Emily sighed and wiped a tear from her eye. She missed those better times ...
Then the foghorn rumbled again: twenty to two already, and still no sign of Bart. She sighed and stretched; the wait was beginning to wear on her and she felt stiff. The rock was not an especially comfortable place to sit…
She needed to put her mind onto happier things, so she remembered back to when she had first met Bart...
For some strange reason - about three months ago - one of her formerly close friends had invited her to be a bridesmaid at her wedding and, after much pleading on her part, Daddy had (finally!) agreed. He knew the family well and he would be coming along with her to chaperone.
All of her friends, so it seemed to her, were now getting married, and she had hoped that maybe his attendance at a wedding would help motivate him to be more interested in finding her a nice husband.
But, even though he kept his distance, he was still over-protective of her - so much so that he couldn't bring himself about to start the search. The lonely days at the cottage had been getting longer and longer, and she was getting tired of waiting, so she decided to take care of the matter herself...
XXX
"What do you mean, you'll be going out to sea again? What about the wedding?"
Daddy shrugged. "Can't be helped, I'm afraid, something's come up. I'll only be gone a couple of days."
"But, Daddy, the wedding!" Emily persisted, "I can't cancel now - I'm a bridesmaid… What will Sally do?"
"Go on with it, I guess. There's no reason why you can't carry on without me, is there?"
That was unexpected. "Are you sure?" she asked warily. "Who will be my chaperone?"
He scratched his head and mulled it over. "I'm sure that you'll be okay on your own while you're there and I can talk to Jack … he'll be going, too … and have him and his missus take you home."
"Okay," she said. But she wished that he could have come, too. Maybe that would have encouraged him to move a little faster on her wedding.
XXX
Sally's ceremony was wonderful, but afterwards Emily found herself alone and with no one else to talk to. All of the other guests were family, or friend, or had someone of their own with them to keep company. Jack and his wife were busy visiting, and would be for awhile yet, so Emily looked about for something to keep busy with until it was time to leave.
Then she remembered the piano. Back when she used to visit with Sally, she used to play the piano that was kept in an anteroom down the hall. No one in the family played it, but Emily had been encouraged to make use of it whenever she came over - Sally's mother liked the sound of it when she played.
The girl slipped down the hall to see if it was still there. She came to the doorway to turn the knob, and paused: the door was already ajar.
That was strange - Sally's family kept a small dog, and it liked nothing more than to chew on piano legs, so the door was always kept closed - it was a firm and rigidly enforced rule.
But here it was, open.
Cautiously, Emily pushed the door further open, and peered inside. The piano was still there, still exiled to its little cell. She took a quick glance around the room, but saw nothing out of place. It was hard to tell, though - the room was dark, lit only by the light spilling in from the hallway.
She carefully pulled out the bench and sat down at the keyboard. As quietly as she could manage, she played a few of her favorite pieces.
Just after the hall clock chimed, she heard footsteps coming down the hall, so she stopped and got up to see who it was. As she'd thought, it was Sally's mother. She assured Emily that, yes, she could keep playing the piano and, no, she couldn't hear it from outside the hall, so it wouldn't be a problem. But supper was to be served shortly…
Emily thanked her, and then she waited till the retreating footsteps faded into the background rumble from the party next door. She played a few more pieces, then decided it would be a good idea to socialize a bit before the meal. She got up, and pushed the bench back under the keyboard, then left the room.
She had made it all the way to the end of the hall when she remembered that she hadn't closed the piano cover - another strict family rule. She stopped and turned to go back …
… and there he was, a tall man, standing quietly just outside the doorway of the little piano room.
"Who are you?" she gasped.
He said nothing, but looked her up and down before answering.
"Ah, one of the bridesmaids," he commented. "So, when will it be your turn, my dear?" Then he smiled.
She was at a total loss for words, so she just stammered something forgettably foolish while he made his way past her, still smiling as he strode down the hall back to the party.
She did her errand quickly, making sure that the cover was properly closed and the door shut tightly and latched. Then she returned to the party.
She had timed it well, having to spend only a few minutes in awkward solitude before the seating was done for the wedding meal. She was escorted to a table towards the back of the large dining room and there she sat down. Emily looked at the empty place next to her where her father should have been - she wished that he could have been there. Not only would it have been nice to have a familiar face to talk to, but also he would occasionally tell things to others that he would never think of telling her at home. Sea captains would often tell the most interesting tales…
Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Sally's mother. "I hope you don't mind," she said, "but we have a guest here who could use your father's place." Then she ushered the guest (the tall man from the hall!) to the empty seat next to her.
"Ah, my dear, we meet again. It's an honor and a pleasure to meet you." Then he took her hand and kissed the back of it, in the continental way. "My name is Bartholomew … Bartholomew Billings. But - please - just call me Bart."
She blushed. "My name is Emily," she answered nervously. "Emily Barrett. It's a … a pleasure to meet you, too … Mr. Billings."
Please," he said. "Call me Bart." Then he smiled; it was a nice smile.
A half-minute or so later, the food arrived…
The meal passed quickly for her. Bart was good at conversation and some of the stories he told at the table would have rivaled some of Daddy's better ones. Emily was sorry when the meal ended and it was time for her to go. Bart kissed her hand again as he said goodbye to her, and she blushed one more time.
On her way home, she wondered when - or if - she would see him again…