Unchaining Alice

Chapter 24

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Chapter Twenty – Four

    

“They’re going to adore you,” James whispered in Alice’s ear as the carriage pulled to a stop outside the snow covered home of James’ grandmother, Catherine.

Alice wasn’t so sure. Doubts filled her mind and caused her to panic. It was December twelfth and she and James were marrying in a matter of days. In that time his family could utterly hate her and demand that the wedding be called off.

They shared a carriage with Emilia, Sebastian and Henry, all of whom were absorbed in their own conversation. It took almost a fleet of carriages to get the Alcott family to Yorkshire. Kitty and William had purchased their own considering their now large family. A week earlier she had given birth to not one, but two babies. Alice had been present and had never seen anything more horrific in her life, and she had been a part of the revolution.

The look on William’s face when he came in the room and saw his beautiful new son and daughter made it all worth it though. He had been a wreck just as soon as she had begun the labour and now he looked like the proudest man alive.

Kitty had won the battle on the name for their son. ‘John’ was given as a middle name. He was called Alexander. They had picked the name ‘Josephine’ for their daughter and had already begun to call her ‘Josie’ which Alice thought was very sweet. Her middle name was the name of William’s mother apparently – Kathleen. There was no doubt who the twins looked like. They were the image of Kitty. Their dark brown curls and sapphire eyes were the exact same as their mother’s. Kitty and William, along with their older children, Will and Millie, as well as the newborns, were leaving a little earlier to go and spend the rest of the holiday with William’s parents so that they might get to spend a little time with their namesakes.

The day after Kitty had given birth, Little J, who had delivered Alexander and Josie with the help of her husband, Harrison, went into labour as well. It was a daughter for them, and she was the image of her mother. Small tufts of white, blonde hair and bright, blue eyes complemented her cherub face. Victoria Emilia Gray was the newest addition to the Alcott family. Little J and Harrison had left for Yorkshire a little earlier so that they might spend a few days with Harrison’s father in Hertfordshire. They had since met the rest of the carriages and were arriving at the same time.

Annie was as rotund as a woman could possibly be. Alice would not be surprised if the child did not arrive spontaneously as they all stood in the church for her wedding.

“I can smell mama’s cooking already,” Sebastian said hungrily as he opened the door of the carriage and assembled the stairs for the rest of the party to exit. Alice was last to leave and she clung to the safety of James’ side as they approached the large farm house. It was completely different to the manor in which the Alcott’s resided. This was a simple, country house that was blanketed in a picturesque layer of snow. The air was freezing and Alice could not wait to go inside to warm, she just prayed that it would not be uncomfortable.

The door immediately opened and a loud, excited cry erupted from an old woman who was now bounding towards them with the energy of a person half her age. Her arms opened and she pulled both Emilia and Sebastian into a tight hug.

As the family gathered around the embracing group, Alice could hear what was being said.

“Oh, you must not make me wait so long to see all of you,” she complained as she placed a kiss of Emilia’s cheek. “Look at you, Miss Em, are you not eating?” she demanded to know. “Sebastian, are you not feeding this poor woman?” she accused her son. “I can feel her ribs! Well, I shall see to that. I have a hot casserole ready to serve and some apple pie for pudding!”