As Kit and Nat stepped out of the dying crowd of the wharf, Kit felt a tinge of excitement in her stomach. The memories of the past year at Wethersfield came back to her and as they did, she almost felt foolish for not discerning that she liked Nat. Nat's gentle tug at her arm brought her back to reality, in which she found them agianst each other in the middle of the road a good distance away from the wharf.
"Look, Kit-" His low voice sending chills down her back. "I have waited so long and I just love you so." And with that he bent down his head and he kissed her. A sense of love and passion came upon her just like the waves in those terrifying Atlantic storms. She now understood what Mercy felt when she saw her looking at John Holbrook that one evening that only she had seen. It was love, plain and simple. A feeling of selflessness, A feeling of acceptance and a feeling of just everything being so right. They stayed like that, never truly faltering, but always wondering when this moment of bliss would end. They only stopped when they began to hear footsteps close by them. They quickly separated and turned to look at whoever had caught them.
They faced a few members ofThe Witchas they were delivering a package to one Hannah Tupper. "Are we intruding on something?" One of then men in the back yelled out in a mocking manner. "No, nothing at all." Nat said with his face a bright color of crimson. "Why don't you go on ahead of us." The men all gave smug smiles at each other before walking ahead. "Oh Nat, That just felt so lovely along with the fact that the person on the other end is the most stunning I've ever met in my life" "I would say the same thing about you too." Kit then leaned up and kissed Nat again. This one was shorter as Nat had pulled away. She worried if she had done something wrong by initiating it herself.
"Kit, my dear, I do want this to continue but we must continue onward to you uncle's house. Les not forget we are not married yet." And with that they linked hands and walked close enough that one wrong step would trip them both over. "Nat, I can't wait to get onto the new ship. I have longed for months to get back onto the water after experiencing my first winter." She shuddered at the coldness of that winter and all the snow that had fallen. "Twas hard to be couped up inside that house all day with no source of joy in the day." "I agree with you since after several winters here as a young child, I longed to be onThe Dolphinagain." Nat said with a definite answer. As they talked and walked along the road, sometimes half flirting with each other.
They would receive the occasional odd look from a passerby but nobody had said anything besides the crew ofThe Witch. "Nat, I cant wait to be Mistress Eaton and be referred to as that for the rest of my days." She was so excited that some of her words were mumbling with how fast she was speaking. But Nat heard every word, since he was so infatuated with her that it was hard to focus on anything but her. "And I can't wait to be able to face every new day withyou. Every storm, Every day spent inching along the river, Every day on the open ocean, You'll be with me and I'll be with you. I also can hardly wait." He told her with such excitement as a child experiencing their first Christmas. As they walked closer to the house both grew ever increasingly silent as the tension hit them like a strong gale wind. This moment would change both of their lives forever one they stepped foot in the house. This one moment would determine how their lives played out and it was all in the hands of oneMathew Wood. They stopped at the door and exchanged one final kiss before stepping past the threshold into the house.
They stood next to each other as the door closed letting everyone know of their presence. Rachel looked up at the two and initially was in shock before a smile grew on her slightly wrinkled face. Saying nothing she put another plate on the table before going to get Mathew who was upstairs. Mercy then looked at the two and began to smile aswell. " Oh Kit! Is this the handsome seaman who had helped you in the trial and was the one who helped you thatch Hannah's roof." She said with a slight sly tone. " Kit, tis just perfect. I give you my blessing." With that Kit went to go hug mercy as john spoke up. "I knew right from the first day on The Dolphin that you two were perfect for each other. Twas only a matter of time and God's providence to get you to admit that you liked Nat and he the same.' Suddenly as almost on queue, Mathew Wood stepped out into the room and everyone looked at him. His face had a smug grin on it as he walked closer to the two young people in the doorway.
"Why tis Nathanial Eaton, the sailor, the one who was sent to the stocks after putting pumpkins in thee William Ashby's new home, the one who saved Kit from being sent to Hartford for a trial" Kit was puzzled, there was no definite answer from him, it seemed as though either answer could happen with the way he was addressing Nat. "Yes, sir. it is me Nathanial Eaton. I am here to talk to you about the prospect of me marrying-" "Why don't we speak outside, Nathanial?" Her uncle told them in a slightly serious manner.
Kit and Nat shared a final loving glance before he stepped outside with Mathew. As the door closed, Kit felt a tinge of anxiousness that cause a slight bit of tears to escape her eyes. Rachel looked at her and ran over to give her a hug. " Tis okay Kit, from what I know about Nathanial Eaton, he has the resolve to hold against your uncle. He will test Nat's confidence and mettle but your uncle will not scare him away." Kit knew it would, but what she would give to just have a listen to their conversation.
As the door closed behind him, Nat began to prepare himself to answer any question thrown his way. "Why did you put those jack-o-lanterns in the windows of William Ashby's new home?" Nat knew that hew was not going to make this easy on him, but he prepared and knew that he loved Kit too much to back away now. "I did that prank out of jealousness since William was set to marry my beloved Kit. I now know that tis was a stupid prank that could have burned down his house." He cleared his throat before continuing. "I am sorry for any bad feelings or anger that i may have festered by doing such a act." He said with some shame.
"Why do you want to marry my niece?" Mathew looked at the young man and began to rock back on the back of his bucked shoes. "I want to marry her since I know that she is my everything. The way we both get each other and-" Nat stopped to think for a moment and remembered how he always heard that Mathew liked men who could make up their own mind and were confident in there abilities, so with this thought and pushing his blonde hair out of his eyes, he decided to not hold anything back.
"I am infatuated with her! Everything she does is amazing to me. it doesn't matter is she just carding wool or helping a lady thatch her roof with straw in her hair. She is just so nice and just so perfect in every way. i will admit at first she frustrated me abut her being a tiny bit immature with no self control" He paused for a second before continuing. "But I realize I was just suppressing my love for her. I know that I don't have the best reputation after the prank i played on William Ashby. And I am sorry for that. I know I can't buy her the nicest things money could buy and I know that all i have is a ship. But I will protect her and make sure she is safe." After he finished, his face was a bright scarlet after remembering all that he has just said to this man. After clearing his throat, He sighed and a smile appeared on his face almost out of thin air.
" Ah, tis the wonders of youthful love. I remember being 20 and being so inconceivably in love with Rachel. It hurt to be away from her and every time that i was with her, we were inseparable. never leaving the other's side. But I have one final question." Nat stood still as he braced for whatever Matthew was about to throw at him. "Say you and Kit were in a situation where it was life or death. Would you let yourself live or sacrifice yourself for her?" Based on the question, it was obvious what the answer was to Nat. " I would sacrifice myself for her. i don't care if she moves on from me and decides to go marry somebody else, I don't care if she never remembers my name, I don't care if she ever thinks of Nathanial Eaton ever again. So long as she gets to live her life to the fullest and without restraint."
And with this, Mathew nodded to him and opened the door. Once he entered the room he saw Kit talking to Mercy and John Holbrook. He then grabbed her hand and took her to the centre of the room. There he got down on one knee. "Kit, Do you want to marry me?" Kit felt dumbstruck at first before leaning down to kiss Nat. Nat responded by deepening the kiss and almost pushing Kit over. After separating, they looked around to find everyone with their eyes focused on them with and intensity she had never seen before. "well, I can now tis see that you two do love each other" John said slyly.
Both Kit and Nat blushed as the room erupted with laughter. Kit and Nat then left the house as they walked in the cool twilight of the Connecticut spring. The sunset not too far off with it painting the sky and ground like a painting to be put in a museum. The reds, purples, oranges, yellows, all sang out to them as they walked along. After taking a second to take in the view, kit began to run ahead. "Kit, Where are you going?" "To the meadows, come with me and you'll see the beauty of them!" He then raced to catch up with but never truly matching her pace.
He eventually followed her off the path and into the meadows as the grass fell around them. She eventually stopped at the top of a hill and looked over the horizon. She saw then the endless forest and the sun slowly fading away with the stars slowly revealing themselves aswell. "Oh tis so beautiful" She then found herself facing Nat with a passion in his eyes she had never seen before. She was scared, yet strangely awestruck. He then kissed her as he wrapped his arms around her. She began to return this kiss also. The softness of his lips and the feeling of his body agianst hers sent her head into a dizzy. His strong arms holding her as if they would never let go. Kit began to lean onto him till the point where he was almost holding her. He then began to walk backwards a tiny bit before tripping on a rock that sent both of them falling to the ground in a fit of laughter.
After composing themselves, Kit kissed Nat and pushed him down onto the ground. There she kissed him while ever so slowly getting on top of him. After what seemed like hours of kissing and touching, but no further since Nat reminded kit that they were in public and anyone could find them. After separating they both lay on the ground while heavily breathing from the passion they just shared. "I love you, Nat." "I love you too, Kit." They both looked up into the sky and saw that the stars were out now and they were out in their full glory. At this moment kit realized that this was home for her. Sure Barbados was where she had grown up. But Wethersfield was where she had truly lived her life.
She reflected once again on the events of the previous year. Her first day here and the trunks of clothes, her first puritan church service, her first interaction with Hannah, Teaching at the dame school with mercy and talking to Mr. Kimberly, The Husking Bee and Judith's crazy scheme's, All hallow's eve and seeing Nat in the stocks, her trial and Nat saving her. All of it she realized pointed to Nat. it was as if God was screaming at them that they were perfect for each other. But now here she was with Nat, her fiancée and soon-to-be husband in the meadows she so dearly loved and she realized that her life and her relationship with Nat were just beginning.