The Widow's Wish

Chapter 2

The only point of contention about the wedding arose during the selection of the wedding dress. Lady Hightower had spent many years of her life fantasizing about the wedding of her dearest son and had conjured up a confection more than a dress, a complicated gown covered in frippery and lace. This prospect frightened Olivia, as she had a simple yet refined taste when it came to fashion. She was very relieved when her aunt convinced Lady Hightower that such a dress would not be suitable at all for such a lovely couple and such a delicate beauty as Olivia. She used her words carefully, mentioning that the dress would distract from Daniel as well, and Lady Hightower was soon much obliged with Olivia’s choice of a much simpler frock.

Daniel was incredibly anxious leading up to and during the wedding. He seemed to be always preoccupied and distracted, and Olivia tried to offer him as much comfort as possible, while still giving him space. They had bared all their secrets to one  another; Daniel sharing his fear that the truth about his secret love would soon be known to the world, and the shame that could attach itself to his family, and Olivia spoke of her dissatisfaction and ungracious and unthankful feelings that she held in her heart against her aunt and uncle, as well as her wishes to elevate her real family, her long suffering mother and sisters from the position they were currently languishing in. The young couple determined that they would support each other as dear friends, and their mutual goals, that of escape from infamy and of money to help family could dovetail together quite nicely.

Daniel and Olivia had come to the mutual conclusion that the Greek Isles would be the best place to spend their extended honeymoon. Daniel felt that it was far removed enough that the gossip and scandal that was soon to envelop their lives could be kept at bay, and Olivia was herself quite taken and fascinated by Greek Antiquities, and her excitement had also persuaded Lady Hightower with the idea as well. Olivia found that she got on marvelously well with the older woman. Lady Hightower’s love of her son was sincere, and her kindness extended in a most natural and motherly way to Olivia, who did not feel the pressure from Lady Hightower that had upset her relationship with her aunt and uncle.

The ceremony was a simple one, and attended by very few. Lady Hightower was convinced that this would make the event more exclusive and intimate. The vicar shared lovely words, with premonitions of lifelong love and happiness for the young couple, and Olivia had to bite her tongue to stop from laughing at the passage of scripture that said something about being fruitful and having many offspring. At those very words, Lady Hightower released a most loud and unnatural noise that could only be described as a cooing shriek. Daniel, in seeing his betrothed struggle to contain her laughter, firmly squeezed her hand, which helped her contain her glee. The first kiss that Olivia had ever received from a member of the opposite sex was quite sweet.

Daniels lips were somehow firm and soft at the same time, and she was surprised to find that she found the action pleasurable. Olivia had no romantic feelings for Daniel, but the idea of someone else, a strong and handsome man pressing his lips to hers, ignited a fire within Olivia that she had not known was possible. She began to flush from these feelings, and Daniel shared a wicked grin with her that unexpectedly twisted into a frown. Olivia looked behind her to see what had caught Daniel’s eye to cause such a change, when she saw a tall, dark and handsome man with a grave face exit the church in haste.

“That would be John,” her voice a whisper.

Daniel nodded his head, putting his grim line of a mouth into a forced smile. Olivia took his hand and squeezed it. She knew that the both of them, despite their unhappy and unfortunate circumstances, could find happiness.

The voyage to the Greek Isles was not a pleasant one. The weather had been abominable, Lady Hightower had brought along with them far too many trunks for fear that she would not encounter necessities such as rouge or powders or tea. Daniel’s anxiety had not abated, and in fact had increased the further they got from England, and Olivia herself fell quite ill. There was no relief to be found when the trio finally reached their destination. Olivia was still ill, Daniel was wound up and Lady Hightower was becoming more and more anxious because of this. It took several weeks for Olivia to fully recover, and for things to become calmer.

Once Olivia was well enough, she would take Lady Hightower with her to visit the sights, do some light shopping  or simply to relax in the home they had rented for their time in Greece. The lovely house was near the coast, and Olivia and Lady Hightower could pass many a pleasant hour sitting on a bench in their terrace, or only the lovely settee in their parlor, reading a book or working on a bit of embroidery. Daniel, however, was still clinging onto a palpable unhappiness. He grew paler and thinner, and Olivia found herself worrying about him along with Lady Hightower. Sometimes, Daniel would try to smile and be merry for the ladies, but then his face would slip and the sadness that seemed to pervade him would become apparent to his wife and mother.

The women, of course, said nothing to each other about Daniel. They merely smiled at each other, spoke of polite things, and tried to have as much patience and kindness for Daniel as possible. Olivia knew what ailed her husband. They shared a room so as not to cause rumours and talk among the servants, but their sleeping arrangements were not at all romantic. Olivia, however, heard the name that Daniel called in his sleep and it was always John. She did not feel  a bitterness in her heart, only a sadness for Daniel. who loved this John in a way that Olivia had never loved anyone, and Olivia was unsure if she could ever love someone as much.

It was when Daniel began to drink heavily that the polite silence between the ladies was broken, and they spoke about what could be done about Daniel. He had taken to visiting a bar in the town square that was patronized by the local fishermen. Daniel would partake in the strong  liquor that the other men did, and would come home hours later, barely able to stand on his two feet.

Lady Hightower had convinced herself that Daniel was just anxious in this new role as a husband and longed for children, and she assured Olivia that this mood would pass, but Olivia did not believe this to be true. She knew the true depth and cause of her husband's despair, and it was apparent that there was nothing that she could do to alleviate his pain. Olivia had a grim feeling that something terrible was going to befall him.

It was on a particularly dreary day that Daniel did not return home. On this blustery day, Daniel did not stumble through the door at all. When he did not appear for breakfast, and sent no word, Olivia sent a man to enquire after Daniel's whereabouts, while Lady Hightower simply wept into her handkerchief. The valet returned in the afternoon stating that Daniel had left the bar the night before and was seen by the locals to be walking towards the coast, the ladies began to panic. For seven days there was no word of Daniel until a constable came to the home with terrible news.

A body had been found washed up upon the shore that fit the description of Daniel. Could one of the ladies perhaps identify the body?

Lady Hightower fell into a fit of hysteria, and the doctor had to be called to calm her. Olivia grimly determined that she would go with this man and see if she had truly lost her husband. The constable in his broken English was all apologies to offend the sensibilities of a lady, but as there was no better person to determine if the dead man was in fact Daniel Hightower, there was nothing more he could do. Olivia was taken to the inn, where in a room, there was a body lying on the bed, a bit swollen from the sea, with short blond locks. She felt faint, and hesitated for a moment, before proclaiming that the body was in fact, her husband Daniel.

When Olivia returned home and shared the news with her mother-in-law, the woman fell gravely ill, sobbing and gasping and clutching at her chest, frightening Olivia out of her wits. She put her arms around the woman, and watched the life flutter out of her. And so Olivia found herself all alone, in a foreign country with no family or friends. She quietly buried both her mother-in-law and her husband, had the local seamstresses make her a gown suitable for mourning. A few days after the tragedy, Olivia found herself sitting at the graves of her husband and  her mother-in-law (who had been buried together), holding a bunch of flowers and wondering solemnly what exactly she would do next.

“This was quite unexpected.” The voice was gruff, and when Olivia turned around, she was not surprised to find a tall and dark handsome man standing behind her.