Chapter 12 – Emmett - Chess

Dear Emmett, Hello, how are you? I am good. There are four new kittens in the barn. Two are black and one is black and white and one is black and grey striped. Elizabeth and me named them John and Patrick and Henry and Emmett, after our big brothers. You are the grey stripy one. The momma cat is the black one with the chewed off ear. Love from Stephen.

Dear Emmett, why don't you come home everyone is mean to me mama won't make me a new dress and she makes me do knitting and knitting is stupid and Hannah smacked me when I dropped the milk and it wasn't my fault it was slippery and the boys won't let me play with them and maggie is mean too but I forget why and you don't come home and that's mean and nothing is fair and I love you from Elizabeth.

I sat at the kitchen table, reading my letters from home. I always read Ma's long, newsy letter first so that I knew what was happening at home. I always read Elizabeth's last because they made me laugh. She still hadn't mastered punctuation.

Today's was no exception. I closed my eyes for a moment and swallowed down the lump in my throat- as always when I thought of my baby sister laughter was tied very closely with tears.

"All well at home?" Miss Ellen asked, busy whipping cream.

"Pretty good." I didn't tell her that it was obvious, reading between the lines, that money was even tighter than before. I was thankful once again that Lachlan had been able to get me this job and I could help them out. I was also glad that I'd finally finished paying off the loan for the clothes and I would be able to send more money home. It was clear that they needed it.

I tucked my letters carefully into my front pocket and, whistling cheerfully, went out of the kitchen into the hall and then into the conservatory. This room, attached to the south side of the house, gave the impression it was made entirely from glass, and was filled with plants and rattan furniture, and little tables for tea. And today it also held Rosalie, sitting on a sofa and scowling ferociously. Her legs were tucked up under her, and she had a book in one hand and a chessboard laid out on the table in front of her.

Abashed I stopped whistling. "I'm sorry ma'am, I'll just go."

"What? Oh no," Rosalie shook her head dismissively. "Just do what you came in here to do, it's fine."

Slightly uncomfortable to be working in her presence I took the bucket and the shears and went around carefully snipping off dead leaves and overgrowth. I had never grown plants indoors before and I wasn't too sure of it. As I moved around behind Rosalie I couldn't resist looking her, at the beautiful shining gold of her hair, at the delicate lines of her neck as she bent forward over the board, flipping through pages in her book with an angry noise. It was only then that I saw that it was a chess book, and realised that she was trying to learn to play.

"You can't move your knight that way."

Rosalie's head twisted around so she could look at me incredulously. "Excuse me?"

I figured I'd once again stepped over the line, so whatever I said now wasn't going to matter. "Your knight. You've got the movement wrong."

Rosalie frowned at the board. "The little horse?"

I didn't bother to hide my grin. "Yes, the little horse. He can only move like this." Leaning over the back of the sofa I demonstrated for her. "And the pawns can only move on the diagonal on the first move." For a moment I stayed where I was, breathing in the scent of her and wishing things were different.

"That's why my games weren't going like in the book," Rosalie sighed, adding in a slightly louder tone, "I take it from that that you play chess, McCarty."

"My Pa plays, and he taught all of us," I told her, a little awkwardly. "I've been able to play since I was a little one."

"Can you show me?" Rosalie asked abruptly. "I'm trying to learn from the book, but it's difficult without someone to play against."

"I don't mind," I said cautiously. "But I'm supposed to be doing the garden…"

"Oh, forget about that!" Rosalie exclaimed. "Come and sit down, and please show me how to play this wretched game."

"Okay then." I pulled a chair up to the table, sitting opposite her, and I couldn't resist asking, "So if you think chess is a 'wretched game', why do you want to learn?"

Rosalie's face flushed. "Royce plays. I thought we could…" Her voice trailed away, and then she shook her head and said sharply, "It doesn't matter. I just want to learn how."

"That's fine with me," I said easily. "Look, you can set the board up, right?"

I pushed the white pieces towards her, noticing the dirt on my hands and the grime under my fingernails. For a moment I was embarrassed, but I shook it off. It wasn't as though she didn't know I was her gardener! All the same, I wiped my hands hard against my thighs before I arranged the black pieces.

"What's this made of?" I asked curiously, weighing the pieces in my hand. It was much heavier than Pa's old wooden set.

"Marble," Rosalie answered, sliding her last piece into place.

"Nice," I murmured appreciatively, placing the queen back on the board. "Okay, how about we play a game and I'll walk you through it?"

Rosalie nodded, and tentatively moved a pawn to begin the game. I followed, explaining what I was doing and showing her what moves she might make and which one she should choose. She was a quick learner. I'd played with other beginner chess players - Hannah, Maggie and Will when they were learning – but Rosalie left them miles behind.

"You're doing well," I complimented her as the game finished. "I think you've got it down now, all you really need is practise."

Rosalie didn't smile as she began lining her pieces up again. "Let's play again. Properly this time."

I shrugged a little and began arranging my pieces too.

"I'm sorry," Rosalie said, a little stiffly, after several moves made in silence. "That was rude of me, demanding you play like that."

"I don't mind." For the first time I looked her straight in the eyes. "Playing chess beats cleaning that car for the millionth time."

I held my breath, for a moment terrified that I'd really been out of line, but Rosalie's angel face suddenly creased into a broad smile, and she laughed. "Well, I appreciate a clean car, but I'm glad you were willing to take a break and teach me."

I grinned back and then moved my rook, capturing one of her pawns. "You might be sorry about that when I whip you."

Rosalie rescued her knight from my rook. "You said your…your father taught you?"

"He taught all of us. He loves chess." I ran a hand through my hair, feeling the familiar pang of homesickness.

"All of you? How many are there?"

"I've got five brothers and four sisters."

Rosalie eyebrows rose. "That's a big family. What does your father do?"

"He's a farmhand. Works for our neighbours, they've got a big place," I answered, taking her bishop.

She frowned at the board. "Does your family have a farm too then?"

"We've got a little bit of land. Not enough to make a living off though, just enough to grow some veggies and have a few dairy cows and some scrubby forest for hunting." I frowned briefly, hoping that Will was keeping up the snares and that between them the younger ones were catching enough fish.

"You talk like you miss it," Rosalie said, and I was surprised by her astuteness.

"I do miss it," I said honestly.

"You'd rather live out in the country than here in the city?" Rosalie sounded puzzled.

"Why does that surprise you?"

"Well, the city has the latest in shopping and entertainment and business and everything. And what's out in the country? Some animals, and…I don't know. Dirt? Probably some grass…boring." Rosalie made a face.

Forgetting about the chess game I roared with laughter. "You've never been to the country, have you?"

Rosalie smirked at me and shook her head. "I've driven through some of it and that was boring enough."

"It's not boring," I told her. "Not when you're up at dawn and stalking deer while the mist clears, or playing in the river on a hot summer day or…" I shook my head, feeling foolish. "I can't explain it to you. But you'd know if you were there, it's really not boring."

"I suppose it helps if you have all those brothers and sisters to play with," Rosalie commented.

I snorted. "Play with…or get tortured by! I was fourth boy, fifth in line, and the baby for five years and I got whaled on. Even my sister could give me a beat down back then!"

Rosalie was laughing, and my belly felt warm just from seeing her happy. "I can't imagine it!"

"I was little back then," I said, taking two pawns in quick succession. "They were all bigger than me. But they've all left home now, so it's just me and Hannah and the little ones." I paused a moment. "Well, I suppose not me anymore."

"How little are the little ones?" Rosalie looked frustrated as she eyed off the board.

"Well Hannah's fifteen and Maggie's eleven, Will's nine, Stephen's seven and Elizabeth is five. She writes me letters every week," I added shyly. "They're really funny…you can see if you want."

"Well, I think I've just lost this chess game, so perhaps reading a letter is a good idea." Rosalie sounded displeased, and I deduced that she really didn't like to lose.

"I told you I'd whip you," I said teasingly, and after a moment of frozen silence she shook her head and smiled ruefully at me.

"So you did."

"It was only your first game though," I consoled. "No one ever wins their first game, but you remembered all the rules and at least you know how to play now."

"Royce will be surprised." Rosalie absent-mindedly twisted a lock of hair around her finger. "Now, can I see your letter?"

Immediately wishing I'd never made the offer, I handed over Elizabeth's creased, ink blotted letter. I was suddenly afraid of giving this precious thing of my heart to Rosalie, not knowing what she would do with it.

But as Rosalie read, her face went soft and a smile danced at the corners of her mouth. "Oh McCarty, she sounds like a sweetheart."

"She can be a handful, but she's always been my little buddy." I took the letter and folded it back up to slip into my pocket.

"You're lucky," Rosalie said quietly.

I grinned. "When it comes to my family I sure am. But I should be getting back to work now."

"I'm sorry, by all means yes. I've held you up long enough."

Rosalie began gathering the chess pieces up and laying them in a velvet-lined drawer that came out from under the board. I picked up the pieces closest to me and began to put them in their places, feeling the warmth of her fingers brush against mine. I wished I could just wrap my hand around hers, pull her towards me and hold her…

"Thanks for the game," I muttered awkwardly, getting to my feet and backing away with my hands in my pockets. "I'm just going to get on with my work now."

Rosalie looked slightly confused, but as she nodded at me she was already fading back into her distant, aristocratic self. "Of course. Thank you for the lesson McCarty, I appreciate it."

I nodded back. "Anytime, ma'am."

Learning about the many sides of Rosalie was hopelessly confusing. Playing chess we had been genuinely laughing together, just like any two friends, and I thought we were getting to know each other. After that she went right back to being the boss and didn't even bother looking me in the eye for the next week. As far as I could tell from what I overheard in the car and at home, she and Royce veered from romantic sugary sweetness to hissing and snarling at each other like a pair of cats. I had no idea of which was Rosalie's real face.

Then she came into the kitchen while I was eating breakfast one morning with a cardboard box that she put down beside me, along with a small handful of money. Unable to speak due to the mouthful of porridge and syrup I'd just sucked off the spoon I looked up at her dumbly.

"It's a doll," she told me. "One of mine from when I was little; Mother moved a whole trunkful of them into the attic here." For a moment Rosalie looked embarrassed. "There are so many, it's silly to keep them all. After reading your letter I thought about your sister, and I thought she might like one."

I could feel my face heating up with embarrassment. "Uh ma'am, that's really kind but you don't have to do that."

"But I want to," Rosalie said stubbornly. "Do you think she wouldn't like it?"

I thought of Elizabeth, with the little ragdoll she slept with every night and her always entertaining efforts to wrap kittens in blankets so she could play mama to her 'baby' and I couldn't stop my grin. "I think she'd like it a lot. And if you're sure, then I'm very grateful and I know she will be too."

Rosalie gave me one of the smiles that lit up her angel face and just about took my breath away with its beauty. "I'm so glad. I chose the celluloid doll because it's less breakable, and it's wrapped up in a blanket to protect it in the post. If you could address the parcel and take it to the post office this morning?"

"Sure ma'am, I can do that." Unsure of the right thing to do I just looked up at her and smiled. It felt strange to be sitting while she was standing. "I'll get right on it."

"Very good. Thank you." She turned on her heel and left, and I touched the sturdy cardboard box and smiled to myself.

A/N – Just a bit of a throwback to the two of them playing chess as vampires in All That I Am! Funny thing is I didn't even think about that when I started to write it, so there must just be something about the two of them that says 'chess' to me.

I have to say I'm glad I'm doing alternate chapters, because Emmett's are always a lot lighter and it's nice to break up the sadness of Rosalie's terrible marriage with something a little more cheerful.