Cellar

Dinner was just as awkward as Cordia had imagined it would be. She spent what seemed like an eternity trying not to look at Will and could tell by his avoidance of making eye contact with her, he was trying just as hard. Finally, as the meal was ending, she suggested that she have a look at that bandage. Alas, Margaret chimed in that she had already changed it just a few hours ago. Cordia felt her heart sink, having no earthly idea how she was going to get to see Will alone now. She could see by the disappointed look on his face that he had not been a willing patient for his aunt either.
“Well,” Isaac proclaimed, standing up, “That was a fine meal. Now, let us gentlemen retire to the study to finish our discussion of politics and warfare—ideas the woman can surely do without.”
The men, including Zachariah who was nearly 15, all stood up to follow Mr. Pike into the study. It had occurred to Cordia that Margaret would not want to join them and be reminded of the horrors of war. Yet, Cordia was hoping to somehow be included. Her father, however, did not ask her to join them. Soon, her mother was leading Margaret, the two younger boys, and Julia into the ladies' parlor, and she was expected to follow. Reluctantly, she went along, as her mother’s singsong voice described to Mrs. Adams how beautifully Cordia was able to play the new sheet music her father had finally gotten in from New York.
Just as Cordia was about to shut the parlor doors, she saw Will walking through the hallway. Hoping her mother would somehow fail to notice she was absent, she darted out and closed the doors behind her.
“Hello,” he whispered, stopping halfway through the room, seemingly surprised to have run into her.
“Where are you going?” she asked, tiptoeing across the wooden floor.
“Your father is out of brandy, and he is sending me down to the cellar to get some more.”
Just as Cordia was about to ask if he needed any help, her mother flung open the doors to the parlor. “Cordia? What are you doing, dear? Mrs. Adams would like to hear your new song.”
Cordia sighed. “Be careful on the stairs. They can get slippery when it’s humid out.”
Will smiled at her and continued on his way as she went back into the parlor and shut the glass-paneled French doors. She tried to smile as she crossed to the piano and sat down, but she couldn’t help but slam the lid into place as she lifted it up to reveal the well-worn keys. She had played this song so many times; she didn’t really need to look at the music. Instead, she looked past it, out into the hallway, watching to see when Will would go back to join her father. But she never saw him. Could she have missed him? She didn’t think so. What could he possibly be doing?
Cordia concluded the song. The ladies and the two young boys clapped. “Thank you,” she said, standing up.
“Oh, play something else,” Julia implored. “You know how I love to hear you play.”
“I will in a moment,” Cordia assured her, “But first, I think we are almost out of wine. Mother, I am going to go down and get us a fresh bottle.”
Her mother looked disagreeable. “Cordia, it gets slick down there. Let’s send one of the men, dear. I would hate to see you slip on those stairs.”
“Don’t be silly, mother. I can manage.” She picked up one of the lanterns off of a little table by the door and quietly made her way through the hallway. There was a small storage room off the dining room where a little door concealed the stairs to the cellar. She could tell that Will had not come back up because the cellar doors were still open. She thought it strange that he could be gone so long without her father sending someone after him.
The stairs were slick, and the musty smell of darkness and rotting wood hit Cordia as she began to carefully pick her way down the steps. The light was only so much help. It bounced off the cobwebs hanging overhead and illuminated the dust she was stirring up around her. She wasn’t exactly sure what she would find when she reached the bottom. Maybe he had fallen and broken his neck. Maybe a marauder had crossed the bridge behind their house, snuck inside, and hidden in the basement. Perhaps a wild animal had burrowed its way in. As she reached the last few steps, she whispered “Will, are you down here?” No answer.
Carefully, she made her way across the uneven dirt floor, trying to shine the light into the shadows. There was no sign of him anywhere. She peered over into the far corner, thinking maybe she saw something there, or perhaps it was her own shadow. An eerie feeling came over her. Suddenly, she felt someone grab her from behind. A hand over her mouth kept her from shrieking, and she nearly dropped the lantern.
“Shhh!” a whispery voice said in her ear. “Ghosts don’t eat apple pie, and they don’t drink brandy.”
Cordia spun around, and he let her go. She had been planning on hitting her “attacker” when she wasn’t sure who it was, and now that she knew it was Will, she was just about mad enough to strike him anyway. “Do you think that is funny?” she exclaimed, raising the lantern so he could see the terror in her eyes. “You’re lucky I didn’t....”
“Didn’t what?” he asked, unable to keep from laughing at her. “I’m sorry—I didn’t think I would scare you. Who else did you think it would be? Didn’t Jules explain to you that I am not a ghost?”
“Yes!” she huffed. “But usually people announce themselves. They don’t just sneak over and grab you.”
“I apologize,” he said, and seeing that she was calming down, he took her free hand. “Will you forgive me?”
She nodded her head. It would be impossible for her to stay mad at him, that she knew. “Why are you still down here?” she asked.
“I was waiting for you, of course. But, it took you so long to come down; I didn’t think you would ever make it. I’m sure your pa must think I have just decided to leave town.”
“Well,” she started, “Everyone wanted me to play for them. I couldn’t get out of it.”
“You play divinely,” he said. “I could hear you through the floorboards. Best piano playing I ever heard.”
“Thank you,” she said. He leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips then. She couldn’t help but kiss him back. In just a few seconds, however, they heard footsteps at the top of the stairs. It was Zachariah, calling Will’s name. Cordia sighed.
“I’ll be right up. I couldn’t find the right bottle, but Cordia happened by, and she helped me.”
They heard the young man walking away then. Will leaned over and kissed her one last time before bounding up the stairs, bottle in hand.
“Wait!” Cordia called. She didn’t want him to go, not yet. But she knew she couldn’t keep him down there with her either. It was too suspicious. He was looking at her, a questioning expression on his handsome face. “Will, when are you leaving? You haven’t said.”
He sighed. He had been trying to keep it from her so that she wouldn’t be dreading it all along and would try to enjoy the few moments they had together. “Tomorrow. Train leaves at ten o’clock in the morning.”
Cordia had suspected as much. Her shoulders slumped. “Fiddle,” she whispered, looking at the ground. Once again, he turned to go, his head hanging, knowing she was disappointed.
“Wait!” she cried again. He turned and walked back a few steps so that he could see her face. “There’s an old bridge in those woods behind my house. Will you meet me there tonight? At two o’clock?”
Cordia wasn’t sure who was more surprised at her words—him or her. She hadn’t planned on making this proposition, but at the same time, she couldn’t bear the thought of letting him go without spending any more time with him. He nodded at her again and turned to walk up the stairs. He took a few steps and then turned back to see if she was going to call him again. She was still watching him, but she didn’t make a sound, and he finished his ascent. She made her way over to the wine racks and found a bottle she knew her mother would appreciate and made her way up the stairs.
As she reached the top, she was a little surprised to see Julia standing there. “Cordia,” she said, a peculiar expression on her face. “There you are. We were beginning to wonder if you had fallen down the steps and hurt yourself, dear.”
Cordia pulled the cellar doors into place. “No, I’m fine. It’s just difficult to see down there, that’s all.”
Julia nodded, and the girls crossed back into the parlor. But there was something about the look on Julia’s face that made Cordia think that maybe something wasn’t quite right. Surely, Julia hadn’t heard what Cordia had said to her brother? If she did, wouldn’t she say something? Cordia didn’t know, but one thing was for sure—Julia was acting a little strange.