I do not own these characters and make no profit from them. This story is really a continuation of the story "Love Makes (or Breaks) A Family." Reading the previous "Love Makes A Family" stories will also help in understanding this one.
Love Makes A Family: Forever
Things were not going well at all for Nanny and the Professor. Cholmondeley's arrival had set everyone in the Everett household on edge. The children were confused about how they should be feeling. They were all sad that not only had their plan failed to bring Nanny and the Professor together, but now they had learned that she was going to leave to marry someone else and move to far away England. Despite the fact that she was willingly getting married, she didn't exactly seem ecstatic about it. Trelawney certainly wasn't but no one was able to figure out why.
As the time grew shorter before she was set to leave, the Professor grew more distant from everyone. At home, he worked long hours in his study. Everyone learned very quickly not to bother him. At work, he was unusually reserved and sometimes completely unapproachable. His mood was noticed by his friends at the university and his old friend Fred Fisk tried to talk to him.
"Hal, I've known you for a long time, and this is the worst I've seen you since Helen died. Is something wrong at home?" he asked kindly.
"What makes you think that anything is wrong at home?" asked the Professor defensively.
Oh boy, thought Fred, this can only mean one thing.
"Well, I know there's nothing wrong here, so that means that it's got to something at home. Now please don't get mad at me for asking this. But does it have anything to do with Nanny?"
He wished he hadn't asked. If he had punched him in the stomach, Hal couldn't have looked any worse.
"She's leaving. She's getting married and returning to England with her sister and her new husband," he replied sadly, yet bitterly.
It's worse than I thought, said Fred to himself, he's not even trying to hide his feelings. Carefully formulating his answer, he answered, "I'm real sorry about that. I know what she has meant to you and the family. I know that things could get rough again, with the house and kids and all. Just ask and Alice and I will pitch in and help."
Hal thanked him for his thoughtfulness. He suspected that Fisk knew his true feelings for Nanny and was grateful that he didn't mention it. He knew that the rest of the math department was probably talking about him and his change in mood. He was hoping that Fisk would run some interference for him so he wouldn't have to answer too many questions. It was good to know that he had friends like that.
Living up to the Professor's expectations, Fred approached the head of the math department and explained.
"Well," said that head. "That explains a lot. Hal's been walking around like a ticking time bomb for the last few days."
"You know," said Fred. "I think he really loves her."
"No doubt in my mind," replied the head. "When those rumors were going around a couple of months ago about the two of them engaging in a little, shall we say, imprudent behavior, he nearly blew his cork."
"I'll say," agreed Fred. "Pulski's lucky he didn't punch him in the nose."
"Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about her leaving," said the head practically. "But I think it would be helpful if we quietly got the word out to the others to back off. All it would take is one harmless remark or joke to set him off I suspect."
"Agreed."
In school the kids, particularly Butch and Prudence, were no longer themselves. Laurel Fielding noticed the difference in Prudence's affect right away. Usually she was bubbling over with enthusiasm. However she seemed a dimmer copy of her usual self as she went through the motions of learning. Knowing that something must be desperately wrong for her to retreat into herself like this, she pulled the little girl aside for a talk.
"Prudence dear, what's the matter? Is Sebastian or Waldo sick?"
Having visited the Everett house a few times, she knew the animals that were as a much a part of the family as the children.
"No they're fine," said Prudence, who then looked away.
"Is anyone else sick? One of your brothers, or your Dad? Is everyone all right?" she asked.
Prudence looked down. She seemed to be struggling to how to answer. Finally, without looking up she said, "Everything is . . . Okay."
Her answer was so brief and to the point that Laurel knew that things were very bad. Prudence loved to talk and share.
"May I go play now?"
"Yes dear," replied the teacher kindly. "If there's anything you want to talk about, just remember that I'm here to listen."
Prudence looked at her oddly and said, "There's nothing that I WANT to talk about."
Butch's behavior was even worse. Unlike Prudence, rather than backing away from everyone, he began to act out. The class was working in small groups on a project building volcanoes for their earth science class. Normally, this is the kind of activity that Butch loved. It was very messy and would involve an explosion at the end. Unbeknownst to his teacher, Connie Clement, he had planned to "borrow" a stink bomb from Hal to make his volcano erupt.
The class was full of giggles and laughter as the children, most of them up to their elbows in clay, molded and shaped the hollow mountains. Suddenly there was an eruption of another sort as a group of boys began arguing in the back of the room.
"No, that's NOT the way to do it!" Butch yelled at his partners.
"I can do it anyway I like," said Martin Pulski, one of his best friends.
Before she could get back there, Connie watched as Butch began to pound the volcano flat furiously. If she wasn't so concerned, she would have been angry. Those kids had worked long and hard to get that far with the project, but now they would have to start over. The other children sensed Butch's irrational anger and looked on in silent shock. Butch was a fairly easy going kid and this was totally out of character.
Calmly, Connie walked back and said gently, "Butch, why did you do this?"
The boy shrugged and sat down. She looked at him. The expression on his face was miserable but he clearly was not talking. She turned to the other children and told them to start working again. As the class quietly went back to work, Butch put his head down on his arms and ignored everyone around him.
Connie dashed off a quick note to Mrs. Tracy, the guidance counselor. Calling two of the girls she had them deliver it to the office.
Laurel was not surprised when she was told to come to Susan Tracy's office during lunch and recess for a meeting. She knew it was about Prudence Everett. Connie Clement, Laurel Fielding, Susan Tracy and Tessie Griegan, who was Trelawney's teacher, sat around the table, theoretically eating, but none had much appetite. Connie and Laurel related the behavior of the younger two children, while Tessie explained what had happened in her class that morning.
"Trelawney has always loved Shakespeare. Now it's not part of the OFFICIAL curriculum, but a couple of weeks ago, I had asked her to suggest a play that the other kids might like to read as a supplement," began the older woman.
"She was thrilled. You know that that child does like to be the center of attention, but I thought that this kind of activity would be beneficial for all the students and give her an outlet for her creativity," she continued. Tessie's long experience in the classroom had meant that she had understood the little girl from the first. Rather than engage in a battle of wills, she had decided to engage the girl on an intellectual level. Up to this point, the approach had worked out very nicely.
"What play did she pick?" asked Connie curiously.
"'Midsummer Night's Dream,'" answered Tessie with a rare smile. "My guess is that she was trying to get more bang for her buck. In addition to the main storyline, there is the 'Pyramus and Thisbe' play within a play. It's amazing how much that child knows about Shakespeare and mythology. I have to admit that sometimes I have trouble keeping up with her."
"Well, she hasn't been herself in days. She had chosen to play the part of Helena for herself. Today she was positively listless. I became so concerned that I contacted Susan here," she finished.
"I saw a pattern when Connie here wrote a note about Butch who was also behaving completely out of character," replied Susan.
Laurel was nodding. "I wasn't surprised by the message that you wanted to see me. Prudence has been acting terribly odd, even for her."
"Well," said Susan. "Francine Fowler has solved part of the mystery. She came to me because she is very worried about Trelawney. Apparently Nanny's 'betrothed from birth' to quote her has shown up. He plans to marry Nanny and take her and Trelawney back to England."
"I don't see why that should bother Trelawney so much. She loves her home and I know that she's been homesick on occasion," said Tessie.
"Well I can see how it would upset Butch and Prudence," replied Connie. "Now all that anger makes sense. Butch would never be one to talk about his problems, however I can see how he would act out."
But Laurel was puzzled. "Wasn't there a period of uncertainty when word came of the original tragedy when Nanny's parents were killed? The kids didn't seem too adversely affected then."
"Yes," said Susan, "But that was uncertainty. This is certainty. And I am sure that all the kids are confused. Everyone worked so hard to put that family together and then there was all the drama when Trelawney got lost. We really don't know the whole story anyway. Perhaps they don't either."
They all looked at each other thoughtfully. None of the kids had said a word to anyone. In fact if Francine had not come to Susan, they wouldn't even know as much as they did. Tessie asked the question that was on everyone's mind.
"Susan, why did Francine come to you?"
"I really don't know," admitted Susan. "I suspect that she knows something, but she isn't saying. All she would tell me is that Trelawney hates this fiance and is dead set against returning to England with him. She came to me because Trelawney seems very unstable."
"Well, I would agree with that," said Tessie. "The girl is very tired and looks like she isn't eating much."
"Are you thinking of calling Nanny directly?" asked Laurel.
"Francine doesn't seem to think it would do much good," explained Susan. "She said that her mother has already tried talking to Nanny and couldn't get anywhere."
"Well that's no surprise," said Tessie. "That woman is a busybody if there ever was one. It still amazes me that Francine has turned out as well as she has."
"Maybe a call from you would be more diplomatic," suggested Connie. "Besides, she really needs to know what's going on with Butch and Prudence also." Now that she knew the whole story, or at least the important part of it, she was wondering what Butch might destroy next.
"I can try," said Susan thoughtfully, "But my instincts are telling me that it won't do any good."
Her instincts were right. Nanny was more gracious about it than she had been with Mrs. Fowler, but she essentially told Susan to mind her own business. Susan shook her head as put down the phone. She knew that no one was more highly skilled in the art of evasion than Nanny, especially when it came to her personal business. She would send a note out to the teachers to let them know that there was nothing that they could do to help the situation. She did, however, request that they keep a close eye on the three children.
She considered calling the Professor, but immediately dismissed the thought from her head. Remembering his outburst after Trelawney was lost and then his assiduous care of Nanny during the traumatic events, she suspected that he would not be helpful. In fact it might even make things worse for Butch if he ended up on the end of his father's wrath.
She called the guidance counselor at the middle school that Hal attended but was not surprised to hear that he had not come up on the radar. She recalled that a few years ago when the boy had lost his mother that he seemed to stoically accept it. Butch had acted out in all sorts of ways in kindergarten, but it wasn't in Hal's nature to show his emotions. Nonetheless, she told the guidance counselor to be on the watch. An adolescent Hal might be more sensitive than the young child had been.
And so as life at school for the children went on, it seemed that everyone was aware of the anxiety that the four children were going through except Nanny and the Professor. So absorbed were they in their own emotions that they just didn't seem to be able to fathom what was happening with the kids.
Meanwhile at home, they had all given up trying to deal with Trelawney. Most of the time she was remote and withdrawn. She had shown no desire to return home to England and she seemed to have lost that mischievous vitality that had made her so charming. She ate almost nothing and hardly slept. Prudence had been sworn to secrecy about the sleeping and not knowing any better, loyally refused to tattle. Even Nanny realized that some deeper issues were emerging, but she was so caught up in her own inner conflicts that she didn't give it much thought.
Nanny seemed to have accepted her fate. She would not go against the wishes of her parents. It was the very last thing that she could do for them. When Cholmondeley brought over her great-grandmother's wedding dress she graciously accepted it. After Cholmondeley left she decided to try it on. All the children except Trelawney wanted to see her wear it. However since Cholmondeley was not in the house she decided to stay to see her sister dressed in it. Nanny was hopeful that she was starting to come around, but actually Trelawney was just showing a natural curiosity about the dress, which she herself had never seen.
Nanny left her room dressed in the lovely gown and veil. The minute she came down the stairs she knew it was a mistake. The professor stared and said she looked beautiful. Prudence ran off in tears. The boys, and Trelawney, for once, were speechless. Trelawney, suddenly sounding more mature than her years said, "I'll go."
Followed by Hal and Butch, she went after Prudence.
Left alone with the Professor, she took a hard swallow and said, "I shouldn't have tried it on."
Sadly taking in her beauty and knowing it was for another man, the Professor shook his head, " No, Prudence has to face reality. Everyone has the right to live her own life."
He turned to follow the children and then added, almost unnecessarily, "We all need to face reality."
Phoebe stood alone for a minute wondering if she herself had been included in those last words. Regretfully she climbed back up the stairs and returned to her room. While taking off the veil she saw a note tucked into a corner of the box. Opening it, she saw her mother's familiar handwriting,
"Dearest daughter, A wise parent can only hope to guide a beloved child. When the time comes for you to wear this gown, Cholmondeley understands that the choice is yours, for you alone will know what is truly in your heart. Follow it with our love."
The tears slipped down her cheeks as she looked at the handwriting. It was as if her mother was standing before her and speaking the words herself. In fact it seemed that both her parents were reaching out to her with words of comfort. Wherever they were, did they know? She remembered that months ago Trelawney had told Hal that she believed that her parents were angels, and with Hal's mother were looking down from heaven and smiling. At the time, she had put it down as the child's whimsy.
Yet standing there as she was, wearing the dress and her mother's words of wisdom in her hand, she wondered if Trelawney was not right. She had not seen or noticed the note before she went downstairs. She felt the very strong presence of her parents in the room. If there were indeed angels, then Mum and Papa were certainly among them. Suddenly, Trelawney's notions did not seem as fanciful as they once had. After all, no one had ever proven that angels didn't exist.
She heard the Professor's footstep in the doorway. She looked up but before she could speak he said, "Prudence will be alright thanks to your famous prescription of chocolate cake and milk."
But he stopped short. Seeing that she was smiling tentatively, he looked at the paper she held.
"My mother knew that each person would have to live her life also, and know her heart . . ."
He knew what she meant. She didn't need to say another word aloud. They were already in his own mind and soul. Unable to wait another minute he swept her up in his arms and kissed her with all the force of the pent up emotions in his heart.
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Butch had gone upstairs to ask if they could eat the rest of the cake. Chocolate was his father's favorite and he didn't want to get chewed again for eating the last of it. He rushed back in the kitchen fairly bursting with excitement.
"I saw them!" shouted Butch running to the other children in the kitchen.
"Who?" asked Hal.
"Dad and Nanny. They were kissing."
"Where?" asked Trelawney, suddenly springing to life.
"In her bedroom. The door was open and I looked in and there they were. She's still wearing her wedding dress," replied Butch, now feeling very important.
"Hmm," said Trelawney thoughtfully, "Now Butch, just what kind of a kiss was it?"
"Huh?" Butch had no idea of what that meant.
Even Hal rolled his eyes, "What does it matter anyway?"
"More than you think. Just how they were kissing tells us whether it was a friendly kiss or a lovers' kiss," she patiently explained.
Butch grinned widely now. "Oh man this was the real deal. They were really going at it. That's why I had to leave. If Dad saw me he would've killed me."
"Does this mean that Dad and Nanny are going to get married?" asked Prudence hopefully.
The Everett children watched as Trelawney's face seemed to animate itself from the look of truculence and sullen acceptance that it had worn since Mr. Feather's arrival. The mischief was back in her eyes and corners of her mouth turned up in the impish grin that she often had when plotting a prank. Looking at each other they became hopeful that the long desired "action" was about to begin. But her first words were disappointing.
"No, chances are that this was a momentary weakness. If I know Phoebe, she's feeling guilty already," replied Trelawney.
"And if I know Dad, he's clueless," said Hal his own hopes dropping a bit.
"Gosh!" complained Butch, "Just when I thought that everything was going to be fine."
They were all quiet for a few minutes and Hal said, "Butch, what did you just say about everything being fine?"
"Are you deaf? I just said that when I saw Dad and Nanny kissing that I thought that they are the ones in love."
"They are," replied Trelawney lightly. "Only this is the first time we've had any real proof. Still and all, your immediate thought was to jump to that conclusion. Hal, I can see that you have an idea brewing in your head. Ready to share?"
"It's about jumping to conclusions," explained Hal. "If we can get Mr. Feathers to jump to the same conclusion as Butch did then maybe we can get rid of him."
"Laudable ambition, but far easier said than done," declared Trelawney. "Cholmondeley is very hard to trick. He knows what you are going to say before you say it most of the time, except . . ."
"Except for what?" asked Prudence.
"Except if you surprise him. If he has absolutely no expectation of what he is about to see or hear, then he can't discern it," she began to feel hope.
"So then," said Hal, "All we have to do is trick Mr. Feathers into thinking Nanny and Dad are in love."
"All?" asked Trelawney. "In order to really make it work, Cholmondeley would have to see Phoebe and the Professor doing something very indiscreet. However, they would have to be thinking about being in love and not know that they were part of a plot."
In the intervening quiet, Prudence asked, "What's indiscreet mean?"
"Well Pru," replied Hal. "It's what happens when you do something that you really shouldn't, like when Butch saw Dad and Nanny kissing."
"Why shouldn't they be doing that?" asked Prudence. "Isn't that what we've been trying to get them to do all along?"
Trelawney smiled, "In a manner of speaking what they were doing was very indiscreet. Perhaps if we can get Cholmondeley to stumble upon them in some, shall we say, comprising position, maybe we can get rid of him once and for all."
"You really don't like him, Trelawney," said Butch.
"No, Butch, I hate him. Hal, do you have any ideas about how we can send old Cholmondeley packing?"
"Not yet," said Hal. "But give me some time."
As Hal thought, Trelawney continued to turn things over in her mind. Something about the way that things were happening did not seem right. What before had only been an intuition was now beginning to solidify into a more concrete thought. Cholmondeley seemed to have come sailing in right in time to prevent anything from happening between Phoebe and the Professor, but he hadn't picked up on any of the feelings passing between them. Sometimes he would look suspicious, but then Trelawney could read the smugness in his reaction.
He seemed to think that despite the Professor's jealousy, his future with Phoebe was secure because of the betrothal. Knowing Phoebe even if she had betrayed a bit of her feelings, her sense of love and duty to their parents would foremost in her mind. Although Cholmondeley thought he was calling the shots, in fact he was even more clueless than the Professor.
She knew that was wrong. Cholmondeley should be so in tune with Phoebe's mind that he would already know that she was in love with the Professor. In fact, he should have been rushing into the house minutes ago when Phoebe and the Professor starting kissing to put a stop to it. No, something was very wrong here and nobody seemed to realize it but her. She needed to contact Emmeline, right away.
"I need to use the phone," she muttered as she made her way down the hall.
Later she approached Hal, "Any ideas yet?"
"No, this is a really tough one," he admitted.
"Well, it just got easier, except that you will have to fix that lock on the basement door," she said cryptically and began to lay out her plan.
Nanny returned downstairs with a sliver of hope in her heart. If only her mother's note hadn't been so ambiguous. She knew what was in her heart, but she didn't know if her mother meant that she might marry the man of her choice or marry Cholmondeley at the right time. Even if she was able to put off Cholmondeley now, sooner or later he'd be back. And just putting him off would bring her no closer to the Professor. He would do nothing that would in any way dishonor her.
Sadly, there was no way to ask her mother what she meant. Working in the kitchen to start making dinner, the room began to blur as tears filled her eyes.
Trelawney came in. She knew that Phoebe was thinking of their parents and said, "I know, I miss them too."
The child looked at her with the eyes of an old soul.
"Phoebe, you can't marry him. Trust me, I can prove it to you now. You can't marry him," she said seriously.
But Phoebe had finally had enough of her bad attitude and her meddling. "Trelawney, once and for all, stay out of it!"
Running from the room she replied, "I'm sorry, Phoebe, but I can't."
Assuming that she was returning to Francine's, she let her go. The child was intransigent. Nanny sighed. There was nothing to do but make dinner. Cholmondeley would be there soon. The family would be hungry. She could feel the storm clouds building and dreaded the break. Feeling desperately trapped, she could no longer think straight. It was almost as if she loved too many people whose wants and desires were all at odds with each other, not mention her own. Suddenly she heard a shout from the basement,
"Nanny! Help!"
Rushing down the stairs at the sound of Hal's voice she could see that his hands were full and things were bubbling over. He handing her the smoking test tubes and shouted, "I'll be right back" as he ran up the stairs.
Within seconds the Professor was racing down the stairs yelling, "Hal! How many times have I told you . . ."
Seeing Phoebe he stopped still and they both heard a click as the door locked.
"I though we couldn't do that anymore?"
He threw up his hands in a gesture of pure frustration, but seeing that she had her hands full he grabbed the test tubes and sniffed.
"Lots of smoke but no explosions. Looks our little band of Cupids is at it again."
"I know this is all Trelawney's fault," she apologized.
"No, I'm sure that Hal had a hand in it too. He's the only one capable of fixing that door lock. At least he had the sense to mix chemicals that wouldn't reek," Hal replied.
They looked at each other and shrugged. There was nothing to do but wait until the kids had done with whatever scheme they had cooked up now. The Professor gestured towards the steps and they sat down. Too tired to care any more, Nanny rested her head against his shoulder. She had finally, after months of grief and sorrow, had enough.
The Professor sensed the hopelessness in her heart. Putting his arms around her he cradled her like a child, stroking her soft hair, occasionally punctuating it with a gentle kiss on her brow. He longer cared either. All that mattered was that he might find some way of comforting her broken heart without making things worse. Once again feeling safe in his embrace, Nanny was struck again by the injustice of fate. Cholmondeley had never been so responsive to her or her moods. Hal just always seemed to know. In her exhaustion she had no idea that she was staring at the answer to her dilemma right in the face.
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When Cholmondeley came to the door he was greeted by Butch and Prudence, who were looking slightly downcast. He could see that Phoebe's modeling of her great-grandmother's wedding dress had made them realize that she was really going to marry him and leave. Still he asked in his jaunty way,
"How did Phoebe look in her wedding dress?"
"Beautiful." answered Prudence.
"Where is she now?"
"I don't know," replied the little girl. "Do you want me to look for her?"
"How thoughtful of you!" he replied.
Dutifully, the little girl went off to look for Nanny, thinking that it would also be a good idea to find her Daddy too.
She really didn't know where they were. Hal and Trelawney had taken the precaution of not telling Butch or Prudence their plan. Both knew that telling them that any plan was going on at all carried too many risks. Even Hal had not been fully apprised of what Trelawney was up to. All he knew was that they were locking Nanny and his Dad in the basement and hoping to cause some jealousy on Cholmondeley 's part. She firmly believed that if left alone for any length of time they would be unable to resist the attraction. She also knew that the more of the plan that any of the Everett children were cognizant of, the likelier the chance that Cholmondeley would discern it. It was very important that his information be partial and that she maintained control over what he actually knew.
The part of the plan that had Hal confused was that Trelawney wanted to make sure that while Cholmondeley was in the kitchen, Nanny and Dad didn't know that he was up there or nearby. He also knew that Emmeline was on the way and that they were to make sure that nothing really happened until she arrived. However, Hal had no idea of what she was expecting to happen.
As he stood in the kitchen washing the chemicals from his hands, Butch entered with Mr. Feathers in tow.
"Hello Hal!" called out the prospective groom, "Do you know where Phoebe is?"
Following Trelawney's instructions, he hesitated and then lied, "No, I haven't seen her in a while."
He immediately looked suspicious. "Then where is your father?"
"I haven't seen him either. Butch do you know where Dad is?"
"No, but wherever he is, I hope he stays away. He's going to make me do my homework," said Butch with a scowl.
Cholmondeley looked around the kitchen, "It looks like she started dinner."
Hal looked around, "Yeah, it does. I wonder where she went."
Prudence came in, "Hal, where did Daddy go? I can't find him or Nanny."
"Maybe they went out," suggested Hal.
"Maybe Phoebe went over to Mrs. Fowler's to borrow a cup of sugar. Oh, you're here Cholmondeley. Something bothering you?" Trelawney said as she entered, noticing his discomfort.
"It seems, Trel, that both Phoebe and the Professor have disappeared."
"Will you stop calling me that? I doubt very much that they have disappeared," she answered. "Perhaps they don't want to be found."
Trelawney was pleased to see Cholmondeley 's angst. She knew that he was worried that they were off and up to no good. Butch grinned and Trelawney knew what he was thinking of. Prudence started to giggle.
"Well, I'm sure that we'll see them soon . . . when they want us to see them anyway," said Hal, picking up on Trelawney's line of thinking.
Cholmondeley was so busy focusing on the innuendos of the Everett children that he didn't notice Trelawney leaning on the basement door. She knew that Phoebe and the Professor were just sitting on the steps talking. Immediately she thrust the thought from her mind.
Cholmondeley was now looking distinctly ill. He knew that Butch had caught sight of Phoebe and the Professor earlier engaged in the "real deal" and that Butch was hoping that they had fallen in love. He looked at Trelawney who quickly jumped up and said, "I'll get it."
Hal rolled his eyes and Prudence giggled, and as she headed for the door the bell rang. When she returned he was relieved to see Emmeline with her.
"Hi Cousin Emmeline!" sang out Prudence.
"Emmeline, it appears that our little Trel here is up to her tricks again," Cholmondeley declared. Trelawney made a face at the use of his hated nickname for her.
"Oh?" Emmeline raised an eyebrow.
"Why does everyone always blame me?" Trelawney pretended to look outraged as everyone looked at her. Then she sheepishly added, "Well, maybe you do have a point. But Em, this is not a prank."
"What else would you call locking Phoebe and the Professor in the basement?" she asked.
"What?" said Cholmondeley. Trelawney moved out of the way, tripping the lock as she did so that Cholmondeley could open the door and run down.
"Phoebe!"
" Cholmondeley! I didn't know you were here!" Phoebe's voice was very surprised.
"Trelawney!" Nanny's voice came up from the basement. Simultaneously they heard the Professor holler, "Hal!"
But the girl had turned to Hal and said, "Game, set, match! Now the fun starts."
Emmeline gave her a withering look but she didn't care. Like the other children she was too busy trying to hear the loud voices coming from below.
Cholmondeley had seen the Professor with his arms around his bride to be and, primed by Butch's thoughts, immediately assumed the worst. Accusations were flying thick and fast between Cholmondeley and the Professor until Emmeline called them up to sort things out. Phoebe didn't seem at all surprised to see her.
"So, you decided to come back to see what you stirred up," she said.
Trelawney looked at the women and grinned even more widely, "This is even better than I thought."
Looking at her, they chorused angrily, "Trelawney!"
"What the hell is going on here?" demanded the Professor.
"That's what I want to know! What were you doing kissing my bride?" asked Cholmondeley.
Trelawney immediately jumped in, "Not so fast, you have some explaining of your own to do."
Everyone looked at each other but no one knew where to start. Finally Emmeline looked at Trelawney with realization in her eyes.
"Is this why you called me?"
"Yes. I knew that they weren't going to let me sort it out, so I decided to bring you into it. Considering that you started this whole bloody mess in the first place, you should be the one to clean it up," answered Trelawney boldly. She was so busy being mad at the adults who had refused to listen to her that she no longer cared how mad anyone got at her.
"Why don't we all sit down and talk this out," said Nanny. She could see what was in her sister's mind and, aside from the fact that she didn't believe it, she couldn't quite piece it together from her chaotic thinking.
They all sat down around the table, Phoebe and Emmeline on either side of Trelawney in case she got any further out of hand. The Everetts really didn't know what was going on, even though the others clearly had their own suspicions. Recognizing this, Emmeline told Trelawney to start talking.
"Well, the story really starts at home. Cholmondeley, remember when you came to visit a couple of years ago and you kept bothering me and making me mad? Well, I went to Mum and asked her if Phoebe really HAD to marry such a horrid person," Trelawney could not resist getting another jibe in.
Nanny gave her an odd look and she continued.
"Mum told me that although she and Papa had made the betrothal, ultimately it would be up to her, Phoebe that is, to know what was in her heart and when she would be ready to wear great-grandmother's wedding dress. Only she would know," she explained.
Turning to her sister she said, "Phoebe, Mum and Papa loved you. They wanted you to follow your heart."
Tears filled Phoebe's eyes. "Did you know that Mum wrote me a note and put it with the dress?"
"No, but there's something else," Trelawney herself was becoming emotional. "Mum said that you would know when you had found the man you were truly destined for because you would know his mind and he would know yours. Your love would be so great that you wouldn't be able to love another. Did you know that Mum and Papa always knew where the other was and knew what they were thinking even if they weren't in the same room?"
"I think I noticed how close they were, but I never thought much about it because they were my parents and I expected them to love each other that way," said Phoebe as her own mind was flooded with realization.
"The only reason Cholmondeley came when he did was that Emmeline told him to. Then she warned you. Emmeline, if you hadn't told them they wouldn't have known that they were about to meet again, even though they should have," Trelawney continued.
"So in other words, if I hadn't told Cholmondeley to come, he wouldn't have known that he had to? And the only reason Phoebe knew he was coming was because I told her?" Emmeline wanted to be sure that she had it right.
"Exactly," said Trelawney. "But if Phoebe and Cholmondeley were truly meant for each other, he would have known that something was wrong and that he should come and she would have sensed his coming without you, shall we say, 'sticking your oar in.'"
Trelawney was unrepentant about her meddling. Once again, she couldn't resist hurling a dart at Emmeline. Now that she could see that the others were beginning to understand her and follow her line of reasoning she calmed down. The Professor was simply gazing at Nanny with new hope in his eyes. The children, even Prudence, were beginning to smile. Cholmondeley still looked confused but it was beginning to dawn on him that his betrothed might not be the woman destined to share eternity with.
"Phoebe, I'm sorry we locked you in the basement, but I had to be sure. If Cholmondeley was meant to be your husband then he would have known where you were right away. Emmeline did, in fact she was the one who let the cat out of the bag," she said.
"And you wouldn't have been so surprised to find him in the house, you would have known that he was here. You were so close to being married but I could see that you didn't share the same closeness of mind and heart that Mum and Papa did. And as your sister, I could feel your heart breaking every time you looked at the Professor."
"So could I," said Emmeline softly. "I'm so sorry Phoebe, I just didn't know what it meant. I was never betrothed to anyone and I guess that I haven't met my future husband yet."
"Nor I my future wife," added Cholmondeley. "I always accepted without question that Phoebe would be mine some day. I never even thought to look."
"You don't need to look," said Phoebe, finally unmasking for all to see, the depths of love that she felt for the man sitting beside. "You'll know."
The Professor's hand closed over hers and they looked at each other as if no one else existed. Tears began to slip down Trelawney's cheeks.
"I've only seen two other people look at each other like that in my life," she said quietly. "Mum and Papa."
Phoebe turned to console her, but Emmeline had already taken the child in her arms. She gave her a little nod and she looked back to see a little glimmer of a smile on the Professor's face.
"Do it Dad," urged Hal.
"Do what?" asked Prudence.
Not taking his eyes from Phoebe's face, he said, "This."
Leaning forward he tenderly brushed her hair back from her face. Holding her face in his hands he kissed her long, but not too deeply in front of the kids. Pulling back, he saw that her eyes were closed and her face, for the first time since Cholmondeley had come, was at peace.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The next few hours were filled with joy and love for all, except perhaps for Cholmondeley who still didn't seem to know what to think. Emmeline was satisfied that despite all her fears to the contrary, fate was indeed taking its intended course. It was only now that she realized that the accident that took the lives of the Figalilly sisters' parents had perhaps altered the course of all their destinies. There was no way to really know. However the confluence events that had brought them all to this place and time were nothing less than extraordinary, and too tremendous to be coincidence.
God does not make bad things happen. It was a drunk driver who took the lives of Phoebe and Trelawney's parents. But God will often set in motion a way for those affected by such enormous tragedy to go on with their lives. God, or fate if you like, had set about redesigning their futures when Emmeline had chosen to bring Trelawney to Phoebe rather than calling her home. Had she called, Phoebe would have returned and it would have been the last she would have seen of the Everetts. Yet the choice she made was not made lightly, a larger force had compelled her to bring the child thousands of miles from her home and deliver the news in person.
From the first she sensed the deep connection between Phoebe and the Professor. She knew that without his support, she would never have made it through those dark days. She clearly remembered how even though his feelings for her romantically inclined, before she had even had him make his promise, he had restrained those desires. And Cholmondeley? If he had truly been fated to be her husband, she knew now that he would have known that Phoebe needed him then and nothing would have kept him away.
But it was the Professor who was there. She realized now that his concern for Phoebe was motivated purely by a love beyond measure or explanation. The love they shared transcended the physical. Those passionate desires that had led to the romantic encounters were the very natural attraction between a man and woman so deeply in love. She realized that she somehow must have known it at the time.
Phoebe's desire for his child was initially bound up in her desire to sever the betrothal with Cholmondeley. However, once she let go of the restraints on her physical attraction to the Professor, she was engulfed with too many new feelings at once. She had not imagined a desire such as she began to feel and it frightened as well as excited her.
Unable to understand her newly emerging sexual feelings as something outside of marriage, she saw conception as the end result. For a while it was a means to an end, but ultimately it became a force all its own. Her desire for a child was now no less strong, but with no more obstacles between her and the man she loved the sense of urgency was gone. In the end even Emmeline had realize that her yearning was more than a frustrated sex drive. It was a most genuine and natural desire to fulfill her love for the man who was her soul mate with the creation of new life.
When all was said and done, Emmeline finally realized that the love between Phoebe and the Professor was real. Perhaps that was why after all her efforts to keep them apart failed, she had finally reached the point where she wanted to bring them together. It was only the ill-fated betrothal that had stood in the way. But even in this case, Trelawney knew, although she had a difficult time trying to figure out a way to express it, that something was not right. And of course everyone believed that she was causing trouble because she disliked Cholmondeley so much. Therefore no one else was able to pick up on the signs that she recognized.
It was very difficult to comprehend what exactly was going on in Trelawney's mind. Her reaction to Cholmondeley was perhaps motivated by the very deep love that she had for her sister and her implicit understanding of her feelings. She knew how much her sister mourned their parents and she could see in her relationship with the Professor a means for her to find happiness and move on with her life. She did not like Cholmondeley to begin with and the fact that he stood in the way of her sister's true love made her furious.
Grieving herself, she had no other way of expressing her very mixed up adolescent feelings other than anger. Leaving Professor Everett would also be a personal loss for herself. He had welcomed her into his family after she was orphaned and she couldn't bear the thought of the imminent departure. Had things moved any further in that direction there was a strong probability that she might have taken a more desperate measure to prevent it. Ironically, in spite of all her efforts as a troublemaker, it actually Trelawney who knew what was right. Her intuitions were on target and not mere wishful thinking.
Emmeline also realized that she herself had been blinded by her own limited and somewhat esoteric understanding of fate. Although raised as a Christian, her training in the classics and later experiences in the secular world, had given her more of an agnostic perspective on fate and destiny. Her views revolved around the definition at operation of Greek tragedy. From that perspective, the fate of humans was determined by the whims of anthropomorphic, or humanized, gods who enjoyed toying with the emotions of humans. These gods, rather than having the best interests of humans at heart, were constantly motivated by a need to put humans in their place. Thus in addition to blindness, the tragic flaw, as it was later called, was based on hubris, an arrogance of certain humans that they knew just as much as, if not more, than the gods. Thus often true love was thwarted in cause of suppressing this hubris. But there was nothing hubristic in the nature of Phoebe's and the Professor's love.
Phoebe's understanding was more spiritual than intellectual. Perhaps that is why, despite her own fine education, she had been motivated to travel the world setting families to right and helping others to see the best in themselves. Her "faith in the rightness of things" essentially came from the moral precept that God is all good and all knowing. Rather than trying to shoot those down who strove to emulate the examples of goodness set by Christ in the Bible, he rewarded those who chose to.
Emmeline knew that the ultimate test of this love had come when Phoebe and the Professor were faced with separation. She had struggled between the good as defined by filial devotion and the good as defined by true love for a man who loved her in kind. With things set up as they were, there seemed to be no way to love one without hurting the other. This very deep conflict of desires, in light of her determination to always make things work out for the best for all concerned when given enough time, has quite literally torn her heart in two.
Hal Everett had refused to compromise his principals and create a situation where Cholmondeley would have felt compelled to somewhat willingly give up Phoebe. It was not just before his arrival, but even after he knew the full story. Emmeline knew that at any moment, Phoebe would have gone to his bed, thus breaking her part in the betrothal contract. Yet he made no effort to seduce her. And his love for her was too great to allow himself to be seduced by her.
She was emotionally weak and blinded by grief. She was torn by her desire to fulfill her parents' wishes posthumously and the very strong feelings that she had for the Professor. Because she truly didn't understand these feelings she didn't realize that by their very nature, they would have been enough for her parents to give her permission to the break the contract and follow her heart.
In light of all she had seen and heard, Emmeline now knew that even if she had not exacted that promise from the Professor to protect her cousin, he would never have agreed to her scheme anyway. He wanted what was best for her, and her love unsullied by an affair that would have tainted both their reputations. He wanted her without the guilt that she would certainly have felt if she had subverted her parents' wishes in that manner. The depth with which he understood her heart and mind was incredible. His willingness to sacrifice his own future happiness for what would have eventually been her peace of mind was a testament to the strength of his love for her.
She could see that he was still worried about her. Despite the happy ending, he knew that she was not done grieving. She would probably never be, but with her emotions so raw, he knew that she would need his love and support in the next months. He would not push her into any life changing action before she was ready. He would love her and leave the rest up to God, or as they say, let go and let God. With a touch of hubris himself, he knew that only he could shelter and protect her in this way. Emmeline was thankful that she would be able to leave Phoebe safely in his care.
Emmeline had also come to realize that fanciful as Trelawney was, she shared that deep Figalilly connection with the larger forces at work in the cosmos. Her developing intuitions, which none of them had realized before, were incredibly powerful. As she grew older she would not only further develop them, she would need to control them. Impulsive as she was now, she lacked the mature judgment necessary to use her intuition wisely.
Yet, her childlike faith in the cosmic world had really taught them all something. Her absolute belief in angels went beyond the Biblical. She indeed saw them as messengers of God, who for a time would inhabit humans and interact with temporal world. Just like her sister, she was beginning to see that there was good in all people if you just looked hard enough. This would no doubt become one of her guiding principals in life.
Emmeline also had come to realize that God indeed does send angels, in the form of caring people to minister to those in need. Thus, Phoebe showed up on the Everett's doorstep on that fateful morning nearly a year ago. The Professor had been there when Phoebe needed him. Even Francine, a most unlikely angel, had willingly accepted her role in the care of a deeply wounded Trelawney. For those who refuse to believe, such occurrences are described as simply the right person being there at the right time. For the true believer, they are the compassionate hand of God intervening when tragedy happens.
Emmeline knew that the future for Phoebe would be filled with its own problems. There were great differences between her and the Professor and many things about her that he was going to have to learn to live with. For the moment, the biggest challenge would be explaining how they were going to continue living together, engaged to be married, with only four children in the house as chaperones. But Emmeline also knew that in the longer term, this would seem like a minor stumbling block.
Cholmondeley, being Cholmondeley, was rather sanguine about the way that things had turned out for himself. It stood to reason that knowing now that marriage could not merely be based on a contract, but needed work and love, he might find a way to pull himself together and actually settle down. Despite the fact that he had swept in determined to play the hero and rescue his damsel in distress he really had no idea of what the kind of love was that was needed to build a successful marriage.
As for the betrothal, it was really an anachronism in the twentieth century. Before the idea that marriages based on love had taken hold, betrothals were constantly being made and broken, often since the infancy of the children involved, based on political, social, and even military alliances made by the parents. Women never had a say in whom they would marry and men had very little. Children were pawns to be moved about on the great chess set of life. Even when men made their own choices, those choices were very rarely based on love.
So little control did wealthy women have in their lives that widows returned to their families to be married off again to seal the most convenient alliance. In ancient and medieval Europe, fathers could even demand that their daughters divorce and remarry when it suited their purpose. Ironically the Church supported this practice (for a fee) by annulling such marriages on the basis of "consanguinity." Since all royal and upper class families had some degree of blood relation to one another, this was a convenient way of breaking up unwanted marriages. It also meant that married couples often did not try to develop very close bonds with one another. Love matches sometimes occurred, but they were rare.
In the view of the ancient and even pre-modern world, women were chattel to be owned and essentially "sold" as advantage would have it. While Cholmondeley, growing up the highly traditional culture that he did, had taken this perspective for granted, the Professor refused to accept it. His was a modern view, supported by the love he had experienced in his first marriage. He knew that what he had found in Phoebe was of the same stuff, a match made in heaven, not pre-arranged by a contract made on earth.
Phoebe herself had been caught in the middle. With a foot in both worlds, she had never thought to question these things such as they were. She had misunderstood her parents' adherence to tradition as right action, rather than just following a cultural norm. However her mother, perhaps sensing the changing world around them or even knowing that Cholmondeley and Phoebe were compliant with tradition rather than compatible with each other, had been moved to write the note that finally set her daughter free to chart at least a part of her own destiny. Knowing the depth of the relationship that she shared with her own husband, she wanted the same for her child.
Thus as she watched the celebrations happening around her, Emmeline pondered all of these things over in her mind. Occasionally she would see Phoebe looking over at her and she would return the look with a smile. How ironic that she, who had wanted more than anything to insure her cousin's happiness, had very nearly been the one to destroy it. There was forgiveness in Phoebe's eyes. As always, she was motivated by a pure love. She would bear no grudges. Their own feelings of love and loyalty to one another extended too far back into their childhood.
Thus the evening passed. Cholmondeley left early, thankfully. The children did not protest when sent to bed shortly after he left. Subject to the stress of the last week themselves, they were worn out. Even though she had only come in for the tail end of the events, Emmeline herself was quite tired. The final climax had been draining and she was still struggling with her own sense of guilt for her part in the drama.
Phoebe read her mind as always, "Please don't feel bad, Em, about the role you played in this events. I know that for a while you were just as subject to the whims of fate as we were. And remember that it was you that set things in motion. In the end you helped to resolve the conflict. I suppose it is a lesson for us all that we never really know all that we think we know. Sometimes wisdom, which has a strong component of faith, is more valuable than knowledge."
She looked fondly at the Professor. "Hal, despite being a scientist, it was your faith in the intangible nature of love that carried me, that carried us through."
As they looked into each other's eyes, Emmeline stood up to leave.
"It's time for me to leave you two alone. I just want you to know that I love you both, and all the children. I am very proud to be a member of this family," she said with no small emotion.
After Emmeline had gone to bed, finally alone and finally secure in their future, Phoebe laid down beside Hal on the couch. There wasn't much room, but when she snuggled close enough they fit. She felt the grip of his arm and his hand gently stroking her hair. Through his shirt she could feel his heart beating and his steady even breathe. After a while, his hand rested on her head and she thought that he might have fallen asleep, but when she looked up he was gazing wonderingly at her.
"It's true," he said softly.
"Yes."
They looked into each other's eyes with a new understanding of their love. In spite of all the drama of the day, or maybe because of it, this was not a night for passion. Phoebe did not know how long they lay there before they fell asleep, in each other's arms, as she had always dreamed that they would.
Fortunately, the first one awake the next morning was Emmeline. When she saw that Phoebe had not come to bed she rushed to the Professor's room. There was no sign of them there so she ran down to the living room. Seeing the two, lying fully clothed and sound asleep on the couch she knew that it was harmless. She almost hated to wake them. There was such a look of peace and contentment about them. But she also knew what the kids would make of it if they saw them, so she good-naturedly gave them a hard shake,
"Rise and shine, sleepy heads!"
Slowly rousing themselves, they looked back at her reproachfully but she just laughed, "Come you two! The children aren't quite ready for this scene. And just think of all the lovely conclusions that they'd start drawing, and talking about."
She was well aware that her cousin was right, but after the months of stress, Phoebe felt too relaxed to be bothered. Yawning and stretching, she lazily acknowledged the need to maintain appearances and reluctantly stood up. The Professor, now that her weight was off him groaned.
"I think that my arm has fallen asleep. I guess this means that I have to get up too."
Looking back at the pair of amused faces looking down at him, he cheerfully sat up and rubbed his eyes.
"I'll get ready and have breakfast on in a jiff," said Phoebe in her usual cheerful voice.
"I'll start while you do that," answered Emmeline.
Thus Emmeline headed for the kitchen and Nanny and the Professor upstairs. When they reached the top of the stairs, he grasped her hand and gave it a little tug, "I still have to give you your good morning kiss."
As she turned, he swept her in his arms and began a long, slow . . .
"Hey, Hal!" Butch's voice called. "They're at it again."
Within seconds four pairs of eyes were peering from down the hall. Chuckling, the Professor said,
"Okay nosy-pokes, Emmeline has started your breakfast. Why don't you all go downstairs and help her."
"Hey Dad!" said Butch. "How come you're still wearing . . ."
Trelawney gave him a cheerful shove, "Never mind, aren't you hungry?"
As the children passed by the Professor noted with a hint of irony, "Nice time for him to start developing his powers of observation."
But nothing could spoil his mood on that morning. It was a new day and a new life. Looking down at Phoebe waiting in his arms he picked up where he had left off. Now there were no more reasons to hide. Phoebe willingly submitted to his kisses and then rested in his arms, secure in the knowledge that there was nothing or no one to come between them. Her heart was full and she thought once again of the words of St. Paul,
"Love bears all things. Love believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."
The End
This is not the end of this series! There are still lots of stories to tell as Nanny and the Professor move closer to their marriage and beyond! It's too much fun to play with to let go of yet.