then and bent into a courtly bow. "My lady," he said. "It has been a most pleasurable evening."

  She smiled and curtsied. "Sir," she replied. "Likewise."

  Warren raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. And then Lucy went into the room and shut the door, her heart racing as she leaned against it.

  She'd told herself to go slowly, but it was too late. Even if she moved at a snail's pace her heart was racing forward. She was falling in love, and there was no way to stop it.

  Chapter Eight

  It was a restful sleep followed by the dawn of another perfect day. Warren Ellis had a full slate of activities planned for them which included a sightseeing trip to several historic sites with stops along the way to his favorite off-the-beaten path antique dealers.

  Lucy was especially excited about the antiques. When she'd started working at Hartford House, it had been just a job opportunity. But as time passed she realized a fascination with the craftsmanship and detail that went into the furniture produced before mass production came into existence. Lucy even loved the innovative tools and devices so many people considered primitive in today's time - the lathes and grain mills and spinning wheels. Warren had told her the antique dealers he frequented spent weeks traveling the country, attending rummage and estate sales to find the remarkably well-kept treasures they offered.

  But before they set out on their day trip, Lucy's cell phone rang. It was Karen Nook, the mother of one of Keegan's classmates. She wanted to confirm that Lucy's son would be at her daughter's birthday party that afternoon.

  Keegan, ever the little eavesdropper, quickly picked up on the conversation and interrupted his mother by pulling on her pant leg.

  "Remember, Mommy?" he asked, his eyes wide with excitement. "The infutation was in my bookbag."

  "Invitation," she corrected her son before speaking again to his classmate's mother. She couldn't bring herself to tell the woman that she'd not even looked through her son's bookbag. Wasn't that what good mothers always did at the end of a school day, just in case the teacher had left a note?

  "Well, actually, we're out of town at the moment and..."

  "Mommy! I want to go! Mary Alice is my best friend!" Keegan pulled harder on her pants leg. Lucy shot Warren Ellis an exasperated look as he stood watching with a bemused expression."

  "Karen, let me call you back and let you know," Lucy finally said and then closed the phone.

  Keegan was dancing around Warren's kitchen then as his mother helplessly watched.

  "Honey," she said to her son. "I don't think we can make it back in time for the party."

  Her son stopped dancing and put his head down, his adorable face transforming from excited to dejected.

  "But Mommy!" he said. "All my friends will be there!"

  Lucy sighed and shook her head. "I can't believe this," she said more to herself than anyone else. "I always check Keegan's bag for notes - always. And the one time I forget.."

  "If I miss this party my social life will be ruined!" Keegan fell dramatically to the floor.

  Warren Ellis couldn't help but to laugh as he looked at the boy's mother. "You do realize your son has a future in acting."

  "Do you think?" she asked sarcastically.

  "Well," Warren said. "We don't want his social life to be in shambles. If we leave now we can hit the toy store for a gift and get Keegan to his party on time."

  "But our afternoon..." Lucy felt ridiculous and selfish, putting her desires above her child's.

  "We can go antiquing another time," Warren said. "We'll just round out the day at your place, provided I can wrangle an invitation."

  "Oh...of course!" Lucy said, but mentally she was in a panic. Ellis was so neat, so orderly and she tried to remember in what state of disarray she'd left her house when she'd departed. Were there dishes in the sink? Toys on the floor?

  "It might be a mess, though.."

  "Relax," he said. "I'm coming to visit with you, not do a photo shoot for Home and Garden magazine."

  Lucy managed a smile. Sure, she was missing out on antiquing but the idea of spending a Keegan-free afternoon with Warren Ellis
would have its advantages. It helped that he was trying to make her feel OK with it.

  "All right," she said and Keegan began his happy dance again.

  "Are you sure you want to do this?" Lucy asked. "I mean, going to a toy store isn't exactly the kind of things most adults want to do with their afternoon."

  Warren walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders.

  "Lucy Primm," he said. "It is a good thing that your son is close at hand, otherwise I would upend you right now and spank your bottom most firmly. Don't you know enough about me by now to realize that I am not the sort of man who embarks on activities he does not want to do?"

  Lucy reddened slightly and looked down, embarrassed.

  "Of course," she said.

  Thirty minutes later they were heading back to the city and listening to Keegan's chattering over the strains of classical music. Lucy tried to concentrate on her son's excitement but couldn't help but feel guilty for being slightly angry about the situation. She'd really been looking forward to antiquing the afternoon away. Had she just looked in the bookbag she would have told Keegan ahead of time that he'd have to miss the party. Sure, he would have thrown a fit but she could have offered him something in place of it, a toy perhaps. It was hard not to show the disappointment she felt and the more disappointed she felt the more guilt it caused.

  The toy store was busy. They were having a sale and Keegan, who insisted on picking out Mary Alice's gift himself, ran up and down the aisle suggesting items that were all out of Lucy's price range. After an hour of looking she finally got him to endorse her choice, the Barbie "I Can Be A Dentist" play set.

  "It's perfect," she reassured her son, who didn't look especially certain. "Her mom and dad are both dentists."

  Lucy was firmer when it came to pick out wrapping paper, nixing her son's suggestion of a Transformer gift bag and giving him a choice between pink paper and a Barbie-themed gift bag to match the present. He chose the gift bag and capped it off with a birthday card featuring a too-cute-for-words kitten on the front.

  Keegan practically dragged his mother to the front as Warren Ellis walked behind them. The shortest line put them standing behind a heavyset woman juggling twin toddlers and a basket overflowing with gifts.

  "Presents from grandma," she said, turning to smile at Lucy as she flashed two gift certificates she held in her hand.

  "They're lucky," Lucy said, feeling a stab of pain. Her mother had never so much as sent Keegan a birthday card. She doubted whether his paternal grandparents even knew he existed. Probably not.

  "That'll be $416.97," the clerk said. The woman handed over the cards and the clerk scanned them, announcing she still had over eighty-three dollars in credit left.

  Lucy moved up in line and watched as the clerk rang up the purchases. She scanned her checkbook quickly as the scanner dinged. Unexpected birthday parties meant unexpected expenses. She had to pay the power bill this month and something else. What was it? Her brow furrowed. Ah, her car insurance. That was the other thing.

  "That will be $37.54," the clerk said.

  "Dear Lord, let there be enough," she silently prayed but when she looked up her mouth fell open with surprise. Warren Ellis was reaching over her shoulder to hand the clerk the card.

  Quickly she pushed his hand away.

  "No, Warren," she said and put down the checkbook and began to write.

  "Really, I don't mind."

  He put the card out again and she pushed it away, harder, as she tried to keep the shake out of her voice.

  "No!" she repeated. "This is for me to do. No one else."

  She wrote the check with a trembling hand, her anxiety mounting by the minute. Warren Ellis was the first man she'd felt serious about. What the hell was he doing, trying to ruin it? If she let him pay for the birthday gift Keegan was supposed to take to the party before long he'd be paying for everything. He'd see her as some sort of parasite, one of those single mothers who saw a prosperous man and instantly got dollar signs in her eyes. A few months of that and he'd leave her for the first single, childless beauty that came along.

  She ripped the check from the book, tearing the corner. The clerk took it and peered at the torn edge.

  "It's all right," Lucy reassured her. "There's no print on that edge of the check."

  "Address and.." the cashier was asking.

  "All the information's there and correct." Lucy tapped her finger on the counter, feeling suddenly as if all eyes were on her, scrutinizing her, looking for weakness.

  The clerk scanned the check and handed her the bag and the receipt. "Thanks for shopping Toys R Us," she chirped.

  Lucy took the bag in one hand and Keegan's hand in the other. She could not look at Warren Ellis. She had the inexplicable feeling that she was going to burst into tears and just wanted to get out of the toy store, away from the teeming mob of harried mothers and impatient fathers shepherding their demanding children through the aisles. She felt anxious and embarrassed without really knowing why and walked hurriedly to the car, Keegan tripping along behind.

  "Mommy, slow down!" he begged.

  "Lucy!" Warren's voice cut through her thoughts, stopping her.

  She turned, tense. "What?"

  "Your son can't keep up," he said quietly.

  She looked down at Keegan, whose adorable face was looking up at her with a questioning expression.

  "Mommy, are you mad?" he asked.

  Did it show? She realized she was and quickly sought to wipe any trace of anger from her face.

  "No, sweetie," she said, kneeling down and straightening his collar. "I just don't want you to be late for Mary Alice's party."

  "Oh," he said.

  She settled him into the car, giving him a pen to use so he could sign his name to the kitty cat card. Then Lucy settled into the passenger's seat.

  "Where's the house?" he asked.

  "Oh, it's at 116 Maple Street," she said. "In that new Willow Hills subdivision. Just turn left at the CVS and take the second road on the right. I think it's the third house down from there. They had a party there for the kids on Halloween."

  "I want to have a party," Keegan said.

  "Maybe next year we'll host one," she said distractedly. Lucy could feel Warren's eyes on her. She did not dare look at him but kept her gaze straight ahead, as the car turned and made its way into the subdivision in the better part of town.

  "This must be it," he said as they approached a pretty Dutch colonial style house with balloons festooning the mailbox. He guided the car to the stop behind one parked along the street.

  "I'll be back in a minute," she said.

  "I'll come along," he replied and Lucy said nothing. Parties were so exciting for kids. They were always at their worst - feeling free to run through the house in wild packs. Where she'd tugged Keegan in the parking lot of the toy store, now he was tugging her towards the door of the Nook's house.

  Dr. Nook opened the door and instantly Lucy's ears were assailed by the sound of laughter and screaming from within.

  "Lucy, Keegan! So glad you could make it!"

  Dr. Nook stepped aside and Keegan rushed in

  "Put the present on the dining room table," Dr. Nook called, and then turned back to Lucy.

  "Thanks for bringing him. He's one of Mary Alice's favorites. Keegan's a great kid."

  His eyes moved to Warren and he held out his hand.

  "And this is great. I finally get to meet his father!"

  Warren smiled and embraced the other man's hand. Lucy felt like falling through the floor, and was about to correct Mary Alice's father. But Warren spoke first.

  "I wish I could claim that distinction," he said. "But I'm a friend of the family. Warren. Warran Ellis."

  "Warren Ellis?" The dentist looked thoughtful. "That name sounds familiar..."

  "I'm with the historical society."

  "Oh! Hartford House, right? Where Lucy works? I read about you in the Sunday Banner. You've recently taken over that place.
"

  "I have," he said.

  "Well that's wonderful," Dr. Nook said. "My wife's mother sits on the board. You probably know her - Ellen McCreevy?"

  "I certainly do," Warren replied with a smile.

  The men exchanged a few more pleasantries before Dr. Nook excused himself. "You can pick him up around six," he told Lucy.

  They turned as he shut the door.

  "He seems nice," Warren observed.

  "Yeah, he's our dentist in addition to being the father of Keegan's first crush."

  Her companion laughed at this. Lucy tried to laugh, too, but felt uneasy, somehow. It bothered her that the feeling persisted.

  They drove back to her home in silence. When they pulled up it occurred to her how small her little rental house was. Its brick facade looked small, even sad behind the small leaf-strewn lawn.

  She fumbled for her keys as they climbed the steps. As she stepped inside, she felt something snap under her feet. It was one of Keegan's Lego creations. Lucy picked it up and immediately began apologizing for the state of her house.

  Warren said nothing as she switched on the light that bathed the living room in a warm glow. The honey-colored wood floors were strewn with a toys, yes, but overall the place was homey and neat. The overstuffed cream-colored sofa was surprisingly stain free despite sharing a house with a small child and looked nice paired with the antique pine trunk Lucy used as a coffee table. The fireplace was flanked by two chairs - a rocker and a straight-backed chair upholstered in pleasant plaid.

  "No television?" he asked.

  "There's one in my room," she said. "Keegan and I use it to watch movies once in a while. We're not really television people."

  He smiled and watched her as she walked around picking up toys and putting them away.

  "Mind if I build a fire?" he asked.

  "Sure," she said. "If you don't mind."

  He didn't mind and quickly had a small blaze popping merrily in the fireplace. He observed as he worked that the chimney was clean and remarked on this to her.

  "Yeah," she said. "It's our only source of heat so I make sure it's not a hazard. I have it swept at least once a year."