7th June 1786
"Another one, mate?" Asked the bartender. William nodded and passed his cup back to him. After being here for almost months he had managed to get a job working as a labourer for some lord. He still hadn't found Effie "What are you sulking for, may I ask?" He asked as he pulled the tap to refill the tankard.
The ex-colonel rolled his jaw before accepting his drink "I have waited six years to go to Charles Towne to marry someone only to find out that they had moved to Nova Scotia a mere month after the war ended. Now I haven't any idea where she is" How he wished he could've seen her as soon as the war finished like he had promised her. But, for all he knew, he was dead to her.
That intrigued the barman causing him to lean against the bar "And she's in Halifax?" He asked to which William nodded "A good thing for you, I know just about everything about this town, working the castle usually serves a good way to collect gossip"
"Her name is Miss Euphemia Collins" When William saw the barman's face, shock painted on it, his stomach sank. Was he too late? Maybe she had moved on? It had been six years in her defence "W-What is wrong? Is she alright?"
"Her father owns a most of land around here, In her dowry the husband apparently gets an entire twenty acres of land along with a three figure dowry"
At that point, William's lips had parted in surprise "And she isn't married?" So she kept her promise? A small smile appeared on his lips and his mood improved dramatically. "Where does she live? I have been meaning to speak with her for six years"
"Forget it mate, she has turned down every man that has offered a proposal or courtship. You'll sooner see an angel than marry her"
She's an angel, my angel, the one that kept me alive all of this time. William shook his head "Will you tell me where she lives or will you continue to torment me with the lack of information?" He asked to which the barman smirked.
"Her sister lives up near the forest, straight up the road. Effie sometimes stays there, if not then she lives at her cottage which is another five minutes down the road. Think her father gifted it to her for her 25th birthday"
With a boyish smile, he asked "How much is it for a room, I must depart early to walk there"
"Five shillings"
"Very well" William reached into his pocket and picked out five coins, tossing them onto the counter. In turn she received a key to room number one. He picked up his tankard and finished off his ale before standing "Thank you, you have no idea how much this information means to me" With that, he picked up his snapsack, quickly walked towards the stairs, ascended them and found room number one.
Lord he had so much to do! Thankfully he had had a bath earlier that day so his hair wasn't oily. Though I could do it with a shave, he thought as he brought his hand up to his neck and chin, feeling the growing stubble beneath his fingers. His clothing was presentable enough though he had a fresh change of clothes in his bag.
William could hardly believe what was happening. He would be seeing the love of his life once again after six years. And he would not leave her again. Not ever.
Early the next morning, William awoke with a newfound nervousness in his stomach. He quickly dressed, tied back his hair in a braid and had a shave. Even though he was completely ecstatic to see her again, a part of him dreaded it.
Soon enough, William was outside and walking up the street towards the forest. Though when the trees grew closer, his throat tightened even more. What if she hated him for leaving her. Or worse, if she didn't love him anymore. As he walked through the many trees his mind cleared. His Effie was a few moments away. Lord he could hardly wait! With a newfound spring in his step, he walked along the dirt path, smiling when he saw the home that the barman described. Her sister's home.
When he finally came out of the forest, he stopped against the gate post. His heart seemed to skip about ten beats as his eyes fell upon a cart full of belongings which was currently being pulled away by a horse. Were they moving? Was he too late again? As he drew closer, he could hear soft laughter along with a few children's voices.
"Auntie Fifi, please don't leave!" A young boy spoke as the front door opened "I'll be good and do my numbers!" He squeaked as he rushed out onto the porch, closely followed by, presumably, his sister "Please Auntie Fifi…" She felt a soft tug on her skirt and looked down at the little girl.
"Kathy…I cannot be here all the time, can I?" When a young woman exited the building, William's heart seemed to jump to his throat. Effie. His Euphemia. She was as beautiful as the day he had left, even more so now! Her once shoulder length hair now grew to the middle of her back. WIlliam smiled softly and leaned against the fence post, unsure of if what he was seeing was real. She no longer had her slim, girlish figure, William noted. though he didn't care. This woman was the one who had captured his heart all those years ago, her figure didn't mean a single thing in the grand scheme of things
"Matty hit me!" the little girl cried and hid behind Effie, causing him to smile ever so slightly.
"Matthew…" Effie knelt down in front of the lad and rested a hand on his shoulder "you wouldn't like it if she hit you, would you"
"No…"
"Man! Look!" The youngest gleamed and pointed directly towards him causing his stomach to tighten. This was it. No turning back now.
Effie looked over her shoulder at the girl and then towards where she was pointing. Her heart skipped at least four beats as she stood up once again, staring directly over at him as though she was seeing a ghost.
William? William was here? He looked older now, in his defence it had been six years, but that was the only thing that had changed. He sported a onyx waistcoat along with the same coloured breeches and boots. What she found strange, however, was that he had a canvas snapsack hung from one shoulder. Her William was always so neat and proper, even his hair looked different! It was no longer tied back in a tidy queue but was in a rough braid, not that she cared, she just found it weird.
Effie felt her niece tugging on her skirts and looked down at her, breaking the spell between her and William "Inside the house" Effie mumbled before repeating herself more clearly.
Once the two children had funnelled back into the house, she closed the door behind them before turning back to face William. When she didn't make a move forward, William took it upon himself to walk up to her, stopping at the steps of the porch "Euphemia, I-It's good to see you again after all of this time…" He looked happy in contrast to her infuriated look "…is something wrong?"
"you can't be here"
"What? My love, I've spent last year trying to find you"
"It's been six years"
"Y-Yes it's a funny story actually-"
"Funny?! I thought that you were dead!" Effie shouted before walking down the steps to meet with him "It's been six years!" But when she saw his expression, she shook her head and leaned forwards to hug him. That just confused him even more! He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a gentle squeeze "I thought that you were killed…" She mumbled into his coat, confusing him further. Was she angry or upset…? "Oh no…please say that you are real and not a figment of my imagination"
"I returned to England after the war against my will, I had no choice" William mumbled before using one of his hands to tip her chin upwards "Though there wasn't a day that past that I didn't think of you" He explained before softly touching her cheek "I couldn't return to the Charles Towne until 1786 due to the relations between england and the colonies. I went to where you used to live, the city home. They told me that your family moved up here after the war" All she did was reach up and brush some strands of hair from his face. He subconsciously nuzzled into her touch "All this time I have been searching for you…"
"Oh…I have missed you more than you know…" Effie rested her hands on his chest and glanced over her shoulder when they heard ushered giggles.
"Those children…"
"They're Charlotte's, I just take care of them"
"Oh, I see" William offered a smile as he brushed the backs of his fingers across her cheek "Lord, you're more beautiful than the last time I saw you…" Effie softly cleared her throat and glanced over her shoulder at the two children who were now staring at the couple through the window "ah, we have imposters"
"My niece and nephew are good at spying on people…if we were to do anything here, my sister would know within five seconds"
William softly chuckled "do you wish to take a walk with me?"
"There is a flower meadow around the back of the home"
"Do you wish to go there?"
"Of course…B-But you have a lot of explaining to do!"
"Yes, I know" He offered her his hand, relishing at how soft her skin was when she took it "lead the way, my love"
The couple walked in an intense silence, causing both of them to become increasingly tense. William had tried to start conversation as soon as they were out of earshot of the house, though each time Effie had remained quiet.
Effie was still in considerable disbelief. She had waited for him for six years and not once had she thought that she'd be angry with him. They both knew full well that she would have followed William to the ends of the earth if needs be. But now that he was here, she felt as though her entire world had caved in. She couldn't quite explain the feelings she had, it was a rather wide variety.
After enduring another few minutes in silence, they finally made it to the flower meadow. William let them both to a stone bench and sat down, she followed suit but kept herself at a considerable distance.
He cleared his throat and caught her attention "for what it's worth, I am sorry"
"I've played this scenario out in my head multiple times, I never thought that I'd feel angry at you"
William lowered his head in shame "I understand- If you wish for me to leave then I will-"
"That's the thing, I never want to be away from you ever again. I'm angry and relieved that you're here. Six years is a damn long time, William"
"I was injured at Yorktown, I caught a ball in the abdomen and was sent to New York with the rest of the injured. I thought that you still lived in Charles Towne and British ships were only allowed to start docking there in 1785" He tried pleading his case, only for the memories of his injury to come flooding back. The pain. The feeling of his blood wetting his gloves. Even the distant sound of musket fire rattled in the back of his mind as he tried to form his next sentence "I-I left you that day so you wouldn't suffer the consequences of the war"
"You know full well that I would have followed you"
"And what if we had married, if I had gotten you with child, you would've given birth in a tent"
"And the same would've happened if you married Miss Midland, no?"
"Effie…" William uttered "I ended my courtship with her the day after I declared my love to you" He glanced down at her hand and noticed that she wasn't wearing his signet ring. With a look at her neck he also realised that she wasn't wearing the necklace he had given her either "I see that you wear them no more"
Effie understood instantly and swallowed thickly "They're in my jewellery box, along with every single one of your letters"
"After I was injured, the letters you sent were covered in my blood" William pulled his snapsack onto his lap and reached into retrieve the bundle of her letters "But I still kept them, the hair ribbon I took holds them together" Effie scrunched her brow, indeed noticing the blood on the letters "I love you Euphemia"
"D-Do you have anywhere to stay?" She asked, causing him to smile ever so slightly. He shook his head "w-well if you like you could stay here with me"
"I'd love to"
"I'm sorry for not speaking much…"
"You're nervous" he softly spoke, moving his hand down to hers and gently ghosting his little finger across her knuckle. She glanced down at her hand and then up into his eyes.
"William…"
The pair stared at each other for a short while, a faint smile present on his lips when she took his hand into hers. In a lapse of judgement, he leaned forwards and tenderly kissed her. When their lips met, it was as if all of their combined nervousness and denial slipped away completely. As if it was basic instinct he reached up and cupped the side of her face, savouring every second that lasted between them. When she pulled away from him, William's faint smile had turned into a boylike grin.
"You're the only man that came back…" She recited the words she had spoke the day she had left him "I wished that we had married at times…I imagined our children, growing old together and sitting in matching chairs" Effie shook her head and sat a little closer to him, hesitantly resting her head on his shoulder "did you ever wish for anything like that?"
"Well, when I was injured, I had a sort of dream" William uttered as he wrapped his arm around her waist "We woke up together in each other's arms with our son crying in the corner. It took me a while to realise that it wasn't real but when I did you talked some sense into me"
Effie looked over the man that she loved so dearly and reached up to brush back a few stray hairs that had fallen from his braid "You've grown into a very handsome gentleman…"
"And you the most beautiful woman that walks the earth" William gazed down at the top of her head, his heart lifting when he felt her shift against him. In that moment he knew that it had been worth travelling, the wait and the pain just to have her in his arms once again.
But each time he tried to settle down and relish in the moment, he heard the sickening sounds of his sabre slicing through flesh in the back of his mind once again. Effie couldn't know about his nightmares, he wouldn't allow it, not even if they married. She'd leave him and declare him a madman. No, it was best if he kept this to himself.
