Whatever It Takes: Day 1

 Word Count: 6,065

Summary of Events:

Josiah, his mother, and his oldest sister's family all arrived in Glasgow, where they settled in at the home of his second sister's in-laws for the night before attending the christening of his second sister's third child and first son the following morning. Following the christening Josiah drifted around, not really sure what to do, and feeling like he was in the way of people wanting to admire his little nephew . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

Josiah’s attention was caught by a rather fetching maiden with rich, auburn hair fashionably styled with fine ringlets just ahead of her ears who was standing and talking with Tremaine’s youngest sister.

Her complexion was somewhat light, but it was matched well by the dress she was wearing, which was also quite fashionable, and brought out the lovely peridot green of her eyes.

He didn’t realise how close he’d wandered until Tremaine’s sister reached out a hand and grabbed the sleeve of his morning coat, drawing him into the group of mostly people about his age and slightly younger — all of whom he was taller than, even the few young men.

“This is the one I wanted to introduce you to Eve,” Tremaine’s sister said. “This is Berta’s little brother Josiah MacEachern, and he’s going to be a medical missionary.”

The beautiful young woman who’d caught his attention had immediately turned her attention to Tremaine’s sister at the utterance of Eve, and Josiah wanted to run away and hide in mortification that he’d been introduced to one of the fairest maidens he’d ever seen as a missionary-to-be.

His despair was penetrated, however, by a registration in his brain of the expression on the young woman’s face.

It wasn’t the typical look that was pleasant, but disappointed, having been interested in him until his ‘calling’ was made known, but, instead, her face had gotten more radiant, even delighted, as if Tremaine’s sister had just given her some of the best news of her life.

“Oh so do I,” the young woman said. “How delightful that someone so intelligent and so, so, if I may say, handsome, would have the same interest.”

Josiah didn’t know what to say, but he felt he ought to say something.

“Really?” he asked.

“Yes,” the young woman said. “Yes, I’ve wanted to be a missionary for some time, but I felt that I ought to have a husband who shared the same call, as even though going on one’s own as a woman is doable, I have to confess that I really couldn’t picture myself doing it.”

Josiah nodded, feeling a little dazed.

“Her name is Evangelina Dunbar by the way,” Tremaine’s sister said.

“Oh, yes, of course, I’m so sorry, I was just so excited,” the young woman said, a subtle flush rising to her cheeks.

Although he felt disordered within, Josiah immediately took up her hand like an impeccable gentleman. “Pleased to meet you.”

He touched his mouth subtly to the skin that covered her proximal phalanges and released her hand, feeling a flush over his face that he’d never felt at any time previously when he’d greeted a woman in the impeccably gentlemanly fashion he’d been taught to.

“Pleased to meet you also,” Miss Dunbar said. “Dr. MacEachern.”

Josiah reached up and touched the silk of his tie nervously, he felt the flush rising further.

“As lovely as that sounds, I’m not a doctor yet,” he admitted. “I still have another two years.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Miss Dunbar said. “So you won’t be heading to the field very soon?”

“Not really, no,” Josiah replied. “If you consider two years a long time.”