Overwhelm
“And there’s a distinct possibility he may be going back to Southampton soon,” Meg stated, not sure if Charlie’s sister had any knowledge of the potential upcoming trip.
Grace looked from her mother to Meg, her mouth agape. Clearly she hadn’t heard. “Why ever would he do that?”
“My family is having some problems,” Meg explained, quietly. “I will have to go, and Charlie insists on accompanying me.”
“If he’s so ill, he can’t possibly,” Grace said, her eyes like daggers. “Can’t you go by yourself?”
“Your father offered to go, but Charlie wouldn’t hear of it,” Pamela explained.
“I don’t understand then. If he’s well enough to go to Southampton, he should be well enough to attend a ball in his honor,” the older sister insisted.
“We simply cannot overwhelm him,” Pamela said, clutching her daughter’s hand. “Grace, you know I’d like more than anything to throw Charlie a lovely, grand affair. But Meg’s right. We do need to be more sensitive to his condition. You wouldn’t want to appear in public when you were less than yourself either, I’m sure.”
“All right, whatever you’d like,” Grace said, pulling her hand away and crossing her arms, her nose in the air. Before Meg could even manage to thank her for her understanding, she turned to look at Meg and said, “I suppose we are all to consider ourselves lucky that you’ve suddenly taken an interest in Charlie when all you wanted from him for the last fifteen years was our money.”
“Grace!” Pamela shouted, her hands covering her mouth.
“I can’t blame you for saying that,” Meg said after she got over the initial shock. “But I have to tell you, that’s not true at all.”
“Certainly it is…” Grace continued.
“No, it isn’t,” Meg interrupted, her hand on Kelly again to keep her from jumping up. “I assure you, Mrs. Buckner, I wasn’t interested in Charlie at all until the tenth of April. It wasn’t until we were aboard Titanic and I saw what a kind and wonderful person your brother is that I began to realize how extremely lucky I am that my father chose so perfect a match for me, and how incredibly foolish I’d been for not seeing it before. You have every right to be angry at the way that I treated Charlie before I came to know him in person, but if he’s found a way to forgive me, I should hope that you can, too. I apologize most sincerely to you, to your entire family. But I will say, it wasn’t me who was constantly asking for money—that was my mother and uncle. And I am not like them; not at all.”
Grace’s face flickered between surprise and a fire that indicated she was ready to argue if she was able to get a word in edgewise or find fault in Meg’s declaration. Once Meg had finished, Grace only managed to say, “I suppose we shall see,” and Meg didn’t know if she was implying they would see if she meant her apology or if she wasn’t like her mother and uncle.
Kelly was fuming next to her, and Meg realized it was time to go. Unfortunately, this had not been the courteous planning session she had hoped for, but then, rarely did anything come easily in Meg’s experience. “I should like to leave the preparation to the pair of you, then, if you understand our wishes to have the number of guests limited.” She looked at Mrs. Ashton as she spoke, no longer wishing to address Grace.
“Yes, of course. You look worn. Perhaps you should retire to your room, and when Maurice is ready, we will have him escorted over to take your measurements.”
Meg nodded and thanked them before saying her goodbyes and heading for the door, Kelly on her heels. They had to slip between the waiting designers to reach the library on the other side of the house where Charlie was entertaining the girls—with Carrie’s assistance. Kelly mumbled under her breath the entire length of the hallway, most of it words Meg wouldn’t repeat in church or polite company.
As soon as she entered the library, all of the frustration melted away, and Meg stood in the doorway, gaping at the sight in front of her. Charlie sat before the unlit fireplace, Ruth poised on his knee, a picture book in front of him, and he was reading to her. The little girl giggled and pointed at the pictures, and Charlie made little animal noises to represent whatever was portrayed in each picture. Meg was reminded of a similar book Da used to read to her when she was Ruth’s age. She’d loved those moments on his lap, surrounded by his books, the smell of leather and book binding emanating from the volumes around them. Meg felt Kelly’s hand on her shoulder and knew she appreciated the scene as well.
Charlie looked up from the book first, followed by Ruth, whose face broke into a wide grin. “Mama!” she exclaimed. “Aunty Meg! You’re back so soon!”
“We are back early,” Meg admitted as the women crossed the room. Carrie sat in a rocking chair near the window, Lizzie on her lap. The infant cooed and waved for her mother who went to pick her up.
As Meg lifted Ruth from Charlie’s lap and hugged her, he asked, “Did everything go well?”
Meg shook her head slowly, but forced a smile, mostly because of the little girl she was holding. She could let him know what had transpired later, after little ears were gone.
“We went for a walk,” Ruth said, “and I saw all the big rooms in Uncle Charlie’s house. This will be your house soon, won’t it Aunty Meg?”
“It will,” Meg agreed, and she saw Charlie’s face light up as she said it.
“There’s a picture of horses and dogs in the dining room, a big one.”
“I know.”
“And in the hallway, there’s lots of pictures of old people.”
Meg laughed. “I know that, too.”
“But they are ‘portant.” Her face was quite sincere, and Meg couldn’t help but giggle.
“This one is gettin’ bleary-eyed,” Kelly noted crossing the room as Lizzie yawned as if to prove her mother’s point. “I suppose we should be headed back home.”
“I’ll have Bix bring the motor coach around,” Charlie said.
“I’ll get him, sir.” Carrie was out of her seat before Charlie even had the chance to stand, and Meg was thankful to have such an attentive lady in her service.
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