Honor Reclaimed (All About Honor) (9 page)

“Well cousin, let me tell you what
we were thinking.
 
We were thinking
that we had spent a really nice afternoon of connubial bliss.”

A look of enlightenment and then
astonishment passed across Thomas’ face.
 
“Let me make sure that I understand this correctly.
 
Are you telling me that the two of you
are married?
 
When did this
happen?”

“I know it seems sudden and
surprisingly soon, but it seemed the best solution at the time.
 
The children needed a mother and there
was no one who could love them more than their own aunt.
 
I did not really desire a wife, but I
find that we are very well suited after all.
 
I would like to think that we have your blessings.”
 
It was obvious that John had put aside
his joking and was sincerely asking for his cousin’s support in his choice of a
new bride.

“Well John, you may have a
point.
 
Welcome to the family my
dear and we wish you great happiness, although how that is going to happen with
this mongrel here I do not know.”
 
Thomas enfolded her in a brotherly bear hug causing her to lose her hold
on the blanket once again exposing her charms for his perusal.
 

“That is it.
 
Kindly remove yourself from my wife’s
presence until she makes herself presentable.
 
I am not in the habit of sharing her charms, of which there
are many, with any one else, cousin or not.”
 
John took his cousin’s arm and led him into the surrounding
thicket of trees.

Thomas still could not help wonder
at the speed of John’s remarriage.
 
It sounded practical on the surface, but it was totally unacceptable
socially.
 

He was also wondering what Gwen’s
reaction was going to be.
 
He and
Gwen had come a great distance in repairing their marriage and he believed that
they were truly happy now; but he had never forgotten that it was John whom she
had been in love with when he met her, and with whom she had been infatuated
for many of the first several years of their marriage.
 
He also could not forget that she was
obviously, despite her attempt to portray otherwise, not a virgin when he
married her.
 
He had always assumed
that his cousin was responsible for that as well and he had hidden his deep
resentment.
 
He did not believe that
his cousin had ever actually betrayed him with his wife after the marriage, but
he had a pretty good idea that it was not without effort on her part.
 
He worried that she might have some
latent resentment and jealousy when it came to his cousin.

Thomas had no need to worry.
 
Once the situation was explained to
her, Gwendolyn was in full support to the union.
 
Eirian was young and not very experienced at hiding her
feelings.
 
It was obvious to both
Thomas and his wife that Eirian was completely in-love with her husband.
 
What did surprise them was the fact
that John could not hide his feelings; in fact, they did not think he was even
aware of them himself.

Thomas and Gwendolyn were settled in
their rooms and the children in the nursery.
 
The little cousins were having a wonderful time
together.
 
Nanny was truly in her element.

Diner that night was the first
formal affair that Eirian had presided over as hostess and she was
nervous.
 
Fortunately, Johane had
trained her staff well and all Eirian had to worry about was the conversation.
 
John and Thomas discussed current
treads in shipping, which was the family business, and Gwen and Eirian the
newest fashions in London.
 
Gwen
described the new fashion fresh from the French courts.
 
The Queen, Henrietta Maria, daughter of
King Henry IV of France, had brought a change to English fashions.
 
Gone were the heavy brocades, metallic
embroidery, ruffs and farthingales.
 
They were replaced with smooth silks and shorter waistlines.
 
The hair was worn in a looser fashion of
curls replacing the more rigid wigs and hairstyle holdovers from the late Queen
Elizabeth’s era.
 
Eirian, as a
newly married lady, was ready to explore the fashions and update her wardrobe
with a more mature look.
 

The gentlemen retired to the library
for brandy and talk of politics, while the ladies retired to the parlor.
 

“Eirian dear, I know that you have
suffered a great loss, but I think you have made the right choice with
John.
 
You could not have found a
better man.
 
He will respect you
and protect you with his life.
 
He
was very much in love with your sister, but he will soon come to know how much
he cares for you.
 
I can already
see it even if he cannot.”
 
Gwendolyn had grown up a lot in the last ten years and felt like she
owed a lot to Johane for helping her see just how much her own husband meant to
her.
 
She had turned her life around
and had found true happiness.
 
She
hoped that she could return the favor by helping Eirian to accept her place in
John’s life.
 
She, more than most,
understood the depth of John’s love for his late wife.
 
Johane would be a hard act to follow,
but she believed that if anyone could accomplish it, Eirian could.

In the library, Thomas was bringing
John up to date on the political intrigue in London.
 
It would seem that the King was not making any friends in
Parliament.
 
King Charles had
dismissed Parliament and was running the country without their input believing
that he was divinely ordained to rule the country and that his word was
law.
 
He was attempting to force
Anglican reforms on the church in Scotland and was meeting with great
resistance.
 
The country seemed,
once again, headed for war with Scotland, and civil war if they were not
careful.
 
There was no way that the
King would lose, but many lives would be forfeited in the process.
 
Thomas and John both agreed that they
wanted to avoid war at all cost, but if it came to it, they were obligated to
support the King.
 
It was also
agreed that there was no point in distressing the ladies with talk of war this
early however.

The men rejoined the ladies and
visited over glasses of sherry.
 
They caught up on family gossip, and John somewhat reluctantly agreed to
bring Eirian to the Vann in a few months to introduce her as his new wife.
 
They agreed that it might be a bit soon
to expect the family to fully welcome her under the circumstances, but they
were sure that in time she would be as well received as Johane had been so long
as Sir Edward gave it his blessings.
 
He wondered just what the old man would say if he figured out just how
far along Eirian’s so far undisclosed pregnancy would be at the time.
 

The months passed quickly and late
September found them at the Vann.
 
Much to John’s relief, they were welcome with open arms.
 
Thomas and Gwendolyn had done a good job
of preparing the family to receive them.
 
They had loved Johane well and they were inclined to accept her sister
on her merits.

Eirian did not disappoint them.
 
She was respectful, but open and
kind.
 
They saw many of the same
virtues in her that they had seen in her sister.
 
They were pleased to see that John seemed content in his new
marriage.
 
It was a different sort
of relationship, but it was obvious that he cared deeply for his young
wife.
 
The new fashions with the
higher waistlines were a bit more forgiving than the older fashions, but it was
still becoming fairly obvious that Eirian was with child.
 
None seemed too surprised at her
condition as it was early yet to calculate the time of conception.
 
Sir Edward was delighted with his new
young niece, as she seemed to bring a new joy into his nephew’s life.
 
He had been very worried about John
when he heard of Johane’s sudden death.
 
He had never seen a couple that appeared to be more devoted to one
another than John and Johane.
 
He
had worried that John would end up a bitter old man, not unlike the man he very
nearly became.
 
This young woman
may have been his nephew’s salvation.

The children were happy being
entertained by their cousins.
 
Gwendolyn and Thomas had three children.
 
The oldest, Elizabeth, was not quite two years younger than
William.
 
They seemed to enjoy each
other’s company above all else.
 
They were never as happy as when they were with each other.

With the children happily
entertained, the adults were free to pursue their own interest.
 
The adults truly enjoyed each other’s
company.
 
The men went hunting and
the ladies sewed together.
 
The
four went riding together, visited with friends and relatives in the
neighborhood together, and played whist in the evenings.
 
It was a happy, peaceful interlude.

One afternoon John was walking in
the garden that Johane had loved so much, thinking of the times they slipped
off to these gardens together to steal a few kisses away from the crowds.
 
As he wandered down the paths he
happened upon Gwendolyn sitting on a bench enjoying the sun.
 
“John please come sit with me.
 
I was hoping that I would have a chance
to speak with you in private.”

“What can I do for you my
dear?”
 
John still had just a
slight hesitation about being alone with Gwendolyn, even though he tried not
to.

“I have been wondering if Eirian
knows about our past relationship.”
 
Gwendolyn appeared concerned.

“I do not think so.
 
I know I have not told her, and I
seriously doubt if Johane would have shared that information with her baby
sister.”
 
John replied.

“I would have thought by now that
you would have stopped thinking of your bride as a baby, especially as she is
going to have one herself”, Gwen chided him gently.

 
“If you have not already told her, I would greatly
appreciate it if you did not.
 
That
was my past life and I have worked very hard to live down my past.
 
Johane and I developed a working
relationship, and I have much to be grateful to her for, but I could not say
that we were ever-close friends.
 
I
do feel like Eirian and I could be close, and I do not want to spoil it by
having her think of her husband making love to me every time we talk.
 
Could you agree with me on that?”
 
Gwendolyn asked.

“Believe me, I have been through
that with one wife, I do not need to repeat that experience.
 
Your not so secret ‘secret’ is safe
with me. She may hear of it from someone else, but not from me I assure
you.”
 
John was relieved to have
that out of the way because he had worried that Gwendolyn might tell Eirian
herself.
 
His marriage to Johane
had suffered greatly from his one encounter affair with Gwendolyn and he did
not need a repeat performance.

Gwendolyn gave John a hug of thanks,
only to look up and see Eirian coming around the corner.
 
Eirian stopped dead in her tracks when
she saw John holding Gwendolyn in his arms.
 
She got light headed and felt as though she were about to
faint.
 
Gwendolyn immediately saw
her distress while John, who had his back to Eirian, was not even aware of her
presence.
 
Gwendolyn pushed away
from John and darted past him just in time to grab Eirian around the waist,
leaning Eirian’s body against herself, as she started to slide to the
ground.
 
John grabbed her up in his
arms and carried her to the bench setting her down gently.
 
He patted her cheeks and Gwendolyn
rubbed her wrist for better circulation.
 
Eirian began to revive slightly.
 
“What was going on here?” she asked when she was able to talk.

“Nothing dear, I was just telling
John how happy I was for him.
 
When
Johane died, I was worried that he would never find happiness again.
 
I was congratulating him on your
marriage and the baby that is on the way.
 
I promise I have no designs on your husband.”
 
Gwendolyn reassured Eirian.

“I apologize for being so silly and
I am embarrassed for causing a scene.
 
I have known John almost my entire life and he has never been anything
but honorable.
 
I should have known
better.”
 
She looked better and her
color was returning to normal.