Story Info | 1850 Part Two

Charlotte walked up to their new home, trying to juggle two toddlers and a hatbox she'd kept with her on the coach. Her husband, Theodore, had traveled with most of their belongings weeks ago, and the smoke rising from the chimneys was a welcome sight. Back home, things had gone from good to horrible in the space of a few words from Theodore's older brother. As soon as he had decided not to go to sea with his ship, and decided to, instead, take over the family farm... Theodore's prospects changed from wealthy farmer to a homeless family man in moments. It was also very quickly clear that there was no talking Theodore's brother out of his newfound wealth by birthright. Theodore and Charlotte had been working under the assumption that the plantation was all but theirs, and they found themselves out on their rears from one heartbeat to the next. Theo had found a boarding house that could take them temporarily, and had immediately begun looking for opportunities. The sad truth of the matter, though, was that back east, there just weren't any opportunities to be had. However, the government was opening up the west, and there were claims of riches for farmers willing to take the arduous journey to the plains. Sadly, They had decided that, to assure their children the best future possible, living near their families was no longer going to happen. With the meager stipend Theodore's brother had allotted them to "find their own way", Theo bought a large undeveloped farm sight unseen. Before Charlotte was anywhere close to ready, and with a toddler and a tiny babe in her arms, Charlotte was left to her own devices while Theo headed west to prepare a home for them.

By the time Theo's "all is well" letter arrived, signaling the start of Charlotte and the kids' journey, that baby was a toddler, and Charlotte felt she needed four extra hands to keep both of them out of trouble on the journey.

Now, staring at her new home, she dusted the travel dirt from her dress, pushed the two toddlers towards the front door, and followed them with her hat box and a small traveling bag. Theodore's welcome was hearty, and very welcome for Charlotte, but short lived.

Apparently the word that Charlotte and the children were due today had traveled far and wide, and soon buggies filled the front "yard" and people were clamoring to be the first to welcome Charlotte to the neighborhood.

Despite the fact that Charlotte was still covered in dust from traveling, and exhausted from dealing with the two toddlers, she immediately went into "hostess mode" and started the tea steeping. After sending the toddlers into their room to find some toys, Charlotte poured the tea and tried to keep the names straight. The woman in an ivory dress was Elisabeth, who apparently had four youngsters at home and was married to a prominent member of the community, Leon De Bellecourt.

The nice man in the fancy top hat was Raymond Jacobs, and he assured Charlotte that his wife, Martha, would be by in the next few days to say hello, but it was cleaning day at home, so she and their three children were quite busy.

Next to arrive was Lucinda Titus, a colored woman who Theodore had apparently hired to help get the house ready for Charlotte and the children's arrival. Looking around the house, Charlotte quickly admitted that it appeared Lucinda had done a fabulous job, and she welcomed her as a friend instead of just the hired help.

After making sure everyone had a cup of tea, Charlotte took a moment to sit on the bed and join the conversation. Little Harriet had wandered out of the bedroom by this point, however, and the brief moment of being off her tired feet was quickly over. Charlotte picked up the toddler, and returned her to the next room, but a quick sniff check explained why Harriet had sought Mom out, and a diaper change was clearly on order.

Charlotte could hear the conversation through the open door, and the light laughter at something someone had said, but she couldn't tell who had said what.

With Harriet again settled in (and far less stinky), Charlotte returned to the adult conversation, leaving the door open so she could keep track of the youngsters.

It was refreshing to be part of an intelligent conversation for a change after all the time spent alone at the boarding house with the two toddlers, and the discussion was lively as everyone discussed their children and the silly things they got up to. Even Lucinda had a couple of kids at home, it seemed, and they sounded like a pair of troublemakers. Charlotte couldn't wait to meet them. Only Elisabeth had children of a similar age to Harriet and Luke, though, but at least it sounded like they would have some playmates growing up in this area.

Just then, there was a soft knock at the door, and Charlotte quickly welcomed the older man, Willburn Jacobs (strangely, of no relation to the other Jacobs family), and quickly found out he was the schoolteacher in the area. Serving him some tea, they quickly joined the others for some more conversation.

Outside, Theodore wasn't alone, either. Isaiah Titus (Lucinda's husband) was keeping him company as they fixed the plow that was needed for the next day's planting.

Finally, Charlotte was able to take some time to search the icebox for something to cook for her two babies, who were starting to fuss about being hungry. Lucinda had offered to hang around for a little longer, and voluntarily helped clean up the kitchen - which still had some dust from the recent building.

After dinner, Luke returned to his blocks, happily playing by himself, while Harriet begged for some attention from Mom.

The two Jacobs men were discussing last Sunday's sermon, and Charlotte tried to pay attention, but Harriet had slipped out the front door, and she had to go track her down.

Finding her flinging colorful paint all over the recently stained front porch, Charlotte scolded her harshly, afraid the paint would be next to impossible to remove.

Harriet giggled, clearly unconcerned, and jumped about in the paint, grinding it further into the floorboards. Scooping her up, Charlotte carried her to the kitchen to clean up her good Sunday-go-to-meeting shoes, and heard Theodore assure her that he could get the paint up before it dried.

Once cleaned up, Harriet was back outside, and, thankfully, finally not causing more trouble. She watched Dad work, keeping her tiny hands out of the way for once.

Charlotte caught Luke just in time, and rushed him to the outhouse for some toilet training just as everyone was leaving to head home to their own families.

Bringing Luke back inside, Charlotte tried not to look too dejected at the mess the impromptu party had caused, but Lucinda caught her facial expression, and gave a silvery, melodic laugh.

"Don't you worry, Miss Charlotte, between the two of us we'll get this cleaned up lickity split!" She said in between bites of fruitcake.

Charlotte smiled, and admitted it would be easier to clean up with some help, and settled Luke into his high chair to eat his dinner.

Lucinda shooed Charlotte away from the dishes, and Charlotte gratefully went outside for a restroom break. Unfortunately, the privy seemed to be backed up now, and Charlotte cringed at both the smell and the water spilling out the top of the vile thing.

With a sigh, she headed back inside, only to find they had another guest, Adaline Pollock. She apparently lived in the closest town, Finchwick, with her husband, Henry, who was the preacher, and their two children, Elizabeth and Charles. Charlotte quickly ascertained that Charles was about the same age as Luke, and would be in the same Sunday School class come Sunday morning.

Handing Mrs Pollock the last cup of tea, and thanking the Lord above it was still somewhat warm, Charlotte welcomed her to the house, and apologized for the disaster. Adaline laughed, thanked her for tea, and assured her that the mess was quite alright. Charlotte motioned to a chair for Adaline, and quickly ducked out the front door to tell Theo about the outhouse issue.

Theo had it all under control, it seemed, and Charlotte was able to return inside to take care of the guests.. and the mess.

Clearing everything up as Adaline and Lucinda finally left for the evening, Charlotte tried not to look too miserable. Theo was quick to notice, however, and asked her what was wrong. Depositing the dirty dishes in the sink, Charlotte headed back to where Theo was sitting, and summoned a smile.

"It's become apparent in the last few weeks, Theo, love.. that we are expecting again." Charlotte tried to be excited, but she looked at Theo warily, unsure how he would react. This hadn't been something she had reported in her letters, never knowing whether they would reach Theo in time, or even whether they would reach him at all.

"Again?!" Theo exclaimed, and quickly scooped Charlotte up with a whoop of joy. He planted a kiss on her surprised lips, which... predictably - led to more kisses.

Despite her exhaustion, Charlotte welcomed the amorous gestures, and the happy "welcome home" moment. She excused herself momentarily to check to be sure both toddlers had gone to bed and were sleeping soundly, then headed back out to pick up where they had left off.

Before long, the expectant parents were sated.. and sound asleep. It had been a busy day, but at last, they were back together, and safe in a home of their very own.

Story Info | 1850 Part Two