Yozef ran a hand through his hair, as he considered his situation.
“I’m not sure how I think about any of this. Back home, before I came to Caedellium, my wife was with child. I lost both of them, and now there’s the possibility of a child here that I wouldn’t raise.”
Okay, so Julie and I weren’t married yet, but we were going to be, and there was the child I don’t even know if exists.
Filtin’s expression was sympathetic. “I’m sorry about your family, Yozef. You’ve never said anything about them, and I guess I’d assumed you weren’t married.”
“It’s just that I’ve been adjusting to the reality of never seeing them, and now there could be a child here.”
“Maybe it would be God’s gift to you to replace the child you lost. It’s up to you to decide what you want to do, Yozef, just as it is Bronwyn’s decision to do whatever she wants. Again, I’d advise talking to her about all this. Openness is always best.”
The suggested conversation took place the next evening when Yozef made his sixday trip to the farm. A stew was simmering, according to Bronwyn needing another half hour to finish. He thought they should have the conversation before eating and heading to the bedroom. Yozef took a deep breath and leaped.
“Bronwyn, can we sit and talk?”
She turned from cleaning a dish and looked at him with a raised eyebrow at his serious tone. Wiping her hands on an apron, she sat opposite him at the table.
“Bronwyn, you know I come from a different land than Caedellium.”
She nodded.
“The customs in my homeland aren’t the same as they are here. That means sometimes there can be misunderstandings between me and people here on the island. I try to understand the customs here, but often I’m not sure whether my understanding is correct.”
She sat back a little in her chair, as if thinking she knew where Yozef was heading.
“My people would say that two such as ourselves should both understand what is happening between them. I’d like to be sure that’s true for us.”
Bronwyn tilted her head to one side with a puzzled look. “What’s happening between us? We’re bedding, and I hope to get with child. What’s not to understand?”
Well, shit. That answers that.
“I just wanted to be sure there was no misunderstanding. In my land, having a child places a strong responsibility on both parents to care for the child.”
“As it does here,” said the still puzzled woman. “I’ll admit, I first thought you might be a possible husband, but we’re too different. This farm is my life, and I won’t leave it. For you, your shops and experiments and all the other things you do are your place. If a child comes, you’re an honorable man and of means, so I’ve no doubt you’ll be generous in providing for it.”
So, I guess I’m the rich sperm donor. It wasn’t a score for his ego, but he could see the rationale from this culture’s point of view.
Bronwyn crossed her arms. “Although we share beds for now, I assume it will end. Is that what you’re telling me, that you wish the bedding to end?”
“No.” Maybe. “I was just concerned about you and the possibility of a child.”
“It seems this is the only way I’ll have a child, since marriage isn’t likely.”
“Haven’t there been men interested in you, and you in them?”
“Very few. Those who wanted to marry me either I wouldn’t have or they were mainly interested in getting control of the farm.”
“How did you first meet your husband?”
“We grew up on neighboring farms. His family had three boys and mine were three girls. There were few other farms in the area at that time. My sisters and I grew up with those three boys, the only other children we’d see for months at a time. One of the boys, Cynwin, I wanted to marry, but my sister Dellia got a commitment from him first.” Bronwyn laughed. “If I didn’t love Dellia so dearly, I’d have hated her. The next son was Murdrew. He was my second choice and, truth be told, just as reliable as his older brother. So I married him.”
“Did the other son also marry your other sister?”
“No. He died in a horse fall while taking part in a search for Eywellese intruders in northern Keelan. My other sister married and lives near Caernford, which is just as well, since I could never stand her. Dellia and Cynwin live a mile from here. When our parents died, the land was divided among their three daughters. Luvolia sold her section without even asking whether Dellia and I could somehow buy it—the bitch. Dellia and Cynwin have three children already.” The last words were wistful. “I love visiting them and the children, but every time I see them, I’m reminded of being childless.”
Yozef thought for a moment, then said, “It’s not just you who has this problem. It seems to be an issue throughout Keelan Province and maybe all of Caedellium.”
Bronwyn nodded sadly. Neither spoke for several minutes, each in a private world. Yozef mulled over Bronwyn’s dilemma, forgetting for a moment his relationship with her, when a stray thought coalesced in his mind.
“Looking at it from the perspective of the entire island, and given the trends, there may be one obvious solution, although a difficult one. If there are too many women for the number of men, some men could have more than one wife.”
Bronwyn shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “I’ve heard of that happening elsewhere, but what does the Word say?”
“As explained to me, the Word doesn’t forbid it but demands husband and wife treat each other with love and respect, and of course, the primary responsibility is to care for children. Such marriages don’t seem to happen often here in Keelan, though supposedly it’s a more common practice in other provinces.”
Bronwyn shook her head and had a sour expression. “What woman wants to share a house and a husband with another woman? I certainly would never agree to that.”
“I didn’t say it was a good solution, just a possible one. Back to ourselves, and just to help me be sure I understand everything, our bedding will continue as long as we both want it. If a child results, you’ll raise the child, and I’ll provide support, but we don’t expect a long-term relationship between the two of us?”
“Of course, that’s understood.” She stood up and moved to the stove. “I believe the stew is ready, so we can eat,” she said matter-of-factly.
So much for a big dramatic scene. And how about the nice weather today? It made for comfortable fence mending and manure shoveling.
But a child? He hadn’t been sold on Julie and he having one so soon, and now this. He was confused. Maybe nothing would happen. She had been married several years and had only gotten pregnant once, so it might not happen with him.
They continued as before and never spoke about the topic again, but during the next five sixdays, the nights they spent together decreased from four nights a sixday to three, then two, and finally Yozef arrived at the farm after they hadn’t seen each other for a complete sixday. A cart hitched to two horses was tied to the front rail. As he rode up, Bronwyn came out the house to meet him.
Her face was serene. “Please come inside, Yozef, I have something to tell you and some people for you to meet.” She took his hand and led him inside. A man and a woman about Bronwyn’s age sat in the main room. The woman looked like a chunkier version of Bronwyn.
“Yozef, this is my sister Dellia and her husband, Cynwin. As I told you, they live nearby.”
Yozef nodded, said a greeting to them both, and clasped an offered forearm with Cynwin.