Chapter Seven

I could watch you sleep for hours, but I was called away.

I couldn't wake you, you seemed so peaceful.

I'll be back before dinner.

I love you.

-Teddy

"My word," Mary chimed, "this is not ordinary January weather!" Elizabeth looked beyond the frosty window to see the energized sun shining high in the blue winter sky. There was not a single cloud for miles. She placed her soft hand against the cold glass and watched the frost turn to water. She followed each drop run with her eyes down the window as it left a trail as a slug would do. She allowed a small smile cross her face.

"I must agree. I don't remember having this nice of weather ever in January." Elizabeth turned back to her personal maid. "Are you ready Mrs. Elizabeth?" Mary asked as she walked over the cluttered dresser. Assorted makeup and hair clips covered the top all belonging to Elizabeth. She walked over and took a seat in front of the newly cleaned mirror. At her reflection, she groaned, making Mary laugh. Her lightly colored hair was knotted and in a complete mess while her eyes still showed sign of a restless night.

"Come come now, we will get you all fixed up and ready for the day," Mary explained as she ran a brush through Elizabeth's knotted mess.

"How can you be so energized in the morning?" she asked rubbing her eyes.

"It's something I became used to." Elizabeth watched Mary in the mirror as she slowly brushed her long blonde hair. Her own brown hair was tightly tied into a bun, just like every day. Her eyes were a soft almost grey color with long dark eyelashes that surrounded them. Her nearly perfect face was spotted with a few freckles that sat on her nose. Her pink lips were always smiling, even if a tear fell from her eye. She was small for her age which was only a few years younger than Elizabeth. But Mary was one of the kindest people you would every meet. She could turn you mood from sad to cheerful just by the sound of her sweet laugh. Elizabeth was grateful to have Mary not only as her maid, but as her friend.

"So what look are we going for today?" ask Mary setting down the brush.

"How about the staying at home look," Elizabeth suggested. With those words, Mary began to carefully braid Elizabeth's hair behind her.

"No plans today?" Mary asked as she parted her Elizabeth's hair into three equal sections.

"No not today, it looks like it will just be Keller and I. Teddy was called off to work again."

"You could always go see your mother, I am sure she could use the company." Elizabeth's stomach filled with guilt for she knew Mary was right. Her mother had fallen ill just before Christmas and showed no sign of any improvement. Each day only brought more pain and weakness to her old body. Elizabeth could no longer watch her mother's pain. She knew she needed to be there but she just couldn't bring herself to go see her. The doctor had said there was nothing he could do. Either her mother would become as good as new again, or she could join her husband in a place much better than this. Only time could reveal the answer to this painful question.

"She has my aunt with her today; I don't want to overwhelm her. It would just make her weaker." No words were exchanged for a while. Luckily, Mary was soon finished with her braid and the lightly applied make-up. She then helped Elizabeth into a simple gown made with a cherry stained fabric with gold lace at the bottom and at the end of the sleeves. Together, they picked a pair of matching gold earrings and flat shoes as black as coal.

"You look ready to go," Mary complemented as Elizabeth twirled around the skirt of the dress. She was quite satisfied with her completion now but anything was at least a step above then what she looked like when she woke up. It was late morning before the two girls finally left the master bedroom. Both said their goodbyes and parted ways both with a task in mind. Elizabeth began to walk down the sun lighted hallway that would soon lead to the kitchen. When she walked inside, she found Keller's bottle already heated and sitting on top the counter. She took the bottle in hand and also found a warm loaf of bread sitting on the table. Although it looked delicious, she made a mental note to take some later and walked out of the room.

She made her way down the same hallway where she saw Teddy's office door opened. She stopped to peer inside and found it empty. She wasn't surprised. She continued on and soon walked into Keller's room. Inside, the young boy sat on the ground playing with a bunch of soft blocks. Behind him sat Isabella, another young maid. Both looked up at Elizabeth as she leaned against the door frame.

"How has he been?" she asked as Isabella picked up the toddler.

"He has been a little fussy but other than that, he's been good as always," Isabella explained. She was a tall and skinny girl. Her hair was as black as moonless night sky but her eyes shined as bright as a pair of shining stars. Elizabeth smiled as Keller held his short arms out to his mother. He started to squirm his way out of the maid's grasp.

"Shhh, it's okay. Mama is here now," she whispered as she took her son away from Isabella. He then rested his head on her shoulder as she held him close.

"You may go now," she said to her maid. Isabella curtsied and silently walked out of the room. Once they were alone, Keller began to cry. She tried walking him around the room while whispering softly, but he still wailed. So, Elizabeth sat in the old wooden rocking chair and cradled him in her arms. She gave him the bottle that he held it in his small hands. With his big eyes, he watched his mother as he drank away the milk. She couldn't help but smile. Moments like this, she felt at peace. Her love for Keller couldn't be explained. She knew that Will would feel the same way too.

Once Keller was finished eating, the two sat in that aged chair rocking back and forth. The young boy soon fell asleep, leaving Elizabeth wide awake with nothing to do but watch him. Although she could stay there all day, she still had many things to do. She slowly rose and carried the sleeping baby over to his crib where she carefully lifted him into his caged bed. She covered him with a soft blue blanket before kissing his head.

"Restez bien mon fils," she recited before exiting the room. She gently shut the door behind her, leaving her son to a quiet room. She made a b-line for the homely sitting room, one of the best places to be on lonely days like this. When she entered, she found the brightly lite room looking like it did every day. Before her laid a large red and brown rug that blanketed most of the wooden floor. Behind that was a matching set of chocolate brown furniture. To the left stood a large oak book shelf filled with some of the most romantic and incredible novels Elizabeth has ever read. On the opposite side, was a dancing flame overwhelming fireplace.

Elizabeth took a deep breath and entered that toasty warm room. She felt every inch of cold exit her body at once. Warm temperatures were one thing she couldn't live without. She unconsciously made her way towards the tall bookshelf. Softly, she graced the dusty books on the binding, reading over every title her fingers happened to touch. But one old book with delegate gold lettering caught her eye. She retrieved it from its snug home and looked over the cover. Last Ride spread across the top in a beautiful font. She took the book with her and took a seat on one of the brown couches. She put up her feet and wrapped herself in a black blanket she found followed nicely set to the side. When she got comfortable, she opened to the front page to find a long note scribbled on the inside. After she read the first line, the handwriting, she realized, belonged to man very dear to her. It had been years since she had last saw him let alone reading his writing. But all this brought a whole lot of memories back to her, some good and some of the complete opposite.

To my girl,

It has been weeks since I last saw your loving eyes and I miss them so much. Although I am only a train ride away, I feel like I am a world away from you. I was walking downtown one afternoon and saw this book in the window. I thought you would like it; it has everything you look for in a romantic book. But the title stood out to me because like it, it will be my last ride without you by my side. This is my wedding gift to you for I believe I am the luckiest man alive since you agreed to be my bride.

Sending my unconditional love to you,

-Your fiancé

A cool tear fell onto the aged ink that her father once wrote to her mother. Reading this only made her miss him even more. And now, she might even be losing her mother too. Elizabeth flipped each page, wondering if there were anything else written down. But all she found were carefully underlined phrases she guessed her mother liked and one crinkled page towards the end of story that was one damaged by water. This book obviously meant a lot to her mother so why she had it now remained a mystery. One thing she knew was she had to give it back. Before she would do that, she had to read the story that both of her parents thought was important.

She started the first chapter after clearing her eyes of tears. It like any other love story that Elizabeth had read before. From the first couple pages, she was dedicated to the words the author had written down. Minutes flew by along with the delicate pages and before she knew it she was almost done.

"Excuse me madam?" came a small voice making Elizabeth's head jerk up. There stood Isabella holding the hand of a sleepy boy trying to keep his balance.

"He has just woken up, I thought you would want to see," she explained remaining where she stood.

"Oh yes of course," she replied placing the addicting book by her propped up feet.

"Come on Keller, let's walk to mama," she urged on the boy. Together, they slowly made their way over to the couch. Isabella helped him keep his balance as he placed one foot in front of the other. Elizabeth held a hand out that was taken by the tiny his tiny fingers. The two girls congratulated him as they helped him up onto the couch. He was still not in the mood to hear it for he buried his head on his mothers shoulder and held on to her tightly. She patted his back in response.

"Elizabeth?" Mary called out somewhere nearby.

"She is in here," answered Isabella turning to the doorway. Elizabeth looked around the maid just in time to Mary appear smiling.

"You have a visitor; they are waiting at the door."

"Tell them to come inside," Elizabeth said standing up. She lifted Keller with her and placed him on her hip.

"They said you should come to them," she responded coming inside the sitting room. Annoyance filled Elizabeth's mind along with the question of why someone would be visiting her this late in the afternoon on a Sunday. All she did was sigh and begin to make her way towards the front door. Mary and Isabella lead the way with a quick bouncy pace. Everyone was acting strange she thought but ignored the thought that it was actually important.

Once she made the clearing, she saw the unidentified person was standing with their back to her. A bag was on the floor next to them along with a puddle of melted snow.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" Elizabeth called out making the stranger turn around. A small laugh left between Elizabeth's lips filled with disbelief. But as she walked towards the familiar person, she felt like for once things were going to turn out okay. Yes, some things are going to be okay.