Chapter 10: Reveries and a Good Punch
"What do you see Nicholas?"
"I see…a rabbit. Do you see it?"
"Where?...No, that looks more like a dog."
"That one there looks like a horse."
"I see it. It's running."
"And it has a long, long tail."
"Hmm…a bit too long perhaps. It looks like a snake now."
"Hey, what about that one? That looks like a face, doesn't it?"
"It does look like a face."
"A girl's face."
"With sky blue eyes."
"And fluffy curls of hair…"
William tucked his hands behind his head and breathed in the air that had been tinged with a scent of the grass and lilies growing around him. He squinted his eyes up to the sun-soaked sky, where a stream of sporadic clouds were floating past. He could hear his own breathing harmonizing with a bird's song somewhere in the distance, and the occasional butterflies that fluttered by him made everything seem as natural as ever.
This was how William would have had it everyday. The time when the weeks were on the threshold of autumn, but still containing the remnants of a bright summer's day—never too warm, never too cold; lying quietly in the grass of his mother's garden with Nicholas, simply watching the clouds go by. It was upsetting that the beautiful skies common to this time of year could not last forever.
William watched the girl's face in the sky slowly break into a muddle of smaller clouds. He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering her face from the previous night…
Wendy…
He put the milky skin, round blue eyes, pink lips, soft brown hair, and that occasional blush together to recreate the perfect image in his head. And the scent of the lilies in the garden let him recall just how wonderful she had smelled as well. He could not hide the smile at the thought of such beauty, intellectuality, and graciousness, though he found it difficult to admit that a girl had charmed him so.
Because of course, it had always been the other way around.
"William?"
His eyes fluttered opened and met the face of Nicholas looking down on him with a raised eyebrow.
"What are you smiling at?" his young brother asked with the same curious face.
William knew there was really no use in concerning a little boy over complicated feelings and emotions he'd never understand.
"I was just thinking…" He turned his head to Nicholas, who had plopped down on the grass next to him. "Don't those clouds look like giant pieces of candy? Doesn't it make you want to fly right up there and eat it all up?"
"Why, it does!" Nicholas darted to his feet and stretched his arms up towards the sky. "Let's eat it all up!"
William laughed as he watched his brother jump up and down with a newly-found burst of excitement, and then rose to his own feet. With a playful growl, he snatched Nicholas off the ground and wrapped his arms around the front of the little boy's torso, as if he were teaching him how to float on water. Nicholas laughed uncontrollably with elation, holding out his arms like tiny wings as William swirled him around in circles.
"I'm flying!" Nicholas exclaimed in his brother's arms. "Faster, William, faster!" He kicked his legs as if it would speed up his flight.
William happily obliged, turning Nicholas out of a circle and running quickly into a straightaway. They swept through the grass and onto Mrs. Locke's petunias and lilacs, and then past her apple and lemon trees, forgetting how terribly upset their mother had been the last time they'd stampeded her prized plants.
It was thankful then, that when Mrs. Locke came out into the garden herself, the boys just happened to be on the grass again.
"William!" she called from a few yards away, having just stepped out of a back door of the manor. She shaded her eyes with her hand, gazing out at her sons on the grass. She smiled and watched them a moment longer before taking a few more steps forward.
"William!" she called again, and this time, she was heard.
William set Nicholas back down on the grass and looked to his mother from across the garden.
"Henry's here to see you." Mrs. Locke motioned for William to come into the house. "He's in the parlor."
"Come on." William looked down at Nicholas and smiled. "We'll fly off some other day."
After Mrs. Locke had disappeared through the doorway, the two brothers raced each other into the house. Chuckling through heavy pants of breath, they made their way past the dining room, where two housemaids were clearing out the dishes from lunch, and headed towards the parlor near the front of the house.
"Look what the cat dragged in," William gestured to his friend, who was slumped down on the very chaise William himself had woken on the first day he'd come into the manor.
"Haven't seen you in awhile." Henry rose from his seat and walked over to William, patting him on the back. He looked down at Nicholas and added, "Has he been treating you well?"
Nicholas nodded.
"What've you been up to, Henry?" William asked.
"Not much really." Henry sighed and ran his fingers through the blond hair resting a bit sloppily on his head. It was longer than William had recalled. "Been quite busy at my father's office. He insists on keeping me on my toes."
"How sorry," William laughed, slapping a hand on Henry's shoulder. "You're quickly turning into an established young businessman, eh? Busy at your father's office. Haha!"
Henry threw William's hand off his shoulder, smirking.
"Face it, Will," he said with raised eyebrows. "You're soon due to fall into it as well."
"And I'll take your word for it," William answered unconvincingly. "But let's get out of this house, hmm? How about a walk to Kensington Gardens?"
"Fine by me." Henry grabbed his coat from the chaise and slung it over his shoulder.
"Nicholas, will you tell Mother for me?" William asked his brother, who was still standing quietly beside him. "I'll be back before dinner."
"Alright." Nicholas ran out of the parlor, the heels of his little loafers clanking loudly against the hardwood floor.
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"How do you like this one?"
"The embroidery on the toe is beautiful but…it's a bit tight."
"Nonesense, dear. A 'bit tight' is a good thing. Now how do these suit you? The satin is just fine, don't you think?"
"It is."
"But the beads on these are just as stunning, aren't they? I really can't decide which is better."
"I think they're equally eye-catching."
"Hmm…then perhaps we'll get both for your evening wear. And this pair…Will they do for the day time?"
Wendy decided against telling Aunt Millicent that the boots really wouldn't do for the day time. She'd get them for Wendy regardless. But how dreadful it was! Wendy just couldn't understand the logic behind these so-called fashionable shoes. Certainly they were nice-looking, but that could not make up for lack of comfort. All the shoes she had tried on were much too tight, practically a size too small for her! But Aunt Millicent, always up to date on the latest fashions, insisted that narrower feet were a sign of breeding and gentility. So that was that.
Wendy watched as the salesclerk gathered up all the shoes scattered about her, setting aside the leather boots and two Louis heels for purchase.
"Ah, ah," Aunt Millicent snapped her fingers at the clerk before she could walk away with the other shoes. "Leave that pair with the jet beading."
The clerk adhered, placing what Wendy thought to be a pair of over-decorated evening boots back down on the floor.
"Mine as well get a nice pair for myself," Aunt Millicent said to her niece, who was busying herself with strapping on her old boots.
Wendy got up from the seat where she'd been trying on shoes for the past half hour and let out a sigh of relief. She glanced across the room to her aunt, who was now at a counter buying the shoes, and thought happily, my final lesson with Aunt Millicent, at long last.
This Saturday afternoon certainly was Wendy's last pronounced "lesson" with her aunt, as well should have been. The sixteen-year old was now a lady and no longer needed the instruction that undoubtedly should have expired much sooner than Aunt Millicent had planned. And Wendy couldn't help but smile at the way her aunt had chosen to spend the last lesson. Were shoes truly vital to becoming a lady? She eyed the pair Aunt Millicent had purchased for herself and thought with sarcasm and amusement, perhaps.
"You never did tell me how the opera was last night," Aunt Millicent told Wendy as the two of them walked out of the boutique, each holding a bag of their new shoes.
Wendy squinted for a moment before letting her vision adjust to the brightness outside. The skies were ideal today.
"Oh, it was marvelous, Aunt Millicent," she answered. "Madame Butterfly is quite an emotional love story. I myself shed a few tears."
"And how were the people? Did you speak with any of them?"
"Yes, some of them." Wendy glanced downwards, feeling a smile creeping upon her lips.
"And?"
"And…" Wendy bit her lip before replying. "They're quite the ones for sophistication. Very nicely dressed and well-spoken, I must say."
Very nicely dressed and well-spoken, without question. But also handsome, charming, captivating, alluring, engaging…so many other things that Wendy could ramble dumbly on about. But she dared not speak of William to her busybody aunt, and if she was going to tell anyone about the adoring young man, that person would be her mother. The one who knew best.
But she knew exactly what Mrs. Darling would say, and how heartbreaking it all would be. Was there really any sense in dreaming?
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William had always loved the Gardens. It was where time slowed down. Where the hustle and bustle of the town faded away, and the unhurried sway of tree branches and the carefree laughs of children took its place. It was almost as intimate as lying in his mother's garden, yet if he wished to socialize with others in the park, he could do so with ease. And whether he was walking the bowed stone pathway or sitting at one of the benches, he felt nearly at home.
"You and your parents still in a rough?"
Today William and Henry were leaned up against an old willow tree, sitting in its welcoming shade.
William pulled out some of the weeds growing around the tree's trunk and threw them across the grass.
"I don't know," he answered with a sigh. "I suppose there's still some tension…not that it wasn't always there."
"Don't worry about, Will," Henry assured, resting his head against the tree trunk. "Everything's going to work out in the end."
"So long as I don't end up with a Couch brood, eh?"
Henry laughed.
"I don't see what's so terrible about that girl." He looked to his best friend with furrowed eyebrows. "From what I hear, suitors are lining up to convene with her."
"You, included?" William glanced sideways at Henry.
"Well…" Henry rubbed his smiling mouth. "I haven't really met the girl. Seen her, but not met her."
"That explains it."
"I suppose. Have you heard about Abe?"
William shook his head and scared off a pigeon that had been poking around him.
"He's soon to be engaged, that one," Henry said. "And to a good catch, I think."
William sat up, wide-eyed.
"Who?" he demanded.
"Margaret Avery."
William leaned back against the tree, rubbing his chin wonderingly.
"She's fair," he concluded. "I met her once. Pretty, and not too tainted."
Of course, Henry knew exactly what he was talking about.
"But what about you, Mr. Businessman?" William gave Henry an encouraging nudge on the arm.
"My parents are eagerly searching." Henry rolled up the sleeves of his button-down shirt. "What d'you think of Lily Brooks or Amelia Hancock?"
"Hmm," William thought aloud. "Never met Amelia Hancock. But Lily Brooks…small little waist. Nicely shaped."
"That's the most important thing, eh?" Henry laughed and landed a playful punch on William's leg.
William let out a chuckle and shrugged his shoulders before looking out across the park. He spotted a little boy and girl, perhaps six or seven years of age, chasing each other around a small tree. The girl laughed erratically and held up the fluffy pink skirts of her dress as she ran, while the boy's brownish hair bounced wildly on top of his head with every movement he made. Perhaps William could ask Henry what he thought about Wendy…
"Hey there!"
William and Henry both turned their heads in the direction of an urgent voice that had suddenly called to them. Two teenage boys, one tall and sandy-haired, the other short and with dark, slicked back hair, were steadily approaching. Both had hard-hitting stares plastered onto their faces.
"Hey, it's Andrew and Daniel." Henry got up from the ground and brushed off the loose grass on his trousers.
William gazed out at the two coming closer and waved when he recognized them as classmates from the Academy.
"Gentlemen," Henry held out his hand to the two boys when they arrived.
The tall one pushed Henry's hand away and stepped toward William with a pointing finger.
"You just stay away from her, you hear me?" he hissed, staring down at William with resentment.
"What are you speaking, Andrew?" William got up and shook his head in confusion. Stay away from who?
"You know exactly what I'm speaking of," he spat, coming closer to William. "Catherine, my boy, Catherine."
"I don't have any idea what you're talking about," William insisted, though the name sounded vaguely familiar.
Andrew let out a loud grunt and balled his fists up.
"Now we're all refined gentlemen here," he tried to speak in a steady voice, "but William, if you insist on playing dumb with me, things could get nasty."
"Andrew, step off, will you?" Henry tried tugging on the angered boy's shoulder.
"You stay out of this," Andrew told Henry, daring to come even closer to William.
Catherine, Catherine, Catherine….Suddenly, William remembered. The girl from the jewelry shop…
But he hadn't even spoken to her…
"Catherine…" William let out, still thinking. "Catherine—Drake?"
"That's right, Will." Andrew was now nearly chest-to-chest with him.
"Step off, Andrew." William stared up at the tall boy without blinking. "I barely know the girl."
"I find that hard to believe. Explain why she asked me how I can't be as charming as William Locke. She dared to tell me you've captured her heart! Everyone knows she's my bride!"
William raised his chin to Andrew, taking up what he felt to be a challenge.
"If you can't hold on to your girl, that's not my problem." William's mouth curled into a snarl. "I didn't do a damn thing with her, so if she doesn't fancy you, accept it."
"Watch your words," Andrew warned, shoving William away from him. "You know who my father is."
"A worthless, double-dealing lawyer," William sneered, gaining the distance on Andrew once more.
That was the last of it. Any sense of high-class manners had suddenly disappeared, and within the snap of a finger, Andrew had lunged forward. William landed heavily on his back and pushed roughly at the boy on top of him. When Daniel tried offering a kick or two of his own, Henry quickly yanked him away and threw him to the ground.
A sharp pain suddenly surged through the corner of William's mouth, and a second later, the metallic taste of his own blood trickled between his lips. He let out an enraged grumble, threw Andrew off, and pounced on top of him. With barely any thought, William swung at the boy a number of times, careless of where he was hitting, until he finally felt something snap against his sore knuckles. He got to his feet and watched Andrew swaying back and forth slowly on the grass, but before he could turn to Henry and Daniel, someone pulled violently on his arm.
"Locke!"
William's eyes glanced down at the hand clutching his arm and then looked up to a middle-aged man glaring at him in disbelief. It was one of his father's colleagues.
"What is the meaning of this?" the man roared so severely that it brought Henry and Daniel's fight to a standstill.
"Dr. Wa-ve-rly," William said through his hurried panting. "Just-leave us be. We-we've stopped now."
He suddenly became aware of all the people in the park watching them from a few yards away.
"This is an absolute disgrace!" Dr. Waverly proclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "Now I don't know what this is all about, but you should all be ashamed of yourselves!"
Henry and William joined each other on one side of Dr. Waverly while Andrew (who was holding his jaw with both hands) and Daniel stood on the other. They were all bleeding in one place or another, staring at each other callously.
"Locke, you and your friend will come with me. As for you two," Dr. Waverly said, pointing at Andrew and Daniel, "expect your parents to hear about this within the next hour."
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"That was a good punch you gave Andrew," Henry whispered to William when they had settled into Dr. Waverly's carriage. "You nearly knocked his face in two."
"How bad is my mouth?" William managed to mumble, gently wiping away some blood from it with his handkerchief. It seemed that every bump the carriage rolled over on the road made the throbbing worse.
"Bad," Dr. Waverly piped in from across the two boys. "You won't have that handsome face of yours for about a week or so."
William groaned, leaning his head back against the seat.
"Girls have a way of complicating things, eh Will?" Henry whispered again to him.
Even in the midst of his misery, William found the strength to let out a little laugh.
Author's Note: Wow! I can't believe I did it! I actually got another chapter up! Yay! I hope you all liked this one. Even if 'William' doesn't look so hot anymore lol. I should be able to update now that school's not in the way! (Although I'm sure college will take care of that in about two months!) Thank you so much for all your reviews, I love you so much for it! You're the best readers :)