Chapter 18

Luckily Simon and Ian did not cause too many problems that evening, mostly due to the presence of Jem at the event. Although there were a lot of bawdy comments, the two were not stupid enough to repeat their filthy rumours about Lindsay in front of her brother. Danny was sure that their comeuppance was coming sooner or later, but he would not do anything stupid today to jeopardise his wedding tomorrow. After they passed out, the party broke up and they all prepared for bed. Whilst taking the beer bottles outside, Jem pulled Danny aside. For a moment he thought he was going to get the 'big brother will come beat you up if you hurt her' speech, but he just smiled at Danny, "you're good for each other", he said, "I think you might be the only person who could make her happy."

The next morning dawned bright and clear, a good omen after such a cold and windy November week. Mrs Monroe strode into her daughter's room as the clock downstairs struck seven and placed herself on the side of her bed. They had hours until the wedding which was not scheduled until 4pm, however they had much to do that morning and she needed to speak to her daughter before the chaos of the morning began.

"Lindsay", she said as she gently shook her daughter awake. Lindsay rolled over and shifted herself up in the bed to face her mother. "I want to talk to you before you get married," she continued. "Now I know you young girls today all think you know everything, but there are some things you should be aware of." Lindsay swallowed and blushed, looking away from her mother. She hadn't missed the slight dig at her generation, but having grown up on a farm she knew the mechanics of what was expected in the marriage bed. The problem was that no-one had ever been explicit or detailed in explaining exactly what to do and how the process worked. Her mother had a successful marriage though, so she was prepared to listen.

"What you need to remember, is that as your husband, Daniel (she said with a rather sour look on her face), will want certain things from you once you are married, and it is your duty to see to his needs and make sure he consummates the marriage. It may not be particularly pleasant for you but it is God's will that you submit to your husband's wishes and you must keep him happy so that he will not stray and cause gossip. Once you have children he may have fewer reasons to abandon you-"

"Mother, Danny won't aband-" cut in Lindsay,

"I know you think that now, Lindsay", her mother interrupted again, "but nothing is certain especially in this day and age." She stood up to leave the room, sighing. "I just don't want you to regret your decisions", she said as she walked out of the room.

Lindsay lay there utterly flabbergasted. Her mother's backhand comments and lack of sympathy astonished her. She gotten no useful information, and instead a lecture on pleasing her husband so as not to cause a scandal!

Oh well, she thought, I'm awake now so I might as well get up and help with the preparations.

Stella and Mac had arrived on the farm late the evening before to see their niece get married to his protégé. They could only two nights as Mac needed to get back to New York and the business as soon as possible, but Lindsay so was so pleased to see he favourite uncle and aunt and she hoped there would be an opportunity to catch up after the wedding at the reception. That morning they were still abed long after the family were up, recovering from their long journey to Montana.

Lindsay lingered in the yard later that morning, pacing the porch and putting off going inside to help with the wedding dinner and spending more time with her mother. The more she thought about their conversation the more furious she became, her mother had no faith in her, or Danny or their ability to know what was right for them.

She heard the door open behind her and saw Stella approach her slowly across the porch, with a smile growing across her face.

"You look a little stressed" Stella observed as she looked at Lindsay with a critical eye. Lindsay swallowed and forced a smile on her face. She had really come to love her new aunt over the course of her previous visits and didn't want her to be concerned for her.

"Come on", she said, linking arms with the younger girl, "we are going to pick some flowers for the table".

"I can't", sighed Lindsay regretfully, "I'm supposed to be helping my Ma inside".

"No you aren't", she replied whilst gently leading her out into the fields to search for wildflowers, "I told her I was taking you out with me as a guide so I wouldn't get lost, I thought you might need a sympathetic ear to talk to."

They meandered along the path that led up into the meadow overlooking the farm. Stella didn't say anything; just let Lindsay walk quietly and sensing she needed some quiet time to think. As they stopped and began stooping to pick flowers Stella decided that she should offer the younger girl an opportunity to talk and began:

"You mum told me she had a word with you this morning about what was expected tonight," Lindsay nodded but said nothing so she continued, "I know we haven't know each other for very long, but I want you to know that you can talk to me or ask me anything and I won't laugh or think you're silly, and I won't tell anyone either. I wish I had had someone to answer my questions before I married and I wanted to give you that opportunity".

There, Stella thought, she had said her piece and given Lindsay an opening to talk if needed. Now it was up to her.

Lindsay stood and considered Stella's words whilst gently biting her lower lip in thought. Despite her embarrassment, she really could use someone to talk to, and her mother's lecture earlier had done nothing more than worry her, not addressing any of her concerns.

"I guess", started Lindsay hesitantly, "I could use a friend right now. And I do have some questions", she said this hesitantly, glancing at Stella, who smiled sympathetically and nodded. "The thing is, I don't really know what's going to happen so I don't really know what to ask", Lindsay said suddenly lost for words. She moved to a close outcropping of grey rocks and sat down heavily with a sigh. "I wish I wasn't so nervous and I don't really know what to do when we have to …." she trailed off, not really sure how to phrase the query.

"Make Love?" supplied Stella.

Lindsay nodded, the ever-close-by blush returning in full force.

"How about this," supplied Stella, "Why don't I talk and you interrupt if you want any clarification." Seeing Lindsay's relieved face and nodding head Stella sat dawn as well and began:

"Mac and I hadn't known each other for very long when we got married, it was a whirlwind romance and we didn't want to wait to be joined. Coming from a small Greek town where keeping a girl's virtue is vital to marrying well meant that I had been raised to think that anything sexual was dirty and not to be talked about and so I had very little idea of what I was doing. But I love Mac and I trusted him to know what to do. He was very gentle to me and we just talked for hours to begin with on our wedding night. I told him about my fears and how unsure I really was. When we began kissing and touching each other he said it was alright to make each other feel good, because we were married now and that pleasure in marriage was created as a gift from God."

"And did you", Lindsay asked uncertainly, "I mean, my mother said that it might be unpleasant to lie with my husband. Did it hurt?"

"A little", answered Stella honestly, "it was more uncomfortable than anything, and the pain at the beginning was like a sharp twinge that went away quickly. I bled a little, only at first though and it went away quickly. By the time we were both naked Mac had made sure that my body was prepared to take his penis into me, that I was wet enough down there that it wouldn't hurt so much". Lindsay blushed as she listened, embarrassed by Stella forthrightness but desperate to be better informed about what was to come.

"I've learned that it is important to talk to your partner", carried on Stella, "Danny is a good guy and will want you to find pleasure in making love. Tell him what pleases you and what you like and ask him – it will bring you closer as a couple. Also don't forget to laugh!" she said with a giggle, "Don't worry about getting it perfect the first time, you will probably both fumble a bit and accidentally knee each other, but as long as you relax and don't take it too seriously you will eventually get into the rhythm and both enjoy it immensely."

Lindsay smiled at this, and seemed to perk up under Stella's kind words.

"Also, one last thing," said Stella, "now I know your mother is hoping for some grandchildren at some point, but if you want to avoid it, just remember that usually a baby is created two week after the beginning day of your period. So you may want to avoid lying with your husband around then if you want to delay that for a while."

Stella supplied this last piece of advice with a quick wink and a smile before helping Lindsay up from the rock and collecting their baskets. They headed back to the farm to get ready for the upcoming ceremony both feeling better now that they had talked.

Little did they know that in a truck a few miles away a similar conversation was happening between Mac and Danny. They were on their way to pick up one of Mrs Monroe's sisters who was arriving my train for the wedding that afternoon, and Mac had engineered this opportunity to get Danny alone and have a quick work – man to man.

When Mac had started talking to Danny about marriage and women the younger man had winced, a move that Mac's sharp eyes did not miss and he quickly pulled him up on it.

"What's wrong?" he asked, frowning, "look I know this is a bit awkward but there are some things which I think you should know and if you are not serious about this step or Lindsay then you need to say now". Mac's voice was stern, reminding Danny that however much Mac acted like a father to him, he was actually Lindsay's uncle.

"NO, no, no, Mac", hurried Danny, seeing Mac had mistaken his discomfort and feelings of guilt for disinterest and exasperation, "I'm totally willing to listen to anything you have to say, I'm just…."

Danny put his head in his hands and began talking, "I'm scared I'm not going to be a good husband to her, not going to be able to provide for her. She's so pure, so perfect Mac", this he said in a near whisper, "I might hurt her, and then she may hate me. I could never forgive myself if she was in pain because of me, and I can't ever forgive myself for being with other women before I met her".

"Have you told her any of this Danny?"

"No", he replied.

"You two need to talk, really talk to each other and keep communicating throughout your wedding night and your marriage, especially at the beginning, ok?"

"Yeah, thanks Mac."

Hope you liked my Mac and Stella cameos.

NB: I did a bit of research into this, and birth control was only legal in the US after 1938, and even then only to married women and it was highly regulated. This morsel of information from Stella would probably have been more than most new brides knew on their wedding night!