The World Over

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

William’s POV

   It was December 1912 and the school was going more than well. The students were settling in great and we even made front page news on the New York Times which gave us a lot of good exposure.

   Living in America has really made Edith and I relax as a couple, living in England I always had to be careful of what I did. My father and now I, owned a huge company that was now doing well in America as well as England and people knew who our family were.

   The Cunningham’s were a well respected family in America and in London, all you had to do was mutter my father’s name and many contacts would know his name and help us out immediately. Over the decades my family built up an empire that spelled glamour and grandeur.

   Over here, nobody knew us. Living on the estate away from many people was a relief. I could give Edith as many kisses as I wanted without people in the city muttering about us. I knew it was respectful to not go out and kiss Edith in public anyway, I had always been taught that and believed in it but at home it was a different thing.

   I was the man of the house and I could do as I well pleased. It was not proper but I could not care regardless. All these rules that we had to apparently live by were almost suffocating.

   Loving Edith and Elizabeth was like something I had never felt before. They were my whole world. These past few months after the Titanic and tragically losing my father, I have really come to believe that. Life could be taken away at a moment’s notice and I wanted to keep as many memories of my soon-to-be wife and daughter as I possibly could.

   “William? Are you ready?” My mother asked as she picked at the last few bits of cotton on my suit.

      My mother had been living with us since the April and no matter how many times she vows to leave us and return to England, she always woke up in the morning and went back to sleep in the same bed.

   I knew she didn’t love my father like I love Edith but I knew she missed my father. When I catch her watching Edith’s parents I feel so sorry for her because she missed the thought of my father and what he represented. But despite that, she has really tried with my new family and although she still continues to give Edith the cold shoulder – something she is working on – her and Elizabeth have really bonded and when she has my daughter in her arms, you can see the love shining in her eyes.

   “I am as ready as I ever will be,” I smiled as I took one last glance in the mirror and turned to face my mother in her light shade of pink outfit – complete with hat.

   “Are you coming Peter?” He nodded his head and all three of us went through the door into the church hall and went to stand in our places.

   We were at the Calvary Baptist Church on the 15th December 1912 because today was the day I was to finally marry Edith and make her my wife.

   The ceremony was going to be a low-key event with just family there as most of the people already believed us to be married. I did not care much for my appearance at home but even I know that when trying to make Cunningham and Son Furnishings a legitimate business in America, I needed to think about my family and make us look as respectable as possible.

   The time was eight in the evening and I was so nervous I could not stand still. With the ten inch deep snow outside and the lateness of the ceremony it was not warm but I knew it was down to the doubts that were coursing through my mind.

   She was supposed to be here by now and judging by the closed doors at the end of the aisle, she wasn’t.

   “She will come, won’t she mother?” I whispered to her and she nodded her head.

      “Of course she will, that girl loves you.” She replied. “She is probably stuck in the snow. The weather is terrible out there.”

   I gave my mother a smile, she is more than likely right.

      Another five minutes passed and I was starting to become more agitated when the doors opened and Edith and her parents with Harriet carrying Elizabeth as they were bridesmaids at the front.

   The traditional wedding march started but I hardly noticed the beat as I stared at my one true love looking like a radiant angel in her wedding dress. She was covered in lace from head to toe and she looked like I had never seen beauty before.

   My eyes were locked on her blue ones as she marched closer to me and once she was stood in front of me, it was like everything in the room completely disappeared. Everything that had happened came down to this moment. After this, the world was ours.

   We had lived the world over once and once we were married, the world would become our oyster.

      We said our vows, listening to the priest and repeating after him and once the words. “I now pronounce you husband and wife,” came from his mouth, I pulled Edith to me and pecked her on the lips that left a longing for what would happen later tonight.

   For three days starting tomorrow, we were going on our honeymoon to a cabin in Vermont and just to have Edith and me would be such a blessing. We have not had a lot of alone time together recently – not that I would have it any different.

   “Hello, Mrs. Cunningham,” I grinned as we walked over to sign our Marriage Certificate. The words felt so good on my tongue. She was officially mine forever.

   “I like the sound of that,” she giggled as she sat down and signed her new name of Mrs. Edith Cunningham, wife of Mr. William Cunningham the fifth.

   Once we were back at home, we all had a glass of champagne, “Here is to the future and hope whatever it brings is good,” Edith’s father toasted and we clinked our drinks together as a family that would hopefully be added to soon.