The Edge of Harmony: The Guardian Maidens Book 2

by Marilyn Foxworthy

  I said, “Afraid? Why?”

  She said, “Because I have no idea what my life will be like now. I think that I died in your arms just now. I thought that I knew. I had expectations. I would belong to you as a widow-wife and I would care for you. I would love you, but I would have to remain a bit aloof, even as I made love to you. You would love me, but like an aunt. Not that you would have sex with your aunt, but still, like a relative, not as a true husband. No, not even that because I never even knew what love was from my first husband, and he never spoke to me the way that you did. Not in sixteen years. But this isn’t like I expected. Oh, Ronin, you didn’t climax!”

  I smiled and said, “I will. Before the night is over, trust me. I will. Making love is wonderful, and I am very well aware that I get more of it if I don’t spend myself too fast. I have five beautiful wives to care for. And not just once a month, I assure you.”

  Alice smiled and hugged herself against my arm.

  I said, “And, I want you with me more tonight, but we need to go see if Lucy is here.”

  Chapter 16 - Lucy Visits Dawn

  Downstairs, we were just in time to see Lucille rushing through the door. She was followed quickly by Harmony, Gerald, and Jean. Lucy came straight to me and hugged me and gave me a good kiss.

  She threw off a light wrap that she had worn on her shoulders and said, “You scamp. Calling me like that. I didn’t even know what was happening. By the time that Harmony met us, we were half way here.”

  And then she hugged me again and smelled me and whispered, “You smell like sex. You and Alice? Oh, and Brenda too? You wonderful scamp. You smell good. No, the others won’t detect it. And I won’t tell.”

  Then louder she said, “Now, I guess Harmony filled me in pretty good. I’ll go see what I can do. I think that I can help. Dawn will be fine. I’ll help her see the truth, and she’ll be fine. These things are just terrible misunderstandings because of the trauma we suffer. We think that something is still happening, or about to happen again, even though it’s long past. I’ll help her disconnect the present from the past, and she will be fine. Oh you luscious scamp. I could eat you,” and she ran up the stairs to where Dawn and Val were.

  That left me, Alice, Harmony, Brenda, Gerald, and Jean together in the living room.

  Brenda said, “I made enough supper for everyone. Go out to the garden, and I’ll bring it out to you.”

  I said, “But Brenda, you’re going to eat with us, aren’t you?”

  She looked slightly startled and then said, “Oh, yes. I suppose that I am.”

  Alice said, “Let me help you get it ready,” and the two of them headed to the kitchen.

  I greeted Gerald and Jean and welcomed them and led us out to the table in the courtyard.

  Gerald said, “Well, Harmony told us the bulk of it, but do you have anything more to add?”

  I said, “There were three men who abducted Dawn originally. One of them I killed at the river when I rescued her. The other two traveled west and were to meet the dead man a few weeks later. A few days ago, the second man appeared in the village and recognized Dawna and lured us into an alley where Dawn killed him and left him on the ground.”

  Gerald said, “I had heard about that. His body was found, his blood drained on the ground, and no indication of how or why. No one knew who he was, and with all of the activity at the farm, no one took much notice. I suppose in other times it would have created quite a stir.”

  I said, “Dawn killed him painlessly. The third man appeared today. He said that he had seen the body of the first and come east looking for Dawn and the second man. By asking around, he found out that the man was dead. He heard that I was a newcomer and that the girl that he was looking for might be with me, and he pretended to be my friend and found out where we lived. The other two men with him were brothers of the man that Dawn killed. The three of them mistreated both Brenda and Alice, and we met them in the street holding a knife to Brenda’s throat and threatening to do vile things to all of the girls after they had killed me.”

  I paused and no one spoke for several seconds and I said, “Oh, so obviously, Harmony and I killed all three of them, and here we are at dinner.”

  Gerald said, “Oh, as simple as that. Well, good then. All clean and tidy.”

  I said, “Except for the way that Brenda and Alice were mistreated, and now Dawn is suffering with her memories, now that all of her tormentors are dead.”

  Jean said, “How are Brenda and Alice? How badly were they treated?”

  I said, “Both of them are bruised and sore. If the men weren’t dead, I would kill them for that. But beyond that, they are fine. If Harmony and I had not come where we did, it would have been much worse. They planned to kill me and then move into the house and abuse the women until they tired of them, and leave them dead when they left.”

  Gerald said, “And they would have abused and mistreated much more of the village before they were done. This is the third time that you have saved us all. And, quickly, before dinner is set, what about Brenda and Alice? What is their status?”

  I said, “I had never heard of the widow-wife custom, and I didn’t know until today that they could be more than our housekeepers. It has been explained to me, and I love them both very much and they are going to be with us forever.”

  Gerald said, “Good. Lucy told us that they would be. I was in complete agreement, of course. This is a good arrangement. And the girls are happy with it?”

  Harmony said, “There was no other way. And I like them very much anyway. You should have seen what Alice did with Ronin and Dawn last night.”

  Gerald raised an eyebrow, and I said, “I didn’t touch either of them until it was settled this afternoon.”

  Gerald said, “Son, it wouldn’t have mattered. I was curious about what it could have been. But don’t tell me.”

  Jean said, “So, we have two more of our widows as widow-wives now. Gerald, Anne is still available.”

  Gerald said, “Anne? No, she is with one of the farm workers. I asked him about it myself. It was all arranged. Anne is fine.”

  Jean laid her hand on her husband’s arm and said, “Not entirely. The man is providing for her, but they are struggling. She is a servant in his house, and he is kind to her, but she is not his widow-wife according to our custom.”

  Gerald said, “Oh. That is unfortunate. I had hoped that she would be happy. She is a very lovely woman and deserves a good man.”

  At that moment, Brenda and Alice came to the patio, carrying dishes for our meal. I made sure that there were enough chairs for everyone, and dinner was arranged. Brenda and Alice stood awkwardly beside the table, hesitant to sit down.

  I said, “Ladies, please. Don’t widow-wives eat the same as everyone else?’

  Jean smiled and said, “They certainly do. Sit down.”

  Brenda and Alice sat down and we started to dish out our meals.

  Brenda said, “Um, when we were with our first husband, as kind as he was, he preferred to eat alone.”

  I said, “What? He didn’t eat with you?”

  Alice said, “No. Not often.”

  Brenda exclaimed suddenly, “Oh, to hell with it. It’s stupid to lie. Alice and I were more or less virgins in so many ways until an hour ago that you might as well think that this is our first time in a man’s house. For goodness sake, yeah, we were in his bed, but until today, neither of us had really ever been made love to, and we had certainly never been fucked nicely before. And we never really knew what sex was and we had never had an orgasm that we didn’t give ourselves and it’s a miracle that we ever had children. He was a kind man, no he wasn’t even very kind. You could say that he was a man who wasn’t rough with us, but now, now we have a husband for the first time. I’m just going to say it. Harmony speaks her mind, and so will I. I’m happy now. I love my new husband. My first was a kind man in that he gave us a place to live, but he wasn’t a good husband. I never knew it, but now I do. Ronin is my husband,
and I never had another. I had a man who didn’t comfort me and we had some difficult sharing of sexual needs, but I was a virgin in all respects until today. And now I’m a woman. Everything, I mean everything, is new to me. When Ronin tried to make love to me, I didn’t even know what was happening. I didn’t even recognize that I was having an orgasm at first, because I had never felt anything like that before. I thought that I was having some kind of episode or that I was dying. But what a way to go! And, you may not believe me, but when he first touched me with his cock, I didn’t know what it was! I didn’t even know what was about to enter me, because I had never seen or felt anything like it. And I almost never sat down to dinner like this. With my husband and family. And I certainly never talked like this before. Like Harmony does. And never in front of another man. Oh, wait, I mean not in front of my father-in-law! Gerald, we’ve known each other a long time, and I respect you, but now we’re family and your son is a stud horse and I don’t care who knows it.”

  Gerald cleared his throat and said, “Um, I’m very happy for you.”

  Jean laughed out loud and said, “So, is that how you want Anne to feel? That she is as happy as our dear Brenda says that she is now?”

  Gerald looked at Jean and said, “I suppose so. Brenda is happy. All women should be.”

  Jean eyed him and said, “And are you going to do something about it?”

  Gerald frowned and said, “You mean talk to the man? I don’t know what I could say. It’s their business, not mine.”

  Harmony said, “Gerald, she means that you should go tell Anne that she’s coming with you and drag her off to the farm and fuck her brains out like you do for Jean and Lucy, and how your stud of a son-in-law does for me and Dawn and Val and Brenda and Alice. Why are men so dense? It’s infuriating! Alice, did you feel the same way?”

  Alice grinned and said, “I think that Brenda has learned to be a bit bolder than I have, but yes, I did. For me it was different though. For me, it was when he held me in his arms and really let me know that he loved me. I was a virgin in all the ways that Brenda said, but for me it was especially when he started to love me. That’s what I didn’t understand. The way he held me and whispered to me. I didn’t know what was happening to me. I felt like I was floating away. Or touching the ground for the first time. And he made love to me, and that was very different physically, like Brenda said, but he held me close and I melted. I belong here.”

  Harmony said, “Of course you belong here. I can see the chords, and …”

  I shot Harmony a glance in warning, and she stopped herself from revealing more than she should.

  She said, “I mean, we all see that you are one of us and we love you. I may get frustrated sometimes, because I’m easily bored now, but I love you the same as we all do. Please don’t ever be afraid of me.”

  Gerald said, “Harmony, you are a dear. We aren’t afraid of you.”

  Harmony glared at Gerald and said, “I said that Alice shouldn’t be afraid. You on the other hand should fear for your life. You should be afraid. Very afraid.”

  Gerald looked shocked and Jean laughed.

  Harmony went on, saying, “Gerald, first, you have both Jean and Lucy now. Jean was a handful, but the two of them together may kill you. And then revive you, and kill you again. They will kill you every evening and revive you at sunrise. Aunt Jean is something special, but Lucy will be the death of you. Over and over. Second, you are so slow witted and dense that if you don’t do what Jean and Lucy tell you to do about Anne, I’ll kill you myself. I’m happy. And in love. So are Brenda and Alice. So are Dawn and Val. So are Jean and Lucy. And because of that, we are a council of women in the village who will bring swift justice where needed and furious wrath upon those who oppose us in finding happiness for every woman who wants it. Anne wants it. You are her hero. Do your duty, or so help me, the Guardians of the Council of Love and Happiness will…, well, we’ll do something and you won’t like it at all. You get me?”

  Gerald just stared, but Jean was practically rolling on the ground, laughing.

  Jean said, “Now Harmony, it isn’t as bad as that.”

  Gerald said, “Jean? Is that right? Do you and Lucy want me to speak to Anne about being with us as a widow-wife?”

  Jean said, “Gerald, Dear, think clearly. Is this a new day for all of us? Is Anne a widow because of the troubles at our farm? Did she lose her husband, and is her young son fatherless because of it? Does she need a husband to rescue her now and care for her? Is she too old for it? Is there a reason for her not to have the same happiness that we do? Is she pretty? Not that being pretty is the most important thing, but is she? And is she a joy to be around? Does she light a room when she enters? Is she a good cook? Does she want anything more than to make her husband and the rest of the family calm and at peace? Is she finding true happiness where she is? Is she destined to be a housekeeper for wages, or a loved and loving widow-wife?”

  Lucy , Val, and even Dawn were joining us now and the three of them took seats with us at the table.

  Lucy said, “Are we talking about Anne? Jean, I thought that we would wait a few days.”

  Jean said, “It came up. And harmony told her father, our dear husband that if he didn’t do his duty and make the woman happy, that she would gut him as an example to the other men in the village that no one should oppose the, I think that she called it, The Guardians of the Council of Love and Happiness.”

  Jean started laughing again, but then calmed herself and said, “I was just asking our dear husband and lord if he had really thought about what Anne’s life should be.”

  Gerald said, “Lucy, what do you think of it? You and Jean have talked about it already, I take it?”

  Lucy smiled and said sweetly, “Gerald, my prince, it is entirely up to you, as are all things related to your house.”

  Gerald said pleasantly, “So then, according to that, I have no say in the matter at all, and it is settled already, and I am already betrothed to her. Have you told her yet? And Lucy, when did you become the village matchmaker?’

  Lucy smiled and said, “No, we haven’t said a word to Anne. As for me being the matchmaker, well, I don’t remember.”

  Val said, “She told me that Ronin was coming a week before he arrived and that I should start taking the mating potion.”

  Harmony said, “She told me at the same time. Val and I were together.”

  Brenda said, “It was Lucy who called us to the farm house to have you talk to us about our place with him.”

  Jean said, “Dear, if there is a matchmaker, can you think of anyone better than your Lucy for the job?”

  Gerald smiled cheerfully and said, “No, for the life of me, I couldn’t. Do we really want to discuss this now? Don’t we want to hear how Dawn is doing? And give me a moment to consider my fate? At the hands of Jean, Lucy, and now Anne, rather than suffering the furious wrath of the Guardian Maiden Avenger of Sturgil’s Mark?”

  Dawn was seated now as she said, “I’m fine. I’m really good. Lucy showed me how to see that those men are dead and that what happened to me was weeks ago and that now I am safe and in love. But, I missed something. Brenda and Alice, did they say that you are with us as widow-wives now? Oh, after what happened today, of course you are. Oh that’s wonderful. Of course you are. I mean, we knew that you had to be, even last night, and we said it this morning, and we said that Gerald had to talk to Ronin about it because he didn’t know about widow-wives.”

  Brenda said, “He does now,” and she grinned.

  Dawn said, “That’s splendid. You both look so happy. This is wonderful. I’m so happy. And Father, will you make this woman Anne happy now too? We all need to be happy and help as many as we can. It’s what we do.”

  I thought that maybe Dawn was talking a bit differently than she used to. A bit more naive or something, but I expected that it was because she was currently feeling very happy, having been unburdened of her pain and trauma by whatever Lucy had done with her.

/>   Everyone looked at Gerald. He took a deep breath and said, “Well, if I am going to answer your questions, yes, Anne is a very pretty widow.”

  Jean laughed and said, “Um, there were a lot of other questions besides that one.”

  Gerald winked at all of us and said, “But are any of those so important? Really? No, I think that we have our answer. The only question is, did our wonderful matchmaker decide it or not? If she did, then mere mortals like myself have nothing to do but receive her blessings. Harmony, run down the street and ask Anne to pack her bags and hurry back here so that I can make love to her.”

  Harmony smiled and started to stand up, but Lucy stopped her and said with a grin, “All in good time. Gerald can go to her tomorrow. Tonight, we eat a nice meal, which looks and smells delicious by the way, and then we wish our children a peaceful night. Brenda and Alice, shall I go and stay with your children for the night?”

  Brenda and Alice looked at each other and then Alice said, “I think that we had better go home later. If you go, there will be questions. Especially from the older one. We will sit them down and talk it over when we go home. Or in the morning.”

  I said, “Ladies, I don’t know how this works, but would it be out of line for me to come and meet them and be with you when you talk to them? Can I reassure them that I love you both and that I will love them and things like that? If not, I won’t, but if it will help, I would be happy to meet them and make them understand who I am and that I care about them. And about both of you.”

  Lucy exclaimed, “Yes. That’s a wonderful idea. Oh, Brenda and Alice, I advise you to do just what our hero says. Yes. I can see it going very well indeed. What do you think?”