Lucy sat with her mother, waiting in the dining room while Jack sat in her father’s office, asking for her hand in marriage. Yesterday, she had told her parents that they could expect a visit from Roy one of these days, as they had “grown closer” after his return. It had been two weeks since Roy came back and they found the wait long enough.
“I still don’t understand how you suddenly have feelings for Roy,” Mama spoke as she paced in front of the window.
“I don’t know why you are so restless, mother,” Lucy said. “May I remind you that it was you who wanted me to marry Roy. What changed your mind? Is it his scar?”
Mama took a deep breath. “You aren’t as pretty as your sisters, but you could have gotten a better man than him. The man’s face is-is... ruined.”
“Mama, you are the worst sometimes!” Lucy stood up and walked towards the door, not wanting to be around her mother at the moment.
“Don’t you dare to speak to an older lady like that, Lucy. I haven’t raised you to have a big mouth!” Mama shrieked. “And stay here, your father and Roy will be done soon.”
Lucy sighed and turned around again. Maybe she should wait for Roy, otherwise, the poor man had to deal with her mother himself when he got back.
And so, the youngest of the house sat on the chair in front of the window, deciding she would draw to keep her mind busy and not pay attention to her mother from now on.
Scarlett thought she had trouble lying to her parents? Scarlett could think again. Because Lucy didn’t care about their opinion, not one bit. She loved her parents to death, but they had nothing to do with her love life. They didn’t need to know, for they would only make unnecessary drama. Especially Mama.
But Lucy did want Minnie and Isa to know. Truthfully, she was also a little anxious about Isa’s reaction. Her sister was in love with Roy, or at least she was before, and Lucy had always said she didn’t want to marry the man. So, she wanted to tell Isa the truth rather sooner than later.
Right when Lucy just finished her sketch of the garden’s willow hanging over the lake, two men joined them in the living room.
Roy had a smile on his face, so Lucy knew her father had expected his proposal. The man looked so happy in love, that nobody would ever believe all that love wasn’t meant for her. Lucy’s lips curled into a smile as well, knowing that a life with Scarlett was yet another step closer.
“Roy has asked Lucy’s hand in marriage and I accepted. How do you feel about that, my girl?” Papa asked.
“I’m really, really happy. Thank you, Papa.”
“Congratulations,” Father said with his deep voice. Mama said the same, but the woman wasn’t as happy as she was when Jack had proposed and Papa had accepted him.
Lucy felt sorry for Roy. The man must have felt it too. He wasn't as welcome in the family as his brother was, just because of his accident. All he had done was save a woman from the real monsters. Lucy wished people would think about that instead of seeing a man with a deformity.
When her parents didn’t look at them, Roy winked at Lucy and she winked back while they smiled at each other in contentment.
Who would have ever guessed they would become allies like this?
~
Lucy laughed, throwing her head back till it rested against the edge of the metal bathtub while Scarlett sat between her legs, her back against Lucy’s breasts.
“I’m so happy,” Lucy said, sitting straight again and wrapping her arms tightly around her woman.
“I still can’t believe your mother said those horrible things to you.”
“Don’t stay mad at her, love,” Lucy replied.
Scarlett sighed. “I know she just wants you to be happy. And I know she is scared you will have a hard life with him with gossip and such. Truly, I can understand her worries. I’ve had them myself… But how dare she say you’re not as pretty as your sisters? You’re the prettiest girl of all.”
“Pffff.” Lucy scoffed.
“I mean it, Lucy.” Scarlett turned around and grabbed the soap and sponge, soaping up her lover. “You’re not only pretty from the outside but also from the inside. There…”
“There?” Lucy asked when Scarlett stopped talking.
Scarlett laid her hand on Lucy’s breast at the height of her heart. “There.”
“Lucy smiled.”
“Lucy... there is also something we haven’t talked about.”
“What is it?” Lucy asked as she saw Scarlett’s expression getting very serious.
“Children,” Scarlett said as she slowly circled the sponge over Lucy’s freckled shoulder.
“Children?”
“Yes. I feel you would make a wonderful mother. Do you want to have them?”
“Uh…” Lucy hadn’t thought about kids if she was completely honest. She always wanted to become a mother ever since she was younger, but she knew Scarlett could never grand her children and she would never be able to grant Scarlett any either, so she hadn’t thought about it again. “I don’t know. We aren’t able to have children together, so...”
“People will question why you aren’t with child after two years of marriage as well. They’ll talk bad about you because it’s always the woman’s mistake.” Scarlett said.
“I’ve already told you, I don’t care about other people.”
Scarlett dipped the sponge into the water and washed Lucy’s arms next.
“I know, but you might care about becoming a mom. Especially when you’ll reach a certain age. I’m still so sad I never became a mother myself. And that has nothing to do with my love for you.”
“I’m sorry about that,” Lucy answered. She knew Scarlett loved children, but the woman never spoke about it this seriously.
“I’m saying this because… And I don’t want you to take this wrong, Lucy,” Scarlett looked into her eyes. “But you are young now, and I want you to know that I won’t ever hold it against you if you want a baby and I would fully support you if you decide to use Roy’s- uh- services...” Scarlett said.
“You wouldn’t mind it if I would share a bed with Roy? Is that what you mean?” Lucy asked. She couldn’t help but feel a little strange about this sudden comment.
“It would bother me. But I’m talking about a desire for a baby and I wanted to tell you here and now that when the time comes, when you feel you’re ready to become a mother, and Roy and Angela would be okay with it too, I would never ever hold it against you. That was all I wanted you to know,” Scarlet explained. “And I’m telling you this because I love you, Lucy. I love you enough to grant you-us that,” Scarlett added.
Lucy smiled before she pulled Scarlett against her chest. “Thank you. But for now, I am happy to be yours and only yours, and you be mine and only mine, but I will forever remember it.”
Scarlett smiled and smeared some foam against Lucy’s nose. “That’s good,” the older woman managed to say before Lucy caught her lips.
~
“Hm,” Papa hummed deeply behind his newspaper.
It was the first sound that any of them made during breakfast. Apparently, Mama was still unsettled by the news of her youngest daughter getting married to a deformed man, probably feeling disappointed because now she couldn’t brag to her friends about the amazing husband of her third daughter.
Lucy tried to not get angry about it again and asked her father: “What is it, Papa?”
“That one man, Hariette’s cousin, that suddenly had gone missing? He’s found dead!”
“Oh, Gosh,” Lucy answered, as well as Mama.
“Yes. They say he…” Father cleared his throat. “Had done some obscene things with another man and they killed him for it.”
“Don’t reveal those kinds of things when our daughter is here with us. She doesn’t need to know the horrors in the world at such a young age.” Mama shook her head.
“I don’t need to know how someone got brutally murdered because he loved a man? Or I don’t need to know a man can love another man?”
“Both.”
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