Sharing A Bed - Part 3
Sep. 6th, 2021 05:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rix_scaeduRoss finally seemed to understand that he was intruding. "I wrote down the parson's direction for you," he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Munro. "I'll just go downstairs and let Hogan know that he can have the room to get dressed in, shall I?"
"You do that," returned Munro with narrowed eyes and a firm voice. Ross took himself off towards the top of the stairs and the other two watched him go. As Ross started down the staircase, Munro turned back to Hester and started, "I think we've probably got about ten minutes before Hogan makes his way up here. Money. With one thing and another, I've got about two thousand a year. No property, but I was expecting to live with my parents and our extended family. There's a castle...." He let his words trail off.
"I do have a property, not that I've actually seen it," admitted Hester. "That's what I'm on this trip for, to look it over. Also, ...the person who...bestowed it on me doesn't want me to talk about it yet. I gather that someone else was asking for it and they want it going elsewhere to come as a surprise at a time of their choosing. Aside from that, there's something over ten thousand in funds that should bring me in between four and five hundred a year." Munro was looking surprised, so she added, "I've been saving for years, and there was a large reward when I recovered that shipment of valuables that the Marshal was sending out of Andalucia. Should we hold off on deciding where to live until we've seen this property of mine?"
"Probably best if we do," agreed Munro. "My father's a laird. The Munro of Balloch. I'm the third son, but not the youngest. I've three brothers and two sisters, all long since married. Lots of nephews and nieces, some of whom I've not yet met. One of my sisters, Katherine, lives in Dunedin with her husband - he's a distant cousin on our mother's side, one of the Glen Muir Campbells. The other, Elizabeth, lives in Glashu with her husband, who’s a rector at the cathedral there. My second brother, Alastair, went for the navy, so his wife and family live in whichever port he's sailing out of. My other two brothers live in Balloch - Robert will be laird after my father passes and David is a distiller."
"My father's a gentleman, but he was the younger son of a landowner so there's no estate. There's money in funds from both his inheritances and my mother's dowry - I believe his income is around three thousand a year. There's a town house in London and we used to sometimes visit my Uncle Charles and Aunt Jane in the country, but I don't know anything else about my family's financial position." Hester gave a wry smile. "I have been away for seven years, after all, and in their position I wouldn't tell me anything either. I have four sisters and a brother. Frederick is a year older than me, and he's married to Isobel, one of Major Stephen Carmody of the 24th's sisters. Of my sisters: Agatha, the oldest, is married to Lord Ingham; Susannah and Elizabeth are still unmarried and living with my parents; and the youngest, Charlotte, married Sir William Greenacre two months ago. You should probably know," she confessed, "that my family think that I ought to go and live with father's Cousin Portia in her cottage in the country. I suspect they believe that my presence will hurt Susannah and Elizabeth's chances of finding husbands." She gave him a sly grin. "Apparently I'm quite shocking."
"Are they going to cut up rough over you marrying me?" Munro's expression showed that he was thinking.
"Only because you're not marrying Susannah," replied Hester. "You do have two thousand a year, after all, and Colonel Don Mungo Munro y Campbell, member of The Most Noble Order of the Silver Fleece, is a gentleman of some consequence."
Munro gave her a look. "Where did you get that from?"
"I have read, or at least skimmed through, the order of precedence for the court of his Imperial and Catholic Majesty," Hester sighed. "It's not an exciting document, unless you want to commit political mayhem or find an important husband. Which reminds me of a question I do have for you, before someone interrupts us."
"Which is?" Munro gave her another look.
"I will confess that I hadn't considered getting married before today, except in possible, future, general terms. I certainly didn't consider whether I might marry you, but I realise that I don't know anything about your expectations. Do you want to marry me, or is there some lady near Balloch who's been waiting with the reasonable expectation that you'll come back and marry her? Or who you are looking forward to seeing again and proposing to?" Hester waited with a worried, questioning look on her face.
"Vanns. Hester. Through no fault of our own, I've thoroughly compromised you. Even if Stirling vouched for us, and Ross and Hogan kept their mouths shut, there's still the two dowagers and their elderly gallant to consider. We have to get married," he explained. "Today, because tonight's sleeping arrangements...."
Hester nodded. "Stirling has no credibility as a chaperone, I agree. The elderly gentleman is the Duke of Teviotdale and Hithe, and deserving of his reputation. I understand that you are obliged to marry me, under the circumstances, and that you cannot withdraw with any honour. I, on the other hand, am permitted to withdraw without impediment. If your interests and intentions are already engaged with someone else, then we set the wedding for tomorrow, I pay my shot here tonight, and then quietly depart in the early hours of the morning, leaving only a note behind."
"That's a surprisingly thorough plan, but it does leave out that you would be unprotected from any tales that might spread about last night," pointed out Munro.
"I have my own money and my own property, so I don't have to marry," countered Hester. "It would, however, leave you free to act on any pre-existing attachment."
Munro looked at her sternly. "I can assure you, young lady, that I have no pre-existing attachments of that nature. What this sounds like is that you don't want to marry me."
Hester swallowed nervously. Munro suddenly seemed to be closer than might be appropriate and they were alone in the hallway. "As I said, I hadn't considered the possibility before, but waking up this morning before I realised I wasn't alone was very pleasant," she offered.
"Pleasant?" He cocked his head to one side.
She rather wanted to take a step backwards, but the wall was in the way. "I mean, if you don't want to do anything else, could we cuddle sometimes, please?"
"If you go through with the wedding, yes, we could do that," agreed Munro. "Is there anything else you want?"
"Um, what do you want me to call you?" Hester's voice had gotten very quiet. "If we're married, I assume that you will call me Hester, but what do you want me to call you? I mean, what I call you now doesn't seem appropriate if we have a...more intimate relationship."
Munro thought for a moment. "Keep calling me Munro in public, and use Mungo in private?"
"That seems reasonable," Hester nodded, "and I can refer to you as Colonel Munro when I want to impress people with your importance."
He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Do you intend throwing my weight around?"
"Only as necessary," she assured him. "Should I get my hat and papers so we can go see the vicar to organise this wedding?"
"We should," he agreed. "Keep in mind that this is the Northern Marches and marriage laws are different from south of the border. No banns or license needed. As we're not members of the parish, there'll probably be a surplice fee, but we could well be married by lunch."
"Witnesses?" Hester assumed that they would be a requirement, even if the laws were different in the Northern Marches.
"I thought Ross and Hogan," offered Munro.
Hester observed, "Hogan will have to be dressed first. Shall we ask Prescott and Luton to attend too?"
"The more guests there are, the less it seems like we're trying to cover something up or hide it," observed Munro. "Yes, ask them and their fathers. Do you think we're on sufficient terms to invite their ladyships and the duke?"
"We can certainly ask them," replied Hester thoughtfully. "The dowagers' coach needs repairing, and a wedding would be a distraction and something to occupy themselves with in the meantime. So, will you ask Hogan and Ross?"
"Ask Hogan and Ross what?" For a man with an expansive personal space, James Hogan could move very quietly, and neither of them had noticed his approach.
"For the two of you to come to this wedding we're having," replied Munro smoothly. "Vanns, do you want to get your hat while I explain matters to Hogan?"
Hester looked from one man to the other and back again. It seemed clear to her that the subject under discussion was not going to be the impromptu wedding, or not entirely. Whatever it was might become her business, but for now she didn't ask questions. "Of course. Will I meet you out here or in the taproom?"
"The taproom might be best," replied Munro. "Perhaps if the others are there, you could invite them as well?"
"Certainly." She extricated herself from between Munro and the wall and wasn't quite sure how that space had gotten so narrow, nodded to them both, and took herself into her shared room. The first thing she noted was that someone, presumably Stirling, had tidied Munro's things after he'd gotten dressed. The second thing she noted was that Munro was apparently wearing his third attempt at tying a cravat for the day. She had no idea how long it normally took him to get a satisfactory result with his neck cloth, but it was pleasing to think that he might be finding their circumstances unsettling too.
She gathered up her hat, grey felt with a dark green ribbon around the crown, her leather portfolio of papers, and on impulse, changed the bronze stickpin in her cravat for the gold and peridot one. When she left the room no-one was in the hallway outside, so she made her way downstairs to the taproom. Captains Prescott and Luton were playing cards at a table that had been moved to sit between the two entrances to the taproom, while Ross was observing Sir Henry organizing the movement of the prisoners to the local lockup. The older ladies were nowhere in sight, but the duke was politely listening to a gentleman of Sir Henry's age who was telling a story, with much arm waving, about someone called Drummond and a horse. Hester decided to start with Ross and made her way over to him.
"Excuse me," was all she needed to distract him from the business with the prisoners.
He looked round at her and said, "Ah! Vanns, just about to head out are you?"
"Actually, Munro and I were wondering if you and Hogan would come with us to see the minister. He tells me marriage law is different this side of the border, and we might be able to get married straight away.” Ross nodded in confirmation. “We'd both rather have people we know as witnesses."
Ross looked at her as if she'd said something unexpected. "Thank you, yes, I will come with you. I suppose Munro's talking to Hogan?"
"He was when I came downstairs," agreed Hester. "I'm going to ask Luton and Prescott to come as well, they are my friends after all."
"And if you can't have your friends at your wedding when they're in the same neighbourhood, something's going wrong, isn't it?" Ross nodded in agreement, although Hester wasn't sure if it was her words or his own that he was agreeing with. "I think Sir Henry's tasked them to watch this entrance to the private parlor, to keep the ladies safe. Might be a fly in the ointment," he observed.
"If I invite them as well, then Luton and Prescott can watch over them and be at the wedding," pointed out Hester.
"Invite Sir Henry and His Grace as well," suggested Ross. "It is a wedding, and the less it looks like a hole in wall affair, the better it will be. You could just have declared yourself married in front of witnesses but getting the minister at the kirk to perform the ceremony will look better."
"Just declare ourselves married in front of witnesses. Can people do that?" Hester felt like she was missing something.
"This side of the border they can," Ross explained. "Why do you think that down south eloping to the border is a thing that people do and worry about?"
"I haven't ever thought about," admitted Hester. "The last time I lived in Albion Magnus, I was sixteen. I thought that there was one language per country, and I was excited about putting my hair up and dropping the hems of my skirts. Going to balls and grown-up parties was something I was looking forward to in a few years’ time. Actually getting married and its practicalities were things that hadn't crossed my mind."
"What not at all?" Ross looked surprised. "I thought young girls ran around with romantic fancies dancing through their heads."
"Who would I have been romantic about?" demanded Hester. "My brother's friend were all horrid schoolboys. I never got to meet, or even see, the gentlemen who called on my oldest sisters because our governess kept we three younger girls busy in the school room during visiting hours. And my father's friends were, well, old enough to be my father."
Ross gave her a considering look and said, "You and Munro are going to get on well together, aren't you?"
Hester gave him a look back. "I'm sorry, am I missing something about this situation?"
"Nothing that will make either of you unhappy," Ross replied airily. "You should go and invite your other guests."
Hester gave him a friendly nod and did so. Luton and Prescott accepted on the proviso that the dowagers attended. Lady Allanford and Lady Netherdale were happy to attend. Sir Henry declined gracefully on the grounds that he had prisoners to see to, and the duke accepted with equal grace, citing an old acquaintance with Munro's grandparents. The gentleman telling the story about Drummond and the horse was Prescott's father, Lord Edmund Prescott, and he too gracefully accepted when Hester extended an invitation to him as well.
Consequently, it was a group of ten who made their way by foot from the inn to the kirk and manse. Munro and Hester, accompanied by Ross and Hogan, knocked on the front door of the manse while the others explored the graveyard around the kirk. The front door was opened after a few minutes by a maid, who dropped a curtsey and asked, "How can I help you, sirs?"
"We're here to see the minister about a wedding," explained Munro. "I hope that he is available?"
"If you'll just come into the parlor, sir, I'll let him know that you're here." She ushered them in, took their hats, widened her eyes when she got a proper look at Hester's hair, took another look at all of Hester, and ushered them all into a parlor that looked across the front garden towards the road before going to find her employer.
The minister stalked into the room a few minutes later. He was a tall spare man dressed in black with a white cravat, sporting an expression that suggested that he was expecting to do battle. His visitors all bowed. "Good morning, gentlemen." He took a second look at Hester and added, "Good morning, madam. I am the Reverend William Douglas, vicar of this parish and I understand that you wish to discuss a wedding."
"Yes," replied Munro. "I am Colonel Mungo Munro, 1st Battalion, Highland Guards, and this is Miss Hester Vanns. After a series of unfortunate events overnight and this morning, Miss Vanns and I find ourselves in a position that makes it unacceptable for us to remain unwed. The only acceptable solution is for us to marry each other as soon as possible."
The Reverend Douglas looked at Munro for a few moments without speaking, then turned to Hester asking, "And you, Miss Vanns, do you agree with this?"
Hester took a deliberate breath and replied in her calmest reporting voice, "I do, sir. There was a public discovery of an incident which could permanently damage both our social reputations if we do not marry at the earliest opportunity. I cannot speak for the Munros, but I have two unmarried sisters in Lundun who move in circles where my being compromised would ruin them."
"I take it that you are the couple who were incommoded by the innkeeper's son last night," commented Douglas. He looked at his visitors' surprised faces and told them, "Mrs Cullan delivered fresh eggs to The Wheatsheaf this morning and heard the landlady berating her son over the matter. Mrs Cullan then delivered eggs and juicy gossip to The Royal Oak and several other establishments before she came here and filled in my wife on the morning's doings. I should imagine that by now, most of the town has heard about at least part of this morning's events."
"The mail coaches stop at The Royal Oak," observed Ross. "Would anyone like to bet on the likelihood of a version of this morning's doings being on its way north and south by now?"
"Sir," Hester claimed the vicar's attention. "Please, could you marry us? Then we can stop this getting bigger than it needs to be."
"How old are you, Miss Vanns?" The tall man did not look unkind as he gazed down at her.
"I am twenty-three and although my parents are still alive I have lived independently for the last seven years. Major Hogan has known me for all of that time," replied Hester. "I also have a copy of my baptismal record if you would like to see it."
"Miss Vanns, here in the Northern Reaches a lass may marry, with or without parental permission, as long as she is over the age of twelve. However, as the pastor of this parish, it is my responsibility to care for the souls of all who pass through and you have come to me seeking a sacrament of the church. I ask this only so I can fully understand your situation - why haven't you been living under your parents' roof since you were sixteen?" The Reverend Douglas waited for her reply.
"Oh, and that's a tale," put in Hogan. "We were both left behind when the Army had to evacuate by ship after the retreat from Madrid. I was assigned to the rear guard, and Miss Vanns was refused a seat in the last boat out to the transports because it was already dangerously overfull. The rest of her family was already in the boat. She had to stay with us because she had no money for accommodation in any of the nearby towns, and there was the problem of the advancing enemy. Her family never did send her money or papers to get her home again. She wrote to them. I wrote to them. The padre wrote to them, but nothing ever came back." He shrugged. "Is that what you wanted to know?"
Quietly Hester added, "I've come to realise that my parents feared that I would come back with a reputation for being damaged goods, even if I wasn't. I was one daughter, and they had four others to consider. I am of age, I control my own money until I marry, and although the details of these circumstances are not what any of us might wish, I am pleased to be marrying a man I know and trust."
The Reverend Douglas paused for a moment, then said, "That sounds very satisfactory."
At the same moment, Munro picked up her gloved right hand and kissed it. Hester looked at him in surprised. She'd had her hand kissed before by a variety of gallant, dashing, and dangerous gentlemen, but this was the first time Munro had extended gallantry in her direction - she was used to being treated much as he treated young officers that he gave various tasks to. The change was slightly unsettling.
He gave her a look that asked why she was surprised. "I do have manners and I do appreciate the kind words about my character," he said quietly.
"But I'm not one of the ladies you flirt with," pointed out Hester, forgetting for a moment who was in their audience.
Ross cleared his throat. Hogan chuckled, and the Reverend Douglas commented, "As Miss Vanns is a respectable young lady in need of the protection of holy matrimony, perhaps we should proceed with the arrangements. I take it that you two other gentlemen will be the witnesses?"
"Yes," replied Ross. "I'm Colonel Ewan Ross, and this is Major James Hogan, both of the King's Engineers. There are some other wedding guests - they're taking the sun in your churchyard as we speak."
"I'm glad the two of you aren't treating this as something to be hidden," said the Reverend Douglas. "We'll fill out the Parish Register in the church and then I'll bring you back here to write out a copy of your marriage lines for you to take with you."
"May we please have two copies of our marriage lines?" asked Hester. "The last few years have been difficult for me because I didn't have a copy of my papers, and I would like to avoid similar problems in the future." She added, "Of course I would reimburse you for the paper and your time."
The vicar nodded in acknowledgement. He addressed Munro, saying, "Because neither of you are members of the parish, there will be a surplice fee."
"I expected that," replied Munro. They discussed particulars, and after paying both the surplice fee and the fee for the extra copy of their marriage lines they all moved over to the kirk, collecting both the party in the graveyard and Mrs Douglas on the way.
While the Reverend Douglas went to put on his surplice, his wife ushered Hester, Munro and the others into the body of the church. Lady Allanford complimented Mrs Douglas on the flowers, which led all three older ladies into a discussion on flower arranging. Hester listened politely because she had nothing to contribute on the subject, aside from general admiration of the effects and the skills involved. When asked a direct question on the subject by Mrs Douglas, she said apologetically, "I'm afraid I have no experience in the matter, ma'am. Unfortunately, I was separated from my family before my mother could start teaching me how to achieve these effects." She looked around the kirk admiringly.
Mrs Douglas looked around to make sure none of the men were too near, dropped her voice and asked in a near whisper, "Did your mother explain... marital relations to you, Miss Vanns?" The other two ladies looked concerned and drew in close.
Hester replied cheerfully but quietly, "My mother didn't, a sergeant's wife, Mrs Adams, did. We thought the enemy was likely to overrun us later in the day, or the next day, so she thought I ought to know." Hester added after silent moment, "I'm not entirely sure now whether she meant me well at the time, but we weren't overrun, and the information has been very useful on occasion. Explaining people's behaviour and such," she explained.
"That's good to know," commented Lady Allanford. "In my opinion, too many girls aren't told enough before they get married. Add on to that the girls who aren't told plainly and are just given some vague explanation, and I'm surprised more new brides don't flee the bedchamber on their wedding nights."
"I will strive not to add to the currently circulating gossip," Hester assured her while wondering who had fled her marriage bed.
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Date: 2021-09-06 07:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-09-06 11:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-09-07 04:52 am (UTC)Not that there aren't plenty of other hooks in this piece, but this one particularly intrigues me. Neither of them has been considering marriage seriously, or even seems to've been interested in anyone. Both aromantics? Some other commonality Ross has caught on to that they haven't?
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Date: 2021-09-07 05:07 am (UTC)Hester has been thinking marriage some day to some undefined male person, and saving up a dowry because she's fairly certain her father won't provide one.[Reasons]
Munro has had a series of not/semi serious flirtations with ladies who knew exactly what they were doing over the years, and Hester knows about them. (Well as much as anyone living in the same smallish community but not in the same household would know about them.)
Neither of them has previously thought about the other as a potential marriage partner for themselves before.