A/N: I'm sure someone has written this story before, but I decided to have some fun with it. I hope you enjoy it.
William Murdoch was not an impulsive man. When it came to both his work and his personal life, he preferred to make detailed plans and then, after considering all of the possible contingencies and iterations, he'd often make backup plans with even greater detail, just to be sure that things would work to his liking. After all, there was no such thing as being too prepared for whatever problems might arise during the course of a day. In his way of thinking, it was far better to be safe than to be sorry.
Because he had a habit of making such extensive plans, he almost never acted on a mere whim…
...and yet…
And yet, because of a whim...because he'd made a rash, spur of the moment decision...there he was, gliding along in a basket that was hanging below a large hot air balloon as it rose to an altitude of several hundred feet above the outskirts of the city. He was literally suspended between Heaven and Earth, with only hope to rely on at the moment...hope that the thick ropes attaching the gondola to the balloon would do their job and thus prevent him from having an unfortunate experience with the inexorable force of gravity.
Listening with some apprehension as the basket creaked and groaned around him, Murdoch wondered if that frustratingly amiable Mr. Poundsett actually possessed the intellectual acumen necessary to compute the tensile strength needed in order for the cables to adequately support the basket and its two passengers. He soon found, however, that it was best not to consider those things if he wanted to have any peace of mind. Perhaps it was better to enjoy the spectacular view of the surrounding countryside and ignore those nagging questions.
Even as he contemplated his current situation, it was as if he could hear Brother Mark's voice in his ear, chiding him for his shocking impulsiveness. As one of the teachers at the Jesuit school where William had attended as a lad, the elderly Brother Mark had viewed it as his God given mission to raise prudent, cautious young men, and he'd often admonished his young charges to take care, lest they fall into danger or temptation as they made their way through life's many challenges.
The detective shook his head, easily imagining the old man's scolding tone. What are you doing here, so far up in the sky, William? Have you lost your mind, floating high above the ground in this confounded contrivance? And for what? Simply to gain the attention of a pretty young woman? My goodness...what has happened to your common sense, young man?
Chuckling to himself, William nodded as he scanned the far horizon. It was true. That was exactly what he was doing. It often seemed that interactions with a certain attractive young woman of his acquaintance somehow caused his common sense to disappear completely.
He smiled as he glanced at the beautiful aeronaut standing next to him. Well, Brother Mark...I'm sure you'd be scandalized to hear this, but in this case, the lack of common sense is definitely worthwhile if it means I get to spend time with Julia.
As he watched her work at piloting the balloon, he smiled with pleasure. She was breathtaking in her charming aeronaut's outfit. Her cheeks were rosy from the brisk breeze, delicate tendrils of her tawny hair fluttered around her face in an enchanting way, and her blue eyes were sparkling with happiness as she undertook her adventure. Judging from her broad grin, she was obviously reveling in the freedom that the balloon flight was giving her, as if she was a caged canary who'd been given a chance to fly away and escape it's dreary existence.
The detective nodded thoughtfully as he considered how daring Julia was in undertaking this endeavor. How many women...how many people of either gender...would be brave enough to fly a balloon by themselves? And I'm privileged enough to join her on this journey...I get to be with her as she follows her heart…I get to see the strong, confident woman she really is...
As he looked out over the treetops, he wondered at a society that preferred to restrain its intelligent, courageous young women with social mores, rather than giving them freedom to explore the world around them in an unfettered fashion. I can't imagine how stifling that existence must be for someone like Julia. I suppose it's meant as a way of 'protecting' women from the vagaries of the world...although she rarely seems in need of protection…and she seems strong enough to do anything she pleases without assistance from anyone...
With her vast intellect and her innate self confidence, Julia moved fearlessly through life, determined to make a difference in the world. Flicking his gaze in her direction, he pondered upon how engaging he found her personality to be. Was that what kept him coming back to her? That she was so different from most women he knew? That she was so brave...so intrepid...so adventurous?
He couldn't help but wonder whether his penchant for admiring women with vivid personalities had been the reason for his most recent romantic failure. The Widow Jones was certainly pretty, and actually quite intelligent, but, no matter how hard William had tried to fall in love with her, it seemed that something was missing between them. His heart had simply refused to cooperate in that regard, as he'd been forced to admit to her during a painful conversation they'd recently had one evening. As Enid had suspected, he still harbored tender feelings for Julia...feelings that were so strong that it was impossible to ignore them, and so Enid had decided that it would be best for everyone if they ended their courtship.
He'd found that whole set of circumstances to be quite frustrating. Enid would make an exceptional wife for any man lucky enough to win her hand, and her son, Alwyn, was a fine boy. "And so, William..," he muttered. "Why weren't you able to adapt to that situation? Why couldn't you just accept the love Enid was offering and be happy with that? You could've been married with a child...a ready made family...things would've been grand..."
He paused as he noticed the afternoon sunlight glinting off a farm pond below. "Why, indeed?," he said to himself. "It seems I can't do things the easy way, can I? Perhaps I need to be constantly challenged by the woman I love...even if that can lead to inconvenient circumstances. What a ridiculous predicament I've put myself in..."
And so, there he was, basically trapped in an airborne gondola with the object of his affection without having any idea about how she felt about him or where he stood with her. However, he knew he was going to have to find out the truth, and if the truth was unpleasant, he'd be in an inopportune position until they landed that blasted contraption, but like it or not, his investigator's mind would demand that he seek out answers to a couple of extremely important questions. Was Julia still involved with Mr. Poundsett? And if so, what could be done to alter that situation?
And does any of that matter right now? He sighed softly. Neither of those questions mattered at the moment. All that mattered was that he was there with Julia as she accomplished something momentous. What could be better than that?
Being preoccupied with his own thoughts, Murdoch missed the pointed glances he was getting from the beautiful aeronaut, who chuckled as she observed him for a minute. When the balloon had first risen towards the heavens, he'd regaled her with stories of the Montgolfier brothers and their initial attempts at flight, but as the balloon had gained altitude, he'd gradually become silent as he stared at the passing scenery far below them.
"He's trying very hard to be nonchalant about our journey, isn't he? Ever so much the brave man, never admitting the slightest bit of trepidation." She giggled softly as she checked the balloon's rigging. "But with the way he's gripping his hat so tightly, it's fairly obvious that he's actually quite nervous. His fingernails will probably leave permanent dents in the brim...souvenirs of his travels, I suppose."
Brushing windblown wisps of hair away from her face, she considered her handsome passenger's motives as he stood next to her. Although he'd never really answered her question when he first arrived that day, she'd soon realized that how he'd located her was transparently obvious. He was an excellent investigator, of course, and knowing him, he'd made certain to check into Reggie's background and manner of employment out of 'curiosity', and it wouldn't be difficult to go to the morgue to find the entry she'd made in her diary for the afternoon. Those connections would be easy to make for someone with William's detecting prowess. If he wanted to know where she was at any given time, he had the wherewithal to quickly find the answer.
The 'why' question, however, was much more intriguing to her. Why had he come to look for her? She was pleased that he had, of course...there was no denying the little skip in her heartbeat when she saw him striding purposefully toward the balloon, interrupting the preflight routine with his request that she take time to talk to him. The intense look in his eyes when he said he needed to speak to her...that he wanted to work things out...that he couldn't wait any longer...had spoken volumes as to his intentions. His fervor was thrilling, and she'd found it to be irresistible.
"Of course I want to discuss our current situation as well.," Julia said to herself as she adjusted one of the sandbags tied to the basket. "I just assumed it would be over a cup of tea instead of suspended in space…but he wasn't so easily put off, was he? He knew what he wanted...and I'm glad he chose to join me. It should be an interesting conversation...if he ever relaxes enough to talk to me."
She had looked forward to this solo flight for weeks, ever since her first trip in a hot air balloon with Reggie at the helm. Having a bird's-eye view of the outskirts of Toronto had been inspiring beyond belief, and there was no question in her mind...she had to learn to fly by herself, if for no other reason than most women didn't do such things. I want to show everyone that I can do whatever I set my mind to, so why not fly? Who knows? Maybe I'll have my own balloon one day…maybe I can take trips to other cities in it...and skip the train altogether...it would be so much fun...
And while having a passenger meant that this technically was not a solo flight, if she was to be accompanied by anyone for this journey, William would've been her choice. Out of all her acquaintances, he was the only one who supported all of her various ventures without hesitation. He was the one who was always on her side, no matter how outlandish her plans and schemes might be. He was the one who could always accept that she might want to do something out of the ordinary, just because it was out of the ordinary.
"My father definitely did not approve of my choice to fly a balloon by myself, but William will always be here for me, no matter what I choose to do. I suppose I could attempt to travel to Ceylon by myself using only a canoe, and he'd work out the best route for me to take and make a list of the supplies I'd need. He wouldn't be happy about my leaving...but he'd support my choice, and he'd do everything in his power to help me succeed if it was something I wanted to do.," she mused as she watched him from the corner of her eye. "He's so understanding...so supportive…"
It was one of many ways in which he was quite different from most men. He'd always treated her as his equal in every way. He was confident in her intelligence and her abilities, and he gave her the same amount of respect as he did any of the men who worked with him. He always listened to her ideas, no matter how wild they might be, as if she was capable of putting them into practice. He never once belittled her for being 'just a woman', as if that was a reason she couldn't choose to do something. His attitude toward her was so unlike that of most men she knew, and she considered his egalitarian outlook to be truly remarkable.
"He believes I can do anything I put my mind to." Running her hand along one of the balloon's tethers, she nodded to herself. "If I wanted to run for Parliament, I have no doubt that he'd support me…in fact, he'd probably be the only person who would vote for me, but I know I could count on him being on my side. I have no doubt of that...but is his friendship still available to me? And if not, what will I do without him?"
It was an unfortunate truth...the fact that William treated her as being worthy of that tremendous amount of respect made him a rare man indeed. Perhaps that was why she was drawn to him...well, perhaps that, combined with his intelligence...and of course, his exceptional good looks.
But Reggie is a handsome man as well…he treats me well, and he's fairly intelligent. He's also made it quite plain that he's available. Why aren't I attracted to him in the same way?
As she gazed out over the treetops, she found herself thinking of something her father had said many years ago about one of her first beaus, who was a vain, shallow young man. Although she chafed under what she viewed as her father's constant harping, she eventually realized that he was correct in his advice about considering style versus substance in one's romantic interests. Which is more valuable? Style or substance? Which man would be a better companion for me? Reggie or William?
She had to admit that she'd found spending time with Reggie to be agreeable. He had a flashy style...willing to live for the day instead of worrying about the future...to take risks in life, like driving fast carriages, and flying hot air balloons. The two of them had traveled all over the countryside surrounding Toronto as he trained her to be an aeronaut, and she'd enjoyed his company...to a point. Unfortunately, the man seemed incapable of carrying on an intelligent conversation about anything other than carriages and balloons...or about his next business scheme, which involved another sort of flying machine...an aeroplane of some sort...although that was apparently far in the future. Beyond that, there didn't seem much to his personality. He was kind and friendly...he had a pleasant sense of humor...but she just wasn't interested in anything other than a teacher/pupil relationship with him.
William, on the other hand, might not be as exuberant, but he had enough substance to be a trusted and valuable companion. He was the one whose company she could enjoy for many years to come. He was a fascinating oddity...an attractive, intelligent man who rarely called attention to the fact that he was an attractive, intelligent man. Not that he minded if people noticed his intellect, but he seemed satisfied to let the positive results of his criminal investigations speak volumes for him instead of boasting of his success.
She had missed talking to such an interesting conversationalist. She'd missed the discussions she'd had with William about the wide ranging topics he was interested in, and she missed the way he listened when she talked about her many interests in return. The fact that he'd often extensively research topics for their mutual enlightenment heightened that enjoyment. The detective was not only physically attractive...he was intellectually stimulating, and it seemed she needed that component in a relationship to be content...a component that Reggie simply didn't offer.
So, with the decision made, she sighed as she acknowledged to herself that she very much wanted a reconciliation with William and also a return to their previous relationship...unless William was still courting Mrs. Jones. It seemed unlikely that he would've chosen to ride in a hot air balloon with another woman if that were so, but still...doubt nagged at Julia, and she decided that she needed to find out where her relationship with the detective stood. It was time for some questions to be answered.
Clearing her throat slightly, Julia gently nudged her passenger with her elbow. "What do you think, William? How does the world look from 2,500 feet?"
"It's a remarkable view...one I never thought I'd see." Shifting nervously in the gondola, he finally turned to look at her. "I just hope we don't end up in Lake Ontario…"
"Come now, William. Do you really think Reggie's business would thrive as well as it has if his pupils kept landing his equipment in the lake? Surely that would ruin his reputation...and you know I'd never deliberately dump you in there, right? Think of what would happen to your hat!"
"Well...I suppose you're correct, but you can't steer a balloon…and as you said yourself, we're at the mercy of which way the wind takes us..."
She nodded as she glanced up at the massive hollow globe above them. "True, but it's flight path can be predicted with some degree of certainty. The prevailing winds across the North American continent are west to east, correct?"
After thinking for a few seconds, William nodded. "Yes…"
"And today's breezes are coming from the south, off the lake, which will push the balloon north, and we launched from a point on the north side of the city, correct?" Julia pulled a compass from her pocket and checked their bearings. "Just as I suspected...we are traveling in a northeasterly direction…away from the lake."
"I see…" William nervously ran his thumbs over the edge of his hat brim as he gripped it tightly. "...but how do you know where we'll land?"
She shrugged slightly, brushing her thick braid over her shoulder. "Reggie knows how much hot air the balloon can hold, and by using today's ambient temperature and the wind speed at the surface…"
William's eyes lit up as he understood what she meant. "He should be able to calculate approximately how long it will take the air inside the balloon to gradually cool to a temperature where the balloon will begin to slowly lose altitude and also the distance you should be able to travel in that period of time based on the speed with which the surface winds are blowing."
"Correct. So, as you can see, he chose the launch point carefully, and using all those variables, he can estimate our flight path...and our most likely landing spots. He'll have men waiting for us at those likely spots, and if we miss them...well, we may have to hike a bit to find them, but we shouldn't be too far off the mark. It's really quite simple. The main problem is controlling our rate of descent. That's what the sandbags are for…and I can let some of the air out of the top of the balloon by opening a flap if I need to do so." She paused as she looked over the rim of the basket. "We've been airborne for about an hour, so we should begin to gradually lose altitude shortly."
Still unconvinced, William shook his head as he watched the landscape below. "Are you sure Mr. Poundsett is capable of making such complicated mathematical calculations? He doesn't strike me as that...intelligent. After all, he did tell young Alwyn that there were moon men and that the moon was made of green cheese…"
Julia rolled her eyes with a giggle. "Reggie was simply humoring the child, that's all…"
William was astonished at her blase' attitude. "Children need to understand scientific facts, Julia, not ridiculous notions that have been proven to be false. Men living on the moon without oxygen? I think not!"
She laughed merrily. "We'll see how well you fare with 'facts' when you have to explain Santa Claus to your own children, William. Besides, there's probably no harm done with Reggie's little white lie. I'm sure the boy won't take what Reggie said for the truth, especially after you clarify things for him."
William snorted derisively. "Santa Claus is a story for children...and definitely not science! Surely you must realize there's a difference between the two…facts are facts, Doctor..."
She chuckled at his annoyance as she brushed wisps of hair away from her face. "I think you're overreacting, William. I'm sure Reggie knows the moon isn't made of cheese…it's just a childish story. He was just making a small joke with Alwyn..."
Murdoch simply couldn't believe his ears. Reggie! Reggie! Reggie! The man's a idiotic buffoon, and she's defending him! Unbelievable! It seems I'd better gather some more information about our 'friend', Reggie. I don't believe he's the right man for her...she's far too intelligent for him...
After a minute or two of listening to the gondola as it rocked and creaked in the breeze, William cleared his throat. "So, tell me, Julia...how did you happen to meet the dashing Mr. Poundsett?"
She scoffed in annoyance. "Are you conducting an investigation into my gentlemen friends, William?"
He pursed his lips slightly as he looked out over the ground below them. "No, of course not. I'm just trying to pass the time until we land, and I thought you might like to talk about your good friend, Reggie…"
"Hmm. I think perhaps you don't believe me wise enough to choose a suitable male companion." Julia laughed to herself. William's motives were quite transparent at the moment, but she thought it might be fun to tease him a little bit. "I met him while attending a dinner party at Mrs. Wilkinson's home one evening. You remember Phoebe, don't you? I believe you met her at the country club's last ball. Well, she was hosting a charity auction for the orphanage after the meal. The guests were to bid on various donated items, and Reggie was there to offer his services. She introduced us, since neither of us had an escort, and we had quite a lively chat. For some reason it never occurred to him that a woman might want to learn how to fly a balloon."
"I see." William averted his gaze from his companion. In the past, I would've accompanied Julia to a dinner like that…and she might not have been tempted by Mr. Poundsett…but I was otherwise occupied with Enid...and I'm sure Reggie was quite willing to offer himself to Julia...
"Anyway, I bid on Reggie's services...on a lark, I suppose...and, to my surprise, I won! The prize was a set of free lessons to learn how to fly a hot air balloon." Julia laughed softly. "Of course, Mrs. Wilkinson insisted that I didn't care about learning to fly the balloon. According to her, I was much more interested in spending time with a very handsome aeronaut instead. However, here I am...piloting the balloon by myself! I daresay Phoebe will be quite surprised when I tell her I've had a solo flight…"
"And it's been...what...six weeks or so? Your lessons, I mean…" As he worked out the math in his head, William soon realized that the flying lessons had begun very shortly after his falling out with Julia. "It seems you're a fast learner…"
"That's what Reggie said, too. I've had three lessons a week, and we've traveled all over the area so I could get a lot of different experiences in the balloon. It was hard to work around my schedule at the morgue, but I managed." She paused as the balloon experienced a rather sudden drop in altitude. "I found I've quite enjoyed our adventures together. He's an interesting man...and attractive, too..."
"I'm sure Mr. Poundsett had other experiences in mind as well.," William grumbled to himself. Trying to be calm, he smiled weakly. "And what will you do with this new found knowledge? Will you take trips to exotic places? Perhaps you can fly all the way to Markham by yourself!"
Chuckling at his little joke, she shook her head. "I haven't decided yet. Reggie says I'd improve my ballooning technique if I had more lessons, but I'm not sure if I'm interested in that. I think I may be satisfied just knowing I successfully completed a solo flight…"
"Well, it's not a solo flight in the strictest sense of the word...and I suppose you shouldn't get too far ahead of yourself." Grinning slightly, William shrugged. "After all, you haven't landed this craft successfully yet…and things appear to be getting a little bumpy."
She glared at him, aggravated that he might doubt her. "Oh, but I will be successful! Reggie has taught me very well, and I have a lot of confidence in myself. I'm sure we'll land safely. After all, as Reggie says, any landing you can crawl away from is a good landing…"
"I suppose that's true...although I think I'd rather walk away."
There was a lull in the conversation for a few minutes as the flight conditions changed. The balloon was gradually losing more altitude, and it seemed their journey would soon be over. Tugging at his collar, William decided he'd waited long enough. It's better to just find out, right? Here goes nothing…
"So...um...Julia, with all the time you and Reggie…have spent together...you know, with you learning to fly...and such..." Hoping to appear in control of his emotions. William grimaced slightly as he swallowed nervously. "...it would appear that you two are courting..."
"What? Courting? Reggie and I?" Chuckling, she brushed off the question with a dismissive wave. "Oh, not really…we're simply good friends..."
Somewhat relieved, William exhaled slowly. Wanting to make sure he understood, he pressed the point. "But you do keep company with him several nights a week...you two go places together on a regular basis...he drives you around town in his carriage…you call each other by your Christian names...he shows up at the morgue unannounced...you seem to be on very friendly terms with him..."
"I see. Have you been spying on us? You've been collecting evidence on our relationship, haven't you, Detective?" Seeing William's bashful expression, Julia laughed quietly as she tried to explain the situation. "It's mostly for the sake of convenience that Reggie and I go places together, William. You may not know this, seeing how you've recently been involved with someone, but society frowns on unescorted people walking through the parks in the evening. It seems that to do so labels a woman as being of 'ill repute' and a man as being either an 'idler' or a 'lurker'. Neither of us wants to be shut up at home, so we go places together, that's all. You know...maybe a drive or a stroll...but nothing...romantic." She leveled a stern gaze at him. "However, why would it be any business of yours, anyway? Instead of worrying about whether or not Reggie and I are courting, perhaps you should concentrate on your own courting of Mrs. Jones."
"Oh...well…" Taken aback by Julia's reproach, William stammered out an answer. "Enid and I...have mutually decided...not to continue our courtship."
"I see." Secretly pleased, Julia nodded slightly as she gazed over the treetops. "I'm sorry to hear that, William. I thought things were going well for you two. It appears I was mistaken." Hesitating for a few seconds, she asked, "Is this what you wanted to talk about at the morgue the other day? I know ending things with her must've bothered you."
"Yes...yes, it did, to some extent." Sighing softly, he explained. "At one time, things were going very well with Enid, for the most part…" He studied his hands as he clung tightly to his hat. "She has many fine qualities, as I'm sure you know. She's quite pretty...very intelligent...sweet natured...she manages her household and her finances well, and she's been a good mother to Alwyn...plus, she's an excellent cook.."
"So what was the problem?," Julia interrupted quietly. "She is obviously quite smitten with you as well…it sounds like a perfect match. Was she worried about being married to a police detective? Or did you have some sort of serious disagreement?"
"No, it wasn't like that. In fact, we got along quite well. She is fond of me, and I'm fond of her, and I'm sure someday she'll make someone a very good wife, but that fondness simply wasn't enough for us to continue seeing each other." Seeing Julia's confusion, the detective exhaled slowly. "You see, even with all of the good qualities she has, she's still missing the most important one… and it's something I can't live without..."
She scoffed softly. "And what might that be?"
He shrugged slightly. "She isn't you."
Gasping softly, Julia's hand went to her throat. "William…"
He continued as if he hadn't heard her. "When we met you there in the park that evening, and you were leaning on Mr. Poundsett's arm...looking as if you cared for him...it was incredibly painful. I felt as if I'd been kicked by a mule. I thought I'd hidden those feelings from Enid, but she's very perceptive...and no matter how much I denied it, she knew that I was very unhappy about seeing you with someone else."
Thinking over his statement, Julia tilted her head to one side. "So she was jealous?"
"I don't know if 'jealous' is the correct word." He paused for a moment as he remembered their conversation. "It was more like she wanted me to decide what I truly wanted before we went any further in our courting. She was concerned about Alwyn becoming attached to me, only for me to leave them…"
Julia nodded. "It would be like losing his father all over again…"
"I believe so. And to be honest, I considered trying to keep my relationship with Enid intact. I thought I really wanted to make a go of it, but...I realized in the end that it wouldn't be fair to her. Every time I'd see you at work, or socially...all I'd be able to think about was how much I love you. She deserves someone who will care for her as deeply as I care about you." He chewed his lip slightly. "I'll also admit that recently I've been quite jealous of Mr. Poundsett...and of my brother, Jasper, as well. I was afraid you were going to be too interested in either one of them to give me any consideration when it came to reconciling…"
"William…" Julia smiled as she took his hand. "They are both very interesting gentlemen, but neither of them can hold a candle to you…"
A hopeful grin lit up his face. "Do you really think so?"
"I do...but…" She sighed softly. "...there are more things in my past that may bother you…things you don't know about..."
"I haven't been a saint, either, Julia, and therefore, I'm in no position to judge you on your past...and I apologize for being so critical of your past, especially since there's nothing we can do to change what's already happened. I believe that it will be better for both of us if we forget about those things and concentrate on the present." He kissed her gently. "So, can we please start anew? I'm willing to let the wind take us wherever it will...because I know as long as we're together, we'll be fine..."
"I believe so...but first…" After checking her watch, she picked up a pair of binoculars and scanned the horizon. "I think it would be prudent to focus on landing the balloon first. It's time to begin that process." Handing him the binoculars, she pointed at a distant spot below them. "See that field over there, with the wagon in the middle? That's what we're aiming for…"
His eyes widened in shock. "So you have to keep the balloon at an altitude to clear the trees and then drop in there? Oh my…"
"We're already descending at the correct pace. I just need to make a few adjustments." Julia pulled the cord that opened the flap at the top of the balloon, closing it a few minutes later. "I've changed the ratio of hot to cool air. Hang on…"
The balloon shook as it dropped sharply, and the bottom of the basket brushed against the top of some tall trees. "One more time should do it…," she said. "Here we go…"
Clearing the stand of trees, the balloon dropped quickly toward the ground as the wagon raced toward the landing spot. Pulling the cord once more, Julia released more hot air until the gondola hit the ground with a thump and was then dragged across the terrain by the inertia of the nearly empty balloon.
"Excellent!" Running up to meet them, Reggie and some of his employees grabbed the gondola to stop its forward progress. "A perfect landing from my prize pupil!"
Pushing the heavy canvas out of the way, William put on his hat and disembarked before turning to help Julia out of the balloon. "That was...incredible…"
"Thank you!" Beaming happily, she brushed a smudge of dirt from her face. "I'm quite pleased with myself…"
"What say you, Detective?" Grinning, Mr. Poundsett stood with his hands on his hips. "Are you ready to go on another flight? I feel sure that Julia would be glad to take you up again."
With a tight smile, William shook his head. "Oh...I think I've had enough aeronautics for a while, but thank you." He helped Julia up onto the wagon. "I think I'd like to go back to town now…"
"Agreed." Julia laughed happily as she gave his hand a squeeze. "A perfect landing is a cause to celebrate, so let's go have a nice dinner. You're welcome to join us, Reggie..."
"Actually, I have another engagement, Julia." He grinned sheepishly. "I ran into Mrs. Jones and Alwyn in the park on Sunday afternoon, and we chatted for a few minutes. Alwyn was most determined to show me a book he'd recently received as a gift, so his mother invited me to come for dinner this evening. I believe she said something about pot roast…"
"Good for you, Mr. Poundsett. She is an excellent cook." Taking Julia's hand, William smiled. "It was a perfect landing, and we're together again. A cause for celebration, indeed, Julia! I say we go to the finest restaurant in town this evening!"
She gazed into the dark eyes she loved so much and laughed. "Hear! Hear! Let's celebrate taking our journey together, William, no matter which way the wind takes us!"
Thanks for reading. If you have time to review, I'd appreciate it. Laura