Sorry for not uploading for so long! I've been trying to figure out where to go from here and some beautiful people from Tumblr gently prodded me to get going with this, so, here we go! If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. Also, I'm going to be doing an illustration for this soon. Let me know what part you'd like to see drawn :D Really, seriously, let me know what part of the story you'd like to see illustrated *stares at all of you*

oh btw, my tumblr is lizzywhimsy now. I changed my username.

Chapter 11: Standing Up

Ruth's great aunt had a very special ability. It was to make Ruth feel like the smallest person in the room. She wielded her walking cane in such a way that no one dared to mess with her. Within the time Jean and Ruth had been married, she had established the habit of visiting at least once a week, to check in on Ruth. It was partly genuine and loving. She would visit Ruth to make sure she doing well but mostly it was to remind Ruth of her duties as a wife.

Ruth ran her new household very well, her aunt could not complain to her about that. Ruth and Laura had moved all the books into one of the spare rooms upstairs and had rearranged the furniture to make it seem more warm and inviting. Everything had been dusted and cleaned and the home no longer looked as if a reclusive hermit had made his home there.

"Can we be expecting any children soon?" her aunt asked after they had exchanged pleasantries for a bit. Ruth tapped on the fine wood dining table and looked at the tea tray. She wasn't very fond of the ritual of tea that her family had tried to keep. Her mother, being English, taught Ruth to do it. Her great aunt insisted she bring out the tea whenever she arrived.

"Would you like some more?" Ruth lifted the tea pot to try and pour but her aunt put her hand over her cup to stop her.

"There are rumors in town about you and that Wilkins boy," her aunt chided, "There's a story going around that he proposed to you when your husband on that dangerous excursion of his."

"That excursion was necessary," Ruth defended Jean. Her aunt didn't know why he left but Ruth was soon to find out where her aunt thought he had gone off to.

"I fear your marriage is in jeopardy, Ruth," her aunt said worriedly.

"The only thing in jeopardy is your tea cup, it's quite low," Ruth joked. She was still holding the pot.

"Now is not the time to worry about tea," her aunt said sternly. She grew silent when Laura walked through the room. Ruth and her shared a look of exasperation as she passed through.

"Your husband was gone for two weeks, Ruth," the woman continued, "Most likely was seeking out what you haven't given him."

"Auntie," Ruth stopped her and put her hand up, "Everything is quite fine. I know where he was."

Her aunt scoffed, "Husbands know how to lie."

Ruth gave up trying to dodge the subject with her aunt at that moment.

"Auntie, my husband and I have discussed this issue," Ruth said bluntly.

"Then what is wrong?"

"I'm not ready," Ruth finally said. Her aunt's face construed into a look of confusion. She was drawn back.

"You agreed to enter a marriage, you knew what was expected of you, and you claim you're not ready?" her aunt laughed sarcastically, "What a silly thing, Ruth. Every girl must become a woman someday and I suggest you begin to. grow up"

"Don't tell me I am a little girl," Ruth hissed, "I agreed to this marriage because I knew how severe the situation was, I made a choice to throw away any romantic ideals the war didn't take from me. I resigned myself to be an old maid. Then, we lost the farm, and I thought I might as well agree to do something that benefited my future. I saw him that day at the end of the aisle and I knew you didn't tell me his age. I saw him and I continued walking. I went through with it and you have the nerve to tell me I'm a silly little girl?"

Her aunt silently sat still.

"I can make a decision on my own about when I'm ready to start laying with him and bare children."

"Put an end to these rumors," her aunt said sternly as she sat up, "put an end to them, immediately. For the sake of these children you speak of, for the sake of your husband, and for the sake of your reputation."

Ruth didn't bid her farewell and watched her walk out of the dining room. She didn't know Laura had been leaning against the wall and listening in.

"I have a feeling we won't be seeing her for awhile," Laura joked as she gathered up the tea tray. Ruth was still fuming and Jean walked into the room looking or her. Her aunt had smacked him in the leg with her cane as she passed him outside.

"Why are you limping, Mr. Villeneuve?" Laura smirked.

"Your aunt is a madwoman. What happened?" Jean said as he sat down in the chair that faced Ruth. She was fuming quietly, he noticed.

"Some words were exchanged," Laura said over her shoulder before she left the room.

Jean leaned back in the chair and decided to keep quiet and let Ruth speak on her own terms. She looked over at the fireplace. Jean's old war saber hung above it, just below a painting of his grandfather. He resembled him quite a lot, she thought to herself, trying to distract herself from the anger she felt.

"Did you go hunting this morning?" Ruth asked suddenly. He sat up.

"Yes."

"Did you really?" Ruth asked. Her aunt had put thoughts into her head again. She had already been struggling with those ideas for quit awhile. She had pushed them down but between her aunt and Jeremiah, she began to wonder if they knew something she didn't.

"Yes," Jean seemed confused. Ruth stood up and left the room without saying anything further.

A few hours passed and Jean decided to knock on the bedroom door. He knew he'd see her sitting on the bed staring at the portraits above the fireplace. She looked up at him as he stood there for a few moments.

"Your cousin Dan has an announcement," Jean said. He had been talking to Dan that morning before he headed back to Pembroke. He mentioned that he had some exciting news but he wanted both sides of his family to go to Pembroke and stay for a celebration.

"What sort of announcement?" Ruth sounded a bit worried.

"He wouldn't tell me but he wants us in Pembroke within the next couple days," Jean informed her gently. He knew she was in a terrible mood and he didn't want to sound forceful with her.

"He wants the entire family there," Jean said with a bit of excitement in his voice. Ruth perked up. She had an idea what it was but she didn't want to be too sure.

"The entire family?" Ruth seemed a bit worried about the implications. She didn't know if she wanted to be cramped up with her aunt for a couple days.

"We will leave in the morning," Jean said before leaving the room. Ruth's stomach clenched in worry.