Fall 12

I cut into the last few bites of my honey and strawberry jam slathered French toast with delight. My little daughter seemed to be enjoying her breakfast as well as I felt her movements of joy.

The door of the dining hall opened as Cecilia stepped in, giving a curtsy.

"Apologies for the intrusion. Master Max, Miss Rosalind. Jack and Barrett stopped by. They have a favor to ask of you two."

"Ah, a favor?" I asked in confusion.

"Yes, and I believe you two will be for it! Especially you, Miss Rosalind!" Ceci exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Oh? I really hope Jack is proposing to you!" Father exclaimed as I felt my face flush.

"Well…no, sir. Not this time at least." Cecilia replied before giving us another curtsy.

"I'll leave you to finish. Jack and Barrett said they'll meet the both of you at the church." And with that Ceci left. I heard my father sigh.

"When is Jack going to propose?" Father asked in an impatient manner.

"He'll propose when the time is right, father!" Max exclaimed, enthusiastically.

"The time is right, though! If he can plant his seed into my daughter, then he can propose to my daughter as well!"

"He has plenty of time! As long as he does it before Spring when the baby's supposed to be born!" Max said, standing from his seat.

"Anyway, I'll wait for you at the entrance, Rosalind." Max said as I took a final drink of my apple juice.

"No need to! I'm ready to head to the church!" I exclaimed as Max nodded.

"We'll see you later, father." I said, giving my father a wave.

Max opened the heavy doors of the church as we both stepped inside. Barrett, Jack, and Julia's backs were turned towards us as Gordon was the first to acknowledge us.

"Great! You two made it on time!" Gordon exclaimed.

"By the way, congratulations on the baby girl, Rosalind!" He exclaimed as I blushed.

"Th-thank you, Gordon." I replied.

"So, what is going on?" Max asked as I noticed Barrett blushing from the corner of my eye.

"I have no idea. Jack and Barrett popped by the bathhouse and asked me to come to the church." Julia said while shrugging her shoulders. We all looked over towards Gordon.

"Actually, I'd like to know the same thing. Barrett asked me to send Dorothy to do some random errands, but he never explained why." Gordon said as Jack pushed Barrett towards Gordon.

"Jack, stop pushing me!" Barrett scolded through gritted teeth.

"You said when everyone gets here, you'd ask Gordon…and everyone's here, so ask!" Jack said.

"What else do you need to ask me?" Gordon asked as Barrett's face became more red.

"I-I…" Barrett began.

"Go on, Barrett! Ask!" Jack exclaimed.

"If it's another surprise date; you'd better hurry before Dorothy comes back from running those errands!" Gordon said in a joking manner.

"I…want to…ask-for-your-daughter's-hand-in-marriage." Barrett said the last seven words rather quickly as my eyes widened. Barrett never seemed to be the marriage type! Then again, Dorothy did seem to have changed him for the better! I noticed Gordon's face was rather displeased looking.

"Did you…just say…what I think you said?" Gordon said, with such cold fury as I noticed Barrett's face turn white. Why was Gordon so against it? Was it because it was too soon? Or maybe Douglas rubbed off on him a bit? Barrett lowered his head in shame.

"I-I'm sorry, sir. I'll never ask agai…"

"Bah! I'm just messing with you, Barrett!" Gordon exclaimed, giving one of his usual hearty laughs as I felt a bit relieved.

"Despite your beginning in this town, you've been such a great influence on my daughter! I can see how much happier she's become…I can see how much she means to you. I can see how much you two love each other. You have my blessings, Barrett. Take care of Dorothy!" Gordon said as Barrett's face lit up.

"I will! Thank you, sir!" Barrett exclaimed in happiness.

"Still, there's something I don't understand. Why did you need Jack, Rosalind, Max, and Julia to ask for my blessings?" Gordon looked over towards Max and me as my brother and I shrugged at each other.

"That's the other part of the plan!" Jack exclaimed. "Barrett and I have been putting together an idea since the Adventure Contest."

"Yeah, that day was not a good day. I was nervous and uncomfortable the entire time." Barrett sighed as Max furrowed his brows.

"What? Uncomfortable? Why?" Max asked.

"Ah…it was during when Rosalind and my relationship was a secret and…" Jack said.

"I saw them making out in front of the church…so, I guess to hide their relationship, Jack approached me with open arms as if he were about to make out with me as well." Barrett finished as my brother made a snort.

"I almost forgot about that!" Julia exclaimed as Gordon laughed.

"I kept a close eye on Jack the entire time at church; at least until their relationship was public." Gordon exclaimed while laughing.

"Yes, that really wasn't a good idea, dear." I said with a sigh.

"Well, what was I supposed to do? Tell Barrett that we were in a secret relationship and ask him not to tell?" Jack exclaimed embarrassingly.

"Actually, that would have been the better option instead of freaking me out." Barrett said, crossing his arms.

"Plus I put the pieces together, what with Dorothy saying she wanted to get married someday while Jack, Rosalind, and Julia were present before we started going out and with the rumor that Rosalind was pregnant."

"Anyway!" Jack exclaimed, "Let's go back to the engagement plan!" He turned his attention towards Gordon.

"Dorothy has told Barrett that she would like to see the capital. And Mayor Byron has ties to some of the people in the capital! So, the plan is to rent out a whole restaurant tomorrow afternoon. The owner of said restaurant owes Byron a favor!"

"And I assume you, Rosalind, Max, and Julia are going to tag along as a support group?" Gordon asked as Jack nodded.

"Yeah. I have enough money saved up to rent two rooms at a nearby hotel. The girls will sleep in one room and the guys in the other." Jack said.

"Eh, however, we'll definitely have to think of another plan…the trip is kind of long. It takes almost a full day to get there from Alvarna." Barrett said with a sigh. "I doubt you'd want me to take your daughter away for that lon…"

"Alright then! You kids have fun! You better get packing now if you want to make it to the capital by this evening!" Gordon exclaimed, interupting Barrett as Barrett's eyes widened.

"Uh, what?" Barrett asked, in both a shocked and confused tone of voice.

"Oh, right! You can't leave without the future bride, can you?" Gordon exclaimed while giving one of his signature laughs.

"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be…"

"D-dad? I g-got the pumpkins you a-asked me to get." Dorothy said while opening the door. Her expression changed to confusion when she saw all of us there.

"W-what's going o-on?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing much! Say, Dorothy! How would you like to go on a trip with your friends and boyfriend to the capital?" Gordon asked as I saw Dorothy's face turn red.

"W-what? T-the capital?" Dorothy asked nervously.

"Oh, do you not want to go anymor…" Barrett began.

"N-no! I-I do w-want to go! B-but…" Dorothy exclaimed before looking over towards her father.

"A-are you okay with me g-going with Barrett b-by myself?" Dorothy asked.

"Ah, it's not just going to be just you and Barrett! If that were the case, I wouldn't have been so on board! Jack, Rosalind, Max, and Julia are going with you two!"

"A-and you're okay? W-with me being gone?" Dorothy asked.

"Of course! You're only going to be gone for a few days at least! Besides, I trust Barrett to take care of you during the trip!" Gordon said as Dorothy pondered for a minute before smiling.

"Alright!" She exclaimed with such enthusiasm.

"What? Alright, as in…you want to go?" Barrett asked as Dorothy nodded. Julia and I squealed in delight.

"This will be the best vacation ever!" Julia exclaimed.

"Ah, Julia?" Max began as I saw Julia blush, a hopeful look in her eyes. "Who's going to watch the bathhouse?"

Julia's expression changed from hopeful to a look of horror.

"Oh my god! Who is going to watch the bathhouse?!" Julia exclaimed before turning her attention towards Jack.

"And who's going to take care of the farm?!"

"I've already taken care of both." Jack said as I blinked at him in confusion.

"Taken care of…both?" I asked as he nodded.

"Yeah! I asked Douglas if he would watch the farm and Mana offered to watch the bathhouse for Julia!" Jack explained as Julia's eyes sparkled.

"In that case, I better teach Mana a few things!" Julia exclaimed, running out of the church.

"Wait! Julia! You don't have time to…aaaaand she's gone." Max exclaimed, sighing at the end.

Max and I were waiting at Falling Star Path with our luggage that we had quickly packed at the last minute; the carriage for the capital was to arrive here at noon. We would be at the capital by ten PM at the latest.

Jack was the next one to arrive, carrying a decent sized rucksack.

"You're not taking much, Jack?" Max said, or rather asked as Jack smiled.

"I don't really need much. Just some clothes and basic necessities…money too." Jack replied as Max shrugged.

Barrett and Dorothy were the next ones to arrive.

"I-I can carry my suitcase, Barrett." Dorothy said with a sigh.

"They're really not that heavy. So, don't worry, darling!" Barrett said with a smile as we all tried to hold back our laughter. Max's snort being the loudest.

"What's so funny?" Barrett asked us in a serious tone.

"Sorry, Barrett…just hearing you say the word darling is just…so out of character for you." Max admitted.

"Speaking of helping…Julia needs help with her suitcase, Max! If you'd be so kind." Barrett said in an annoyed tone.

"Hm? Oh, sure! Is she still at the bathhouse?" Max asked as Barrett nodded. My brother rushed away from us.

"Aw, that was nice of you, Barrett." I said as Barrett furrowed his brows.

"Uh, nice, how?" He asked as I pursed my lips.

"Well, since Julia has a huge crush on my brother, and you sent him off to help her." I said as Barrett held a shock expression.

"I…actually did not know that Julia likes Max!" Barrett admitted as my eyes widened.

"What? You…didn't?" I asked as Barrett shook his head.

"I just sent Max to help Julia because she packed at least three heavy suitcases. Not to mention her two smaller handbags. That was payback for Max laughing at me for saying the word darling."

"Uh, you do realize, Barrett, that the three of us were laughing at you…not just Max." Jack said as Barrett shrugged.

"Well, I'm not heartless enough to send Rosalind to help out in her condition, and I know you're going to need the strength in case Rosalind needs help. Plus Max's laugh was the loudest, so…"

"Oh my god, Julia!" Max exclaimed, slightly panting. "We're only going to be gone for three or four days! Not three or four years!"

"Well, I need to make sure I have extra in case of an emergency!" Julia argued back.

"Emergency? Did you pack Natalie in one of these bags?" Max asked as Jack sighed.

"Hold on, Max! I'll help you out." Jack said as I overheard Barrett snickering.

"Pull the carriage over, please!" I exclaimed as the carriage came to a halt, I pushed the doors open, climbing out as fast as I could; upchucking what little left I had in me. Jack was holding my hair back, as I blushed. It was already six PM and I was sure everyone was tired of me having to stop the carriage every so often. And I was positive the driver was getting annoyed as well. I coughed a few times as Jack started rubbing my back.

"You're okay, Rosalind." Jack said comfortingly as I began to tear up.

"I shouldn't have come, I'm sorry." I said.

"No, don't say that. Everyone understands your situation." Jack said, as he helped me to my feet.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked as I nodded, heading back into the carriage. My face was a deep red color in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry…" I said quietly.

"Think nothin' o' it, missus!" The driver exclaimed, "I'm gonna go 'head and assume ye're the mummy ta be?"

I blushed as my eyes widened.

"Ah, yes! But, how did you know that?"

"Well, Byron told me tha situation. Usually, a trip ta tha capital wouldn'ta taken as long as I estimated. Normally, we woulda made it to tha capital by eight or nine PM…so I assumed after stoppin' three times for ye ta upchuck, tha' ye were tha mummy ta be!" He exclaimed as I blushed deeper.

"Nothin' ta be ashamed of, missus! In fact!" He reached to his right and handed a package between Barrett and Dorothy.

"If one of ye would be so kind as ta give this ta tha mummy ta be!" Dorothy grabbed the package, handing it to me. I opened it to a loaf of bread and a jar of water.

"Ah, thank you?" I asked, not sure what to think.

"It's meh wife's homemade soda bread and ginger water! Helped meh wife with her sickness when she was pregnant with our son!"

"Oh! Thank you!" I exclaimed, I started to rip off a piece, but my brother grabbed my hand.

"Rosalind." Max began in a low whisper, "I think you should let me try a piece, just to make sure it's safe."

I sighed and nodded, as Max ripped off a piece of the bread; popping it in his mouth. I noticed tears streaming down his face as my eyes widened.

"M-Max?" I asked in worry, was the bread poisonous?

"Oh my god! Max?" Jack asked, noticing Max's streaming tears, everyone started to freak out.

"Ah, should I pull the carriage o'er?" The driver asked.

"Yes!" I exclaimed, "What kind of sick, deranged person are you?" I asked as the driver blinked in confusion.

"Eh, what?" He asked as Max began to cough.

"That…was the absolute worst thing to ever hit my tongue! It has no flavor!"

"O' course it doesn't have any flavor! S'supposed ta be easy on tha stomach!" The driver exclaimed as my eyes widened.

"Ah…s-so…besides the lack of flavor, Max? Are you okay?" I asked as my brother nodded.

"Besides the plainness, it's safe to eat, Rosalind." Max said, giving me a thumbs up as I groaned.

"I-I'm very sorry about that, sir." I said, my face red in embarrassment.

"I's no problem, missus. I woulda done tha same as the lad. Though, I shoulda warned ye 'bout the lack o' flavor!"

I felt someone shake my shoulder as I fluttered my eyes open. I sat up straight and tall.

"Did you have a nice nap, Rosalind?" Max asked as I blushed slightly.

"I fell asleep?" I asked in embarrassment.

"Why are you embarrassed? You're gonna need the rest before that darling niece of mine comes into the world!" I looked around the carriage, noticing no one except Max and I was inside.

"Where is everyone else?" I asked as Jack entered the carriage again.

"Ah, good! You're awake!" Jack exclaimed.

"Everyone else is already outside of the carriage. Unloading the luggage." Max explained as I furrowed my brows at him in confusion.

"Why didn't you help?" I asked.

"Because you fell asleep on my shoulder." Max said with a chuckle as I groaned.

"Uh, anyway, Max? Care to take my pouch and pay for our rooms?" Jack asked, handing my brother his pouch as Max pushed the pouch back towards Jack.

"I'll pay." Max said, "You keep that, because you're gonna need it! Especially with my sweet little niece coming into the world soon!"

I noticed Jack was blushing slightly as Max left the carriage.

"Let's help you out of here, my darling." Jack said as I nodded, allowing Jack to help me out of the carriage.

The hotel we were staying in was actually very nice and pristine! One of the staff members was sneering at Jack as she walked towards us.

"I'm sorry, sir." She began in such a snotty tone, "But this is Cloud Nine Hotel. The best hotel in the kingdom! I think your kind would be more suitable at the motel just several miles down the road from here."

I noticed Jack blushing in shame as the woman turned her attention towards me.

"Good evening, madame! Are you interested in a room for the night?" I felt my blood boil. This woman was acting like everything was fine and dandy.

"Yes." I began, "I would like to rent a room for my husband and myself."

"Wonderful! Congratulations, by the way!" She motioned towards my belly. "Shall we wait for your husband?"

"No need to, he's already here. I also wish to speak to the one in charge." I said as her face turned white.

"Ah, a-any reason, Madame?" I nodded.

"Everything will sort itself out when you get them." I replied as the woman nodded.

"Ah, ye-yes, ma'am." As she ran off to find the manager. My eyes widened as I noticed Jack was trying to hold back tears.

"Jack? Please don't listen to her." I said quietly as Jack looked at the ground.

"I can't help but listen to her. What kind of future will I be able to provide for our daughter, not to mention you?" Jack asked before looking into my eyes.

"You're so used to a luxurious life…that…I don't think I could provide for you nor our little cutie with the things you two deserve." Jack admitted as I smiled at him.

"You don't need to worry about that. I'm sure my family will help out if need be. You just need to provide us with the things we need. And I know you can do that!" Jack returned my smile as the staff member from earlier came towards us.

"She'll be here momentarily." She said, as she sneered at Jack again.

"What are you still doing here?" She asked rudely as an older woman stood behind her.

"Danielle! That is no way to speak to a customer." The older woman scolded as the staff member jumped.

"Ah! M-Madame Robinson! But he isn't a customer, as you can see from the way he's dre…"

"Actually…This man is a customer!" I exclaimed, the rude staff member looked at me in confusion.

"I am Rosalind de Sainte-Coquille. And this man you have insulted…is my husband!" Her eyes suddenly widened in horror.

"Y-your hus…what?" She asked nervously as I placed my hands on my hips.

"It's a social experiment. I dressed my husband like this to see how people would react to his appearance, and no one suspects his social status. Which made this experiment very easy to pull off." I said as the staff member started shaking.

"See? You really shouldn't judge people, Danielle. And I hope you learn that with your next job." The older woman said as Danielle gave her a look of horror.

"W-what?" She asked as the older woman sighed.

"You've done similar things three other times. I can't give you any more chances. You're fired, Danielle." The woman said as I noticed the staff-member was shaking. She took her apron off and handed it to the older woman.

"Th-thank you, for the opportunity Madame Robinson." She bowed before leaving the hotel.

"I do apologize for that, Mr. and Mrs. de Sainte-Coquille." The older woman said, giving us a bow.

"It's not your fault, madame!" I exclaimed.

"Ah, you two are wishing to book a room, right?" The older woman asked as I shook my head.

"Actually, my brother…" I began as the sing-song voice of my brother rang out.

"I've got the room keys for everyone, you two!" As my brother held up three keys.

"Ah, Max? We only needed two rooms." I said

"No, Barrett, Dorothy, Julia, and myself need the two separate rooms. You two, on the other hand…get your own room to yourselves!" Max exclaimed, handing me a key.

"We're all on the same floor, and not far from each other! In fact, Barrett and I are right next door to Julia and Dorothy and you two are across the hall from us." Max explained as the older woman smiled.

"Well, don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything else." She said, giving us a bow.

"Enjoy your stay."

Jack and I entered our room as I blushed at how nice it was.

"Don't stay up too late." Max said with a chuckle, "And if you need anything, remember; we're right across the hall."

"Thank you, Max." Jack said as Max smiled.

"Think nothing of it!" Max left as I sighed in exhaustion.

"I'm going to dress into my nightclothes and use the bathroom." I said, taking my suitcase towards the bathroom.

"Alright." Jack said as I closed the door behind me, unzipping my suitcase, I rummaged through the clothes. Where was my nightgown?

I noticed a note pinned on a deep plum, silky looking outfit. I don't remember packing this…in fact I don't even know what this outfit is!

I pulled the outfit and blushed. It was a very skimpy, short, and lacy nightgown as I read the note attached. I let out a huge groan.

"Oh my god, Max!" I exclaimed in embarrassment.

"Uh, are you okay in there, Rosalind?" Jack asked as I sighed.

"Yes, I'm fine! I just need to have a very serious word with my brother tomorrow morning." I slipped on the nightgown and blushed before using the bathroom. I washed my hands, peeking out at Jack who was looking through a brochure.

"Ah, Jack?" I asked with pink cheeks as he looked up.

"Yes?" He asked as my face flushed a deeper color.

"Could you turn around?" I squeaked.

"Uh, why?" He asked.

"This nightgown is a little embarrassing." I admitted as Jack gave me a questionable look.

"Embarrassing, how?"

"It shows a bit too much." I squeaked as Jack blinked at me in confusion.

"I've seen more of you than that nightgown will show, Rosalind. Did you forget about our daughter?" He asked as I blushed.

"Ah, no…but…" He smiled.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll turn around." He said, turning his back towards me as I felt relieved, walking out.

"Thank you, Jack…I just hate how tight it is around my midriff." I admitted.

"Is it uncomfortable?" He asked.

"Yes, and it's the fact that I've gained so much weight. I look disgusting."

"I bet you don't look disgusting." Jack said while chuckling.

"Well, I do want to discuss something with you, that will probably involve eye contact so…l-let me sit down next to you first." I said, taking a seat on the bed next to Jack.

"Alright, you can look at me, now." I said with a sigh.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm sure." I said shyly.

"Uh, you don't sound so sure." He said as I blushed, I felt his hands intertwine with mine, but his back was still turned.

"I won't do anything that you don't want, so…if I have to face away from you…I'll do it." He said with such sincerity.

"Jack…I-thank you." I blushed before grabbing his face to turn it towards me, pressing his lips against mine. I grabbed onto his strong shoulders to keep myself from swooning as his hands rested at the back of my neck.

We eventually broke the kiss as I noticed Jack's eyes were still closed.

"Ah, you can look at me now, Jack." I said with more confidence as his eyes fluttered open; his mouth slowly gaped open.

"Oh my god! You look beautiful, Rosalind!" He exclaimed, turning his attention towards my belly.

"Don't you agree that your mom is beautiful, sweetheart? And I bet you'll be even more beautiful, my little cutie!" He exclaimed as I blushed.

"Speaking of our little cutie...I think it's time we think of a name for her." I said as Jack's face beamed.

"I actually have an idea for a name!" Jack exclaimed as I blushed.

"You do? What is it?" I asked as Jack smiled.

"I think we should name her Jacqueline." Jack said in a proud and serious way as I furrowed my brows at him slightly.

"Eh, I don't think our daughter would appreciate me calling you two inside for dinner. Imagine me calling out Jack and Jacqueline. Or, if we decided to shorten it. Jack and Jaquie. That's even more confusing." I said as Jack pouted.

"But, I think she'd be honored to be named after her daddy." Jack said as I sighed.

"We can give her the middle name Jacqueline." I said as Jack's eyes lit up.

"Well, it's a start." Jack said as I groaned.

"And now we have to start thinking, in a serious manner, about her first name." I said.

"B-but I was serious about Jacqueline!" Jack exclaimed.

"And I like it as her middle name!" I admitted as it became silent with our thinking.

"Hmm…" Jack placed his hand to his chin.

"Oh! How about Gwendolyn? After your mother?" He asked with enthusiasm as I looked down, shaking my head.

"No, my mother actually hated her name. I do want to give our daughter something from my mother in some way…but her name is not one of them." I said in defeat, resting my elbow on my knees, placing my cheek in my hand. Name choosing was more difficult than I thought.

"I know she's told me that if she had a choice, her name would have been Clara." I said with a giggle as I felt quick movement from my abdomen.

"Oh? Really? She liked the name Clara? Well, why didn't she name you Clara?" Jack asked as I felt the baby move in a way that was strange.

"Well, my parents didn't think Clara fit me when I was born." I said as the baby's movement became more vicious. It was silent for a moment as our daughter's movement calmed down.

"Clara." I said, the baby started up her hyperactive movements. My eyes widened.

"Clara." I said again as she moved with such passion.

"Uh, do you like Clara?" Jack asked as our little cutie's movement became faster.

"Yes, and I believe your daughter likes the name too. She's moving so energetically." I said as Jack's eyes lit up.

"You like the name, Clara?" He asked my abdomen as she started moving with more passion.

"Actually, I like it too! Clara Jacqueline de Sainte-Coquille." Jack said with a huge smile on his face. I smiled back in return.

"Yes, I love it too!" I said as I closed my eyes, my mother's approving silhouette etched behind my eyelids as I imagined what my little Clara would look like.