In Name Only (9 page)

“Would you like
to taste a new drink?” the vendor, a young man around Caroline’s age, offered
Liam.

“Well, I will
sample just about any sort of beverage – or food –  at least once,” Liam said.
The vendor gave him a small paper cup filled with a dark fizzling liquid.  He
sipped at first, then downed it.

“Tasty. 
Different.  Sweet.  Caroline, try some.”

Caroline glanced
from Liam to the vendor, then said, “Very well.”  She took a cup from the man
and sipped it.  “That’s quite good.  It’s sweet and very tingly.”

A short while
later, the group met at the entrance.

“Papa, please,
may we visit the Art Gallery in Memorial Hall,” Elizabeth asked, pointing. 
“It’s right across the street.”

“Liam, Caroline,
would that be agreeable to you?”

“Sounds fine to
me, sir.”

They walked
across the street, over the railroad tracks and approached Memorial Hall, a
round neoclassical building. Caroline’s head tilted upwards to study the fine architecture.
The five of them entered the massive structure.  Uncle Edward stopped several
feet from the entrance. 

“I cannot wait to
see ‘The Gross Clinic!’” Elizabeth exclaimed.

Upon hearing her,
one of the guards commented, “Miss, that painting is not in Memorial Hall. 
It’s in the Army Post Hospital near the US government building.”

Elizabeth lowered
her head. “I see.”

“Since we’re
here, let’s visit this building, then we’ll take a stroll over to the hospital
before we go to lunch,” Uncle suggested.

Elizabeth’s eyes
widened.  “Thank you, Papa.”

“Liam and
Caroline, would you meet us back here in one hour?” Liam took out his pocket
watch.  “It’s quarter past eleven.  So quarter past twelve, Mr. Martin?”

“Fine.  Then
we’ll see what sort of culinary fare they have here.”

Uncle, Patsie and
Elizabeth walked ahead into the museum.

Inside the main
entrance, Caroline’s eyes followed the wide columns up the grand archways to
the high ceilings.  Above them swung an enormous crystal gaslight chandelier.
The walls and ceilings were a bright white. Caroline found herself squinting
and pulling her hat down.  The floors were smooth checkered tiles.  Liam held
his arm up and she grasped onto it. 

They strolled
about, gazing at paintings and sculptures in the central dome area, keeping
silent as they walked.  Caroline studied Liam as he scrutinized the art works. 
When he was really concentrating, Liam absentmindedly stroked his beard with
his thumb.

Ahead of them a
small crowd gathered in front of an art work.  Caroline couldn’t see whether it
was a painting or a sculpture but as they inched nearer, Caroline’s pulse
quickened.  This was a statue of a.  .  . Caroline drew her breath in and
instinctively glanced away.  Liam appeared to be studying the sculpture of an
unclothed woman intently. The crowds surrounding this piece made it impossible
to get too close and for that, Caroline was grateful. She could feel Liam’s
gaze on her and again, knew that her face was flushed.  Behind her, she heard a
woman say, “Vile statue!”

Liam cleared his
throat. “Perhaps we ought to make our way to the front to meet your uncle and
cousin.”

“Yes, of course,”
she replied, thankful that they would be moving on.  “What time is it?”

Checking his
pocket watch, he replied, “Ten past noon.”

“I wonder which
restaurant we will go to,” Caroline asked.

Liam pulled out
the guide." There are several listed here. The Great American Restaurant,
Trois
Frères
Provençaux
...pardon my poor French...Restaurant of the South, Lauber’s German
Restaurant.  Do any of these appeal to you, Caroline?”

“I’m not sure. 
And you?”

“Well, all these
seem like good dining establishments.”

“What kinds of
foods do you like, Liam?”

“That’s a
difficult one to answer, because I eat just about anything put in front of me. 
I’m not a fussy sort, at least about food.”

“But you must
like some foods more than others?”

“Well, I like
baked ham, roast beef and Jane makes a delicious Irish stew. And you?  What
foods do you prefer?”

“I like sweet
potatoes, carrots. And fruit, I enjoy apples, pears, strawberries, oranges. 
And sweet cakes.”

“Well, I know you
like sweet food if you like root beer, but you obviously don’t eat a lot of
cakes.  You’re awfully small.”

“Do you think I’m
too small?”

“No, not at all. 
I think you are perfect.” His warm smile and gentle tone made him seem more
handsome and for a moment, she felt breathless.

As she held onto
his arm, her heart was beating rapidly.  Would he know how he was affecting
her?

“There you are,”
called Uncle.  “Let’s make our way over to the US government building to see
that painting.”

“I’m thrilled
that we’re going to finally see the Eakins’ painting, Carrie.  I’ve heard and
read so much about it.  It’s caused quite a controversy.”

“Why, Lizzie?”

“It’s supposed to
be quite realistic.”

Caroline cringed
and wondered whether she ought to suggest that she and Liam go elsewhere. 
Instead, she remained silent.

At the US government building, Uncle led them toward the smaller hospital building.  Inside, he
followed a group of people into a ward room with beds lining each side of the
room.  Numerous people stood in front of a tall painting at the far end of the
room.  From her vantage point, Caroline observed that it was a rather dark
painting.

She and Liam
followed Uncle, Elizabeth and Patsie to join the crowd in front of the
painting. 

“Is this it,
Liam?”

“I’m not sure,”
he replied.  As they moved closer, Caroline saw the top half; it was a dark
painting of men in the upper left-hand corner and the top of a balding man’s
head in the center.

Several people in
the small crowd began to shove and Liam protectively pulled her against him,
putting his arm around her shoulder.

“I must get
closer,” complained Elizabeth.

Together, she and
Liam followed Elizabeth as she maneuvered through the crowd. “Excuse me,” she
said apologetically. People parted as they inched forward.  When they reached
the front, Liam let go of Caroline’s shoulder and straightened.  She grasped
onto his arm.  He looked down and smiled.

When she lifted
her head and stood before the painting, she gasped. The painting depicted a
group of men surrounding an open and gaping cut on a naked leg. The crimson
blood depicted in the painting made her nauseous. 

From behind her,
Caroline heard a man say, “Shocking.”

Elizabeth’s eyes
were widened and she stared, silent.

“Interesting,”
said Liam. “What do you think, Caroline?”

“It’s. . .very
dark.” Caroline’s stomach felt queasy and she wanted nothing more than to
leave.

“Come, let’s go,”
Liam said. He guided Elizabeth and Caroline to where Uncle and Patsie were
standing and together, the group made their way out of the room.

“Rather bloody,
wasn’t it, Liam?” asked Uncle.

“Yes, sir, but I
found it most interesting.”

Caroline did not
agree.  She had lost her appetite.  She looked at her cousin, who had not said
a word since they had seen the painting.

“Lizzie, are you
unwell?”

Her cousin shook
her head.  “I suppose, despite all that’s been written about it, I didn’t
expect it to be that realistic.”  She leaned close to Caroline and whispered.
“I didn’t mind the blood so much as the naked leg and. . .”

“Time for lunch,”
Uncle said.

Elizabeth
groaned.

*  *  *

David O’Donovan
welcomed a leisurely rest beside Missy in the basement bedroom off the Martin
kitchen.  Most of the household were spending a day at the Centennial
Exhibition.  It was refreshing to have his pleasure outside of the henhouse or
stable.  And today, he’d be free to have Missy as often as she allowed him. 

When Liam had
asked him if he would like to go along, he had declined.  David knew that his
presence would ruin Miss Martin’s day.  Her distaste for him was most amusing.

Missy roused and
kissed David.  He had missed her the last three weeks or so.  Each time he
visited the Martin house on the days she was scheduled to work, she was
“indisposed” according to Patsie.

“It’s good to be
with you again, Mr. David.  I’ve missed you.”

“Well, I wasn’t
the one indisposed. Were you ill?”

“No.  Just taking
care of a problem, that’s all.”

She kissed his
lips again.  “I told you that there’s no need to worry.  I’m all fixed now.”  Missy
snuggled up close to David and soon she was drifting off to sleep.

He hoped that
Liam was enjoying the day with Miss Martin and that it was going well for both
of them.  David was thankful that Miss Martin liked his brother because Liam
was smitten with her.

He laughed to
himself when he thought of how dissimilar he and his brother were. Liam, the
neat one, who followed all the rules, his mother’s favorite, his father’s
disappointment.  They were not only different in appearance with Liam  favoring
his mother’s fair looks and David his father’s “black Irish looks,” they were
also opposite personalities, with David outgoing and Liam reserved.

Despite the
differences, the brothers shared a deep bond.  Both boys grew up under the
heavy hand of their father and they often ran off to the woods together to
escape his foul temper.  Sometimes they would spend hours playing war or hide
and seek. They often visited a secret spot in the forest amongst the ruins of
an old stone house. 

*  *  *

Liam placed the
ticket inside the box on his dresser. The worst aspect about the day was that
it had ended.  The best was spending time with Caroline. It would not be
premature for him to state that she enjoyed the day as well. 

Liam thought back
to his favorite moments; it would be impossible to choose only one.  He enjoyed
their conversations and learned much about her.  He held back a smile when he
recalled her reaction to the corset display. Her embarrassment at the nude sculpture
was also endearing.  Despite her age and maturity, Caroline O’Donovan was very
much an innocent. No, Liam told himself, a young lady could not get any more gently
born and bred than that.

He needed to
control his desire to see her every waking moment.  Last night, he could not
drop off to sleep anticipating the day ahead.  Now that it was over, he longed
for more time with her.  On his way home from the Martin household, he decided
that the O’Donovan House would host a cook out and invite the Martins, and all
the surrounding neighbors.  It would be the ideal way to spend another day with
the girl he hoped that he would marry.

There was a quick
knock at his door then it swung open. David strolled into the room.  “How was
your day at Fairmount Park?”

“Very well.”

“That’s good,
Lee.”

“I think she
likes me.”

“What girl
wouldn’t be enamored with your charm?”

“I hope so.  I
enjoy being with her.  I want her to like me.”

“At least she
doesn’t cringe every time you walk into a room.”

Liam laughed.  “That’s
your own doing.”

David shrugged. 
“Care to join me in a game of chess?”

“I don’t think
so.  You always win.”

“Besides, we
never finished our last game.  The pieces are in the same position as when we
last played.”

“That’s because I
was about to lose, David.”

“Indeed.”

“Well, good
night.”

“Night, Lee.”

Chapter 7

In the parlor,
Caroline sat in the reading chair beside the hearth; her book lay open on her
lap.  She could not seem to concentrate on the words this morning. Liam
O’Donovan was kind and good-hearted, of that she was certain.  She found
herself thinking about him constantly and wishing that he would have some
reason to call on her today.

“There you are,” Elizabeth called from across the room.

Her cousin sat in
the nearest chair.  “I wanted to speak with you privately.  May we have a
sisterly chat?”

Caroline closed
the book and set it on the table beside the chair. “Of course.”

“Well?” 

“Well what?”

“I simply must
know the details of your conversations with Liam. I couldn’t inquire of you
last night with Father sitting across from us.”

“There’s not much
to tell.”

“What sort of
conversationalist is he, Carrie?  I would venture to guess that he is
intelligent.”