1853

Maude Bell surreptitiously adjusted her corset, covering her motion with her pink parasol. Confound the blasted heat this time of year! She brought the parasol back up, shading herself once more, and squinted at the stage. The orator was still droning on and on. Most of the graduates were managing to feign interest except one. She hoped no one else saw hinnnm mimicking, his mouth gaping open and shut like a fish. She sent daggers at the young man with the slick dark hair. Their eyes met and he stopped his impression, but not without a mischievous wink in her direction.

"Artemus Gordon, I should give you an earful," Maude grumbled under her breath.

Finally, the orator hushed and polite applause followed his walk off the platform. The president of the university stood and began to call the names of the graduates. Maude clasped a hand to her throat and waited, chest swollen with pride. Artemus walked to the president, shaking his hand as he received his degree. Artemus looked to her as he lined up with the graduates, grinning with all his teeth.

"Grandson?" the man next to Maude asked.

Maude snorted. "Great-Nephew. It's his third degree."

"Oh, professional scholar, eh?"

"Something like that," Maude returned.

Artemus waved from his waist. Maude unclasped her hand and waved back, hand pulled close against her chest. She sighed as she lowered it. Third degree. Now he was supposed to leave her. Ten years with him hadn't been nearly enough...

1843

"I hardly know the young man, and he's coming here...to live!"

"Why didn't you tell them to send him somewhere else?" Ida queried as she dropped two lumps of sugar into her tea.

"Well, I always did have a special place in my heart for my nephew, even if he was the black sheep," Maude explained, taking a sip out of her blue China bone cup.

"I heard the tales," Ida tittered.

"Yes, well, not all of them were true."

"Of course not," Ida agreed, though Maude didn't believe she believed that for a moment. Gossips. Give them an inch and they created a mile.

"Anyway, what was I supposed to do? I'm his closest living relative."

"But Maude, you're almost fifty!"

Maude scrunched up her nose. "And what does that mean? I have one foot in the grave?"

"Well, no, but to take in a youth at your age..."

Maude harrumphed. "It'll make me younger."

"He'll need guidance, supervision..."

"I raised my own, I can certainly give him that."

"I suppose." Ida continued to primly drink her tea and avoid Maude's suddenly cold gaze.

When Maude said good-bye to Ida on her doorstep, she waited until the severely thin woman had disappeared down the lane, then slipped outside to sit a moment on the veranda. The sun was near setting and she couldn't help but bask in the memory of sitting wrapped in Albert's arms so many years ago. She missed him most days even still.

Maude took a long breath as her great nephew intruded on her thoughts. Truth was, she hadn't had much of a relationship with her older sister. Maude had been too wild, so they said, traipsing here and there on exotic travels. She'd met Albert that way and luckily he was a man of wealth and position, easily approved by her family. She'd returned home and lived the life they expected, loving Albert and raising their children. She'd seen her sister a bit more then, but she was still severely aristocratic, surrounded by impenetrable barriers. How her sister ever got married Maude could never figure out!

Maude chuckled to herself. It's a wonder she even managed to have a child! She must have been the coldest thing in bed...Maude checked herself. She shouldn't think like that, especially of the dead. Well, have a child they did, a son they pinned all their hopes on and he defied them all. Her sister had been devastated the day she'd found a letter left by her son declaring he'd eloped and joined an acting troupe. Maude had secretly celebrated her nephew's freedom.

Maude picked at a wicker end coming loose on her rocker. And now he was dead, along with his wife. A fire, she'd been told, in an old building that had been turned into a makeshift theater. They'd been practicing and somehow been stuck in the blaze. But their son had been safely in a hotel down the street and now he was coming here.

Maude gazed out at the sunset. She might be older, but she longed for the noise of youth again. Maybe this great nephew would be a godsend after all.

When the carriage pulled up to the front of her vast lawn, Maude was waiting on its edge. She directed her manservant to take the luggage to the room she'd had prepared and sized up her new charge as he disembarked. He was almost the spitting image of her nephew, except for the dark hair. That belonged to his mother. He was broad shouldered even at thirteen, and his eyes seemed to shine with some secret knowledge.

Maude stepped forward. "Artemus? I'm your Great Aunt Maude."

Artemus blinked a couple times, then stepped forward and stretched up to kiss her on both cheeks. Maude's eyes widened and Artemus looked down at the proffered hand he'd overlooked. "I...should have shook it."

Maude nodded and hid her smile.

"Excuse me. Our last troupe was French."

"Oh," Maude said. Of course. He must have had quite the upbringing being raised in the theater.

"Je suis heureux de vous recontrer."

"French." Artemus nodded and Maude smiled. She recalled the sweet French tones. She'd known them once by heart, but lack of use had eroded her skill, although she understood his greeting easily. "Well, come then and I'll show you your room."

Artemus followed obediently behind her.

Over the next few weeks Maude observed her new charge. He may have been young, but his desire for knowledge was voracious. He'd brought a trunk along with him full of books and almost fainted when he saw Maude's personal library. He spent his time with his face buried in materials and every so often chattering away about his discoveries. He knew several languages, those he'd learned from foreign actors who'd joined troupes and those his mother taught him. Maude found his education had not been neglected. On the contrary, his various experiences formed the foundation of a vibrant education born of life. His father and mother had capitalized on his opportunities.

So exuberant was her great nephew that Maude simply assumed he'd conquered grief. But one day she'd wandered into his room to find him standing at the bay window, gazing on the park across the street. A book laid open on the bed, turned upside down, and she glanced at the title on its cover Hernani, ou l'Honneur Castillan. She didn't recognize it and turned it over. "Ah! A play!" she exclaimed.

"Yes," Artemus said. His voice was so very quiet and he hadn't turned from the window. Maude glanced over at the youth and saw with a start he rubbed at his cheek. "The one they were practicing when..."

Artemus turned away from the window to rush from the room, but Maude caught his arm. "Come now," she coaxed and drew him to the bed. She wrapped her arms around him and the youth was suddenly crying like a small child. After a time, his sobs subsided and he extricated himself from her grasp. He sat with his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands.

"It's foolish," Artemus mumbled. "Death is natural."

Maude put a hand on his back. "You look at me, Artemus Gordon." The youth met her eyes. "Crying isn't foolish. Not when it's about something like this. You've got to let it out sometimes to go on, you hear me?"

Artemus drew in a shaky breath. "I'm never going to see them again."

Maude gently pulled him to a sitting position and cupped his face in her hands. "No you aren't, not this side of heaven. But you've got me and I've got you and I'm not letting you go."

Artemus fell into her arms again, enfolding her in a great big bear hug and Maude felt she'd found a kindred spirit once more...

1853

"Aunt Maude, you know Lil."

Maude nodded to the girl Artemus had thrust in front of her. "I've seen her."

"Hello," the girl greeted.

Artemus beamed at the girl. Maude wondered if marriage was in the cards, but another young man appeared. "Hey, Lily! Time to go. We don't want to miss the luncheon." He gave Artemus a look of triumph.

Lily hugged Artemus briefly then pranced away on the arm of the gentleman. Artemus' face clouded over. Maude touched his arm. "You know I've filled home with a dozen beauties just waiting to hang on your arm."

Artemus grinned with half his mouth and took Maude's arm to escort her to their carriage. Once they were on their way, Maude let out a breath. "Well, tomorrow your future. Are you packed and ready?"

Artemus smiled. "I see. You want me out right after we celebrate."

Maude shook her head. "Of course I don't, but your train leaves so early. And don't forget I'm coming to visit within the month. I haven't been back to Boston in years. You'll love it there and with your rising mind you'll have the pick of the town. Your father used to love..."

"Aunt Maude?"

Maude broke off and glanced at her great nephew. "Yes?"

Artemus ran a hand through his hair and Maude creased her brow. He only did that when he had to say something uncomfortable. "Aunt Maude, you know I'm grateful. All the money you spent on colleges, universities, financing my degrees." He was speaking to the floor of the carriage.

"Don't butter me up, Artemus."

Artemus laughed nervously and looked up at her. "I just want you to know how grateful I am."

"And?"

Artemus swallowed. "I'm not going to Boston."

Maude sat up straight. "Heavens, why not? You've got a job waiting, a profession to begin, not to mention journals to publish." On top of the ones he'd already published. With his intellect, he could start his own journal. She'd never seen someone with so much potential. "It's that Lily Fortune!" Maude suddenly shouted. "You're eloping, like your father."

Artemus looked startled. "What? No." He laughed. "No."

"Well, what then?"

Artemus ran a hand through his dark hair again and then fixed her with his brown eyes. "Funny you should mention me doing something like my father...I've joined a theater troupe heading to Chicago."

Maude stared. She hadn't been speechless in a long time and as the moments ticked by, Artemus grew more uncomfortable and finally spoke again.

"Chemistry, mechanics, electricity, all of it, it's great, but...to be stuck in a lab or at a desk..."

"You love the discovery," Maude managed.

Artemus nodded. "Yes, but it's not...well, it's not...exciting enough. Anything I'd produce would be owned."

"You can start your own company. I'll provide the capital."

Artemus shook his head. "I don't want you to spend any more on me."

"I want to."

"The point is, I want to do something on my own, something...free."

Maude meant to speak on, lecturing on the security of his future, throwing away his skills, but her sister's voice echoed in her head, lamenting all the failings of her genius son thrown away on drama. Maude closed her mouth and considered her great nephew. His brown eyes pleaded with her to understand. He'd been in several amateur plays, and she knew he excelled also at that. He made people laugh and cry. No doubt, he'd succeed.

"What are you going to do with your other skills?"

Artemus sat back in his seat, relaxing now he had her approval. "I'll keep up with them. Submit to journals."

Maude harrumphed. "I guess every man should have a hobby."

Artemus chuckled and sighed. "You've been too good to me."

Maude looked down her nose at him. "Not good enough if you're throwing away three perfectly good degrees."

Artemus smiled, knowing her statement was mostly in jest.

"Do you want to be near them?" Maude asked as the carriage pulled up to her door and she heard the twittering of the friends that had gathered to celebrate Artemus' graduation.

Artemus paused with his hand on the door handle. He looked down a moment, then back at her. "I never thought about it, but probably. I think I can't help it. The stage is in my blood."

He opened the door and let Maude exit first, then marched up the steps to the waiting crowd. Maude watched him go, absentmindedly swinging her parasol. What would become of her great nephew? Whatever happened, the world better hang on. Artemus Gordon was about to be unfettered.