Loving You

Chapter 7 | Emotions

William was busy doing his paperwork. He looked outside through his window. The neighborhood was empty. Everything was silent. The only sound he could hear was that oof the quill. He had chosen to wake up early. Mostly because he could barely sleep.
He had been in a dilema. Was it alright for him to touch an unmarried woman like that? Should he apologize? But wouldn't apologizing make things even worse. He didn't know. He scratched his head as he signed the documents.
After finishing his task, he tied the bundle of pages and kept it aside on his table.

Turning through the pages of his favourite piece of literature, he admired the author's perception and description of how love can be a painful and a tedious job. The author quotes 'The worst betrayals are from the people you love'. This was many of his favourite quotes which he has ever read till date. Closing the book, he looked outside of the window.
The fog was clearing away. The men were on their way to the town for work. The clanking of the boots of the miners echoed down the road as they laughed among themselves.
The trotting of the horses and the chirping of the birds echoed from the valley nearby.

Then his eyes fell on the woman who was the cause of the uneasy in his heart. Or maybe it was his mind. He was not sure. Cathy was wearing a green dress with a white apron on. She had her hair wrapped in a scarf and was carrying a basket of clothes. From a fair distance, she seemed like any normal village girl without any outstanding features. She did not stand out much. But it would be a lie to tell that she was not pretty. Even though she was working, she seemed pretty.
He sighed and got up from his chair. He had to deliver the documents to the Wilbur's and check on his colleagues. He glanced at Cathy for one last time before going into his bedroom to change into a fresh set of clothes.

Cathy hummed her favourite war song which her uncle used to sing to her when she was ten years old. Not only did it remind her of her uncle's presence, but the composition of the song intrigued her. She spread the bedsheets on the clothesline and pinned them with the pegs. Completing the strenuous task of hanging those heavy bedsheets, she went to look upon Charles. It was time for his school. It was his first day at school since he fell down from the tree.
"Charles, have you packed your bag? Did you take your chalks and slate?"

The little boy nodded his head enthusiastically. "I even packed my tiffin which you had kept on the table for me."

She smiled at him and patted his head. "Good boy."

With that she accompanied Charles to his school. His school was located near the Church. A group of fathers ran the school. They taught Religion, History and English. After dropping him off, she made her way back to her home. The cool breeze brushed against he cheeks and caused her loose curls to fly towards her face. Oh how she loved winter! She wrapped the shawl closet to herself.

She made some lunch for Henrietta and her aunt. They were supposed to come today. She washed the apples and potatoes and fried fried two eggs. One of the many things she enjoyed was cooking when she was alone. After covering the lunch with baskets, she continued with her knitting. She was making a big and a heavy sweater for her uncle. She was sure that he would love it for the winter. He used to complain about how he wanted a heavy sweater to withstand the harsh winters. He did not like the cold season.

As she was looping and weaving the wool, she heard a loud banging on the front door. She got up from the rocking chair and went to answer it.
"Oh Cathy!" The voice belonged to Henrietta.

"Henrietta!" She embraced her sister. Behind her, she could she her aunt glaring at her like she usually did. But at that moment she could care less. "Oh dear. You do not know how much I have missed you. Please come in."

"That we will. After all, this is our house," her aunt commented rudely, as she went inside.

"Pay no heed to mother," Henrietta assured her. "I have so much to tell you. Let us get inside. I am tired from all the journey."

Cathy carefully undid Henrietta's hair. Her aunt had put pins everywhere! She was really terrible with hair.
"I did tell Mama not to do my hair. But she would not listen to me."

"No it is alright. She did her best. So now tell me about that certain Mister whom you want to pursue."

Henrietta's cheeks turned rosy. She gave an enormous grin. "This is a secret. Please don't tell anyone."

"I won't," she replied, as she pinched her neck.

"His name is Jacob Cavendish. I have known him for a long time ... 2 months prior the ball. We met at at chapel. He came as a volunteer. I found him attractive from the moment I saw him."

"Why didn't you tell me about this back then? I would have found out more about him," Cathy joked.

"How could I? I thought that you would call it inappropriate. But let me continue. So, after a week or so, we met again at the market. He was buying a sadle for his horse. And I was talking to the shop owner about leather polish. We both ended up talking about polishes and horses. I didn't understand anything but I did conclude that this man was fun."

As she undid her last pin, she sat down beside her, in the stool. "So you realised that you liked him in the second meeting?"

"No. It is not like that. Since then, whenever I went to the market or to the church, I would see him very often. He would strike a conversation or two. He mentioned how I my smile reminded him of his mother. Untill one day, he told me that he would be looking forward to meeting me at the ball."

"Oh! He invited you prior to the ball?"

"Yes he did. And he is wealthy. He works in the uptown. He runs a business and is very successful. Oh how we both laughed as we danced. He even took me to the balcony and..."
Henrietta paused for a moment. She seemed to be lost.

"And? And what? Did you two..."

"No, we did not kiss. But he told me some things. Cathy, listen to me. We both love each other. I cannot tell you how much I love him. And how much he loves me. But we would be happy together."

"I am so happy for you! I would like to meet this Mr. Cavendish of yours. I also need to see, who is the gentleman who is all head over heels for my sister. "

"Yes. Mama has invited him for lunch tomorrow. She said that she liked him."

"I see a marriage around the corner. How about getting married in the new year?"

"Cathy, stop it," she said, punching her arm slightly. Her face was red with embarrassment. "Jacob will be coming tomorrow. We need to get things ready."

"Henrietta, that is tomorrow. First take a bath and come down to have your lunch. We have a long day ahead."

"Oh, how is Charles now. Is he fine? Did his swelling reduce. Where is he?"

"You can calm down. I assure you that the little boy is fine, and doing well. He has gone to school. He was smiling this morning and running around the garden. He said that he feels better now. However I do advise you to look after him while he is playing. He is too active and loves challenges. It's good to have supervision on him."

Henrietta clasped Cathy's hands in hers. She gave her a smile. "Thank you for everything. I am glad that you take care of us like a mother. Without you, this house would have been dull. I am forever grateful to you. I hope that Mama realises that we are nothing without you."

Cathy broke into tears. She hugged her sister. "Where are all these coming from. I am nothing. Instead, I should be grateful to you. Thank you for being my lovely sister, for always protecting me from your mother. I do not know what will ever happen to me if you left me. But all I know is that, I love you a lot."

Henrietta wiped away her tears. "Enough of this. I shall get going. I will pick up Charles from the school. I cannot wait any longer to see him."

Cathy nodded. She kept her fresh clothes on her bed as she left her room. She was thankful that she had them. She was forever grateful to them. With that, she looked outside the window. She had not heard from William since that night. She had not caught a glimpse of him since the morning. Maybe he was out. She shrugged it off and went to her bedroom to continue with the rest of the knitting.