Carriage House
Meg was thankful that the carriage house had been completely converted to a guest house since there were absolutely no carriages or horses kept here, and Charlie had an attached garage where he kept his automobiles. (She was shocked when Jonathan said he owned four.) The apartment above the carriage house was nearly as large as her entire house would be if it were placed on one story, and she couldn’t imagine why anyone would call this an apartment.
It was immaculate, which didn’t surprise Meg at all since she knew Jonathan to be impeccably tidy. The view from one side was of Charlie’s house—which she couldn’t fathom would soon be her own home—and on the other side she could see the expansive back garden of the house behind them, though there was a large hedge obstructing part of the view. Charlie’s own garden, complete with a small pond and fountain, was nestled between the two buildings, and Meg thought it was quite lovely.
Jonathan gave her a quick tour. She was shocked to see the entire house was completely electric. The washroom was unlike anything she’d ever seen, with a large soaking tub and hot water available immediately at the tap. He’d tried to clarify exactly how that was possible, but she didn’t understand. The kitchen was also newly renovated and beyond her wildest dreams. There was even an electric icebox. Jonathan explained that this was a product of Peter’s factory and that they were actually working on a device that would cool the entire home much like an electric icebox. Meg didn’t even know what to say in response; she couldn’t even imagine.
“Here’s the telephone,” Jonathan said, leading her over to where the black box hung from the wall. “I’ll write down the number to the main house for you so that you can phone Charlie if you need to.”
As he did so, Meg stared at the foreign object on the wall. “How do you…” she stammered, “how do you use it?”
Jonathan looked up at her as if she’d asked how do you eat an apple. “You’ve never used a telephone before?”
She shook her head, her cheeks reddening. “We had one, but only my uncle was allowed to touch it.”
He offered a small smile, as if he realized he’d embarrassed her and was attempting to apologize for it. “It’s quite simple.” He showed her how to use the receiver and where to speak. He explained that an operator would connect the call. “Do you understand?” he asked when she was done.
“I believe so,” she said with a nod, hoping she did. It seemed easy enough.
“Now bear in mind that when it rings, it’s rather loud and sudden. If you’re not prepared, it could be frightening, particularly since I think you are like me and still a bit… jumpy at loud noises.”
Meg nodded, glad to hear him admit he was still struggling with that as well. She hoped it didn’t ring at all, even thought it might be nice to talk to Charlie later if he didn’t feel like having visitors.
Jonathan finished showing her the rest of the two-bedroom apartment, including the room he wasn’t using, which she decided would be hers so that he didn’t have to move all of his things out, and then led her back to the main room. “Do you have any questions?”
“I don’t think so,” Meg replied, thinking about everything he’d shown her. “Will Carrie know how to use all of these appliances and what-not?”
He stifled a laugh. “Yes, she will. Also, there are servant accommodations down the hall.
She nodded again. She hadn’t seen precisely what was down the hall or even downstairs as the upstairs apartment had its own entry, but she knew there were no carriage or automobiles below her. “I think I shall be all right then. Thank you very much for your hospitality, Jonathan.”
“Of course,” he said, dismissively. “I’ll take a few of my things now and come back for the rest later. It’s a shame my best suitcase is gone,” he muttered, looking around the room as if he was checking to see if the rest of his items were still there.
Meg couldn’t think about what she’d lost. Only the pink robe really mattered. But then, she’d had nothing left of her own to bring with her. Eventually, she would like to find a way to get Charlie’s letters back in her possession.
“You’re welcome to eat whatever you’d like. Send Carrie out for groceries.” He glanced around the room again before clearing his throat and continuing. “Also, I would expect there will be an inquiry into the sinking soon enough. I’m sure they will want to talk to Charlie, possibly me, though I’m not sure if they will want to talk to Meg West or not.”
Meg nodded, not sure what she would say if they did plan to speak to her. “I hope not.”
“It will be fine if they do. Just answer their questions as honestly as you can. I worry about them speaking to Charlie, though. He’s having a lot of difficulty remembering what happened.”
In a way, Meg envied him, though she was certain the memories were there somewhere, locked inside. She took a deep breath and let it go. “He is going to recover, fully, isn’t he, Jonathan?”
“Yes, I believe so,” he assured her. “Look how much better he is today than he was yesterday.”
She nodded again. It was true. He had more color in his cheeks today. His hands felt stronger. He remembered who she was.
“If you need anything at all, give the main house a call. I believe Mrs. Ashton was going to send Carrie out to get your clothing and other items and then she’ll send her over.”
“What about the few things I left at the hotel this morning? And settling the room?” Meg asked, realizing she’d left the new brush there as well as the old clothes she’d borrowed while on Carpathia. She had no reason to want them except for maybe as a remembrance of her own survival.
“We’ll take care of all that,” he assured her. “Meg, when you are Charles Ashton’s wife, you don’t need to worry about… anything.”
“Right,” she said exhaling loudly. “And what about until I am Charles Ashton’s wife?”
He laughed. “In Charlie’s mind you already are. You may as well believe it too.”
She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes, and in her heart she realized she might still find a way to ruin everything. That was what she seemed to do best, anyway. Part of her wanted to ask Charlie if they could get married right away, while the other half swore she’d never let a penny of her father’s money reach her mother’s grubby hands. She had just over five months until her birthday. Surely, she could find a way to keep from making enough mistakes to drive Charlie away again in that short amount of time.
“Are you all right?” Jonathan asked, peering intently at her face.
She nodded her head, realizing she’d been lost to the world for a moment. “Yes, I’m fine,” she assured him.
He smiled, but she thought he didn’t believe her. “I’ll come check on you myself after a while. Why don’t you rest?’
“That’s a good idea,” she said, looking longingly to the plush chair and sofa nearby.
“Meg,” Jonathan said, stepping forward and squeezing her arm gently, “everything is going to be all right. I promise.”
She smiled. She wanted to believe him. But she didn’t.
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