An Instrument in His Hands

Part 1 Chapter 18

Part 1

Chapter 18

I was so excited to see Aaron the next day, that I squealed and ran into his outstretched arms when he appeared in our front room. He picked me right up off the floor and twirled me around. He smelled of clean soap and spices again.

I'd spent the morning styling my hair in ten braids caught together at the back, then loosened to cascade in curls down my back. I knew Aaron would love it loose. He did, and buried his face and hands in it right away.

When I finally opened my eyes, it was to see my mother standing in the doorway to the hall with a perfectly beatific expression on her face, as if all her worldly ambitions had come true. Now I was in trouble! How long had she been watching us?

I stiffened and pulled away from Aaron. He lifted his head, but my hair was stuck all over his face and he had to swat it away as he straightened to greet my ecstatic mother.

Mother clapped her hands with glee.

I said a prayer for help and turned to face her.

'This calls for a celebration! I will ask the cook to bring refreshments!' Mother exclaimed, 'You two lovebirds just sit down right here.'

I shook my head at Aaron to tell him, ‘No!’ and when he did not see me, I grabbed his hair and pulled it left. But by then we were being settled onto the bench in our front room.

‘It will be OK,’ he whispered to me.

‘No it won’t!’ I hissed back when Mother left to inform the cook. ‘She will make you marry me. Let’s leave now.’

He took my hand. ‘Abigail, that would be inconsiderate.’

I loosened it and folded my arms. ‘You asked for it.’

Mother bustled back into the room, fussing with her gown and hair. She took a seat opposite us and smiled. ‘I have to apologize for our help right now. Good servants are so hard to find. It will be a few moments before she can bring in our juice to drink.’

I stiffened beside Aaron.

He chuckled silently.

‘Just wait till she really gets going,’ I said under my breath.

‘We’re redecorating,’ she mused as she looked around the room. ‘I hope to find new and better pieces to replace what we did not feel went with the décor and sold a few months ago.’

‘Told you so,’ I breathed.

She continued, ‘Will your mother redecorate for the betrothal celebration?’

‘I beg your pardon?’ Aaron asked, as if he had not heard her correctly.

She clapped her hands in enthusiasm. ‘Well, I imagine the betrothal will have to be held in your home, since ours is the smaller.’

Aaron didn’t say anything and I started to giggle. He really was cornered now! How was he going to get out of this one?

‘I’ll go and see what is keeping the refreshments,’ I offered, but Aaron grabbed a tight hold on my hair and pulled me back as I went to stand up. He did not want to be left alone with my mother.

Mother stood and started pacing about the room in excitement. ‘Since it will be paid for by the kingdom, we will have to invite as many people as possible, and serve wine and roasted goat. Of course the governors of the various lands will be in attendance. Perhaps we can secure an important job for Andrew through our acquaintance with the nobility.’

Aaron turned to look at me in disbelief. Was he hearing correctly?

‘She’s overwrought with ambition,’ I whispered. ‘That’s why she stays in bed.’

Mother paid no attention to us, but went on planning to herself. ‘And I will wear a new gown shot with silver threads to match the silver in my hair,’ she said with a tinkling laugh and patted her head. ‘And they will refer to me as the Queen Mother!’

I had heard enough. I stood.

Aaron stood too.

‘And while I am carried through the streets, people will bow…’

‘Goodbye, Mother,’ I called as we scurried out of the house. ‘We will return in a couple of hours.'

We did not hear more of her plans, for I had pulled Aaron out the gate.

By the time we made it to the end of our street, Aaron appeared quite shaken.

‘See? That’s another reason it’s a good thing I do not have a dowry,’ I told him. ‘Can you imagine what my mother could do to the Kingdom of Zarahemla if she actually had the energy to get out of bed?’

‘How often does she get up?’ he asked warily.

‘It depends on whether things go her way. Her sickness comes on when things do not, so she is often in bed.’

He swallowed.

I stopped and turned to him. ‘I’m so sorry you had to hear all that. If you no longer want to be my friend, I will understand.’

Instead, Aaron grabbed my hair and pulled me along until we came to our small copse of trees again.

‘What is it?’ I asked, breathlessly.

He took my shoulders to hold me steady. ‘Abigail, I didn’t want to tell you this so soon, but your mother is not as crazy as you think she is. The papers for our betrothal have been drawn up for several weeks, ever since I left for Gideon to attend Alma’s wedding. Both of our fathers and I have signed them. I begged them not to tell you until I could persuade you to sign them of your own free will. Will you?’