Cold All the Way Through, But Warming

Oscar's Gift

The days after the anniversary were easier to deal with, if not better. I visited Mother and Morgan, both of them rather testy after apparently having decided to drink a good deal of sherry the day of the sinking. Not that I blamed them, although I wished I could have joined in. Peggy had locked the liquor away after finding the mess we had made of the library and I had been lucky to get a glass of wine with dinner for the past few nights. It had been a short visit, for the Vanderbilts were finally being summoned back to their own house.

Liz was rather teary when bidding James goodbye, "Oh, I just don't know what to do."

"It's not as if you're not seeing him before he leaves again." Oscar grumbled, watching as their car was loaded. "You know Father wants to have him over for dinner before then."

"I know, I know." Liz repeated, pressing one last kiss to James's cheek before climbing into the car. She had managed to stop herself from crying, but she was gazing after James as the driver started up.

Oscar bowed over my hand, pressing a kiss to my knuckles. "Anastasia, thank you for allowing me to stay."

"Thank you for all that you did." I smiled as he stood, drawing him into a hug. "I know you were trying your best, and you truly have been a great comfort during all of this."

He held onto me for just a moment too long, enough to whisper in my ear. "Oh, you'll see my best. I'm coming back in a few days, for I have something I know you'll love." He stepped away, smiling at Will. "I'll see you soon."

"What for?" Will chuckled, "Drinking more of our whiskey?"

'Hardly, I have to give you your wedding gifts." The impish grin on his face made my brow furrow, even as he stepped onto the riding board of the car. "You'll be quite pleased with them, the both of you!" He had barely ducked inside before the car started out of the drive. The house seemed all the much smaller, for James went back to the Anastasia soon after.

The only relief was that Will was allowed back into my bed, and that the nightmares were slowly starting to fade away. It actually felt rather like things were returning back to normal now, if still a slight bit awkward. Louise thought it rather odd that Will had been banished so viciously, and then returned in such a short time. She didn't let it effect her too much, although she insisted that he leave when I was being changed. It was bad enough that she found me wrapped around Will one morning, it was totally innocent but I had just wanted to hold him to me.

She did not see it that way.

"Miss Dalian, you should send him away again." Louise muttered as she dressed my hair in a variety of twists. I was dressed in a simple walking suit for the day, I wanted to visit the offices and while I loved my tea gowns and wrappers, they were hardly appropriate for work.

I rolled my eyes, unable to shake my head as Louise was pinning my hair. "Louise, Will is a perfect gentleman and you know it. I was just rather cold when you found us this morning, and he was warm."

"Then you should have gotten a blanket." Louise snorted, coming up with a perfume bottle. I kept my eyes closed as she gave it several puffs, letting it settle over me.

I stood, grabbing my gloves from the vanity. "But here was there and he is oh so much warmer than a blanket." I did pause and give her a smile though. "Besides, we'll be married soon and it's good for us to get used to sharing a bed. After all, soon it will be all the time."

She furrowed her brow. "You're not keeping separate rooms?"

"I know, it's rather odd." I shrugged, and truly it was an oddity. Men and women kept their own bedrooms, even after marrying. I knew Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt did, but that had never been the case for me. Father and Mother had their own offices and sitting rooms, but they shared the same bed. In fact, their bed was shortly becoming mine. Most of the furniture in the hunter green room would look just fine being reupholstered in the navy blue silk Will and I had decided upon. It was foolish to throw them out, and the dock house was already unfashionable in the eyes of New York society, so what did it matter that we kept the old furniture?