Page 42 of Fragile Wicked Things
"Where were you?" I asked.
"I had some things to take care of for our new life in America."
"Where are we going?"
"A place called New Orleans. It's warmer than England. Very little rain."
"Sounds lovely. And what of the sun? Is it warm and bright all day long?"
He hesitated and withdrew into his thoughts. "The sun will keep you warm and safe. That is why I chose it as our new home. We must go now to the dining room."
I held Edward's hands with both of mine and as we walked down the corridor, he would lift me and swing me with one hand. I thought him to be so very strong. During dinner, we spoke of our new life in this southern part of America, where people spoke English and French, and I would be exposed to strange customs, lively music, and even stranger food. I assured him my palate would welcome it. While I chatted nonstop, I couldn't help but notice Edward looking at the table next to us, eavesdropping on the man asking a waiter if he had seen his wife who was more than an hour late. The waiter offered to send someone to their room, but the husband waved the idea away, saying he'd already done that to find the room empty. He seemed more annoyed than worried and gave the waiter his order with precise instructions on handling his steak. Several times, I had to speak louder to draw Edward's attention away from the man, and whenever he returned his eyes to me, he would smile. The children at the other tables spoke little, if at all.
"Where have you been?" I overheard the man ask as a woman approached his table. She held a kerchief to her neck.
"I was in our suite," she said, sitting down.
"I sent someone to check the room, but there was no answer. I checked myself to be sure."
"I had fallen asleep. It's strange. I was on my way here earlier when something happened."
"What?" the husband said.
"I'm not sure. I don't recall. The next thing I remember, I was stumbling back to our room. I feel rather weak, Victor." A clenched kerchief in hand, she dropped her arm onto the table, and her hand flew open, exposing a bloody cloth.
"You're pale. My God, you're bleeding. Did you fall?"
"I'm not sure."
The husband signaled to a waiter and asked to have his wife see a doctor at once. While her husband took care of matters, the wife looked over at our table, unfocused at first, then squinted her eyes and when she noticed Edward, she stared at him. She opened her mouth to say something to Edward, but then he turned to me at once.
"Let's dance,” he said.
With the band in full swing on the dance floor, I stepped onto Edward's feet. He carried me across and spun me around faster until I felt like I flew through the air. My laughter was contagious, and others looked on in pure delight at us.
I never tired of the journey, and Giovanni entertained me during the day when Edward was off "taking care of business." It was a magical place for me, but I believe Giovanni took ill, reacting to the boat's motion on the water; he appeared quite sallow and carried a bag for his sickness. At times, I found him sleeping in a lounge chair. All my nights were spent with Edward, beginning with dinner, followed by dancing and then he tucked me into bed every night. In the morning when I had awoken, I always found myself alone and Edward's bed not slept in. This continued for the nine-day journey it took from England before arriving in New York in the evening.
First, we saw the lights on land and, as we grew closer, more lights sparkled in the darkness, welcoming us to this new country that would become our home. I shivered from the cold breeze, and Edward removed his jacket to wrap around me. It smelled of him.
"Then you'll be cold," I told him as he placed the jacket around me.
"I'll be fine. It's you I worry about."
"What's that place called?"
"New York City. It's an island."
"Like home."
"Yes, like home, but smaller."
"Is New Orleans far away?"
"Quite far away. We'll stay here a while before traveling south. Would you like that?"
We stayed for several weeks. It was a great, huge city, but I was used to large cities full of people coming and going, always in a hurry to get somewhere from somewhere else. People never rested or stopped except in the park where Giovanni took me. It was warmer than London and didn't rain as much.
We traveled by train from New York to New Orleans, making several stops—Philadelphia, Washington, Charlotte, and Atlanta. Everything went by quickly; the cities blended in after a while, the familiar sound of the train connecting one city to the next. Edward would order large bowls of spaghetti for me wherever we went, as that was my favorite. I think he quite enjoyed watching me eat. Edward was by my side in the evenings, but I spent my days with Giovanni.
