Fourth of July dawned with massive amounts of coffee, mainly for Richard and Moira who had pulled up before dawn and were yawning as they walked in. Oscar and Liz were little better, although James was happily awake and more than willing to help Will get the yacht prepared. Which left Liz sitting with me in the parlor, her eyes glazed over as she sipped at her mug. "Honestly, how are they even awake right now?"
"I do not know, nor do I care at the moment." I mused, disdaining the bitter coffee for a mug of hot chocolate. I had been groggy when Will had woken me up, and had stumbled my way through dressing and down the stairs. Mother had breezed down as light as a feather, and Sophie had appeared with Adam, the both of them looking like they wanted nothing more than to get on the yacht so they could doze.
"They are far too used to early hours." Oscar groused, pouring himself another cup. "It's ungodly."
"Oh hush," Mother teased, "Or perhaps you could go help them?" That shut Oscar up right quick, and led to giggles from everyone else. With everyone gathered it was a bit of a tight fit on the Dependable, or it least it felt that way to me. I was so used to it just being Will and I, but now the railings were full of everyone looking out and talking as we slowly pulled out of the cove. I couldn't even play deckhand for James was far more skilled than I, and Liz appeared to be quite glad to watch him work with his shirtsleeves rolled up.
So instead I took a place behind the wheel, watching as Will skillfully guided us out into the sea. The sun was rising, gilding the top of every wave we crested and setting the wispy clouds aglow up in the sky. It was enough to stop the comments about the hour, everyone watching quietly as more and more light was brought into the world. Given that the party was a day long affair, and it was never polite to show up too early, Will took us out farther into the ocean than he usually did.
Will seemed to notice me hanging behind him, and gestured for me to come up. "So, this party we're going to, who's throwing it?"
"Oscar's cousin Alfred." I watched Will's hands, sure on the wheel as he sent us scudding before a freshening breeze. "He's finally decided to return from Britain for a bit."
"Does he have some business over there?"
"Yes, fox hunting." I chuckled, noting how Will was slowly bringing us about to head back to town.
He briefly took one hand off the wheel, "Here, I could use some help." I prayed no one was looking as I stepped in front of him, feeling him place my hands on the spokes and then cover them with his own. "There we are, soon enough you could take over as helmsman, you know."
"Or helmswoman." I muttered, although I did enjoy the feeling of the wheel under my hand. Will had drawn out a sketch of how the wheel controlled the rudder, it was much simpler than the massive steering controls of the cargo ships. I could almost feel the rope resisting through the wheel, although it bent to Will's control and brought us on a dead heading for the town docks.
There was no concerns with the sails, for James had them under his control and between him and Will we arrived smoothly at the docks. I pouted a bit that Will refused to release me to toss the lines up, but then I had more to worry about when he buried his head against my shoulder and lifted me up slightly. I could barely keep myself from squealing, "Will, what in the world?"
"Oh hush, love. Can't a man be happy?" He rumbled against my back. "A fine ship and a fine woman, both under my hand."
I struggled loose, but was smiling. "You keep talking like that and Mother will demand you take her home just to make you angry."
"I suppose I can hold my tongue, I would hate to leave you alone here." He murmured, the both of us watching as our guests were helped up onto the dock. James was handling getting Liz settled ably, while Oscar was tending to his parents and Mother. Sophie and Rebecca were also standing by him, Adam making delightful little snuffles that became audible as we joined them. Will smiled at Sophie, "Well, we may make a sailor of him yet."
"I think he likes the waves." Sophie smiled, "Put him right to sleep." With all of us together we set off towards the massive hotel that had been rented out for the party. Alfred had spared no expense with this, already servants were bringing out chairs and chaises for guests to relax under the white canvas awnings outside. While they may be disdained during the day, at night they would be filled with guests enjoying a few last drinks while watching the fireworks.
But that was for later, as it was now it was getting warm and all of us quickly fled inside. Curtains shielded the worst of the sun coming through the windows, guests were already enjoying cold drinks and the air was perfumed with what seemed like a thousand flowers. We were a tad out of place in our clothes, I had worn my sailor dress and all of us had dressed appropriately for the yacht, which meant I was glad to see Louise and Reggie waiting along one of the walls. A few more maids and valets were with them, no doubt from the Vanderbilt house, or other families who had decided to sail in.
A few rooms upstairs had been set aside for guests to change into their party attire, and we were hardly the only ladies to head in. A number of dressing screens had been set up, a few chaises around the room for ladies to relax on while they waited their turn. Fortunately we were early, several ladies had already changed and were merely sitting on the chaises and chatting while waiting for a friend, so we managed to claim a few screens. I let Louise tend to Mother first, although I did begin to loosen the buttons of my dress. Liz was doing the same, both of us preferring to change quickly, when a girlish giggle cut me off.
Samantha Reichster, her black hair perfectly curled and her skin pale, swanned in while her maid trailed her with a dress box. "Oh Anastasia, look at you. So svelte, so skinny. You could dispense with the corset, my dear. There's no worry about your belly swelling."
I could feel myself flush, "And you could do with tightening yours, Mrs. Reichster. Everyone always talks of what a beauty you were in your day, even though that was so long ago, I'm sure you could achieve it again."
Her face reddened slightly, "Here I would have thought being married would have tamed that tongue of your's. Your husband needs to take a firmer hand with you. No one likes an uppity wife."
Mother came out from behind the screen with a sneer on her face, "At least she doesn't have to powder her face as heavily as you have. Honestly, you look like a ghost." The red mark had faded from Samantha's face, but she still brought her hand up like it was plain as day on her face. Mother nodded to me, "Go on sweetheart, Louise is all ready for you."
I gratefully slipped behind the screen, glad to get away from her. Louise had her lips pursed as she helped me into the dress I'd had made for the holiday, white silk chiffon covered with red and blue beads that brought fireworks to mind. It was entirely over the top, but it suited the holiday. It was also extremely delicate, which meant Louise took her time getting it settled onto me, allowing me to listen in as the other ladies in the room appraised the situation.
One of them only waited a few moments before joining in. "Oh Samantha, really, did you have to let Henry make such a scene the other night? It almost ruined the party!"
"We all know you like the spotlight, but it was Miss Vanderbilt's night. You've been around long enough to know better." A voice from behind a screen chimed in, prompting a flurry of giggles.
I heard Moira next. "Why when I saw little Adam at your party in New York he felt so warm, I was worried he had a fever! Not to mention poor Sophie, she should have still been abed!"
"I can assure you he was fine." Samantha snapped, "As was she. She was merely overreacting. Why when I had Zachary I wanted to go to parties as soon as I got out of bed."
"And how long was she in bed, exactly?" Liz chided. "A day, maybe two?"
There was more laughter, and I came out from behind the screen to see Samantha, in her fresh gown for the party, storming out through the door. That led to even more gossip as Louise powdered my face for me, dressing my hair with a bandeau that matched the beading of the dress and featured white feathers bobbing above. A hat had also been brought, in case I wanted to head outside. I left Mother and Liz, promising to meet them for drinks after they had finished.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I clutched at the hat. All I wanted was to head outside after seeing who was waiting for me. Henry Reichster was lingering at the bottom, watched closely by Will and Oscar. But I could feel Henry's eyes on me as I came down, leering up and down my body. Will, his face set, came forward and offered me his arm. "I think we should head outside."
"So do I." I muttered, hearing Henry chuckle.
He called after us, "Head outside if you like, I can still see you. There's no law against looking!"
"Perhaps we should stay," Will glared back over his shoulder, "If he keeps talking like this Oscar may just stab him."
I placed my hat over the bandeau, being careful to not damage the feathers. "I'd rather just get away, or maybe get a drink." At that, Will stopped at the bar as we headed towards the door. A glass of punch was much appreciated as we stepped back out into the sun, icy cold and fruity. The shaded areas were unoccupied, and I gratefully settled into a chair facing away from the windows. "Ah, much better."
"We'll just have to keep you cool." Will chuckled, sipping on his own punch. "And away from him."
"Away from who?" A cheery voice called out, a man with rather large ears and an impressive mustache trotting down the steps of the hotel to join us. "Honestly Anastasia, why would you ever be outside in this abominable heat?"
"Because the company inside leaves much to be desired." I smiled, gesturing for him to sit with us. "Although thank you for the invitation Alfred, it's good to see you again."
"Here I thought that was my line." He grinned, "But I'm afraid I don't know our friend here."
I glanced to Will, holding out my hand for his. "My husband, William Murdoch. Will, this if Alfred Vanderbilt, Oscar's cousin."
"And always competing with him." Alfred grinned, shaking Will's hand. "Although I fell far behind him when chasing this one, I have to admit that I never really put in much effort."
"You did come calling." I rolled my eyes.
Alfred stood, "Only once a week, Oscar came by at least three times!" With another laugh he headed back inside, and I could hear a rise in the chatter among the party goers as the host arrived.
Will's lips were pursed as he looked at me, "Was he really courting you?"
I shrugged, "He may have been, but Oscar no doubt scared him off. Besides, he's ten years older than me and I prefer my men older than that." I reached over, tugging the lapels of his jacket into place. "In fact, I prefer them exactly fourteen years older."
"If we weren't in polite company, I'd bend you over my knee for that." He covered my hands with his, "But Ana, how many suitors did you have."
"I mean, there are a few more. It's just the done thing for them to at least pay a little attention to an heiress. I never really paid them that much mind." I didn't mention that out of all of them, the only one I'd really considered seriously was Oscar. "And after Zachary, and Father, I wasn't really interested in courting. And then they found other girls to flirt with. And I found you."
"Bully for me." He gave my hands a squeeze, "And for you, I hope."
"Oh, I am far happier with you than I would have been with them." I sighed, "None of them would have let me learn to sail."
"Some would say I allow you too much."
"And some would say that I'm too devoted." I bit my lip as a thought came through, "You know, Will, if you ever wanted me to stop doing something, like sailing or anything, I would consider doing it for you."
At that he leaned over and briefly kissed me. "I would never ask you to limit yourself."
Will was quite glad to see that Henry Reichster had slunk away by the time they returned inside. It was far too hot in the afternoon for them to be outside for any longer, not to mention that Ana would start to tan. Considering that he had watched her rub at least half dozen creams into her face one time after she darkened a bit, he wanted to avoid that.
So he brought her inside, fetched her another glass of punch, and leaned against the wall by her to watch the crowd. Everyone was dressed in light summer clothes, although the ladies didn't let that limit the jewelry they wore. The women were beautiful, the men handsome and he couldn't help but feel that he stood out like a sore thumb. As much as Ana fawned over him, he knew he wasn't as good looking as the others that were here.
His hair didn't have that shine, even with pomade, and he knew he had a plain face. They didn't have their skin darken like his did during the summer, they were all lithe and young while he was a bit more solid. He was older than Ana's set, more suited to spend time among the older men clustered around the bar. But then one of them shifted and he could see they'd been speaking to Henry.
He was suddenly very glad he was around Ana's friends.
Even if Liz was currently teasing him and James, "I swear, being around the two of you is making me feel rather treasonous. Couldn't you two just pretend to be American for the day?"
"Or you two could say you're British." James teased right back, picking up her hand and placing a kiss on her ring. "You could always become British after we're married, you know."
Ana barked out a laugh, covering her mouth after. "Oh, you could not pay me enough."
"Is there anything wrong with being British?" Will leaned down, tugging on a piece of her hair that spilled over her bandeau. He dearly hoped that the red and blue details on it were simply glass beads, but he had a strange feeling they were gemstones.
She shook her head, smiling. "Not at all, but negotiating all that paperwork would be a nightmare. Not to mention having to deal with the company, we might have to re-register all the ships."
"I suppose we can leave it up to our children to decide." James looked at Liz sappily, "Or rather where they're born."
"Is it even possible to give up your citizenship?" Ana pondered, her brow furrowing. "I didn't hear anything about it when we were filing our marriage certificate, they didn't ask me if I was going to be British."
"That's because I spoke to the clerk and made it clear that the newspapers would have raked them over the coals if they did what they normally do." Oscar grinned, swirling his drink. Of course, everyone turned to look at him with some confusion and he sighed. "Currently, if an American woman marries a foreigner she gives up her citizenship and assumes her husband's."
Ana gasped, "But how did you stop them?"
"Do you have any idea how much your company pays in tariffs and taxes?" Oscar chuckled, "I merely pointed out that if you were to become British and had to move the company, well, they could say goodbye to that revenue." He gave Liz a wink, "I'll do the same for you, don't worry."
The others began joking, but Will bent to speak quietly to his wife. "Ana, you know I won't force you to assume British citizenship."
"I know," She reached up and took his hand. "And I won't force you to become American."
"I suppose we'll just have to let our children decide on their own." He gave her hand a squeeze. "I think I can hear a band starting. Care to dance?"
"Always." She was laughing when he swung her into a rag, spinning and holding tightly to him. Others were coming out to join them, and Will hoped that Henry Reichster was watching how happy Ana was, how beautiful she looked in that dress with its flashing beads and how she clung to him. After the song they wound up circulating through the crowd, speaking to any and all.
Except for one family.
Will had to endure some teasing from the other guests about being British, which he tried to take gracefully. After awhile though, they began to grate on him. He could only hear the same few lines so many times before they became annoying and he had to watch himself. But then as they were coming back around to the bar to refill their drinks, the orange light of sunset filling the room, he grit his teeth. The men around the bar were talking of the war, and one was loudly asking Henry his opinions. "Your sons in laws are in the German military, anything you can tell us?"
Henry, a whiskey in his hand and a confident smirk on his face, shrugged. "Unfortunately they haven't wired anything, but I do know that the German army is second to none. I can't see how any could stand in their way. And the Kaiser's navy has some of the latest and best battleships."
Will bit down what he wanted to say, for he knew it would not help matters. But another at the bar seemed to read his mind, "Not even the British? Isn't the Royal Navy well equipped to take them on?"
"Well, as large as the Royal Navy is they're still vulnerable. And not many survive a shipwreck, especially if they were in one before. Or caused one." He caught Will's eye at that, chuckling. "Isn't that right, Mr. Murdoch? After all, you're the expert on shipwrecks here. And I'm assuming you'll be headed off to die gloriously for your country sometime soon."
Ana gripped his arm tightly, and he could see her eyes were bright. Will spun them away, any thoughts of more drinks far from his mind. He could see his host not far away, and was all set to give him a piece of his mind but someone beat him to it. Oscar bulled up to Alfred, hissing at him. "Can't you have him thrown out? He's upsetting Anastasia."
"I can't exactly throw him out in the street," Alfred sighed, glaring at Henry. "He's tactless and being a boor, but look, he's got everyone's attention." Catching sight of Will, he shrugged. "Why don't you take her outside? The fireworks are going to start soon."
"I will." Will said, brushing past them to collect his wife. He leaned down, whispering to her. "Don't worry, he's an idiot."
"I know." She muttered, but she did clutch his arm tightly. "Distract me?"
"Gladly." He pulled her a bit closer as they stepped outside, the air cooling quickly as the stars slowly came out. More of the guests were moving outside, all aflutter over the fireworks that were supposed to be starting soon. He spotted a familiar head of pale blonde hair and called out. "Sophie, mind if we join you?"
She started, but gave him a smile. "Not at all, in fact I wanted to speak with the both of you."
"No Adam?" Ana said, and Will noted that indeed Adam was nowhere to be seen. "I would have thought you would have wanted him to see the fireworks."
"I thought they might be too loud." Sophie shrugged, "He's inside with Rebecca."
"Well, at least you're here." Ana sidled up to her, and Will leaned on the railing and gratefully inhaled the sea air.
Sophie sighed, "For now."
"Now?" Will looked over, "You're leaving?"
"In a few days." She looked down, "Zachary has rented a house up here away from his parents, and promised that they will not be allowed near Adam or I until I allow it. He says he misses us, and I feel much better."
Ana reached over to touch her arm, "Are you sure?"
"I told him if he goes back on it in any way, I'm leaving and I'm taking Adam with me, for good." She raised her head, "He seemed very frightened by that, so I think he'll keep his word."
"Sophie, you are always welcome to come to our house." Will said, glancing down to ensure that Ana approved. "If you need anything, in any way, you can come to us."
"Thank you," Sophie turned to look at them, a few tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. "And I won't be leaving until a few days from now. You two have been wonderful, and your mother Anastasia, she's been so helpful."
"We'll miss you." Ana leaned in and hugged her, although both of them jumped when a sudden crack split the air. Bright red light flared into existence above them, and Will slipped his arm around Ana's waist as a sudden whistle sent a blue ball of light flaming into its brief existence that put the stars to shame. Will tried to ignore the fact that Zachary was shortly by Sophie's side as the rest of the guests came out, and he did his best to slowly inch Ana away from him. Eventually she wound up standing in front of him, safely caged in his arms as she gazed up above at the night sky that was playing host to flashing lights and deafening claps.
He pressed a kiss to her hair, the feather making him almost sneeze as the world was bathed in colored light.