A/N: Suspension of disbelief required if you are familiar with the Niagara Peninsula or Canadian court systems (and probably cycling too.) I have three confessions: 1) I am guilty of plagiarism—I stole this plot, a character name in homage, and pieces of dialogue from a 1916 short story by Melville Davisson Post, and adapted it with a twist for W 2) For purposes of the story, I have also committed assault and probably murder on the circa 1900 Canadian judicial system and; 3) Ditto for a very nice area of the Niagara Peninsula. Sorry, neighbors. My excuse is: "The Story Made Me Do It."

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Before the Vineyards

-Chapter 1-

Monday

"Julia! Honestly, what has gotten into you?" William Murdoch was trying very hard to project a stern image, but watching his wife giggle and romp with delight only made him feel even sillier and want to join her in the dark water - considering resisting her usually took all his resources anyway. The day had been hot with glorious sun beating down on them riding east across the long flat plain of land skirting Lake Ontario from Hamilton (where they had a fine picnic luncheon), to their current location outside of Grimsby. The pair could have made the forty or so total miles to Port Dalhousie (which had been their original plan) but instead were intrigued by the possibility of hearing an evening lecture by Mr. Thomas Troward on comparative religions, offered at the Grimsby Park and Beach Chautauqua Methodist Campground. Unfortunately Mr. Troward cancelled at the last minute, leaving William and his wife with nothing to do and insufficient time to get to their intended destination, and nowhere to lodge.

A small campfire sheltered between two clumps of trees along the shore was the only illumination along this stretch of lakeshore. The air remained warm even at such a late hour, accompanied by a slight southerly breath of air. There was no moon and the stars were obscured by high clouds, so for light William fed small pieces of drift wood to the flames. Their tandem bicycle and its trailer were propped up against one of the boles, where William had devised a canopy for shelter with the intention of sleeping there for the night, at Julia's insistence. Behind them to the south at 60-plus meters high, left over from the last ice age, the Niagara Escarpment loomed over Grimsby with Lake Ontario stretching north, its soft waves barely moving. Dinner had been a mean affair of bread and cheese leftover from their lunch; however they were so hungry from cycling the food quality did not matter. William even purchased the last offerings from two street vendors and was seriously contemplating finding a cottage to beg a handout, as he had become suddenly ravenous.

"William! Come join me!" Julia beckoned from the water's edge where she was twirling and splashing, her long pale bare legs contrasting with the inky darkness, and the glow from a lit cigarette in her hand making fascinating patterns on his retinas. "The water is refreshing. I am thinking of just taking this whole cycling costume off and finding my one for swimming. We did pack it, did we not?" she laughed and trudged out of the water and over to where William was sitting on a blanket, and handed him the short cigarette.

That bathing costume, which had been a seemingly endless source of conflict while planning their trip (along with the rest of the luggage strapped to their small trailer), now appeared to be a good idea to her husband, who considered pulling swimming gear for both of them out of a duffel secured with rubber straps to the trailer basket. He took another pull on the cigarette before passing back it over to Julia as she sat beside him, letting a harsh rush of air into lungs unfamiliar with the practice, but enjoying the pleasant euphoria produced by the smoke. Another good idea after all, he thought while examining the novel effect firelight was currently having on his wife's curls, although not enough to turn me into an habitué, he promised himself. On the other hand, his fascination with the highlights and shadows dancing in her hair was quite compelling as he followed a silken thread from her braid… He smiled at her, stroking a hand along her arm, feeling each of her light hairs tingle and vibrate his fingertips. He inhaled fresh night air. "I recognize the odor; terpenes I believe. Tetra-hydro-cannabinol, you say?"

Julia giggled again. "I bet you cannot say that three times fast." Of course, they proceeded to try with, to her mind, hilarious results. William, who never could tell a joke with a punch line, then tried to entertain her with some burlesque puns and witticisms, and for some reason she found his delivery to be hysterically funny, especially when he tried to make a joke about a three headed water dog out of the name for the drug with which they were currently experimenting.

She took a long drag on the remaining butt and held her breath a moment before exhaling. "Yes, the psycho-active compound. Cannabis sativa I believerather than Cannabis indica. Ruby did not say where she got it, only that I should try it for the experience and that you should join me." She crushed out the smoke then leaned against him, reaching over to rummage in their food basket, her hip moving along his. "I don't think it is having any effect on me at all—so disappointing. I thought she was going to send something more bizarre like oil of hashish or an herb from her latest trip to India or even coca leaves." She brought out the remaining victuals – a broken package of McVitie's Digestives, with half of a Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar, a new exotic treat that had travelled with them since getting off the train in Hamilton and which had somehow escaped predation until now.

Julia waved the chocolate bar. "This is not much to eat, William," then broke into a fit of laughter as the upright wrapper bent suggestively. Much to her surprise, her husband started to giggle as well; she had heard him laugh, occasionally uproariously, but the particular titter emanating from his lips at the moment just set her into another paroxysm at the thought of her husband being intoxicated when she was perfectly sober. "Oh, William!" she gasped as he reached over to compete with her for the goodies. "Let me have that. I am starving…." She met his face with hers and saw his eyes reflected the gleam of the campfire, lighting up his chocolate brown depths. Food was temporarily forgotten.

William pulled her down to his lap and found her mouth for a long, languid kiss. When he felt her give up all resistance and melt into him, he broke away and answered, "So am I…" with a low, husky voice. His mind felt both relaxed and aware while his senses seemed to be glowing somehow. Along with that sensation, his physical desire for Julia which was never in short supply, seemed particularly insistent, so much so the fact they were essentially publically displayed on an open beach under a makeshift lean-to, did not deter him from turning Julia on her back and running his hands intimately over her person and resuming the kiss.

Julia responded with her own fingers twining in his hair and following the curves of his neck and shoulders. She pushed him away reluctantly. "There might be a night watch or patrol to keep the riff raff off this nice beach." She snickered again and looked around furtively, before giving an excited grin. "We should at least put the fire out…"

William rolled over, and picked up the snacks before they could be crushed or scattered. "In a moment. I have an idea…" He located the last of their treasures, another unusual food purchase from a French Confectioner's in Hamilton, after being tempted by a free sample. While Julia put a half dozen in a bag to satisfy her sweet tooth, William had spoken to the maker of the squares of Pain de Sucre or Guimauve, more interested inthe chemistry behind their creation. They did not fare well in the heat either, but William had a notion. He took a green stick off a nearby tree and threaded one of the Guimauve onto an end and set it over some of the coals. In no time the sugar treat puffed up to became soft and yielding, yet browning nicely. He set a digestive down, a square of chocolate on it and then the toasted sugar on top, finishing off with new biscuit to make a sandwich. He handed the sticky mess to Julia who took a tiny bite then a larger one as her face lit into a smile.

"My, this is delicious. Mr. Murdoch I do declare you are a genius at times. No wonder I married you…" Julia smiled warmly with only the slightest bit of sticky residue on her face. "Can you make me another one?"

Her husband was in the process of making his own sugar and chocolate sandwich when the Guimauve he was working onignited. He brought it up to his lips to blow the flames out, disappointed he ruined his morsel, but put it between the biscuits anyway and tasted it. "Hmmm. Not bad." He handed her the stick. "Mrs. Murdoch, here, you try it," he offered while licking his thumb and forefinger.

Julia gazed lovingly at William, who was looking relaxed and happy in a way she had never seen him before: shirt with no collar and open at the neck, sleeves rolled, shoes and socks off, hair blown back by the wind, sitting cross legged on a blanket eating strange food. It caused her to recall the life he had before becoming a member of the constabulary, involved plenty of dirt and physical labour. He usually held on to his inherent dignity, so when he adapted so easily to her suggestion to "camp out" it initially surprised her. She realized that she had been unfairly pigeon-holing him as in need of an airing out. Why do we women often think our men are in need of adjustment or a little fixing up? Ridiculous! she told herself. We should be attracted to them the way they are, not as we want them to be. Her imagination started running away from her and she laughed again, while turning her stick over the coals and trying to see if the dessert was cooking properly.

Her laugh set his off again. "Julia? What's so funny?"

"I was imagining you trying to perfect toasting one of these things over your Bunsen burner… the sticky stuff wouldn't dare get on one of Detective William Murdoch's beautiful suits..." Julia pointed out a drip that had fallen on his trouser leg, as her own sugar square burst into flames, signally a new round of chuckles. They managed to get all the available sandwiches assembled and eaten after which Julia pouted that she was still hungry.

William reached over to hold her jaw in his right hand and kiss her mouth, laying them down while putting his left arm around her waist and nesting their bodies. When he leaned away again he was panting lightly. "Yes," he said, finding her eyes with his and lowering his lashes, letting hunger of a different kind show. "If you will recall, and as you are aware by now I have nearly perfect recall…I believe you owe me a certain, ah-hemm, chance upon which I never collected…" He gestured to the blanket and their position together.

"William! A tryst..? Here…?" Julia's mind went immediately to how seldom she would have these kinds of adventures with William after starting a family. She surveyed the area and saw no potential interference from any direction, then challenged him with her eyes accompanied by a wicked smile.

William let go of her to scoop some sand onto the dying fire, plunging them into absolute blackness, and then slid himself back under their tarp, calling Julia to join him, tucked away in an anonymous recess where a second blanket was spread. Neither could see the other in the night. Julia stood and shook out the fireside blanket, making her way over by listening to his entreaty, and when she found him she covered them both as she lay beside her husband. "Julia," William said with a smile warming his voice as he adjusted the cloth to hide their bodies, "all I ask is that you never tell Ruby the results of this particular experiment." He felt her nodding vigorously, as her busy, familiar hands made quick work of his shirt and braces, whilst he explored her corset-less bodice. "And afterwards we will clean up in the lake, with or without your bathing costume..."

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So, Dear Reader: Thank you for choosing my story. I am hoping you will read to the end, and then you will write/review