Page 15 of The Way We Were

Lucy smiled, not knowing what to say. She could not help looking at Reggie, who was gesturing to the far corner of the booth, where they were now attaching a protective awning. His tall cap was gone, and perspiration dotted his forehead. He could have looked impatient or bored, but instead he was talking and laughing and showing the servants that they were fellow men rather than beneath him.

She glanced back at the other women, who were watching the same tableau with various expressions of astonishment, amusement, and the occasional hint of wistful envy.

Something inside Lucy seemed to invert itself as new thoughts took hold. Perhaps the women in her charity circles didn’t choose distant marriages deliberately, but because they were being ignored, because their husbands didn’t care about their lives or their interests. It was easier to protect one’s heart by pretending that indifference didn’t matter.

Reggie had always been interested in her life, every moment of the day. Nothing was too inconsequential to him if it was important to her. She felt a surge of warmth and knew she might very well be blushing with pleasure.

And then she realized he was never going to accept her distancing herself from their marriage.

What was she going to do?

Reggie felt a deep sense of satisfaction as he stood back with the men and watched the ladies begin to display the wares they’d generously baked and crafted, all to benefit women in need. The sign he’d helped hang, THE FEMALE AID SOCIETY, made him so proud of the work Lucy had done while he’d been gone.

When the festival opened for the day, and Lucy was busy in the Society booth, he strolled through the park, watching children compete in a hoop-rolling contest. Men and women walked arm-in-arm through the various booths set up to aid societies benefitting children or unwed mothers or unemployed factory workers. He heard the melodies of a small brass band, drums and fifes and trumpets.

But he didn’t stray too far from his wife.

Leaning against a tree, he folded his arms over his chest and watched her smile at each customer, describing the various treats to purchase, bringing in other women when questions were asked about the knitted mittens or the embroidered handkerchiefs. The love he felt for her was bittersweet, always intertwined with the worry and guilt he’d experienced while in India. Now there was a growing apprehension that she couldn’t overcome her grief and disappointment in him.

When Lucy was at the corner of the booth talking to one of the other Aid Society ladies, a young child came running toward her with a hoop, not looking where she was going. Reggie started forward, but too late, for the little girl crashed right into Lucy, who staggered but did not fall.

The little girl landed in a heap and started to cry.

He waited for Lucy to comfort her, but she seemed frozen. The expression on her pale face became distant, haunted, as she stared down at the little girl. Reggie’s own sad emotions surged with sympathy. The other woman bent down and helped the child up, encouraging her to apologize.

“Sorry, ma’am,” came the high voice, as the girl wiped away tears.

Lucy’s expression softened, eyes glistening. “Of course, sweetheart, no damage done. Have fun with your game.”

And with a grin, the girl ran off, her braids flying behind her. Lucy watched her go, her smile fading, that haunted look bringing shadows beneath her eyes, the shadows that had lingered in his mind whenever he thought of his wife this last year.

Reggie approached her, wondering how he could bring her comfort in this public place, but the other ladies used the girl’s interruption to tell Lucy about the local children’s charity.

Lucy listened respectfully, but the glistening didn’t disappear from her eyes. At one point she turned her head, and he saw her dab her gloved finger to the corner of her eye.

No wonder she stayed away from their friends and family, who were so happily enmeshed in their growing broods of children. He wanted to gather her in his arms, to somehow take away their shared pain, to make them the happily married couple they used to be.

He didn’t know what expression he wore, but when Lucy noticed him nearby, she seemed to search his face, before giving a nod and a tired smile, as if in acknowledgment.

The warmth of encouragement spread through his chest.

That night, Reggie entered the Assembly rooms at the Old Ship Hotel overlooking Brighton Beach with two women on his arms. The ballroom itself was a long rectangular room with tall windows, and a balcony where a string quartet serenaded the guests. He knew many of the men here would be asking where the card room was, but he didn’t intend to leave Lucy’s side. Though Reggie had always spent time with his friends, it certainly wasn’t to escape from his duties to his wife. Until tragedy had upended them, marriage was something he’d enjoyed from morning to night.

After making their way through the entry, where the local Society women—including two they’d met that morning—greeted each guest, Reggie escorted Lucy and Madeleine to the tea room for a quick refreshment. He saw the usual lemonade and tea—nothing stronger for fear that the men would be overcome by drunkenness—along with those dry little cakes that seemed to wedge themselves into every Assembly he’d ever attended.

When they returned to the small ballroom, he felt the change in Madeleine’s posture almost immediately. She might even have given a little gasp. When he looked down at her, she was staring across the room at a man who’d just entered. The glass of lemonade quivered in her hand.

He recognized Lieutenant—Reverend—George Abernathy at once, who styled his blond hair away from his face with pomade. He was short of stature and broad across the chest. He wore sober evening clothes except for the glitter of a pocket watch chain.

Reggie felt Lucy tug his arm, and when he leaned toward her, she murmured, “Is it…?”

He nodded.

“Ah,” she said with satisfaction.

When Abernathy noticed them, he seemed to draw himself up, his face reddening, his mouth twitching as if he withheld a smile.

Though Reggie wanted to roll his eyes at their display of longing, he suddenly realized he had once looked at Lucy across a ballroom that way. His realization went a step further—Lucy had been nearly betrothed when he met her, just as Madeleine was.