Welcome to Boston

Twenty-nine Chestnut Street by its address alone told the world of the old wealth the Dumont family possessed.  A block or two from Louisburg Square where the height of society and wealth lived. It was not a grand home, like the ones new money were building in the Back Bay, it was a quiet and pleasant and no one would really think twice about it except it had a few window panes that were purple. It had been a drastic mistake in the glass factory when they added too much magnesium, at first the purple was hated but then it became a sign of privilege. The house would also be noted for having a side entrance with a little garden before the door when the house was built, the style was more common but new land was scarce and only a few home had gardens of their own. It was a fine home and the Dumonts had kept in their family it in their family for generations.

            As soon as Emmy was inside she was handed a note from the footman.

            "Kathryn writes Laurel, she is excited to us again and invites us to tea when we are settled, should we call her tomorrow."

            "You go, I am sure she is much more wanting to see you besides I had plans to call on my friend Amelia she is still in town in visiting her cousins and buying her wedding clothes, I would like to see her and let her know of my arrival."

            "Oh all right, Aunt Iris she is looking forward to meeting you as well, shall you come?"

            "Of course I would be honored to meet this Miss James."

            "Wonderful, may I send out word immediately," Emmy asked.

            "Any words you have you have you can give it to William, he will see it well," Aunt Iris said.

            "I suppose we should write Aunt Victoria and Julia to let them know we are in town, it seems only right," Emmy said.

            "You write, I think a bit of fresh air will do me good," Laurel said picking up her hat and walking coat

            "Do you know where you are going?" Aunt Iris asked.

            "Just around the Public Garden I will be back shortly, I need to stretch my legs. Do not worry I remember the streets like of the hand."

            "Do come back quickly, I would hate to tell your mother I lost you in one day."

            "Yes I promised."

            Laurel was in and out of the house in ten minutes, much to the surprise of her companions. She usually was so thorough with details, she would have insisted they wrote mother to let her know of their safe arrival and she would have written Aunt Victoria, even though she had no desire to see them she knew it was right and that’s all that mattered in Laurel world. After the post had been sent she would then insist helping with unloading the trunks and making sure the dresses were hung properly. However no she seemed to care for these details.

            She walked down tiny street one of the few that connected Beacon Hill to the outside world and stood at the edge of the common. It was hard to believe that the Boston common was once a grazing area for small farm area such as sheep or a cow because now it was such a lovely park. Laurel pulled out the envelope that came with Ethan's book it was addressed from 126 Marlborough Street. She didn't know if it was the book store in which he found the book, his place of business or his home but she was adamant  to find out. She feared running into him if it was his place of business or his home but she felt worse over excitement she got over the possibility of seeing him. Laurel wouldn't know what to say or feel when he did. She crossed through the commons till she got to the garden, if she had a longer block of time she would have enjoyed the gardens more, but she promised Aunt Iris she would be back quickly. It was so impulsive for to take off like that. She wasn't planning on either but nervous knots had been growing in her stomach the closer and the closer she they got to Boston. In the motor coach she had made up her mind that she would at least walk to the address and whatever happened after that it was in God's hand. She walked quickly then caught herself and slowed her pace down. She did not realize everyone in Boston walked quickly so quickly so walking quickly did not draw attention to herself. In Pine Haven if one walked quickly people would surely pay attention to her and worry a bit. Everyone knew everyone in Pine Haven so people would surely talk, and while both the Danford and Cromwell families were known in Boston no one knew her. She did try to walk at a sociable pace so her cheeks would not be flushed. She would hate to run into him with her face all red.

            After the gardens, the streets in the Back Bay were alphabetical, Arlington, Berkley, and Clarendon, judging based on the address it should be in the next block. Laurel remember this from when she was a girl she thought it was most off how it was alphabetical all the way from A to H but then the next street was Massachusetts Avenue, and after that the streets made no sense. Mother once told her the Back Bay was formally planned but it still never made sense why they would not carry on in alphabetical order, it was much more efficient. Laurel could quickly tell that most of the Back Bay was residential so it lead her to the conclusion that 126 Marlborough Street was his home and what a fine home it was.

            Laurel replayed the conversations she had with Ethan in her head, she knew his mother still loved in Sussex, England where he was born and while he had an aunt in Connecticut she did not remember him ever mentioning her living part of her time in Boston. Without his mother or aunt and no other family here in Boston it made no sense to have a house so big. It wasn't an striking home like the other she had seen in the Back Bay but it was a fine home with three levels of windows and a little bay window on the second level. The house all looked rather pleasant.

           

            Society would never allow a single girl of any sort to call on a single man when she did not know of any woman in the house. If he had a sister or mother, or an aunt she could call on then even if all she wanted was to see him but a single woman calling on a single man was absolutely forbidden. So she wondered how long she stand across the street from his house without drawing attention. She feared and anticipated the longer she stood the more likely she was to run into him.

            Laurel thought she was standing there almost an hour but it really five minutes, when she saw them, she recognized him immediately but she had no idea who the woman would be. There was only two women that were ever talked about his mother and his aunt. The woman with him was too young to play either of these roles. They laughed a bit, she saw and as soon as she realized he had looked across the street she turned across the street she turned her face and walked steadily back to Aunt Iris'. For the first block she did not care about her pace as she just wanted to get away from it all. By the time she got back to the garden she found the tears too hard to hold back.

            "Stupid Laurel," she thought to herself. "I should not gone there, I should not have tempted seeing him. Of course he should move on, of course he should find a girl of good wealth and make a life with her. Oh Laurel how could you be so stupid, never again," she bucked herself up.

            "How was your outing my dear," Aunt Iris asked when Laurel came through the door.

            "I do not wish to speak of it," Laurel said in a way that mixed both sadness and frustration together.

            Aunt Iris turned to Emmy who was sitting on the couch next to her "I wonder what could have happened."

            "I do not know, she seemed so chipper on her way out. I believe that she received word from Mr. Foster and she was making up an excuse to go see him. But she wouldn't be so annoyed in her tone if that were the case."

            "Indeed perhaps she will tell us more at dinner after she has calmed herself."

           

            But Laurel didn't say anything at dinner, she could not even thing of Ethan walking and laughing with another woman. She sat there quietly answering Mr. Dumont's question in a polite way. Laurel was glad of Mr. Dumont's company at least he spoke of intelligent things if she had been trapped in conversation with Aunt Iris and Emmy it would all be impractical things about new dresses, or people they should call on, or parties Aunt Iris would take them to. It seemed much the same as the conversation that buzzed around Pine Haven. "Surely in a more educated city, people would have better things to discuss  than dresses, and parties," Laurel thought. At least Mr. Dumont as dry as he was talked about politics, the world at large, and some books he thought Laurel should read.

           

            He too must have over heard his wife and Emmy's conversation because he patted Laurel's hand and said "I am glad you have not lost your wits, I do not know how I could have borne it with three girls all talking of idle things."

            Laurel gave him a little smile.

            Laurel was always fond of Mr. Dumont, he was practical and full of sense. He knew what to say and when to say it. But though few people saw it he did have a soft spot. Laurel remembered the days the Cromwell girls lived in the Dumont house hold, he was mostly in his study working on his business or reading a book but he kept to himself with four women running around his house. It was a day mother was too sick to come out of her room; it was raining so they could not go out on their usual walks. Aunt Iris had Emmy and Gloria playing upstairs but Laurel had no interest in their games. She quietly snuck out of the nursery, crept down stairs to the front room which house a little box piano and started tapping away at the keys. Mr. Dumont from his study must have heard her because he came up to see her.

            "I am sorry sir, I did not wish to disturb you."

            "You did not disturb me," Mr. Dumont said "That was pretty, what was that?"

            "Do you want some music to play?"

            "Yes sir but I do not know how to read music."

            "I can teach you."

            "Thank you sir."

            "You do not have to call me sir. You call my wife Aunt Iris why don't you call me Uncle Dumont."

            Laurel never called him Uncle Dumont it never seemed to fit right but from that day on Laurel and Mr. Dumont had a special bond. Now as they sat and listened to Aunt Iris and Emmy talked as if dresses were the most import things in the world they cherished that bond they had. Mr. Dumont thought "if only I had had a son I would insist upon him marrying Laurel, they would be a fine match to carry on the Dumont good name and nature." Laurel didn't say much after dinner but on the insistence of Mr. Dumont she did play quietly at the piano while he watched as an adoring father.

            "Laurel," Emmy snuck into her room after the house had gone to bed "What did happen on your walk you were so agitated when you came back."

            "Nothing to concern you."

            "But it does, I so wish you to be happy."

            "Happiness is not everything little Emmy," it drove Emmy crazy when Laurel insisted on talking to her as if she were twelve nevertheless she had to push through it.

            "But it is nice to have. Did you see Mr. Foster?"

            "What?" How could have Emmy guessed that.

            "I believed until you got back from your walk that you had made up the excuse of a walk to see Ethan Foster. But of course once you got back from your walk you were so annoyed I figured that must not be the case, if you had seen him you would be ever so happy. You were so happy at home when he was there."

            "My little Emmy how you like to make up stories."

            "I am not making it up," her anger slightly arose.  "I saw you together, you looked at him as if you were looking at heaven. When he left, you did not look the same."

            "How would you know how I looked when Mr. Foster left, you were too wrapped up in Mr. James."

           

            Emmy felt the harshness in her sister's words and knew they were true.

            "I have not been a good sister to you Laurel, I am sorry, I do so wish we were more alike so we could talk about things But I talk too much and you conceal so much, I do not know what to say."

            "You said enough for tonight."

            With that Emmy scooted off Laurel's bed. Laurel did not wait till Emmy was out of the room before she turned off the last light in it. Emmy took this as a sign of Laurel's frustration. The next morning Laurel was gone to her friend Amelia's house before Emmy had a chance to apologize.

           

            Aunt Iris had some callers in the morning, most of them dealt with the charity ball her society club was throwing at the end of the month and details must be organized. While Emmy found talk of the ball interesting she could not wait till the afternoon when she would see Kathryn James again.