Chapter Six

Chapter 6

Christmas Eve 1890



“It’s snowing!” Anna exclaimed as she looked out the parlor window. She had her nose pressed to the glass of the window. She ran to me and looked at me excitedly. “Lizzy, it’s snowing! Can you believe it! Snow on Christmas Eve.” She grabbed my hand. I laughed at her enthusiastic behavior.
“Yes Anna it is snowing I see that, maybe after you finish knitting your mittens you can go out.” I replied to her happy face.
“Will you go out with me? Please?” Anna pleaded.
“I suppose I can, only after you finish your mittens. You cannot go out without mittens.”
“Oh, I’ll hurry and finish I want to go out in the snow! We can make snow angels and a snowman and have a snowball fight!”
I laughed at her little girl excitement. She sat back down on the window seat and worked at her mittens. I was embroidering a handkerchief for Pa, Gampa, Mr. John, Arthur and Will. Since Mr. John and Will had no family around, they spent Christmas with us. I was embroidering their initials onto the handkerchiefs.
I had Pa’s, Gampa’s, Arthur’s and Mr. John’s finished. Pa’s was a Robin’s egg blue with a trimming and initials of indigo thread. I stitched T.S.W Thomas Silas Winthorpe. Gampa’s was gray and white thread trimming and initials. I stitched J.R.W Joel Richard Wilkes. Arthur’s was a cardinal red with a scarlet trimming and initials. I stitched A.J.J Arthur James Jenkins. Mr. John’s was a bronze with a sepia trimming and initials. I stitched J.L.D John Lee Duncan.
I purposefully put Will’s last, seeing how my weird reaction to him lately. I picked up the handkerchief I had made for him. I made it in his favorite color green. The hankie was an emerald green, and I bordered it with olive green thread. I started his initials with the same olive green thread starting with the W. I slowly stitched out the W.L.D. It stood for William Lee Duncan. He had his father’s middle name. I finished off the D and snipped the thread and looked at it.
I placed it in the basket I had the others in and stood up. Anna was engrossed in her knitting so I left the parlor to put the basket in my room. I walked into the hallway to see Will standing right there. I quickly hid his handkerchief under the others. I flashed a smile his way then ran up the stairs. I walked into my room closed the door, dropped the basket and placed my hand over my fluttering heart. Why do I have this reaction to him? I know I promised Anna to go out in the snow with her but if Will’s out there I don’t know what I’ll do.




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I heard a knock on my door and jumped. I was being silly. Like Will would actually be at my door. I placed the book I was reading on the table near the chair. When I sat down to read I was hoping to be engrossed in Jane Austen’s words I’d forget my problems. I loved Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. I have all of Jane Austen’s books. I tried to focus on the words in the book but never could. Usually I could sit and read for hours at a time. I can get so engrossed in a book I forget everything around me. Ma always complained I spent too much time dreaming and reading. I got my love of reading from Gamma. I always loved reading romances.
I walked to the door and pulled it open. Gamma was at my door. My face lit up and I smiled. Gamma always seemed to know when I needed her. I welcomed her in and she sat on the settee near the chair I just vacated. I sat down again.
Gamma smiled at me and that was her que to me to tell her what’s wrong. She always knew when I came to read in my room I was distressed. I could not bring myself to say what’s on my mind. How could I start? When I came home months ago I started having these weird feelings for my best friend I’ve known for ten years. I looked down at my hands in my lap. Gamma cleared her throat giving me another que. I looked up into her smiling face and knew I could tell her.
“Gamma how do you always know when I need you?” I asked my wise grandmother.
“Experience Dearie, I may be an old withered lady, but I know more than any of you give me credit for.” She smiled. “So, Dearie, what is it that’s making that pretty little head confused.”
I took a deep breath and launched into the long story. Me coming home seeing Will, having these weird flutters in my stomach and heart. Feeling jealousy seeing Charity all over Will. I felt I could tell her anything I saw nothing but compassion and wisdom in her eyes. Not judgment, condemnation, or pity. Just compassion and love for her granddaughter. I finished with the talk Will and I almost had if it was not for Anna. I took a deep breath and looked into the eyes so much like mine except those eyes have seen more of the world than I knew. She sighed slightly and smiled.
“Now Gamma what’s going through your pretty little head?”
“Lizzy, Dear, as much as I know you don’t want to have these feelings for Will. I know you’ve been friends for ten years, but it sounds like you’re experiencing young love.”
“But, Gamma, I can’t love Will he’s my friend that’ll make things so much more complicated between us. It’s already strained.” I sighed and slumped back in the chair. Sometimes Gamma’s talks made me feel worse, in a good way of course.
“Sweetie, as much as your head says that your heart is saying something completely different. Did I ever tell you how I and Grandpa met?”
“No.” I replied.
“Well, it was in 1861, he was twenty-two and I was twenty. I was in town visiting some friends. I was from New York, he was from Tennessee. Of course you’ve heard your Grandpa the War Between the States started around there. It was wrong to talk to a Southerner if you were a Northerner. Well I met him at a ball my friends were throwing to send off their men to fight the Yankees. I was sitting in the corner feeling like I did not belong there. I was the only Northerner there. Well, your Grandpa came walking up in his Rebel-err South uniform. Excuse me Lizzy; Dear it seems I still have some Northerner in me. Well, he came up and you never can resist a man in uniform Dear, it’s hard. Anyway, I saw him walking up to me and wondered what a Rebel was doing heading towards me. I know he did not know I was a Northerner. He came up and bowed and asked for my hand for a dance. I was afraid to reply he might hear my accent Dear, and walk off. So I just nodded. He took my hand and led me to the dance floor. He asked my name and I had to reply then. I took a chance and replied ‘Mary-Lou Swift’. He looked at me with amusement in his eyes. ‘A Northerner eh?’ He said. I nodded and smiled. ‘Joel Wilkes at your service ma’am.’ He smiled and I was hooked.
“Well, he did not have to leave to fight my people yet so we saw each other a lot. He took my horse riding, on a boat, on picnics. He really wooed me. I fell in love in four short weeks. I knew he felt the same so I was just waiting. I sent a letter to my folks saying I was staying in Tennessee, for more time then I thought. They did not approve but seeing as how I was twenty there was not much they could do. Well, on the fifth week I knew him he asked for my hand in marriage. I did not know what to say. My parents would have been livid. Well, Lizzy, when you know its love there’s no time like the present time. I said yes and we were married in couple days. He went off to fight for the South and I staid in Tennessee; I fell in love with his state as fell as him. I sent a letter saying I had married, and I got an upsetting letter back. I ignored it and I have never talked to my folks again. What I’m trying to say is, when you its love there’s no denying it sweetie. Think of what I said today Dear, and decide. Just know I love you sweetie and I would not tell you anything just for fun. It’s for you.” She got up kissed my cheek patted it and left me to ponder what she said.


God bless!