A New York Haunting: Pt. 08

Author's note:

Due to the mystery/suspense plot, the individual parts of this 19th century/Gilded Age tale are unlikely to make sense as stand-alone reads. Please see note at the beginning of Part 1 for more information.

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Chapter 29. THE MARRIAGE PROPOSAL

Anders sank back to the chair in eased euphoria, his heart still hammering and his breaths chaotic. Under his hand, Ondine's fist continued moving like an automaton. Lifting aside the handkerchief, he beheld the gluey mess joining her fingers to his organ in happy communion. Egad! Now what?!

By frantic necessity, he overcame the apprehension that had rendered him so fortunately helpless before --- with infinitesimal caution, he took hold of her wrist and coaxed her hand free of his flesh, attempting as best as he could to wipe his pearly tribute from her skin without disturbing her continued state of hypnosis. Thank God her voice did not falter! As he gingerly cleaned her hand --- fighting the urge to kiss her darling palm --- he heard Ondine recount her relief when Peter and her brother left Newport at the close of the weekend.

Anders' breathing gradually slowed. But even after his jubilant climax, the spellbound girl's hand patted determinedly in his lap for his sternpost, innocent of the course of the sexual response --- innocent of his orgasm. After a brief, flustered contemplation of the problem, he pressed the green crystal into her searching palm and was gratified to see her latch on to the substitute. Gently, he guided her hand back to her lap, where it fortunately remained, intermittently squeezing with her story.

Refastening his clothes, he resumed his seat, pencil and notebook poised, face flushed with guilty bliss. His adoring eyes rested upon Ondine's face. "So, Peter left. What were your sentiments?"

The girl paused for several moments. "With Peter Van der Veen gone, I resolved to start the new week afresh --- I would quell this indecent distraction of my thoughts and disturbance in my body. These unseemly urges were making me act foolishly --- even dangerously.

"The morning after Bram's and Peter's departure, I set out by myself in the light phaeton to meet my friend Lillian --- we were planning to ride together to another archery contest. In town, a procession of carriages brought me to a halt at an intersection, and I grew lost in thought waiting for them to pass. I nearly jumped out of my skin when a man swung up onto the seat beside me, jostling me.

"Peter Van der Veen grinned at my shocked face. 'Good morning, my lady.'

"I closed my mouth and collected myself, clutching my reticule and sliding away to put a few inches between us. 'Mr. Van der Veen, this is indeed a surprise,' I said, striving for a composed tone.

"'After all that's passed between us, my lady, I would think you'd call me Peter. In fact, I'd say it's particularly fitting.' He winked, then chuckled at my uncomprehending expression, his mustache lifting with his devilish smile.

"I primly raised my chin. 'I thought you left Newport yesterday with Bram.'

"'I did, but I returned --- there is an important matter you and I need to discuss.'

"'Indeed? I'm afraid it will have to wait. I have a prior engagement with my friend Lillian.'

"'Hang Lillian!' Commandeering the reins from me, he urged the horse into a trot. 'We need to settle this before I leave for Washington.'

"'Where are you taking me?!' My nervous eyes darted about the street.

"'Don't worry --- I'm only looking for a private place to talk.'

"He steered the buggy away from town while I sat in silence, wondering what this 'important matter' was and vowing to myself to repulse any further improper advances. Within a few minutes, he pulled to a stop on a road overlooking Fort Adams point. A few other carriages were visible in the distance, but we were alone in the immediate vicinity.

"Turning towards me on the seat, Peter pushed his straw boater back to a rakish angle on his head and regarded me intently. 'Miss Cornelissen ---' he gave my name a humorous emphasis. 'Forgive me for waylaying you --- I'm leaving for Washington D.C. the day after tomorrow, and I can't go without saying my piece. I can't fight it anymore --- I'm mad about you. I have been from the moment we first met --- you are the keenest, prettiest girl I've ever known.'

"I felt a sudden thrill --- it was as if I had stepped into a stage melodrama in which the impetuous man proclaims his love to the heroine. But the continuation of his statement abruptly terminated that whimsical, vain thought.

"'You've given a cold shoulder to all the other hounds nosing around you --- except me. Your attentions to me have whipped my heart --- not to mention my prick --- into a torment of love. You need to marry me before I completely forget my manners with you.'

"Was this strange speech a marriage proposal?! My immediate dismay was supplanted by confusion at his mirthful expression, and I seized upon it like a life buoy to avoid the awkward task of improvising a tactful response. 'You're teasing me, Mr. Van der Veen. It's quite evident you're not serious.'

"His hypnotic green irises pinned mine as he leaned closer. 'Step into yonder woods with me, and I'll show you how serious I am.'

"Blushing and lowering my eyes, I stammered, 'I - I'm not ready for marriage.'

"'On the contrary, I'd say your actions handily betray you. You're quite ready for marriage.' His gaze leisurely dropped from my face to my bosom to my hands --- there halting with a teasingly arched eyebrow.

"I crossed my arms over my chest, hiding my traitorous hands. Swiveling my head away, the broad brim of my straw hat shielded my face while I regained my composure."

Anders fought for a neutral tone. "How did you reply?"

"Presently, I turned back, gracefully folded my hands upon my purse, and met his eyes with what I hoped was a serene air. 'Mr. Van der Veen, your proposal has caught me unawares, but I am not insensible to the honor you do me. However, several exigencies must be faced. In my family, we are not free to follow the flights of our heart when it comes to marriage --- much as I wish it were otherwise. Indeed, our marriages are more akin to --- to business transactions. To that point, I can only add your candidacy to those of the other gentlemen my aunt and uncle are considering.'

"Peter studied me for a long moment, his shoe propped on the edge of the footboard, his elbow on his upraised knee, and his hand rubbing his chin. At length, he slowly shook his head with a shrewd smile.

"I blinked nervously.

"'Miss Cornelissen, I know you're an innocent little thing, but we both must face the facts --- no respectable man will ever again court you if your indiscretions are exposed.'

"My mouth fell open. The devil! He could not be right! Surely, I had not compromised my virtue with a few stolen minutes of foolishness?! Shameful as my lapse in decorum had been, how would anyone find out? Had the farmer witnessed something as he had approached our picnic blanket yesterday? Could someone have peeked through the keyhole of the library door and seen what had passed there? Could someone have snooped in my portfolio and seen the bawdy book before I destroyed it? My frightened eyes searched his face --- surely, he wouldn't tell anyone, would he?

"Becoming aware of the growing confidence of Peter's smile, a sensation of horror possessed me --- would he disseminate the gossip himself if I did not accede to his wishes? Although the incidents had not imperiled my virginal state, once they were made public knowledge, my reputation would assuredly be ruined --- fool I was to think otherwise.

"I looked away, my heart pounding. Soon, I felt his fingers gently prying mine from their death grip on my purse. I tensed, but he simply held my gloved hand in his.

"'What do we care what others think?' he murmured, lifting the wide brim of my hat to see my face. 'I love you, little dolly. I love your wicked nature. After we're married, I'll never reproach you for your indiscretions.' This inauspicious statement was followed by a long catalogue of all the material luxuries, foreign trips, and fabulous entertainments he could purchase for me --- none of which I registered in my distress. By-and-by, he concluded with, 'Think of it, wouldn't you like to be out from under your aunt's thumb?'

"Still, I made no response, sitting numbly as he squeezed my fingers.

"At last, he patted my hand and took hold of the reins. 'I can see you need to think about it, my lady.' He set the buggy in motion, and within a few minutes we were nearing town. 'I'm staying at the Newport Arms Hotel through tomorrow night. You can send me a message there with your answer.'

"A moment later, Peter pulled to a stop alongside the curb and jumped out."

Anders' post-orgasmic contentment had quickly evaporated upon hearing the details of Van der Veen's manipulative proposal. Frowning, his gaze traced over Ondine's face to her lap where a hand squeezed the green crystal. "What happened next?" He listened in unhappy anticipation to the next scene in the tale.

"In my state of perturbed distraction, the remainder of the day passed in a blur. That night, when finally alone in my room, I paced up and down, struggling with the quandary before me.

"I examined my own feelings. I was not in love with Peter Van der Veen, and despite an inexplicable fascination with what dime novels would call his animal magnetism, I was uncertain if I even liked him. But, in truth, how relevant was this? There was no other man who had attracted my notice.

"Unlike other girls of my acquaintance, I had given little thought to marriage apart from wishing to postpone it. My measured statement to Peter had not been disingenuous --- although I had wistfully toyed with the notion of escaping the prison of Society, in the recesses of my mind there awaited a long-prepared resignation to the fact I would marry to further my family's interests. This pragmatic side had never expected love to factor in the decision.

"What choices had I other than acquiescing to his proposal?

"If I accepted the hand of one of my sanctioned suitors, I was terrified that Peter would expose my indiscretions. Likewise, if I attempted to dally and delay marriage altogether until I came into my trust money three years hence. Not that my financial independence would protect me from this ever-lurking, unsavory gossip.

"I could call my own rebellious bluff and abandon all concern for my reputation, fleeing my family and forging my own way in the world. But how could I support myself? The only skills to which I could lay claim were archery and my artwork. As to the former, I could conceive of no related employment opportunities. As to the latter, too well was I acquainted with the reality of the 'starving artist' to depend on that for an income. I was willing to learn any respectable trade, no matter how humble, but knew from the reports in the newspapers how scarce such work opportunities were. Moreover, I could not countenance possibly taking a position from a woman who truly needed it --- while I had willfully relinquished a life of luxury for my own selfish whim.

"Pausing before the mirror, I beheld my reflection. In agitation did I contemplate the seemingly inevitable, frightening culmination of choosing flight: being forced to support myself by making a transaction of that thing at which I had dared to curiously peek. I had seen the direful stories in the papers about prostitution and had occasionally seen the unfortunate women on the sidewalks of New York.

"No one was there to whom I could turn for guidance --- I considered confiding in either Lillian or my brother, but I was too ashamed of my unchaste actions to do so. Furthermore, I did not know if men still dueled, but I feared Bram might feel compelled to defend my honor and engage in an ill-considered confrontation with the skilled gun enthusiast.

"Crossing to the windows, I gazed out over the dark lawn, listening for some time to the distant waves crashing against the cliff face. Peter's last comment came back to me, and I meditated upon it, eventually beginning to appreciate the advantages of the marriage.

"It would indeed be glorious to be out from under my aunt's thumb --- to be free of the stifling and insipid rules and conventions of Society. I confess the prospect of confronting my aunt with my particular choice of husband also sparked a brief sensation of mischievous satisfaction.

"I paused. What if Peter was hoping to use me as a ticket into said Society --- as my aunt and uncle had warned? Would this brash, lively goer metamorphose into yet another stiff, snobbish gentleman? And would he expect me to play the unwanted role of Society lady? I shook my head, denying that unhappy possibility.

"Staring into the darkness, I spied a faint, blinking, white light far in the distance across the bay. Could it be the Sakonnet lighthouse I had sketched? Unbidden, the image sprang forth of the other erect pillar I had seen yesterday. My belly fluttered as I relived the sensation under my hand of the iron-like consistency and heat of the male organ. The fluttering became a subtle aching between my legs as I recalled my explorations with the hand mirror and the tickling pleasure my fingers had elicited grazing over the pink petals of my cunny. In a rush, pictures from Fanny Hill flooded my mind.

"If I married Peter, I could at last experience all these mysterious sexual engagements that so puzzled and inflamed me. Of course, I could experience them with whomever I married, but to my simple reasoning, if I had indeed sullied myself by touching Peter's 'prick' --- as he called it --- then it would be deceitful to marry any other unsuspecting gentleman.

"Possessed by these thoughts, I at length climbed into bed. In the shadowy chamber, I experimentally imagined a man lying next to me under the covers ... drawing up my nightgown ... his weight atop me. My body quavered in wistful anticipation ..."

"What did you do?" Anders asked, guessing the answer.

"In the morning, I sent a message to Peter's hotel containing the single word: Yes.

"After breakfast, I requested an audience with my aunt and uncle in his study, and the uproar commenced. Silent shock initially followed my announcement, then my aunt launched into a tirade of several minutes. She accused me of flirting with 'that upstart', of improperly encouraging him. She called me a wretch who wanted only to subvert her authority and besmirch the family's reputation. My ingratitude was appalling, after all their diligent work on my behalf.

"When she eventually paused, my uncle, who had been listening with a grave expression, inquired, 'Has that man --- ahem --- importuned or abused you in any way?'

"'We'll have her examined by a doctor,' my aunt interjected. 'If there's anything amiss, then ---'

"'Then what?' I interrupted, cocking an eyebrow. 'You'll force him to marry me?' In the silence that followed I continued, 'Even if I were to submit to such an examination --- which I shan't --- such an occurrence would only cause a scandal, if anyone caught wind of it.'

"My aunt fell silent again.

"'I shall telephone Bram's hotel in Boston,' my uncle said, picking up the handset of the telephone on his desk.

"As he was thus engaged, my aunt leaned towards my chair and hissed, 'We'll never acquiesce to this union!'

"I looked at her calmly. 'I'm eighteen, Auntie. I don't need your permission to be married.'

"'If you do this dreadful thing, you will be repudiated by Society. No respectable families will recognize you.'

"'Will you guarantee it?' I smiled.

"My uncle held up a hand --- Bram was on the other end. In the conversation that followed, my uncle had a small part before my aunt grabbed the handset and issued her diatribe anew. At last, she made a huffing sound and handed the telephone to me.

"'Ondine is this true?' Over the wires, my brother's voice sounded far away and crackling. 'Peter hasn't compromised you in any way, has he?'

"I turned my back to the desk to hide the rising color in my cheeks. A finger in my other ear blocked out my aunt's sputtering voice in the background. 'No, he hasn't,' I replied.

"'Is this what you really want? Will this make you happy?' Bram asked.

"Happy! What a concept! But I understood he was speaking figuratively, not literally. Shrugging to myself, I said, 'Yes, this is what I want.'

"In the afternoon, Peter arrived at the house and disappeared into the study with my aunt and uncle. Almost an hour later, the three emerged --- Peter with a smug expression, my uncle appearing soberly resigned, and my aunt looking daggers at me.

"Peter departed the following day for Washington D.C. where he was scheduled to appear before the Senate Committee on Military Affairs to present bids for several weapons contracts."

Anders paused in his writing. "What happened? Was there not a big wedding?"

"There was indeed. I do not know what Peter said to them in that meeting, but my aunt and uncle, terrified of the scandal that would ensue if we eloped, had consented to the marriage. Putting the best face on what was for them lamentable circumstances, they further agreed to welcome Peter into the family --- at least publicly --- and host a wedding equal in prestige and extravagance to that which would have followed had young Vanderbilt been the groom.

"My aunt advocated for a long engagement, openly acknowledging her hope I would change my mind. I refused, knowing that to be an impossibility. Indeed, I pressed for the event to happen posthaste before my brother had to return to the battlefront. A date in early October, five weeks hence, was settled upon. It was to be the grand opening event of the social season marking the return of all the families from their summer residences.

"Wedding preparations thus hastily commenced, much to my aunt's agitation. She dispatched her social secretary back to New York City and telephoned her numerous times each day to direct her activities. My aunt and I returned twice to the city ourselves for our gown fittings. Having no preferences myself as to the arrangements apart from my friend Lillian acting as my maid of honor, I deferred to her judgment, and feeling repentant for causing the family trouble, otherwise assisted in any way I could.

"Peter had more opinions about the wedding arrangements than I did, his taste tending towards the monumental. Indeed, several times he and my aunt clashed over various details in the planning.

"In an attempt to forestall the inevitable gossip about the short engagement, Aunt Adele disseminated a mix of truth and exaggeration: Peter Van der Veen was a longtime friend of the family and we wanted to have the wedding before Bram returned to duty in the Philippines. She and my uncle, moreover, extended themselves to smooth the ruffled feathers of the families of my three disappointed suitors.

"Throughout the long, busy days of September, I hid my wayward musings, brimming with excitement at the thought that, within a few weeks, I would be initiated into the mysteries of sexual relations."

Anders' eyes traced over Ondine's face and body. "Did Peter attempt to take any more liberties before the wedding?"

"No. In the five weeks between accepting Peter's proposal and the wedding date, my fiancé and I spent no time alone together at all --- ironic, given the fact that couples in our social sphere are traditionally granted more leeway after the engagement than in the early stages of courtship. Thwarted in her desire to delay the wedding, my aunt instead devoted significant attention to rigorously chaperoning us.