Page 52 of In Just a Year
Esther nodded but she felt so raw and exposed that the words remained glued in her mouth.
“Darling child,” Tate started sadly, “if you understand this then there truly is no other for you. But heed my words when I tell you that you’ll never suffer a worse loss than if something were to happen to him. I’ve survived many losses, but when your mother left us so suddenly”—he gasped for air as if speaking of her death deprived him of life—”a part of me drifted away.”
“I’m sorry, Tate.” Esther reached for his hand but instead of accepting it, he pulled her onto his lap.
“My sweet and intelligent daughter. You come after me and I wish I could shield you from the pains of loss. If I had known, I would’ve warned you not to fall in love like this.”
“Why, Tate? Isn’t there more to gain than to lose? Isn’t a lifetime of happiness with Ben worth the risk that one of us might die?”
“Your mother and I had so much joy in our life together. We had all of you and each one of you children completed our circle like … like—”
“Like a halo of diamonds around a precious ruby?” Esther fingered her engagement ring.
“You sound like a Klonimus already. But yes, like the diamonds complementing the ruby. But then, when the light goes out, it doesn’t matter what the stones can do with the sparkling rays of the sun. In darkness, a gem is no better than a shingle.”
“I refuse to accept that, Tate.” Esther hopped off his lap and put her hands on her hips. “When a ruby loses its value in the dark, then a father stops loving his child if the mother dies? Is that what you’re saying?”
“No.”
“You’re saying that a ruby doesn’t sparkle in the dark and loses it’s value, so love doesn’t exist unless you have a person to love?”
“No!”
“Well, I still love Mama. I didn’t stop loving her only because she’s gone. And I’ll never stop loving Ben only because he’s … he’s … far away … for now. He’ll come home and … and—” She heaved as the tears rolled down her cheeks.
Tate rubbed his face with both hands. “Then let’s set up the wedding and hope he returns safely. I hope for nothing more than that you share a long and happy life together because the kind of love that you told me about today,maidale, only happens when your hearts grow up together as one.”
And so it was decided in Esther’s modest room that the wedding would be held in their parlor downstairs. Tate welcomed Eve’s help in ordering a handful of invitations, for only the Klonimuses, Solomons, and Pearlers were expected, including Arnold and Hannah, of course. Alma and Ruthie were fitted for matching white dresses with the same ruching as Esther’s wedding dress, and each of her brothers was measured by the Klonimus’ tailor for evening attire, black velvet frocks, and white cravats included.
Over the course of the next few weeks, Gideon and Rosie took Esther to a French pâtissier in Maryleborne to chose the layers of a wedding cake. Caleb and Nati carried tables and chairs into the parlor room and rearranged the furniture so that a chuppah—that Raphi built singlehandedly—could stand near the fireplace and a buffet be set up in the back of the room.
But the most memorable was the fitting of Esther’s wedding dress, to which Eve invited Hannah and Lizzie. Her dress was a rich shade of yellow that shimmered in golden-orange like hawkweed blossoms in dusk. Although her dress was cut plain with white ruching at the hem, it fit her so well that she couldn’t wait for Ben to see her. Finally, Esther thought that her reflection showed how she felt: ready for Ben. Like a blossom stretching toward the morning sun, she couldn’t wait to extend her arms and wrap herself around her Ben—for that was he’d become in her mind.Her Ben.
The only question remained, when exactly he’d be hers for good.
CHAPTER24
The Port of Calcutta was one of the busiest places Ben had ever seen. He was immediately enveloped by a cacophony that was as chaotic as it was vibrant. The clamor of merchants haggling over prices intertwined with the rhythmic creaking of ships, the distant laughter of sailors, and the constant murmur of myriad conversations in English and other languages that Ben couldn’t understand nor keep apart.
But it no longer mattered. He had a spring in his step and renewed ease in his heart because it was finally time to go home.
“Tell me again how you found this, I can’t quite understand how it all came together and what it had to do with the sketches Raphi sent to me,” Greg said as Ben clutched the velvet satchels of gems in his pocket.
He looked back again before he went under deck. Merchants lined the road, their stalls brimming with a plethora of exquisite silks that added vibrant splashes against the landscape’s muted tones. Ben had already purchased gifts for his friends and family, but nothing was more precious than the sapphires he was bringing back. In pouches in his pockets, he’d separated the most precious gems, including the triad of sapphires, but the uncut stones were going to remain in their cabin safely locked away.
Greg sent five servants to their ship to store the wares, but he and Ben carried the small crates of gems to their cabin aboard the ship located at the stern of the grand vessel. The high-masted schooner, a magnificent frigate headed up the fleet. Ben’s quarters were situated just below the quarterdeck, a place of respect and prominence he’d share with Greg. Eager to set sail, Ben knew he’d feel safer and an equal to the others as soon as he was on the way to England.
The room was surprisingly spacious for a ship cabin with two small but comfortable beds secured to opposite walls, one for him and one for Greg. A sturdy desk was bolted to the wall opposite the door. Above the desk, a porthole allowed the light from the sun and stars to filter in, casting a cool light over the maps and charts scattered across the desk.
The walls, made of polished oak, bore the patina of countless sea voyages. Brass fittings added a touch of elegance and shine, their gleam softened by the warm radiance of a hanging lantern that swung with the ship’s movements.
A small bookshelf was crammed with volumes of travel logs, history, and literature, a testament to Greg’s love for knowledge and his intellectual pursuits. A stand held navigational tools on the other corner—a compass, a sextant, and a sturdy spyglass. There was even a chess set.
Despite the limited space, the room was meticulously organized, reflecting Greg’s disciplined nature. It was a sanctuary amidst the chaos of the ship, a place where Greg could retreat to think, plan, and dream of journeys and adventures.
Sharing a room wasn’t in the least an inconvenience for Ben, since he’d always shared one with one or even two of his brothers. Only in recent years, his elder brothers had been away for university or had moved out with their wives. He’d had his own room in Edinburgh for university, where he’d stayed at Liora and Peter Primrose’s house, but even there, he always had to expect his older brother Aaron, who was now married to Liora, to enter unannounced. What had been a nuisance then was a source of homesickness now.
Ben surveyed their treasure. The goods had been carefully packaged, wrapped in layers of coarse cloth or packed in sturdy wooden crates. Some were secured with thick ropes, while others were carefully arranged in woven baskets, their contents peeking out from beneath the protective coverings. Each package was a promise of something precious, a secret waiting to be unveiled.
