CHAPTER SONG: "Ashes" by Celine Dion (from the 'Deadpool 2' soundtrack)
AN: In the picture above is the actress Hayley Atwell, mostly known as Agent Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; she's who I imagine would be Molly Schofield, Will's sister and the woman in the family pictures shown in his tobacco tin at the end of the 1917 film...
*A gender pronoun swap of Cathy Earnshaw's (in)famous speech from 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Bronte, circa. 1847.
**The song "Lavender Blue, Dilly Dilly", lyrics by Larry Morey, composed by Eliot Daniel, most known from the 2015 'Cinderella' remake, based on a 17th century English folk song
*** The song "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" written for the 1950 animated Disney film 'Cinderella', written by Mack David, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston
Emmy was outside in the Blakes' tree orchard, turning around on the wooden swing, needing a minute to herself before she and Will departed back to Molly's house for the day. After burning the picture of her mysteriously inert body placed on display, a sickening hole of dread began to form in her gut, the feeling inside her sinking that she had acted on a rash and impulsive decision without thinking it through.
She stared up at all the floating ivory and magenta blossom petals slowly snowing upon the grass, taking deep breaths as she felt torn. The young woman had begun to feel overwhelmed with both Will and Joe expressing their worry for her safety and trying to steer her in the right direction, but she wanted to possess her own agency and make her own choices like she had back in 2020...
Both men's voices ringing in her ears and she just needed a moment to unwind and contemplate her situation.
Had she just made a mistake at the cost of her own life, one that could possibly lead to her own downfall, beyond what a man as horrible as Erik could do to her?
She twirled around on the wooden plank supporting her above the ground, the scenery in her vision spinning and whirling like she was in a cyclone...
Emmy wrestled with her thoughts as she tried to focus on the floral glory surrounding her, the twittering of birds over head suddenly being drowned by the roar of an aerial plane rumbling across the early afternoon sky above her. She ceased in her spinning motion abruptly at the plane's thunderous engine up in atmosphere...
A British plane from what she could remember seeing back in France...
Her life in jeopardy amidst the most deadly war in history; there was a cruel joke in there somewhere...
Come, Josephine, in my flying machine!
Going up, going up...
All she knew in her heart was that Will and Joe couldn't save her. Only she could save herself.
She looked up at the sound of Myrtle barking, the curious canine bounding up to her, long pink tongue hanging from her mouth as her dark eyes looked up at Emmy. The affectionate female dog whined as though she sensed the brunette woman's mood, laying her chestnut-furred head upon Emmy's knees as her fingers scratched Myrtle's ears.
A set of footsteps descending the back stairs made both woman and dog look up and see who had joined them.
William... her lovely, ever kind Will... had his eyes locked on her as their gazes connected. The shine of curious concern swam in the blue of his eyes as a small smile formed on his lips.
He remained silent as they refrained from speaking, having their own mental conversation, reminding one another how their dynamic was deepening by the minute without them needing to verbally communicate what they were thinking.
Her hand reached for him as she kept her perch on the swing. Will took ahold of her hand in both of his own, so much more massive than hers, and pressed her palm to his cheek, his thumb stroking the inside of her wrist.
"Tell me what you're thinking, Emmanuelle." His voice was so patient and gentle; she had never heard a more soothing cadence from a man. "I know you're overwhelmed with what's happened today."
She reached with her own thumb to trace along his sensuous lower lip. How tempted she was to wrestle him to the blossom covered ground and kiss him and pretend all their problems had disappeared. "Yeah, it's a lot for me to take in...what might be in store for me. I don't know how I'll rectify it, but I know that no matter what Erik might do to me..."
A frigid shiver ran up her spine at the thought of seeing that awful excuse of a man again and Will immediately noticed her pulse racing within her wrist as he removed her hand from his cheek.
He inhaled and exhaled a deep sighing growl of a breath, subduing his internal fury at the thought of this villainous tormenter within a mile of Emmy, let alone talking to her or touching her against her will...
"My love, you ought not to offer yourself as a sacrifice to bring him down. Can you not go to your police and tell them what he did to you?" He knelt before her on the ground, cradling both of her fragile hands in his. "Surely he must answer for his crimes."
"It's more complicated than that, Will." She removed one of her hands from his grasp and ran her fingers through his dark brown hair, brushing a few waves off his forehead. "He has wealth and power... He's had time to study my every move over the time since I've met him, so he would be expecting me to do that...even though he's threatened my mother before when I told him I would... I know it sounds crazy, but you need to trust me, my prince. I've handled myself in my era for a long time... And I plan to give him hell the next time he dares to lay a hand on me."
"My darling, please understand. I don't doubt at all your strength and intelligence." Will tenderly interlocked their fingers, taking in the sheer size difference of their hands. All of her small fingers were dwarfed by his that were much longer in length. "If I cannot be there to physically protect you from him, I can at least urge you to proceed with extreme caution. With all that I've seen these last three years... you meet all types of men... and you witness what they're capable of when they set their eyes on something they want. Don't underestimate what he might do when you return back to your time."
He looked up into her beautiful green orbs, his fingertips tracing along the scars on her pinky and ring finger. His eyes briefly closed as his subconscious thrust to the forefront of his mind that horrific vision he had seen from his dream.
His Emmy being chloroformed by the shadowy bastard, smothering her mouth and nose as she struggled and her eyelids closing as she succumbed to the submission of Erik's mercy...
The thought of never seeing her lovely irises shine with life, and her eyes never opening again in this "sleeping death" as the writings on the now burnt picture ominously prophesized...
A broken sob escaped Will as he leaned down, laying his head in her lap in a moment of emotional vulnerability. He tried to hold back his tears from staining her skirt and he felt her fingers stroke his hair in comfort.
"Shh... Will, it'll be okay. Once I make things right back home in 2020, I'll come back to you." She leaned down and placed a kiss on his cheek before he raised his head back up to face her.
"My Emmy... beloved..." He cleared his throat before any further sobs could devastate him, not wanting to seem like a sniveling little boy instead of the hero she deserved who would withstand anything to protect her. "The mere thought of that... that criminal going anywhere near you... I would tear him apart if had the opportunity. That dream I had...back in the train compartment. Tom came to me and showed me... what Erik did to you that night in your home..."
He trailed off, not wanting to bring the specifics to taint his tongue as he reached up and caressed her chin and jaw-line with his thumb.
Will observed her as Emmy's throat muscles constricted with a nervous gulp. The color of her face paled into a near ghostly white and she shakily pushed herself off the swing, slightly staggering on her feet and he enfolded her into his arms, preparing to catch her should she collapse again...
She took deep breaths, leaning into her corporal's warmth as his arms wrapped around her in a shielding embrace. Her voice was a barely audible whisper.
"You saw what he did to me that night...when he drugged me...and touched me and... chloroformed me." She felt a seething growl rise in Will's chest as he held her even closer at her words.
"Yes, my love." His nose brushed against her hair atop her head as he kissed her brow. "And I could easily kill him for that."
Emmy's ear was pressed to his chest, listening to his heartbeat vibrating underneath his skin. Her Will's beautiful heart should not be overtaken by his anger, no matter what happened to her...
Her hand went up to her neck and her fingers clutched onto the St. Christopher resting on her bosom.
"I know you mean to keep me safe, Will. But there are things you can't control. Whatever happened that night can't be reversed. I've had time here to come to terms with it. When I return back to 2020, you'll need to entrust that I'll look after myself and focus on your life as if you hadn't met me." She encircled her arms around his waist.
"But, Emmy..." Will tried to argue, but she placed her fingers to his lips to silence him. She stood on her tiptoes and placed a kiss upon the sweet Cupid's bow lining of his mouth.
William Schofield was definitely the best kisser she had ever encountered throughout the years... And she had traversed through over a century in time to find him...
"I solemnly swear, Will, that no matter what happens, I'll find a way back to you. And we can start afresh... if... if you'll still want me." She paused as her eyes cast down to the ground, playing with a blossom she had caught in her hands. "I say this half-jokingly...but if you ever feel lonely when you return to France... if you ever get a chance to visit maybe a local bar and crave female company... I know there are women out there prettier and more... alluring than me."
She felt an embarrassed blush stain her cheeks, burning her skin as the words escaped her mouth and she stumbled upon her wording.
Emmy waited for him to either laugh or scoff in her face or to turn his back on her and walk away in disgust for making such an assumption about him. She felt stupid for saying such a thing, but after so many years of encountering men with little to no emotional connection, either on her part or theirs, she had to ask him about the chances of him remaining faithful to her...
She dreaded what he might say as she looked up at her Will, feeling his scarred hand tip up her chin so he could look into her evergreen eyes, his other hand cradling her blooming pink cheek. He leaned down and touched his forehead to her own. His soft voice whispered to her. "Emmanuelle Hunterson... from the first moment I beheld you, I knew no other woman would ever compare. I looked into your jeweled eyes and I was spellbound and I have no yearning to destroy the enchantment you placed me under."
His large hand touched her neck, the tip of his thumb stroking her jaw with all the tenderness as if she were made of porcelain. Will leaned in and kissed the petal soft texture of her cheek and leaned further down to do the same with the side of her throat.
Emmy released a pleasured moan in response to his physical affection wavering between chivalric chastity and sensual intoxication...
"Sweetest angel... you are my desire, my dream... my forevermore." He spoke with all the gentle reverence of a poet reciting sacred prose... Shakespeare's writing of Romeo's infatuated declarations to Juliet on her balcony never made her feel like soaring so... flying on the wings of Will Schofield's love.
Her arms were enfolded around his neck as her fingers played with his cropped hair, relishing the velvet spot at his nape. Tears came to her eyes as she laid her head on his shoulder. "My Will... I'm so sorry for how I acted earlier to you and Joe. You didn't deserve me being so nasty and petty. I...I'm just not used to being worried over like this by people."
He leaned back out of her arms, placing his hands on her waist as he listened intently to her words, tempted to sweep Emmy off the ground and carry her into the house and grovel at her feet like an enamored youth over his head with supposed romantic fixation. Will stayed silent, allowing her to continue.
"Back in 2020, I never really got close with many people. Even before Erik, I never had any long term relationships. It was just quick overnight affairs... just someone to hold me so I wouldn't feel alone for a few hours. Sometimes I would stoop so low as meeting a stranger who would flatter me at a bar in a restroom or alley and we would..." She trailed off before finishing, hoping she wouldn't have to explain further.
William understood what she was alluding to, cringing inwardly at the thought of another man having her in their arms, in their bed, feeling her bare flesh on theirs... even if they treated her with more "decency" than Erik had...
"I've kept people at arm's length, but that's no excuse to how I acted to you and Joseph. And I want you to know how truly sorry I am. And... none of those men meant anything at all to me, Will. You have been the only man I ever want to kiss me or touch me like that from the day I met you." She reached up and stroked his cheek again, gauging his expression.
Will knew she wasn't a virgin and he had come to terms with that, knowing where she was from, a woman's purity wasn't as important to retain until marriage and who was he to tell a full grown woman already a few years older than him how to live her life. All he cared about was the woman herself, her happiness and her safety...
He loved her...
Without any other words, he cradled her face in his hands and softly kissed her with ever burning love for her enflaming his veins, conveying to her that all was forgiven.
All that mattered now was what was to be in their future...
.
.
"Thank you so much for welcoming me to stay, Mrs. Blake! I'd like to come and visit again soon if I can." Emmy held the matriarch's hands in both of hers as they stood on the porch of the Blake family house.
The sky was a grey overcast with the afternoon forthcoming of approaching rain.
"You're welcome here any time, Emmanuelle. You're a fine young lady. And I cannot thank you enough for bringing a piece of my Thomas back to me." A shine of tears gleamed in the redhead woman's eyes as Emmy stepped closer to her and drew the older woman into a hug.
Catherine briefly hesitated before returning the petite brunette's embrace.
"You don't need to thank me, ma'am." She withdrew from Mrs. Blake's arms and stepped back to face her. "I hope you and Joe take care of each other."
William stepped up to the two women, placing his hand lovingly on Emmy's shoulder before turning to face the mother of his late war comrade. "Mrs. Blake, I'm most grateful for your hospitality. If you need anything, don't hesitate to let me know."
"I'm indebted to the both of you, Corporal Schofield... William." She reached with one hand and grasped Will's larger one in a maternal hold. "Both of you cherish every moment with one another... and you look out for this young woman who loves you so."
Will glanced down to Emmy at his side, enfolding his free arm around her waist, his eyes softening with unabashed affection aimed down toward her. "With all that I am, I shall."
He raised Mrs. Blake's hand up and placed a brief, gratified kiss on her knuckles.
The sound of the front door opening signaled Joseph's entrance onto the porch, going to join his mother in saying goodbye to their friends. "The rain will probably be here soon, if you need to get a head-start on the way home. I'm on leave for a couple weeks if either of you need anything."
Emmy went to Joe and wrapped him into her arms...her best friend who both angered and overjoyed her. "I'd love to come and visit again, Joe. Thank you for all you've done for me. Let me know if there's something you or your mother need."
"'Till your next visit, you'll be missed terribly, dearest one." Joseph's fingertips tickled her chin, a crooked smile of fondness playing on his lips. His gaze looked up next to Will, meeting the taller man's own azure eyes. "You'll take care of our girl, Will? Don't let her fall into any holes."
Emmy cleared her throat defensively, backing away from Joe and going to lean on Will's side as Catherine looked to her eldest son with a sharply raised eyebrow. Will only chuckled softly with a half-teasing scoff, taking the Joe's hand into his with a firmly gripped handshake.
"No harm shall befall her, Joe. You have my word." William's jaw was set tight with a serious glaze to his eyes, all the humor and lighthearted banter vanished from his tone. He turned to place a reassuring kiss on his beloved's forehead. "We best get home before we get soaked, my darling."
She looked up at her soldier, smiling up at him as he began to aid her in hobbling down the porch steps.
"Are you sure you prefer to walk, Emmy? I don't want your ankle to be re-injured while it's still healing. Just say the word and I'll carry you." He held her scarred hand as she leaned some of her weight against his side.
"No, Will. Let me walk... at least until I get too tired. I...I think the time travel might be already taking its toll on me. I...I just need to take it slow." Emmy smiled up at her love, hoping he would listen to her words. She turned around briefly and waved back to Catherine and Joseph, smiling brightly at them.
Will hesitated as they kept walking through the Blakes' front yard and toward the gate to exit the property. "You did faint awhile ago, sweetheart. If you feel any sensation of exhaustion or dizziness, please tell me and I'll carry you. We need to get your energy restored soon; Molly's eager to take you to the milliners' since you need to have your measurements done for more clothes."
Emmy smiled, excited to have some "girl time" with Molly and getting to know her better as the sister of the man she loved more than anything. "I've never been much of a clothes shopper back in my time...but I definitely need some attire more to my own taste."
William found himself laughing deeply, grinning widely as euphoric warmth spread through his chest. His fingers tickled her side as she giggled. "How did a bastard like me get so damn lucky finding you?"
Emmy looked up at him as she tried to wriggle away from his playful gesture. "You're never getting an answer to that question with such torturous methods, Corporal."
Joseph and Catherine Blake watched the couple walk away from their property, keeping their eyes on them until they were out of sight. She placed a hand on her son's shoulder as she saw the forlorn darkening of his ocean eyes. "Joe... of all the women in existence, you chose her."
"Yes I did." He gently removed her hand from upon him and cradled it in his own.
"I've seen the way you look at her, as soon as she came in our front door yesterday. She seemed a mess, but you looked at her like she was the most breathtaking thing you'd ever seen." Catherine felt her own tears emerge for her son's visible sadness on his face. "All those holes Myrtle dug in the orchard... they were filled up by this morning as if they'd never been there.... All because she got hurt falling into one of them. And how you carried her upstairs to yours and Tom's room last night after she fell asleep, with such gentle care and attentive nurturing.... But the real answer is in your not coming between her and another man... your late brother's war comrade..."
"Even if I cannot be with her in the way I want, I'll still be there for her when she needs me. I'll be there to take care of her. Not just for her, but for Will, too. I made promises I have to keep, even at the risk of my heart breaking irreparably." Tears began to leak from his eyes, and he closed them tightly, ashamed of showing such weakness in front of his mother.
Why was unreciprocated love such a cruel and painful sentiment?
Catherine immediately placed her arms around Joseph's neck in a comforting embrace, one of her hands curling through the hair at the back of his head... mirroring how she had embraced William after his confession to how Tom had died that fateful day in his arms.
Joseph felt like a young boy again, crying to his mother because he was in agony. So much death and loss and misery... His bitter, heavy sobs rattled his usually strong body like an earthquake beneath the planet's surface.
He had lost Tom forever, never getting to say goodbye... And now the possibility of Emmanuelle dying as well because of some damned cosmic fantasy nonsense he had only read about in science fiction novels...
And that demon of her nightmares, Erik! If there was anyone Joe didn't mind impaling his bayonet with and find himself taking satisfaction in seeing him slowly perish...
Was there anything that could save Emmy? Anything he would do and say to keep her light alive where she would still be an irritating thorn in his side and that enthralling girl who made him come to his senses and stood up for herself to him when he almost fell into temptation with her...
By all the powers of Heaven and Hell, Joseph would not see her sentenced to such a fate when she was cherished so within his crumbling soul. She was a part of him... and he was her Heathcliff, she had nicknamed him ever affectionately... And his coveting of her love had driven him ever so mad!
*If all else perished and she remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained and she were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.
.
.
Later that evening, Emmy sat at the vanity mirror in the Schofields' guest room, feeling somewhat hesitant in referring to it as her own room. She brushed out her drying ribbons of silky chocolate hair with the new hairbrush that accompanied the brush-and-comb kit Will had bought for her when he had gone to London yesterday.
She sat the kit box in front of her on the table, absorbing the delicate bejeweled hairclips in the various shapes of beautiful objects such as hearts, butterflies, flowers, angel wings and stars engraved with diamonds, sapphires and emeralds...
The hairbrush's handle was even patterned on the surface with painted roses, identical to the vase of ivory roses tipped with pink on their petals upon her bedside table, also courtesy of her soldier buying them to brighten the spare room for her. Emmy sighed as she ran the brush through her hair, feeling not a single snag yanking on her roots. She had always a sensitive scalp and brushing out her thick hair had been a difficult task no matter what products she had used over the years.
Emmy looked down at the hair clips she had placed in a neat row along the table, blinking back tears at the thought of Will looking through the kit in the shop and thinking of her when he saw such delicate and gorgeous accessories that were probably more fitting for a wealthy debutante than a normal woman of independent means.
When she had asked why Will had gifted her with such fine tokens, Will had responded with a tender whisper and his index finger brushing back a tendril of her hair behind her ear, and he was rewarded with an apple-red blush spreading through her cheeks.
"As magnificent as your waterfall of hair is, it often covers your even more beautiful face, my Emmy. And I've often found you being annoyed when it gets in your eyes. I love you and I want to give you the things you need to be comfortable here." His thumb traced along the heated curve of her hot-blooded cheek before moving down to caress her jaw-line.
She pulled out one of the hairclips, looking at the shape of angel wings sculpted from shimmering diamond that sparkled in the golden lamplight of the parlor where everyone had gathered to open the presents Will had brought with him from the city.
"I...I don't wanna sound ungrateful, Will. These...they're the most exquisite things I've ever gotten from anyone before. I...I'm just not used to such luxuries being given to me...and not being required to give something back." Tears had welled in her eyes as she placed the clip carefully back in the box and she felt Molly's hand on her shoulder as she sat behind Emmy on the chaise.
She was grateful Elle and Cici had gone upstairs to try on their new dresses and weren't there to witness her crying.
"Oh, Emmanuelle, there's no shame in accepting this gift from Will. You don't owe him anything. It's just a way he's expressing how much you mean to him." Molly calmly assured her as Emmy turned around to face the older woman. The brunette American girl sniffled and wiped away her unshed tears.
Emmy twirled her hair in her hands, pushing it all over one shoulder where it formed a curtain over one side of her face. She smiled sadly at Molly before turning again to Will. He gently swiped her hair away from her eye and cheek, raising up the glittering angel wing clip and fastening it into her mahogany locks. The clip stood out like a brilliant meteor illuminating the night sky, keeping her glorious strands in place atop her head...
He took her scarred hand into his own healing one and kissed her fingertips. "My darling, do not weep so. I know you've been hurt by those who were supposed to love you. Please believe us when we say you are cared for most deeply and sincerely and not just by myself alone."
His thumb softly stroked along her marked pinky and ring finger and he looked down at them with a melancholic gaze. Will lifted her hand again and kissed those same fingers.
"Thank you, Will." Emmy choked a whisper as she raised her hand and touched the clip, feeling the hard surface of the starlight-coated gem in her curls. Her scarred hand rose to touch his cheekbone. "I love you..."
She leaned forward and kissed his lips. After she pulled away from him, she turned and carefully held Molly's hands, aiming to signal her gratitude to her newly made female friend.
"And thank you, Molly. For allowing me into your home. I can't wait to have my own things to wear for tomorrow and not borrowed clothes." She wrapped her arms around Molly's shoulders and embraced her before she knew what she was doing.
Molly was struck momentarily by silence, not expecting to be hugged. Her eyes went wide as she pondered how to respond to the girl suddenly clasping onto her. She then relaxed, placing her hands on Emmy's back gently as she met her brother's gaze.
Will quietly nodded to his older sister as she met his blue eyes equal to hers. Molly smiled supportively at her brother gracing him with a sly smirk and a wink, showing her deeply hidden mischievous side.
Now, as Emmy brushed her hair out, an alerting knock at the bedroom door made her look away from the vanity mirror. "Who is it?"
"It's Molly. May I come in, Emmy?" The older woman's soft voice asked on the other side of the door, as the knob began to turn.
"Yeah, sure." Emmy consciously ruffled her curls of hair and smoothed out her white nightgown.
The door opened revealing Molly, clad in her newly bought silk shawl, embroidered with swirling patterns of stemmed roses and her dark brown hair loose down to her bosom. She was so regal and beautiful, a flawless familial counterpart to her handsome and noble Will...
"The girls seem to be restless, afraid they'll have nightmares tonight. Would you be able to help me? They both really seem to like you." Molly battled a yawn as she finished her sentence.
Emmy stood up from the vanity seat, pushing her hair behind her shoulders. "I...I'll do what I can. I don't have that much experience with kids. Do they have any favorite stories or lullabies?"
"I can try my own with them, what my mother used to sing to me." Molly opened the door wider for Emmy to walk through and follow her into the foyer.
Both women opened the door to the girls' room, their focus staying on Giselle and Cecilia in their twin beds, cuddled under the pillows. Elle seemed to already be dozing off, struggling to keep her eyelids open. Cici held a doll in her hands, absentmindedly twirling it around on her stomach as she looked up and smiled at the sight of her mother.
"Mummy! Aunt Emmy!" Cici grinned, exposing her two front teeth missing. Emmy couldn't help but smile at the term of endearment aimed at her.
The sound of "Aunt Emmy" had a poignancy to it...
"Hello, my darlings." Molly went to Elle's bedside and sat down on the edge, adjusting the sheet around the youngest girl as both children were aware of the adults' presence. "Both of you need your sleep for school tomorrow."
"But I'm scared, mummy." Cici whined as Emmy perched down by her on the bed. "I'm afraid of the dark."
"We'll keep one your little lamps on for you, Cee." Emmy gently patted her head of dark red hair.
"Aunt Emmy, will you sing me and Elle a song? I don't like the one mum sings." Cici climbed out from under the covers and climbed into Emmy's lap. An alien maternal warmth spread through Emmy's chest as the child clutched onto her cotton nightdress.
"But I like the lavender song, Cici!" Elle spoke up, sitting up from her pillow and crossing her little arms as she pouted.
"I haven't heard the lavender song." Emmy asked, meeting Molly's eyes.
"Mummy, sing it, pretty please!" Elle begged, crawling out from the sheets and enfolding her arms around her mother's waist, laying her head on Molly's leg.
Molly cleared her throat, running her fingers through Elle's brownish-blonde hair. She opened her lips and pure music emerged into the air.
**"Lavender's green,
When I am king, Dilly, Dilly
You shall be queen
Who told you so, dilly dilly
Who told you so?
If you love me, dilly dilly
I will love you
Let the birds sing, dilly dilly
And the lambs play
We shall be safe dilly, dilly
Out of harm's way
I love to dance, dilly dilly
I love to sing
When I am queen, dilly dilly
You'll be my king
Who told me so dilly dilly
Who told me so?
I told myself, dilly, dilly
I told me so..."
Molly's sweet voice trailed off as she sang the last verse, leaving Emmy to exhale a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
Elle had already drifted off to sleep in Molly's lap, the older woman carefully placing her daughter back under the covers and against her pillow. She kissed the little girl's forehead and glanced over to see Emmy cradling Cici in her arms, the child still awake but dozing.
"That was beautiful, Molly; that's what your mom used to sing to you?" Emmy asked, readjusting Cici in her lap.
"Yes she did. She's been gone 26 years and those are what I have left of her." Molly blinked tears from her eyes, wanting to keep a strong demeanor in front of Emmy.
"I had a falling out with my mom before I met Will..." She confessed to the mother sitting before her. "She did what she could with me when I was a kid. I never had siblings... and we drifted apart for the last few years. And it all sounds so stupid now." Emmy fought back her own tears, resting her chin on top of Cici's head. "Will is 26 years old..."
Emmy did the math in her head and connected the dots. Molly looked down at the wooden floor in a pensive manner.
"She died giving birth to him... What's the age difference between you two?" Emmy found herself asking before she thought the question through. Unexpectedly, she got an answer thanks to Molly's vulnerable state of emotion.
"Ten years. I was so excited while Mum was pregnant. I made it no secret I wanted a sister." Molly smiled despite her recalling the sad memory. "And a healthy baby boy was born much to Father's joy. Everything seemed fine while Mum rested that night. Will had been born in this house... and it should've been at a proper hospital... Later that night, Mum started seizing...and she couldn't breathe. The police and morgue said that she suffered from eclampsia... and she'd had a difficult time carrying Will to full term."
"I'm so sorry." Emmy clutched onto Cici in her arms, noticing how the little girl was remaining still.
She remembered watching many period dramas back in 2020 and seeing the various situations of pregnant women in the different era without the medical advances of the 21st century. One of the shows had depicted the bodily horrors of eclampsia and the hazards of birthing in the Edwardian era...
A painful shiver racked Emmy's body and she felt the blood leaving her face... she felt lightheaded as she came to fully realize that this here right now was real. She swallowed back the rising bile in her throat as she gulped back a cough.
The two women remained silent, not sure what else to say in the moment.
Cici wriggled in Emmy's arms, the child reaching up and gently tugging on the woman's curled hair. "Aunt Emmy, will you sing to me?"
Emmy smiled down at the little girl, who was looking up with such curious wonder in her eyes there was no way she could deny the child her request, even though she had not the best singing voice compared to Molly.
She thought of something to sing, a classic that always made her feel calm whenever she watched the Disney movie and imagined herself as the title heroine.
***"A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you're fast asleep
In dreams you will lose your heartaches
Whatever you wish for, you keep
Have faith in your dreams and someday
Your rainbow will come smiling through
No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
The dream that you wish will come true"
Emmy gently rocked Cici in her arms as she laid her back down on the pillow and tucked her under the blankets, the child having dozed off into sleep, breathing peacefully much to both women's relief. They left one of the small lamps on as a nightlight.
Neither of them said anything as they left the room, Molly giving one last glance at her girls before closing the door.
"Thank you so much." Molly whispered gratefully, placing a hand on Emmy's shoulder.
Emmy opened her mouth to respond, but an unwelcome wave of vertigo threatened her balance as she placed a hand on the wall. She groaned as her legs shook and Molly tried to help keep her upright as the younger woman's knees buckled and she ended up on the floor, her hands flat down on the ground to keep herself from face planting downward, her eyes closed to block the disorientation.
"Emmy, what's wrong? I'll go wake up Will." Molly asked in a deeply concerned voice, trying to keep quiet so as not to disturb the girls. She knelt down to examine the American girl's condition.
The ringing in Emmy's ears slowly faded away as she quickly answered. "No, please don't. He's worried enough about me as it is."
The room stopped spinning as Emmy began to stand on her feet again and Molly helped her back up. The older woman led her to the spare room and maneuvered her to sit on the bed.
"I'll be back in a moment; you're white as a sheet. Let me fetch you some water." Molly strode with effortless grace from the room, her steps silent as Emmy stared at the half open door.
The nauseous feeling of faintness had passed and Emmy debated whether this unexpected episode of dizziness was a sign whether she should really be truthful to her hostess. The young woman twirled her hair with anxiety, staring at the roses decorating her bedside table as she heard Molly's stocking clad feet padding across the floor.
She held a glass of water, her dark blue eyes shining with worry. Before Molly could sit back down on the bed next to her, Emmy looked her straight in the eyes and spoke her next words with all the conviction in her voice.
"I'm from the future."
Molly froze in her tracks as she stood in the doorway, her sharp eyes locked on the woman her brother so loved, absorbing those four words that had exited her lips. Her response found her stuttering her words like her brain couldn't process her speaking.
"I...I beg your pardon?" Her hand held onto the glass of water, trying to keep it gripped in her fingers. "What on earth do you dare mean?"
"I am from the year 2020, from Richmond, Virginia. And...the time travel has left my body slowly weakening and when I return there, I...might die if I'm brought back here to 1917." Emmy kept her eyes on Molly, nervous for her reaction.
Molly's mouth set in a firm line, not quite a smile nor a frown as Emmy held her head high. "You...you're lying. You're only teasing to give me a good laugh."
Emmy watched her hold onto the glass as Molly spoke, her tone rising with speculation as the older woman's heartbeat increased. The brunette American woman only shook her head in a slow motion.
"I swear on Will's life and your girls' lives... I am not joking, Molly. I was born in February, 1992. I was in London England on April 6th, 2020 when I fell unconscious and woke up in Flanders in a rickety farmhouse and your brother found me with Corp. Tom Blake."
Molly stared intently at the woman on the bed for five elongated, agonizing seconds...
The glass of water fell from her hands and shattered to the floor...
.
.
"Tell me more about where you're from." Molly asked Emmy for about the millionth time as they walked out of the milliner's shop, their arms full of boxes containing new frocks, trousers, bloomers, nightgowns and her own dressing robe for the American girl. The older woman had kept asking her questions with the excitement of a teenager discovering a new trend. "You're not really saying there are tiny telephones that can give you any piece of information without going to a library?"
Emmy wore her hair up in a coiled bun similar to Molly's hairstyle, pinned up with the sapphire butterfly clips from her brush and comb beauty kit.
"I couldn't make that up if I tried." Emmy laughed as Molly's eyes widened with disbelief. "And on these phones, you can read books, listen to music, buy things without going to a store, handle your finances... all in the palm in your hand."
"That sounds amazing and terrifying." Molly's voice held a pitch of awe as she readjusted one of the boxes in her arms. "You can even see moving pictures on them too?"
"Yes! Where I'm from, we call them 'movies'; and they have sound where you can hear the people talk and see the most vivid colors. It's like you're seeing a novel come to life." Emmy felt her chest well up as she remembered sitting in a dark theater and watching her favorite films, both in her child and adult years.
"Is there anything else you need while we're out? I need to pick up the girls and take them to a meeting with their teachers. Cici is having trouble with her reading and she's not getting the help she needs. The teacher says no single student is worth more attention than the rest." Molly explained to her. "When Will wrote to me about you, he said you had accolades from your university, that you're most brilliant."
Emmy's face reddened with a blush as she looked ahead as they made their way from the village buildings and up the path leading to the Schofields' property and a light-bulb of an idea brightened her mind as she stopped in her tracks. "I wouldn't say I'm brilliant. If you like I can tutor Cici with her reading. It'd be no trouble...if I can still stay in the spare room while I'm here."
"Would you, really?" Molly turned to face Emmy, carefully setting down the boxes by her feet and the American girl did the same as their hands met, their fingers interlocked. "Oh, bless you dearest girl! Will was right to bring you to us. Thank you so much!"
Emmy smiled humbly, feeling the bond between them intensify with their sisterly dynamic.
Molly laughed, holding back a sob of overwhelmed gratitude as she picked up the boxes from the ground. "You and Will have the house to yourselves for a few hours tonight while I deal with the girls' school."
Emmy absentmindedly nodded, then froze as she lifted up her other boxes, realizing what Molly's words meant. "Like...alone? With nobody else in the house?"
"Exactly what I meant." Molly coyly raised a dark eyebrow, the corner of her lip lifting in a knowing smile.
Both women kept walking toward home as a million thoughts raced through Emmy's mind. The sister of her beloved soldier was giving her a chance for them to be alone with complete privacy and discretion.
Emmy reached down into her dress pocket and felt the gift she had purchased for her corporal, hoping he would like it. She wanted to give something back to him after all he had done for her...
.
.
A couple hours later, Emmy sat in the bathtub, scrubbing her arms with a sponge soaked with hot water, steam rising around her.
She dunked her head in the water one more time, rinsing out all the soap and shampoo from her skin. Rising out of the tub carefully, she dried off and wrung out the water from her hair, tying it into a braided plait...
She pulled her sleeves and skirt of her new nightdress to cover her body, not bothering to put on bloomers or any other underclothes. Emmy was completely nude underneath the cotton fabric, her heated skin tingling with anticipation and wanting...
She had barely spoken to Will when she arrived home with Molly and her new purchases from the village, waving off the older woman and girls as they headed off toward the grammar school for the teachers' meeting. The young woman double checked to make sure all the candles were lit in her room, wanting to make a romantic setting despite the knots forming in her stomach.
She placed the wrapped box on the vanity table, pressing a light kiss to the ribbon bow before she went out to the hallway and to the top of the stairs.
"Will! Would you come up here, please?" She called out to her soldier from upstairs, immediately hearing his booted footsteps walking toward the banister.
"Are you alright, my love? What's wrong?" William's voice was filled with worry as his tall silhouette graced her sight and he quickly made his way up to her.
"Nothing's wrong. I...I have a surprise for you." She took his hand within hers, watching his face melt with relief that she wasn't in pain or danger. Emmy could feel his wary curiosity as she pulled him through the hallway and to her room.
"Emmy, you didn't have to get me a gift. You've given me everything just by being here." After she closed the door behind her, Will reached up and traced her supple rosebud lips with his thumb, adoring her with his eyes...
His ivory gowned angel glowed in the surrounding candlelight...
She nibbled the tip of his thumb, smiling mischievously as she turned toward the vanity table and presented the box. "You might change your mind when you see this."
Will's eyes locked on the box as he took it from her hands, glancing at the woman standing before him. His fingers untied the ribbon around the box, allowing it to slip to the floor and he heard a nervous gasp from Emmy as he opened the lid and saw what was inside.
His watch... the very watch he had worn always on his wrist. Only the crack on the glass was gone and the ticking from the clock's hands was music to his ears.
"I found it in the parlor table drawer, and Molly took me to a shop where they fixed it." Emmy placed her hands on his shoulders, guiding him to sit on the bed.
"Darling, you didn't have to do this for me." Will looked at her with a mixture of incredulity and admiration in his misty blue eyes.
"I wanted to, Will." Emmy sat down by him on the bed, placing her small hand on his cheek. "There's also something engraved on the back."
Carefully, Will removed the watch from the box and turned over its face, reading the words inscribed on the silver metal.
Plus que tout...
"More than anything..." Will translated the words from French to English with smooth clarity, looking up at Emmy, his heart bursting with the need to take her into his arms and kiss her senseless.
"And that's how much I love you, my soldier... my Will." Her fingertips traced down his cheek, before moving to his bottom lip. "More than anything in the world... beyond time and distance."
Will blinked back tears from his vision, keeping focus on the woman who had taken it upon herself to have his watch repaired and engraved with such a significant and romantic inscription. "Beloved Emmy... you've no idea how much this means to me. My grandfather gave my father this watch and he passed it down to me before he died."
He ran his thumb over the engraved words, a sorrowful smile forming on his lips.
"Is the inscription too much? If you don't like it, I can take it tomorrow to have the words removed." Emmy offered, worry creeping into her voice.
"No, my love, of course not!" Will answered instantly, placing the watch carefully back into the box and setting it onto the bedside table by the vase of roses. "It's perfect. I shall cherish it forever and do my utmost to make sure it's never damaged again."
"I'm so glad you like it, Will." Emmy breathed a sigh of relief she scooted closer to him, reaching behind her head to undo her braid and allowing her barely dried hair to fall loose around her shoulders.
She attempted to keep her breath steady and hoped against all odds that he couldn't hear her pounding heartbeat. Will's fingers reached up to weave through her silken tendrils of darkened chocolate hair.
The water nymphs of human mythology paled in comparison to his Emmanuelle, who had pulled his exhausted and half-drowned body from the Croisilles river and brought him back to the land of the living at the risk of her own wellbeing.
Hans Christian Anderson's own little mermaid in the flesh perched before him on the bed, and she leaned forward to kiss him. Her pupils had dilated, nearly overwhelming her green irises and her pulse accelerated within her veins.
Her lips pressed to his hungrily, fueled with lust as her fingers latched onto his shirt collar, pulling him down to hover on top of her...
A growl of arousal rumbled within Will's chest as she slowly pulled away, running her fingers through his brown wavy hair dangling from his forehead, their noses brushing as they caught their breaths.
"Will...I want you to do something for me." Emmy whispered quietly, her bosom rising with the effort she took to calm her lungs.
He leaned a little further back, still above her on the bed. Emmy's pupils were back to their normal width, but he could hear her shaky breaths still. He touched her blossom cheek with the back of his fingers with all the tenderness if he were stroking the roses on the table. "Anything you want, my Emmanuelle. Ask me for anything at all and it's yours."
"You'll be leaving in days for France again. And I don't know how much longer until I'll be spirited away back to 2020." Emmy tried to keep the anxiety out of her voice.
Will slid his massive hands underneath her back and delicately pulled her upright to where she was in his lap, his arms enfolded around her protectively as though she was about to be snatched away from him any moment, trying to keep his whole body from quivering as he processed her words. He cradled his paramour close to his torso as she kept talking.
"I remember what you said about that night were in the basement in Ecoust...our safe haven in that hellhole." Emmy's hand reached up to his face, her fingertips tracing his prominently sculpted chin. She situated herself further against him, her arms around his neck and one of her bare legs hitched around his hip.
Will remembered that exact moment in the cellar she had been like this in his arms...his recital of that poem to her... Only now, in the spare room of his family home, the only difference was that she was more stunning than ever.
He peppered kisses upon her throat down to her shoulder. She smelled of lilac soap and freesia...
What she said next made his heart race faster than it ever had before; more than the Somme, the German bunker rubble, the Ecoust rapids, running across the battlefield to save the Devons...
And it was all in one rush of incense permeated air and the hushed uncensored honesty of her voice.
"Make love to me, William..."