Jean walked up the stairs in a dazed state. She was so zoned out that she did not notice she had entered her husband's office while he was having a meeting with Iniko about the waiters that would be serving in the event with the principal's guests.
"Jean." Mr. Dodds called out. Although he was a bit irritated at her untimely interruption, he was not going to scold her in front of another person. More so, because she perfectly knew that she could not enter his office when the door was closed.
Jean did not react to his tone of voice full of warning and just went to sit on his lap as she always did whenever she was overwhelmed. Bewildered, Mr. Dodds quickly gave Iniko a sign with his eyes to leave. Not one to see the intimacy between his boss and the boss lady, Iniko was gone before Mr. Dodds ever thought of sending the sign.
"Is something wrong?" Mr. Dodds asked his Wife as he embraced her body. He surreptitiously checked on her temperature and confirmed she was not sick, mildly worried at her dazed countenance. She only shook her head in reply of his question. "Then, what happened?" He softly pressed, now more curious than worried.
"I met Isabelle at the workshop today." Jean said. Mr. Dodds had a hunch that whatever his Wife was about to say would involve him, no matter if directly or indirectly. Isabelle Edris was such a wild card that he sometimes dreaded when her name came out of his wife's mouth.
"Isn't she preparing for her wedding?" Ethan had already asked for his day off to get married. Mr. Dodds was not a tyrant and allowed him to get a couple days off to enjoy as newlyweds.
Ethan, it seemed, had his own reservations and asked only for one day; the very day of his wedding.
Mr. Dodds liked and pitied hardworking people like Ethan. He liked them because they put more than 100% of effort in whatever they did, plus they never complained if work got difficult and stressing. On the other hand, he pitied them because those same people just dedicated themselves to work; no resting, no love, no family.
Mr. Dodds would like to think Ethan has not reach those stages. And, he would have a good talk with Ethan to take at least two days off. Mr. Dodds definitely did not do that for all his workers, but in view of his Wife's friendship with Isabelle, he was going to make a small exception.
Jean looked up to him, and he found her eyes were shining almost as bright as the day they got married. "She asked me to help her." Mr. Dodds eyebrow twitched.
"Help her how?" He carefully inquired.
"To comb her hair! To draw her make-up! To dress her up!" As Jean listed the things Isabelle asked help for, she got more and more excited. "She left the wedding dress in our house… It's so beautiful." She breathed out, remembering the vibrant red and shiny white.
"She left what?" Mr. Dodds repeated dumbfounded.
Jean quickly stood from his lap and walked around the office, trying to burn off her excitement but getting more excited instead. "Oh, you should see it, Ossy! I don't complain about my wedding dress, I really don't! But I really would have loved for Isabelle to sew it back then!"
Mr. Dodds' full name was Oshara. And, although he truly appreciated and was immensely grateful to Reginald Dodds for taking him in and raising him as his own when his real parents left him at his doorstep, Mr. Dodds never liked the name he was bestowed with. He often refrained from saying it to others, preferring just to be called by his last name.
With Jean, he definitely could not hide it. Though, he expressively mentioned his dislike. Jean, mindful soul that she was, always tried to use pet names: dear, darling, love, honey, husband… Names she always thought were too impersonal, too generic. So, she came up with a nickname that would not bother him.
At first, he did not accept anything that came from his name. Later, he learned to accept it and even like it. Of course, only his Wife could call him like that. That was how Oshara became Ossy.
Mr. Dodds helplessly looked at his thrilled Wife and decided he had to see that dress. If it was as good as Jean claimed, then he was going to ask Isabelle to make her a dress she could also flaunt. That way, she could accompany him to those boring parties the Mayor or the Commissioner tended to throw. In fact, a nice dress for the Commissioner's daughter's wedding did not sound bad.
A smile escaped his mouth. It had been a while his Jean had been that happy. Ah, he definitely had to give both Ethan and Isabelle a nice wedding gift. First, though, he had to spoil his Wife; a little punishment to show her what he thought of her interruption.
Back at home of course.
Preferably at night.
In the intimacy of their room...
Mr. Dodds grunted, pleased when Jean tugged on his hair as he remained busy between her legs. She tried to suppress the sounds of bliss coming from her mouth, yet a gasped moan and a keening whine managed to escape when he made her reach her peak.
He enjoyed seeing her back beautifully arc, her breasts popping up. Her legs involuntarily trapped his head in between until he separated them once again with his hands. Her glistening skin shone like pearls under the light of the candle he lit up before their activities.
With a satisfied sigh, he rained kisses all over her thighs and then went up her hip bone, her stomach, her breasts, her collarbone, her jaw and finally her lips. Jean hummed at the taste on his lips, her taste, but had no time to dwell on it when he aligned himself on her entrance. They shared a loving gaze for a moment before he went in.
With a sharp gasp, Jean tightly clung to him, encircling his hips with her legs. Mr. Dodds frowned at the grip she had on him. His hands hooked the back of her knees and undid the hold, widely opening her legs.
Jean bit his shoulder to not let out the cry of pleasure than ran through her body when the new position allowed him to hit something inside her that made her quiver. Mr. Dodds noticed and tried to once again hit the same place to undo her completely, using his knees to plant himself on the mattress for better purchase.
When the only thing she could do was keep biting him despite her very telling and desperate sounds, he knew he was accomplishing his goal. At some point, his own peak swiftly built up. Especially when he could perfectly hear the wet and lewd sounds coming from their crotches; her pussy becoming wetter while his cock leaked its own fluids.
Jean finally exploded, arcing her back and throwing her head back in a silent scream; her mouth forming a perfect O. Mr. Dodds tried his best to let her enjoy herself a little bit longer, but she was such an alluring picture that he came not long later; staying deeply buried in her to keep his seed in.
Their panting filled their room, the candle flickered, creating distorted shadows of their joined bodies, and the couple just silently enjoyed the aftermath of their lovemaking. Both wishing for a favorable outcome. The one they have been expecting for quite some time now.
'This time, for sure!' they thought.
The room soon darkened.
…
"Do you think they will accept this?" Corey worriedly asked, looking down at the wedding gift she had prepared for Isabelle and her partners.
Earlier that day, when Isabelle and two of her partners, the young one and the bearded one (she always forgot their names), arrived at her stall to buy the weekly supplies and a few more stuff, they asked her if she knew any dessert recipes. Corey had blinked confused as to what they meant with dessert until they mentioned pastries.
"I don't know much about desserts, sorry." That was the answer she gave them when asked if she knew any recipes for sweet treats. Candies and pastries were not a luxury, but they were still not something common townspeople usually bought, much less knew how to make.
Isabelle had calmly nodded, thanked her for the supplies and gestured at the two men to follow her. The big one followed her, carrying a box with saplings, belying the fact that they had also gone to her husband's stall, while the teen stayed back.
"I know we've only known each other for a short time, but I wanna invite you and your family to our wedding! It's tomorrow, and we'll be at the offices in the morning. If you can come, it'll be great! " The teen rushed out before following the couple when Isabelle called for him once again
Corey remained stumped for a moment before running to her husband, her heart thumping in enthusiasm at the sudden news. When she asked him about if he had also been told, he nodded in confirmation. He had also heard it from the teen. "You've helped us a lot!" The teen had said to David. "We aren't makin' a big party, but I hope you come to our house to eat after we marry at the offices!"
The older couple was touched. They had only considered themselves people who sold things to them. At most, they had an amicable relationship. Corey herself did not think they were friendly enough to be invited to the wedding. Either way, now that they were invited, they could not refuse!
So, both Corey and David spent the next few hours thinking what to get them.
David had easily chosen the best flower in his stall. An expensive type of rose. Flowers were not sought after that often and not something he actually specialized with, yet he sold them from time to time. On his last batch, he got hold of a type of rose that he had hoped to sell for a couple of coins to one of the ladies that pretended to be rich. There were many of those in town after all.
Isabelle had asked about it when she last visited his stall, but regretfully looked away after hearing the price. David simply considered it fate. No lady was able to buy it after hearing the price – showing their true colors –, so it would end up in the young woman's hands that truly wanted that flower.
Compared to his thoughtful gift, Corey thought a bottle of lavender oil and two empty jar-like containers was too inadequate, distasteful even. The jars were the last two she was unable to sell had from the pack of thirty she bought. Two small ones at that.
"They seem to be doing better now, but these things always come in handy. They'll accept it." David reassured her. "We can also buy some pastries if you'd like. They did ask about them. Besides, we're bringing the kids, too." He chuckled.
"Yeah! We can do that!" Corey agreed. She did not know how much food they were going to cook, but the older couple was not going to add themselves as a burden.
"And, what are you going to wear?" David offhandedly asked once he thought the matter of the gifts was settled.
"Huh?" Corey squeaked.
"Well, it's a wedding. We should wear something nice, right?" He rose an eyebrow. She must have thought of that, right?
Her wide eyes and slack mouth told him that no, she did not think about that. He and the kids watched her worry about her clothes the whole night. He even had to dissuade her from buying a new dress and only told her to wear her best clothes. Her own jittery energy rubbed off on the kids, who buzzed in excitement to go out of town.
They could not wait!
…
The woman sighed. The man tried his best not to react. The woman sighed again; this time, even more pointedly and stared at the man. The man persisted, for a moment, and finally succumbed to her stare.
"Don't look at me like that. He did ask for a cart and a horse. I got the money for it from him. I just brushed up the cart a bit." He patiently explained for what seemed the tenth time.
The woman looked at the cart, that looked more like those carriages or even a wagon, with its nice roof and the three tall wings, creating a little room. Carts, either drawn by oxen or horses, were usually just the plank of wood with low walls so things or people did not fall of, and the wheels. The cart she was riding on, though, even had a seat at the front and at the back! How unfair!
"We just have two old and rickety carts, why's their first one so nice?" She narrowed her eyes.
He looked up at the dawning sky and asked for patience. His Wife knew two of the brothers, the problematic brothers, Ethan and Joseph, so she understandably did not have a good opinion on them. Despite him telling her about Lucas who was more silent and decent, and mentioning the youngest brother, her opinion did not change.
She outright disliked all Edris brothers.
"They want to treat their Wife very well. They aren't so bad once they like someone." He geared himself for yet another debate with his Wife about the good traits of who he considered his friends.
He started with Ethan, who became a doormat to those women who never took him seriously. He omitted mentioning the women Ethan had just laid with out of pleasure. Few villagers married being saints, so it was not worth voicing those details. Either way, Ethan truly did not respect himself whenever he was dating someone, and that was why he always ended up worse for wear when things did not work out in the end.
Then, he jumped to Joseph. The roguish-looking guy that had no good traits at first sight, or even after knowing him later on. He had sincerely heard some incredible stories about Joseph that even made the crook of their own village a prude. But! He had also heard about Joseph's story with that girl he had wanted to marry the previous year.
The man even wanted to buy land for her! If that was not being devoted, then what was?
Next, and according to Ethan, Lucas and Felix had never had a woman before, yet from how little he had seen of their interaction with Isabelle (from the day before when the three had asked him where they could buy duck, and when Felix took the opportunity to invite him to their wedding meal), it looked as if she was put on a pedestal by them.
Monthe was really happy the four Edris brothers were finally settling down. Especially with a woman who had her feet on the ground, had a good head on her shoulders, and was beautiful to boot.
Of course, he did not say that last part to his Wife. His Vieve might look calm, and was calm and passive most of the time, yet when she got angry… Monthe suffered a lot from her mood swings when she was pregnant with their boy, so he did not want to earn her ire even when the baby was already out. And talking about the devil…
The chubby bundle in her arms moved and whined. "Ssh… Don't wake up. We're not there, yet." Vieve appeased their son. Luckily, the little guy was too tired from having to wake up very early and went back to sleep.
The couple and baby soon entered Yellow Leaf Village and made their way to the very back of the village. The sun had already come out, so men and women went about the village to head to their patch, to the market, or to visit others. Apart from that, there was not any liveliness proper of a family about to have a wedding.
Villages were usually a tight-knit community, so a wedding was not only an event for the families involved, but for the whole village, too.
"Are they really not that liked?" Vieve softly asked Monthe.
Her husband had mentioned beforehand how the brothers were barely accepted in their village. She dismissed the comment as she herself was not the most popular girl in the village either. However, even she had been congratulated by everybody at their village when she married. Though, that might have been because Monthe was adored by everybody there.
Still…
Monthe shook his head. "To the Edris, it's best if they're ignored by the village." Vieve pursed her lips at those words. She did not have a good opinion on the brothers, but she did not wish for others to be ostracized and picked on like she had been. After this, her opinion on the brothers changed. Just a bit.
The cart continued on their way past the cultivated plots of land that showed off their lush greenery. "Are we there, yet?" Vieve inquired. At this point, are we entering the mountains?Just how far away they live? She wondered.
"Almost." Monthe replied. He could see the road veering to the right. The brothers' house was right before a crossing. Though, he hesitated when he saw an imposing bamboo fence where he knew the house stood. "And we're here." He said, a bit unconfident, stopping the cart before the lower fence that barely showed the humble house inside from their vantage point.
He had been at the house before; in the times when he was chasing after Vieve and Ethan was going around looking for a woman to settle down. The two were young, were doing temporary jobs to earn a few coins and sometimes spent those hard-earned coins in drinks. In one of those outings, they got drunk. Or well, Ethan had gotten drunk and Monthe had no choice but to take him back.
That's how he met all the brothers and knew where they lived. Monthe back then understood why no woman wanted to settle with Ethan. He did not think it out of malice, but as a fact.
"It's nice." Vieve commented, peering at the clean yard and the flowers.
"Wasn't this nice before." Monthe muttered, getting down from the cart and then helping his wife down. Suddenly, the front gate opened and out came a well-dress man. The couple blinked and stared at the man.
"Thanks for coming! Lucas and Joseph are gettin' things ready at the plot, and Ethan'll soon return from droppin' Isabelle at her friend's house. Come on in!" The man… teen… Felix brightly smiled, gesturing at them to walk in and to get comfortable, not forgetting to tie up the horse at the fence.
Monthe and Vieve remained perplexed. The nice clothes contrasted a lot with the humble house. Were they in a dream? They pinched each other and confirmed they were not asleep on their bed. How… When… What? They did not even know which questions they had to ask. Eventually, they settled into the most obvious one:
Who made such nice clothes?!
Vieve wanted to meet that person and befriend them!
"Food's already prepared. I just wanna bother you with making sure it stays warm." Felix put on a troubled expression while looking at Vieve and the baby in her arms.
"Not a bother! Leave it to me! Don't dirty the clothes by going into the kitchen." She quickly acquiesced, and even told the teen to sit down. If he dirtied such nice clothes…
Come to think of it, if they were dressed like this, will their Wife be dressed as nicely? Vieve's thought filled her with expectancy. She could not wait for the time they returned from town, already married!
…
Early in the morning, when the sun had not even peaked over the horizon yet, Jean excitedly received Isabelle who pecked Ethan on the lips as farewell before seeing him off. It was still dark outside, but the house was brightly lit with lanterns.
"Good morning, Mr. Dodds." Isabelle greeted the already dressed and suited man sitting on the comfortable looking sofa of the nicely decorated living room. It was not lavish, carrying a homely feeling instead, but the good quality of the furniture could still be seen.
The couples' house was not located in the upper side of Basin Town, where all the wealthy people lived; however, the houses around were all made of brick and wood and were very spacious. It was not strange for a house to have a front yard, a back yard, or even a court yard. A huge upgrade from the mostly wood and mud houses from villages that consisted of only one big room.
"Hm." Mr. Dodds nodded, not making an effort to stand and properly greet her, sleepy as he looked and was. His eyes were barely open and even then, he did not nod in Isabelle's direction.
Isabelle blinked and pursed her lips, suppressing her laugh. It was so strange to see the sharp man looking so out of sorts. "Don't mind him. He's not a morning person." Jean whispered with a fond smile as she pulled Isabelle towards the room where she placed the dress and other things needed to comb hair and do make-up. "Make-up or hair first?" She asked, gesturing at what she had prepared.
"Make-up, I guess. Then, I can eat some snacks I prepared as breakfast. The dress comes next, and finally the hair." Isabelle listed out.
"Perfect!" Jean clapped and put herself to work.
In Basin Town, it was normal to draw flowers on the bride's face. Especially on the forehead. The more flowers that could be drawn, the better the blessing for a successful marriage. Isabelle's face was too beautiful to have all those flowers drawn in Jean's opinion. So, her idea was to paint one sole red flower in the middle of her brow.
But first, she had to clean the face.
Jean's mother was not from Basin Town, so she knew little about the marrying traditions; that was why Jean had to ask around to know more about the make-up tradition. In the end, she decided to draw her make-up herself. Her mother was fine with the decision and Jean let herself experiment before the big day. That was how she came up with rose water.
During her investigations, she had heard about rich ladies using it in their baths to cleanse themselves and nourish the skin. Jean, obviously, could not take those kinds of baths as there was no way she could afford to buy a lot of roses. So, she only focused on making rose water to cleanse her face. Truthfully, at first, she did not see any effects but still kept using it. With time, though, results started showing. Her skin was smoother and less pimples appeared.
"This smells nice." Isabelle said once her face was cleansed.
"I'll write down the recipe so you can make it on your own. It's really useful." Jean had no qualms in sharing her own product. Isabelle had told her not to prepare a gift as doing her hair and make-up was enough. Jean had wanted to follow her friend's wishes, but she still succumbed to the festive mood and arranged for something special with the help of her husband. A big surprise!
"Ok, don't move. I'll paint now." Jean warned.
Because Isabelle's tone of skin was already very light – at least lighter than many women in town –, Jean did not apply too much powder, just to even out the tone. Due to the powder, the thin brows had to be drawn. However, Jean did not add anything more to the shape as they were very pretty already, just made them visible.
After that, a pair of precisely kohl-lined eyes appeared on Isabelle's face. Jean sweated while doing that as she had wanted for the line to look perfect as perfect as possible. Once that was done, she shook her wrists and moved onto the eyelashes, curling them with a heated long needle. Jean exhaled as she finished the eyes.
Then, she dusted a bit of rouge on Isabelle's cheeks with a brush she had specially made for it. Finally, she took out the red pigment to paint the lips and draw the flower. For the lips, Jean had to paint them a little bit thicker so they would look like two rose petals. To paint the flower, she first rolled her sore arm, giving her time to decide which flower would look best, and then put herself to work.
At first, she thought of making a simple three-petal peach blossom. But, taking into account that it was going to be just the one flower, the three petals became fifteen, plus the sepals and two leaves. It was a precise job that left her arm tired. When Jean finished, she heavily sat down. Her heart, though, pumped in excitement after looking at the final production.
"Are you done?" Isabelle asked, opening her eyes and wondering why Jean had stopped moving. She found Jean sitting in front of her with a silly grin. "Are you alright?"
"Huh?" Jean blinked away her stupor. "Oh, yes! Everything is perfect! You look perfect!" She gushed.
Isabelle shyly smiled. "It is thanks to you." She was curious to know what kind of make-up she was wearing, but her stomach reminded her of the long walk to town, and the time she spent sitting. "I guess now is a good time to eat." She chuckled, embarrassed about her loud stomach.
Felix, the sweetheart, prepared tiny pancake-like things filled with the orange jam he made a few days ago. Since they were bite sized, Isabelle had no worries in eating them and ruining the make-up. She only had problems with the tea, and the paint on the lips had to be reapplied and sealed with more powder.
When she finished eating, it was time to put on the dress.
Isabelle had the foresight of making a corset style on the top. It could be adjusted on the waist area thanks to straps at the back. Because of that, and because the part of the neck had to be tied around, there was enough space to put it on without ruining the make-up. Once in place, Jean started tightening the straps at the back while Isabelle tied the neck.
Jean loved the smooth feeling of the fabric, the sheen, the embroidery in red at the upper part and sleeves, and the loose skirt that fluidly flowed with each of Isabelle's moves. Even the clothe shoes were embroidered! She really loved the whole set, which gave her a nice idea on how to comb the bride's hair: a simple updo with a few flowers adorning it and a few strands framing the face.
"You're ready." Jean breathed, admiring her creation. Those guys will fall at Isabelle's feet!
"Thank you." Isabelle grabbed her friend's hand and squeezed it. Jean wobbly smiled, seeing the immense gratitude in Isabelle's eyes. "Now, would you do me the honor of being my witness?" She brightly smiled at Jean who quickly nodded, not trusting her voice to not break.
A knock on the door informed the two women it was time. "You done in there?" Mr. Dodds inquired.
"One moment!" Jean cried out. There was a bit of rushed rustling. And, truly, a moment later, the door opened and out came his Wife wearing make-up, too. She was followed by an impressive-looking woman.
She was beautiful, yes, but the thing about Isabelle Edris was always the presence. She had poise and dignity etched into her very being that could be felt even when she wore her everyday clothes. Now, dressed up so elegantly, Isabelle definitely did not lose against those rich ladies from town. Mr. Dodds could even vow she surpassed them. But well, food for thought for a later day.
Mr. Dodds nodded at Isabelle, acknowledging she looked good. "Let's go." He gestured at his Wife to take his arm while he directed their guest to board the carriage and then set for the Civil Affairs Office.
[End of volume 3: Nothing is easy in a relationship of four.]