Courting Miss Greene Ch. 05

Thomas grinned. "That's true," he agreed.

Abby kissed him again. "And do take care of yourself," she warned. "I'd hate for anything to happen to you now."

"I'd hate for anything to happen to you too," said Thomas. "Stay like this, my love. Keep this feeling while you wait for me. Dream of me even!"

Abby gave him one last kiss and smiled. "I might just do that."

"So how's our patient doing?" asked Lizzy when she entered the bedroom.

"Much the same," answered Abby. "I'll be staying home tomorrow as well. Will you give my apologies to the others?"

"Of course," the younger girl replied, "but I'm sure nobody will blame you." She sat down on her bed and took off her shoes. "So... are you going to keep all the details to yourself?" she asked with a teasing smile.

"What details?" her sister asked in return. "Mom came in before anything really happened."

"Oh, I'm sorry," apologized Lizzy. "We tried though."

"Thanks. I know you did," said Abby, "but I did get a little demonstration of the male anatomy."

"You did?" Lizzy suppressed a giggle. "Did you have to clean up afterward?"

"Clean what up?"

"You know. His..." Lizzy's hand described an arch going outward from her crotch.

"No, he didn't pee in front of me!" cried Abby. "What an utterly ridiculous notion!"

Lizzy's eyes widened. "Well, I didn't mean that!" she said. "I meant that other stuff that comes out. You know, the stuff that gets you pregnant. Well, not you personally of course."

Abby blinked at her younger sister. "Why in the world would he be shooting that stuff around?"

"Well, he wouldn't need any reason in particular," explained Lizzy. "Such a thing inevitably happens when a man is being tickled silly. I thought you knew as much."

Abby frowned at her sister's choice of words. "How was I supposed to know he was going to pleasure himself in front of me? Knowing Thomas, he could have done any number of things. Anyway, he didn't get to that point. He just made it stand upright without any support."

"Why did he stop there?" asked Lizzy.

"He had to," explained Abby. "That was when mom showed up and Thomas had to go hide under the bed."

"Poor Thomas!" exclaimed Lizzy.

"There's no reason to feel sorry for him," said Abby. "He looked quite pleased when he left. And something tells me he's having more luck than Robert."

Lizzy cringed. "Poor Robert," she said, "and poor me as well. We haven't been cozy-cozy together since we left Northfair."

Abby cocked an eyebrow at her younger sister. "'Cozy-cozy?'" she asked.

"'Cozy' is to kiss and hug in any given situation," explained Lizzy. "'Cozy-cozy' is anything beyond that, especially in bed. You see? Like extra cozy. Because being in a man's arms feels cozy, as in snugly warm and comfortable." She hugged herself and smiled with a far-off gaze.

"Don't tell me Robert taught you that."

"No, of course not! He's far too manly for that," replied Lizzy, "but he was highly amused when I first mentioned it and we've been using it as a codeword ever since."

Abby suppressed a giggle. "How discrete!" she exclaimed.

"That's what I thought," said Lizzy, "but Ethan saw right through it, much to Robert's dismay."

"What? And now Robert feels less manly because Ethan knows he talks cute with you?" guessed Abby.

"Well, he'd never admit it of course," replied Lizzy, "but I'm afraid I have a bad influence on him."

"Better that than the other way around," remarked Abby. She remained silent while Lizzy changed into her nightgown and tried not to feel envious of the younger girl's curves. "I think I'm going to be cozy-cozy-cozy with Thomas tomorrow," she said in a small voice.

Lizzy turned to stare at her sister with wide eyes. "You mean...?"

Abby nodded. "He knows I'm willing, so..."

"Oh, Abby! Really?"

"And I told mom, sort of," continued Abby. "Not when and how of course, but she said it'd be alright."

Lizzy sat down on her bed. "Really?"

"Because Granny gave me something to keep me from..." She hugged the air in front of her, imitating her mother's gesture.

"You mean that stuff you're supposed to take before, or after?"

"Both of those."

Lizzy lowered her voice. "But... don't you want to have children with Thomas?" she asked.

"Well, not now!" cried Abby.

"I'm just saying," said Lizzy, "I can't wait to pop out Robert's babies!" She grabbed her pillow and hugged it tight. "Oh, Robert!" she exclaimed with a sigh. "I love him so much!"

Abby palmed her face and sighed when the younger girl repeatedly kissed the pillow.

All of a sudden Lizzy froze. "You do love Thomas, don't you?"

Abby frowned at her. "You're the third person to ask me today!" she cried.

"And the answer is...?"

Abby jumped out of bed, stormed towards the window and yanked it open. "Abby Greene loves Thomas Clark!" she shouted from the top of her lungs, causing several of the neighborhood dogs to start barking.

Lizzy gaped at her sister in utter shock.

The bottom step of the stairs creaked. "Abigale?" Mr. Greene bellowed in a menacing tone.

Lizzy hurried to open the door before her sister could answer. "Sorry!" she cried back. "My fault!"

"Elizabeth?" asked Mr. Greene. "Mind the neighbors!"

"Yes, father!" Lizzy closed the door and returned to her bed. "Well, that was a bit over the top," she told Abby.

"You think?" the older girl asked. "If anybody else asks, I'll say I've already answered that question publicly."

"And those who heard you...?"

"Have no reason to ask," finished Abby.

"But still... what a reckless thing to have done," said Lizzy with a worried look on her face. "I wonder what people are going to say tomorrow."

Abby cringed and curled up in bed. "You're right," she said with a sigh. "I'm just as reckless as Thomas is, only in a different way. I don't know what's come over me."

"Oh, Abby!" cried Lizzy. "I know it's not my place to ask, but is this really a good time to be giving up so much of yourself?"

The older girl shrugged. "It's just Thomas," she answered. "I trust him. He won't make me regret it. He'd better not, if he knows what's good for him."

"I'm not talking about Thomas," said Lizzy. "I'm talking about you. Don't you think you'll get even more confused about yourself after... you know?"

Abby took a moment to consider her sister's words. "You have a point," she answered, "but I could hardly cancel the plan now. It's not fair to Thomas, especially since I suggested it myself."

"I'm sure he'll understand," said Lizzy, "with a little explanation. He cares about you, Abby. Probably more than he cares about himself."

"I know," agreed Abby. "He's been so good to me and I've given him nothing in return."

"That's no reason to go ahead and give him your maidenhead though," the younger girl argued.

Abby cocked an eyebrow at her sister. "I'm surprised at you, Lizzy," she remarked. "I thought you were supposed to help Thomas."

"Sisters first!" cried Lizzy.

Abby gave her a little smile. "Thanks, Lizzy," she said. "All this time I thought I was the smart one who had to look out for you, but now it seems it's the other way around. I hereby promise I shall never call you 'silly' again."

"Oh, Abby!" exclaimed Lizzy.

"But I still intend to be with Thomas."

Lizzy gasped for breath. "Abby...!"

"Good night," the older girl said, ending the conversation. She turned to face the wall and drew her blanket over her head.

"Erm, good night," her younger sister replied. She tossed and turned for a while, plagued with a feeling of uneasiness until she finally fell asleep.

"Hey, can't you knock?" Robert jolted upright in bed when his little brother stepped into the room.

"Well, that would defeat the purpose of sneaking around, wouldn't it?" asked Thomas in a hushed voice. He closed the door behind him without making a sound.

Robert lowered his voice. "Why are you sneaking around then?"

Thomas pulled up a chair and sat down, folding his arms over the seat back. "I have a favor to ask." He peered into the darkness, trying to make out his brother's face. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Never mind," said Robert with a sigh. "Just tell me what you want."

"Well, it's like this," the younger man explained. "I'll tell Auntie Bell I'm well enough to go out tomorrow, but I'll be seeing my love again, so--"

"You need an alibi," guessed Robert, palming his face.

"Yes," confirmed Thomas, "if you'd be so kind. We've agreed to meet right after breakfast, so I was hoping you and I could leave the house together to avoid any suspicions."

"Tomorrow's market day," said Robert. "Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Isabell will be going out as well."

"All the better," replied Thomas. "So will the Greenes. We'll all go out together, I'll sneak away and if anybody asks, just say you've lost me in the crowd. It wouldn't even be a lie."

Robert sighed. "I don't see the need for all this secrecy," he said. "Why can't you take Abby out for a stroll and have another one of your tumbles in the forest?"

Thomas tried not to pout. "My love prefers the comfort of her own bed," he answered in a solemn voice.

Robert raised his eyebrows. "You mean you're actually going to go... all the way?"

"Yes," answered Thomas. "Tomorrow our two hearts will beat as one. Such is our intention, provided we won't be interrupted... like we were today."

Robert suppressed a chuckle. "Well, of course I'll cover for you," he said, "but remember Abby's still a maid. You can't treat her like one of your usual, erm--"

"Of course not!" cried Thomas with indignation. "I could never mistake the queen of my heart for a common tavern wench!" He paused for a moment. "Any advice in that department?"

"Well, what can I say?" Robert coughed in his fist. "Girls care a great deal about their first time, so do whatever she wants, whenever she wants it, however she wants it. Oh, and be yourself," he advised. "That's always a good one."

"Be myself," echoed Thomas, reflecting on his brother's words.

"Well, yes, although I'm not entirely sure what that means in your case, considering how much you've changed lately," said Robert.

"I am different," mused Thomas, "and yet I am more myself than before."

"How so?"

"Abby's seen the worst of me as well as the best. She trusts me now and I don't have to prove myself anymore... Yeah, that's it!" Thomas rose from his chair. "I just need to show Abby how much I love her. I need to make her feel it! Hey, thanks a lot, man! See you tomorrow."

"Thomas...!" Robert struggled to find something more to say, but his little brother had already left the room. He dropped himself onto his pillow and let out a long sigh, hoping the words would come to him in time tomorrow.

"Where exactly did you plan to meet up with Abigale and Elizabeth?" the older Mr. Clark asked Robert when they reached the market square.

"Oh, just Lizzy," the younger man replied. "By the bell tower, like yesterday," he added to answer his uncle's question.

Mrs. Clark gave him a curious glance. "You seem rather sure Abigale will remain at home."

Robert's face reddened. "Yes, well..." He glanced over his shoulder at his younger brother.

"I'm going to look for a present for Abby," said Thomas. "You guys go on without me!" With a wave of his hand he disappeared between the market stalls where the merchants were setting up their wares.

"Right!" said Robert, waving back. He turned back to his aunt and gave her an apologetic smile, realizing she was still waiting for an answer.

"What is that boy up too?" she asked.

"Erm, some chocolate probably," answered Robert, deliberately misunderstanding the question, "or flowers." His aunt cocked an eyebrow at him, looking very unconvinced. "I advised chocolate," he added, speaking in truth.

"I see," said Mrs. Clark. "And was there any reason in particular you felt the need to slap your cologne on him?"

Robert gaped at his aunt, shocked she had noticed. "Oh, I..." He turned to his uncle who was suppressing a chuckle.

"Let them be, Isabell," said Mr. Clark in a soothing voice, patting his wife's shoulder.

"Hmpf! Easier said than done," she answered. "The girls may no longer be my responsibility, but that doesn't stop me from worrying. Oh, I can't rest at ease until Abigale has a ring around her finger!"

"Hush, darling," said Mr. Clark. "This is Windfarn after all. People would be amused at most."

"Don't 'hush' me!" his wife argued. "Sooner or later Thomas will take her back to Northfair and then everyone will think she's just some hussy! Especially considering his previous dallyings. Oh, poor Abigale! She's such a good girl, even if she's rather warm-blooded." Mrs. Clark stifled a sob.

Her husband scratched his head and nodded at some passers-by, hoping they had not overheard them. "Well, what can we do?" he asked. "Surely you're not suggesting we rush to the Greene home and yank the boy off of her."

Robert cringed at the thought. "Abby and Thomas are both adults," he said. "We have to trust them to make their own decisions." He stood firm when his aunt and uncle both turned to stare at him. "I'm sure Ethan did a lot of things you didn't agree with either," he continued, "but you had to let him go find his own way through life."

Mrs. Clark pursed her lips and nodded. "That was the main reason he moved out," she said, "because I was smothering him!" She took out her handkerchief to dry her eyes.

"Bygones," her husband said. "Everything turned out alright in the end."

"Oh, thank heaven for Virginia!" exclaimed Mrs. Clark. "But you can't really compare though. Girls are far more sensitive than boys, and they have to carry the risks as well as the consequences."

Robert's heart missed a beat when he realized what he had meant to say to Thomas the night before. He turned his gaze toward the stalls, hoping to catch a glimpse of the young rascal.

"What is it, Robert?" his uncle asked.

"Oh, I don't know," he answered. "I guess I would have liked to tell Thomas to take his responsibility as a man, and not let everything depend on Abby." He let out a sigh. "But surely he knows what precautions to take. At least I've never seen any girls come forward claiming he had fathered any children. Then again, the sort of girls he used to see would not have known whether it was him or somebody else."

Mrs. Clark folded her arms across her chest and shook her head at the candid way Robert spoke.

"Or he's infertile," suggested Robert.

"Ha!" Mrs. Clark mused to herself such a thing would avoid a lot of problems. "Doesn't the same question apply to you though?" she asked Robert.

"That's true," he admitted, "although I hope not of course."

"The same goes for Ethan," added Mr. Clark, causing his wife to throw him a sharp glance. "Virginia still isn't showing any signs yet, is she?" he continued. "You'd think our boy would have hit the mark by now."

"Jonathan Clark, really...!" She lowered her voice. "The same goes for Virginia for that matter, but it's hardly been half a year yet. And she's such a skinny, little thing. I'd like to see her put some meat on her bones first."

"Ginny's naturally skinny," said Robert. "I thought maybe she wasn't eating well enough at home, but the way she gobbled down Ethan's cooking yesterday leads me to believe it's a matter of metabolism."

His aunt frowned. "How could I miss that?" she pondered. "I simply assumed she had a weak constitution because she was born two months early."

Robert raised his eyebrows. "Two months...!"

Mr. Clark drew in a sharp breath and promptly started coughing.

Mrs. Clark blushed when she realized why her husband reacted that way. "Well, this is Windfarn after all," she echoed his words, fanning herself with her hand.

Robert cleared his throat when he reached the same conclusion as his aunt and uncle. "Yes, well, I should go meet Lizzy." He leaned towards the older couple and lowered his voice. "But if you happen upon the Greenes, could you please stall them if they decide to go home before noon?"

"Why, Robert Clark!" his aunt said in a stern voice. "How could you involve us in your scheming?"

"Not for Thomas' sake, but for Abby's," he explained, "to save her from a potentially embarrassing situation."

Mrs. Clark let out a long sigh. "I could hardly refuse if you put it that way," she said. "I don't think I'd love those girls any more if they'd been my own. Go see if you can find the Greenes, Jonathan. We'll invite them to lunch if we must, or even to tea for that matter." She put away her handkerchief with a look of determination. "Abigale will not be embarrassed if there's anything I can do about it." She sent the men on their way and turned her gaze to where she knew the Greene home must be, even though it was not visible from the square. She cringed for a moment when she involuntarily wondered what would be going on in there. "I only hope I'm doing the right thing," she muttered to herself.

"Liiiiiizzyyy!"

"Katie!"

The two girls ran up to each other and grabbed each other's hands, screaming and giggling while they jumped up and down. With so many stories to tell each other, they did not know where to start.

"How I've missed you!" cried Lizzy when they had calmed down a bit.

"Liar!" accused Katie with a teasing smile. "I heard you came back three days ago already."

Lizzy pouted. "I meant to come see you, but--"

"I know," interrupted Katie, "you were busy entertaining Ethan's cousins."

Lizzy blushed. "Well, not both of them," she said.

Katie leaned towards her friend and lowered her voice. "So... are they still single?" she asked with a mischievous smile. "Oh, tell me everything!"

Lizzy giggled, wondering how much she should reveal. "I'd hate to disappoint you," she said, "but one is engaged and the other is, erm, involved."

Katie's jaw dropped. "What good is that?" she demanded. "Didn't you meet any eligible young men at the dance?"

"I did," answered Lizzy, "but none of them really piqued my interest."

"Is that so?" Katie straightened her back and folded her arms across her chest. "Or are you still letting Abby judge the men for you?"

Lizzy gaped in shock. "I've never let Abby judge anyone for me!" she cried.

"Hmpf! Suit yourself," said Katie, rolling her eyes. "By the way, I hear there was some shouting from your window last night."

"Oh, Abby and I were just having an argument," answered Lizzy.

"You're usually not that loud," said Katie with a skeptical look. "What was it about?"

Lizzy gave her a sheepish smile. "Nothing really, like most quarrels."

Katie cocked an eyebrow at her. "Apparently someone shouted something like 'has he been on a lark,' but nobody knows what to make of that."

Lizzy giggled, relieved to learn Abby's little confession would remain unknown. "No, I'm pretty sure that wasn't it."

All of a sudden Katie froze. "Lizzy, don't turn around now, but I do believe that man over there has his eyes on you."

"Really?" asked Lizzy. "Well, what's he like?"

"Hm, he's rather cute actually. In a mature, manly sort of way," the other girl answered. "He must be in his mid-thirties. His clothes are obviously tailor-made. He seems well-groomed, although his hair is rather casual." She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. "I think he's a gentleman of some standing who observes formalities out of politeness, but in private he's pretty easy-going," she concluded.

Lizzy blinked at her friend. "Wow, Katie," she said. "That actually sounds like someone I know."

"Believe me, you couldn't possibly know a man like that," the other girl replied. Before Lizzy could answer, Katie pulled her a few steps away, wary of the stranger. "Oh, but that look he gives you! He's definitely interested. I'm pretty sure he's going to make a move on you the moment I leave. But don't worry, I'll stay put and protect you."