The aim had been to fit in. To live in this time as long as it was possible or rather, as long as needed. It was 1891. A favourite year of mine. And an interesting year in general: it was the year in which the official opening of the Paris/London telephone system took place and the year in which, ironically, Bernhard Zondek, a gynaecologist and the developer of the first reliable pregnancy test, was born. Unfortunately it was also the year in which Jack the Ripper finished off his last victim...I had asked Matthew about him and he had only remarked
"He was a crazed daemon that believed that he was a vampire."
I had not enquired any further.
We had both agreed that we wanted our children to be born in 1891, in due time, of course.
I was now six months pregnant and it was January. I would give birth in April. A lovely month. The beginning of spring. A great birthdate.
We had adopted the names of Judith and Albert Holben. A little couple that lived in East London, where Matthew practised as a physician. I was left to stay at home and rest. I had more time to read the "modern" books of the time that intrigued me quite a bit. I read books on what Matthew did for a living in town. He was a doctor at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel. A well-respected man of medicine, his colleagues claimed.
He was particularly late this evening and stayed out till 10, when he arrived in a cab. He was not drunk but the smell of alcohol lingered on his person and stung my eyes when I embraced him.
"Matthew, where were you? I was worried sick." I confronted him.
"I was out for a meal with the chief surgeon and my colleagues, Robert and Alistair, Judith." he put the emphasis on my cover name, reminding me that the staff only knew me by that name.
"I would sincerely prefer you telling me in advance next time, Bertie." I put on my best British accent to match his but ended up pronouncing some words correctly, while others left my mouth in gibberish.
"Judith," he turned to me "do not worry your delicate mind on these minor concerns. Save your worries for after..." he placed a hand upon my abdomen. I nodded and he looked at me lovingly.
"We have been invited to an event tomorrow, my dear. We are to meet Alexander Bell." he beamed and my eyes widened.
"The inventor of the telephone?" I said in a shocked manner.
"The very same." he grinned and picked me up, spinning me around the room.
"I am overwhelmed, Albert. I can't believe it!" I squealed.
"Now let's not get overexcited." Matthew looked deep into my eyes, "It might not become you.". Again I nodded and agreed, knowing my place in this patriarchal society.
"Shall we retire?" 'Albert' asked, taking my hand and leading me to the staircase.
"Yes, Bertie, I must admit, I am quite drained of my energy." I said, still speaking in my dreadful accent.
"Then we shall." he said and we walked upstairs to our humble sleeping accommodation.
There we changed into our night attire and got ready for bed. As I brushed my hair in front of the mirror, I examined my stomach.
"Just look at it." I smiled at him through the reflection.
"Look at them." he corrected, speaking in his normal voice again.
"Come here." he approached me and hugged me from behind, choosing to cradle my stomach. He had a lopsided smile on his face. Suddenly there was a force pushing out from inside my stomach.
"One of them kicked." Matthew announced and I nodded. I had felt it too. A strong, lively kick. A confirmation of life...
A decision had been made concerning the little ones. We had considered all possibilities and the two top girl names were Evelyn and Amelia, or rather Evie and Amy. The top two boy names we had were Daniel and Bartholomew, a name I had come up with. Their nicknames would be Danny and Barty.
We had a hunch that we would have a boy and a girl and if it turned out to be so, we would call the girl Amelia and the boy Bartholomew. Amelia was Matthew's favourite name. He had initially preferred Virginia, as in Virginia Woolf, but was quickly put off when he remembered how she had died. Evelyn, like Bartholomew, had been my choice of name. It was a very pretty, traditional name that intrigued me but I respected Matthew's choice as he did mine. I sometimes spoke to Amy and Bartholomew when I was feeling a little under the weather. It was a way for them to get used to my voice and their names. It also lifted my spirits when they responded, often with a kick. It always reminded me of how lucky I was.
