That night at dinner Emmy sat next to Brandon.
“Your
sister, Mr. James tells me you are the British Ambassador’s right hand man.”
“I don’t
know if I would say that.”
“Didn’t you
just return from a trip from England with him where you met the Prime
Minister?”
“I did.”
“Well I
would say you are quite important then.”
“You are
kind Miss Cromwell.”
Emmy
laughed, no one ever called her Miss Cromwell, no one called her Miss anything
she was just Emmy. But she could see laughter was not the right thing to do by
the way he looked.
“I am sorry
Mr. James, I wasn’t laughing at you, I was laughing at being called Miss
Cromwell that title belongs to my sister. I am just Emmy.”
“How old
are you?”
“Sixteen?”
“It is not
right to call a lady by just her first name.”
“But
everyone does. Everyone calls me Emmy minus Miss Pembers; though my real name
is Emmaline.”
“That is an
interesting name.”
“What you
mean is odd.”
Brandon saw
her sulk a bit. “No I mean not common but beautiful.”
“It was my
father’s mother’s name, I was born a month after she passed away. But everyone
calls me Emmy. I am not graceful enough to have such a name as Emmaline.”
“Why do you
say that?”
“My Grandma
Danford tells me.”
“Well I
don’t want to dispute your Grandma but I disagree.”
Emmy
smiled.
Then it
struck Brandon how much this young girl looked like Martha, his love from
Oxford. Their faces could almost be identical with the same almond shape eyes
and sweet smile that made her nose crinkle. Before he could speak again her
sister Gloria had grabbed her attention. He overheard them talking and heard
them talking about the piano.
“Oh do you
play, Miss Emmy?”
“Hardly,
Gloria and I were discussing how she and Laurel should put on a show for you
and Miss James. They have the beauty and musical skills of the family. I can
barely play hot cross buns.”
“You don’t find
music amusing then?”
“To listen
to yes but I cannot play music, even though to appease my Grandma I practice. I
have neither the ear not the talent.”
“Well then
how do you delight your time?”
“With
stories. I love to write stories, one day I hope to be published,” she saw his
little smile “I know it’s silly,” she said lowering her head.
“Not at
all,” he saw like she had before. “What do you write about?”
“Adventure,
passion, knights fighting for the girl he loves, princes in Africa. Everything
my life is not.”
“What do
you mean?”
“I have not
lived any but this house and this town of Pine Haven. Not very adventurous and
my Grandma Danford tries to stifle out all passion.”
“Maybe one
day you will see the world.”
“Maybe, but
it’s unlikely.”
“Really?”
Emmy
realized maybe she had shared too much. After all Brandon James was a stranger
and he seemed so judgmental before. But now he seemed the polar opposite of judgmental
and not as cold as Emmy originally casted him as being. However, he was still a
stranger and Laurel would be ashamed that she had shared their finical hardships
with a complete stranger. So Emmy changed topics quickly asking if he played
the piano. He said not really. For a bit they sat in quietness neither knowing
what to say. After dinner the men and women separated for the men to smoke a
cigar and sip on brandy.
“You seemed
to be talking a lot to Mr. James,” Laurel said as they entered the parlor.
“He is very
nice.”
“Oh Miss
Emmy thank you for amusing my brother during dinner he seems so lonely so much
of the time. I wish he could find the happiness I have found with Nicholas,”
Kathryn gleefully leaped at the sisters.
“Is he not
married?” Laurel asked.
“No he is
an old bachelor; he is far too devoted to his work and my mother and myself to
have time to look for a girl to settle down with. I keep trying to match him
with one of my friends but he has shown no interest in any of them. The girl
who does capture is hear will be the luckiest girl in the world he is so
devoted and loyal.”
Emmy right
then wished she had an older brother to gloat over. Emmy thought Kathryn James
had it all, looks, good standing, a fiancé and a brother to gloat over.
The rest of
the night went very peacefully. Grandma Danford did not have the energy to make
small talk or play a game of Bridge so she retired to her room after one song. Fiona
went with her making sure she was properly settled and to tuck Gloria into bed.
Gloria moaned about having to leave the party so soon but Fiona promised her if
she was a good and went right to bed she could play two songs tomorrow after
dinner. This made Gloria happy and she followed Fiona promptly. Laurel and Emmy
were now in the hands of their cousins and the James. Laurel took her place at
the piano, playing a soft melody for everyone to enjoy. Uncle Charles had his concentration
on the telegrams he received that day. Brandon James had his nose in a book; Emmy
could see the title but was impressed by the size of the book. Emmy thought
would one day like to write an epic saga like War and Peace. A book, she knew,
she had never been able to get past the first chapter of but one day maybe when
the season changed and she would be stuck inside she would give it another
chance. Marcus seemed to be in correspondence leaving Aunt Victoria, Julia,
Kathryn, and Emmy to play bridge and talk amongst themselves. Julia pried on
Kathryn to get the latest news from Boston, she moaned with each little anecdote
wishing she could be back in Boston going to the balls, and the summer picnic
on the cape or seeing Mrs. Castin’s new summer cottage in Gloucester that had
marble columns, and sixty windows five of them being stained glass from Tiffany’s.
It sounded like a palace not a cottage to Emmy. Emmy and Aunt Victoria did not
have much to say in the conversation; Aunt Victoria because she thought idle
gossip was un-lady like behavior and Emmy because she knew not what to say as
she knew no one of who they conversed about.
No comments:
Post a Comment