1900s: Ida's wedding and honeymoon
As she grows, Josephine takes over Anna's old clothes, as was the custom of the time. Clothes in general were kept longer and handed down through more children, as there was little need to change them as long as they were whole.
The very next day, Ida finally gets the attention she feels she deserves. As the girls are all at school, Abigail takes Ida shopping for the outfits she will wear as a married woman, as well as a wedding dress, which she will then wear as formal wear once the wedding is over.
Ida loves the outing, the clothes, the fitting... when they've ordered her new clothes, Abigail takes her to get a formal portrait taken, and then the two of them spoil themselves to an ice-cream in the ice-cream parlour. Ida not only loves the attention, she loves that her wedding is so near. Only a few days to go now.
Back home, things are getting a bit tense, however. Abigail and Anna seems to agree on nothing. Abigail loves listening to classical music during dinner, Anna prefers the more modern jazz which in turn Abigail thinks is a horrid. In politics, Abigail does not really have an opinion, other than the fact that as a woman she doesn't really need an opinion, while Anna has all manner of views on the subject. Dinners are no longer the quiet affairs they used to be. Ida, in turn think it's hardly fair that they are arguing on the eve of her wedding. Can't they at least wait a few days?
Finally the day is here. The day Ida has so (im)patiently been waiting for! Her wedding day! She, Abigail and Anna arrive early to make sure everything is ready and the cake Dolly has prepared is in place. Then it's finally time. Walking down the isle with the bouquet she's made herself. Seeing Nathaniel standing there so handsome. Saying their vows. Emily alters between crying and laughing with happiness, her feelings all over the place. Then, finally, the kiss! The fact that they are not husband and wife. Followed by a dinner that lasts well into the night before she is taken to the place she will now call home, and finally gets to be alone with her husband. She is a bit shy, but quickly finds that she enjoys this physical intimacy thing quite a bit.
Nathaniel takes her to Italy for their honeymoon. The ship is beautiful and grand, but Ida do not see that much of it as Nathaniel mostly keeps them busy in their suite. He's not put them in a hotel when they get there, instead he's rented an old farmhouse with stunning views over the beautiful town of Tartosa. "We'll have more privacy this way," he says, and goes on to show just what he wants to do with that privacy. Somehow they still find time to go to the little nearby beach overlooking the stunning waterfall, swim in the warm waters and walk on romantic pathways before going into town to eat at the restaurant and look at the algae that form on the beach at night. "There isn't all that much to do here," Ida remarks, but Nathaniel just laughs. "That's the entire point," he counters. "I think I can find ways to keep us busy." Ida finds herself pregnant before they even start their journey home.
Back in Willow Creek, Emily is settling into her new house, enjoying being a wife and mother.
Meanwhile, Abigail is wondering what to do with all her time now that all her girls are at school all day. Her little garden does not take that much time, and Dolly takes care of the house, and playing the piano for hours on end gets old. What to do other than to visit your sort of daughter-in-law and your adorable sort of, but not quite, grandson? Abigail becomes a fixture in Emily's new house, spoiling baby John with attention. John adores his Abigail, and loves her visits. What Emily think? Well, if she does not approve, she is too polite to say anything.
Anna, has taken to her new found freedom as a teenager. She rides Lady every weekend, learning to jump obstacles as well as tendering to Lady's needs. She does make sure to change her clothes on sight, so mum won't see her riding outfit. While there, she also makes sure to visit Sylvan Glade again, just to confirm it wasn't a place she just made up in her mind as a child. She had hopes to bring Lady, but horses cannot go into secret passageways in trees, so Lady gets to stay on the outside. Without the possibility to ride, the place is just as boring as Anna remembered in. She heads home instead.
In the afternoon, the family visits the park, where Abigail can once again shower baby-John with attention, trying to teach him how to stand and allowing him to nap in her arms.
Back home, the family has a quiet evening together. Abigail teaches Alice how to knit, and Joseph teaches Alice how to play chess. Anna, has found something interesting in the bookshelf. A book about old, hidden places around the world, and how to find them and excavate them and deal with their treasures. Oh if only she could go and explore places like that! She goes to bed dreaming of hidden underground champers and temples buried and forgotten long ago.
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