SIX
Ben Cartwright arrived in Boston to see his son's acceptance of his diploma, a somber and venerable ceremony and he was proud. "There is our son, Elizabeth," he said to the heavens as Adam rose to shake hands with all the people who were so instrumental in his accomplishments. And afterwards, Ben hugged his son, tears in his eyes. He didn't think that he could be any happier in his son, especially at the reception afterwards when the professors spoke so glowingly of Adam.
Ben wanted Adam to return to the Ponderosa with him but Adam told him of the internship and when Ben met Professor Naismith who spoke highly of Adam's talent, Ben accepted the fact that his son may never return to the Ponderosa but continue on in Boston or some other city where he could apply his gifts. And it was with a poignant sadness that Ben hugged his son goodbye and left on the train for the lengthy return home.
And so Adam was accepted as an intern with the architectural firm of Athens, Priestly and Coleman. He and another graduate, Allen Bracewell worked diligently long, strenuous hours observing and submitting blueprints per the directions of the partners. Adam learned a great deal about practicality and wasn't so certain that he liked having to quash his grand plans to fit into someone's instructions to keep the cost as low as possible. Where he envisioned travertine marble, the building material of Michelangelo and Bernini, it ended up being plain granite. While he pictured a room or hall paneled with glowing maple, it was changed to stained pine.
So Adam became disenchanted with the idea of building grand edifices that would survive unscathed through millenniums and realized that most of architecture was struggling to underbid other firms and to promise to bring in a structure using the least expensive materials possible but still creating a decent façade of some type of grace. And that was what Adam missed; the graceful elegance of the buildings he had designed during his schooling-the cathedrals that rose to the heavens to imitate man's striving for perfection and for the love of God, the beauty of materials that were found on earth that emphasized man's roots from the dust and clay, the interior designs that brought an ease and comfort to a man so that his home soothed his mind and became a sanctuary from the suffering of the outside world.
And all those desires and strivings for elegance and beauty, Adam found satisfied in Piper Naismith.
Piper had pled with her father to allow her to remain in Boston; this could become her home and she missed her father so. The professor had been reluctant-she had yet to finish her schooling but Piper, who had enquired of the housekeeper where a girls' school was, presented the option of finishing up at a small, private girl's school in Boston. And since Naismith carried around guilt of neglecting his daughter and leaving her upbringing to his sister after his wife died, caved in to her request which was delivered with an expression of hope. And so Piper stayed in Boston. But the actual reason, which she didn't share with her father, was that she had fallen in love with Adam Cartwright.
Piper knew that had she mentioned her love for her father's former student, that he would have packed her off to Virginia again; he would have told her that she was too young to know what love was but Piper felt she wasn't. She was in love with the most wonderful young man in the world, at least in her eyes. And it wasn't as if Adam was the first young man who had squired her socially. Her aunt had invited a very nice young man from a good family to visit many times and he had escorted Piper to church and to parties. Piper had even allowed him to kiss her and up until she set eyes upon Adam, she had been resigned to feeling mild affection and believing it was love but Adam excited her emotions to heights she had only imagined and that she had read about in the novels she and her friends secretly read and passed among themselves. These novels told of men who kissed women's necks and breasts and had descriptions of the heroines "transports of ecstasy." But Piper knew that they were just novels and never expected feelings such as that to occur in actual life. But she thought of Adam constantly and wondered if he thought of her.
Piper often managed to wrangle a dinner invitation for Adam who lived in a small room in a boarding house with Allen Bracewell. Both of them, Adam and Allen, depended on monthly stipends from their fathers as the architectural firm paid them nothing, considering it pay enough that they shared their knowledge with the two young, eager, talented men.
"Oh, Father," Piper said, "I'm certain that Mr. Cartwright could use a good meal as I saw him on the street just yesterday and he looked so thin and wan. And I am sure that you remember your days as a poverty-stricken youth."
"Oh, really, my dear? And how did you happen to come across Mr. Cartwright on your way home from school?"
"Oh, well…I may have taken a route by his office but nevertheless, may I offer an invitation?"
And since Professor Naismith loved his daughter and respected Adam, he allowed her to proffer many an invitation. And then Piper invited Adam to her 17th birthday party and he showed up, a small gift in his hand-two embroidered handkerchiefs. Adam knew that he would have to sacrifice something, only eating turnips or potatoes for a few days to pay for them, but he couldn't attend and give Piper nothing. But he promised himself that when he could, he would buy her something grand for he had come to care for her greatly. Ever since the first time he had held her next to him, felt her small, supple body move in rhythm with his, the thought of marrying her was born in his imagination and he found that Piper Naismith popped up in his thoughts at the oddest moments.
Despite Piper's youth and naiveté, Adam found her delightful-or maybe it was because of that. She was a beautiful girl but seemed not to be aware of it as so many women were. It was as if no one had ever told her and perhaps, they hadn't. Adam did find her engagingly ingenuous. But then she wasn't yet 17 and he had turned 20 in May. But in the west, some girls were married at sixteen and by the time they were twenty, they had already born three children and were heavy with the fourth. But Adam couldn't envision Piper in that type of life.
And Piper had an innate elegance and a quickness of mind that Adam found challenging. And so, he came courting and he would squire her to social dances and take her out for ice cream and day trips. Most places they would walk but occasionally, he would hire a hack and they would ride and Piper begged him to let her take her family's carriage but Adam was too proud. Piper chastised him and reminded him that "pride goeth before a fall," but he laughingly told her that he couldn't fall much more than being a poverty-stricken intern who had to depend on the generosity of his father. And he added, couldn't even court a beautiful girl properly.
When they were alone, Adam and Piper would talk about a possible future and Piper, despite all the things her aunt who raised her had told her about how to behave in situations and that all men were only after seeing how much a woman would give to him, told Adam that she loved him.
Adam was shocked. No girl or even the women he had lain with, had told him that they loved him. Adam couldn't even remember if his father ever having said it to him, although he knew that his father did. His father had said that he was proud of him, was concerned about him and had looked at his eldest son with love in his eyes, but Adam couldn't remember ever having heard the words. And here was this beautiful young girl, not quite yet a full woman, and she told him that she loved him and it was then that Adam felt the full weight of the responsibility of having a girl's heart; the power was dizzying; he knew that he had to be careful, especially since he loved her in return.
So they would sit on her father's porch after dinner or after he had walked her home from some social adventure and they would quietly talk and it was Piper who had first kissed him. Adam hadn't known how to react.
"Did I make a mistake in kissing you, Adam?" Piper looked at him with her large, dark eyes, ready to cry. "I know that the girl isn't supposed to be so forward but I've dreamed of it so many times."
"Piper, I…you're so young."
"Not much younger than you; I'm seventeen now. I'll be eighteen in a few months and then I can do what I choose."
"Piper," Adam said. "I don't think that…"
"I know what you think," she interrupted. "You must think that I'm just a silly girl but I'm not. I have realistic expectations from life but I also know how I feel about you and I'm not asking that you love me if you don't. But, Adam, I love you. I do and I always will." And then she leaned into him and Adam put his arms around her and he kissed her and he felt her submit to him and he knew that despite her age, he was kissing a woman, not a girl. And from then on, the two knew that they would marry.
Piper and Adam talked about Adam joining the architectural firm-the partners had made comments to Adam about how they had high hopes that he would continue to stay in Boston and how they could surely use someone with his talents. They had even asked him outright if he would be interested in working with them, perhaps as a junior partner. So Adam and Piper decided that once Adam was established, he and Piper would marry. And Piper felt as if she had her heart's desire in Adam and he was happy with Piper. He wanted her as his wife, as his partner in life and patiently waited for her, satisfying himself with kisses and caresses until they could marry and he could indulge his sexual desire for her.
Adam was singing to himself as he climbed the few stairs to the Naismith's porch and rang the bell. He couldn't remember ever having been so happy. He had all he had ever desired.
"Mrs. Edwards," Adam said when the housekeeper opened the door, "you looked incredibly lovely tonight. And is Miss Piper ready or is she, as all women tend to be, not quite ready yet?" Adam was taking Piper to a lecture on campus; a man was going to relate his adventures in the Congo accompanied with slides of all the strange, unique animals he encountered. Professor Naismith was initially loathe to allow Piper to go-he feared that there might be slides of naked inhabitants of the mysterious area. But Piper had pled with him to let her go and so, since it was with Adam, he allowed it but only with the promise that should there be inappropriate images for a young girl, that Piper would close her eyes and not gawk.
"You've come for Miss Piper but she…come in Mr. Cartwright." Mrs. Edwards stepped back, holding the door open.
"She's not ill, is she?" Adam asked, pulling off his bowler as he entered the house. Something was wrong. Mrs. Edwards wasn't her happy, welcoming self and Adam felt a quiet about the house; his heart pounded in anticipation of some dread event.
"No, she's well but I'm to show you into the den." And Mrs. Edwards led Adam into the room at the back of the house.
The Professor stood when Adam entered. Piper looked up at him; she had been crying, her eyes swollen, her nose red and she held a crumpled handkerchief-one of two he had given her for her birthday-in her fist. Beside her sat a woman whom Adam had never seen. She was scowling at him.
"Adam," Naismith said, "I'm afraid that Piper will be unable to accompany you tonight; she needs to pack as she is returning to Virginia with her aunt, my sister, Audrey"
"I've told you," Piper cried, standing up, "I won't go! I won't leave Boston!'
"Because of him?" the aunt said.
"Yes," Piper stated. She looked at Adam with desperation. "I love him," she stated with an openness and honesty that took her father and aunt off guard.
"You stupid girl," the aunt said. "You have no idea what love is. Look at him. What is he? A poor boy-not even a grown man-who is probably only using you to further your father's financial and professional assistance."
Adam felt the anger rise in his throat. "Now wait a moment," Adam said. "What you say isn't true. I care for Piper very much; I'm not using her for any purpose other than enjoying her company."
"And I suppose that you love her. That's what you're going to say next, correct? You are more than willing to take advantage of the tender feelings of a young girl." Piper's aunt stood in front of Adam. She didn't like this dark-haired man courting her vulnerable niece; he had an animal sexuality about him that she found disturbing and despite her brother's defense that he was intelligent and kind to Piper, she didn't want him near her beloved niece. She hadn't raised Piper to be turned over to this man and his hungers.
"I'm not taking advantage of her and I resent your accusation." Adam stopped and looked at Piper's face, her sweet face that always made his heart fill with joy and then he stated what he knew to be true; "And yes, I do love her. I love her and want her for my wife one day-hopefully soon." The words surprised even him and Piper ran to Adam and threw her arms around his neck.
"Oh, Adam," she said through fresh tears, "I knew that you loved me. I felt it."
"Abner," the aunt reprimanded her brother, "do something. Piper is only seventeen. This is nonsense! She needs to come back with me until she is old enough to make serious decisions about her life. Obviously you have no control over her! How can you allow her to behave in this manner? Like a cheap hussy! And in your own house."
"Piper…" the professor said, walking over to his daughter as Adam held her. Adam gently took her arms from his neck but Professor Naismith then grabbed Piper's wrist and pulled her away from him. "Piper, this behavior is unacceptable. Adam, please leave my home. Piper will be gone in the morning and I'm sorry that the circumstances of her leave-taking couldn't be different."
"I won't go! I've told you, father!" Piper was adamant; she was determined not to leave Boston and Adam.
Adam left the house since he had no other choice, and the last thing he saw was Mrs. Edwards' face, tears rolling down her plump cheeks as she told him goodbye and said that she was so sorry; it was a sad time, she said to Adam-so sad.
