Chapter 22
Andrew
Dumfries
April 13-14, 1912

Andrew gasped as he opened his eyes, throwing the blankets from his body. His nightshirt was sticking to his chest, soaked through with sweat. He got up from bed, going over to the fireplace to warm himself and change shirts.

He usually didn't have trouble sleeping, especially after a day like today where he had held not one but two concerts for the school. He glanced at Alice sleeping heavily in the bed, apparently not noticing his absence as she rolled over. He collapsed in the nearby chair, rubbing the sleep from his eyes when suddenly a chill went up his spine as he remembered the dream that had roused him.

There had been one of the violins he'd built floating in the sea. But it wasn't just any violin, it was the one he had made for Jock. At first, it merely floated and bobbed on the water, letting the current carry it to and fro. But after a while, water began to seep into its F-holes, dragging it beneath the waves. Andrew had been there too, desperately fighting for air under the surface. But no matter how hard he fought to catch it, he could only watch helplessly as Jock's violin sank from view and into the dark sea below.

"Andrew?"

Alice was sitting up in bed. "What are you doing up?"

"Bad dream," he said, watching the embers of the fire flicker. "It was about Jock."

Alice rolled her eyes. "You spend too much time worrying about that boy. In fact, he isn't even a boy. He's a grown man!"

"How can I not worry about him?" Andrew said. "I never know where he is, he's engaged to that concubine, and he was my prodigy!"

"Come back to bed," Alice said, lying back down. "You're tired and confused. You'll be able to think more clearly in the morning."

Before he even had a chance to reply, she was snoring. He indeed came back to bed, but remained awake for a long time as the image of the sinking violin refused to leave his thoughts.

It was late the next day when Andrew finally woke. Alice had started the day without him, letting him catch up on sleep after his restless night. He rolled over to check his clock which read ten in the morning. He lazily stretched before getting out of bed. As he splashed water on his face and put on his robe, he couldn't recall the nightmare that had haunted him just a few hours before.

The sound of arguing from downstairs tore him from his thoughts. He went to the sitting room where he found Alice, Grace, and Kate all bantering with one another. Andy was nowhere to be found, probably hiding to avoid being dragged into the argument as well. His younger son was much warmer to Alice than the rest of his children; probably because he had been too young to remember his own mother.

"Why must we go to church?" Grace moaned, throwing herself on the nearby couch. "Da's exhausted and today's my only day off from work."

Kate came to her sister's side, giving Alice the coldest stare she could manage. "Don't be so cruel," Kate said to her stepmother. "You know very well Grace works the hardest of all of us. At least she has a job, unlike others in this family."

"You watch your mouth," Andrew said. All three women jumped, not realizing he had been watching them from the base of the stairs. "Don't speak to your stepmother that way."

Kate's gaze hardened as she glared at him, crossing her arms across her chest. "But you know it's true. Why should we listen to anything she says? All she does is criticize and berate us while we all go out and contribute to this family."

Alice burst into laughter while Andrew rolled his eyes, pouring himself a cup of tea in the kitchen before coming into the sitting room as well. "You think you contribute to this family? You're still in school, little girl!"

Kate, who had always been unafraid to show her emotions, burst into tears. Andrew went back into the kitchen, wanting more than anything to separate himself from the womenfolk in his family at the moment. But as he ate his breakfast, Kate refused to stop crying, only irritating Alice more and giving Grace an even stronger alliance with her sister.

"Andrew!"

He couldn't help but slam his fist down on the table as he heard Alice calling for him. There had not been a moment's peace in his life since the children were born. They were rebellious, disrespectful, and always preferred his late wife over him. Their mother had been a foolish choice, one he made when he was young and didn't understand the longevity of the commitment of marriage. Alice had been his first true love, a real partner to him. The children would never forgive them for marrying so soon after their mother's death.

"Enough," he said, coming back into the room for the third time. "Kate, go to your room and work on your studies for the rest of the morning. I don't want to see you before luncheon."

Kate looked a mess, with tear-stained eyes, blotchy cheeks, and her hair was reflective of the chaotic scene around them. Her bottom lip pouted, making her look more like a small child rather than a fifteen year-old girl. "This isn't fair," she said as she stomped up the stairs.

"You're not going to church, which is what you wanted all along," Alice sneered at her. "You should be happy."

Kate turned around so quickly she nearly lost her footing on the steps. "How can you stand by when you see how cruelly she treats us?" she said to Andrew, pointing to Alice. "But you don't care about us, do you? The only one you really care about is Jock. Why are we treated like lesser beings when he's sleeping around with women from all over the world? Even when he's engaged! I'm sure it won't be long before we get a letter from some woman begging us for money over his bastard child."

Andrew stiffened. "Go upstairs now, Kate, and pray for your own sins. When we return from church, I expect to find your school essays completed."

Even though Grace hated her stepmother as much as Nellie, Jock, and Kate, he was grateful that she was like his first wife, soft spoken and obedient. Andrew, Alice, Grace, and Andy were sitting in the service an hour later, but Andrew couldn't seem to concentrate on the sermon and continued to get lost in his own thoughts. Although he would never admit it, there was truth in Kate's earlier backlash. It had taken many years for Andrew to accept that his oldest son had committed to performing at sea rather than for a great conservatory. He had also never approved of Jock's courtship to the Costin girl. But Jock was a man with no supervision or chaperone to guide him when he was away from home.

As the priest closed the service in prayer, Andrew squeezed his eyes shut and clasped his hands together in desperation.

Please God, he prayed. Keep Jock out of trouble. Please don't let Kate prove herself right.


More Hume dramaaaaa. I'm really not exaggerating much of the tension in this family...