I thought I'd upload a second chapter tonight to make up for the lost time…

My tumblr is lizzywhimsy now. I changed my username.

Chapter 12: The Curse of Ruth

The small wagon bumped and Ruth held onto the edge so she wouldn't fall out. She tried to relax and looked over her shoulder at the trunk strapped to the back of the carriage to make sure it was alright. Ruth had brought a small quilt she had been working on since she arrived in her new house. She had a gut feeling that Dan and his new wife were expecting. It was the only reason Dan would ever call the entire family to Pembroke. Ruth hadn't seen many of the people that would be there for nearly ten years. Others she had lost contact with after the war. Their family had scattered a bit in the past few years. She didn't know whether to be excited or worried about who she would see, or who she wouldn't, for that matter.

It was a long journey there and when they had finally arrived, it was late at night. Ruth suspected it was past midnight. Jean decided not to stop at an Inn and to keep going. He had lit one of the lanterns he brought and hung it to see the road. It had been a bright night. The moon was full and the stars were out, which kept them safe. Dan opened the door in his night shirt and shook his head.

"I don't like Inns," Jean bluntly reminded Dan, "You should know why." Ruth rolled her eyes and walked behind him to go upstairs.

"I hope we didn't wake you," Ruth whispered.

"No, I was already awake," Dan responded, "Your husband is a mad man."

"I wanted to stop for the night but he didn't want to," Ruth said under her breath. Jean opened the door of the room they were staying in and gently put the small trunk down on the bed. Dan bid them goodnight and went back to his room.

Ruth looked around the room. It was the same one she and Jean had shared on their wedding night. Jean tiredly lit a candle and laid on the bed. Ruth sat down and watched the candle flame.

"Aren't you going to remove your boots?" Ruth whispered over to him. He was fast asleep already. Ruth stood up and moved the trunk. She opened it and took out the quilt, laying it across the back of a chair. She looked over at Jean's boots and shook her head. She decided to remove them herself. They were mussed up a bit with some dirt and she didn't want the bed's fine quilt, which Dan's wife had spent so much time on, getting ruined.

….

Ruth awoke to the sounds of women giggling downstairs as the smells of breakfast permeated the air. Jean had already woken up. He was shining his boots. Ruth heard a knock on the door and quickly threw on her dressing robe before Jean opened the door. Her cousin's wife was smiling.

"We need Ruth," she said jovially, "Auntie wants her to make the biscuits. She always knows how to make them so well."

Ruth groggily stood up and started getting dressed. She put on her corset tiredly and stood for a few moments trying to wake up. She suddenly felt her strings being tightened and she gasped only to realize that Jean was helping her.

"I'm a bit surprised," Ruth muttered.

"I know how to tie stays," Jean chuckled, "My late wife always needed help when a maid couldn't come and do it for her."

"I could have done it myself, though."

"I wouldn't want everyone to miss out on those biscuits," Jean joked, "they are very good."

Ruth smiled and let him tie her stays before she quickly assembled a dress and left the room.

She headed downstairs to the kitchen and pushed her way through the group of women. Everything was set up for her so she could start. She was mixing the dough when a sudden commotion startled her.

"The Martins are here!" one of the women said happily as they all scrambled out of the kitchen to greet their new arrivals.

Ruth reveled in the silence and kneaded the dough happily without having to worry about crowding. She suddenly heard a small squeak and looked back to see Margaret coming into the room to hug her. She tried not to mess up Margaret's dress but accidentally got dough on it.

"Oh, it's no problem," Margaret said happily, "I wore this for the trip is all. It's got mud up to my knees on the hem."

Ruth looked down. Margaret had not been joking. Her dress was incredibly soiled.

"One of the wagons got stuck and I had to get out so they could push it," she said jovially. Ruth was a bit surprised by her rosy demeanor. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bright as if something amazing had happened.

"I've been worrying about my dress but I wanted to tell you I'm engaged!" Margaret laughed. It made sense to Ruth now.

"And to a good man too," Charlotte butted in suddenly, "The wedding is in two weeks, Ruth."

"Oh," Ruth put on a smile, "I do love weddings."

"I was hoping you could make my dress," Margaret said suddenly.

"Isn't your aunt going to have her seamstress do it for you?" Ruth seemed a shocked.

"She insisted you do it," Charlotte said as she looked over at the dough.

"It would mean more to me that you did it," Margaret smiled, "and besides, I can't stand Aunt Charlotte's seamstress. She pokes me with the needles. Her eyesight is failing."

"I- I suppose I could," Ruth agreed. It would fill her time for the next couple weeks, she thought to herself. There wasn't much to do around the house since she had cleaned it up a couple months before with Laura.

Margaret threw her arms around Ruth again, getting dough all over herself again. She skipped out of the room to change and Charlotte leaned on the table, standing quietly for a few moments.

"Are you alright Ruth?"

"I'm a bit tired is all," Ruth said before she continued to pound on the dough, "I didn't get much sleep. Jean refused to stop at an Inn last night," Ruth vented, "and we arrived past midnight. I don't think I fell asleep until two in the morning."

"Oh dear," Charlotte sounded genuinely concerned.

Ruth finally finished the dough and covered it with a cloth to let it rise for a bit. She took a deep breath and sat in a chair at the table.

…..

That morning Dan had gathered everyone at the church. The reverend allowed him to stand at the front to say what he wanted to before he began service.

"I wanted to let everyone know that Jane and I are expecting our first child," he said without any pomp. The announcement was quick. Dan was never one to try and draw out his announcements. It was a bit surprising to Ruth that he decided to have everyone come and stay for a bit and to have a celebration but Ruth figured that was upon the insistence of his new wife. She was a lot more social than Dan was used to and she loved celebrations. She had been cooking since early in the morning to prepare a big dinner. She had been planning a large party that was to be held at the Tavern, where everyone could fit.

A commotion of claps and congratulatory remarks ensued. However, Ruth saw both her aunts look back at her quickly when the announcement was made. They shook their heads. Ruth even heard someone whisper, "now if only little Ruth could follow in her footsteps."

Ruth had by then learned to shake it off. She had been married to Jean for only a few short months and she had grown used to the comments. She didn't like to hear them but she was learning to keep it from bothering her. Jean, however, was getting angrier. Some of the comments made him wish he could pick up his entire house and leave for another town with Ruth, where everyone wouldn't poke their noses into their lives. He saw that she was handling it remarkably well and decided to calm down.

…..

Ruth rolled the quilt tightly and tied some ribbon she had found around it before tucking it under her arm. She joined her husband and walked to the Tavern with him. It was a chilly day and Ruth bit her teeth through it. She didn't want to complain. When they reached the tavern she saw Jane standing in the doorway with a huge smile. She saw the roll under Ruth's arm and clapped in excitement.

"I was highly suspicious that the announcement would be what it was, so I brought you this baby quilt," Ruth said as she handed it to her, "I figured you and my cousin would be expecting soon so I worked on it."

Jane hugged it in thanks and rubbed Ruth's arm. Jean had politely excused himself when Ben and a few others waved him over.

"I know everyone gives you a hard time about it, but I have faith in you, Ruth," she winked, "Everyone is acting as if it's the end of times with the both of you but if you only knew what half of them are like in private, you wouldn't take their insults so heavily."

Ruth was relieved that she had an ally in the family. She smiled as Jane led her to the table of women. Jane unrolled the quilt and held it up to show it off before sitting down and laying it on her lap. Ruth sat in a free spot and quietly listened to the women at the table. Two hours passed without her saying a word. She wondered what the men were even discussing.

…..

"I see your wife made a quilt for the baby," one of the men said to Jean, "It's done quite well. I only wish my wife could sew."

"Your wife wouldn't touch a needle if her life depended upon it," one man joked back.

"She can cook, though," the man defended, "unlike yours."

Jean quietly sipped on his beer.

"It's a shame though," another man spoke up. He was a bit drunk already, "we wouldn't want the blanket to curse the baby. That cold shrew made it? Are they going to wrap the newborn in it? That's a bad omen, that is."

Jean put his mug down and Ben put his hand on his shoulder to keep him from standing up.

"Do the deed, already," the man laughed. The room had grown silent. His commotion had drawn everyone's attention. He stood up with his mug in his hand, "May all the future marriages in this family be blessed and not fall upon the curse of Ruth-"

Before he could finish saying anything else, Jean had broke free from Ben's grasp and had punched the man in the mouth. Ruth silently sat in horror. Jane grabbed her hand and Margaret held the other one.

All the women looked in Ruth's direction. Everything grew silent. Ruth had ignored it until then. Is that what they thought of her? a family curse? she thought to herself. That was far beyond anything she had heard before. She could handle the prodding and questioning but to be identified as a curse pushed everything to the edge. Jean shook his hand and several men helped the drunkard up. He looked back at Ruth. She could tell he was apologizing to her. She stood up from the table and backed away before leaving the room. The dead silence had not lifted from the party. Jean followed her promptly.

She was walking so quickly he couldn't keep up with her. She stopped her pace and bent down, putting her hands on her knees so she could catch her breath and cry a bit. Jean finally caught up to her and she looked up at him.

"A curse?" Ruth cried, "A damn curse they call me?"

"I-"

"No," Ruth put her hand up to swipe away the hand he tried to put on her arm to comfort her, "I'm finding it very difficult. I think about having children and I- I'm not ready for that, yet if this continues any further, I'll be shunned."

"I don't think they'll shun-"

"I know they will," Ruth said bluntly, "They did it to my cousin. She married this horrid man and refused to share his bed. She was shunned and he kicked her into the streets after five years. She's Lord knows where now!"

Jean looked at her as she sat on the stump of a tree and tried to calm herself.

"I won't kick you into the streets," he tried assured her.

"No, I know you won't," Ruth muttered, "but I don't think I could bear the burden of being shunned from my family."

Jean scuffled over and sat next to her. They sat silently for a few minutes until they saw Jane running down the path with Dan.

"You shouldn't be running!" Ruth got up quickly when she saw her.

"Ruth!" Jane caught her breath, "He's insane. Come back."

"He called me a curse," Ruth retorted, "and every person in that room looked at me as if they agreed. Not a single person except for my husband stood up for me!"

"To be fair, Jean did what I wanted to," Dan joked, "Ben, well- he threw a punch after you two ran off."

Jean chuckled.

"It's obvious he got that idea from somewhere," Ruth was not amused.

"Were you paying attention in church today, Ruth?"

Ruth had. In fact, she remembered the reverend talking about how it was honorable to be fruitful and abundant and that those out of God's favor were cursed to be barren. Ruth didn't think that it was just one sermon that drove the man to say the things he did. She knew what her family was whispering.

"Hezekiah is a crazy fool!" Dan laughed, "he's a zealot who attends church and drinks his weight in alcohol at the tavern. He's the town hypocrite, Ruth, and unfortunately, our cousin."

Jane took Ruth's hand and walked her back.

"If anyone says another word, I promise I'll give them a good tongue lashing," Jane joked. Ruth was not amused. She was nervous to even set foot back in the place. As she stood in the doorway, everyone grew silent and looked up at her. She quietly stepped foot into the room with Jane and sat down. It took awhile before the room filled with voices again. Ruth looked over at Hezekiah. He was propped up in a chair against the wall, away from the men. She smiled to herself at the sight. Ben lifted his mug when she looked his way. She nodded to him and saw Jean sneak back in to sit down. She felt warm inside at the thought that she had a handful of true friends to defend her.