Roanoke (The Keepers of the Ring) by Angela Hunt & Angela Elwell Hunt

Author:Angela Hunt & Angela Elwell Hunt
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: HuntHaven Press
Published: 2013-09-20T04:00:00+00:00

No matter how new or treacherous, life has a way of falling into a routine. At the first sign of a brightening sky, Jocelyn would awaken to sounds of Thomas rising. He rose, dressed, and left for the church without breakfast. Invariably Audrey would descend from the attic to help Jocelyn dress after Thomas’ departure, and Jocelyn wasn’t sure whether Audrey waited because she feared Thomas or merely wanted to stay out of his way. ‘Twas an unusual existence, Jocelyn knew, but Audrey seemed pleased to be sleeping in her rightful place and the people of the colony seemed to intuitively know that the minister belonged to them. The church building was the one place he seemed to feel truly at home. During the week, his parishioners visited him there, often bringing him food or other tokens of appreciation for his prayers, and Jocelyn felt that in an odd way the entire village was more wedded to him than she was. Very few of the Christmas gifts Thomas brought home were designed for Jocelyn’s enjoyment as well as his, and the friendly nods of appreciation after his Sunday sermon were directed toward him alone. Men and women alike shared with him their confidences as they asked for prayer, children ran to him for his blessing, and his resonant voice could cut through any argument and settle it with a well-placed quote from Holy Scriptures. Only Beth Glane and John and Jane Jones kept a careful distance from him, lifting their Bibles before their eyes as he spoke his Sunday sermon, seeming to prefer their own communion with God to the village’s communal worship.

When his day was done, Thomas came home to sit at the board and eat the supper Jocelyn and Audrey had prepared. During the meal he inquired about what each woman had accomplished. His tone was always agreeable and respectful, but his pleasantness vanished each night as Audrey climbed the ladder to the loft where her mattress now lay. After Thomas dimmed the lamp, he would kneel by the hearth and pray in a rough whisper for an hour or more, and, after saying her brief prayers, Jocelyn rarely remained awake long enough to feel the mattress shift as he climbed into bed beside her. He never spoke to her, never touched her, never reached for her as he had on their first night together.

Often, when she awoke in the middle of the night and heard his deep, labored breathing, Jocelyn pressed her hands onto her belly and told herself that ‘twas enough having him at her side. She had never expected joy or happiness in marriage, and she had known from the beginning that his heart belonged to another. ‘Twas natural that he wanted no more children to replace the boy he had to leave behind, but he had promised to take care of her and her child. ‘Twas enough, wasn’t it?

But then she would close her eyes and see her father, his eyes filled with pity and compassion as he gazed at her.

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