A Missed Out Love
As September came closer, Freya was starting to worry about getting her thoughts in order.
From keeping her secrets of being married to the union soldier. Every time she saw her mother’s wedding dress she thought about what her mother would say about Mr. Myers. Would Mrs. James agree with her husband or would she agree with her daughter?
The lady of the house also was happy that the dress couldn’t talk, what it would say if it could.
Freya tore her eyes away from the dress as she got ready to go into town for a few things. The lady of the house finished getting ready, piling her stuff in a bag and went downstairs.
As she stepped down from the last step, her father came out of his study with a pipe hanging from his mouth and the newspaper. “Where are you going Freya? Are you finally going to start your wedding plans? What kind of flowers are you thinking of using? Maybe the sunflowers and some wild flowers down by the river. I know how much time you have spent there. What about the river that makes you so drawn to that place my sweet daughter? If you are going into town why don’t you take Mr. Myers with you? It’s his wedding too.”
Freya stood there and thought for a moment, remembering when she met Johnathon, her union soldier.
She then snapped out of it and shook her hair out of her face. “What, you don’t remember the boys and I used to go play there all the time as children? They taught me to fish there and catch tadpoles in my hands. As for me, starting my wedding plans dream again father. Mr. Myers is still in pain from when that cast iron kettle fell out of my hands. Theodora used to say that was the heaviest tea kettle in all of the south. Now I have to go into town. I'll be back in time to make dinner. Bye father, love you.” Freya kissed his cheek and went out the door.
As Freya made her way to the road heading towards town, a large carriage pulled up to her flinging gravel and hitting Freya’s dress.
The carriage doors opened and two elderly people came out of it. “If I've told you once I've told you a thousand times to come to a slow stop not to stop on a dime like that. You know how that upsets my nerves when you do that. Are you even listening to me, Brandon Harper? Hello Elizabeth, how are you? See that Brandon, you could have hurt Elizabeth.” Marie Harper said dusting her dress off and looking Freya up and down.
“I have heard you say the same thing about the carriage since well the dawn of time. And our granddaughter’s name is Freya. You have been calling her the wrong name since she was born. No wonder she didn’t recognize her own name as a babe. Hello my sweet little spitfire.”
The carriage driver got the bags from the back and started towards the house with them. “I have no idea what made her loving crazy mother give her such a name, the name of a Viking. Sophia had such gifts but common sense wasn’t one of them. Now where are you going Elizabeth? And what on God’s green and blue earth are you wearing?” Freya looked down at her dress and saw nothing wrong with it other than a little dust on the skirt.
“It’s a simple dress, grandmother. I thought it looked fine for going into town for a few hours. I’ll be back soon. Why don't you and grandfather go rest for a while. It would help with your nerves. I’ll bring back some chamomile tea for you.” Marie Harper tried to open her mouth to try and argue with her granddaughter then closed it again.
“Thank you Freya dear, that is the first time she has been rendered speechless in the last two weeks. If you are going into town take the carriage, it will be faster.” Brandon opened the door for her. The lady of the house kissed both of her grandparents on their cheeks and climbed into the carriage.
As she sped down the road into town she thought how her very stubborn grandmother would handle Mr. Myers and how long it would take for Mrs. Harper to chase the snake out of the house.
As the carriage pulled away, she heard her grandmother say “She becomes more like her mother each time we see her with such a good heart.”
A couple of short hours later, Freya returned home with a few things in her arms. As she went to the barn to spend some time with her horse, she saw a light on and two people in there.
She put her things on the porch and made her way to the barn grabbing a few apples from the tree. “Hello girl, how are you and your little one? You want a treat or three?” Cinnamon nodded her head and ate an apple from Freya’s hands. “So how has it been here today without me? Has grandmother tried to put a price on your head saying I should have a cat instead of a horse? I Bet grandmother and grandfather have fought with father all day. I just hope Mr. Myers hasn’t done anything to make it worse for us. Don’t worry my sweet Cinnamon, we will be gone soon. We will be with the Union soldier soon and you will have your man too.” Freya said, giving her horse the last apple and giving her a pet on the head. “I should go and get started on dinner before they ransack the house for baked goods.”
Freya walked back to the house and collected her things before heading into the house. “Well it’s about time you got home Miss. James, I would have gone searching for you but I could hardly move. But lucky for me, your loving grandmother has doted on me all day long. You must not take after your saint of a mother and grandmother. After I told her what you did to me after merely suggesting that we spend time cuddling on a sofa with a book. Your grandmother could hardly believe it.” Mr. Myers said, sitting at the dining room table sipping whiskey.
Freya walked off ignoring the whelp in the chair going into the kitchen to start the dinner and some tea for her father. As the lady of the house worked she remembered being in this kitchen with her mother once an upon a time learning how to make scones and little sandwiches for tea time. How her mother would cut the sandwiches into shapes like stars and heart for the young lady of the house.
When Miss. James closes her eyes she can see and hear her mother laugh when Freya danced around the kitchen. She can almost smell the mint from the tea her mother made. The smell faded as she opened her eyes. That was the second time within the last few hours she thought of her mother today.
She moved about the kitchen trying to do too many things at once making the tea and making sure she didn’t burn the chicken.
Miss. James put a chair to the door so no one could pester her while she did what she needed to do. “I wonder if Ayden’s friend Nick made it home safely. She left a while ago. Nick was a good person. I hope one day I can call her cousin.
As Freya cooked the dinner, she thought about what the union soldier was doing when he isn’t with her. The lady of the house bent the dough in her hands trying to get the air bubbles out. Does he truly love her or is he using her as just an escape from the war?
She feels like she might have to ask Cecilia to pull a few favors and run a check on Johnathan Rosemen. Who is he really behind those sea-like eyes? Freya could hear her brothers not just one but both of them in her head. “Why such doubts about the man you love? Is our little sister thinking of running away yet again?"
A few hours later, the five of them were sitting around the table getting ready to eat their dinner. Mr. James started to grab some chicken from the middle of the table before his mother in law gave him a look to put it back. “Has this family fallen so far that we have forgotten to say grace, William?”
Mr. James wiped off his hands on his napkin and gave a great sigh of stress. “The saying of grace well we stopped doing that years ago. That was Sophia’s influence on the family. But if you want us to do the grace we will Marie. Maybe Mr. Myers should say the grace.”
Freya sat up a little straighter in her chair putting her hands together when she saw the rest of them holding out their hands across the table. “What is wrong my little firecracker? Come on let’s say grace so we can eat before your loving grandmother can complain about the ride here again.”
Miss. James held her grandfather’s hand but kept the other to herself away from the slime next to her.
“Dear heavenly father, we thank you for this beautiful meal before us. And for the guests that we have to share it with. Please help my foot to heal. I would also like to thank you for bringing my sweet Freya to me to be my wife in a short time. Amen.”
Southern fire looked at the door in the hallway. Marie looked over where Freya was looking and looked at her granddaughter. “Elizabeth what are you looking at? Are you expecting someone child?”
Miss. James took a drink of wine and cleared her throat. “Oh I thought since Mr. Myers said grace that the devil would show up at the door expecting some kind of payment for lying with such words of thanks to the lord.” Freya said, grabbing a glass of red wine and taking a drink.
Mr. James threw his roll to the dish and glared at his daughter. “Can you not do this when we have company? It’s not everyday we have the chance to have your grandparents here. Now sit up and start acting like the daughter your mother and I raised you to be. Now sit up straight and use your napkin this isn’t the barn Freya Elizabeth.”
As the dinner went on, all you could hear was the cutting and scraping of the knife to plate. “Are you and Mrs. Harper going to be here for the wedding Brandon? We can make sure you are front and center of the rows. Just because Susan isn’t here it doesn’t mean her mother and father shouldn’t miss the wedding of our sweet Southern Fire.”
As soon as Mitchell spoke his words a few things happened at once. Almost every fork and knife fell down to the dishes and they heard a soft bang under the table. Freya took her fork under the table and stuck the snake in the suit with it. “I just thought it would be a good idea if you two were here for Freya’s day. It’s too bad that Brandon and Bryce isn’t here I would have a fight myself to pick a best man. I guess I will just be my own best man.”
Freya went back to eating knowing full well he dug himself into a mud pit and sooner or later he’ll drown in it due to himself or by force.
“Are you going to let this man marry my granddaughter Elizabeth when he doesn’t even know her own mother’s name or her name? What is it with this Southern Fire? What is he going to call his soon to be wife Fredia or Franny? Are you going to sit there and stuff your face or answer me William Bryce James? WELL?”
Before Mr. James could clear his throat to answer, Mr. Myers answered for him. “Oh her name was Stephenie right? And I am perfectly suited for Freya. I think I balance out her wildness. As for my calling her Southern Fire, it’s because of her fiery temper that I love so much.”
“See Marie, Mitchell is a good man for my daughter and yes she is my daughter meaning it’s up to me who she is with not you. If you had it your way Freya would be off at some nunnery since her mother died. As for the nickname Mitchell, I am not a big fan of it. Freya, can you please pass me the gravy?”
Miss. James gave her father the gravy that was on her end of the table then took another drink of her wine. Mr. Harper looked up from his dish waiting for the rest of the show while reaching over for more chicken. “This is very good Freya , some of the best chicken I've had in a very long time. Maybe you should teach your grandmother how to make it.”
Freya gave her grandfather a smile and quickly stopped when she saw the scowl on her grandmother’s face. “I don’t know Brandon. I think it’s a bit on the dry side that would explain why father put so much gravy on his chicken.” Mr. Myers said, cutting a carrot in half.
Through the rest of the meal Mrs. Harper kept shooting the worm that sat across from her the side eye look. “Freya my sweet love can you please get me the salt from the kitchen? I would get it but well i can’t move very well since that tea kettle fell on my foot. Maybe some more gravy? When you cook our first meal together as husband and wife you will make food the right way.”
Before Freya could get up, Marie cleared her throat and took a gulp of her red wine.
“Elizabeth stay there, there isn’t anything wrong with your food. And I’ve had enough of you today hell, i’ve had enough of you to last about ten life times. Listen to me you whiny little boy. One woman brought you into this world and another is about to take you out of it unless you start treating my granddaughter with respect. And one last thing, my saint of a daughter was named Sophia not whatever your little brain can come up with. Now get off your good for nothing butt and get the gravy yourself!!”
Mr. Myers just sat there stunned trying to remain relaxed keeping the mask of the man he was pretending to be. Mr. Harper looked at him then at his own wife waiting for the dinner theater to start back up again.
William cleared his dish and wiped his mouth off. “Is there a sweet after this wonderful meal Freya dear? I could really use something a little sweet.” As Freya cleared the dishes, she kept her distance from Mitchell who now had his eyes closed breathing very heavily.
The lady of the house took the dishes into the kitchen and put them in the sink. All she could think of was the things that her father said. “Would my grandmother really ship me off after mother and the twins died?” The sheer thought of it made her shiver.
Miss. James went back into the dining room with little dishes for the cake. As she set the tray on the table Freya could feel the static in the air just watching for a match to drop.
Freya gave everyone a dish with a piece of cake then cut herself a piece but as she sat it down to eat Mr. Myers took it and put the cake back in the tray. “Remember my sweet you are on a diet until our wedding? Meaning no cake for you. Why don’t you run along and get the dishes done. We’ll let you know when you can clear these. Go on now.”
Miss. James just sat there refilling her wine glass to the very top. “No more wine for you either, no wife of mine is going to drink herself to an early grave. Now get up and go do the dishes please, maybe I’ll think about letting you have something sweet later.”
“Elizabeth, have your cake and I have met less controlling animals in my life than you little boy. My granddaughter isn’t going to marry you. And if you give her one more demand your foot won’t be the only thing that is causing you pain. Elizabeth, you know your mother wouldn’t put up with this. Speak up girl , say what is on your mind. For God’s sake say something.”
Mr. James was about to take another bite of his cake when he looked at his daughter seeing the flushness of her face as if she was about to suffer from heat stroke. “Freya puppet you ok? Here, have some cake. Please say something.” (talk don’t talk go do dishes just sit there and not say anything. No wonder Ceillia hasn't settled down by now. She doesn’t want to be controlled.)
“Freya is perfectly happy learning to serve me as a soon to be wife should. Now I say we men go and have cigars in the study and the women go and do the dishes.” And just like that the match was dropped and it all came falling on Mr. Myers’s head.
Without anyone noticing, Freya took another piece of cake and her wine then headed to the porch to star gaze. The fight went on without much notice that the lady of the house left the house yet again. "Has any of you noticed that Freya isn't even in the room or even in the house anymore? She should have a say about her own life." Mr. Harper asked the table at large with his arms outstretched.
Everyone looked around as Mr. James peeked his head into the kitchen giving it a good look over. “At least someone is talking sense in your family. Maybe you can tell your wife to mind her business." Mitchell said, leaning into the table trying to keep his balance.
Brandon Harper leaned over the table, came face to face with Mr. Myers and whispered “I have met men like you in my day thinking you can control people just because you come from a wealthy family. I can’t stand people like you. I see who you are and what you are is vermin. One more word from your mouth and I will make sure it will be your last in this house. Go ahead, speak your final words, sonny boy.”
With those final words, Brandon Harper left the room in search of his beloved granddaughter.
"You know for an educated man, you sure miss a lot of the things going on in your own home. How my daughter ever thought you were anything but a farm hand much less a great provider I will never know. As for being a father….” Marie said, crossing her arms and looking her son in law up and down in disappointment.
With those words, more matches dropped onto the floor setting up more fires across the table.
Brandon Harper left the house, closing the door and shutting out the yelling that was still going on in the dining room. “Freya where are you?” He asked, looking around with a small box behind his back. The lady of the house turned towards him saying “I’m over here grandfather. I’m guessing they are still fighting about my life? How old I'm supposed to be when I have my eighth child by that lack of a better word man?”
Mr. Harper sat in the rocking chair next to Freya putting the box in his lap. “Well let’s just say if your grandmother has her way he’ll be face down in a pile of horse droppings and you’ll be on a train with a one way ticket to a convent. But I think you should follow your heart no matter where it leads you.” Freya gave her grandfather an inquisitive look then scowled at him.
“Really now? Even if I just stay here in Jasper and become a librarian or run off and become a world famous thief? Or maybe a witch with all the beads and tattoos?” Brandon laughed and shook his head then cleared his throat, trying not to cough. “You are your mother’s daughter. I think your mother wanted to travel the world and become a dancer in the ballet. But your grandmother wouldn’t have it whatsoever. Telling Sophia that good girls don’t dance they do as they are told plus your mother could barely walk on her two feet without tripping, could you imagine her trying to dance? My point is that Sophia was just as free spirited and somewhat wild herself. When I look at you my little firecracker I see her especially the eyes.” He said, kissing the top of her head.
Freya gave a little laugh and saw the the box he had in his hands. “What is that box for? Peppermint bark bites? Grandfather, you know i’m allergic to peppermint.”
Brandon put the box down in the seat next to him, giving it a pat. “I know that so does your grandmother. How else do you think I was able to sneak the box into the carriage? But before I open the box, I want to ask you something. You know why your father wants you to marry that sad sack in there? I can tell you it’s not his charming personality which is as pleasant as a ravid bear after a winter nap. You know your father isn’t in the best of health for a man in his 50’s. He is afraid his heart might give out and you will be alone in the world. Your father just wants to make sure you are taken care of. He is doing it out of love for the only family he has left. You can’t fault him for it, Freya. So no more being cheeky or rude with him understand young lady?” Mr. Harper said, pointing his finger at her.
Freya took her last bite of cake and gave her grandfather a side eye. Brandon grabbed the box again and put it back in his hand to give to her.
“Can my father love me a lot less or at least let me be with someone who doesn’t make me pull my hair out or hurl everytime he opens his mouth? At this point I'd rather have Cinnamon pick a man for me at least she picked a stud for her boyfriend.”
Mr. Harper pulled out his wallet, taking a news clipping out of it. “Well I don’t know if Cinnamon would know how to pick a guy for you. Maybe kick a guy for you. But I don’t think you need your horse or father to pick a man for you. I was going through the newspaper this afternoon and saw something that made me actually want to read the lifestyles section of the paper. “ He handed her the clipping and she saw herself and the union soldier with the the caption “unknown southern bell and gentleman.” Freya turned white as a sheet and looked at her grandfather worried about the next words he would say.
“Did you think no one would ever find out Freya? Sooner or later your father is going to find out about you getting married to this man. Just tell me one thing little firecracker, that this man in the photo isn’t anything like the snake in the dining room.”
Freya took a deep breath, able to speak again, regaining the color in her face. “Johnathon Rosemen is a great man even grandmother would like him. And you know how picky she is. Just don’t tell father about Johnathon please. I’m trying to find the right time to tell him. As you said his heart isn’t in the best condition for some things. Now can you please tell me what is in the peppermint bark box?”
Brandon gave his granddaughter a side hug and the box to be opened. “Promise me one thing Freya Elizabeth Rosemen that if this Johnothan puts one toe out of line you will give him a well placed kick in the gut.” Freya gave a little giggle then opened the box to not see candy in the box.
“Hair combs with blue stones in them? They are so pretty I'm almost afraid to touch them. Where did you find them grandfather?” Freya said, trying not to drop the box in her lap.
“A few weeks ago your grandmother had me clean out one of the rooms and I found those in a jewelry box. They were your mother’s when she was your age. They are sapphire stones and the combs are silver. Call them a late birthday gift/wedding gift my sweet granddaughter. Now I think it’s almost time to retire for the night and see if your grandmother put a hex on Mr. Myers.” Brandon said, bending down kissing the top of Freya’s head again before heading back into the house.
Freya sat there for a moment looking at the hair combs running her fingers across the stones and remembering how her mother would braid her hair every day. The lady of the house put the lid back on the box and headed back in the house to see if her grandmother turned Mr. Myers into the foul thing that he was.
Later on in the night as Freya slept soundly in her bed she jerked awake with the feeling of an electric shock going through her body. Mrs. Rosemen got out of bed, ran down stairs and out of the house to the field of sunflowers. The lady of the house looked at the headstones reading the date of death on them. “How could I have forgotten what this week was? You three must think I’m the worse sister and daughter. I’m sorry Brandon, Bryce and mother. I didn’t mean to forget. Please forgive me I’ll try to keep you more in my thoughts and heart.” Freya heard someone behind her walking to the sunflowers.
“If you are a bad daughter then i’m definitely a bad husband and father. I almost forgot what this week was myself. I know they will forgive us sweetheart. They were very forgiving people. Even your brothers could be forgiving when they wanted to be.”
Mr. James found some wild flowers and put them on the headstones of his loved ones. “We should visit them more, then maybe they’ll be inclined to forgive us a little more. maybe have a neighbor boy clean up around their headstones. Make it pretty again.” Freya said, standing next to her father. William looked at the headstones and saw how it really looked for the first time in a good number of years. “That is a good idea Freya. I'll ask Kendall if he knows anyone in the morning. How about we head off to the house and get some rest before your mother decides to hunt me because I’m not taking care of her only daughter or my health. I swear I have been hearing her voice and the boys' voices all day long. I thought I was going mad.”
Freya gave a little laugh at what her father had said. As they turned around to go back to the house Freya felt a warm breeze and the scent of a perfume she hadn’t smelled since she was nine years old. “I miss you too mother.” She whispered so her father couldn’t hear.
The two of them went back to the house talking about their favorite memories of Sophia and the boys, remembering all the good times they had as a family.
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