Introducing Caleb James

Summer had begun to turn from cool mornings to warm afternoons back to cool evenings to just warm all the time. Sometimes it was almost unbearable to stand. Emmy one day needed a break and went down to cool herself off by standing in her creek. Since Kathryn James had arrived she had spent little time in her imaginary world so that day when the women were taking their usual afternoon naps Emmy snuck out and headed to the creek.

            The clouds were grey and the air smelt like rain. Emmy knew the smell well and knew it meant a storm was coming on but instead of being sensible and staying in she took her chances and headed out with no protection. The creek and the woods were peaceful and she lost track of time out there it was almost dusk before she realized it. Her feet were still wet from her last wade in so she decided to walk home barefoot.

            Little did she know nature or fate (as she later called it) was conspiring against or for her. For the last hour she had felt an occasional drop of rain but paid no attention to it. But it seemed as soon as she left her rock a dark cloud rolled over her and sent the storm she had long been smelling. She wrapped her arms around her book and ran quickly through the woods to Glenmoore field where she knew a little fort was built to protect drivers on the road from the rain such as this. This little fort would be faster to get to than the house and she would have a warmer reception at the empty fort then at her home, where she was sure to get a lecture both from Grandma Danford and Laurel and a sad look from her mother. She knew they would act as if it was her fault for it to be raining and they would both be upset she had snuck out and acted in a child like manor. Emmy remembered a time when Laurel would chase rainbows with her just to see what was on the other side. She remembered how fun Laurel was once and how she had as big of an imagination as Emmy did but now it all seemed like a distant past. Then it happened, fate, being lost in her remembrance she hadn't realized there was a little rock up ahead waiting for her to lose her footing. And she stumbled and was not able to catch herself. She was later not able to tell people how she fell all she knew was one moment she was running the next she was rolling down a hill trying to stop herself. And that’s when fate, or Caleb James, stepped in.

            He had been driving through to this desolate town at his sisters request when his engine stopped working. And his engine had stopped working then as he was tinkering on his engine it started raining. He saw the fort in the field and trumped towards it and with each step he sunk into the mud. Then it happened he saw a girl running through the field with almond hair and slender figure, he thought she almost looked like a deer. Next thing he knew she lost her footing and fell forward crashing into the ground and rolling down towards him. He picked up his feet from the mud and rushed towards her.

            She barely realized what happened, she could feel her head throbbing the fall was harder than she realized. She felt as every ounce of air was out of her and her lungs felt as if they collapsed.

            "Miss, Miss, are you all right?" A man asked.

            She could not answer him.

            "Are you all right?" he asked again.

             "I, I" she could say anymore.

            "Here give me your arm," he took her left arm and draped it around his neck and scooped her up.

            In his arms she felt as light as a feather.

            "A Danford I assume."

            "Cromwell."

            "Oh Miss Cromwell my sister has written me about you."

            "Emmy."

            "Well Miss Emmy, it is a pleasure to meet you. May I take you home."

            "Thank you."

            Laurel was working on her needle point near the window it was the best light in the parlor. Mother and Aunt Victoria were chatting idly and she had lost her focus on her needle point and was absentmindedly staring out the window. When she saw him,  a stranger, carrying her sister up the drive.

            "Mother?!"

            "What?" Fiona jumped out her seat, startled by her daughters scream.

            "A man has Emmy!"

            "What?" A dash to the window "who is he?"

            "I don't know!"

            Both Fiona and Laurel dashed to the front door. They began to run outside but he was already in the main door.

            "What happened?" Fiona asked flustered.

            " I am alright mother. I fell a bit."

            "Yes mam, I made sure she was all right before I lifted her, just had the air knock out of her and maybe some bruises."

            "She fell?"

            "Yes I lost footing. But I am fine, my head hurts a bit."

            "Come to the couch, I will fetch you both some tea," Laurel said as Fiona escorted them a mad rush.

            Caleb placed Emmy on the chaise as Fiona ran to get her daughter blankets. He took the seat next to her but when Fiona came in with Fiona came in with the blankets he got hop and let Fiona take the seat next to her daughter. Emmy tried to act calm but she could feel him staring at her and she felt flustering.

            "We are so thankful Mr.-"

            "James. Mr. Caleb James."

            "James? Mr. Brandon James and Miss James' brother?" Fiona asked.

            "The very same."

            "We were not expecting you till later this week."

            "Well I was able to get away sooner than I thought. But I do hope my early arrival is not an imposition."

            "No, no not at all. We have plenty of rooms to fill."

            "It just I am sure Miss James will be sad she and Julia  have gone out to call Miss Hester, she is the minister's daughter and runs a small school for under privileged children. She spoke on Sunday and your sister was quite motivated by the story. Your sister is so generous."

            "Yes always has been."

            Caleb stood when Laurel came in with the tea and Fiona quickly explained that the hero of the moment was Brandon and Kathryn's brother.

            "I don't know if I would call myself a hero."

            "Really Mr. James you are too modest," Emmy said "I practically owe you my life if I had stayed in the rain I might got a cold or worse," she felt a blush.

            "One cannot die of a cold," Laurel said under her breath but loud enough that Fiona heard her.

            Fiona looked at her sharply and Laurel lowered her head. She knew she should not mock her sister in company. But even in her pain Laurel could tell Emmy was getting a mushy look.

            "Well Mrs. Cromwell I must say you have a beautiful home. It seems like a home from a book. One buried deep in the woods with vines covering it."

            "Thank you Mr. James, but the beauty is owed to my mother she planned every inch of this house even out to its garden. All but the library, the library was planned out by my father."

            "It is the best library ever," Emmy said. "But I am a bit bias."

            "Well when you are better you will have to show it to me."

            "Would love to."

            "Are you a big reader, Mr. James?" Fiona asked.

            "Not as big as I used to be. Owning and running a business takes a great deal of my time, then I have parties to attend and charitable events to go to all to make sure my name is not forgotten. But in my college days I loved to read. I couldn't get enough of Chaucer, Hawthorne and Dickens. I minored in English just so I would have an excuse to read. But my favorite was always Keats." That sparked Emmy's interest. "But I am talking to much about myself."

            "No, no. We don't have much company here, we enjoy the talk," Fiona said.

            "My sister has made it seem as if you have had none stop company since the weather turned warm. Mr. and Mrs. Danford, Nicholas and Miss Julia bringing Mr. Foster now my sister and brother. Seems like a constant flow."

            "None of them are so passionate about books," Emmy said trying to pull off a sweet smile.

            "Oh I doubt that my brother reads twenty times more than me."

            "Caleb!" There was a shout from the hall. "Caleb!" It was Kathryn running into the parlor.

            "Kathryn," she jumped into his arms.

            "Oh Caleb, what are you doing here?"

            "You asked me to come. Begged more like it."

            "Oh stop it," Kathryn said.

            "How did you know I was here?"

            "We saw your car on the road. Now what are you doing here? We were not expecting you till later."

            "I was done with the work I had to do earlier than I thought so I headed up."

            "Well I am so glad you are here." Then she looked round and saw Emmy on the couch looking a little sickly."Are you all right Miss Emmy."

            "I am fine thanks to your brother, he is my hero."

            "You are being modest again Mr. James," Fiona said.

            "I am not being modest just honest. I did what any gentleman would do."

            "Well what did you do?" Kathryn asked.

            "I was caught in the storm and I as I was running to the fort Glenmore field when I lost my footing and fell. Your brother swept me up and carried me home. If he hadn't been there could be suffer a worse fate."

            "Oh my goodness Miss Emmy. Well Caleb I quiet agree you are a hero."

            "Stop it all of you it is too much got man to have a such a fine women swooning over him."

            "Oh Mr. James you are full of charm," Fiona said. Laure looked up at her mother.

            Everyone had seemed to lose their head over this Mr. James, a man they had hardly known for twenty minutes. If Emmy hadn't started coughing it would have continued on like this Laurel thought. But when her sister began showing sign of illness Fiona stepped into mom mode and insisted Emmy go upstairs get dry clothes on and rest. Caleb offered to her carry her but Fiona said he had done too much as it was and Thomas was called to carry her up to her room. Fiona followed Thomas as the young stars stayed in the parlor.

            "Is he not handsome?" Emmy said.

            "Yes very."

            "Is he not amiable?"

            "Indeed."

            "Oh mother he picked me up as if I weighed nothing at all."

            "Strong, handsome and amiable a very good threesome. But you must rest."

            "Who can rest when there is such a man?"

            "You must rest or you will be sick."

            "All right."

            Fiona kissed her daughters forehead and let her sink down into her bed. Emmy fell asleep soundly and had better dreams than she did in a long time. After she woke up she tried to tell her mother she was better but her mother insisted she stay in bed and have broth for dinner.