When I was a kid, I didn’t play much with my friends because I wasn’t any good at physical activities. I hated going to gym because the kids made fun of me. Then, one night I dreamt that I was an amateur athlete eligible for the Olympics. That dream came true.
51 Words
This was written for the Weekend Writing Prompt by Sammi Cox. For instructions, click Here.
PHOTO PROMPT © Susan Eames
“Whatcha you doin’ up there?” Vonetta asked Carlo, her big brown eyes wide with curiosity as she looked up at him.
“I’m trying to make a phone call,” he answered shortly. “Now go and play or something.”
“Is the call important?”
Kids! He sighed. “Vonetta, I want to be alone. I don’t want to be disturbed. You know what privacy is, don’t you?”
“Yeah. I know what it is but I just don’t understand why you had to climb up dat tree.”
He climbed down the tree.
“Where you goin’?”
“For a swim.”
“What ‘bout your call?”
“It can wait.”
100 Words
This was written for the Friday Fictioneers challenge hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields For more details, visit Here. To read other stories based on this week’s prompt, visit Here.
“I love the way you play,” he said.
I smiled, flattered. “Thank you.”
We were standing backstage at Carnegie Hall. I had invited him to the performance and was thrilled that he actually came.
“The way you played that piece it was as if you were telling a story. You had me hooked.”
“Joshua Bell, the celebrated violinist once said that when you play a violin piece, you are a storyteller and you’re telling a story.”
“I would like to hear your story. How about going for a cappuccino with me?”
“Yes,” I said without any hesitation. I wanted to be with him. Since we started working at the same company, I have wanted to get to closer to him. This was my opportunity. I quickly put my violin away and followed him to the parking lot. The café where we went was about a twenty minute drive. It was a nice and cozy place. I have never been there before. We managed to get a seat beside the window.
After ordering two Lattes, he asked, “So, how old were you when you first started playing the violin?”
“I was five when I started learning how to play it. My father loved classical music and he used to play it all of the time. I would sit and listen it, especially the music featuring the violin. I told him that I liked the violin and wanted to learn how to play it. He took me seriously and got a friend to teach me.”
“Five. Wow. That’s very young.”
I smiled. “I’ve heard of children starting as young as three.”
“My sister started playing the piano when she was nine.”
“What about you? Wasn’t there any musical instrument that you wanted to learn how to play?”
“I liked the saxophone but never got around to learning how to play it.”
“Most people like the saxophone because of its cool image.”
“And most women think it’s sexy.”
“That’s true. When my sister met her husband he was playing the sax at a Jazz club.”
“So, if he hadn’t been playing the sax, she wouldn’t have been interested?”
“Well, it turned out that it was how he looked as he played was what really attracted her to him.”
He laughed, revealing even white teeth. “Whatever works.”
“Yes. Twenty years later and they are still happily married.”
“What about you?” he asked.
“I’m single.”
“That’s good to know.”
I was surprised to hear him say that. Did he want to have a non-professional relationship with me? Was I reading more into this than there was? Did he just want to be friends? All these and other questions swirled around my head. I didn’t know what to say. I just smiled.
He continued, leaning over, his hands clasped in front of him, his eyes meeting mine directly. “I have wanted to ask you out for a long time now but wasn’t sure if you would want to date someone you worked with.”
It’s a good thing I wasn’t drinking my Latte at that moment or I would have choked on it.
“You look surprised,” he commented.
“I am,” I quickly admitted.
“Why?” he asked.
“Well, there are other women at the company, especially in our department whom I thought you would be more interested in.”
“Yes, there are but I’m not interested in any of them,” he reached over then and covered my hand. The skin tingled and my stomach did a cartwheel. “I’m interested in you.”
I felt warm all over. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll have dinner with me tomorrow night.”
I felt like a giddy schoolgirl. “Yes.”
He smiled again and I felt my knees go weak. We ordered sandwiches and sat there for another couple of hours, talking. The following night he took me to an upscale restaurant in Soho where in the background Jazz music was playing. I smiled when I heard the saxophone. We had a very pleasant and enjoyable evening together. I laughed a lot and felt totally relaxed with him. After dinner, we went to Club Shelter where we had a blast. I don’t recall ever having such a great time with anyone, not even my sister who used to be a real party animal.
It was after mid-night when he took me home. We stood outside of my place, facing each other. I didn’t want him to leave. I didn’t want our time together to end. “Would you like to come in?” I asked. I waited, hoping that he would say yes.
Instead, he said, “If I do, I might not want to leave.”
Heart pounding wildly against my ribs, I stepped the foyer as I replied, “What if I don’t want you to leave?”
His response was to come in and close the door behind him. The expression on his face thrilled me and I gasped when he pulled me roughly against him, his eyes smoldering as they met mine. Then, we were kissing like two crazy people. We barely made it to my room where we had an explosive session. Afterwards, we fell asleep, wrapped in each other’s arms.
He left the following morning after a shower and breakfast. We made plans to see each other that evening. No one in our department knew about us until the day we announced our engagement.
He was walking down a busy street in downtown Manhattan, heading back to his hotel room when he saw her. She was coming toward him–a very pretty girl in a white jacket over a black top and blue jeans. He wasn’t looking for anything because he was already in a relationship which he was having serious misgivings about, especially now that Claudia was pressuring him to get married. The last thing he wanted was to be distracted by another woman.
Yet, as they approached each other, he couldn’t look away. She was staring at him too and that thrilled him. Since Claudia and he began dating four years ago, he had never once looked at another woman until now…His heart thudded as they got closer to each other and as they passed each other, she looked right up at him. He was tempted to look back but continued walking.
“Excuse me,” she called and he stopped. When he turned around, she went closer, her eyes searching his face. “Aren’t you Bernard Forbes, the British stage and independent film actor?”
He nodded. “Yes, I am.”
She smiled broadly, her eyes bright with excitement. “I’m a big fan of yours,” she told him. “I have seen all of your films. And last month when I was in London, I went to see you in the latest stage production of Macbeth. It was the only reason I visited England. I wanted to go backstage and get your autograph but my aunt was in a hurry to leave.”
“I’m flattered that you went all the way to London just to see me in a play. The least I can do is to give you my autograph for your trouble.”
“It just so happens, I have the program with me. This is the handbag I had with me when I went to see the play. I just never got around to taking it out and I’m happy I didn’t.” She took it out along with a pen and handed them to him, her heart racing. He was even more handsome in person and gracious too. She couldn’t wait to call her aunt in London and tell her.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Kimani Jones.”
“Kimani. What an unusual name,” he commented. “What does it mean?”
“’Beautiful’ and ‘sweet’”, she replied. “My mother saw it somewhere and decided that she would call me that.”
“It suits you,” he said, his eyes meeting hers in a steady gaze before he turned his attention to signing his autograph. He wrote: To: Kimani, my warmest regards and my very best to you always. Bernard Forbes. He handed the program back to her.
She read what he wrote. “Thank you,” she gushed, beaming at him. “I really appreciate this.
“It was my pleasure,” he said quietly. “How come you’re not in school?”
“I’m on March break,” she said. “And I’m in my third year at New York University.”
“Are you in a hurry to get somewhere?”
She shook her head. “I was just window shopping. Spring is around the corner so I was thinking of buying some new clothes.”
They were standing close to a café. “Let’s move our conversation from the sidewalk to in there,” he suggested. There wasn’t any harm in talking to one of his fans, was there? She was a welcome change from the movie and theatre crowd and the people he usually associated with. Besides, this was better than going back to his hotel room to brood over his relationship with Claudia.
She readily acquiesced and they went into the café. He found a table at the back and by the window. It was after ten o’clock so the place was almost empty save for a few people and aside from curious stares in his direction, no one bothered them. After they ordered two hot chocolates, he leaned forward in his chair, arms on table and studied her. “You mentioned that you’re in your third year in university. What is your area of study?”
I can’t believe I’m sitting here having a conversation with Bernard Forbes. “I’m studying Psychology.”
“Why Psychology?”
“I want to help people.”
“That’s commendable,” he said. “I have a feeling that you will do very well in the field.”
“Thank you.”
“Have you always lived in New York?”
“Yes. And I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”
He asked her all sorts of questions about herself and in no time an hour had passed. “Spend the rest of the day with me, Kimani,” he heard himself say.
“All right,” she said, thrilled. And after he paid for the hot chocolates, they left the cafe and walked up the road where he hailed a cab.
They went to Central Park where they spent a fun afternoon. They went up to the Belevdere Castle to check the temperature and to enjoy the panoramic view around them. Afterwards, they visited the Conservatory Garden and watched people sail their boats at Conservatory Water before they grabbed lunch. After lunch they went to see a puppet show at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre. They ended the day at Bethesda Fountain where they each made a wish.
The sun was setting as they walked to the exit of the park. He hailed a cab and she gave the driver her address.
“Thank you for an incredible day,” he told her when they were outside of her apartment building. “I haven’t enjoyed myself so much in a very long time.”
She smiled. “I had a wonderful time too. I never knew there were so many fun things to do in Central Park.” I hope we can see each other again.
“Kimani, I want to see you again.” This was madness but he couldn’t seem to get enough of her. He had to see her again. “Have dinner with me tomorrow night.”
“I’d like that,” she said.
“Good. I’ll pick you up at seven.” He took her hand and raised it to his lips, making her tremble. “Have a good evening.” He reluctantly released her hand and climbed back into the back of the cab.
Her flesh tingled. “You too,” she replied breathlessly. She wave at him before she turned and walked to the entrance of her building on rather shaky legs, her mind spinning. She hoped this wasn’t all a dream.
Dinner was at the Empire State Building. As soon as they walked in they were greeted with a smile before being shown to a table with a magnificent view. Over Burrata and Shave Kale salads, Scottish Salmon and Roasted Farm Chicken and non-alcoholic wine, they talked about many different things. She learned that Bernard began acting on stage when he was eleven at the encouragement of his father who used to be renown theatre actor himself. His mother was an opera singer. Both parents were still alive and living in the South of France. They recently celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary. He flew out for the occasion. He was an only child like her.
“Do you ever wish that you had brothers or sisters?” she asked.
“Sometimes. It would have been nice to have an older brother whom I could go to for relationship advice and the one I’d call instead of one of my parents when I got into trouble. And of course, be each other’s best man at our weddings.”
“Yes, I wish I had an older sister that I could share secrets with whose closet I could raid when I didn’t have anything to wear and someone to hang out with whenever we are forced to attend a family get together and go shopping with.”
He smiled. “And what would happen if you both ended up liking the same guy?” he teased.
“I would like to think that if the guy liked her instead of me, I would bow out gracefully.”
His expression grew serious. “If I were that guy you would be the sister I liked.”
She smiled shyly at him. “And if you had a brother, I would like you instead of him.”
“Kimani, I’m here in New York for a week. Can I see you everyday until it’s time for me to fly back to London?”
She nodded. “Yes. I just have to figure where we can go that you haven’t already been. I read on line that you have been to New York many times because it’s one of your favorite cities in the world after London and Paris.”
He looked intrigued. “What else have you read about me?”
“That you like going to museums, for long walks, traveling, cooking, volunteering, you prefer theatre acting to film acting and prefer dating actresses.”
“I’m guilty of all of those things except the bit about my preference for actresses. You’re not an actress, are you?”
She laughed. “I was in drama class once in high school and I managed to get through it but I knew then and there that acting was not for me.”
“I love it,” he said simply. “I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
“What about when the opposite sex throw themselves at you?”
“Yes, that ‘s the part of my career which I truly dislike,” he agreed. “but it has brought us together.”
“I never imagined that I would bump into you in the street or that when I asked you for your autograph we would end up spending the day together or having dinner. I still can’t believe that this is really happening. I’m afraid that this is all a very long and wonderful dream.”
He reached over and grasped her hand. “This is no dream, Kimani,” he assured her, gently squeezing her fingers to make his point. “I’m real, you’re real and what is happening between us is very real.”
She blinked, finding it hard to think with him holding her hand. Just then, a couple approached their table. They smiled apologetically before the woman said hesitantly, “I’m so sorry to disturb your dinner but know that my husband nor I wouldn’t be able to forgive me if I passed up this opportunity to get your autograph. We saw you in Macbeth, Hamlet, Absent Night and Secrets in the Dream, your latest independent film. We are huge fans. Do you mind signing the front of this photo of my husband and me?” she handed it to him with a pen. She smiled at Kimani. “Sorry for the interruption.”
Kimani smiled. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. One of the things she had to get used to when being with him was having interruptions like this.
“What are your names?” Bernard asked the woman who was pretty and looked to be in her late thirties.
“Kevin and Angela.”
He scribbled something on the photo and gave it back to her with the pen. “Have a good evening,” he said with a smile.
“Thank you so much,” she said, looking at the signed photo in appreciation before she put it in her bag. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.” She turned and walked away.
“Do you ever get used to people coming up to you wherever you go for your autograph?” she asked.
“Actually, I have gotten used to it but not tired of it. I will always be happy to sign autographs long after I’ve retired from acting which wouldn’t be for a very long while. I hope you didn’t mind.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t. She’s a fan just like me. I can relate.”
He glanced at his watch. “The night is still young. Would you like to go for a carriage ride in Central Park?”
Her eyes brightened. “Yes!”
His lips twitched and he signaled to the waitress. Ten minutes later, they were on their way to Central Park.
The carriage ride was a remarkable and romantic experience. The Park was transformed at night, a perfect escape from the bustle and noise of the city, making it easy for them to enjoy the spectacular views of the city skyline. It was the perfect end to a perfect evening. He took her home and they saw each other for the rest of the week going to the museum, the theatre, the movies, a gondola ride in Central Park, Atlantic City and Coney Island.
On Sunday afternoon, she went with him to the airport, sorry to see him go. They faced each other general area before he went to the terminal where he would catch his plane. He took her hands in his. “I will be back in a week,” he promised.
She nodded and then reached up and hugged him tightly. “I’ll see you in a week.”
He bent his head and kissed her. It lasted for a few minutes and when they broke apart, his face was flushed. “I’ll be back before you know it,” he said before he turned and walked away. She watched him until he was out of sight before she left the airport, her heart heavy.
The day after he returned from New York, Bernard went to see Claudia. She was expecting him. She opened the door, dressed in a long black negligee leaning and her mouth raised for a kiss but after a light brush of his lips against her cheek, he walked past her and into the living-room. There was a time, not so long ago, when he would have dragged that negligee off. It was amazing how a man could look at the same woman who used to drive him wild with desire and feel nothing.
Frowning, she closed the door. “Is something wrong?” she asked when she joined him and noted the expression on his face.
“Please sit down,” he said. When she did, he sat beside her. He took a deep breath. “Claudia, I can’t marry you.”
She stared at him, her face going pale. “Why not?” she asked.
He hesitated for a moment and then he confessed, “I don’t love you.”
“So, for the four years we have been together you never once loved me?”
He nodded, feeling awful. “I cared about you, but I wasn’t in love with you.”
“Is that why every time I broached the subject of marriage you shut down?”
He nodded again. “Yes. When it comes to marriage, a person has to be very sure before taking that step. And since I wasn’t sure about us, I couldn’t take that risk. I went to New York to sort things out and I realized that what was troubling me from the very beginning were my feelings for you. You loved me but I had to admit to myself that I didn’t love you. Claudia, you deserve to be with a man who will love you back. I’m not that man. I’m sorry…”
She got up from the sofa and began to pace, her arms folded tightly as the enormity of what he was saying hit her. Tears sprang in her eyes but she blinked them back. “You came to this conclusion when you were in New York?”
“Yes.”
“Did you meet someone else while you were there, Bernard?”
He sighed, “Yes, but—”
“Is she the reason why you have now decided that you don’t want to be in a relationship with me anymore?”
“Before I met her, I was filled with so many doubts about you and me which I couldn’t shake off. And being with her helped me to realize that it wouldn’t be fair to either you or me to continue our relationship when it would not lead to what you want—marriage.”
“So, who is she? Another actress or one of your adoring fans?”
He didn’t answer. “Claudia, the last thing I wanted to do was hurt you but I have to be true to myself and I cannot in all honesty and good conscience, continue to be with you when I can’t give you what you want. Marriage between us will not work. I’m sorry. I hope that in time you will see that I’m right.” He got up from the sofa and would have gone over to her but the expression on her face deterred him. “I’m sorry,” he said again.
“So, what are you going to do now that you’re no longer tied to me?” she demanded. “Go back to New York to be with her? Well, I hope for your sake that it works out but if it doesn’t don’t think you can come crawling back to me. I won’t take you back even if you begged me—” her voice broke into a sob.
Contrite, he took a step toward her, “Claudia—”
She held up her hand, glaring at him. “Bastardo. Don’t come near me,” she cried. “I want you to leave.”
He hesitated for a moment and then he turned and walked out of the room. The last sound he heard was her crying before he closed the door behind him.
Kimani was relaxing on the sofa, reading a book when the doorbell rang. Putting down her book, she quickly got up and went to answer the door. Her heart somersaulted when she saw who it was. Eagerly, she unlocked the door and flung it open, a big smile on her face.
“Do you have room for a weary traveler?”
“Yes, one in particular,” she said as she reached out and grasped by the hand to pull him inside before locking the door. After he set his luggage down on the floor, she hugged him tightly, closing her eyes as she felt his arms go about her waist, holding her close against him. “I’ve missed you like crazy. One week seemed like a year.”
“I’ve missed you too,” he muttered thickly. “I couldn’t wait to come back to you.” As soon as she drew back to look up at him, he kissed her. They stood there for several minutes kissing passionately, happy to be together again and determined never to be apart again. At length, he drew back to gaze down into her face. “I have to talk to you about something,” he said quietly.
Frowning, she took his hand and led him over to the sofa. She curled up on the cushion beside him, with one arm resting along the back of the chair and the other on his thigh. “What’s on your mind?”
“When you and I met, I was already in a relationship. When I came to New York, my only intention was to clear my head—figure out what I was going to do about my relationship because I was having so many doubts about it. And then, I met you. I tried so hard to fight my attraction for you but it was hopeless. I had to get to know you better and that’s why I suggested we talk more in the café. And that time we spent together wasn’t enough so I suggested that we spend the rest of the day together. By the time we left Central Park, I knew that I was hooked. I had to see you again. Being with you made what could have been a complicated situation worse made it bearable. Those hours I spent with you were the happiest and most relaxed I’ve ever had and it helped me to make up my mind about what I was going to do about my relationship.”
“I knew that you were dating someone,” she said. “Remember, I’m a fan so I have read every article there is about you. She’s Claudia Riaz, the beautiful Venezuelan actress who co-starred with you in The Stone of the Predator. Everyone kept going on about what an attractive couple you made but I didn’t think so–for obvious reasons. You dated her the longest–four years but there was no news about any engagement which I dreaded because I had developed such a crush on you. No woman would have been suitable for you.”
“Is it still just a crush that you have on me?”
She shook her head. “No, by the time I saw you in Macbeth, I had fallen madly in love with you.”
“I never believed in love at first sight until that morning when you stopped me on the sidewalk.”
“I’m glad I asked you for it.”
He reached out and caressed her cheek with his knuckles. “And do you still think no woman would be suitable for me?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“What about you?”
“I’m the exception,” she said huskily. “I think I’m very suitable for you.”
“Yes, you are,” he groaned and cupping her face between his hands, he kissed her. As she kissed him back, she thought of what Walt Disney said, all our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.
Sources: City Parks Foundation; NYC Carriages; Ruggenberg; Very Well Mind
She was in the children’s section, looking at the different books of Nursery Rhymes when she heard someone call her name. She looked around and her heart leapt when she saw Tyler. She hadn’t seen him since last week Saturday. He walked around the people milling about there and came and stood beside her. “Hello Stacey,” he said, his eyes dancing over her face as if he were trying to capture every feature. “I was hoping that I would see you again.”
“I’m here to buy a book for my niece. She’s going to be three tomorrow.”
“I’ve been thinking about you all week,” he told her. “I wished I had your number so that I could call you. Have dinner with me tonight.”
“But what about Amy?” she exclaimed. “She’s enamored with you.”
“And I’m enamored with you. I have been since last week Saturday when Darnell and I had dinner with Amy and you at Benares. I’ll never forget the first time I saw you. When you walked over to the table, you took my breath away. I could hardly take my eyes off you. I wished that it were just the two of us having dinner but if it hadn’t been for Darnell, I wouldn’t have met you.
“Amy’s my friend.”
“And Darnell’s my friend but I can’t help the way I feel about you. Have dinner with me tonight.”
She hesitated. Amy would never forgive her. Just yesterday when they spoke, her friend was wondering why she hadn’t heard from Tyler as yet. As far as Darnell was concerned, Stacey had made it clear to him, in a tactful way, of course, that she wasn’t interested in him. After a few attempts to get her to change her mind, he gave up. So, the only person left to consider was her friend. “Amy will be very upset,” she told Tyler.
“I’m sorry about your friend but I never gave her any reason to believe that I would go out with her. It’s you I want to be with.”
Stacey couldn’t deny that she wanted to be with him too. He had been on her mind all week and it was such a blessing to see him now. “All right, I will have dinner with you tonight,” she said.
He looked relieved. “I will pick you up at six-thirty.”
She opened her handbag and took out the address book. She wrote her address on a blank page, tore it out and gave it to him. “See you later,” she said.
His eyes twinkled. “See you later.” And he was gone. She turned to the shelf beside her and after examining a few more books, she chose the Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme book. She grabbed a salad from a deli and headed back to the office.
He picked her up promptly at six-thirty. He looked amazing in the black jacket, black shirt, black jeans and dressy shoes. His sleek, auburn hair was combed back, giving him a polished look. For her part, she was wearing a black dress, with three quarter sleeves and a keyhole neckline. Her hair was swept back, with several curls framing her face. “You look absolutely beautiful,” he told her.
“And you look so handsome.”
He took her to a romantic restaurant with a breathtaking view of the city of London. Over dinner he told her about the time in high school when he had to memorize a monologue from Hamlet for his drama class and on the day when he was supposed to do the presentation, he came down with the flu.
She teased him. “Do you still remember it?”
He smiled. “I do and I promise I will recite it to you when I am taking you home.”
Dinner was wonderful. She had a terrific time. He was so easy to talk to. They laughed and talked about all sorts of things. She was sorry when it was time to leave. On the way home, he recited the monologue as promised and remembered it word for word. She clapped when he was done. “Have you ever thought of becoming an actor?” she asked.
“Heavens, no! I like sitting behind a desk and designing buildings much better.” That was how she learned that he was an architect.
Twenty minutes later, they stood outside of her flat. “Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?” she asked.
“I’d better not. I have an early day tomorrow. When can I see you again?”
“Tomorrow afternoon. I will make dinner and we can eat while we watch a movie.”
“That sounds really good.” He smiled.
Unable to resist, Stacey reached up and brushed the hair back from his forehead. He caught her hand and brought it to his lips. He kissed the palm, his eyes darkening on her face. She felt a bolt of electricity course through her.
He raised his head. “I’d better go now,” he murmured as he released her hand which was tingling.
“Good night, Tyler” she said breathlessly.
“Good night, Stacey.” He turned reluctantly and walked toward the elevators.
She watched him as he waited for the elevator to arrive. When it did, he turned and waved before he stepped inside. She opened her door and went inside. She couldn’t wait for tomorrow to come. For now, she had the memories of tonight to occupy her.
Source: Benares
“What is all the commotion?” Isabel asked as she removed her bonnet. She could hear excited voices in the drawing-room. She didn’t dare go in. “Is Elsie in trouble again?” Elsie was her youngest sister. She was a bit of a wild one, always managing to get herself in trouble and sending their mother in a tizzy.
Amelia shook her head. “No, it’s not Elsie this time. It’s Mr. Hornby.”
“Mr. Hornby is here?” Isabel felt her heart lurch. She ran her hands over her hair and smoothed the skirt of her dress. “Has he been here long?” If she had known that he was coming over this afternoon, she wouldn’t have gone for a walk.
“Not long.”
“Why is Mr. Hornby the cause of such commotion?”
“It seems that Mr. Hornby has decided that he wants to move to Canada. He had considered the possibility for a very long time. He sails next month.”
Isabel felt the color drain from her face. “He’s leaving for Canada? Next month?”
Amelia looked at her in alarm. “What’s the matter, Izzy?” she asked. “You have turned white as a sheet. Are you not feeling well?”
“I–I need some fresh air,” she mumbled.
“But you just returned from your walk.”
“I need some fresh air.”
“Perhaps you should go and lie down.”
“No. I need to go outside.”
“Would you like me to come with you?”
“No–I would rather be alone.” She quickly made her exit, leaving Amelia standing there, looking perplexed.
Outside in the garden, Isabel burst into tears. She couldn’t believe that Mr. Hornby was leaving England and—her. How could he leave without knowing that she loved him dreadfully?
She had known him since she was child and he had always been so kind to her. He never made her feel like a nuisance and when she was a teenager, he never treated her like a child. They had very stimulating conversations and she looked forward to his visits. He seemed to enjoy it when she played the piano and would sit beside her with the newspaper open in his lap, pausing from his perusal of it to compliment her playing. She loved to play for him and didn’t feel a bit nervous at all. Sometimes, they would take turns reading poetry. She could have sat for hours just listening to him recite the sonnets and the works of her favorite poets. He had such a marvelous voice.
She didn’t know exactly when her feelings for him had changed but one day when she went into the library and found him there looking through one of the History volumes, she realized then that she was in love with him. It didn’t matter that he was twice her age. To her he was the most wonderful and handsome man she had ever known. She cherished the time they spent together and the fact that she hadn’t heard of any romantic attachment on his part with anyone, she hoped that this might be in her favor. However, that could all change now.
Why was he going to Canada? Why so far away? Will she ever see him again?
“Isabel?” She hadn’t heard him approach her and was startled when he materialized beside her. “You are crying.” He gave her his handkerchief.
She took it and wiped her eyes and her nose. “Mr. Hornby,” she said. “Amelia told me that you were here.”
He frowned. “Why didn’t you come and see me then?” he asked. “When I arrived I was very disappointed to learn that you weren’t home. Why didn’t you join us in the drawing-room? I wanted you to be there to hear my news.”
She felt the tears coming again and she turned away so that he couldn’t see her face. “I heard the news,” she said. “Amelia told me that you are going to Canada.”
“I suspect that Amelia wasn’t in the room when I asked your father permission to marry his middle daughter and to take her to Canada with me if she would agree to it.”
She swung around to face him, her eyes huge with shock. “You asked my father to marry me?” she could scarcely believe this.
“Yes. I must admit that at the age of two and forty, I never imagined that I would be asking a girl half my age to marry me. Isabel, I am old enough to be your father but my feelings for you far from paternal.”
“Oh Mr. Hornby, I had hoped that you would come to regard me as I have regarded you for the past three years.”
“Then, you will marry me?”
“Yes!”
“And you have no objection to moving to Canada and being so far from your family?”
“I admit that I shall be sorry to leave them and the house in which I have spent the happiest years of my life but my future happiness is with you.”
Mr. Hornby smiled and brushed his knuckles against her cheek, his eyes filled with the love that had long dwelt in his heart. “I shall resolve to make you as happy as you have made me, Isabel.”
“I cannot imagine being happier than I am at this moment, Mr. Hornby.”
“Please call me Nigel.”
“Nigel.” His name came out as a laugh and a sob as she was overwhelmed by the sheer happiness of this moment.
“What are you doing?” she asked him, agitated.
“I am going to turn the pages for you,” he said.
She was sitting at the piano about to play something
while her aunt and her visitors were sitting in the drawing-
room having tea. “I can manage,” she told him.
“Please, Helen. I haven’t been alone with you for
days and you have been avoiding me.”
“Have I?” she began to play and for the next
few moments, no words were exchanged
between them. He turned the pages, his eyes
never leaving her face. How she managed to
concentrate with him being so near, she had
no idea.
The last note she struck was accompanied
by applause and compliments on her playing
and then the conversation resumed.
“You know you have been avoiding me,” he
insisted. “Why, Helen?”
She looked at him in frustration. “You know
why, Jonathan.”
“All I know is that we love each other and
avoiding me isn’t going to change that.”
“Please don’t say that.”
“It’s the truth.”
“We’re not supposed to love each other.”
“But we do. Come for a walk with me. I
need to be alone with you.”
“I can’t. I’m–I’m not feeling well.” She
did feel a little warm.
“Liar” he interjected. He reached in his
breast pocket and took out a folded
sheet of paper. He slipped it over to
her.
She stared at it, not taking it up. “What
is it?”
“A poem.”
“Another one? Jonathan, you have to
stop writing me poems and letters.”
She had them hidden away in her
drawer and at night before she went
to bed, she read them, even though
it tortured her to do so.
“It captures the feelings that I want
so badly to express. I will leave you
now. If you change your mind, I will
be in the gazebo. It promises to be a
beautiful night.” He walked away.
She sat there for a while, staring
at the sheet of paper and then she
picked it up, her fingers trembling.
She slowly unfolded it and read
the bold letters scrawled across
the lines. Her heart breaking as
she read the words. She pressed
the page against her chest and
closed her eyes.
“Are you all right?” the sound of
her aunt’s voice jolted her and
she got up hastily from the piano,
the sheet of paper slipped from her
fingers and fell on the carpet.
“I have a headache,” she said, “Please
excuse me, Aunt Cora.”
“Wait,” her aunt called, frowning, but
Helen had left the room. Aunt Cora stood
there for a moment, pensive and then
she bent down and picked up the paper
which Helen had dropped. She glanced at
it and then she folded it and slipped it into her pocket.
The clock struck eleven. Helen sat by the window, looking
out of the window. It was a beautiful night. The moon cast its
light on the courtyard below. Was he still out there in the
gazebo or had he retired? What was he doing?
Should she have gone for the walk? She knew why
she didn’t dare be alone with him. The last time they
were alone together, they almost got carried away.
She had to practically run away. After that she
vowed never to be alone with him again.
A knock on the door brought her out of her
reverie. She turned to see her aunt in the
doorway. “Aunt Cora.” She moved away from
the window.
“I hope I am not disturbing you, Dear.”
Helen shook her head. “No, you’re not. I
couldn’t sleep. I have been sitting at the
window watching the moon.”
“I have something that belongs to you.” She
handed Helen the poem.
Helen blushed as she took it, feeling embarrassed.
Aunt Cora motioned for them to sit by
the window. “I think it’s about time that
I told you the truth about your father,”
she said.
Helen was startled. “My father?”
“Yes. My brother John was not your
father, Helen. Your real father was
a close friend of John’s. Your mother
died in childbirth and your father
raised you. When you were three
he died in a riding accident. When
John learned this unfortunate news
he brought you home as you had no
other living relatives. He raised you
as his own daughter and he adored
you. You were his life.”
Helen was crying now. “I adored
him too,” she said. “I miss him. There’s so
much I want to talk to him about.”
Aunt Cora patted her hands. “Yes, I imagine there is.”
“What were my parents like?”
“They were very good people. I met your
father. He was a delightful man. He
doted on you.”
There was a pregnant pause as Helen tried
to digest the news she had just received. “So
this means that Jonathan and I aren’t cousins.”
Aunt Cora nodded. “That’s right. And that’s why
I had to tell you the truth about your background.
I had noticed the way you and my son behaved
around each other. And seeing you together
tonight convinced me that you are in love with
each other. So, my Dear, there’s nothing to stop
you and he from being together.”
“Are you going to tell him?”
Aunt Cora shook her head. “I will leave you to it.”
“Do I still call you Aunt Cora?”
“Oh yes, you do.” The older woman hugged
her tightly. “Now, try to get some sleep.”
Helen smiled, “Goodnight, Aunt Cora.”
“Goodnight, Dear.”
Helen turned to look out the window. The
truth about her parentage turned out
to be her greatest blessing. Now she and
Jonathan were free to love each other
without feeling guilty and ashamed. Tomorrow
she would tell him. Tomorrow couldn’t come
soon enough.
