HI Folks! This is a long chapter but I think the length is justified. Here is the gist: The baseball season for the MaHardies is winding down. William has had a lot to preoccupy him with a Chicago Cub Scout as well as the rumor after one date that he is Louisa Johnson's new boyfriend. William plays third base the last game of the Police Precincts' Baseball Season and again a foul ball is hit to the left field bleachers that William has to catch. Guess who is there this time? Let me know if you are reading and/or enjoying this Williza story. Thank you - Carebearmaxi
A New Sport
Chapter 5
Surprises!
The last game of the season, and it was William's turn to play third for Datsun who was playing right field. Matt was again pitching. The day was overcast, cool, and threatened rain. If the MaHardies won this game, they would have a one day play off with the Defenders who had maintained their first place standings the entire season. The MaHardies were in second place as they had defeated the two other teams ahead of them.
William had already done a shift with a new officer. Luckily the perpetrators were found and brought into custody. Then William had to finish some paperwork and attend a class which his chief had requested. William yawned and stretched as he looked at the overcast sky. He blinked a couple of times at the glare.
For some strange reason, William was feeling tired. He and Louisa were to dine at a new restaurant that evening. There were still abounding assumptions that he was Louisa's boyfriend. He wanted to be certain that there was no misunderstanding between him and Louisa. He found her frank and open manner and her no nonsense attitude toward her passion-baseball- very attractive. Louisa was as passionate about sports as Eliza was passionate and skilled in investigation. Louisa's physical similarities to Eliza were more distinctive now the more time William spent in her company. William really enjoyed spending time with Louisa as she was a pretty and intelligent female, but William's heart still beat for Eliza.
William was also concerned that he had not yet received a letter from Eliza in the past month or so. He had reread her last letter and it reminded him of what he had written in his response. He did not believe he wrote anything to offend. Time would tell. William still carried a faint hope that Eliza would come visit him. She had said she could afford the crossing and he was aware that those long transatlantic trips took little more than two weeks now instead of the incredible three months they once were.
Datsun approached William just as William had completed his stretches.
"Will?"
"Hello Datsun. What can I do for you?"
"The Chicago Cub scout is here. I just wanted to point him out to you. I know you aren't pitching today, but he is still interested in speaking with you."
William looked in the direction which Datsun was directing his gaze.
"He's sitting in right field. I guess that's so he can continue to evaluate his decision about giving you a spot on his team?" William asked.
"I suppose so. I am considering it. I have had a couple of bad days while on duty, so I do not think I am cut out to be a NYC cop."
William eyed the young man and shook his hand.
"Whatever you decide, I just wanted to say that it has been a pleasure working with you and getting to know you."
"Thanks, Will."
Datsun hurried down the bench to grab his glove before the MaHardies took the field in their home ballpark for the last regular game of the season.
The game was about to start, so William took his place at third. He scratched his beard and squinted underneath his ball cap watching the ball in the event it was hit to him. His first lesson playing the field which to him seemed instinctual "Know what to do if the ball comes to you." It had served him well at all the positions he had been asked to play.
Crack! The ball shot right back to the pitcher. It bounced on the mound and jutted over Matt's head toward William who had been watching the entire time. He quickly caught the ball as it came down from the high bounce and quickly threw it to first. OUT#1
Matt struck the next batter out on three straight fast balls: OUT #2
"All right Matt! One more out!" William shouted to his teammate. William looked around for Louisa and was surprised he had not seen her earlier catching warmup tosses for her brother. As a matter of fact, he took a quick look at the bleachers on both sides but did not see her.
Thwack! The ball was skyrocketed into the overcast sky toward centerfield. Luckily it was a cool day so the ball did not carry too far into the outfield. The MaHardies centerfielder got under it and it went plop into his glove. OUT #3
The MaHardies were coming to bat and Datsun was first at bat. William had been moved to the clean up position as their normal clean up hitter got shot while on duty and was in the hospital recovering. William had signed the Get Well Card with an extra note since he knew all about recovering from gunshot wounds.
Datsun hit a deep hit to right center field and since he ran so quickly what would normally be a double was converted into a triple. Runner on 3rd. NO OUTS.
Roger was up next. He stepped up to the plate. The Buccaneers' pitcher threw a pitched that floated seemingly with very little effort into the catcher's mitt causing Roger to swing too early. Count 0-1.
Roger swung at the next pitch which was a perfect fast ball. Roger swung a little late and the ball went into the right field bleachers
Thwack! Roger hit the next pitch dead center and over the fence scoring Datsun from third as well as allowing him a trot around the bases. 0 OUTS; 2-0 MaHardies
Cal the second baseman came up and struck out after battling and running a full count. Out #1
William's turn now. He strode to the batter's box noting the location of the Chicago Cub scout. He was not playing to impress anyone, but if he could help someone else's shot of going onto a professional baseball career than so be it. William was not really interested, but he promised Datsun he would talk with the man if the man approached him after the game.
William had his eye on the ball keeping track through the pitcher's windup. This pitcher was vastly different than the last pitcher whom the MaHardies had faced. This Buccaneers pitcher was not good at subterfuge so William was not fooled.
The ball was coming right down the middle. William swung and missed. Count 0-1.
William stepped out of the box calling time and the umpire stopped everything until William stepped back in. The pitcher wound up again and pitched the ball. This time William's eye was caught by a late arrival to the left field bleachers. It momentarily distracted him. The ball went whizzing by William's ear. It was a fast ball high and inside. Count 1-1.
William stepped out of the box slowing down the game a little. As he took a practice swing outside the box, his eye was caught again by the late arrival. William realized that it was Louisa so she could meet with him after the game. He would walk her back to her home and then he would go home himself to shower, change, and then take a cab to pick her up for their evening out.
Taking a deep breath and digging a place to plant his right foot, he again eyed the ball and SMACK! A rocket of a homerun to left center. 3-0 MaHardies.
William was congratulated for adding onto their lead. As he returned to the bench, the Chicago Cub Scout was talking to Datsun. Datsun was standing on the bench itself while the Scout sat in the bleachers. William eyed his counterpart and the scout. William was leery of this practice accosting someone at a ball game, but he knew that it was the accepted practice. William watched as Datsun and the scout shook hands. William quickly sat down to not only watch the next batter up but to avoid having a conversation regarding a major league baseball career.
The game progressed. The score was now MaHardies 5 Buccaneers 0. Matt was either having a great game or the Buccaneers could not hit a pitch to save their life. It's a wonder they were the second place team with how poorly they were playing.
The Buccaneers had not helped themselves by committing two errors in the last two innings. One error was costly and allowed William's team to tack on two more runs: hence, the present score 5-0
Now the sixth inning and Matt was humming along. Somehow, he was able to keep fooling the Buccaneers. William was still playing third. He looked around while the batter needed time to readjust himself. He looked over at the right field bleachers and saw that Louisa changed seats. William noticed the only other time she did that was to speak to her brother or William between innings.
The third batter in the lineup to face Matt was the ninth batter in the order. He was a small man in that he only stood about 5'5". However, he was a good consistent hitter. Wanting to get something going for his team he was being aggressive at the plate and not being choosy about at what to swing. Matt could have thrown a slow looper up to the batter and he would have swung.
Thunk! William's vision followed the foul ball hit high in the sky. The sun had come out but it was toward the end of the day so it was not so bright as it could have been earlier. Again the ball seemed to drift over to the left field bleachers.
Here I go again! Louisa's in right field. I hope no one is offended if I catch the ball again in some woman's lap. William thought as he followed the balls trajectory.
Thwump! William caught the ball just as before in a woman's lap. They really should move these bleachers. Someone is going to get hurt. William thought as he looked up to apologize.
Eliza Scarlet smiled as she sat there acknowledging William.
"It's me, William. Play ball. Talk later," she said quickly motioning him to get back to the field.
William threw the ball back to the pitcher. He turned around again and spotted the woman. It was Eliza! No mistaking that smile this time.
She waved again and coerced him back to concentrating on the game.
William found it very hard not to look over and glance at his love every now and then. All thoughts of the other little blonde sitting on the right field bleachers were quickly dismissed from William's mind. When William did glance at Eliza sitting there in the middle of the second row, she would smile and clap as she asked those around her about when to cheer. She had been sitting next to an older man who was very happy to explain the ins and outs of the field of play. William wondered at how Eliza had found her way here. Not only to New York City but to the baseball field.
William felt he was distracted the rest of the game; however, it did not seem that way to his teammates or his coach because William's innate ability to play the game only seemed to grow after he caught the ball in the stands.
The MaHardies won the game with William contributing another homer driving in three runs. MaHardies 8, Buccaneers 0. The next game would be in a week against the Defenders for the championship and a big check to the surrounding orphanages and soup kitchens which had been added to the list of beneficiaries as the NYPD's Police Baseball League at gathered a lot of money during the long season.
As they were gathering their equipment, Roger had come up to William and asked him who he kept looking at in the left field bleachers.
"I saw you caught the ball in her lap. She's quite a looker. She looks a lot like Louisa Johnson. Do you know her?"
William wanted to explain and not to explain so he compromised and said, "Her name is Eliza Scarlet. Yes, I know her very well. I'm surprised she's here."
Roger stopped short and followed William as he seemed in a hurry.
"Is that your "lady" from London whom you write to?"
William stopped and turn around. He just wanted to have a quick word with Louisa and apologize about breaking their date due to Eliza's arrival.
"Yes, she is. Now no more questions right now. I have to find Louisa to apologize about tonight."
Eliza went looking for William. She had followed in William's direction keeping her eye on him after the crowd started to disburse. He had stopped to talk to one of his teammates. It seemed he was not looking for her. That's rude of him. He must have remembered I'm here. He kept looking at me. Eliza thought.
Just as she was going to run up to him and show him some type of affection. She noticed he was talking with a young blonde woman. It was not lost on Eliza that there was similar features between the young woman and herself. Her footsteps that were inching closer and closer to William stopped.
Who is that? Eliza wondered. She discussed with herself acknowledging the fact that although William said he loved her in every letter. Eliza just started to acknowledge that she had always been in love with him as well. The last letter she told him she was on the way and that she wanted to discuss a future with him whatever that may look like. All she wanted was that she wanted, so wanted to be with him and share his life. Although her business was now successful, she realized what William was trying to tell her before he left. She needed him now and wanted him now. She finally realized that if she was going to have a husband, lover, companion, whatever, she wanted it very much to be William. She missed him so, so much.
She wondered at his surprise when he saw her. She had given him the day and time of her arrival at the port. When he did not arrive to escort her, she thought it was police business, so she thought nothing of it. She was an intelligent, knowledgeable woman so she found her way to his boarding house and found Mrs. Wallace very accommodating with information regarding William's whereabouts.
Eliza wondered looking at William speaking with this woman. William did not take her hand as he so often did when he was being tender with her. That was good. Eliza thought. She stopped and watched the interaction between them not wanting to interrupt.
Eliza lowered her eyes and looked around to see others quickly moving into the street. The sun had come out from behind the clouds warming the last part of the day. She started to walk off as it looked like William would be a long time.
"Louisa," William called to her as Louisa started to walk away. She had been speaking with her brother who had hurried off to go home to his wife and children.
"HI, Will! Here to walk me back home?" Louisa answered innocently.
"Not exactly, but I will see you home since it looks like Matt is in a hurry."
"What do you mean, not exactly, Will? Aren't we going to that new restaurant tonight?" Louisa asked placing her hand on his arm and then removing it.
"Something has happened, but I want to explain so you're not hurt."
"Why, would I be hurt, Will? What's happened?" Louisa asked haltingly.
"Eliza is here." William stated succinctly.
"Wha—What do you mean 'Eliza is here'?
"I mean the woman whom I left in England," William clarified. "I told you about her last time we had dinner. I told you how you resemble her."
Louisa said, "Oh! That Eliza. That's wonderful, William. How did you find out?"
William smiled. "Did you see the foul ball I caught in the bleachers in left field?"
Louisa smiled. "Oh, no! Really? You caught it in her lap?" Louisa could not help but smile.
In a less animated voice and a lower tone, Louisa said, "That's wonderful for you."
William feeling a wee bit torn because he was told about Louisa's past said, "Look I will walk you home. Let me find Eliza and she can walk with us."
"Oh no you don't! You poor deluded, kind man. Eliza won't want to share you with me. I'm used to going home myself. It's safe. Don't worry." Louisa stretched up and kissed William on his lips.
I hope Eliza didn't see that. I know what happened last time with Arabella. She didn't talk to me for two weeks.
William looked up as Louisa sped off and found walking companions of Roger and his new wife, Judith.
William then turned around and carrying his equipment, he resumed his search for his love as the crowd dwindled to only a few left walking toward the street. He finally spotted her walking her own way off toward the busy street. He wondered where she thought she was going. No, I'm sure she found her way here. She'll know where she is heading. William thought.
"Eliza!" William shouted.
Eliza turned around and stopped. She waited until he caught up to her.
"You're here," William said. His voice reflected his incredulity that she stood in front of him on a now brighter late summer day in September. He had not seen her since that cold rainy day in March when he kissed her goodbye. How did I mistake someone for her? She's smiling at me and her eyes are shining.
William bent to kiss her. Her lips were softly tentative. He cupped her face in his hands. He felt her response. She leaned into his embrace and did not want to break the kiss. She placed her right hand over his as it lay on her cheek stroking it the tiniest bit. William noticed a slight taste of salt as if their kiss had caught a tear. He did not realize until he finally pulled away that they both had spilt tears of joy at being with each other again after so long.
"William," Eliza said in that special way William had not realized he missed until he heard it again. Hearing her cultured British tone in person felt like an awakening to William.
"Let's go back to my room at the boarding house and I will introduce you to Mrs. Wallace."
"I have already been there. Mrs. Wallace was most helpful. It was she who told me you were here."
They began to walk and Eliza reached out for his hand. William surprised at her reaching for him took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. He was pleased to see her smile.
"The last time I saw you your arm was in a sling. Imagine my surprise when I saw you playing…baseball…with two hands. You were wonderful," Eliza said. "Your teammates seem to love you."
To William Eliza seemed to be nervous in his company. When was Eliza ever nervous about anything? He supposed it was because they had not seen each other for almost a year.
They walked hand in hand back to the boarding house using his key so as not to disturb Mrs. Wallace who always claimed she was off after 6:30 pm. It was 7:30 pm now. The sky was dimming almost twilight which was not unusual nearing autumn.
Most of their walk was filled with held hands and silent looks at one another. William was surprised at Eliza's behavior since she had never acted like this with him before. If he complimented her she would act surprised and thank him, but then she would start chattering about something else or they would talk of memories or other plans. Sometimes she did reach out and touch him spontaneously but then he would challenge her with his eyes to see what she would do next and always she would retract and stop. When they were living together as he convalesced at her home, it frustrated him because as he returned to full health all he ever wanted for her to do was kiss him first (like she did when they were teens) or tell him how much she needed him and the real reason why she did not want him to return home.
Once they got upstairs into his room, Eliza asked, "Is it all right for me to be in here with you? I know some Boarding House Matrons would frown on a female being in one of her male tenant's rooms."
"Well, technically, no, but I am much older than most of her tenants, so Mrs. Wallace's allows me some liberties."
Eliza stumbled slightly into William. They both looked down at the small white envelope that lay halfway under William's door. He bent down and picked up the letter. He showed it to Eliza.
"Well, that explains why my arrival was such a surprise. That's the letter that I wrote you of my plans."
William looked at the post date and it was dated two weeks previous.
"I'm looking at this date of two weeks ago. Something must have delayed it getting here obviously. I was wondering why I had not received a letter before this. Now I know."
"I'm here."
William finally undid the door and turning on a light by the door said, "Welcome to my home, such as it is."
Eliza looked around at the sparse conditions. The rather small bed for such a large man as William, his chest of drawers, his closet, and his desk by the open window allowing in the cool breeze of the twilight. She walked in and went to the far door and opened it.
"You, at least, have your own bathing chamber," noted Eliza.
"Yes, it's not too bad here." Luckily I made the bed this morning before I left. William thought. He threw his keys on his nightstand and invited Eliza to sit on his bed while he took the desk chair. The air was filled with uneasiness to say the least.
William's eyes never left Eliza as he watched her remove her pert little bowler hat and place it on his night stand.
"William?"
"Yes, Eliza."
"Who was that young woman you were speaking with? A friend?"
"I knew you were going to ask me. You saw her kiss me?"
"She kissed you? No I must have looked away. You tell me letter after letter that you love me and that you cannot wait until this whole secondment is over so you can come home and be with me!" Eliza stated loudly.
William rose from his chair and began pacing. The last thing he wanted was for Mrs. Wallace or one of the other boarders to overhear their shouting match. Because a shouting match was what their sedate, stress laden conversation was quick becoming.
"Eliza! Lower your voice!" William said motioning for Eliza to calm her ire.
"I apologize, William. What does this woman mean to you? I really hope I didn't walk into another Arabella situation. This time it would be worse." Eliza said her eyes aflame with blue fire.
"It's nothing like that, Eliza. Louisa is a sister of one of the lads on the team. She also warms up the pitchers on the team. She's good enough to play if it were permitted," William added softly as an afterthought.
"Warms up the pitchers! What exactly does that mean?" Eliza asked getting angrier every moment.
William stepped forward. He rolled his eyes.
"I'm sorry. I forgot you don't understand. You haven't seen me pitch yet."
"William…" she said impatiently looking up at him."Was my trip a waste then? Do you still love me?"
"For that matter, Eliza there is a question in all these months of which I am not sure
of the answer. I think I know, but I need to hear it from you."
"What's that question, William?"
"Do you love me? Do you want me to be part of your life? "William asked hoping to
hear from her lips what he thought he had gleaned from her more recent letters.
"Well, if you had received my letter on time, you would know your answer," Eliza
said sharply picking the letter up from his desk where he had laid it and tossed it at him.
William caught it from her and tapped it against one hand. He elicited a growling
sound in his throat and looked at Eliza.
"Do I need to open it for my answer or can you not say it to my face? Do I mean
nothing to you after all these months apart?"
Eliza walked away silently. William was sure she was contemplating an answer
and, perhaps, not the one he had been waiting to hear.
One way or another, this woman was going to be the death of him.
Eliza turned around at the door and took a deep breath and walk forward the few
steps to William who stood there with his MaHardies uniform shirt partially unbuttoned allowing a glimpse of dark chest hair that tantalizingly lay there waiting for Eliza's hands to explore. She lowered her eyes for a moment and then looked up into his face. She took his large, roughened hand in both of hers and kissed it and then held it close to her heart.
She looked up into his eyes. The look she gave him was so worshipful, yet yearning
and loving that William knew that Eliza was there to be with him. She was there so together they could work out a future. He smiled as she began to tell him some of the words she had written in the delinquent letter.
"In that letter, here are some of the words you will find. I don't think they do justice
to what I feel in my heart. Let me first say, I love you, William. I owe that to you for all the times you said it to me. Secondly, I want us to be together. Whatever that looks like or whatever we have to do for this to happen doesn't matter. I love you, William. I have always loved you."
William's heart exploded with joy. He smiled and bent down and kissed her soundly inhaling her warm light lavender scent. The only other time he realized he missed her scent was when he was with Arabella. Eliza was Eliza. The only woman he wanted and needed. He released his hand from her grasp and pulled her into his arms and held her so tightly against his body. She was so small that when he grasped her so suddenly and tightly her feet left the floor.
They both started laughing hysterically with joy. Eliza loved the vibration of William's deep voiced laughter as it rumbled in his chest. William lifted her with ease holding her as if she were precious cargo and moved them toward the bed only coming up for air so he would not trip and drop her before there was a soft spot to land. She bent her body backward once William had carried her to the bed. With William still holding her tight, he pressed her body deliciously into the mattress of the tightly made bed fast becoming mussed with their activity. Eliza paused their short punctuated passionate kisses to smile up at him and grasp him tighter to herself. She trembled with joy as William's lips trailed down her neck, chin and upper body. He undid the first few buttons of her dress and shirtwaist. Eliza trailed her hand from his neck to the sides of his body and then came to the stiffened area of his uniform trousers. She gripped his maleness firmly but gently, which shocked William into stopping his affections and look down at her.
"Don't do that unless you want the consequences, woman," William growled in all seriousness. "I've been celibate since I arrived in NY because you are the only woman I want to bed. The only woman I love."
"Bring on the consequences, love, I want them. I want you, William. I love only you. Please love me. I never knew how lonely I was until you had gone," Eliza finally saying to him words that she had rehearsed for two weeks aboard ship in the quiet of her cabin.
William smiled and kissed her upper chest above her breasts. Her sublime words allowed the flood gates of love, desire, and need to open. Eliza had her arms around William's neck, her hands in his sweaty curling hair and lowering them to his tight round buttocks. She wanted to shed her clothes and feel all his warm skin against hers. She stroked his arms and his shoulders answering his open mouthed kisses with her own. They tasted each other's breaths and tongues. The fire was stoked and rising higher. She loved the feel of his strong taut arms holding her tight. Although still strangled by skirt and petticoat, she wound her legs around his waist making it easier to respond to the chills he provided to her via his mouth and beard. That wonderful beard.
"William I love that beard," she panted and kissed down to his neck and around. "I want to feel it all over my body." There was no mistake now how much Eliza had realized she had secretly wanted and needed. Her nipples were hard and poking above her corset and against William. He stopped to grasp one of her breasts and played with her nipple.
They kissed each other until they were both laying on the narrow bed. William lay on top of Eliza. Her legs around him. He then kneeled above her and removed his shirt completely. He heard Eliza sigh with amazement at his physique and her eyes become wide as her hands ached to encompass him. She reached for him and he took her hand (as he had so many times before) and kissed and then tantalizingly laid it on his chest.
Eliza only partially undressed on top ached to feel all of him. She sat up to meet him and assumed a kneeling position as well on his bed. William placed her hand over his heart. She could feel his quickened thump, thump of his big kind heart. Eliza replaced her trembling hand on his chest with her ear leaning into him and feeling his arms enfold her once more as they kneeled together on the bed. She trailed her mouth and her tongue down William's muscled chest to his navel where the bush of dark hair grew wild. She looked back into his face and saw the lust in his eyes. She answered that and unbuttoning his trousers allowed his manhood to spring free into her hand. She laid kisses along his length which was considerable.
Eliza! Where did you learn to do this? William thought wildly as the woman he desired to make love with was doing things to him that he had only experienced in his lonely dreams of her. When she took him into her mouth, William laid a hand on her back and urged her to stop. He did not want the final act just yet. There were some things that should be completed first before the final act of complete sexual immersion. He pulled her up to face him and kissed her mouth with a kiss so deep that he heard her moan in response. He wanted her to want him in the same way he wanted her. He dreamed of the moment when Eliza and he would be together lying sated in each other's arms in the middle of the deep dark night.
Eliza looked up at William and her eyes traveled admiringly at his body in wonderment.
"William, why did you stop me? Don't you like that? Surely….or is just that it's me and you don't like that when you know it's me…"Eliza kept on asking her insecure questions hurriedly in her usual chattering fast explaining manner.
"Shh…shh…Eliza, please," William pled quietly as he noticed that her big blue eyes were becoming wet. He smiled. He stroked her face with bent fingers.
"Nice to know some things have not changed. You still don't let me explain when I need you to hear me," William said smiling. She began to finishing undressing herself undoing the rest of the buttons of her white blouse and shirtwaist as she quickly pulled both pieces from the waistband of her skirt. She had started on her corset when Willam's hand stopped her.
"William?" she questioned with all the love for him in her eyes. Eliza could feel a tear threatening to fall. The last thing she wanted was to show any type of weakness or feminine infirmity to him. He always admired her strength and determination. Loving him and giving herself to him was no different. That was the whole reason she had traveled the ocean.
"Don't you want this? Want me?"
He sighed. His dark gaze enveloped all of her. He wanted her so badly it hurt. He kissed her in response to her pleading questions cupping her face in his large hand and holding her close to his naked chest with the other.
William looked into her eyes and whispered, "You don't know how much I want you Eliza. I want you to love me however you want to love me. I want to feel your hands and mouth on me."
He continued to whisper his desires to her and was rewarded by a kiss to his hands and chest and a smile so bright that it encompassed all the warmth in the room and in William's heart.
William trailed kisses down her neck. He heard Eliza sigh and whisper "Good. I love you, William."
He looked her into eyes, smiled wide, and then curled her underneath as they lay together on the narrow bed. It shook with all of their movements. William hoped it would not make too much noise.
"This bed is noisy. I hope we don't disturb Mrs. Wallace downstairs," William joked quietly. The sound of Eliza's laughter came back to him as a starlight in the darkening room. It reminded him of water in the brook he had heard not too far from here. He kissed her again and held onto her as he lay beside her returned to the edge of the narrow bed.
William's arm held her close to his skin, and her smaller hand lay on top of it. She smiled with all her heart and soul back up to him. He unbuttoned her blouse a small matter more and he kissed there.
All of a sudden he stopped. He scooted back up the bed and looked at her.
"If you love me, you'll let me do one thing," he asked looking as seriously as he could with the favor he was going to ask.
Eliza became alarmed as she looked at William. She still had not let go.
"What is that?"
"Let me get clean. I don't want to make love to you dirty as I am. Can I ask you a question?"
Eliza laughed up at him. "You can ask me anything, William."
"How big is the bed in your hotel room? I'm afraid we may get injured if we do what we are planning to do."
Eliza with her hair once so tightly wound lay in loosened curls against William's bare chest. She moved into him closer and said, "Actually, the bath and the bed are both bigger in my hotel room. Would you like to call on me there after your bath or would you prefer some company? I'm dusty myself having been on a ship for two weeks without much bathing accommodation. Your bathroom is better than any aboard the USS MidAtlantic, however, no one will ask questions if I take you to my hotel room."
William threw back his head and laughed.
"You're even more forward than I thought you would ever be when it came to sex."
She turned over and cupped his jaw in her small hand. She stroked the beard she loved so much.
"Truly, you do believe that you are the only man that I ever could be forward with when it comes to sex?
"Well, Miss Scarlet, if you really want us to make love in your hotel, let me pack my things and we'll catch a cab and we can travel there together. When have I ever had the ability to say no to ya?"
Eliza just laughed and smiled her wide smile.
"Never."
!