Chapter 26 Edward to Bella and Back Again

~~Edward to Bella~~

July 30, 1859

My Missing Half,

We arrived safely in Portsmouth. I am a hollowed out shell. I go through the day seeing you in every room. My nights are long and my dreams have returned. One night I see you in mortal danger and the next I see Moonlight wading through murky white water, cleansing it. The puzzlement I felt before, not knowing who the girl in my dreams was, and not believing in unicorns is replaced by devastating loneliness. I never knew such agony could exist. I think that I am fooling everyone, and not showing my pain, but I see my parents looking at me and I know I'm not getting anything by them.

In the morning we are having our first meeting about trolley cars in Newcastle. I don't have any jurisdiction in this area, but I go for you. The assemblyman has been looking into the feasibility of making it happen, and is fairly optimistic. I'm curious what he has to say. I will just be a spectator. I went to the library, though, and read some articles on trolleys, trains and steel. They were very informative, but they reminded me of you.

I had lunch with Ben and Angela yesterday and she sends you her love and good wishes. She says she can hardly wait for you to come back here, too. She has big plans for taking you out to do what she calls 'winter wear' shopping. It does get nippy here, but we don't get much snow. I'm sure that you get a lot more up there in the foothills. She talks about having you as a companion at teas and parties. She can hardly wait for the winter season of the theater, concerts and operas to return. Evidently we got to see one of the final performances of this past year's opera season. I can see that she will put a big dent in my clothes budget, but every bit of it will be worth it to see your beauty. I daydream of these happy thoughts.

Have you had any more earthquakes? If so, how often do they occur? Are they doing any damage? I wonder how far away they can be felt.

I will close now; I love you with all of my heart. In two days it will be August 1. Our wedding will be two months from then. I can hardly wait.

Yours truly,

Edward

~~Bella to Edward~~

August 1, 1859

My love,

It is a good thing that it is harvest. We are so busy getting in all of the crops that I have little time to mope around. I think that mom is making sure that I have little time to cry. She can't stop me from thinking of you, and sometimes catches me. I'll be thinking of missing you and evidently my expression gives me away and she'll give me a challenge or a task that takes more thought. She has also caught me in the kitchen preparing peaches with my spoon hovering over the boiling pot, but my mind six counties away. She'll call my name and I know that I've been caught again. I just can't help myself.

It is much easier on my days out with the goats. I can dream of picnics and sitting in the shade with you, and never allow myself to bring back the memory of you riding away from me. I must be useful in these last days here on the farm. I'll miss it, I know, but with you as a consolation prize, it's not so bad.

I'm going to give you some tasks. When you get bored or sad, you can work on them. They must be ready for me when we come home from our honeymoon. I know you can do it.

Mister Minister of Agriculture, sir, I want you to prepare me a garden on the palace grounds. Cook has a big one, but mine can be small. I won't need it for everyday meals, if we live in the palace and eat meals by the chef, just for incidentals. It only needs to be about 30 foot square. I will need it to be fenced in, and the ground tilled and fertilized. I want you to do most of the work (yes, this is busy work for you to keep you from moping around). You can have one; maybe two other men help you prepare the soil. You do have shovels, hoes and other gardening equipment, I presume. I want to be able to walk directly out of our home into the garden. I will bring with me one each of some fruit trees. They will be apple, peach, pear and plum, oh, yes, and cherries, so leave room at the far side for them where they will get plenty of sun, without shading too much of the garden. They all need sunlight. You are the top authority on growing things, so you know what is needed to prepare for the garden. In your travels through the years we can incorporate things that you learn into our own private garden. You only have two months, so you had better get to it.

As you recall, I make cheeses, so I will need a nanny goat or two. They will either need to be pregnant, or still have milk from having a kid. They can stay in the stable, can't they? If not, we will need a goat shed for them. I will need some whole cow's milk, as well, but you already have milk cows. Perhaps, may I use some of the milk for cheese? You know what will be needed for this request, Minister Dear, so I won't have to elaborate. I will need the equipment, too.

By the way, are we going to live in your rooms, in the palace, or in our own home? Our home can be part of the palace, as long as it is private, as well. Personally, I would like to have bedrooms for us and our children (yes, children), a kitchen, a living and family area, an office for you, our own water closet with plumbing, not chamber pots, a big enough wardrobe area for all of the clothes Angela is determined to buy me, and outside access to the garden. I'm not used to having servants, so maybe we could have only one woman to help me, perhaps Bree. You can decide who you will need. I do understand, this being said, that some day (hopefully in many, many years) you will be the president. The president lives in the palace. We will live wherever you provide until then, either as an apartment in the palace or in a nearby freestanding residence. The palace is nice. I'd be fine with whatever you provide, given my aforementioned needs.

The earthquakes continue. Some people are scared. Others take it in stride. Most of us have moved things that might fall, or screwed things like bookcases to the wall. They wobble precariously when the house shifts. I think that they are fascinating, but we have them pretty much daily. Do you have scientists or men who study these sorts of thing? Now is their chance. We're having them now.

I miss you horribly. When will you come to me? When will your next tour begin? Will I see you before you get here to Twin Forks in October for our wedding?

Write soon. I live for your letters. I read them over and over.

Love,

Bella