Falling In Love With Her Husband
“I just want her picture. I don"t want to marry her.” At
sixteen, I wasn"t thinking that far off into the future.
“I"l get the picture and I won"t tell her why.”
As soon as I got the picture, I framed it so it would
stay in good condition. As the year passed, I often gazed
upon it and recalled the day she taught me Solitaire.
It was easy to admire her dark hair, fair complexion,
brown eyes, and hourglass figure. I couldn"t think of a single
thing that was wrong with her. Well, that wasn"t entirely
true. She did have one flaw. She didn"t love me.
***
My last attempt to get Ann"s interest came in October
when we were seventeen. She came down with a fever and
was unable to attend school, so I volunteered to take her
homework to her. This was my chance to talk to her without
Agnes being around.
Monday through Thursday, I visited with her in her
bedroom. Ginny stayed in her room while I discussed the
class lessons for the day and recorded her answers to the
questions on our homework. Even when she was sick in
bed, she was beautiful. Her disheveled hair and runny nose
did little to discourage me. It was nice to see her without her
jewelry, fancy dresses and hats on. We mostly made small
talk, and I thought she was beginning to enjoy my company.
I know the more I learned about her, the more I loved her.
She wasn"t sure what she wanted to do after we finished
school in May.
“I suppose it will be time to get serious about looking
for a husband because I have to,” she said thoughtfully. “I
hate to say it but sometimes being wealthy isn"t much fun.
You have to do what others expect you to do. For once, I
would like to do something that isn"t proper.” She glanced at
Ginny and smiled. “I often tell Ginny that one of these days,
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Falling In Love With Her Husband
I"m going to let my hair down and go outside without a hat or
a parasol.”
I grinned. “I wouldn"t mind seeing that.”
“Oh, I know it isn"t a big thing as far as the rules go.”
“Who says you have to do something drastic?
Sometimes just doing something small can help when we
live under the expectations of our parents.”
“So you do understand.”
More than she realized. That was one of the
reasons I went along with some of Alex"s pranks. They
were harmless and funny. I didn"t want to mention him
though. I wanted to keep the atmosphere pleasant.
“What are you going to do, Todd? Are you going to
college or start working?”
I hesitated to answer her question. I was seriously
considering moving to Jamestown, North Dakota to be a
farmer. Alex"s aunt and uncle, who lived in Fargo, told me
many stories about farming and North Dakota whenever
they came for a visit. They also sent him pictures which he
showed me.
Finally, I answered, “I"m not sure yet.”
“Tell me. Do men have the same pressure to marry
that women do?”
I thought over her question. “No. At least, I don"t.
We do feel pressured to find a suitable job.”
“So we have our own pressures to deal with. How
do you cope?”
“By dreaming of what I want to do.”
“Real y? What is that?”
Did I dare tell her? I wanted to, especially since I
was hoping to ask her to marry me and go with me when we
finished school. But with Ginny there, I decided not to
mention it. I didn"t know how much servants talked amongst
themselves and did not wish my parents to discover my
possible plan. The only person I trusted with the information
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Falling In Love With Her Husband
was Alex who faithfully kept my secret and helped me find
out more about farming and North Dakota.
“It"s alright. You don"t have to tell me,” she said. “I
can understand the need for a secret.”
Again, she amazed me.
“I suppose we should discuss my homework,” she
stated before she sneezed into her handkerchief.
“God bless you,” I whispered. Even when she
sneezed, she was pretty.
“Thanks.”
We turned to the homework.
When Friday came, I wore my best suit. It was a
medium gray color with a dark blue tie. I even paid attention
to how I combed my hair. This would be the day I would ask
her if I could court her. Since we had some pleasant
conversations over the week, I was hopeful that she might
start to see me in a more romantic light. I didn"t want her to
think of me as just Agnes" older brother.
When I arrived at her house with her books, my heart
pounded loudly in my chest. I rang the doorbell and waited
for her servant to answer. I followed George into the parlor
and smiled at the sight of her. She wore a gorgeous dark
green dress and had her hair neatly pulled back with a dark
green bow. I didn"t dare hope she dressed nicely for me.
Ginny took my hat and coat.
“You look like you"re feeling well,” I greeted as I set
her books on the table.
“I do. Thank you.” Ann motioned to the chair. “Wil
you sit down?”
I sat in the chair while she sat on the sofa. Of
course, I wished that I was sitting next to her but knew it
wouldn"t be proper until I was courting her, and even then, I
wouldn"t sit too close.
“My fever is gone, though I stil have a stuffy nose,”
she reported. “I do appreciate your keeping me current on
my school work.”
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Falling In Love With Her Husband
“It was either come here or work at my father"s
bank.” That wasn"t real y the reason I was doing it, but I
didn"t feel ready to say the truth yet.
“Are you ready to start that so soon?”
I sighed as I thought about working there.
“Apparently.”
“I take it that it doesn"t please you. You should be
able to have the job of your choosing after you graduate, so
your time at the bank wil be temporary.”
“We"l see.” The truth was, if she showed any interest
in me, I would seriously consider staying in Virginia and
working at my father"s bank, but I didn"t want her to feel
responsible for such a decision. After a few moments of
awkward silence, I said, “We got a new student today.”
“Real y? Who?”
“Kent Ashton. He just arrived two days ago from
New York.”
Her eyes lit up. “New York? How impressive.”
I frowned. A lot of the young ladies in class thought
Kent was exciting. Did I really have a chance next to
someone who was obviously more charming and
sophisticated than I was? “Yes. Many girls seem to be
taken with him. Alex had to welcome him the only way Alex
could.” It wasn"t my intention to bring Alex up but I hoped to
get off the topic of Kent.
“Oh no!”
“You know, Alex may be a prankster but he"s
harmless. He"s not all bad.”
She rolled her eyes. “Alex is so childish. When are
you going to get tired of his foolishness? I hope Kent
doesn"t assume everyone is as il -mannered as Alex.”
I stiffened. “I admit that Alex does joke a little too
much, but he is a good friend.”
I thanked the servant who brought me a cup of hot
cocoa.
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Falling In Love With Her Husband
“Personally, I think he"s a bad influence. If I hadn"t
dumped sand all over him when we were ten, he never
would have left me alone. I hope Kent will teach him a
lesson.”
I grinned as I recalled the day Alex and I were so
bored in class that we threw pebbles in her hair until she got
fed up and poured a jar of sand all over us. “I must have
taken two baths that night to make sure all of that sand was
off of me.”
She chuckled at the memory, her mood brightening.
“It was kind of funny.”
“Everyone in class learned not to mess with you after
that. Oh, Agnes wanted me to give you her letter. She
wanted to come but I felt it was best that she wait until
you"re healthy. I don"t want her to risk getting sick.”
“Tell her I miss her,” she replied as she took the
letter. My heart rate increased as our fingers lightly
touched. “So, what homework do I need to do?”
I wanted to say something more but decided to go
over her homework.
After an hour, I stood up to leave. “I will see you on
Monday. I"m glad you"re feeling better.”
“Thank you again for bringing me my homework so I
don"t get behind in school.”
I shrugged. “It wasn"t a bother.”
Ginny brought me my hat and coat. I slipped them
on and hesitated. Would it be appropriate to ask her if I
could court her?
“Is there anything else?” she wondered.
Suddenly, I realized I couldn"t do it. “No. I better
go.”
And so I left with a lot I wanted to say but couldn"t.
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Falling In Love With Her Husband
Ann’s Point of View
On Monday, I entered the classroom. I quickly
waved to Debbie and Rachel as I headed straight for my
desk.
“Ann, may I say something?” Todd asked as I
passed him.
I stopped, not because I wanted to but because it
would be rude if I didn"t. I clutched my books to my chest
and waited. He wouldn"t say anything in front of the entire
class. Would he? I had the sinking sensation that he
wanted to court me and hoped to make sure the
conversation regarding it never came up.
He stood up. He smoothed his hair and adjusted his
tie. “I"m glad to see you made it.”
I shrugged. “It was either come here or stay bored at
home, staring at the walls.” It was a dumb joke but it was all
I could think of. I glanced at my seat which was a couple of
rows from him.
“Did I upset you Friday when I talked about Alex? I
know he bothers you.”
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Falling In Love With Her Husband
“You"re his friend. I expect you to mention him.” I
sighed. “I suppose he shouldn"t irk me so. I mean, it"s not
like he does anything to me and no one else seems to mind
his pranks. It probably doesn"t help that I keep calling him
Creepy Alex either.”
He chuckled. “He calls you Scary Annie.”
I frowned. “I"m not scary.”
“Wel , you did hit him with a broom.”
I giggled. “That was funny, wasn"t it?”
“Good for you,” someone interrupted. “I think Creepy
Alex is an apt term. However, I can"t imagine you being
scary, even if you did come after me with a broom.”
I paused and turned around so I could see the
person who spoke. Dark brown hair, clear green eyes, and
a great smile. This had to be Kent. And he was handsome!
I imagined someone from New York would be fascinating
but he put all of my fantasies to shame. I thought he was
rude to listen to what Todd and I said, but since he set his
books on the desk in front of Todd, I realized he couldn"t
help but overhear if that"s where he had to sit.
“I"m Kent Ashton.” He kissed my hand.
I stared at him, bewildered that he could be so bold.
That must be how New Yorkers were. Bold and charming. I
cleared my throat. “Todd told me you came here last week.”
“Yes. My family moved from New York.”
“I know. He told me that too.”
“We can always talk later when your family comes
over to see mine,” Todd said.
Remembering Todd, I looked at him. “What?”
His smile faltered. “Never mind. I just wanted to
apologize for mentioning Alex on Friday.”
“Oh. It"s alright. I wasn"t upset with you.”
He nodded and sat down.
Blushing, because Kent still had his beautiful green
eyes on me, I shyly said that it was nice to meet him and
walked to my desk. I had no idea what to say to him. He
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Falling In Love With Her Husband
was much more sophisticated than me. To my surprise, he
followed me.
“May I hang your coat in the back of the room?”
My heart skipped a beat. “Uh…” None of the young
men had offered to do that before. But Kent was from New
York. Maybe young men did that kind of thing there.
“I promise I won"t run off with it,” he teased.
I laughed. “I know.”
Feeling somewhat awkward and aware that Debbie
and Rachel watched me with amused expressions, I took