Moonlight Wishes In Time (32 page)

William drew in a sharp breath as the sound of surprised exclamations and several titters was heard. His mother raised her eyes and looked directly at him, and then to Sylvie a distance down the table. She returned her gaze to William’s face, an unexpected vulnerability showing in her eyes.

William grabbed his glass and jumped up.

“Hear, hear!” he said, silencing the comments. “Many happy felicitations!” The guests rose in unison and raised their glasses. “Hear, hear.”

Lord Hamilton took his seat once again, his cheeks almost as bright as those of William’s mother. She threw William a look of gratitude, and he met her eyes with a curious tilt of his head and a smile but no more. Truth be told, he found himself stunned by the news, never supposing that his mother would really accept Lord Hamilton or a removal from Ashton House.

As his mother turned her attention back to Lord Hamilton, William tore his eyes from the scene and looked toward Mattie, who watched him with wide eyes. Aware that several guests studied him discreetly to assess his reactions, he dared not show blatant emotion on his face, but he gave her a reassuring nod.

So, he was to be left alone with the estate. It was unclear if Sylvie would go with their mother or with Thomas, as they seemed very intimate that evening, but she would soon leave. Of that, William was certain.

And Mattie would leave as well, sooner than his mother or Sylvie. He studied the length of the dining room—the long table festooned with flower arrangements, glowing white porcelain place settings and stemware, the guests immaculately dressed in starched shirts and dark coats as well as colorful dresses and hair adornments, the portraits of ancestors covering the walls and the six crystal chandeliers which cast a warm glow over the festivities.

There would be no more dinner parties in the house once his mother removed to Lord Hamilton’s estate and Sylvie followed Thomas to wherever he might go next. No more balls, no more card parties. He did not regret the notion, but reflected on the concept almost dispassionately.

Still, he would miss the women in his life—his mother, Sylvie and Mattie. He wondered how often he would slip into the kitchen to find comfort in a warm cup of tea with Mrs. White.

A sudden thought occurred to him, and he returned his gaze to Mattie, her attention now captured by the older gentleman sitting beside her. If his mother were in Lord Hamilton’s hands, and Sylvie removed with Thomas, what would prevent him from attempting to return to Mattie’s time with her? His heart thudded against his chest. Surely, there must be some way he could turn the estate over to a manager, perhaps even put the house up to let. The latter idea galled him, but the gist of the matter intrigued him.

The dinner seemed interminable following Lord Hamilton’s announcement. It was several hours later when the family was finally able to speak in private, the guests and Lord Hamilton having gone home.

His mother sat on the sofa, Sylvie beside her. He had asked Mattie to await him in the library, and she had consented.

“You can imagine what a surprise this is, Mother,” William said unnecessarily.

“Yes,” she replied briefly. William and Sylvie waited, but their mother laced and unlaced her fingers in an uncharacteristically nervous manner.

“But Mother? I thought you had sworn off marriage,” Sylvie said.

“Such vulgar language, Sylvie, please.” Her mother smoothed an imaginary wrinkle in her skirt.

William surprised himself with his next question. “Do you love him?” A flowery sentiment to be sure, but loving a woman from the future had indelibly changed him.

His mother’s cheeks brightened, and she threw a quick glance at her son.

“I surprise myself by saying this, but yes, I do.”

“Mother! How delightful!” Sylvie said. She hugged their mother impulsively.

“I am so pleased for you, Mother,” William said in a more restrained fashion. “Lord Hamilton is a fine man. I have always thought so.”

“As have I, dearest.” Their mother almost beamed…almost. “I apologize for not discussing the matter with you children beforehand, but Lord Hamilton—Jonathan—was so beside himself with the news, just decided this evening, that he could not wait to announce it. Perhaps he fears I will change my mind.” She smiled playfully.

“When do you intend to hold the wedding, Mother?” Sylvie asked.

“We do not see any reason for delay, and we have discussed marrying as soon as the banns are posted, perhaps in a fortnight.”

“So soon,” William murmured. In a fortnight, Mattie would be gone. Too soon.

“Yes, will that present any difficulties, William? If I am not mistaken, I hear a bereft note in your voice.”

He returned her wide smile. “Not at all, madam. I do not cling to my mother’s apron strings.”

She laughed, an unusually light-hearted sound.

“Sylvie shall still remain here, will you not? Or do you wish to remove with me to Hamilton Place?”

“As it happens, I have news of my own,” Sylvie murmured. “Thomas has asked me to marry him, and I have consented!”

“At long last!” William commented without surprise. Their broad smiles at dinner had left him in no doubt. “It was never a question of if but of when, I think.”

“Sylvie! What a surprise!” their mother said. “I must admit I thought you and Thomas would never come to an understanding.” She kissed her daughter’s cheek. “I fear we shall leave William all alone.”

“Actually, Mother, we will honeymoon on the voyage to America…with Stephen and Louisa. Thomas wishes to visit there for an extended period, perhaps even relocate there.”

“Sylvie!” her mother remonstrated. “Not America! So far…”

“I worried that you would receive the news poorly, Mother, and I have resisted Thomas’s proposal for weeks both because of my own fears of leaving England and because I did not care to leave you. But you are beginning a new life of your own, Mother.”

“You are right, of course,” their mother said with a droop of her lips. “But grandchildren?”

“If you wish to see my children”—Sylvie blushed—“you must come to visit me in America. I am certain, though, that William will provide you with English grandchildren.”

William looked away.

“I am not as certain of that as you, Sylvie,” their mother said. She rose and kissed her children on the cheek. “Again, accept my felicitations. It is late, and I have much work to do for the wedding…for two weddings now. I will say good night.”

They parted ways, and William hurried to the library, opening the door quietly to find Mattie asleep in one of the large chairs. He cursed himself for having left her so long and hoped she would understand he’d had no recourse, as one did not simply walk away from one’s mother on announcement of her engagement.

He sat down in a chair across from Mattie and studied her to his heart’s content. He loved the cinnamon color of her hair and the way the curls fell across her cheeks and onto her neck. Pale cheeks underscored her long, dark lashes, and she tucked a small hand under her cheek. The lilac gown she wore reminded him of the soft purple hue of early-morning clouds as the rising sun lightened them.

He returned his gaze to her face to find her watching him with a smile. He went down on one knee in front of her and took her hand in his. Though he had dreamed often of such a gesture, of falling to a knee and begging for the honor of her hand, his promise to himself prevented him from asking her yet again.

“Dearest, you looked so peaceful. I hated to wake you. I did not intend to leave you here alone so long.”

She straightened and covered his hand with her own.

“That’s all right. So, your mother…” She let the words hang.

“Quite the surprise,” William said with a wry smile. “I thought she had dedicated herself to enjoying her freedom as a widow.”

“Are you upset? Happy? Thoughts?”

“I am happy for her. She seems to genuinely care for Lord Hamilton. I do not think I realized that, so involved have I been in my own affairs.”

Mattie smiled.

“It is my pleasure to inform you that your matchmaking efforts have once again been successful. Sylvie announced her engagement to Thomas this night.”

“Really? Wow! That was fast! I’m so happy for her, though I’m not sure I had much to do with it. I went to talk to her this afternoon, but she raised the subject first. I think she’d already decided. She just wanted to know more about the United States. And she was worried about leaving your mother, but that seems to have resolved itself very conveniently, hasn’t it?”

William nodded. “Yes, it does. I must admit I will miss her, though.”

Though it was not his intent, Mattie’s smile faded. Tentatively, she put her hands on either side of his face, and he covered them with his own. He struggled to keep the misery he felt from his eyes—that Mattie too would soon be gone.

“I know, William, I know,” she murmured. “But the passage doesn’t really take that long, does it?”

Let Mattie think he mourned Sylvie’s departure.

“No, dearest, the passage does not take more than seven days.”

Mattie’s eyes narrowed.

“This isn’t about Sylvie, is it? You’re talking about me.”

William leaned in to kiss her. “I vowed not to press you further to stay, Mattie, and I shall not. But I must admit to experiencing some grief at your pending departure. I cannot deny it. Please believe that I attempt to hide it from you.”

Mattie pressed her lips against his, and he wrapped his arms around her, desiring nothing more than to hold her to him forever. He tasted salt, and pulled back. Tears spilled down Mattie’s face.

“There, there, my love. Do not cry. I am a beast. I promised you I would not add to your grief, and yet here I am again reducing you to tears.”

“It’s not your fault, William. It’s me. I don’t want to go either. I want to stay with you forever.”

William stiffened and studied her face. “Are you saying…?”

Mattie shook her head, and his heart dropped to his stomach. “No, I can’t stay. But it doesn’t mean that I don’t want to. I love you. I will always love you. I can’t imagine a day when I won’t love you. I don’t know what strange power brought me to you, to the hero in my book, but I don’t regret one minute of it.”

William lowered his face to her hands and kissed them.

“I just don’t know how I can give up everything I’ve ever known, all the things that keep us alive, the safety, the security of life in my time. I’m not saying it’s perfect or even particularly safe, but it’s a lot safer for a woman in my time than it is now.”

“I can protect you, my love.” Even as he breathed the words, he cursed himself. No pleading. He must let her go.

Mattie smiled at him, love softening her eyes.

“I know you can, William, and I trust you with my life. But there is a limit to what you can protect me from. You can’t protect me from illness that is curable in my time. You can’t protect me from cancer, from infections, from complications of childbirth. You can’t give me the right to vote, to drive a car, to fly to the States, to turn on a tap of hot water.”

William rose to his feet, his body feeling suddenly old.

“No, you are correct. I cannot do any of these things for you.”

Mattie jumped up and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her face against his chest.

“I’m sorry, William, that sounded awful! I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m just trying to explain.”

William put his arms around her, resisting the urge to pull her tightly against his body lest she think he meant to bind her to him.

“I understand, Mattie,” he whispered against the top of her head. “I understand.”

Mattie raised wet eyes to his.

“I worry about you here in the house by yourself. Your mom will be gone and so will Sylvie. I can’t bear the thought of you living alone.”

William smiled, though he did not feel happy. “Perhaps I shall travel more,” he said. “Perhaps I shall visit Sylvie in America.”

Mattie smiled. “Maybe you should,” she whispered. “I’d like to think of you there when I return. To think that you had been there.”

“Shall I visit your Seattle?” William asked.

“Can you? Is there transportation to Seattle in the early 1800s?”

“I do not know. I shall make inquiries,” William said. He looked at the clock on the mantle. “It is late, my love. You must get some sleep.”

Mattie’s arms around him tightened. “I don’t want to. Can’t we take a walk or something?”

“I thought of that myself earlier, but was concerned the moon might be nearing full.” He gave a short, discomfited laugh. “I worried the moon might snatch you from me early.”

“Not likely.” Mattie chuckled. “Besides, don’t we both have to wish on the same thing at the same time? Didn’t we decide that might have been the catalyst for the time travel?”

William nodded, and took her hand. “Let us walk.” He pushed back the curtains and opened a door from the library leading onto a terrace with the garden beyond. He looked up and paused. His throat tightened. The moon loomed large above them in the sky.

Mattie looked up, her grip tightened on his hand. “It can’t be full yet. It hasn’t been thirty days. We still have three more days. We’ll be okay if we just don’t wish. Right?”