Chapter 6: The Second Attempt

Music and clapping carried through the air when Ruth and Jean arrived at the barn gathering. They were a bit late but hadn't missed anything special. Charlotte and Margaret ran out to greet them. Charlotte noticed Ruth was wearing a new dress. It was a very light green fabric covered in a colorful floral and it was very well fitted and finely made. Ruth looked like a proper married woman, Charlotte commented. However, Ruth didn't think anything of it and followed Jean to the barn. It had been cleaned out very well and it appeared that everyone from town was gathered there. There had to have been at least fifty people, not counting children.

Ruth didn't feel comfortable going into public those days. She had heard from Laura that the news of her and Jean not consummated their marriage had reached almost every ear. She had no doubt it was her aunt who had opened her mouth to the wrong person. Ruth could feel the stares from the men and women. They were all wondering what was wrong with her. She didn't know that Jean was bothered by the looks too. She didn't know about the comments he had heard from some of the men. It took everything in him not to punch them. However, his reputation and what he had done in the war, kept most of the gossip at bay. Unfortunately, that meant Ruth got most of the blame. Ben had also gotten word that the news had passed through the town and Charlotte had tried to keep things at bay by standing up for Ruth. An arranged marriage was never easy for both participants, she would remind some of the gossiping women when they visited her.

Ruth sat down by Jean and tried to ignore some of the looks she was receiving. However, the attention on her was shifted when the Wilkins arrived. James was trying to integrate back into the community but who he had been during the war was keeping everyone from welcoming him. He thought he would show up to the gathering to lend his hands in helping Mr. Martin. Ben had no trouble with more help but he tried not to think about who it was.

Everyone stopped dancing and it grew silent when they showed up. Ruth didn't know what to think about it. She had had feelings for him in the past but the events of the war changed everything. Nothing was the same. Families and communities had been ripped apart by alliances. James stood off to the side with his family and tried to keep his distance. Soon, everyone forgot the Wilkins' presence.

The room soon began to feel stuffy for Ruth. Laura had pulled her corset a bit tighter than she was used to but Ruth was getting ahold of how to breath. However the heat and humidity of so many people gathered together made her get up to go outside for some fresh air. Jean watched her from afar to make sure she was alright but his attentions were distracted when some of the men he had fought with in war joined him to talk about the "good old days" as they called them.

Ruth finally made it outside and walked about the barn, breathing in the fresh air as she looked up at the night sky. It felt good to be out in the fresh air away from everyone. After having lived on a farm for so many years, she had grown used to peace and quiet. When the soldiers were around during the war, she didn't mind it. It was temporary. Now she was in a home with practical strangers. She was growing to know Jean more. She and Laura had found friendship and Margaret visited every other day. She still didn't know them very well but she was growing closer to them. She and Jean, however, were still tense together. They spoke to one another much more freely after two weeks together but when night came and they were laying in bed, things became very frustrating.

Ruth's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a voice. She immediately recognized who it was and found herself in another uncomfortable situation.

"I found it a bit shocking when I learned of your marriage," James said bluntly.

Ruth looked up at him as he joined her. They both stood and looked up at the sky.

"I didn't want our engagement to be broken off," James suddenly spoke up again.

"God had another plan," Ruth said tensely, "you made your choice."

"And what good did it do me?" James scoffed, "I can't walk into a room without glares being thrown my way."

"I don't understand why," Ruth said in confusion, "you were just an officer. You did what a lot of men did."

"I-" James suddenly realized she didn't know, "I wasn't just an officer."

Ruth looked up at him in confusion.

"You might as well hear it from me before you get word of it from someone else," James half heartily joked, "I was a captain."

"That's not too terrible," Ruth laughed. She thought it would be worse but the look on his face told her he wasn't finished.

"I was a dragoon," he hissed, "I was second in command under-"

"Tavington?" Ruth's tone suddenly soured. Her blood ran cold. All the color rushed from her face. She saw him nod nervously and she backed away from him.

"No, Ruth, please," James sounded incredibly frantic. He wished he hadn't told her but he knew it was a matter of time before she heard it.

"Were you with him when-"

His heart nearly stopped. He knew what she talking of. He tried to take her arm to calm her but she shouted at him and smacked his hand away.

"I regret it every day, Ruth," he nearly cried, "Not a day goes by-"

"You served under that monster," she said through gritted teeth, "you followed his orders. You're a coward."

"I can't deny that," he muttered.

"You stood by as he ordered that burning," Ruth cried, "and here I was trying to forgive you for just choosing a side in war. I didn't know you participated in the atrocities."

"I had no choice," James flinched after he said it. It wasn't true, he knew.

"Oh no, you did," Ruth snapped back at him.

"I would've been shot and what good would that have done?"

"It didn't do you any better not to," Ruth hissed. She walked away quickly. He watched her head back into the barn and groaned. He was tired of everything.

….

Jean and Ruth stayed in a guest room at the Martins that night. They had to rise early to start helping with the harvest. However, they were only going to get a small amount of sleep. It was incredibly late when the Martins, Jean, and Ruth retired to bed. They had been saying goodbye to a lot of people as they headed back to town. They would be back in the morning but not as early as Jean and Ben would be out in the fields prepping for their arrival. Some of the single men decided to stay the night and sleep in the barn until morning.

Ben Martin had one of the largest farms in the area. He needed as much help as he could get to do it quickly. He didn't expect everyone to stay the entire time but he knew that with the pace being what it usually was, they didn't finish until dark. Usually, by the end of the day, a small handful of men and the men who already worked Ben's land during the season, were left. If the sun set before they finished, they would sit in the field around a fire and talk or sing songs about war. Usually, they would rest that way a bit before heading back to the house. It was a time of camaraderie amongst the men and a time for some of the women to cook together and talk. It was one of the more exciting times of the year besides the planting season.

It took Jean, having been from an aristocratic family, some time to get used to the more rugged traditions of American life. It charmed him. He felt better there than in France. The friendships he had forged in South Carolina made him decided to stay and leave France behind.

When the small handful of men went into the fields to start harvesting that morning, Ruth joined the women in the kitchen. They were expecting more women to arrive in the afternoon but began to prep the massive evening meal.

Abigail and Ruth both sat on the back porch together with two metal pots between them as they prepared green beans. Charlotte and the others were away prepping other parts of the meal. Ruth caught Abigail's worried looks.

"I'm sure Charlotte has gotten to you about it," Ruth said. There was no reason to keep it in any longer.

"What's troubling the both of you so much?" Abigail asked kindly. She wasn't chiding Ruth. in fact, she wanted to give some advice if she could.

"I don't know," Abigail answered honestly.

"I'm sure you've heard your share of every lecture from Mrs Martin and your aunts," Abigail said, "but have they actually told you what to do?"

Ruth stopped peeling the beans and looked up in shock.

"Oh goodness," Abigail chuckled as she shook her head, "it's not about duty or sealing' marriages."

Ruth was a little confused.

"It's supposed to happen between a husband and wife because it's a bond," Abigail said bluntly, "it's what god created to hold you together when all you have is each other."

"I don't love him," Ruth said bluntly, "it's a bit hard to allow it to happen."

"Well, that makes the issue a little more complicated," Abigail said, "I don't want to tell you to do something when you don't feel it's right. I just wish you could shake these people off your back."

"I do too," Ruth said, "I suppose they won't leave us alone until something is done."

"Never do anything just because someone tells you to," Abigail said sternly, "I spent my whole life bending over and doing everything I was told because I was afraid for my life. I'm just lucky Mr. Martin gave me my freedom. Take it from me- you do somethin' before you're ready to and it will not work out."

Ruth sat in shock.

"And that's all I have to say on the issue," Abigail laughed, "Don't you worry about these people. They'll forget about it in a month or two to when another sort of scandal happens."

"They must be very fickle, if that is true," Ruth joked.

…..

The evening grew closer and the smell of food was drawing the men closer to the house. Ben realized it was time to give everyone a time to rest awhile. Jean, Nathan, and Ben sat on the porch and caught their breaths.

"I'm getting old," Ben laughed.

"Getting?" Nathan joked, "You are."

Ben lightly nudged his cheek with his fist jokingly. Occum decided to join them.

Charlotte watched them from the window and realized that a hoard of men were approaching the home. She looked back at the women who were all laying food out.

"They're going to make a mess of everything," little Susan said, "I just cleaned too."

"I'll keep them in check, dear," Charlotte joked, "I might as well teach them some manners while I'm at it."

Ruth opened the door and Jean looked back at her, grinning from ear to ear before she could shout that dinner was ready. Once she did, all the men emerged from the corn fields like a pack of ravenous wolves. They were incredibly hungry, she could tell. Nathan nearly pushed his father down when he rushed into the house.

"Slow yourself," Charlotte shouted after him.

Ruth backed away and watched in terror as the men tore into the food, slopping it on their plates like wild men. However, Jean was a lot more decent than them. He quickly picked up his food and got out of the group before things became too intense. Ben backed away too and shook his head, chuckling as Charlotte tried to shout at them to keep orderly.

Jean joined Ruth and stood next to her against the wall. He offered her some food but he didn't know she had been snacking while she was cooking. All of the women had. They were too full. They had been cooking all day and Ruth had lost count of how many green beans she had eaten.

…

Night fell and most of the men had left. Ben started a fire in the middle of a cleared field and sat down with the handful of men left. It was getting chilly and he wanted to finish before the cold snaps began and killed the rest of the crops.

He saw Charlotte and Ruth coming out to them from the distance with lanterns and some bundles under their arms. Most likely bread and a bit of meat for all of them. They doled the food out to them and Charlotte gave her husband a chiding look. he knew she was telling him that it was time to call it a day. He reluctantly agreed and the men all dispersed for the night. They would pick up in the morning where they had left off. Jean, Ben, and his two eldest sons followed the women back to the house.

When Jean and Ruth retired to their room that night, she tried to encourage Jean. She had heard some whispers from the women while they were cooking. Abigail helped her not to lose her temper by touching her arm and making her sit down for a bit away from them.

Ruth began to undo Jean's cravat. He was a bit shocked by her sudden forwardness. He took her hands down and she tried to pull him to the bed.

"No," he laughed, "you're just-"

"I'm what?" Ruth let go of his arm and threw her hands in the air, trying to keep her voice down but she didn't know she had shouted a bit too loud. Charlotte had her ear pressed on the door and Ruth had no idea.

"You're feeling pressured," Jean said bluntly, "you don't think I hear what is being said?"

"Why haven't you?" Ruth squeaked at him. when she tried to keep from shouting her voice usually did that.

Jean almost laughed at the way her voiced squeaked. He thought it was adorable.

"Are you-" ruth lowered her voice even lower, "incapable?"

Jean's eyes widened and he tried to keep from laughing. She was working herself up into a rage and he could tell. Her face was turning a bright pink.

"I am perfectly capable," he said bluntly.

"Than am I so horrid that I can't provoke you to-"

"Non! I tell you the truth, you are perfectly-" Jean whispered as he tried to express what he was thinking without losing his english. Ruth was very beautiful. He couldn't sit there and convince himself that he wasn't frustrated laying next to her at night without touching her.

Ruth put her hands on her hips and began pacing. She was so confused at that moment but she was relieved that they were talking about it. A bit of the tension which had been rising between them had dissipated into the air. Jean was relieved too.

"I am the laughing stock of the town," Ruth hissed, "and you have the nerve to allow me to continue on like this?"

Jean saw how worried she was. She blew out a massive puff of air from her mouth and gave up on the conversation when he didn't answer. She began to undress and didn't care if he saw her at that point. She put on her nightgown and slipped into bed, flicking the blanket furiously about to get comfortable. She punched the pillow and rolled over, trying to shut her eyes. Jean stood in complete shock for a few moments. He removed his boots and undressed before laying down to sleep. He knew she wasn't asleep yet. She was still huffing in anger. He put his arm around her and turned her over. She was still stiff with frustration. She laid there for a few moments, wondering why he had his hand on her stomach. He looked like he was trying to get his guts up to do something.

She patted his hand and rolled over again after a couple minutes but he flipped her over again and kissed her. She was a bit shocked by the gesture but it was the first door opening. She had been too worried that she would never have children and would be laughed out of town because her husband never touched her. However, she couldn't lie and say she was ready for anything else at that moment. She was thankful that he respected her.