A Life Together - A North and South Continuation

Chapter Sixteen

After church on Sunday morning, John offered his arm to Margaret to walk her home.

"I promised Edith I would take her and Sholto on a walk. You are welcome to join us, if you can spare the time." Margaret said.

"Aye, I think I can. It is a day of rest after all." John said as Margaret slipped her arm through the crook of his elbow. "Sholto was very good in church. I've never known a child so young stay so quiet."

The child was currently trying to run away from his governess, a flustered looking young woman who chased after him shushing him desperately. John had never agreed with hiring a governess; his mother had raised him herself and he hoped that when the time came, Margaret would do the same. To thrust a precious child straight into the arms of a stranger to be kept out of sight struck him as cold.

"He is not normally so agreeable, I can assure you." Edith told him, walking alongside them with her husband. "I think everything is so strange to him that he does not know what to do! Though he seems a little more spirited now, as you can see."

"How are you finding Milton?" John asked, though he had seen them the night before for dinner. Little could have changed in the twelve hours since he had last seen them, but small talk was small talk.

"Oh, it is quite nice." Edith said, looking around. "It is a little smoky, but I do not mind it."

"I am sorry my mother was unable to come to church today." John said, more to Margaret than anyone else. "Unfortunately, my sister is not feeling well, and asked that my mother stay with her until she is feeling better. She is also expecting. Her first."

"Oh, I do hope she feels better by tomorrow! She cannot miss your wedding!" Edith exclaimed.

"I am sure she will recover soon." John said.

"Fanny - Mrs Watson - has helped me so much with the wedding." Margaret told her cousin.

Meddled with the wedding was the truth of the matter in his opinion; John was sick of Fanny's complaining. When Margaret was not around to overhear, Fanny was sniping about all sorts. He had overheard her discussing details of Margaret's dress with Jane, though he quickly clapped his hands over his ears and called out for her to hold her tongue. He was growing increasingly annoyed with his sister, who seemed to have reverted to her previous habit of being rude about Margaret whenever possible.

"It will be a wonderful day. I am certain of it. I only hope you have clear skies like today!" Edith said, looking up at the sky which was indeed a rather perfect shade of blue.

"Well, whatever the weather decides to do with itself I'm sure it will be a fine day, won't it John?" Margaret asked him with a smile.

"Aye, a fine day."

They walked on, Sholto running wildly ahead - any reservations the child might have had gone now. John smiled; it was nice to see children allowed to be children, though Edith fretted endlessly that he would fall or get dirty.

John and Margaret found themselves falling behind the others, their steps slowing in time with each other. There had been so little time to spend together that just a moment of solitude was very welcome indeed.

"Are you excited?" Margaret asked.

"I feel like a child before Christmas." John confessed, revelling in the laugh he received from Margaret. He placed his hand over hers, squeezing it softly. "I can scarcely believe the day is here at last."

"I am awfully worried I shall make a mistake. I might trip up the aisle, or perhaps I should say the wrong thing. There will be so many people there." Margaret worried.