Waiting for yet more ships to dock and disgorge his side of the wedding party was pure torture for Will, he'd have much rather been on a trip across and had them all here when he got back, but it wouldn't have been right to not greet them. Not when they came all the way across an ocean for him, well, him and Ana. She was the consummate hostess, taking not only Sylvie but his mother out shopping and refusing to even consider prices.
God, she'd been a vision when he'd seen her in that dress. He imagined that his own fitting was much less involved than her's, after all he had far less to wear. The other men had simply begun to hector him about Ana while he had begun to change. Well, Charles hectored, while Oscar began to wax rhapsodic about what Ana would look like when she arrived. Ezekiel kept up a running commentary as he did, constantly interrupting to the point of annoying Oscar. Will shook his head as he undressed, pulling on his new shirt which was starched just as he liked, Reggie had seen to it. In fact, Reggie was with him as he switched into his uniform trousers, helping pull the suspenders up over his shoulder.
Will had waved him away when he had pulled on his waistcoat. "I can handle it from here, Reggie."
The man had snorted. "I quite doubt that." He had turned to begin brushing Will's frock coat, for at least the third time since they had arrived.
"Leave off Will, he's just helping." Charles called over, holding a drink and grinning.
Ezekiel chuckled, "That's what you pay him for." Will had smiled at that, especially as his father stepped over to help knot his tie and pull the stiff collar into place.
Samuel eyed the coat draped over a chair, "What did yer girl do with the linin' of that?"
"She arranged for the tailor to use our tartan." He had grinned, "I hadn't offered to wear a kilt, but she wanted me to have somethin' of home." Will had found it rather confusing when his father, his eyes intent, undid a perfectly good knot once, then twice. He had the clever fingers of a sailor, but it was only on his third try, when Oscar and Ezekiel had left the room for a moment, that he finally let the knot be. "Da? What is it?"
Samuel reached out and gripped his son's shoulder, his fingers strong as he looked towards the door the pair had left through. "Ye're sure about that one?"
"Ezekiel?"
"The other one, the rich one."
"Oscar? Yes, he's quite alright."
"He seems to admire her, a lot."
Will had pursed his lips. Ah, it was this then. "He courted her, once. But he's been nothing but kind and helpful since I've met him." At first Will had been jealous of Oscar, for he had no doubt he had done all kinds of things with Ana, perhaps even have kissed her. But he had surrendered the field to Will, and instead of a rival, Will had found a friend. He sighed as his father growled.
"Open yer eyes, lad. He's a fool for that girl, your girl. And ye let him stay close."
"I'm not a fool, Da." Will lowered his voice. "Don't ye think he could have stolen her from me if he put his mind ta it? He's known her for years, he's well bred and set to inherit millions, but ye know what he did when he heard about us? He wished me well, he told me that as long as she was happy with me it was all he cared about. He hasn't made a move at her beyond being her friend."
Will drew in a breath, trying to not shout. "And look at me, a sailor with nothing to his name when she dragged me across her doorstep. Marrying her, having my own family with me for it. But I'm entering a different world Da, and I'd be a fool to spurn help when it's offered, or friendship. So yes, I know he feels fondly towards Ana, but I know he won't act on it." Will fixed Samuel with a glare. "Nor would Ana accept it if he did." His father had grumbled at that, but Ezekiel and Oscar had returned with a bottle of whiskey and Will had been on the outside looking in as they began to pour glasses for each other.
"Come on Will, take the edge off." Charles extended a glass, "She'll be down soon enough."
"Aye, lad." Samuel took the glass from Charles, handing it over. "Yer white as a sheet."
Will took a sip, then set the glass down so Reggie could help him pull on the coat. "Yes, well, I'm afraid I'm rather nervous. Ana's been quite taken with this gown, I only hope she isn't disappointed in it." He took the sword belt from Reggie, pulling it on himself and clipping the scabbard to it.
"Will, she's going to be beautiful." Oscar smiled, his eyes a little distant. "She's already stunning, you know that."
"Cool it off Vanderbilt," Charles chuckled, "You get him too excited and I'll be sent out to go find a priest." The had brought laughter from all, and Will couldn't help the flush that spread over his cheeks. It was going to be soon, the wedding.
And what came after.
Will's thoughts drifted as the others began to talk, remembering Ana and what would come. The first time he had seen her as God had made her, he had almost fainted at the sight. It had been one thing to see a photograph, but to see her before him, trembling and nervous as he looked over her, he had wanted to fall on her and never let her go. Her pale skin, flushed with warmth and firm under his hands. She had jumped a bit at first, but soon she had sighed into his touch and allowed him what he would take. At certain points he could almost feel her heartbeat under his fingers, especially when she trembled under him. God, if his father knew what he had done with her, he would have belted him, even as a man of forty. But soon it wouldn't matter, soon that gown that she was taking what seemed like hours to don, would be a pile of silk on the floor as he hauled her off to bed.
It had been hard to shake those thoughts from his mind as all of them had stood and made their way to where the photographer had set up. Charles had given him some guff about not looking as Ana came in, and he and Samuel had held him by his shoulders. He could hear the whispering as the doors opened, seeing all the ladies file past him. It had taken a word from Jeanie for him to finally look at his bride. He had almost fallen to his knees at the sight of her, all shining gold and silk, gleaming pearls that set her skin to glowing. He had dabbled in writing poetry before, short ones that he thought his sisters and Ada would like, but he desperately wished he had kept up with it.
He wished he could have remembered some line from the poems he and Ana had read together, some kind of ode that he could have whispered to her, but his tongue had deserted him. In the end he could only whisper sweet nothings to her, the fear he had been feeling about all this being a dream, and she had held him through it all. The one thing that he enjoyed about the process of the portrait was being able to hold her. He held her hand as her mother fussed with the way her skirt lay, he kept his hand to her shoulder as the photographer drew her head into the correct position. That night he had held her tightly, burying his face in her hair and breathing in every bit of her.
And now he was here, waiting for the other officers. They were good men, and he'd gotten closer to them over the time. They all shared that one event, and all of them corresponded to each other regularly. It was only Charles that would be one of his groomsmen though, along with Ezekiel and Oscar. They'd become his friends, and after what they had done to look out for Ana when he was away, it was the least he could offer. The others slowly trickled in over a week, all of them rooming at the dock house. They were all good men to have around, it was only Charles that was proving to be a problem. Peggy had almost dropped a tray of dishes when she heard Charles asking if Will had found occasion to use the gift he had given him, and Charles had come to him later.
"She left my clothes soaking wet on the bed!" He had complained, wringing out his own clothes and putting them up to dry.
Will had chuckled, "I think you need to watch your tongue, unless you care to explain to Sylvie what you meant?"
"Did you miss the fact that she hit me?" Charles had turned around, "She told me that if I didn't tone it down, that I'd be enjoying that wet bed myself." He had groused on for awhile, before Ana had come around and offered to take him out for a drive. Will had tagged along, the carriage taking them down to the docks. The new ships had been moved over, paint being applied in the Dalian colors, along with their new names.
Ana pointed to them. "I'm quite pleased with Oscar's gift, although I am having to have them fixed up."
"Ah, my apologies for only bringing you an engraved plate." Charles had bowed, a smirk on his face. "I'm afraid I was fresh out of ships."
"I do like the plate." Ana smiled, and Will nodded. It truly was a nice silver platter, engraved with a steamship, their names and the date of the wedding. Ana had already said it would have a place of pride during the reception, but Will knew the look in her eye as she turned to Charles. "And I hope you like this, one of those ships is being named after you."
Will had never seen Charles rendered speechless before, but it took the man a solid minute before he could speak again. "That's, that's far too much."
"Oh, it's hardly enough." Ana caught Will's eye, that smile still on her face. "Will here is getting one too, and I would prefer not to have to think of a new name for one."
"I'm afraid you've lost me on that one."
She turned to face Charles directly, "If you don't stop your teasing, the snide comments, then I will name that ship for James Moody and you and Sylvie will not be getting a visit during our honeymoon." Will had burst out laughing at that, and then at the look on Charles's face. It had been a quick agreement, and by the time they had returned Will was glad to see Harold Lowe had arrived.
The man proved a great help with everything, although Charles was not exactly pleased to have a teetotaler along when they were taking him out for a night of drinking. Will had told him to leave off it, it would be good to have at least one sober man among them. The other officers, Oscar, Ezekiel and Charles were all quite keen on getting him out and rightfully drunk, and Will had to admit it was a tempting idea. Ana had arranged to take the ladies to Broadway and dinner at Sherry's, and had left him with a kiss when she had begun to walk out to the carriage. He caught her hand, "Ana, lock your door by the time I'm back. I'm going to get roaring drunk tonight, and you know how that makes me." When he was drunk, all he wanted was her, to be close to her in every way, to lose himself in her and have nothing between them.
She raised an eyebrow, her fingers tracing his lapels. "Are you sure, Will? It's been awhile since you got that sauced." Her hand reached up, her gloved fingers tracing his cheek. "Perhaps I'll leave the door unlocked, and we could enjoy the wedding night a bit early."
He groaned, the thought of it far too enticing than it had any right to be. "Ana, just do it." She shook her head, but nodded and joined the other ladies in the carriage. Dinner for the men was light, saving space for the night of drinking. Lowe herded them into the various cars that Oscar had brought, sticking to water as they made their way from a well appointed bar, where they indulged in whiskey sours and punch, on and on until they ended up in a dockside bar that Ezekiel was familiar with. The drinks were strong, the company a bit rough, and the lot of them pretty well soused.
Except for Harold, of course.
Charles was full of advice as he finished what had to be his fifth beer at the place. "So, if you just lift her legs and put them over your shoulders-" Will groaned, lifting his beer to his lips and hoping that this one might make him pass out before having to hear anymore. Charles shoved his shoulder, "Listen to me, you great Scottish git. You think I got my boys by just going at Sylvie in the usual way? They like variety, and you need to learn. So, one thing you could do, get her down on all fours and then, oh pull your fingers out, the both of you!"
When Will looked over he saw the Oscar had copied him, shoving his fingers deep into his ears to block out the filth flowing freely from Charles's inebriated mouth. Once the fool seemed to have run out of steam, Will pulled his fingers out. "I can manage in that area, I was married before."
"There's always room for improvement." Charles retorted, grabbing another bottle.
Lowe, his water barely touched, groaned as he lowered his head into his hands. "I'm surrounded by idiots."
Will let Charles light into him about that remark, instead listening to the other members of their party. The other officers were discussing some gossip about White Star, but what caught his ear was the two younger men talking quietly farther down the bar. "It's not that I don't want this for her, Ezekiel. I do, I want her to be happy, I want her to be with someone she loves. I just wish it was me." Oscar sighed, draining a beer and signaling for another. "In another life, it could have been me." Will winced a bit at that, he could hardly imagine that pain. But Oscar seemed a strong man, and Will was not going to be foolish and deny him seeing Ana.
"You aren't alone in that." Ezekiel shook his head. "I know, she's an easy girl to love. My mother kept trying to push us together for years, and I'm lucky that she loves me as a brother. That's probably how she sees you. Annie wasn't blessed with those, and she seems to take in people like us as family. So think of her as your sister, who you love dearly as a sister, and let's go throw some eggs at Reichster's place. It will make you feel better." The others only caught the end of that conversation, and the idea of throwing eggs at the Reichster offices proved popular. Charles's suggestion of retrieving a specific donation from Rigel to add to it was shouted down, it would take far too long. Instead the cars stopped at the Vanderbilt house, and they would have to content themselves to not having eggs for breakfast. Not when their son was leading a brigade of men past the offices, eggs smashing against the bricks and more than one window being broken.
Oscar laughed at that, drinking from yet another beer bottle. "He can pay for a few broken windows!" The bottle flew after, and he turned to see Ezekiel fumbling with a matchbook. "Arson?"
"It's more than a broken window."
"And also paid for by insurance." Oscar grabbed the matchbook, shoving it in his pocket. "And they'd build a bigger building and pocket a good deal of money. Just be content with what we've got." A sudden movement from one of the ships docked nearby had them scrambling back into the cars, heading for home. Will was glad to see the red brick rearing up before him, for it meant that he was home, and the light in the parlor meant that Ana was home.
Ana, her hair loose and her eyes glazed as she gazed at him, her arms tight around him as he pumped three fingers into her. God, he wanted that. He wanted to be in her, to taste every inch of her, and he stumbled out of the car with only one clear goal in mind. Ana, pinned beneath him as he ravaged her. With an eye towards her pleasure, of course. When he saw her in the parlor, sat across from Sylvie and Liz as they played some card game and drank sherry, he practically fell on her. She laughed, shoving at him. "Will, my God, you smell like beer."
He dropped his lips to her neck. "I'm sorry, you smell nice." She did, some kind of flower water that she had combed into her hair and dabbed on her neck. He sniffed at it, the light scent driving him mad. He slipped a hand around her waist, holding her in place as he let his lips wander up and down her shoulder.
The loud sigh behind him could only be Lowe, coming back from escorting the others up. "Come on, idiots. Let's get all of you up." Will furrowed his brow as he lifted his face from her shoulder, looking around. James was bowed under the weight of Oscar, his arm draped across the younger man's shoulder as he took heavy steps across the parlor to collapse into a chair. Charles was being even worse than him, his hands pinching Sylvie despite her repeated attempts to push him away and focus on her cards. Meanwhile, Ezekiel was loudly singing a bawdy song as he sat on the floor, and Will could see Liz beginning to blush at it.
"Oh, you are utterly impossible!" Sylvie flung her cards down, standing and dislodging Charles who tumbled to the floor. She actually stamped her foot, "I am heading up, and you had best find a place down here!"
"Don't be like that, love." Charles groaned, trying to catch her ankle as she turned to leave. He groaned, stretching out on the floor and doing his best to get to his feet. He wasn't making much progress when Ana somehow slipped out of his arms. Will frowned at that, she was supposed to be letting him nuzzle her, not prodding at Charles.
She smiled down at Charles. "I'm sure Mr. Lowe can help you up to bed."
"Mr. Lowe can go bugger himself." Charles grunted as he finally made it to his feet. "I am perfectly capable of getting my wife on my own."
"Oh, she told us all about how you got her." Ana laughed, and Will couldn't help but smile at the sound of it. "A punishment voyage that ended with you finding her? Sounds like you hardly would have met her own your own." Her laughter doubled at the look of confusion on Charles's face, and Will found himself puzzling her remark as well. She waved a hand, "I only meant if your superiors hadn't decided to punish you that you never would have met her, so why don't you head on up?" She looked down to Ezekiel loudly entering the third verse of his song. "I have to deal with this."
Will watched her leave, and Lowe did indeed come down and collect Charles and drag him bodily up the stairs. James followed him up with Oscar, the boy hadn't indulged much and could still manage the stairs fairly well. Liz begged his pardon as she haded up, and he could hear her berating her brother from downstairs. Will was still listening to them at the foot of the stairs when he saw Morgan Fields hauling her son out by his ear, threatening him with the righteous fury of his father. That was where Ana found him, and Will was glad that everyone else had headed up. It meant that no one was around to watch when he caught her around her waist and pushed her up against the wall.
She tasted sweet as he reached out with his tongue, her own slipping against him in a way that made him groan. He let his hands drop from her waist to her rear, grabbing and kneading for all he was worth. He felt her start a bit at that, but the arms around his shoulders went tighter and she moaned into his mouth. He was just about to start on her buttons when he heard that Welshman behind him. "Sir, Mr. Vanderbilt said that you should try this whiskey before you head up." Will had barely turned his head to look at him before Ana was gone, slipping up the stairs and out of his arms.
It took all he had not to throw the bottle at Lowe. "What did you do that for?"
"You need to control yourself, sir." The younger man handed him the bottle. "As does she." God, Ana out of control. Now that would be a sight to see, and Will took a drag from the bottle as he made his way to the stairs. They weren't that complicated, although it did take him some time to climb all five bloody flights of them. He was rather frustrated when he reached the landing, and he started for Ana's door. Lowe was right behind him, "Sir, perhaps you should let her sleep?"
"No, she's installing a damn lift over the honeymoon and I'm telling her that." Will's fingers fumbled around the knob for a minute, briefly remembering that he had told her to lock it. Well, he could always yell through it, but then the knob turned. All thoughts of a way to get rid of the stairs fled his mind, and he grinned happily as he entered the sitting room, the door slamming against the wall as he stumbled in. "Ana, you bloody Siren. My sweet little temptress, you didn't listen."
Her voice, laughing, came from just beyond the bathroom door. "No Will, I didn't. Perhaps you need to punish me."
"I damn well will," Will grumbled, trying to find his way in the dark. He swatted at Lowe behind him, trying to grab at his jacket and pull him back. "Harold, knock it off."
"Will, you've got ten days! It's been a bloody year, you can wait ten days."
"Bugger that Harold, she knows what she was doing by leaving the door unlocked." Will grunted, and turned and took a confident step. He crashed into some furniture, barely catching himself before falling. "Damn chaise."
"You can barely stay on your feet Will, you wouldn't even make it to her bed." Lowe sounded closer, and more frustrated. Ana's laugh echoed from beyond the door, and Will could see her there. In his mind's eye she hadn't even bothered with a nightgown, waiting for him in her hair and a smile. Lowe spoke up again, "You see? You're just making a fool of yourself." He sighed loudly, "Sir, don't make me have to go get a glass of ice water to throw on you. I don't think Miss Dalian would be pleased if I spotted the silk on her settee."
"Ana, stop that damn noise." Will called out, "Come help me to bed, woman." If he couldn't have her in her bed, well, his bed was just as nice and not that far.
"It sounds as if Harold has you well in hand." She sang out, and Will grimaced as Lowe caught him around the shoulder and hauled him to his feet and out of the room. It was not pleasant to listen to the man lecture him about his behavior as he got him to his bed and pulled his shoes off. Apparently he was a disgrace and he hardly deserved a lady like Ana, that came when he was getting out of his jacket. Lowe left him with a glass of water and a pained expression. Well, bugger Lowe for the night. He had his own lady waiting back in Britain, and Will would be glad to see him have to resist his fiancée with such a short time. Will sighed, thinking of that night that was soon to come, and burrowing his head against the pillow. Soon it would be Ana here, warm and soft beneath him.