The Spells of Paradise

Chapter 4: A New Family in Charge

Chapter 4: A New Family in Charge

James escorted Lucy and Beatrice, who was still taking in the 'charms of Lanfore' to the Donaldson home, which wasn't too far from the market but a good distance away from her home. Lucy tried to put on a happy and hospitable face, but she didn't like having to introduce herself to the new family that had the power hers used to. It made her feel like she had to prove something to them, even though Beatrice assured her that she did not.

"If anything, they will want to be impressing you!"

Another thing that was bothering her was the way James kept dancing around the idea of Lucy visiting Dawn-Bridge to see his mother and his father. When she questioned him on it, he would laugh it off and say that she was, by no means, barred from Dawn-Bridge.

"My mother's only concern is my father at the moment," he said. "I assure you, you would be most welcome at Dawn-Bridge, Lucy. I want you there!"

Lucy knew that Mary Boatwright had never been fond of her mother, but did that mean that she wasn't fond of her as well? Lucy hoped that she could find a way into her good graces. She didn't know why, but she felt as though she had to, especially for James.

You cannot possibly be thinking it all right to want to marry him!

Why not? She was single, and so was he. They remembered each other from years before, and the love was still there, was it not? Or perhaps he loved her merely as a friend, and did she love him any more than that? Had she seen in him any way more than just a dear friend? He was wealthy, to be sure. He had means. It was a marriage that would make sense. He would never make her unhappy...

God, coming home was messing with her mind! Lucy didn't want to be married, that was why she had stayed single for so long! That was why she was older and still unmarried. She had never cared what high society said about her. Did coming home change that at all? In her gut, she knew she did not want to marry James. She loved him, of course, but as a friend and nothing more. If there were any other feelings, it was only because she had not seen him in a long time, nothing more.

James went out of his way to take the two women through the market, one so that Lucy could see it once again and two so that Beatrice could see it for the first time. The autumn market was always one of Lucy's favorites, mainly because it had its own smell that distinguished it from the rest, one that she really couldn't describe. That and everyone seemed so calm and hospitable in the autumn season. That was the case for the spring as well, but spring was a time of marriages, so there was always some sort of tension to be found, especially in the country.

"I heard that in America they have a feast to give thanks every autumn," Beatrice was saying. "My cousin, Rosemary, was talking about it while traveling in New York last year. It sounds rather fascinating, what are they giving thanks for, do you think?"

"Their families, perhaps?" Lucy answered, though she was half paying attention to what her friend was saying and half trying to see if there was anyone that she recognized. "Or the food in their bellies or the fire in their hearths?"

"Have you been to America, James?" Beatrice asked. Lucy stiffened with the attention her friend was giving James, but relaxed when she noticed that the usual spark of romantic interest that Beatrice made no point in hiding didn't show when she looked at James. She was merely fascinated by him, a rich man from the countryside.

"I have indeed, actually," he replied. "A few years ago, with my good friend. He was dealing with some trade speculations in Boston and asked me to come along with him. Granted it was in high summer, so I never actually bore witness to these magnificent feasts, but they do intrigue me all the same."