A Timely Concerto (9 page)

“Soon, I think. I went to the library last night and read until my eyes crossed but I wasn’t sure if we could but this morning, I woke up and realized that we can because we have.”

Howard nodded. “Faith can move mountains so I suppose it might well carry us through time. I am willing if you are, Lillian, so that we can be wed and so that I can live.”

A shadow darkened his eyes and she put her hand to her lips, realizing for the first time that if they returned in 1904, that he might have a short six or seven months until he died.

She had not thought about that possibility until now and her joy faltered. He read her face and she realized that he understood her thoughts.

“My time might be short, Lillian, but those months of married bliss would be well worth the years I have spent waiting but if you were left as a widow in the wrong time, it might be as much a prison for you as being a ghost has been for me.” His voice was steady, his eyes intent on her face as he spoke. “If we must rethink our plan, then we will.”

Tears clogged her throat and she felt herself shake her head back and forth. “No, we will do it. I think that you will live, that this will be a second chance for you. We can change fate, Howard, I know that we can.”

He looked as sad as she felt. “Can fate be changed? I do not know the answer and neither do you. If we do this, you must understand that I may fall ill as I did before and I may well die.”

“No.” She punched the word out between them with force. “You won’t. I don’t think I have ever told you but there are drugs now, medicines that can fight pneumonia. They call them “antibiotics” and they work. My stepfather, Joe, is a pharmacist so I could get some. We could have the medicines, if you fall sick, then I can give them to you.”

His frown unwrinkled a little. “If there are drugs that can heal the sick, then yours is indeed a marvelous age. Is a pharmacist much the same as a druggist?”

“Yes, yes, yes.” Delight at the idea she could save Howard’s life made her silly. “We can do this, Howard, we can, and we will! I need more vintage clothing, I need to get the antibiotics and some other things, and make plans. And, we need to figure out what we will tell your parents. I guess they would know if you had been dating?”

Howard was smiling now. “Courting, Lillian, we call it courting, and yes, my parents would be aware if I were courting a young lady with the objective of marriage. Shugie has seen you, remember, and if we think of a sufficient reason that they have not met you, it will not matter. They will be delighted that I have found a bride. When we know when we will wed, I will send a telegram for them to return home.”

“Good. Let’s get started.”

First on her list of must-have items was clothing. Although she could – and would – buy more from Retro Rags, the small shop could not possibly provide her with a full wardrobe and her budget could not either. With Howard’s help, she trekked up to the attic and tracked down trunks that contained clothing. Most once belonged to Howard’s mother, a few to his cousin Maggie, but she sorted through to find what she could use and repacked what she could not. If time did not seem important, she could have made some garments but her sewing skills were rusty and if they were going to do it, she wanted to do it soon.

Shoes had been a worry but she found a barely worn pair of ladies’ shoes with buttons that Howard said his mother bought but wore just once because the toes pinched. He promised that he would buy her all the ladies’ wear she would need after they arrived, reminding her that an income that could build such a beautiful house would not be strained to buy clothing.

Satisfied that she could find the few other things she needed at Retro Rags, Lillian moved to step two, which was familiarizing herself with the house. Although she had been in every room, she now asked Howard to give her a slow, full tour, explaining the antique items as they moved from room to room. She must know how to use everyday items in the right way and step three brought the lessons home.

With Howard’s verbal tutelage, Lillian learned how to trim a wick and light a coal oil lamp. She figured out how to fire up a wood or coal range, how to curl her hair with a non-electric curling iron, and how to build a fire in the massive hearths. He helped her hone her skill with a ladies’ fan, taught her how to walk so that she would not trip over the unfamiliar length of her skirts, and how to have almost perfect posture. He schooled her in basic old-fashioned remedies and a few herbal cures because, as he explained, she might bring antibiotics but she could not bring an entire pharmacopeias from the future.

That she could mend clothing by hand, embroider a little, and even knit pleased him; these were ladylike skills that would stand her in good stead. Howard quizzed her on classical subjects and found her education satisfactory if lacking in Latin but that, for a woman, would serve.

Lillian made time to visit the library and brought home stacks of books that covered the turn of the century. She studied the era so that she could not just survive but thrive and so that she would not do or say something shocking that might upset Howard’s parents or anyone else. At his suggestion, she read more of the novels from the period and stopped painting her fingernails. In addition, she bought a Fanny Farmer reprint edition and some other cookbooks with old-fashioned recipes, reconciling herself to life without corn chips, baking mixes, or chocolate ice cream.

Step 4 was more difficult because she had to lie but she could not call Joe to explain that she needed heavy-duty antibiotics to save her soon-to-be-husband’s life more than a century ago. He would not believe her and after his reluctance to talk about the ghost, she had no desire to attempt explanations because he might refer her for mental health treatment. Therefore, she called Joe at home, pretended that she had a raging sinus infection and that she did not know any local doctors. As she knew he would, he promised to express mail a filled prescription for cefalexin, a heavy-duty antibiotic often sold under the brand name Keflex. Guilt that she would abuse Joe’s generous nature and cause him to perform an unethical if not illegal act was tempered because she might save Howard’s life. Joe performed the same service twice during her college years, without question, and as she thanked him, tears welled up as she realized she would not see him, her mom, or her sister again.

Howard saw the tears and asked, again, if she were certain. She was and told him so with such fervor that he grinned.

“I look forward to the day when I can hold you in my arms and kiss you,” he said, from his favorite seat on the piano bench. “What more must we do before we attempt this madness?”

“Wait for the Keflex to come in the mail,” Lillian said, ticking it off one of her long lists. “And I have to talk to my mom although I don’t know how I am going to tell her. I’ll manage, though. Are you excited?”

It was a silly question; of course, he would be eager with anticipation to return to life but she asked to see his eyes light up, shining with an almost boyish wonder.

“Yes, I am. I look forward to spending time with you, in living a real existence again, in seeing my parents and family, and I cannot wait to visit the farm again. I want to feel the soil between my fingers, taste fruit I have grown, and walk the fields with the sun on my back. Did you ever go see if the farm is still there?”

He was bound to ask, eventually, and she answered him with honesty.

“I did, Howard, but it’s not. I am so sorry but there are houses, a whole neighborhood laid out across what was your farm.”

“Are you certain?”

She nodded. “I am. The railroad track is in the right place and in some of the yards there are still some very old apple and peach trees.”

He said nothing and then a small smile played across his lips. “Well, with any luck at all, that may soon change, if we can change what happened, dear Lillian. We shall see.”

“We will.” Hunger rumbled across her tummy and she remembered that the kitchen cupboards were as bare as Old Mother Hubbard’s. “I need to go to the market and get something to eat, Howard. I won’t be long.”

His long, slender fingers touched the keys and began playing a cheerful ragtime melody.

“I’ll be here, dear heart, I will be here.”

Lillian picked up keys and purse; driving would be one small thing she would miss but in time, perhaps Howard would buy an automobile. As she walked to the car, his music rang in her ears but she felt a momentary qualm that something unexpected might happen while she was gone. She shook it off. Five minutes to the store, grab some food, and five minutes back would be fifteen, twenty minutes at the most. Nothing could happen in that short time, she told herself, nothing at all.

She bought too much at the supermarket; she always did if she shopped hungry. Laden with four bags overflowing, Lillian let herself in through the kitchen door and lowered the groceries to the table. Bright ragtime echoed through the house, a sure sign that Howard was still here. She slapped together a turkey and cheese sandwich but paused as she began to cut it into diagonal halves. The music had stopped and she heard voices, Howard’s and another. Her sister was here.

“Crap!” The coarse word burst out of her mouth. Vinnie was the last thing she needed and her sister’s presence would make parting with modern life and loved ones all the more difficult. Now Lillian recalled that Vinnie promised she would visit but she had forgotten now.

Hunger forgotten, she dropped the half-cut sandwich onto a plate and headed for the second parlor. Howard was at the piano, turned to face Lavinia who sprawled with careless abandon across the sofa. A frown creased his forehead although he wore a simulated smile as he exchanged polite pleasantries with her sister.
“Lillian, dear, dear Lillian! Your sister has favored us with a visit.” Howard kept his voice level but the strain of this unexpected arrival was apparent.

“Hey, Lil!” Vinnie said, jumping up to envelop her in a hug that nearly rocked them both off their feet. “I told you I would come and here I am! I introduced myself to Howard. We’ve been talking.”

Lillian shuddered. Her sister’s tone was the one she hated most, a smug and arrogant attitude that portended trouble. Since their last conversation had not gone well, she engaged warning mode and proceeded with caution even as she plastered a smile across her lips.

“So, you came to visit! I didn’t think that you would – I haven’t heard from you in awhile.”

“I know; I have been so busy but when things settled down, I jumped in the car and thought I would surprise you,” Lavinia’s answering grin was as phony as her own was. “And I got lucky – Howard was home and you weren’t so we got acquainted. He’s great, really.”

Lillian met Howard’s gaze of inquiry and shrugged her shoulders. As much as she loved her little sister, Vinnie was the last person she wanted to see and she really did not want to debate her sanity again with her sister. Without words, Howard communicated that he would withdraw, leaving her to face their guest alone so she swallowed, then nodded her approval. He slipped from the room and she feared he might vanish but the sound of his footsteps marching upstairs reassured her.

“Come on back to the kitchen and have some lunch,” Lillian said, putting an arm around her sister’s shoulders. “I just made myself a sandwich.”

“Thanks but I grabbed a burger from Mickey D’s,” Lavinia said. “But if you have some Diet Coke or iced tea, I would love some.”

Lillian nibbled at the sandwich but her hunger had faded and she found it hard to swallow each bite, washing them down with sips of iced tea. Vinnie tipped her glass and swirled the amber hued tea around before she took a drink and put down the glass.

“Howard is a little eccentric but he’s a charmer,” Lavinia stated, tipping her head back to gauge her sister’s reaction. “Does he live here too? I found the back door open so I slipped in and snooped a little. It looks like a cozy little love nest if you ask me.”

The words hung in the air as a certain challenge and Lillian confirmed her fears that Vinnie was spoiling for a fight. She swallowed a bite and then plunged in, now or never.

“Howard doesn’t “live” anywhere at the moment since he has been dead since 1905.” It sounded fantastic even to her ears but she pressed onward with the truth. “He is here with me most of the time and we do love each other. What may seem eccentric to you is nothing but the difference between a gentleman from the past and today’s guys.”

Her sister spewed the mouthful of tea she had been about to swallow. “You’re still on this ghost kick? Jeez, Lil, I cannot believe you can tell me that the guy’s been dead for a hundred years with a straight face! I know very little about ghosts but I can tell you this – that dude, Howard, is no ghost. He’s as real as I am.”

Lillian had prepared for this moment and shaking her head, she rose and pulled a manila envelope from a drawer.

“No, Vinnie but he was. You don’t have to believe me but here is a copy of his obituary, a photocopy of a picture taken at a strawberry festival in 1904, and a few other things you might find interesting.”

Lavinia frowned. “What’s all this? If this is a joke, its gone way too far or you’re really crazy.”

Lillian smiled. “I’m not crazy.”

If looks could kill, the expression on Lavinia’ s face would have struck Lillian dead but after a long moment when neither sister dropped their stare, she bent her head and read the clippings, one by one. The silence that stretched out over those long moments was heavy, a tangible thing that Lillian could feel to her bones. After what seemed like hours, Vinnie pushed the clippings, back into the envelope and looked at her sister.

“So, now do you believe me?” Lillian prompted.

“I don’t know.” Her voice had lost that smug certainty. “I really don’t know what to think. I can’t say that I believe in ghosts but there’s things here I don’t understand.”

Softened by the change in tone, Lillian reached across the table to take her sister’s hand. “I know; it’s all very weird and confusing. I still don’t understand every detail and neither does Howard.”

“He’s a ghost, for real?” Her plaintive voice brought Lillian back to the days of bedtime stories and fairy tales.

“Yes.”

“And you love him?”

“Yes.”

Vinnie jerked at that, almost spilling the tea and stared at her sister with wide eyes.

“If you mean that – and right now I think you do – where in hell do you go from here? How can you have a relationship with a ghost? I mean, please!”

Lillian hunted words with care. “It
is
complicated but we have a plan. Things have happened that you don’t know about, incredible things that you won’t believe and we know a way that we can be together in every sense of the word if it works.”

“It will.” Neither realized that Howard stood in the doorway until he spoke but both jumped at the sound of his voice. “Your sister and I plan to wed, Miss Lavinia and to live in this house as man and wife, raising a family.”

Vinnie stood up with such speed that the chair toppled to the floor with a resounding crash.

“Say what?”

He repeated the same sentences with slow precision and winked at Lillian who smiled and nodded.

“One day I put on some old-fashioned clothes and we pretended to be having tea in Howard’s time.” Whether she believed it or not, her sister followed every word with avid attention. “But something happened and we were really there, in the summer of 1904. Shugie, Howard’s family housekeeper, served us and talked to us. For the first time, except in dreams, Howard and I could touch and we did.”

She felt the warmth of the blush that crept up her cheeks but she focused on her sister who shook her head in denial. “You traveled back in time to 1904 and had tea with Howard? Yeah, right.”

“It is true, I assure you,” Howard said, a grin twitching at his lips. “Moreover, we intend to return on a permanent basis. I will be alive, thank the Lord, and Lillian will be my bride. I can grow old in the house I built as I intended if all goes well. If you are not inclined to believe me, watch this.”

Without another word, he vanished, evaporating into the air with a cheerful wave of one hand.

Vinnie’s lips paled beneath her signature cherry red lipstick and bent her knees as she pitched forward, eyes rolling up toward her forehead as she fainted at Lillian’s feet. Although Lillian tried to break her sister’s fall, she managed only to lower her to the floor. Almost as soon as her body landed, Lavinia’s eyes fluttered and she blinked, sitting up so fast that she almost lost consciousness again.

“Easy,” Lillian said, playing the role of the stern older sister with ease and experience. “Give yourself a minute to catch your breath before you get up.”

Vinnie’s face was the color of natural vanilla bean ice cream. “What the hell happened?”

“Howard disappeared,” Lillian said, smirking. “I’m almost used to his vanishing act but I suppose it was a shock.”

Vinnie pulled herself up to collapse into a chair. “Shock doesn’t do it justice, Lil. I suppose the nonsense you’ve been telling me is true, then.”

“Yes, of course it is true,” Howard said, materializing in the doorway from whence he vanished. “I apologize for the terrible shock, Miss Lavinia, but it proved the point quite well.”

She nodded, sipping the ice tea Lillian handed her and then shook her head. “I guess it did. I don’t understand and I don’t know what to say except I guess “congratulations” are in order.”

Lillian’s smile sparkled like the diamonds Howard had promised to buy her. “Yes, they are. Remember how we played wedding, when we were little girls? I always wanted to be the bride and wear a white gown with a long veil. I have always dreamed of getting married and now I will. I want you to be happy for me, Vin, I really do.”

“Well, you’ll have your fairy tale wedding,” Lavinia said with a snort that became laughter. “I don’t know about the happy ending but you sure as hell are like the heroine of a fairy tale. I just can’t figure out if you’re Sleeping Beauty or Belle, although Howard isn’t a Beast!”

Lillian’s heart lightened at her sister’s jest. Vinnie dealt with life by joking and if she could joke, then she would accept this in time. Moreover, maybe she could help their mother understand, if not now, then someday.

“It’s more Sci-Fi channel than fairy tale,” Lillian said. “And it’s hard, knowing that I have to leave you and everyone else here but I love Howard.”

“Then you have to be together,” Vinnie said with a nod. “You can’t fight true love, honey and if you try, you’ll both be miserable. But, of all the people to fall in love with you would choose a ghost, wouldn’t you? And, not just any ghost but Mother’s mystery man. She won’t like that.”

“I know,” Lillian said.

Howard smiled and for a moment, his hand brushed her shoulder as if to offer comfort. He glided through the room and soon the piano music rang out again, slow and sweet. On that cue, Lavinia, now recovered from fainting, turned to her sister.

“Tell me what you plan to do and how. I have to know.”

Lillian sketched out everything; how she first came across Howard, how she realized he was a ghost, and how she came to love him with a deep, real affection. Then she explained how they hoped to travel through time, back to 1904 where he would be alive and she could be his bride. She even shared how she hoped to prevent his death with antibiotics.

“Oh, that is so romantic,” Lavinia sighed. “What kind of wedding do you think you will have? Will the entire town turn out to see you as a bride or what?”

Reality check, Lillian thought. Although they shared their love, she and Howard had never discussed the details of the wedding but as a history teacher and with what research she had done, she realized that she could not just show up and then get married. Then – back then – was different from now and casual weddings for someone as prominent as Howard did not happen. Everyone would want to know who his bride might be along with every riveting detail of her heritage. They needed a cover story, a background that was close to her reality as possible. In addition, of course, she could not just appear at Seven Oaks and live until the wedding. That would be a scandal and she said so.

“That would shock the socks off the local folks,” Lillian said. “Howard, too, I imagine. We’ll have to be creative and come up with a story.”

Another obstacle to overcome, she thought and sighed. Although she wanted their plan to work, ached for it and dreamed about it, there were moments – and this was one – when Lillian was not sure if it could work. Despair coiled within her like a snake about to strike and she might have yielded to nervous tension with tears if Howard had not appeared beside her. He knelt down beside her chair, eyes filled with the pain of knowing he could not touch her to offer comfort.

“I have long since devised a plan, dearest girl.” His voice salved her twanging nerves and the tightness in her shoulders relaxed. “I often traveled, to view rootstock or study farming methods. After we are back, I will have Shugie’s Jim spirit you away to take a train somewhere, to Arkansas perhaps or Kansas City or even Chicago. I will follow you. We will wed and then we will return together as man and wife. Oh, it will be a surprise, that is certain, but it will avoid the need for a public courtship and large wedding. I will tell them all, including Mother and Father that I have been calling upon you when I am in town. Will that serve well enough, Lillian? If you have your heart set on a full wedding, I can make adjustments in the plan but it will be longer until we can marry.”

Her mouth dropped open and she made a conscious effort to shut it. “Howard, that sounds like a perfect plan. Yes, it will do. Oh, how much I love you. I wish I could kiss you.”

He stood, a wry smile flirting with his mouth. “Soon you will, Lillian, and I vow it cannot come soon enough for me”