A Sensitive Arrangement

Prologue

Mr. Callaway's home office smelled of old books and smoke.  I could count the number of times I had been in there on one hand. The first time had been the most painful. I remember being confused as to why we were there. Normally I'd just go straight to Olivia's bedroom. Or we'd bake cookies or watch movies with Mrs. Callaway. This room always felt off limits. It's where Dad and Mr. Callaway would drink whiskey and smoke cigars and talk about business things. At least, that's what I assumed they were doing. Sometimes Julian would come in here with them, although I doubt they were offering him cigars and whiskey when he was thirteen years old. He was in the room that day. 

At nine years old, I was more observant than a lot of children. I preferred to listen and study rather than talk. That's how I knew something was wrong. Dad looked sad, which wasn't a new thing. My mother had passed away when I was two, some of that sadness had never left his eyes. But this was a different kind of sorrow, deeper, worrying.

"Alice," Dad started but then stopped again, searching for the right words. "I'm not entirely sure how to tell you this, Love. Do you remember when I got sick last year?" He asked me, a tenderness in his eyes that I knew he reserved only for me.

"But you got better." I replied, not exactly answering his question. I could see his sadness grow.

"I wish that were true. They were able to fix the thing in my brain that was making me sick. But they weren't fast enough. It's started spreading to other places. And they can't stop it."

"It's everywhere now? Won't that make you really sick?"

"It's in enough places that I will probably have to leave you soon to be with your mother." He explained gently.

"You're going to die?" I suddenly understood, tears to spill out from my eyes.

"Yes." He answered, no longer able to sugar coat it for my small ears. Death wasn't a new concept for me. But I had no memory of my mother. This was entirely different. My father had been my everything. Our little family of two was all we needed. Admittedly, it had often felt like a family of six, considering we were so frequently with the Callaways. But they weren't really related to me, not by blood anyway. I didn't have the same connection with them I had to my father.

Dad held me as I cried for what felt like hours. Eventually, as the tears began to subside I noticed Mr. Callaway and Julian still in the room, looking at me as if I were made of porcelain.

"Why are we having this conversation here?" I finally asked, realizing Mr. Callaway's study was a strange place to break this news to me.

"When I go," my dad started, "the Callaways are going to take care of you. You'll live here, and Mr. and Mrs. Callaway will look after you until you're older. You'll be part of their family."

"You already are." Mr. Callaway assured me.

"And once you're an adult," Dad continued, " Julian will take care of you."

"Won't I be able to take care of myself then?" I didn't understand what he meant. Adults don't need anyone to take care of them. Or so I thought.

"You will, but Alice, being a Watson comes with a certain lifestyle and responsibilities. You need to find a person you can trust, a partner you can share all that with. And lucky for us, we have the perfect candidate right here." Dad's voice almost seemed excited. It was strange, compared to the sad gentle tone he'd been speaking in.

"Dad, what are you saying?" I knew he was beating around the bush a little.

"Some day, in the future, when the two of you are ready, Julian will become your partner." Dad delivered this news as if it were the most natural thing in the world. It wasn't. What did he mean partner?

"Partner in what? Crime?" I asked, realizing that it sounded like a joke only after I said it. I wasn't joking.

"More like in life. The way me and your mother were. Or Mr. and Mrs. Callaway."

"You want me and Julian to get married?" I was sure I was misunderstanding him. This didn't seem like something my Dad would do.

"I think that would be very nice, yes." Dad smiled, still trying to keep the mood light, when it was anything but.

"That's not how it's supposed to work." I gasped.

"I know, this kind of arrangement seems antiquated. But I won't be around to guide you through any of this, and I need to know that I'm leaving you in the best hands. Julian and you have always gotten along well, and I can trust that he will look after your best interests. When you're older, maybe you'll understand a bit better." My father explained.

"I'm plenty old enough to understand. You're making me marry Julian." I yelled at him, leaping from his lap in my frustration.

"No one is making you do anything. This is for your protection. Plus, this would be years from now, when you're both ready. You'll need him when I'm gone." He tried to soothe me. It did the opposite.

"No. You can't make me marry him. And you can't leave me! I won't let you." I screamed, tears running down my face as I ran from the room. I could hear footsteps following close behind.

"Leave me alone." I yelled, turning around. I was surprised to see Julian's face staring back at me, his eyes filled with sympathy.

"I'd ask if you were okay, but I think we both know the answer to that." He offered me a handkerchief. What kind of thirteen year old carries around a handkerchief? The heir to a major corporation I guess. Julian had been groomed to take over our fathers' business practically since birth.

"How are you so calm about all this?" I asked, noticing his serene composure. The only thing he looked worried about was me.

"I don't know if your father's plan is the best course of action. But I do know you need to be surrounded by people who care about you right now. And Alice, I do care about you. If you need me, I'm here." He explained, looking at me more deeply than he ever had before. Julian and I had always been friendly. He was one of the few people I talked with just as much as I listened. He still is. But until that moment he had always felt more like my father's protege or my best friend's brother. Now he felt like my friend too. I sobbed into his shoulder as he held me. I don't remember another word being spoken between the two of us that afternoon. None needed to be. He was just there for me, as he said he would be, as he always has been. The thing about Julian is, when he makes a promise, he keeps it.