Hello again! Read on and enjoy.
NolaLynne91- Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it =)
Lady Ravanna- Haha, no prob; I rant all the time! Thanks for your comments :]
Ambrogio'smoonlight- Thanks for your reviews!
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Unfortunately, Thor's last words to Eabha proved to be all too truthful. Reverend Cole didn't have encouraging advice when Brendan asked him about the possibility of an annulment. Apparently, no true man of the cloth would tear asunder the "eternal" bonds of matrimony. They'd hoped for better news than that, but despite what his religion raised him to believe, Brendan thought it was best not to dwell on it. Now that he was healed enough to go back to work, he would be able to provide for his family and keep the Swede well enough away.
He broke his vow to love and honor her. There's no marriage anymore.
Though she tried to follow her father's advice to not focus on it, Eabha wondered if she would still go to heaven when she died; she'd disobeyed her husband, after all. Then again, if she couldn't go there, she was curious as to whether or not Thor could.
OOOOOOOOOOOO
The young woman barely noticed as the weeks passed. To her, it seemed like the winter season melted away into early spring in no time at all. No matter what she did to distract herself, she couldn't get rid of the numb feeling in her gut. Even playing her string games didn't help. After a while, the only thing that freed her from the emptiness was the uneasiness of her stomach and the irregularity of her bodily functions. It only got more uncomfortable as a couple more days went by. Needless to say, being trapped in that dusty tent wasn't an effective remedy. Finally, one morning, it got to be too much.
"Sweetheart, that isn't wise."
"Just for a while, Mama," Eabha said, bending down to tie the laces of her shoes. "It's only a walk. Who'll do anything in broad daylight?"
Catrina didn't like the idea, but at the same time, it made her happy to see her child take control of herself.
"All right, but…be careful. And if you see him, come straight back."
"I will."
OOOOOOOOOOOO
It was so surreal to finally see the place she'd inhabited for so long. During her time with her parents and with Thor, Eabha had never been given any opportunities to absorb the environment. And now that it was finally happening, she didn't know what to think. There were nauseating smells all around her, but it was no different than in Ireland. In addition to this, there was also a great deal of noise. Still, with how quiet it was in that caboose, the racket was a welcome change.
Eabha had kept her head down for most of the walk, but after a few more minutes, she lifted it in time to see a tall structure on the side of the walkway. None of the buildings were all that sturdy, but this one was only made of cloth and wood. It looked a bit like a church. Though it still had a long way to go to look the part, it was quite different from Reverend Cole's flimsy tent. Upon seeing that there was nobody there, the girl took a hesitant step inside to get a better look. She was startled when someone entered through a flap near the back, but her momentary fear quickly vanished.
It was a young woman, probably not too much older than Eabha herself. She had nicely pinned blonde hair, and was wearing a brown dress.
"I…I'm sorry," Eabha stuttered, turning to leave. "I was just looking…"
"Wait, it's all right."
The woman smiled at her and stepped forward until they were facing each other.
"I don't think I've seen you at services before. Have we met?"
"No, we haven't. I'm Eabha Malloye."
"My name's Ruth Cole. I'm the Reverend's daughter."
There was a brief moment of quiet before Ruth gestured to one of the nearby benches and spoke again.
"Would you like to sit down?"
"Oh, thank you. I'm not keeping you from anything?
"No, not at all."
They sat on the bench and sat in silence for a little bit.
"Have you been in camp long?" Eabha eventually asked.
"Yes, a while. My father…he's often indisposed, so I've been preaching in his stead. Would you be interested in attending sometime?"
This made the girl hesitate for a while.
"Well…I'm not sure where my heart stands on it."
"If I may ask, are you Catholic? Because God welcomes all into the church."
"I was raised Catholic, yes, but it's not that. For some time, I've been…doubtful of any faith."
Ruth looked at her with a glimmer of pity in her eyes.
"Why is that?"
Eabha took a shallow breath before beginning.
"God hasn't really been kind. I entered into a marriage a while ago with a man in this camp, and he brought me pain. There was love, but it was a broken thing. And I just don't think a supposedly loving and forgiving God would allow that."
Ruth slowly reached out and placed a hand on top of Eabha's.
"I'm sorry. The world is often cruel to the kind ones, as you said. It can be a challenge to walk such a tragic road."
She paused momentarily and smiled, squeezing Eabha's hand in hers.
"But God works in all kinds of ways, Eabha. It might be His purpose to put chaos in front of us to make our paths intertwine."
After a few seconds, the younger woman was able to smile too.
"Thank you, Ruth."
Out of nowhere, her stomach started to fester again. She tried to ignore it, but Ruth noticed her discomfort.
"Is something wrong?"
"I'm not sure, I…" Eabha shifted in her seat for a moment or two. "I've felt awfully sick recently. I figured it was from all that's happened, but it hasn't stilled."
A peculiar look suddenly appeared on Ruth's face.
"Do you feel like this all day?"
"Just in the mornings, usually. It wears off by lunchtime, but always ends up coming back."
It took a little while, but Eabha finally saw the concern in her new friend's expression.
"What?"
"Pardon me for asking, but…when was your last monthly bleeding?"
Her heart nearly stopped the moment she realized that she didn't remember. It had been quite a while since her most recent cycle.
I was still with Thor, not all that long before Papa brought me home…
When she didn't get an answer to her inquiry, Ruth spoke up again.
"Eabha, you might be in a family way."
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