Chapter 4
The first evening together went a little differently than Callie had expected. She had put so much thought, effort and worry into the wedding night that she found herself not knowing what to do when her husband passed out in his own bed hours later. She was left awake and staring up at the ceiling from her own room. It was not at all what she had expected and she didn’t know what to say or do. Her mother had told her what to expect, but it was nothing like what had actually happened. Callie started to wonder if she just wasn’t desirable to him. She wished then more than anything that she had someone to talk to.
The next morning she was up early making breakfast and tidying up the house from the night before. She waited around for the man to get up and when he finally did, she handed him something to drink and eat. He smiled at her gratefully, still not realizing how badly he had acted the night before. He asked if she slept well and she nodded, though Callie still had no clue what had happened.
“Are you that unhappy to be married to me?”
He looked up from his breakfast, not sure what she meant. “Look I am sorry about last night. I might have had a little too much. I guess it was all of jitters.”
She knew that was as good as it was going to be for an apology, and she could relate. Her own nerves had been high the day before. But she had not expected to have to sleep in her wedding dress because no one was there to help her out of it.
“Why are you still wearing your dress? I am sure you don’t want to get it dirty. Don’t you women like to keep them?”
She shook her head. The dress was already dirty and she wanted to take it off because it was so heavy feeling and suffocating to her form. It was not a dress of comfort, but she was stuck in it. “It is not something I can take off by myself. All of the buttons are on the back and I can’t reach them.”
Thomas stopped eating and swallowed. Apologizing, he was starting to feel worse as his head banged from the ale. Wiping his hands on his shirt, he moved towards her and told her to stand up. She did as he said and before she could say anything, he had her dress undone and most of her back revealed. His hands paused for just a moment before running down her back and then moving away.
It was a moment before she opened her eyes again and thanked him. She held the top of the dress up while she went to her room and sat down on the bed. Just a slight touch on her skin had made her senses go wild. Callie didn’t come back out for several minutes and he was gone. When he came back out he was wearing the clothes of a guard and she liked the way he looked. He looked handsome and strong. Callie waited for a kiss, something as he left, but he didn’t seem too bothered by any of it. “I get home around dark most nights.”
She just nodded her head and watched him go. Callie had so many questions to ask and wondered if there was that much of a cultural difference. Is that how marriage was there?
Callie decided to go talk to Mariss about it when she had finally gotten herself together, but Mariss was there before she could leave. She seemed as anxious to find out, as Callie was trying to get it off her chest.
“So how did it go? I saw him this morning when he came to get Bertraud and he looked happy, not even hung over.”
“Well he did get plenty of sleep.”
Mariss noticed the way she said it and felt like there was something going on. “Was it not a good night for you?”
“We came in after the ceremony and he went to his room. I saw him again this morning and he helped me out of my dress.” Her cheeks went pink and Callie was sure that it was something that she had done wrong for him to act that way, but she hoped that it was normal. By the look on Mariss’ face, the one of sympathy, it was clear that it was not normal at all.
“You had to sleep in your dress?”
“Yes, you know how many buttons were on the back. It was my mother’s dress and I didn’t want to ruin it. He never came back out. It is not the same in my country, husbands and wives sleep together. There is much anticipation for the first night together…” She trailed off, too embarrassed to say anymore.
Mariss didn’t need to hear anymore, having gotten a big picture of it from the way she described it. She felt bad for her and almost wanted to tell her it was the way of things. She didn’t want to have to tell her the real reason or the real reason Thomas had wanted a wife.
“Thomas is not the romantic type, though I was sure when he seen you, he would find his way.”
Callie had certainly hoped for something more than what had happened. “So it isn’t normal though, to be apart on your wedding night, right?”
She had to admit it wasn’t, but tried to soften the blow. “He just had too much to drink. I am sure he will be better this evening.” They both silently hoped so.
Callie spent her day with the older woman, learning the places to shop and then where to get water and several other crucial new parts to her life. She didn’t feel any different, she didn’t feel married. But at least she was free from Ireland. Callie went to the docks in the evening before she went back home and could see Ireland on the other side. She didn’t miss it there, but she missed her family. Spurgis passed her and she nodded to him, though he wasn’t sure who she was. It took him a minute to remember and realize that it was the woman he had sent with the guard.
“Miss Callie, right?”
She nodded her head. “I thought you were going to walk right by me.”
“How did everything go?”
“Well, I can’t thank you enough.”
“If you ever need anything, you know where to find me.” There was a hint of something else in his eyes and she tried to ignore the way it made her tremble inside. She didn’t want to think about it though and bid him a farewell, telling him that she had to get home to her husband. Callie liked the sound of it, but she would have liked it better if her husband had looked at her in the same way as Spurgis had. Why didn’t he want her in that way?