The World Over

Dream to New York

Chapter Fourteen

        Dream to New York

Edith’s POV

“What have I done?” William hissed and I looked at him with concern.

“What is the matter honey?” I asked him, touching his arm in a soothing gesture but he pulled it back immediately like I had the Black Plague.

“Do not touch me! You ruined my life!” William yelled, anger covering his face. “My parents will never talk to me again because of you!”

I looked at him shocked, tears pooling my eyes. “William, I never meant to. Honest.” I begged but he shook his head.

“I do not want to hear it.” He snapped. “You are just a filthy lower class girl. You can never match up to me!” He cried, standing up, shadowing me, and making me feel scared. Why was he being like this? Was he regretting everything? My heart was beating fast, but not in the loving way, the scared for my life way.

“I am sorry.” I whispered but he just shook his head.

“No you are not. You always wanted to split my family up! My family were right when they sacked you! You will never have money and the status we had, so you thought you would ruin my family’s name! Well it is not going to happen! Hopefully Charlotte will still marry me.” He told me before walking out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

I sat up shocked and looked around the room, panic coursing through my veins. Has he left? I got up out of the bed, the cold stone floor making my naked feet nearly curl back up under the bed. I grabbed the gas light from beside the bed and wandered out of the room. “William.” I hissed.

Nobody answered back so I opened the door that used to be Freda and Michael’s room and saw a lightly snoring William laid there and I sighed in relief. It must have been a bad, terrible, dream. I closed the door quietly, but he stirred. “Edith?” He called out and I re-opened the door.

“Sorry, I was checking to see if you were okay.” I told him and he sat up, lighting his own gas lamp, his face caught in half darkness, the other half in light.

“I am fine thank you. Still stunned by today but I know it was the right choice.” He spoke and I wandered over to where the bed was, the thin carpet being welcomed by my cold feet.

“Are you sure? I will understand if you do not want to be with me.” I told him and he nodded his head.

“I am more than sure Edith. Whenever I am with you, my life seems to have meaning. Growing up, I had an education and no friends. I was struck with the cane that often that I have permanent marks on my hand and bottom.” He told me, showing me his hand where bright white scar lines were embedded in it.

“Did your mother not treat them?” I asked concerned as I looked at them more carefully.

He shook his head. “That was my nanny’s job and she told me that I deserved them and so I could not be treated.” He confided quietly.

“Why did you get the cane?”

“For getting a sum wrong in Maths or spelling a word incorrectly, it was a daily occurrence and I never got used to it.” He told me and I felt like crying like in my dream.

“William, will you promise me something?” I asked cautiously and he nodded his head in the dim light.

“Of course I will.”

“Will you promise me, that if anything ever happened to us, you will never go back to Charlotte?” I asked him and I noticed for a quick second, a look of nervousness crossed his face.

“I promise you Edith. I never liked the woman. The whole world could not make me love Charlotte.” He spoke. “Not like I do you.” He finished and I felt a light blush cover my cheeks.

“What are we going to do tomorrow?” I asked and he smiled at me.

“How do you feel like starting afresh?” He asked curiously and I felt like answering that it would be perfect. To get away from here and have nobody know me would be the best thing ever. I know people say you should face your fears, but William’s family do not look like a force to be reckoned with. So to start afresh would be the best feeling ever. However, I could never move away from here, my mother could turn up any day and I do not want to miss her.

“I would love to. But I cannot. My mother could be looking for me and if I ever went somewhere else, she would never find me and her, my father and my little brother and sister are all the family I have.” I told him and he nodded his head like he understood.

“I understand. I was just thinking because a ship named the Arcadian is leaving for New York tomorrow and I thought it would be perfect for us to be on it. With the Meteor Fragments that Sir Robert Peary gave my father and me, we would have the perfect set up and have enough money for a house and a small business.” He told me and it really did sound like a good idea. What if my mother and father had gone to the orphanage, seen I was not there and gone to America themselves? I have survived without them long enough, I am sure I can go; well I can if I have William by my side.

“Yes. We can go.” I told him with a smile on my face and he returned the smile and kissed me on lips lightly, which was a nice surprise.

The morning after, I awoke in my own bed; I must have gone back after talking with William. As my feet hit the cold floor again, it hit me that I was travelling to America today. I had this tingly feeling throughout my body as I made my way into the kitchen and filled the kettle up with water from the outdoor tap and putting it on the stove for a cup of tea. William entered, smiling broadly.

“Are we really doing this?” I asked in a whisper and he nodded his head.

After we had a cup of tea each, I went into my room and packed away my clothes and made sure to put the photo and letters into my pocket of my best dress that Freda had given me. It was from when she was younger and although it was out of date, it was lovely and it made me look less like a third class citizen.

Everything was packed and I did not know what we were to do with the house, so I just locked it up and we went down to the docks. I felt a little guilty about just leaving such a beautiful house to gather dust, but it was in my past life now and I did not know what to do with it.

William bought two first class tickets and we boarded the ship and it was as simple as that. We were leaving England and travelling to a new life in New York and I could not wait.