Heart over the fence part 3

Once Sophia’s tears had slowed, and she was able to control herself again, she finished the walk home. She entered the kitchen area, and shuffled past her parents whom were at the table, without a word. Benjamin looked up from his paper, and Genevieve put down her coffee mug, she could see that Sophia was hurt, and felt sympathetic and so gave Benjamin a look to stay quite and not rub anything in her face, she needing a bit of healing time.
Sophia simply sat on the creaky old bed and unlaced her bodice unenergetically. She was cursing her luck inside. Why would life bring me someone like that if I couldn’t have them? She rolled her eyes at fate; setting the bodice aside she held back tears while she changed into more work friendly clothes. There were things to be done around the house; her sadness was not a good enough excuse to not help out. So she took a final deep breath, shook away the emotions, and went to the kitchen again.
“I knew nothing good could come from being around him,” Benjamin said.
“Da, we only went for a dander. Had some lunch at the chipper then went our separate ways. You’re trying to molly coddle me more than Ma” Sophia said defiantly.
“Then why are you all upset.”
Sophia did not want to answer. She felt a bit like a child for letting her emotions get away with her, and control her, she was too old for the fairytale romance.
“Oh, Benjamin, don’t make her answer that. You must know why anyway, you were young once,” Genevieve said, sympathetically. Giving him a strange look over the brim of her blue mug, displeased at his attitude towards her in this fragile time. He nodded, and Sophia went about her work, cleaning and preparing dinner. That evening she was doing the dishes with her mother.
“You’ve falling for him haven’t you?”
“Aye, he’s very handsome and not like everyone else. I’ve must’ve said this before, but he actually noticed me when everyone looked right past me.”
“Well, it’s good to have found someone, just misfortune that he has to be a wealthy Englishman. Take all the time you need to be okay with it, your father might want you to go back out there and find someone you can have, but woman to woman, I understand these things take time, and you need a while to recover”
“Thanks mum, it was a hard hit, I’ll keep working around here of course, but I’ll need some time to stabilize myself.”
“Don’t worry too much about work, Lilly is old enough now to do a bit more,” she said happily, giving Sophia a friendly nudge with her elbow.
I don’t really want to let him go, he was perfect. And it’s a bit illogical to call someone perfect and to fall for someone within a couple days, but sometimes it just works out that way.

Ch9:

So Alexander and his family went back to England and he was more somber and unhappier than ever. He detested the mansion and the events he was forced to attend. Lydia wanted him to forget about Sophia, so she’d bring him to every event the family was invited to, whereas before he would’ve had some choice. Lydia tried desperately to find another girl for him, and introduced him to whomever she thought was a good match. Her criteria differed greatly from his own, so he always politely declined the attempts of courtship, and Lydia grew frustrated. She couldn’t see why he continued to decline the elegant and proper young brunettes with what she described at glimmering blue or brown eyes. Lydia had something against those with ginger or blonde hair, so she preferred that Xander was with a brunette, but as he refused all her offers, she started to bend her rule. As she grew more impatient with him, she decided hair color didn’t matter as much as status. Of course, he continued to reject even the prettiest ladies that Lydia threw at him.
When Alexander wasn’t being forced into a walt with a woman he wasn’t interested in, he’d sit in at his desk, in solitude. He wrote to Sophia every week, he refused to loose contact with her. In his heart he felt he would be back again someday and then they could be together, so it was important not to loose the bond that they already had.
“If you want to be friends, that’s perfectly fine, I cant’ tell you who to be friends with, but why do you insist in a romantic relationship? Why not just be happy with one of the girls I pick?”
“I think I can pick my own woman, mother. I appreciate your help, but I don’t want it. Sophia is really nice, and sweet, and rather intelligent believe it or not, she actually sings, she has a lovely voice that’s as beautiful as she is. I just don’t like those other girls, they’re all the same.”
“Well the qualities they share are good ones, so just pick the one you find most attractive and forget about that tinker of an Irishwoman.”
“Why must you have this control over me? Why can’t you understand that I feel and think differently than you and the rest of your superficial friends? I don’t want just anyone who has lots of money and a good name. That’s not love to me, and I cannot be with someone I don’t love. To marry one of your friend’s daughters would make me unhappy; surely you don’t want me to be unhappy”
“Of course I don’t want to see you unhappy. I would never intentionally cause you discomfort or sadness”
“Then you will let me go, let me continue contact with Sophia, and maybe even let me go enough to go after her”
She thought a moment, and nodded with a heavy sigh of defeat.
“Fine, if that’s what will make you happy, I can not take that away. Continue to write to her, go to her when you are ready, you’re not a child anymore and I was foolish for thinking I could act like you were. You have control over your own life now, and I may not agree with your choices, but it would be wrong for me to continue trying to persuade you away from her,” she said before leaving the room in slight disdain, not wanting to accept the reality of the situation. Lydia loved her son and wanted what was best for him, but she was so absorbed with her own needs and wants, and so assimilated to the upper class subculture, that she couldn’t see why Xander wanted what he did. With his new argument however, she had begun to see what was really going on, and realize that he was grown up now, and could do whatever he wanted. The only reason he hadn’t left earlier purely out of respect for both his parents. Now she had to let him go, accept the fact that he has learned to fly, and will soon use the newly acquired skill to remove himself from the iron maiden she created for him with her lifestyle, and desire to keep her offspring part of it.
“So were you able to recruit him this time?” Edmund asked with a smile, he had been sitting in the parlor while Lydia and Xander were talking.
“Don’t patronize me Edmund. It’s been a rough few months, and he’s in love with that Irishwoman, Sally or Sarah or whatever her name it” Lydia said, picking up wine glass, too frustrated to remember Sophia’s name.
“Sophia, her name is Sophia and you know I usually support you, but this time it’s his decision. He’s old enough to know what he wants and he has every right to go after it”
“I know, I’ve some how decided that it was time to let go, and stop acting like I can control him forever. As much as it displeases me, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Alexander sat at his writing desk, looking at the half finished letter, with a sense of accomplishment and victory over the battle with his mother.
…I just had a discussion with my mother. She still couldn’t understand why I didn’t want to be with the women at the parties, but I was finally able to say something that got her to release her grasp on me. So I will no longer have to listen to her pleas for me to marry someone I’m not interested in. As soon as I get the chance, I will find you again, it’s only been a couple weeks but I miss you already, you’re a good friend, and I wish we were able to be around each other more.
Sincerely,
Alexander
He couldn’t confess that his rejection had been a lie, not yet. It didn’t feel like the right time, what would be the point when they couldn’t rejoice together. It would have to wait to be put in the letter he writes before returning to her town. She would’ve been happy to know that he liked her too, but there were many miles between them and it seemed silly for Alexander to confess when he wasn’t sure when he would be able to go to her again. So though the confession would bring pure happiness, it would be quickly countered with the fact that he wasn’t there to share a long awaited embrace.

Ch10:

Sophia was of course happy to constantly get letters, and would write responses to each when she wasn’t working.
Lilly was also working, and had gotten a real job as a match girl; luckily the conditions had improved by the time she got a position. Steps had been taken to decrease the chances of phosphorus poisoning. However the air in her particular building was still poor and her lungs suffered for it.
On her first real day off, she lied in bed, with a continuous hoarse cough. Genevieve tried every home remedy should could think of, since they couldn’t well afford a doctor without digging into their meager savings, plus they would have to rely on their own produce to sustain them for a while longer if they had to pay for a doctor.
…Lilly got a job to help us out, and her wages were put away for emergencies. And we’ve come across our first huge expense already. She has developed a really bad cough, mum is trying to cure it but it looks like we’ll have to get a doctor, which will use all we’ve saved so far. We’re all worried about her, and naturally making her healthy again is our first priority, but it will mean having small meals of things we have grown ourselves, few and far between. A bit of a rough time for us now, but we’re a strong family, I’m sure we’ll be able to get through it. But it would be easier if you were able to be here with me, I miss you.
Yours,
Sophia.
For a week the cough remained the same, which is better than regression, but they all wanted, more than Sophia wanted Xander, for it to show at least some sign of dissipating. The doctor had been called, but could not come until the following week; they prayed her condition wouldn’t worsen before then. They would just sit in the kitchen area around their rough dark wood table in silence, nothing needing to be said, all they could really do is hope. Benjamin continued to work with some overtime to maybe help them past this rough patch. Genevieve and Sophia would take turns trying to make Lilly comfortable and occasionally get some basic nutrition into her, which was difficult given the constant cough. Gulps of cold soup or home remedies would have to be timed just right so that Lilly could actually swallow completely before another cough.
Finally the Thursday of the house call came, and when the doctor didn’t show at his appointed time, they naturally worried that he wouldn’t come at all. However, when it was half past the proper time, there was a knock on the door, the three of them stood up in a mix of surprise and relief and Ben opened the door. There stood the doctor with his medical bag and bowler hat. He was escorted to the bedroom where Lilly had stayed for the past few weeks, Sophia had a cot in the small living area, and he examined her. Everyone just stood around in nervous anticipation. After a look at the throat, a listen to the lungs and the usual checking of vitals, the prognoses didn’t look good but they were given medicine anyway to at least give her a chance. Their will was strong, so even though the professional thought there was a slim chance, they felt there was a good probability she would make it.
…The doctor said the chance of survival was slim, but we were still ordered to give her the medicine everyday, and we have a strong will so everything should work out okay. How are things for you? The letters don’t come as often, I hope everything is okay.
Sophia
The letters weren’t as frequent because Alexander had been once again taken somewhere against his will. Though Lydia stopped begging him to find a rich wife, he was still forced to go on their trips, so he wasn’t receiving Sophia’s letters. He had forgotten to bring his address book in the rush of leaving, so he couldn’t write to her if either. Everyday he just wanted to get home again to write to her again and apologize for the absence. He’d often sit around worried about what she thought about his seemingly loss of interest. The lack of communication lasted long enough for Sophia to indeed think he had moved on, and after a short time of grief she decided she should do the same