Okay, so it may be a three-parter. As I broke up the last 4000 words, into two chapters. Forgive me for the cheesy romantic Ken in this...all I can say is hormones. Much like it may be upgraded to M rating...because this truly ran away from me.
Thank you to my Guest QueenofE. I am very happy you are enjoying it and hope you will continue.
They walk together slowly exploring the area.
"Kenneth Ford," She hears her husband's name called out and she stops with Ken as he turns. "Pardon my intrusion, this must be your lovely wife you were telling me about."
The man is Japanese, older maybe her father-in-laws age? Yes speaks English with a thick accent. "Fugito Mamoru, madame," he bows to her.
"Rilla Bly—Ford," she says awkwardly bowing back to him, when she returns there is a comforting weight on her lower back, brought by Ken's palm.
"I hope the trip went well?" He asks.
"We only just arrived," Ken says simply explaining to the older man.
"Of course, well I hope you enjoy your stay here. I do hope you get a chance to see Kyoto, it is a stunning city." He tells the two travellers.
"On the way back," Ken confirms.
"Well, my boy, congratulations and tell your father I say Hello to him and the beautiful mother of yours as well?" He claps Ken on the back. "Enjoy married life, it is the most wonderful thing for a young man, and such a pretty wife you have landed for yourself as well."
Rilla blushes but nods her head goodbye.
"Is that how you know of this place?" She asks Ken once alone on their walk once more.
"Yes, he stays in regular correspondence with my father and offered to set things up for us a bit," Ken admits. "He was like the fun uncle when Father would come out this way."
Rilla nods her head and pulls the cloak around her more tightly.
"You are cold, I am sorry—" Ken takes notice immediately. "I will bring you back to the room."
"I am fine Ken," Rilla says shaking her head. Going back to that room only really means one thing at this point. "Tell me more about your life here?" She urges him and he thankfully takes the hint.
"It was always strange and wonderful, being children we picked up on the language fairly quickly, enough to make friends with local children. We were there for a year I believe? I could write and read a fair bit, and I have tried to keep up with it, though I have lost a fair bit over the years," he admits. "We ran around the fields, the locals didn't mind us out in the country, though going to the city was a treat. Persis had some lovely yukatas and mom had silk kimono that she wore. Though Mom didn't always in enjoying it here though, she always preferred English food to the cuisine here. She would beg people to send care parcels for her for certain items."
Rilla nodded her head, she tries to picture—remember her husband as a young boy, but mainly she remembers him as a growing young man. How she fancied him and followed him around when he had been visiting. He was close to six years older than her after all, her earliest memories of him were still close to ten, to her four-year-old when she wasn't even in school yet, when she had thrown a cake in the river being too afraid that he would see her walking with a cake.
She rests her head on his shoulder, squeezing his hand as they were entwined. She looks at him as he looks down at her, she smiles at him sweetly smile. Heart fluttering in her chest, they spent much of their courtship with letters, the occasional visit and her first visit to Toronto. It was proper as it was properly done. It felt almost weird to be entirely alone with him after the wedding, but as the days melded together it wasn't as strange.
He goes off again about the day they were fishing in a creek, nothing but summer robes on, and the festivals they attended that were grand fun.
"I missed it when we first moved back to Canada, I always told myself that any bride of mine, I would take here because of how much this place meant to me as a child," Ken tells her, and she feels him trace over the wedding and engagement ring that was on her finger.
It was made of diamonds and gold, nothing gaudy simple three stones in a baguette cut, When she showed it to her mother and father they both nodded their heads and congratulated them with hugs and kisses. While her wedding band was a simple thin band of gold that fits snuggly behind her other ring. It was elegant, timeless and fashionable and for the weeks and months afterwards, her siblings would often find her staring at her ring at odd times of the day.
How strange it was for her to be the first one to be married, granted Jem and Faith weren't far behind at this point, and Jerry and Nan seemed to have plans now that war was done. Still, she the youngest was the first to walk down the grassy aisle in rainbow Valley, her mother's veil on her head, and her lace and silk dress shimmering in the sunlight. It had been a grand day, even with all the nerves.
"A penny for your thoughts," Rilla is shaken from her daydream and she blushes.
"I'm sorry I was thinking of the wedding," she says telling him honestly.
"Were you?" He smiles and chuckles, bringing up her hand to kiss the set of rings on her third finger. "I do like to think it was one of the best days of my life,"
"And what is second?" she teases him
"It's probably a tie between coming home from the war alive and seeing you, to our first kiss?" He says after a short pause. "You are feeling better though since being on solid ground?" He asks.
"I am thank you, I never thought I would be seasick. I have been in boats before," Rilla says quietly. "I feel like we missed out on all the daily life of ship life."
"Don't worry about it Dearest, passenger ships are far more different than a common rowboat or dory. Just the same, I married you in sickness and health after all." He grins his crooked smile. "That means caring for you while you are seasick, sick in general or dealing with your womanly nature." He says teasing her lightly.
She blushes at the mention of her period, then again it had been hard to hide while on a train. She never thought about such things until she got married and she had been so embarrassed when she had woken up to stained sheets. He did nothing other than kiss her forehead and alert one of the maids who took the dirty bundle and gave her fresh sheets and a towel to sleep on for any future nights.
He was truly one of the best husbands a woman could as it felt like to her. Kind and patient, handsome to the point that all the girls in Glen had been jealous of her. When words spread that he was spending a lot of time in Rilla Blythes company up at Ingleside, under the careful eye of Susan Baker of course.
Though this time around she kept the embarrassing spanking stories to herself and allowed them to escape to Rainbow Valley when they wished to be alone.
She shivers lightly at the cool breeze which he notices.
"All right, time to go back inside, you are cold and I cannot have you getting sick, your father and mother will never forgive me if I did." He tells her. "We can have some tea and biscuits for something sweet in the evening and then I will quickly bathe before bed?"
Rilla smiles nodding her head, she finds it rather amusing her husband needed something sweet before bed. It didn't have to be much just a simple biscuit or piece of fruit, but still, it made her smile and shake her head at him. He had looked like a little boy with his hand caught in the cookie jar when she came in from the lounge car where ladies had been embroidering that even, reading his book and a package of cream-filled biscuits beside him.
She makes them tea as he digs through the trunk that contains his nightly treats and she sits down in one of the chairs with her own tea cup as he reads out loud to her, some novel she barely pays attention to because of the sound of his voice sends her elsewhere, until the clock in the room chimes 10 pm.
"I am going to quickly bathe," he tells her and she nods. She understands this was his way to allow her a moment of privacy, to get herself ready for bed.
"I love you Rilla-my-Rilla," he whispers, brushing a lock of hair from her face that escaped its pin.
"I love you too," she says quietly watching him gather his things and leave the room.
She takes a deep breath herself and tidy's away the tea and crumbs before going to the bedroom.