questioning who Andie’s father is again, I swear I will find a musket
and…”
“It’s not that,” her father declared loudly.
Andrew looked from Lizzie to William wondering what these
claims were about the child.
“Once Andrew returns to us there won’t be anybody who
will doubt that he is her father.”
“My God!” Andrew gasped. He hadn’t even thought of the
child’s parents… and who they might be. It hadn’t dawned on him that she was
Lizzie’s daughter, but then he’d only had a few minutes to take it all in.
Lizzie had a child… his child. “My God,” he repeated. He was a father.
“Elizabeth,” William gulped. “Andrew will not be returning.
He has died.”
“No!”
William nodded. “His ship wrecked in the storm two nights
ago and all aboard have perished.”
The wailing broke his heart as Andrew watched helplessly as
Lizzie fell to the floor, overcome with grief and sobbing for what seemed like
an eternity. Her father sat watching the scene unfold in front of him, and
eventually kneeling beside his daughter and pulling her to his chest. It was
the first time Andrew had ever seen William show any kind of physical affection
towards his child.
“I am so very sorry,” he whispered as he stroked her hair.
“No you aren’t,” Lizzie spat as she sat upright. “You hated
Andrew and told me that you would never allow me to marry a man so beneath my
station. I’m sure you are not sorry at all!” she yelled.
“Elizabeth,” William began, but Lizzie stood and ran from
the room straight to the back of the house and the kitchen. She gathered her
daughter in her arms and ran from the house, Andrew following closely behind
her.
“Mama,” Andrea cried as Lizzie ran from her father’s house.
“Mama.”
“I love you Andie. Mama loves you so very much,” she choked
as she held her child to her breast and hurried down the hill to the road and
then she slowed to a walk.
“Me walk?” Andie asked.
“Yes,” Lizzie managed to smile. “You may walk.” Placing her
on the ground, she took hold of her hand and they continued on their way. “You
are named after your papa. His name was Andrew, but I couldn’t call you that,
now could I?”
Andie laughed as she swooped to pick a purple wild flower.
Andrew stopped, everything coming in to focus. Their night
together before he left had produced a child… a beautiful baby girl and Lizzie
had named her after him. He may have been already dead, but the gut-wrenching
feeling deep inside him felt real enough. Pain ripped through his body and he
fell to the earth and sobbed.
15.
“Yep. We are going all the way into Boston,” Ethan answered Bess’s
question of where they were going. They’d been driving for over an hour and she
was quite curious. “It’s at the Mandarin Oriental.”
“Never heard of it,” Bess replied.
Ethan grinned. “We’ll be there soon. Not much further now.”
Maneuvering through the traffic took a considerable amount
of attention, so Bess remained quiet until they reached the front of the hotel.
“Shit!” she mumbled to herself. She felt very much out of
her comfort zone.
Ethan laughed and would have replied but the bellman already
had her door open and was helping her out of the car. Ethan flinched as he saw
the way the man was looking at his date.
“I’ve got it,” he snapped as he hurried around the car and
took Bess’s hand. Not even the formality of tipping made Ethan stop. He just
led Bess through the doors of the hotel and toward the ballroom.
He was familiar with the hotel, as it was the location of
the dinner every year. They arrived just a couple of minutes later than Ethan
had anticipated so he continued through the hotel without any small talk, just
his hand holding hers as they walked with purpose. He nodded and smiled at a
few people they passed, guiding her into the ballroom, the likes she had not
seen before.
“Wow,” she gasped. “It’s really beautiful.”
“Doesn’t
and…”
“It’s not that,” her father declared loudly.
Andrew looked from Lizzie to William wondering what these
claims were about the child.
“Once Andrew returns to us there won’t be anybody who
will doubt that he is her father.”
“My God!” Andrew gasped. He hadn’t even thought of the
child’s parents… and who they might be. It hadn’t dawned on him that she was
Lizzie’s daughter, but then he’d only had a few minutes to take it all in.
Lizzie had a child… his child. “My God,” he repeated. He was a father.
“Elizabeth,” William gulped. “Andrew will not be returning.
He has died.”
“No!”
William nodded. “His ship wrecked in the storm two nights
ago and all aboard have perished.”
The wailing broke his heart as Andrew watched helplessly as
Lizzie fell to the floor, overcome with grief and sobbing for what seemed like
an eternity. Her father sat watching the scene unfold in front of him, and
eventually kneeling beside his daughter and pulling her to his chest. It was
the first time Andrew had ever seen William show any kind of physical affection
towards his child.
“I am so very sorry,” he whispered as he stroked her hair.
“No you aren’t,” Lizzie spat as she sat upright. “You hated
Andrew and told me that you would never allow me to marry a man so beneath my
station. I’m sure you are not sorry at all!” she yelled.
“Elizabeth,” William began, but Lizzie stood and ran from
the room straight to the back of the house and the kitchen. She gathered her
daughter in her arms and ran from the house, Andrew following closely behind
her.
“Mama,” Andrea cried as Lizzie ran from her father’s house.
“Mama.”
“I love you Andie. Mama loves you so very much,” she choked
as she held her child to her breast and hurried down the hill to the road and
then she slowed to a walk.
“Me walk?” Andie asked.
“Yes,” Lizzie managed to smile. “You may walk.” Placing her
on the ground, she took hold of her hand and they continued on their way. “You
are named after your papa. His name was Andrew, but I couldn’t call you that,
now could I?”
Andie laughed as she swooped to pick a purple wild flower.
Andrew stopped, everything coming in to focus. Their night
together before he left had produced a child… a beautiful baby girl and Lizzie
had named her after him. He may have been already dead, but the gut-wrenching
feeling deep inside him felt real enough. Pain ripped through his body and he
fell to the earth and sobbed.
15.
“Yep. We are going all the way into Boston,” Ethan answered Bess’s
question of where they were going. They’d been driving for over an hour and she
was quite curious. “It’s at the Mandarin Oriental.”
“Never heard of it,” Bess replied.
Ethan grinned. “We’ll be there soon. Not much further now.”
Maneuvering through the traffic took a considerable amount
of attention, so Bess remained quiet until they reached the front of the hotel.
“Shit!” she mumbled to herself. She felt very much out of
her comfort zone.
Ethan laughed and would have replied but the bellman already
had her door open and was helping her out of the car. Ethan flinched as he saw
the way the man was looking at his date.
“I’ve got it,” he snapped as he hurried around the car and
took Bess’s hand. Not even the formality of tipping made Ethan stop. He just
led Bess through the doors of the hotel and toward the ballroom.
He was familiar with the hotel, as it was the location of
the dinner every year. They arrived just a couple of minutes later than Ethan
had anticipated so he continued through the hotel without any small talk, just
his hand holding hers as they walked with purpose. He nodded and smiled at a
few people they passed, guiding her into the ballroom, the likes she had not
seen before.
“Wow,” she gasped. “It’s really beautiful.”
“Doesn’t
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