Cold All the Way Through, But Warming

Uncle Will and Aunt Anna

Southampton was feeling more and more familiar as I walked through it with Will, hand in hand as we approached the train station. It was a massive building, taking in not only the boat train from London but sending off trains to Portsmouth, Cornwall, Kent, even a train that made a trek to Wales was available. After obtaining a time table and map from a conductor, Will concentrated on them for a minute, his brow furrowed. Finally, he spoke, his fingers tracing the various lines. "Well, first we'll get on the London and North Western, then switch over to the Caledonian in Carlisle, take that to Dumfries and then catch the local Glasgow and South Western to Dalbeattie."

I goggled at the amount of changes that would have to be made. "Good Lord Will, isn't there a ferry from Liverpool?" Reggie and Louise were going to travel a day or two ahead of us, to get the trunks to the inn in Dalbeattie that we had booked and arrange the rooms. Will had wanted to spend a few days in Southampton before we headed up, a chance to see some friends and introduce his new wife.

Will shrugged off my question. "Not often enough, maybe once every few weeks." He moved off, coming back with a packet of tickets before taking my arm and leading us out of the station and back into the city.

"Well, you'll be the one giving that schedule to Reggie and Louise for the trunks." I shook my head, thinking about those two. They'd been a massive help during the honeymoon so far, but this would be asking a lot of them. To keep track of all the trunks through all those changes and then to find their way to the inn. I certainly hoped they'd be alright during it. I glanced over to Will. "Are you sure you don't want to head up with them? We could spend a few days in Southampton at the end of the honeymoon too."

"Lights will have shipped out by then, and you know he and Sylvie want us to come over and meet their boys." Will smiled, "Aren't you looking forward to that?"

"Yes, of course." I nodded, "I just don't want to throw those two the wolves."

"There haven't been wolves around Dalbeattie in years." He laughed, "Come on, let's go tell them. And then get you back home." Will gave my waist a bit of squeeze at that, and we started to the hotel where Reggie and Louise had been put up. Given how small Will's house was, it wasn't as if they could stay there. And given all the various acts we'd been committing over it, I wouldn't have wanted to have them witness it. Will had been quite amorous as soon as we had reached his house, even carrying me over the threshold. I had laughed and asked him why he did it, and he smiled. "It's tradition, and it wasn't as if I could have lifted you in that gown of yours. Now, speaking of dresses, let's get you out of that one."

The hotel was actually the one I had stayed in when I had first come to visit Will, and following a brief discussion with the manager, we managed to arrange for porters and trucks to arrive in the morning to help get everything to the train station. We found both of them in the small sitting area, Reggie reading a paper while Louise worked on a bit of sewing. He sprang to his feet when he saw us, the paper forgotten on the ground. "Mr. Murdoch, ma'am. What do you need?"

Will put out a calming hand. "Nothing, but you two will be heading onto Scotland tomorrow. I've arranged tickets here, and this is the schedule and changes you'll need to make."

Reggie almost groaned as he saw the schedule. "Sir, this is quite dense."

"Yes, well," Will shrugged, "Unfortunately my family doesn't live in Glasgow or Inverness, and this is what it takes to get there. We'll have men here in the morning to help move the trunks, Ana and I will bring a valise with us when we follow you up."

Louise glanced to me. "Are you sure you have everything you need, ma'am?"

I pasted a smile on my face, thinking about the fact that one thing Will and I had definitely not been bothering with at his house was clothes. "I'll be fine, and we'll be up in a couple days. Just make sure to ask at the Dalbeattie station for the inn, and don't let anyone try and swindle you into something."