Zachary waited four days to come to the cottage and actually called beforehand to make sure that he would be allowed in. Considering that was the most polite he'd been since he'd stopped trying to court me, I remarked I was surprised about his behavior. Will, on the other hand, was not. "He's going to try something, I just know it."
"Darling," I stood, coming to lower myself into his lap. "You know he won't be able to."
"He could try and take them."
"We're going to be sitting in with them the whole time." I quirked an eyebrow up. "You could always search him before he's allowed inside. After all, he could have a knife."
"I'll have Tyler do it, with both the dogs." Will had an evil grin on his face, and he reached up to tug on my hair. "I like this very much, by the way."
I glanced away, "I didn't want him to think I actually cared about him." Not dressing appropriately would be enough of an insult for Zachary, a clear sign he wasn't worthy of being considered a guest. I pulled the loose braid over my shoulder, fingering the white ribbon wrapped in a bow around the end. "And you did like braiding it."
"It's much nicer than splicing rope." He kissed me lightly, "So much softer, and rope never makes those delightful little sounds when I run my fingers through it."
"None of that in front of Zachary, now." I stood, brushing my hands over my skirt so that it hung right.
Will came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Or plenty of it, just to spite him." I batted his hands away, although he still managed to grab my rear a few times on our way down. He had to leave that off when giving his instructions to Tyler though, which gave me time to slip into the parlor.
Sophie was sat in front of an afternoon tea spread, dressed in a becoming pale green gown and clutching Adam in his blanket close to her. She glanced up from him when I came in. "He should be here soon, shouldn't he?"
"Yes, I think so." I took a seat on the settee. "But Sophie, we'll be here the entire time. Mother's even coming down."
"I know." She sighed, "I just don't want to have another scene."
Will, in the doorway, smirked. "You could always leave him."
"I can't!" Sophie almost squealed, "I can't William, I just can't. But, but maybe it can be better."
Will coming to sit next to me was very clearly about to say something when I smacked his arm, cutting him off before he could speak again. I lied, hoping to make her feel better. "I'm sure it will." Sophie was very clearly still anxious as Mother joined us, and when the dogs came trotting in my stomach began to twist. I tried to focus on how Little Freddy moved to Sophie's side, and Rigel planted himself at my feet.
It still didn't do anything to help when Zachary stepped into the parlor. He had two black eyes, deep purple bruising marring his face and a more solid crook to his nose, but aside from that he was well put together. He adjusted his suit jacket, "You didn't have to have me searched, you know."
"Well, after your father's behavior I thought we should be safe." Will snorted, "Won't you sit?"
Zachary lowered himself into a chair across from Sophie. "I'm not an idiot."
"Well you did think we kidnapped Sophie." I muttered, although I earned a glare from Mother for that. "Would you care for tea?"
"Hardly, a whiskey soda." He snapped, and at my nod a maid scurried off to go make it. The clock ticked on, the sound of the waves breaking outside keeping an irregular beat behind it. Zachary took a breath, "May I see him?"
"Yes," Sophie passed Adam over the table, "Just remember to support his head."
My heart gave a pang at the way Zachary curled his arm around his son, a smile on his face. "And how's my little man?" He even started to rock him, "Look at you, getting fat. Your mother must be taking very good care of you." The smile he wore was so tender, so kind, and I knew deep down that he loved his son. He wasn't just an heir or something to rub in my face, he loved that little bundle.
Mother sniffed over her tea cup, "She is, now that she isn't running out to parties every night."
But Zachary hardly seemed to notice her comment, his eyes fixed on Adam. "Such a handsome boy, aren't you? Just like your daddy, and your grandaddy. Wouldn't you like to come see him again?"
Sophie's face was growing red, and she put her hands out. "Could I have him back, please?"
"Give me a few more minutes." Zachary held Adam a bit tighter, eliciting a mewl from the baby. "You've had him to yourself for so long." The mewl turned into a little cry as he lifted Adam up. "He needs to be around men, can't have him becoming a mama's boy, can we?"
Will gripped my hand, "I can assure you he gets plenty of male attention."
"But not from his father," Zachary ignored how Adam was beginning to cry. "Or from a man of his class."
Adam's cries were grating on my ears and I dug my fingers into my skirt. "Give him back to Sophie so he stops that."
"Hmph," Zachary snorted but handed the child back to Sophie who immediately set about soothing him. "Can't handle a little crying, Anastasia? Well, it's a good thing you haven't any children, nor are likely to. No crying, no messes, no look of love on their faces when they see you."
"That is enough!" Mother's cup smacked down onto the table with such force I was surprised the saucer didn't crack. "You are setting a horrible example for your son, both as a man and a father!"
Will wrapped his hand around mine, leaning over to whisper as Mother settled into haranguing Zachary. "Don't listen to him, you're going to be a wonderful mother."
"I know," I whispered back, "This was a horrible idea."
"On that, we can agree." He gave my hand a squeeze, although he did grin. "But I am enjoying seeing your mother rip him to shreds." I brought my attention back to the current conversation. Zachary was glaring at Mother over his whiskey soda, which was far more soda than whiskey, in fact it only had the faintest tinge of brown to it.
Mother was very clearly ignoring his glare. "And dragging your child off to parties, they take sick so easily at that age! Not to mention the fact that Sophie came to take care of him, that's hardly good for her."
"I simply wanted to show everyone my good fortune." Zachary shifted in his chair, looking away. "Sophie could have stayed home, I would think she would trust her husband with their son."
"You should never separate a mother and her child," Mother snapped, "And Sophie needs rest, a new mother is often exhausted."
"She seems well recovered from the delivery." He glanced at Sophie, smiling a bit. "In fact, she looks particularly beautiful at the moment."
Sophie blushed, looking away as Mother continued. "It's not just the delivery. Taking care of a child is exhausting."
"We have a nurse."
"She's not a wet nurse, and you have no idea what it takes from a woman to feed a child from her breast." Mother's words set Sophie and I to blushing, and even Zachary flushed a bit. "You need to take better care of them."
"They were doing just fine-"
"We weren't." Sophie interrupted, her mouth screwed up. "I was exhausted Zachary, and so was Adam. I needed rest, I needed to be with him. I begged you to let us stay home, but you wanted to go. I'm not doing that any more."
Zachary stood, setting his glass down. "Can I have a word alone with my wife?" He waited a moment, seeing none of us move, and then continued. "You're welcome home at any time, although I hope you'll come home soon. I miss Adam, we all do, and we'll be so happy to have the both of you back."
"I'll come back when I'm ready." Sophie didn't look up from Adam. "Thank you for coming, Zachary."
"Could I see him, just one more time?" Zachary reached out, but instead of handing him over Sophie stood and walked over. I watched as Zachary brushed a hand over her hair, then rested it on his son's head. "I'll see you soon, son, just remember your daddy loves you." He glanced over to Sophie, "Don't stay away too long, I can't go on much longer without him."
What happened next a vaudeville play couldn't have scripted better.
Zachary turned to leave the parlor, running smack into Oscar who had been holding out a newspaper clutched tightly in his hand. Zachary's breath came out of him in a rush as Oscar's fist sunk into his stomach, and he snarled a curse at Oscar as he shoved his way past him. Oscar, for his part, simply let him storm past before looking to us. "I won't even ask why he was here."
"You're smart enough to guess," I chuckled, gesturing for him to sit down in the recently vacated chair. "Although I don't quite know why you're here."
"I wish it was for a better reason." He sighed, glancing down at the watered down whiskey soda that had been left behind. "I don't suppose I could get a stiffer drank than that?" Mother nodded again to the maid, who came back with a much more well made drink. Oscar took a long sip, "I don't suppose you two have been keeping an eye on the papers?"
I snorted, "I'm afraid they've been the farthest thing from my mind. Did Liz's engagement party warrant an article?"
He shrugged, "Just a brief mention, although it didn't portray the Reichster's in any positive light."
"Did you bring it?" I stretched out my hand, "Please tell me you did, I think we all need something to talk about on the Fourth in a few days."
"Unfortunately, no." Oscar shook out the paper, displaying a picture of a rather stout man in uniform and a well dressed lady next to him. I gasped at the title, Heir to Austria's Throne Is Slain with His Wife by a Bosnian Youth to Avenge Seizure of His Country. I had no idea wha their names were, but the thought of both of them dying was horrible. Oscar placed the paper on the table. "This copy of the Times came up a few days ago, I wouldn't have looked for it if Professor Featherstone hadn't sent me a wire."
"Featherstone?" Mother furrowed her brow. "Do we know him?"
Oscar shook his head and smirked, "Hardly, he was my history professor at Cambridge. We've kept up a correspondence since I left."
Will grabbed the paper and began reading, "This is hardly good for Austria."
"Or for anyone." Sophie's voice was quiet. "Poor Duchess Sophie." She must have noticed us all look to her, confused. "It's a common name back home, especially for nobles." She smiled, sadly. "I remembered reading about them, they had such a beautiful love story. I even met them once, she was so kind."
"Love story?" I glanced between the two pictures.
"Oh yes, he loved her so deeply he went against his family to marry her." She sighed, "She wasn't of the proper rank, but he refused anyone else. I always thought it was so sweet."
"Very sweet." I muttered, looking down to my lap. If anything it reminded me of my marriage to Will, only with the roles reversed. "But why did this get you in such a state you had to rush over here, Oscar?"
His fingers were tight on his glass. "Because it might lead to war."
"War?" Sophie laughed, "I don't think it will be war, there may be some retribution against Serbia but everyone has been at peace since Bismarck. Who would want to ruin that?"
"The Kaiser." Oscar glanced away when Sophie's nose wrinkled at that. "Or at least that's what Professor Featherstone thinks." He reached over and took the paper from Will, "Listen, General opinion here connects the assassins with the Serbian faction, and it is feared that it will lead to serious complications with that unruly kingdom, and may have far-reaching results. The future of the empire is a subject of general discussion. It is felt that the Serbians have been treated too leniently, and some hard words are being said about the present foreign policy."
"It's a matter for Austria-Hungary, not Germany." Sophie sounded firm. "Why should Germany interfere in matters that do not relate to her?"
I held up my hand. "I can hardly follow any of this. Why would Germany be angry about something that happened to Austria?"
"Because the Serbs are Slavs and Russia may step up to their defense." He sighed, seeing the confused look on my face. "Honestly Anastasia, don't you read the papers?"
I desperately wanted to steal his whiskey soda, all this talk was making my head ache. "Oscar, I can't even vote. Why would I ever pay attention to politics?"
"Because it might get your husband killed!" He stood at that, ignoring the gasp that came out of me and the way I instinctively clutched at Will's hand. "Because if Russia declares war on Austria, then so will France, and then Germany will declare war on both and Britain will step in on France's side. Which means calling up the navy reserves."
Mother pursed her lips. "Oscar, be careful now."
Will gently disentangled my hand from his. "Oscar, that's pure conjecture."
"It's not! I worked with Featherstone on a paper about these alliances and it could happen. You could go to war!"
Sophie was pale, "Otto, Frederich, they'd be fighting too."
Will stood, coming to take Oscar by the arm. "Oscar, I may not be a historian but it is my country and I do know the tendencies of her people. Would Britain fight for her colonies? Of course, but for France and Russia? I can't say it's likely."
"You've signed treaties with them!"
"And there's every chance whatever is going on gets handled diplomatically. I'd ask you to keep the talk of war away from the ladies. You've already upset them deeply." I could see Will's fingers tighten on Oscar's arm. "Please don't make me have to ask you to leave."
Oscar drew in a shaky breath, "I, my apologies. I may have become overwhelmed, and perhaps Professor Featherstone has this wrong. I'm sure it will all be fine."
"I should write to my brothers." Sophie stood, bouncing Adam. "They may be able to tell me more."
"And I," I could barely breathe with the thoughts that were bouncing through my mind. "I need a walk. Oscar, please stay. Mother?"
"I can arrange for another spot for an early dinner," She stood, gesturing for Oscar to follow her. "William, perhaps you could accompany Anastasia?"
"Of course, Rigel, come." Will was by my side, Rigel bounding ahead of us as he opened the door. I let him guide me along, my mind whirling. If Britain did go to war, Will would go. He'd go, he'd fight, he'd die. And for what? A dead Austrian Archduke? Britain didn't even have a stake in what had happened, and he'd die for it. I had no doubt Will would not return. He'd barely made it through Titanic, which either meant he used up every bit of luck he had accumulated over his life or had the luck to scrape by by the skin of his teeth.
So even if he didn't die, Will would come home maimed. Blind, missing an arm or a leg, or so sick that he died soon after. I would be alone, Will would be in the ground and I would be alone. Without even a child to comfort me. I could feel my lower lip trembling, and I started when Will brushed his finger under it. "Ana, answer me."
"What?" I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Will."
"It's alright." We had made it to some of the rocks by the cove and he drew me down to sit on one. "I was asking if you could tell me what you were thinking."
I looked down, "I was thinking that you would go to war and die."
"Ana," He place a finger under my chin to draw my face up. "It won't come to war, I promise you that. Everything is so wonderful right now, there's no reason anyone would want to ruin that." His thumb stroked over my cheek, "And I don't want you to think about it. It's not going to happen, I'm going to stay right here and we're going to have a beautiful summer."
"But-"
"None of that, I don't want to hear the word 'war' out of you one more time. I want you to forget it, alright? We're perfectly safe here, and there's nothing to ruin it. Now, care to walk a bit more?" He stood, holding out his arm. I clutched it tightly, trying to do as he asked. Forget what Oscar said, forget the talk of war, forget the article, I could do it, I could.
Rigel proved a great help in that, finding a piece of driftwood and rushing ahead of us to drop it on the sand. Will and I traded flinging it out into the surf, ensuring that Rigel was well and truly soaked and panting by the time we reached the lighthouse. Will didn't even speak, merely opened the door and we slowly climbed the steps. The sunlight was sparkling through the windows, glinting off the massive Fresnel lens that was waiting for the sun to set before it was lit.
I was the one who opened the door to the balcony that circled the outside, leaning on the railing. I breathed in the sea scented air, the ever present breeze tugging slightly at my braid. I tried to focus on what Will had said, that there would be no war. Really, how could I even think of war when I could see the waves breaking over the rocks and the gulls wheeling overhead? I felt Will slide his hand around my waist, gently turning me to him.
When his lips pressed against mine I tried to hold onto that thought. War could not exist when we were in such a wonderful, beautiful place and the sea was rumbling behind us. But as Will's hands pulled me tighter to him, as I pressed my hands to his chest, I could not help but remember how that sea could so quickly turn. A storm would lash against this lighthouse, water reaching high up to try and tear it down. Lightning would cut across the sky, thunder would boom like a cannon and that peaceful sight would be shattered in an instant.
Will sighed as he pulled back, "You're still thinking about it, I can feel it." I leaned against his chest, unwilling to admit that I was. He wrapped his arms around me, kissing the top of my head. "I shall have to set about distracting you then, until you see sense."
"I'm sorry, Will." I muttered, "I really am trying, I promise."
"Trying can only get you so far." He ran his fingers down my braid. "But I think distracting you from it will be for the best, what do you say we head down to the yacht and I run you through your knots again?" Considering that I hadn't worked on knots in ages I agreed, although I quickly found myself regretting it. Will showed me how to tie a rather complex knots, running through it several times and then leaving me to my multiple fumbled attempts.
I thought that when he came behind me he was going to bring his hands around to guide my own, but instead he simply watched. Once I realized he was just going to supervise I turned my whole focus to the knot, doing my best to twist the rope around itself over and over. Which meant that I didn't notice the thin line he slipped around my arm, tugging it snug around my wrist.
When I felt the rope around my wrist I jerked, but before he had placed it on my hand he had tied it to the railing so that my struggle only drew the line tighter. He chuckled as I cursed at him, forgetting my knot to work the line back through itself until I could pull it off my wrist. I threw my mangled attempt of a knot at him, "Tying me up? Really, Will?"
"I was curious if you'd even notice." He sniggered as I turned off in a huff, although he caught up to me fairly quick as I stalked back towards the house. We had been outside for awhile, and I could see servants setting the back porch for dinner. What I could also see was Oscar, waiting on the steps with his jaw set. He perked up when he saw us, coming down onto the beach. Will took my hand, "Oscar, you're staying for dinner then?"
"Yes," He nodded, but looked to me. "But first I want to apologize, Anastasia. I spoke in haste, and your mother is right. Neither myself nor Professor Featherstone are involved in actual politics, his theory is outlandish. I'm sure that everything will turn out right, and I'm sorry for upsetting you."
I gave a rather tight smile, "Thank you Oscar, that's kind of you." Oscar joined us on the rest of our walk, and I held Will's hand a bit tighter. Mother was right, Oscar may have helped with a paper but he had never actually been involved in politics so he was not the best to listen to when predicting the future. Instead I would focus on the present, as Sophie joined us at the table and we all fell to enjoying the lamb that had been roasted.
It was while I was enjoying the rice served alongside it, drenched in butter, garlic, rosemary and thyme, that I heard Oscar laugh. "You mean William never told you?"
Mother, with a smile on her face, shook her head. "About you working your way across? No!"
"I haven't heard this either." I mused, looking over to Will who had a bit of a flush to his face. "Are you keeping secrets from me?"
"No, no, I just wanted to save it for the right moment." Will had a grin on his face as he settled back. "You should have seen him, it was absolutely hilarious."
"Making me shovel coal for four hours, stand a watch and then help serve dinner is not hilarious." Oscar jabbed his fork at Will, but had a smile on his face. "I slept for a week straight when I got home. After you made me help unload!"
"I believe that was what we agreed upon back at the cabin." Will raised a brow, "Although we could arrange for another round, considering earlier."
I batted his shoulder. "He apologized, that's enough for now." But then I beamed at Oscar, "If you ever need extra pocket change though, we can keep a spot open."
"I can assure you, I am well set on that." Oscar growled, stabbing at his lamb more for dramatic effect than actual anger. "Will you all be going to the Fourth of July party a the town docks?"
"Yes, we'll be sailing in." Mother glanced over to William, "In fact, you're all welcome to join us."
"I'm sure Liz and James would be glad to join you, as well as myself." Oscar sighed, picking at the green beans on his plate. "Mother and Father, perhaps. I'll work on them."
"See that you do," I twined my fingers through Will's under the table. "It would make it a perfect holiday."