Title: Wandering Star
Author: Fallenbelle
Rating: Eventually an M
Summary: Julia is forced to keep a secret from William and unwittingly explores a different side of society firsthand while working undercover at a brothel/burlesque club.
Notes: AU- This is a sequel to "The Rip", this story takes place immediately after that story ends, so since it's been over a year since I wrote that one, you might want to re-read that one or just take your chances with this one. Takes place between season eight and nine as Meyers is still alive in this story. This is a story I began working on last Spring/Summer, but I got stuck and have only just recently figured out a solution, and am now able to resume work on it after all this time. Just as "The Rip", this story also titled after a song by the most excellent Portishead.
On a late February Sunday afternoon that couldn't quite decide if it was late winter or early spring, with the remnants of snow melting with the recent rain, William and Julia seized the opportunity to take a stroll outside arm in arm, on a bright, sunny day even if the weather was still quite chilly. An early snow had initially meant cozy, romantic evenings in the hotel suite with her husband, but after several months, Julia was ready to escape their luxurious confines and embrace the relative warmer temperatures.
"All things in moderation," she told her husband, with a bright smile on her face.
"Indeed, today's weather is a nice break from the harsh winter. Perhaps we'll have an early spring yet," he concurred with a smile, expertly reading her mind.
Laying her head on his shoulder, and snuggling into him, she contentedly sighed. She'd once been concerned that her and William would eventually drift apart in their separate lives, eventually sharing only a bed with one another-just as many of the couples she'd known (including her parents) had done; the love and passion of the courtship and early days of marriage gone. However, quite the opposite had happened, and she found that physical intimacy had actually intensified their pleasure in their mutual interests. Thus, she and William still immensely enjoyed one another's company including the hard won right to enjoy one another's bodies. Ultimately, her fears that the romance would fade as she had feared were quite unfounded.
As they sidestepped puddles along the path, Julia also contemplated how relieved she was that marriage hadn't changed their habit of discussing their work, current events, or an interesting article they'd recently come across in their reading. In their various readings or experiences, if something was of particular interest to one of them, they would often ask the other to read the periodical in question so that they could discuss it with one another.
That afternoon, they discussed an article from William's December issue of Popular Science by David Starr Jordan, president of Leland Stanford Junior University in Palo Alto, California. Jordan had stated that higher education for women ought to be the ultimate goal for both all men and women desirous of such.
"Well, I suspect we're in agreement here, but being the beneficiary of such an education myself, I agree that such a goal for all who want such a thing is quite worthy," Julia replied in response to her husband's question on what her thoughts were.
Not surprisingly, William concurred. "Access to education should be based on aptitude and desire rather than gender and the family's ability to pay for it," he added.
Stopping to cup his cheek with her gloved hand, Julia stroked his face. "Yes, William, I know why you believe such a thing, and I agree with that statement as well. Perhaps there will be a more formalized system for gaining assistance in funding an education in the future," she added.
"Perhaps. While I was disappointed in the past that I did not have the opportunity to attend university, I think I have more than made up for that with self-study, and if I had furthered my education, I would have chosen another vocation, and perhaps missed the opportunity to make your acquaintance. I cannot complain with the outcome of this situation," William replied with a shy smile.
Not for the first time, Julia lamented the fact that her brilliant husband had been denied such an opportunity, but university education or not, her husband was still one of the most intelligent, well-read men she knew, and the lack of a piece of paper did nothing to change that. She would take William as he was any day over some pompous professor. She decided to tell him as such, and was rewarded with an intense kiss that she had not anticipated.
Remembering where they were, William blushed and they broke apart, resuming their walk but silently letting her know with his eyes that she could expect more of that later. Julia's insides tingled.
"So, while we agree with Mr. Jordan in that women should receive a higher education, something tells me that you didn't agree with all of his points," William commented with a wry smile.
"No, I did not. I don't believe that I lack 'originality', or that the 'motor side' of my mind is not developed. I also believe that there is value in educating a woman that goes beyond her being able to be a better mother to her sons if she is well-educated," Julia argued, her voice rising in anger.
"Ah, so it seems that you do not agree with the four K's being the only concerns of a proper woman then," William asked with a smile: " 'Kirche, Kinder, Küchen und Kleider,' " he teased her, knowing full well what her answer would be.
"Ah yes, Kaiser Wilhelm, how could I forget. 'Church, Children, Kitchen, and Clothes'. Of course that's all that my feeble brain could ever be interested in or the brain of any other woman for that matter. William, surely you don't agree?" she asked.
"No, Julia. I would be an emphatic fool to ignore the evidence in front of me. The example of my lovely wife, who is most original and whose motor skills are quite developed seems to contradict Mr. Jordan," William replied with a laugh. "At least Mr. Jordan thinks that women should be educated with men, and that it's not hurtful to either sex and actually beneficial. He also states that separate annexes for women at universities will ultimately never work, and that co-education is the way for the future."
"What about you William. You had a single sex education, do you think that was superior, or would you have benefitted from interacting with females?"
"I had an excellent education, Julia. More than I had any entitlement to, or even a right to expect. But I think I would have benefitted from interacting more with girls my age, and as you may have noticed in your own experience, I'm not always particularly at ease with women. But there's no doubt in my mind, I want our son and our daughter to receive an equal education in equal facilities and have equal opportunities. I want them to be educated in the same environment and choose vocations that are of interest to them," William replied, stopping to turn to her and taking her hands in his, shy smile on his face.
Sighing, Julia looked down at the ground and kicked a rock in the path with her boot. Children were never far from any of their items of discussion it these days it seemed, and today was certainly no exception. Squeezing his hand in response, she stroked his cheek and kissed him, hoping to distract him enough to change the topic.
It seems that she was successful; or at least she'd been for now, as he segued into another article he'd read about the mental and moral heredity of the Spanish monarchy and how inbreeding amongst European royalty was perhaps responsible for many of the civil wars between the Spanish ruling elite before unification occurred between the kingdoms of Aragon and Castile with the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella in 1469.
Laughing to herself, Julia marveled at how her husband could be so well versed in matters mathematic, scientific, historic, and cultural. University degree or not, Julia doubted that there was any professor who was as well rounded as her brilliant man. As she snuggled back into him, she was thankful that this wonderful man was at last her husband at long last.
After all they had been through together, they had earned a long life of happiness together. Or so she thought.
Note: Leland Stanford Junior University is better known as Stanford University today (yes, that Stanford), and the article "The Higher Education of Women" was written by the then President of the university. This article, along with "Mental and Moral Heredity in Royalty V" were genuine articles in the December 1902 issue of Popular Science. I feel that both Julia and William would have read such a publication and even discussed them as they did here.