one else was in the room and the doctor gave us privacy.
“Agnes said you might be feeling ignored since she"s
come to visit,” I final y ventured. “Is that true?”
She glanced at the floor and sighed. “It"s childish. I
know you had friends back in Virginia.”
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So Agnes had been right. I was glad that was all
that was bothering her. “Barbara, I am thankful that we are
friends. You are like a sister to me. It"s true that Agnes and
I grew up together, but she can"t take your place. You are
both important to me.”
Her eyes met mine and she smiled widely. “I was
foolish. I wanted to say something but didn"t when she was
around, and the longer I waited to say anything, the harder it
became. I"m sorry, Ann. I should have told you right away.”
“I didn"t give you much of a chance. I"m sorry too.”
We hugged.
I was glad things were back to normal.
“You must bring Agnes by again. I"l have to treat
her better this time,” she promised.
“Oh no. You are with child. You don"t need to go to
any trouble for us. Why don"t you and your family come
over for dinner tonight? That is, if you feel up to eating.”
She laughed. “I may not eat much, but we would
love to come over.”
“I"m excited for you. Another baby! John will be
thrilled.”
“Yes. He wants at least seven children. You"re good
with children. Wouldn"t it be wonderful if you were expecting
soon so our children wil be close in age?”
I didn"t know what to say, so I nodded. My
goodness! What would Todd think of this conversation?
Ignoring my pounding heart, I said good-bye and left. I went
to the mercantile and helped Agnes with the rest of my usual
chores. After we were done, we went home so I could get
dinner started.
Agnes insisted on helping me. “I want to learn more
about cooking. Who knows if I"l ever need to know this? I
might end up marrying a man whose grand dream is
farming.”
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I laughed. “The chances of that happening where
you live are slim.” I stopped peeling a potato and looked at
her. “Do you wish to stay in Virginia?”
“Yes. I do like visiting here, but my heart wil always
be back there.”
“Then you"l probably marry someone from a wealthy
family. Do you have your sights set on anyone?”
She shrugged. “Not real y.”
“You must be disappointing many young men. You
have a way of attracting them.”
“I know. Maybe that"s why I don"t feel rushed to
make a decision. I just haven"t found the right one yet.”
“The important thing is how he treats you. Kent
might have been charming and outspoken but he focused
on himself. Todd actually cares about what I want and what
I think.”
“I hope you remember that when Kent shows up.”
“I don"t understand why he would bother. He knows
I"m married.”
“And that doesn"t matter to him. I don"t know why he
proposed to Rebecca in the first place, but for some reason
he did.”
She poured water into the pot as I added the peeled
potatoes into it.
She sighed thoughtfully. “Do you love Todd?”
“Yes. But what I feel for him is different than what I
feel for Kent. Well, I should say „what I felt for Kent." I"m
over him now.”
“Just when you think you"re over the past, it comes
back to haunt you.”
“No. I won"t let it. I made my decision the day I
married Todd. I promised to forsake all others as long as he
lived.”
She still seemed uncertain but nodded and silently
turned to the salad we were going to make. That was when
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I made my decision. I would consummate my marriage with
Todd that night.
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Todd’s Point of View
After John, Barbara and their children went home,
Agnes, Ann and I stood in the living room. I assumed we
were going to sit and talk, but Agnes said she wanted to go
to bed early.
“What a lovely day,” she said. “I do confess that
those children wore me out. I don"t know how Barbara does
it all day with them! You farmer"s wives have too much work
to do. I have to admit that I like to be spoiled. I would rather
have the servants" help, but this certainly is a nice place to
visit.”
“It"s real y not that difficult once you get used to it,”
Ann assured her. “It"s nice to have some privacy. When I
had servants, I couldn"t even sneeze without someone
handing me a handkerchief.”
I smiled. “I suppose there are benefits to both
worlds. I"m glad you ventured out here.”
Ann nodded. “I am too. Thank you for coming.”
I turned to Ann after Agnes went up to her bedroom.
“That"s odd. I thought she"d want to stay up for two more
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hours. Usual y, I can"t get her to stop talking. Life certainly
isn"t boring when she"s around.”
“Oh?”
“You know what I mean.” I grinned to show her I was
joking. Life was definitely not boring with Ann. I motioned to
the couch. “Would you like to stay up and talk?”
She hesitated. “Actual y, I was thinking of going to
bed.”
“Oh.” I had hoped we could sit together and talk.
Perhaps, more would come of it. Even if it didn"t, it would
still be nice to be with her. “Are you going to wake up early
tomorrow? Ever since Agnes got here, we haven"t had
much time alone. I guess I got used to it just being us.”
She didn"t reply right away, which surprised me since
she didn"t usually take long to answer my questions. When
she did respond, I wasn"t expecting her reply. “Would you
like to come with me?”
I nearly bolted for her bedroom but I forced myself to
stand stil . “Are you saying that you"re ready?” I wanted to
be sure I understood her.
She nodded.
As much as I wanted to forget my nightly chore, I
knew we would all be cold by morning if I didn"t do it. “I"l
gather enough firewood for the night and bring it to your
room. I should take some to Agnes too.”
“Then I"l be waiting for you.”
I watched as she walked up the steps. I was so
excited that I quickly slipped on my shoes and grabbed my
coat. I threw open the back door and ran out to the barn to
collect enough wood for the night. When I came back into
the house, I hastily took off my coat. I would put it on the
hook later. I didn"t bother to take my shoes off. Instead I
climbed the stairs and took a deep breath. I knocked on
Agnes" bedroom door. I couldn"t forget to give her some
firewood.
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Agnes opened her door. I noted that she was still in
her dress.
“I brought you some firewood for the night. Would
you like me to put a piece in the box stove?” I offered.
“Alright,” she agreed and moved aside so I could
bring in the wood.
I knelt by the box stove and inserted a piece of wood
into it. I glanced over at her bed and noticed she was
reading a book. “I thought you were tired.”
“Oh. Not real y. I just wanted to give you and Ann
some time alone. I know I tend to dominate the
conversation whenever I"m around. After all, my great gift in
life is talking.”
I smiled at her as I stood up. “That"s thoughtful of
you.”
She gave me a quick hug. “She does love you, even
though she won"t come out and say it. We did a lot of
talking and she likes being with you. You"re a lot better than
Kent ever was.”
I thought her words were odd but accepted them. “I
hope you enjoy the book.”
She nodded and sat on her bed.
I quietly shut the door behind me and walked past
my room. It felt good not to have to sleep in there tonight.
By the time I reached Ann"s door, I realized my hands were
shaking. Now that the moment was here, I was more
nervous than excited. I loved her so much. I hoped she
would enjoy the night as much as I knew I would.
I tapped on her door.
“Come in,” she softly replied.
I had a hard time making eye contact with her as I
entered the room. I laid the stack of chopped wood beside
the box stove. Since the fire was low, I added two more
pieces of wood to the fire. I slowly stood up and turned
around. I frowned. She had her eyes closed.
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“Are you asleep?” I whispered. I real y didn"t want to
return to my room but couldn"t bring myself to wake her.
Her eyelids flew open.
“I"m sorry. I didn"t mean to scare you.” I smiled,
relieved she was stil awake. I sat next to her. “Are you
sure you want to do this?”
“Yes. Do you?”
Yes! “More than you know, though I didn"t think I"d
be this nervous when the time came,” I admitted.
She looked relieved. “Thank goodness. I thought I
was the only one who was nervous.”
I chuckled, glad she felt the same way I did.
I took off my shoes and slipped under the covers.
She moved closer to me. I loved the feel of her in my arms.
I hugged her close to me. My heart pounded with joy and
anticipation. We remained silent for a long time. I wanted to
enjoy the moment, but my desire to do more was steadily
increasing.
I kissed the top of her head. I loved the smell of her
soft hair. She lifted her head off of my chest. She was so
beautiful. I gladly gave into the urge to kiss her since now I
knew I could. She responded to my kiss with a passion that
surprised and delighted me. She wanted me as much as I
wanted her. This knowledge only increased my arousal.
Our kiss deepened and I took off my shirt as she settled
back into the bed. Her hands felt incredibly sensual on my
bare shoulders. I had often wondered how they would feel
on my body, and it was better than I expected. My hands
traveled from her hair to her breasts. She was amazingly
soft. She was all woman and I was aware of how my body
was responding to that fact. My lips hungrily made their way
down her neck. I was desperately trying to go slow but my
urgency for her was starting to consume me.
“Todd, wait. Agnes is at the door.”
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I stopped and looked up at her, not fully
comprehending what she was saying. Did she want me to
stop?
“Todd, our parents are here!” Agnes yelled from
behind the closed door. “They"re at the front door.”
My reaction to my sister"s announcement was
immediate. I bolted out of the bed as if it were on fire. Of all
things that could kill a mood, this ranked high on the list. I
quickly picked up my shirt and buttoned it. After I put my
shoes on, I remembered Ann. I turned to her. I didn"t want
to leave her, but I didn"t feel like I had a choice. “I have to
see them. I"m sorry.”
“No, don"t be sorry. I understand.” Her eyes were
wide with the same shock I was experiencing.
“It"s probably best if you stay here, just in case things
don"t go well.”
She nodded.
I sighed and left her room. I faced a startled Agnes.
“You didn"t open the front door?”
“Of course not. I don"t wish to confront them on my
own. They"re bound to be furious with me. I came here
against their wil .”
“You"re not the only one,” I grumbled as she followed
me down the stairs. I didn"t feel like seeing them. I wanted
to be with Ann in her bedroom.
I opened the door and my parents rushed into the
parlor.
My father"s face was red with rage, but my mother
was softly crying into a handkerchief. I braced myself for
what he would say.
“Agnes, go out to the carriage,” he ordered. “I need
to talk to your brother.”
“Let"s not be hasty,” our mother sobbed. “We don"t
need to make matters worse.”
“Mother is right,” Agnes quickly agreed. “Why don"t
we sit down and take a few moments to calm down?”
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I thought this was a good idea.
My father shook his head. “I have had enough of