Ordained by God

Section Ten

At The Glory Knight Tavern, Clement ordered a draft of ale while Gregory stuck with cider.  Clement leaned onto the bar and took a long gulp. He cursed at the end. The two men stayed there for the next hour, slowly sipping their drinks and washing away their pain.

Upon returning home, Clement removed his hose and climbed into bed beside his wife, Marjorie. Marjorie was a pretty wife, two years Clement’s senior, with a sharp angular face and a witty tongue.  She did not have the mind like Eleanor but she could rebuttal Clement’s argument with a ratty comment.

Marriage was not what Clement expected. He speculated marriage would mean being able to have breath-taking sex anytime you wanted whether it is morning noon or night and having a permanent daze of happiness.  He hoped it would have been with Eleanor.

But it was anything but.  Marjorie savoured the moments when she could nag Clement about not doing something or doing something wrong. If he didn’t perform sexually how she wanted, she would administer an emasculating remark.  But Clement got that sense that Marjorie was aroused by moments like those. Like it was some vile game of sexual pleasures.

Whenever they made love, Clement new it was not love on his part. He often wondered if it was love on hers. He imagined that the thighs his hands ran over were slimmer and the breasts he touched were smaller. He pictured Eleanor in his mind every time. Once or twice, he called out Eleanor’s name towards the end. He was not sure if Marjorie registered it when he did or just refused to acknowledge his misspeaking. 

He often thought about why he agreed to marry Marjorie. She was not the richest daughter- by far- she was on the poorer end of Winshire’s population. But so was he. She was beautiful though and he was often told what a lucky man he was to have her any time he pleased. He didn’t feel lucky though. After two months of marriage and nine from separation he had admitted to himself that the thing he despised the most and desired to protest had controlled his life in the end.

Marjorie rested her head on Clement’s shoulder and slid her hand down to his prick. “Kiss me,” she said in a husky voice, close to his ear.

Clement brushed her hand aside. “Not tonight; I’m tired.”

 “You’re always tired.” She did not change the tone of her voice into an angry one like her words normally would reflect. But when she saw that Clement was disinterested, she stopped suddenly. Sitting up and pouting she said, “you’re thinking about that bitch, aren’t you?”

Smiling, Clement said, “No, my love I’m not.” He used a luscious tone. He stroked her cheek and moved his hand to her breast. Squeezing her nipple through her linen shift, he kissed her neck. Through her beastly disposition, Marjorie had the charms to arouse a man.

She kissed Clement back and giggled when she felt the tightness in his groin. She climbed on top of him and they made sweet,- half happy- love.

After, while Clement held Marjorie in his arms, he started thinking about what it would be like to see Eleanor naked. It was no fault that Eleanor looked ravishing with clothes on. But he always wanted to know what she would look like exposed and naked.

“I wonder if I’m pregnant,” Marjorie said in a dreamy voice, kissing Clement’s naked shoulder.

Clement snorted. “I certainly hope not.” He never thought about what is life would be like with children. But now, thinking about that prospect, he hated the idea.

Marjorie tore herself away from Clement and said, “leave. Now; get out of my house.”

“What?” 

“Go back to your Lady.”

Clement did not argue. He stared coldly at Marjorie, testing to see if she was serious or not. With an inward sigh of happiness, he dressed again and marched out of their one room house.