The Gisborne Chronicles

CHR3/CH6-The Summer Party and Rebus Falls in Love

Of course, when Auriel and her Aunt put their heads together, it could mean only one thing, trouble and additional work for the men on the farm. Guy had been tasked with finding suitable musicians, much to his chagrin, and Hywell was drawn into the melee of preparations quite by chance, when he happened to enquire on the number of delivery carts  coming and going. The net of feminine wiles descended upon him, and he was lost.

"Bunting!" said Aunt Gwyneth, "we must have bunting, the more brightly coloured the better. Oh, and lanterns, we must have lanterns. About two dozen should do it, filled, primed and hanging from all the trees, and did I mention bunting? yes? Well about fifty ells should do it, that's fifty times by forty five inches to the uninitiated! We shall hang it twice round the house, and between the trees."

" I leave the sourcing of that in your capable hands young  Hywell, there is sufficient coin for it on the table, and we shall need it by the twenty fourth of the month, there are doubtless underemployed seamstresses in the village, but if they cannot meet the demand, then you must get yourself to Llanlivet!"

Many lists were written, only to be destroyed a moment later as other "necessities" were added.

"My love, you must think on the outlay for this celebration," said Guy when Auriel finally came to bed one night early into the preparations. Our household purse has limits, and I would remind you of that."

"My brother has proffered three quarters of the total," said Auriel, "do not fret on it, he considers it coin well spent if it will get him a wife."

"Are there nonesuch within his own proximity," said Guy, "it seems a little profligate to seek a wife with no likelihood of a dowry, when there maybe one more suitably financed in the vicinity of his father's lands."

"My darling, you are a hypocrite," said Auriel, but fondly, "for did you not yourself encourage this venture into matrimony, making much mention of the lack of dowries hereabouts? Indeed you pointed out to my brother, that this maybe of advantage to him, in his present state of legitimacy."

Guy had the good grace to confess to his ill advised words to Rebus, "I may have spoken in haste  on the matter," he said, "but he looked so enraptured at the prospect of matrimony and children, that my words ran faster than my thoughts, and I see the folly of it now."

"Sweet man, there is rarely true love without folly," she said," as we found to our cost at the beginning of our own romantic entanglement."

"Entanglement?" said Guy, as he attempted to lift her nightgown, "a fitting word for what I presently desire."

Auriel slapped his hand away, " there will be no entanglement forthcoming tonight, my darling," she said," both little Guy, and Beatrice have been fractious today, and I am too weary for all that, let me sleep."

"All that!" said Guy," to hear my efforts so described is nothing less than insulting!"

"Be insulted then my love, I have an appointment with slumber and I shall not be distracted." she said, turning her back on him.

Of course there was then much humming and hawing, followed by several lengthy sighs as he realised he was not going to get his way, but he was eventually silent, and his breathing became slow and even.

Auriel lay for a while with her eyes closed, weary to her bones, but unable to find a comfortable spot, or so it seemed to her as she sought to apportion blame for her wakefulness. Guy began to snore gently, as was his usual habit, and she turned to look at him in the light of the small candle on the dresser, always left burning should she need to go to one of the children in the night.

In repose, it seemed to her that he was more handsome, though of course this could not be, because to her he was the world, and ever the most beautiful man, whether sleeping or awake. For a while she was content  to watch him sleep, but when he rolled in his sleep and threw back the thin linen sheet that covered him, he unwittingly revealed one naked thigh, and all thoughts of slumber were gone from her mind.