Chapter Two

As Julia stepped out of the waiting lounge, she looked around, hoping to see that William had changed his mind. He had not. The situation reminded her of the time she left for Buffalo, and she hoped that history would not repeat itself.

Alas, the only last minute addition was a lone trunk being loaded into the baggage car, attended by none other than Henry and Wade, porters from the Windsor House Hotel. She waved in greeting and they bowed in return before quickly taking their leave.

She honestly could not decide whether to be furious or hurt at his abandoning her…she'd wanted him with her this weekend and had even looked forward to it.

Sighing, she boarded her assigned car, only to find a man already in her assigned seat, and just as she started to speak, the familiar-looking silhouette rose and turned around.

William tipped his hat politely, his face wreathed in a huge smile. "There you are! I was beginning to think you were the one who had decided not to go," he teased. He took her hatbox and bag from her surprised hand, placing them on the rack above their seat.

"Oh William," she murmured, throwing herself into his arms. "I can't tell you how happy I am that you caught the train this time," hoping he'd catch the meaning.

Having her smile at him, and such a public display of affection, was worth any irritation from Mr. Stanley. "I must say I am pleased as well."

"How…?" she inquired.

"Let is say that I was able to dispose of the matter in record time." He was not going to admit there had been a bet going on or that he'd left the heavy explaining to Inspector Brackenreid with a little white lie if necessary.

After they had settled into their seats, Julia had curled into William and had even laid her head on his shoulder as they stared out the window, watching the outskirts of Toronto as they left the city behind. Julia raised her eyes, seeing the blue sky held exuberant stripes of pink as the sun lowered in the west, feeling as light and airy as the clouds since William agreed to join her.

"As I will be accompanying you, perhaps you can fill me in a bit about your years at university. I know some about medical school but really very little about McGill other than what you and Dr. Osler spoke of. You were part of the second class of women, were you not?"

"Yes, I was. There were eight Donaldas in the first class to graduate. Their names will be remembered by history if I don't miss my guess." She laughed lightly at William's quizzical expression. "Female students were called the 'Donaldas', if you can imagine, after Mr. Donald Smith, the primary benefactor for women's education at McGill. He gave the endowment to the school which allowed us to take courses towards degrees, albeit in separate classrooms, as long as the degrees were equivalent to the men's."

She sighed. "There was so much pressure on them; they bore the terrible expectations of those who counted on their success and those who counted on them to fail as you might imagine." Julia frowned at the recollection. "All the women who followed them, the pioneers, felt it as well. For me, it was an incredible experience, a complete upheaval from life as I had known it. It was the first time I had ever been away from my parents and from Ruby. It was a brave new world, and it was scary, but the other girls and I quickly bonded, out of necessity I suppose. We looked after one another so that we could be stronger collectively since it is much easier to intimidate one girl than an entire group."

William nodded approvingly. "Strength in numbers. But I thought you had you travelled in Europe before college. And that was on your own."

"Oh, that was my graduation gift from my father after McGill. It really was a generous gift, but even then I knew he had ulterior motives. He was hoping that I could be dissuaded from medical college and would instead find a nice, young man to settle down with. Even arranged for me to be introduced to some of his acquaintances in England who tried to marry me off to their male offspring. Fortunately, his plan failed and I returned from the grand tour ready to start my medical studies more than ever," she shrugged with a smile.

Her smile was infectious. Julia seems to have forgotten her blue mood, he noticed, hoping it would continue. "Quite fortunate for me, indeed. I imagine you wore him down about that. I cannot imagine him denying your heart's desire." William was only vaguely aware he was describing himself.

Julia looked at him for a beat or two before answering. "Oh, I'm sure he would have loved to have denied me funding, but the money I received from Mother was for that express purpose. She supported my desire for education and made provisions for such. My father may have tried to dissuade me, but he could not forbid me. He was actually worried about me cutting up bodies, can you believe that? But my experiences at McGill had prepared me for any resistance I may have encountered at Bishop's. After Donald Harvey, obstinate, pigheaded men were nothing new. Particularly actual men with the head of a pig like Donald," she laughed, shaking her head.

William laughed back. "Dr. Tash remarked to me once that you were a 'pistol' at school." He ducked a gentle swipe from her hand. "His words, not mine. He led me to believe you were as fearless then as you are now. It is beyond me that someone could get away with anything with you, even when you were younger—perhaps especially then."

"Yes, well even I need support and reassurance. I cannot do everything alone, nor do I want to," she countered.

Taking her hand between his, William was cautious about the alteration in her mood. "It must have been quite a challenge, I agree, especially if you were all on your own. I suppose in a small way I can understand what it is like to be an outsider. The harassment can be unbearable." His memory provided enough experiences of his own to attest to that and he certainly observed enough of that in his day-to-day work as an officer of the law.

"I think that's why we we've always worked so well together, William. We understand one another because we've faced similar obstacles. I do appreciate your support and your love, they are by far the best things in my life,"

"I always have and always will always support your aspirations," he reassured her.

"William, I know you support me, and I know you've faced discrimination on the basis of your faith, and hardships as a result of such. You should have been an Inspector or higher by now, but no one would know you are Catholic just by looking at you. But no one has ever barred you entry or prevented you from doing your job on the basis of your appearance, your race, or your sex. No one has assumed you couldn't do things because you were a man, or assumed liberties with your person because as a woman doing a man's job, or assumed that must also mean you had loose morals," she forcefully stated, surprising herself.

Julia's vehemence took him aback. Other passengers looked up, scowling at him for disturbing the peace by upsetting his wife. "No…no of course not," he said mildly.

"I'm sorry William; that came as an attack on you, and I didn't mean it as such. It's just that there was enormous pressure on us. I wasn't in the very first class, but I knew them, and all of us women had a great deal at stake. We knew that there were too many who were waiting to see us fail and proclaim that they were justified, that we had no right to higher education."

"That would clearly be a waste of intellect and just as clearly those nay-sayers have failed." He was tempted to offer consolation or a lecture, but thought the better of it. "I imagine that will make your reunion all the more validating; young women who overcame so much to make something of their natural talents…"

"Yes, I suppose it will be fun to see what we've all been up to since we left McGill. While I've probably seen the most scandal, I doubt I'm the only one who has enjoyed my mentions in the gossip columns," she giggled, her mood improving just as quickly as it had dived.

By the time the couple arrived at the Newcastle train station, William felt Julia's mood was back to being light and gay.

"How can it be that I'm excited and nervous all at the same time?" Julia wondered aloud. "I'm excited to see how we've all changed and how we've remained the same. Can you even believe that there may have been some drunken promises about never getting old? Of course, I'm afraid we've all managed to break that one in varying ways," she chattered on. "Except for me, of course. I'll never get old," she stated jauntily.

A handful of passengers disembarked into a mild November night, spilling onto a deserted platform to be collected by waiting carriages and a buck-board. The train crew was efficient at unloading people and baggage so that in no time the engine was huffing off again. William surveyed the scene, unsure how they were getting to their destination. "Who is meeting us?" William asked.

"I am not sure, but there is only one conveyance waiting, so I assume it is for us."

Julia pointed to a brightly painted contraption which looked to William more like a Gypsy Brush vardo than anything suitable for transporting two passengers and their four large trunks. Under the glow of an electric lamp, it was possible to see the body of the wagon was painted bright blue, with lime-green insets and orange flowers and scrollwork. Two stout black cob horses pulled it. A small man dismounted when they approached and pulled at the front of his soft cap.

"Miss Ogden?" he asked. "Mrs. White sends her compliments. I am Baylis and will be taking you on." Just then the lighting snapped off.

"What just happened?" Julia asked, eyes adjusting to the gloom.

Mr. Baylis merely shrugged. "The town lights go out at midnight. I will get your boxes." The man turned and moved off to do so.

William thanked his retreating back. "Man of few words," he commented to Julia.

"Much like you, I'd wager," she jibed lightheartedly.

Mr. Baylis was as strong as his horses, easily fitting the trunks and Julia's hand luggage inside, his two passengers up and behind him, before picking up the reins. The wagon headed southwest towards their destination, the Nottingham house on the banks of Lake Ontario and right next to the Wilmont River. When asked, Mr. Baylis offered that his family was taking temporary work in the stables and on the grounds before the snow came.

Lulled into a companionable silence by the rhythmic clopping of the horses' hooves along with the damp chill of the lovely late fall weather, Julia again laid her head on William's shoulder and the two enjoyed some brief canoodling before the terrain changed and the road became bumpier.

From their perch, William and Julia were gently jostled as the roads gave way to carriage traces for about twenty minutes. Soon, the lake to the south became obvious as ripples of reflected starlight in the distance. Eventually the horses approached a long causeway which fed under an enormous black iron gate, an entwined "NDN" crowing the arch. Ahead of them was a large structure with many lighted windows and a sheltering porte-cochère.

William was helping his wife down when a woman of about Julia's height with smooth auburn hair and thick glasses came rushing down the low steps, followed by an enormous fawn-coloured dog with a black muzzle, nearly a yard tall at the shoulders. "Julia Ogden! Oh my goodness. I am so glad you made it!"

When the woman enveloped Julia in a hug the dog lunged at William and would have bowled him over if Mr. Baylis had not intervened. On its hind legs the dog rivaled the wagon-driver in height.

"Here now. Skidoo. Down you!" Baylis insisted, and the massive dog obeyed immediately, much to William's relief.

Their hostess broke her greeting to say, "Thank you, Baylis. Would you please see to the luggage? And have Mr. Shaggis take Skidoo?" She turned to Julia, motioning to the dog. "He didn't scare you, did he? He is a German boarhound, what they are calling now a grand danois or 'Great Dane'. He looks intimidating but he is really more frightened of you than you are of him, I'm sure. "

Julia was not quite reassured, but her pleasure at seeing her friend overrode everything. It was comforting, if a little unnerving, to see that her friend had hardly changed a whit in twenty years—perhaps a little thinner, but her black eyes were huge and sparkled being her glasses. The pumpkin-coloured sweater over a red skirt was classic. Thelma as were the low heeled shoes. Just looking at her friend took two decades away. "Thank you so much for opening your house and allowing us to all meet up again. I still remember that one time you had a few of us here between school terms, and what fun we all had!" Julia gushed to her hostess before remembering William.

"Oh, do forgive me. May I present my husband, William Murdoch? William, this is our hostess Mrs. Thessalonica Wilmont White."

"Julia! You know that it's Thelma!" She turned to William apologetically. "I am so pleased to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine. Thank you for the invitation to your home, Mrs. White." William removed his hat and shook her hand.

"Thelma, please. My father was in a Biblical mood when he named me and my brother Samuel. Thank goodness another inspiration caught him in time for our little sister, Daphne."

Thelma brought them into the reception hall ablaze with candles and kerosene lamps. "As I'm sure you've noticed by now, we only have electricity from between the hours of seven o'clock to midnight. Being so rural, the utilities simply haven't made it out here just yet, I'm afraid, which is why grandfather installed a generator for the town," their hostess explained as servants took their trunks up to their room.

"No need to apologize, the atmosphere is really quite intriguing. I think a weekend sans électricité sounds quite fascinating," Julia interjected.

"I must admit I find a certain charm with it myself," Thelma agreed. "It's the perfect respite from the hectic pace of the modern city. Besides, I know it's not technically the Season for a house party, but I don't know that we'll still own the house next summer. As much as we love it, it seems neither Samuel, Daphne or I are much interested in taking care of it," she pronounced with a shrug.

Julia smiled knowingly. "Well I have never cared a fig about the Season and I am planning to enjoy myself. Where are your brother and sister?"

"Daphne has managed to tip a tray of sandwiches on the floor, so she is consulting with the cook on refreshments and Samuel is supervising some last minute repair or other. It's all he seems to be doing lately—hence the desire to sell. But enough about that, I should think Margaret will be down any moment now," she guessed just as another woman hurried out of a side room and over to greet Julia.

Julia had to blink a couple of times before recognizing the plump woman with a cloud of blonde hair. Unlike Thelma, twenty years and forty pounds had made a difference. "Margaret! How wonderful. Thelma was not sure you would make it," Julia enthused, embracing the woman with obvious pleasure.

"I got here early this morning. Oh, nothing could stop me! Not four children, a husband, nor his mother! Rose and Bruce Nottingham are here, Samuel and Daphne, of course and Grant King…" She brought her face closer to whisper. "Donald and Dorcas are around somewhere and have been here a couple days I'm told."

"I really was hoping that something would happen and that they wouldn't make it," Julia sympathized.

"Well, we shall have to make this an enjoyable weekend in spite of Mr. Harvey's presence, won't we?" Thelma interjected, having caught the private conversation.

Caught red-handed, Julia and Margaret agreed.

"Margaret Swift, allow me to introduce my husband, William Murdoch. William, Margaret, née Horvath, was the one who checked my mathematical proofs much like you do today," she announced. "She may have also found a way to get one of the school societies to share their purloined copies of tests with us," Julia proudly stated.

William bowed slightly over Margaret's proffered hand.

"Pleased to meet you, I'm sure. I hope you will not be too bored; you understand of course how old college chums can be when they get together. It must be the same for you."

William had no time to demure because Margaret called over to their hostess. "Thelma, the Leonids meteor shower is peaking. Did your gardener, Mr. Shaggis, set out the telescope?"

"Indeed, he has," Thelma agreed, gesturing towards the door.

"William, can I interest you in getting lost in the stars with some hot chocolate?" Julia asked with an impish grin.

William was intrigued about astronomical observations and a chance to stretch his legs after the long train ride. He assumed Julia wished to spend as much time with her friends as possible, so he consented to being dragged out into a broad lawn behind the house with nothing but lake and sky as far as the eye could see. The setting was perfect for stargazing: no light from civilization, (the windows on the southern side of the house were all unlit), moonless and unseasonably warm temperatures outside, with no breeze. Someone whom he assumed was the gardener was setting out blankets around a large telescope, 'Skidoo' docilely at his heels. William wandered over to have a closer look at the Milky Way stretching overhead on the high moonless vault. Trying to stay out of the dog's way, he stumbled over a stone, nearly falling over for the second time that night.

The gardener caught him hard by the elbow. "Careful, Mister. Its full dark for to see the stars but rocky if you stray off the lawn, and dangerous in the woods. Can't have another mishap, eh? Too many of them already." William was embarrassed to say the least. The other man made his observation and melted into the blackness.

William took his time looking at the stars before being joined by Julia, who slipped her hand in one of his…while a warm, wet nose and tongue nuzzled the other. He saw that Julia also held a leather lead.

"Perhaps Mr. Shaggis lost his grip on the beast?" William wiped his hand on a handkerchief.

"Why William!" she teased. "It would seem that you've made yet another four-legged friend," she giggled and handed him the leash.

Thelma and Margaret brought Bruce and Rose Nottingham over to be introduced while another servant brought the hot chocolate out for all to enjoy.

William sipped the hot sweet liquid and tried to stay interested in the conversation, but it became so deep in reminisces he could not follow. The dog tugged him away towards the greenhouse where, he assumed, Skidoo was kenneled in the gardener's care.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It was almost three in the morning before Julia and William were shown to their bedroom, awash in the glow of lamplight reflected off odd and slanting angles in the walls and ceiling. William agreed that it was a romantic-looking chamber. Their trunks were unpacked and the contents hanging in built-in cupboards and a plush four-poster bed dominated the space. A brief wash-up found William snuggled under soft blankets, listening to the breeze outside beginning to rattle the windowpanes as he watched Julia shimmy out of her undergarments.

"Now, aren't you glad you came?" Julia asked while taking her temperature, and taking her time undressing. She was fully aware that William loved watching her in a state of déshabille.

"I've quite enjoyed myself so far, Julia," William admitted with a contented yawn. "Not just for the telescope. Mr. Nottingham seems a pleasant fellow, and I had an interesting chat with Mr. Shaggis, but I'll be glad for a few hours sleep…it has been a long day. There will be even more guests here tomorrow, no?"

"Yes, in addition to Donald Harvey, Samuel's friends the Harrington twins will be here as well as one of my closest friends as well as a rival of sorts, Philomena Murray. I must say that I'm quite pleased that she finally settled down with Marcus…she was quite the young lady about Montreal while we were at McGill…a different suitor every week it seems," she said with a laugh as she pulled out a lavender silk night gown and wriggled her body as she slipped it down over her hips.

"Plus Skidoo seemed quite taken with you. Poor Pistachio has competition it seems," she giggled upon seeing his face as she extinguished the lamp and slid under the covers to join him.

William had been distracted for a minute with Julia and her thermometer, wondering if she felt sick or feverish, or if it was the 'optimum time' of month she had spoken about. There were absolutely no indicators of illness—her bright eyes and high colour spoke of desire. He was happy to see she was still wearing her gold necklace, and to see she was warming it against her skin.

Curling into him, she quietly placed her hand under his pajama top and toyed with the waistband of his pajama bottoms before slipping her hand inside them and taking hold of him in her hand. "Lemniscate…" she whispered.

"But not too long a day…" William's drowsiness was immediately replaced by awareness of Julia's fingers on his flesh. She was happy and relaxed and wanted him…how could he refuse? His first moan of pleasure was smothered by her kiss…

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

….William heard the tea whistle from far, far away, annoyed that Mrs. Kitchen was not taking it off the hob...

After enjoying Julia he'd fallen into an immediate and deeply satisfied slumber, his mind empty of thought. It was only when Julia stirred beside him that he realized he'd been dreaming. The noise was no kettle; instead it was wind coming through some opening or other in the house's eaves, setting up a high-pitched screech. Above him he heard a slam, which finally brought Julia fully awake.

"What was that?" she asked, suddenly awake.

William chuckled, putting his hands over his head. "You have heard the station house whistle when the wind really blows. Any opening, especially a small one, works much like a pipe organ, or even the narrow opening of a bottle neck to produce a note."

"And that bang?"

"A guest not used to walking around in the dark, I suppose."

"Or it could be a ghost," Julia giggled. "Can you imagine all of the shenanigans that being must have witnessed?"

He put on a mock-outraged face. "A Peeping-Tom from the beyond?"

"A colourful appellation—quite creative," she made a throaty laugh. "Well, if it is a voyeuristic ghost, the least we could do is give something worth watching. And if it is a malevolent being, then it seems that I am in need of your protection," she murmured, unbuttoning his pajama top.

"Julia! If you are going to be insatiable, then why bother with nightclothes…?" he teased, sliding the thin, pale silk she wore, up, up, up her legs as his own desire rose…