AllFreeNovel
Share Us
One of the women snorted, and Constance was immediately drawn to her. The sound was anything but ladylike, but Constance had enough trouble being ladylike, she didn’t mind it a bit. “And you are?”
“Luke’s wife, Caroline. And the thought he could give anyone marital advice is just a joke in my eyes.” Caroline shook her head as her eyes teased her husband.
“You’ll pay for that, wife!” Luke said.
“I’m Betty,” the other woman said. “I’m Peter’s wife, and Peter knows better than to try to give marital advice.”
“Last time I tried, I slept on the floor of the barn for a week,” Peter said.
“Was that when you gave me advice before I got married?” Luke asked.
Peter nodded. “I will never even try that again.”
“I don’t blame you!” Leonard said, laughing with his brothers.
“Where are you from?” Betty asked Constance.
“I’m from Beckham, Massachusetts, a small town an hour’s train ride from Boston.”
“Oh, Boston,” Caroline said. “I’ve always wanted to go there. There’s such rich history there.”
“There is,” Constance agreed.
“Don’t you miss it?”
Constance shrugged. “I haven’t been gone long enough to miss it yet. Maybe when Leonard and I have our first fight it will happen. I do miss my family, though.”
The other women laughed, but she felt Leonard tense up beside her. Did he really think they could be married for years and never fight?
“Where are your children?” Constance asked, changing the subject before Leonard got too upset. She wasn’t sure why the subject bothered him, but it obviously did.
“We left them with Ma Berry,” Betty said. “That’s what she likes all of her daughters-in-law to call her.”
“Oh, that’s nice. I’m sure she’s happy to spend some time with her grandchildren.”
The two women exchanged a look with one another that Constance made a mental note to ask about later.
Someone rang the church bell then, and they all gathered together for the pastor’s prayer over their meal. It was the first prayer Constance had heard from him, and she found him a bit long-winded, but what pastor wasn’t?
Constance and Betty stood in line for food, while Caroline went to help serve. Constance would have happily helped, but Betty shook her head. “This church does rotations. Ten women serve with each social, and this is not our time. I’m sure we’ll be working next month.”
“I see. I will happily take my turn.” Looking behind her, Constance made certain the men were elsewhere. “What was the look you and Caroline gave each other when I said Ma Berry must enjoy her time with the grandchildren?”
Betty looked around as well before answering. “Ma Berry is a good woman. Really. But she’s not the most nurturing woman I’ve ever met. She’ll watch the children on rare occasions, but it can’t be often, and no more than two families’ worth of children at a time. She won’t say anything when the men are around, but when it’s just us ladies, she’ll tell us she paid her dues, and it’s our turn now.”
“I see,” Constance said, shaking her head. “But she doesn’t want her sons to know she feels that way?”
“She doesn’t. I’ve tried to talk to Peter about it, but he won’t believe it, so there’s no point trying. It may be different with Leonard’s children, since he’s her youngest, but I doubt it. Mostly, we sisters swap children. So, if someone wants to have a special day with just her husband, or just needs some time to think, one of us will watch ours and theirs.”
“Oh, that’s nice. I guess I should start watching all your children so I can have a turn without mine.”
Betty laughed. “That’s not a bad idea. All of ours are growing up, and it will be hard for you to swap like we do.”
“I’ll have to make friends with some other newly married women,” Constance said, grinning.
By the time they got to the front of the line, all the chicken and dumplings were gone. “I wonder what that was,” Betty said, looking at the empty pot.
“I made chicken and dumplings,” Constance said.
