All the couples left the party at about the same time. The governor offered them a hearty toast and best wishes. The crowd cheered as they ushered back to their homes. There were still celebrations happening when Sophie returned to the governor's house with Frida, the governor and, of course, Willard.
They made uncomfortable small talk in the front room for a few minutes.
"Sophie," Willard said almost in a drawl. She nearly rolled her eyes at him so was tired of listening to him all day. "How many children do you hope God will bless you with?"
She fought every sarcastic and impolite bone in her body to answer him. She could practically hear her father again, 'Soph, be polite' he would have warned.
"Oh how can one know?" she said sweetly. "I will be grateful for any that may come my way."
"Children are such a blessing," Frida added. Sophie suddenly wondered why Frida and the governor never had children when Frida answered her own question. "I pray every night that the good lord will bless us with a babe. My only regret is marrying late in life. But you, you my dear Sophie, you are so young you could have oodles of children!"
"Wouldn't that be delightful," Sophie said through clenched teeth.
"I know that is my greatest goal in life," Willard went on. "To replenish the earth as the good book says."
Sophie nearly gagged. The thought of having children with him made her skin crawl and it was so clearly what he was not so subtly hinting at. She wanted to scream, not going to happen with me! But, of course, she didn't. Daddy's warning voice was still clear in her mind.
A knock at the door saved Sophie from the conversation diving any deeper, thank the Lord for that. The clerk and the priest stood at the doorway. He wasn't a bad looking man, Sophie thought in that moment, and she wondered if the clerk was single.
"Ms. Collins," the clerk said. "We were wondering if you and the governor would join us for a moment."
"Yes, of course," Sophie didn't care if they were leading her into a mud pit, she would happily follow them anywhere to get away from Willard.
Willard and Frida stood to join them.
"No," the clerk shook his head. "This is a tad sensitive. Just Sophie and the governor."
Frida's face fell, she looked totally dejected. Frida was Sophie's host, her chaperone, she felt she should be able to go anywhere she did. Willard looked upset too. He was about to protest when the priest motioned with his hands that he should stay.
"What exactly is this?" Frida demanded.
"Nothing dear," the governor said. "We won't be gone long."
"Well surely Willard has a right to go if this involves the church," Frida pointed to the priest.
"I'm here as a friend not as a spiritual leader." The priest said warmly.
Sophie thought Frida was about to actually stomp her feet like a toddler. But she didn't; she just crossed her arms and walked back into the house.
Sophie followed them to a house across the city center. They passed Thomas working outside of his shop. He was banging hard on something bright red. It made a loud high pitched sound every time he struck whatever it was. She smiled at him. He made eye contact with her and gave her the tiniest of nods. She wondered how he did that. How he acknowledged her without hardly moving a muscle in his face. But she knew he was acknowledging her. Maybe it was more in his eyes, she thought.
The clerk pushed open the door to the small cottage and led her in. It was a very small home with just a desk, small wash bin and kitchen area and a bed in the corner. She couldn't for the life of her think why he had brought her here. Maybe this was the clerk's home? She wondered.
"This is Jeremiah's quarters," the Clerk explained. Sophie could hear the thick emotion in his voice. "We've already retrieved the ledgers and effects concerning the colonies. The rest of this is all his personal items. As we said earlier, we have put a lot of thought into this and we agree that he would want you to have it all."
Sophie swallowed hard trying to take it all in.
"It isn't much but we would like to leave it to you to sort through and decide what to do with it." The priest added. " He has a mother and father in England so if there is anything you think they should have we should ship it back to them."
Sophie looked around the room. She felt suddenly very sad and had to stifle a sob.
"I'm sorry," she apologized. "Both the governor and the clerk looked at her with pity. "It just all feels so real and so very sad being confronted with the life I was supposed to have."
"We understand," the priest said kindly. "We will give you time. Do you think two days will be enough time?"
"This is to become Taylor's home now," the governor explained. "I told him he could move in then."
"That is fine," Sophie said quietly. There wasn't a lot of stuff to go through anyway and she was a little grateful to have a task. She walked around the room, touching a few items on the dining table and the kitchen.
"Could I?" she hesitated wondering if they would balk at her request. "Would it be possible for me to stay here tonight? I know it is a peculiar thing to request but it would give me more time and I think it would help me understand this connection I have with him." She also thought it would give her a break from Frida's matchmaking service.
"I don't have a problem with that," the clerk said. "Do you sir?"
"No not at all." The governor could understand why Sophie wanted a night away. He himself was growing tired of the constant selling of Willard to Sophie. He couldn't stand the man himself and would like him out of his house.
"I think that sounds very reasonable. That way you won't feel rushed. Will you be okay all alone?" the governor asked.
"I'm hardly alone, everyone lives so close here and you are just a few doors down.�� It was true. Her family's manor was practically the size of the whole town if you included the manicured grounds. Her room was nearly the same distance away from her parents room as the governor's house.
The governor looked at her curiously. "Just how big was your home in England?"
Sophie shrugged. "Much bigger than anyone ever needs," she didn't want to tell him how expensive it was. "But you remember how it was in England, all the manors are spread out with gardens and expansive greens all around."
"Yes," he nodded. "I forget that sometimes. We are all stacked on top of each other here unless you have land outside of the city. We are very close. If you need anything just come find me."
"I will, thank you sir. I thank you all."
"Do you need anything else?" the clerk asked. "No, I think I am all set," she said with a reassuring smile.
She walked them to the door and watched them walk back to the governor's house. She leaned against the door jam and took in the whole town. This was entirely different from back home but not altogether bad though. She made eye contact with Thomas who was standing outside his shop surrounded by all his tools and the oven. He thought she looked right standing in Jeremiah's doorway. It was sad how right she looked there. He was sad for his friend. She was even better then Jeremiah had anticipated and Thomas didn't think that was possible. How had Jerimaiah known she would be so perfect for him? Thomas wondered. It must be Jeremiah's infectious positive attitude. It called to her from across the ocean perhaps. Thomas shook his head, he would never understand, he knew.
Sophie went back into the house and sat on a rocking chair in the corner of the room. She took it all in. It was a cozy house, she could have been happy here she thought. It was clean and tidy. She tried to picture herself eating at the table, working in the kitchen, sitting at the desk and even sleeping in the bed. It was so foreigntou her and yet, she could imagine it. She felt that pain again, loss. Loss for something she never really had.
She spotted something curious on the desk and she walked over to it. Sitting on the desk was her portrait. She picked it up gingerly to inspect it.
"He had it on him when he died," a deep voice from behind her said.