Liberty Calling

Chapter 13

I woke the next morning with a heavy pit in my stomach. Seth was gone. I lay in bed for far longer than I slept, just tracing patterns in the ceiling with my eyes, and thinking. I wished I could tell Elias about all this. We were so alike in so many ways, but unlike me, he was always quick to fall in love. It seemed like every week, he snuck to my room in the middle of the night to tell me of the newest girl who'd caught his heart. The last time he'd done so, we were sitting in Levi's printing press. James and Richard busily laid type, passing the tiny letter blocks to one another. It was a task that was so familiar to me, I almost knew what they would do before they did it. Richard grumbled, handing a letter back to James, insisting it was an "i", not a "j". James held the type close to his face and cried that it was just fine.

"If there is a problem, it's because you're the one who taught me!" he had cried. I laughed a bit, and caught Levi's eye, who stood on the other end of the press, ruffling through pages of potential stories and advertisement requests. He rolled his eyes at me, and turned to watch the two men argue with the hint of a smile.

"Em," Elias said, hopping to sit on a counter beside me. His voice barely rose above a whisper. "I've got a question...about Mercy."

I scowled, and looked up at him. "Mercy Taylor?" And then, by the look in his eyes, I knew. "Elias, no. Tell me you're not in love with Mercy. Please."

"I..." he glanced around, his cheeks turning bright red. That was an unfortunate characteristic we shared. "Look, she spends almost every day at our house, and has done so for years. Does this really come as that much of a surprise to you?"

"No, I suppose it doesn't."

"I'm just...I've been wondering...what can I do for her? What's something she would enjoy? Something to tell her I..."

"Elias, if you marry my best friend, heaven help me, I'll..." I sighed. "Fine. I suppose if I could entrust you to anyone, it would be her. She loves the opera. There's a show coming to the city next week that she's been talking about for ages. If you want to impress her, offer to take her."

"Thank you," he said, hopping down from the counter and kissing my cheek. I glared at him, but couldn't help but smile at the way he beamed back at me. He practically bounced over to Levi and bent over the desk he sat at, reading stories over his shoulder. What a silly fool he was. And I loved him all the more for it.

With that memory lightening my heart, I rose from my bed and approached the coming day. I spent much of that day with Aunt Mary in the women's parlor. A few of her friends had joined us, bringing their daughters along, and I found that their company was distracting enough. While I embroidered, they chatted on, providing background noise that was all at the same time entertaining and dull. They spoke of the embarrassment one of the daughters had suffered while in London this past season. Some young, rich suitor had made the mistake of complimenting her gown in front of the man she truly wished to marry, and it had all escalated horribly. Needless to say she returned home without a ring on her hand or a man on her arm. The conversation turned to county newcomers, the injuries sustained at a recent hunt, the shame of a lord's illegitimate son, and finally, to the war. With one look from Mary, she quickly changed the subject. I felt like running across the room to embrace her. One sampler and many hours later, the women all stood, and funneled out of the room like a herd of made up goats being gathered out to pasture.

"Come, my dear," Mary said, holding a dainty hand down to me. I took it, and she began to lead me to another parlor. It amazed me just how many parlors one house needed. The moment we passed through the doors, the faint smell of vanilla and tea filled the air. 

I sat beside my aunt, and took a fragile, beautifully painted teacup from a servant. "Where is Levi?" Mother asked, glancing around the room.

"I'm not sure," I responded, sipping that bitter tea again. I never did like the taste of tea, though I found the smell lovely. "Shall I find him for you?"