It's Brooklyn Baby- Spot Conlon X Reader

Part 10

It was the night of the wedding and I paced back and forth in my room looking at the dress I am to wear when I marry William and become Mrs. William Cambridge. I looked outside into the distance wondering what Spot was doing at the moment. Probably pacing around and hitting things with that pimp cane of his. He and I had been exchanging letters the past week. His friend's Racetrack, kid blink, Mush, and Jack were the messengers. When I would go out to pick out wedding decorations they would come up to me pretending to sell me something then secretly give me a letter from him. If it was our decision we would see each other in person, but I must do everything in my power to keep him out of prison.

I looked at the last letter he had given me and cried. The letter spoke of how he wished that he wasn't so poor that he could easily take me away from here and that we would have a family of our own. He told me that when I said my vows to pretend I was saying them to him, then it would be like we were truly married, but I know in my heart that is far from the truth. I am to be married to a bastard.

I walked to my bedroom door and out down the hallway and to the stairs. I was extremely thirsty so I poured myself a glass of water and chugged it down in the most unladylike way I could. "And what are you doing up this late young lady?" I turned toward the unexpected voice and saw Ms. Elenore. "My apologies. I was quite quenched." She smiled at me understandingly and sat down at the table pulling out a chair for me to sit next to her. "Wedding jitters. I remember feeling that when I married my husband."

"You have a husband." She laughed at my statement. "Sorry I didn't mean it that way."

"I understand. And yes, his name was Christopher. He was Italian. A very handsome man when I met him when I was a girl. He brought me flowers every morning trying to get my attention when we were young, but little did he know he already had my attention. I loved him so much."

I listened to her intently and smiled. "It seems you two are very much in love."

"Yes, we were."

"Were?" I furrowed my eyebrows. She then poured herself a glass of water from the pitcher and took a sip from her glass. "Yes. He died in the civil war fighting for the freedom of slavery. I loved him very much. I had two of his children. A son who is the eldest named Matthew who just turned 27 and married to a nice young seamstress named Winnifred with a child named Ruth, and I have a daughter named Lilly who is now 25 and about to give me a second grandson named John her oldest Charles." She pulled out a picture and showed me. "They are my family and a great one at that." She then showed me a picture of her husband. "He was a very noble man much like that young Mr. Conlon." I perked up. "You know him? Have you heard from him? Have you seen him?" She shook her head. "No but when he left I did some research on him and I think he is a great gentleman, hardworking too. Turns out he was a leader for the Brooklyn Newsie Strike. The paper said that the strike wouldn't have happened nor been much of a success without him. He was their key to winning. Said he had some iron backbone."

"He still does. I wish I would have known him then as well."

"It seems these pre-marital jitters are not the cause of Mr. Cambridge."

"No, it isn't. I don't love him, Elenore. He is the most awful and disgraceful person I have ever met. I hate him."

"I'm sorry, but it has to be this way."

"Why must it?"

"Because you are a woman."

"So are you and you were able to marry someone you loved."

"Still my parents had to approve of him as well." I began crying. "I love Spot so much I can't stand to marry William." I rested my head on her shoulder and she stroked my hair. "I know. I'm so sorry."