MANIFEST DESTINY Chapter 2.1

CHAPTER 2

         Ainsley stood in the middle of her bedroom incredulous that her father would sell her in a game of cards.  What had he thought?  How had it happened?  Why could he not see the needs of himself and her?  With fists clenched in anger as those thoughts and many others flooded her mind, the wind rattled the windows, a reminder about one of the whys.  Her father always went to the pub on days when he could not fish.

         She felt she was an honorable woman.  She usually did what people expected of her, but with what she faced, not without a fight.  He let a stranger win her in a game of cards!  Why did he have her father’s IOUs?  What was his true purpose?  She could not just stand there.  He expected her at the church.  Well, he could wait.  She had told her father a woman’s hour and a woman’s hour it would be.  She would show up when she was good and ready.  He didn’t know his name.  She shook her head.  How could he?

         Ainsley looked around her small but cozy room with the full-size bed across from the door, a lavender cover topped the bed, and the dresser next to the door.  A vanity near the window on the other side of the bed held her brushes, cosmetics, and perfumes.  She would look her best and she would not allow any man to dictate her actions before she married him.

         Theirs had not been an easy life.  Her mother had worked as a seamstress until she fell ill, while she tended to the nobler homes and took care of the children.  From these she received the few tokens on her vanity.  She also paid the rent saw to the food, and the few luxuries that came their way.  They did not have much, but what they had, she valued.

         Shaking her head she went into action.  No time to be standing in the middle of the floor wondering why.  She packed her few things, and wondered if she would return home or never see it again.  She would miss her home where she had been happy until her mother died.

         It had been a difficult time with her mother ill, and when she passed she wept for days, but unlike her father, she had taken on the necessities of the household.  Under her mother’s direction, she learned how to take care of the household accounts before she died.  Her mother’s last words to her were to take care of her father.  Her mother also told her how proud of her she was.

         Tears ran down her cheeks again as she remembered her mother’s last days.  She shook her head, dumbfounded.  He had not paid to have her mother buried in the churchyard.  She would stop there before she entered the church.

         Her thoughts turned toward the man to whom her father lost her.  What did he look like?  Her mind went numb with fear.  He could be some old depraved fool with one foot in the grave.  She cringed at the thought.  She had seen the men her father played cards with, as she passed the pub to take care of household needs.

         She stared at the full-length portrait of her parents painted soon after they married.  Her mother wore the Celtic ensemble that lay across her bed.  She had been a beautiful bride, and Ainsley looked just like her.

         “Oh Mama.”  She took up the picture and ran her hand over her mother’s face, all her emotions in that simple statement.  Ainsley set it back on her cosmetic table, as she took up the overdress, and with care held it in front of her.  She laid it on the bed, and finished her toilette as she sat in her best shift in front of her cosmetic table mirror.  The image looked troubled.  Her jade green eyes held questions and concerns she did not want to think about or voice.  She brushed her long chestnut hair until it was free of tangles and shown in the lamplight.

         She had ignored the exaggerated taunts and flattery of the boys she grew up with as she grew from a gangly youth, all eyes and legs, freckles smattered across her face, to the lovely young woman who looked back at her.  Many men also admired her in recent days, but she ignored them all.  It was incredible to believe she would marry a man she never met, and could not name.

         Ainsley wanted to look just like Mama on her wedding day, and practiced until she could fix her hair the way Mama had it in the picture.

         She took the white chemise and slipped it over her head.  Its long billowy sleeves felt like the softest petal of a flower.  A delicate flower pattern adorned the sleeves.  Her mother told her how her grandmother had spent hours to create the design on the sleeves and across the neckline.  With the chemise in place, she lifted the cotton skirt of meadow green over her head and smoothed it over her hips as it flowed to her feet.  Next, she took the close-fitted dark green velvet laced bodice and cinched the laces tight across her bosom to her waist.  Over the ensemble was the hooded tartan overskirt for the MacPherson clan, in homespun plaid.  Her grandmother had made it for her mother’s wedding day.  Last, she clasped the overskirt with a brooch at her neck.  Her mother told her the clasp belonged to her grandmother, a gift on her wedding day.  She looked at Mama’s picture again and back at the image in the mirror.  Only one thing was missing, and she had not seen it since her mother died.  She knew Mama would be proud of her, but would she be proud of Papa?  She only referred to her papa as father when she was upset with him, and he knew it.  They had a good relationship.  She loved him dearly, and she knew that despite his love of the cards, he loved her too.  He only took up the cards when Mama died.

         She finished with her hair, and sprayed a light rose scented perfume on her wrists, neck, and around her hair.  Then she picked up her carpetbag and left her chamber.  “Papa?”

         Ian looked up from the bottom of the stairs, relief on his face.  “Aye lass?”

         She saw the highland kilt he wore so little, and admired him.  “I am ready.”

         He stared at her.

         “Papa.”

         He came to himself.  “Ye look jist like yer mother the day I wed her.”

         Ainsley had a pensive look on her face.  “Is he at least young?”

         A grin split his face as he looked up at her.  “Aye, and handsome too.”

         Her heart grew lighter.  Young and handsome.  She wondered what type of man he was.  Obviously, he knew his way around cards.  She put those thoughts aside.  She would know soon enough.  “Time to go, Papa.”

         He helped her into a cloak to protect her from the elements, and took her free hand in the crook of his arm and her carpetbag in the other.

         Ainsley noticed the moisture in his eyes, and hugged his arm.  “Just remember it is your fault.”

         He looked up at her a sad look on his face.  “Aye, and well I ken it.  I am sorry lass.  I niver suspected his purpose.”

         They stopped at the door of the church, and Ainsley took a deep breath.  “You go in Papa.  I am going to see Mama, first.”

         “Dinnae be long; we ha’e tested his patience.”

         “We can test it a moment longer.  Tell him I am here saying goodbye to mother, and then I will be inside to join him.  Though, I am not sure why I am doing this.  I should let you go to debtor’s prison.  I am sure it will feel like prison to me, bridled to someone I dinnae ken.”

         “I am sorry to ha’e done this to ye, truly.”

         “I know, Papa.  Go, I will only be a moment.”

         She watched him go into the church, while she went through the gate to the churchyard and knelt by her mother’s grave.  “Mama, oh Mama.”  Her tears fell copiously down her cheeks.  She did not know what to expect or what her life would be like.  “I truly wish you were here.  Faither sold me to a mon in a card game.  Ye wouldna let him do it I know it.  What am I to do?  What will my life be like?  I do not even know if I will return home.”  She barely kept her tears in check as she finished her prayers and looked up to see her father’s return.  She stood to her feet, brushing the dirt from her skirt, and waited.

         Ian hurried back to the churchyard and held out his hand to her.  “Come lass.  He’s waited long enough.”

         Ainsley took his hand and allowed him to lead her inside still angry that he had done this to her, but knowing no way out.  She brushed a stray tear away and took a deep breath as her father opened the door.

         Inside she saw the constable nod his head at her, and trembled at what lay ahead as Ian helped her off with her cloak and hung it on a peg in the vestibule.

         She tried to remain angry as she glimpsed the man she would wed at the front of the sanctuary.  Tall and handsome in a dove gray coat, white waistcoat, and matching gray breeches.  White leggings and black buckle shoes completed her picture of him, as she looked again at his face.  She had never seen him in Aberdeen.  She would remember a face like that.  No man should have the right to be so handsome.

         Anger-laced eyes looked at him as Ainsley laid her hand on his arm and started toward the front.  “Remember, Papa, this is your fault.  I willna take the blame for what happens heretofore.”

         He patted her hand as they gained the front of the church, and took a step back from her.

         Ainsley stood beside him, looked into dark eyes, and saw only admiration, before they turned as one to face the vicar.  It felt like a dream, a very real dream she would soon wake from and find herself married to the man beside her.

         Turning to him, his companion placed a ring in his hand and she listened to the quiet baritone of his voice as he pledged himself to her.  She looked into his eyes as he slid the ring on her finger, opened her mouth, and pledged herself to Gareth Taliesin.

         The vicar brought her out of her trance as he pronounced final judgment on them.  “I now pronounce you man and wife.”

         When she looked into his eyes, Ainsley saw the dark look of admiration and possession.  Her breath caught in her throat at the look, and she realized he had taken her by the arm, and led her from the sanctuary.  He stopped in the vestibule and waited for the others to catch up with them.  He picked up her carpetbag while she put her cloak on before they headed out the door.

         Gareth’s companion met him in the vestibule.  Ainsley looked at him and noticed a kind face in the smile he bestowed on them both.  “Congratulations, Gareth, all my best to you.  I hope everything works out for you.”

         “Thank you David.  Will I see you in London?”

         “I cannot say.  I have a lot to see to when I get back.”  He turned to her and tipped his hat before he left the church.  “Madame.”

         The constable nodded his head at Gareth as he left and he in turn acknowledged him as he went out the door.

         The vicar placed the license before them as he came abreast of them.  “Ye will need to sign the license.”

         Surprise etched Ainsley’s face at the sight of the document.  “Is this legal?  How?”

         “Quite legal and quite necessary,” Gareth said.  “As to how, I approached the good Vicar when I arrived in Aberdeen.”

         “And when was that?”  Ainsley’s voice rose with her anger.

         Ian tried to calm her.  “Daughter.”

         “Faither, stay oot of this, ha’e ye noo caused enough trouble?”

         “You will calm yourself, madam.  It was necessary for me to obtain a license and did so.”

         Ainsley looked up at her new husband and felt the restriction of the ring on her finger.  She looked down at the license and feeling trapped beyond measure, signed the paper.

         “I also need you to record your names in the register,” the vicar said.

         Ainsley looked into the vicar’s gentle face before she signed her name to the register.  He had known her since he christened her.  He married her parents, taught her to read and write, and buried her mother the year before.

         He watched as they signed the register.  “Muckle happiness to ye both.”

         Gareth placed the license in the leather pouch he produced from beneath his waistcoat, and then donning his greatcoat turned to Ainsley.  “We need to leave.  I have much to do before leaving port.”

         Ian stood uncertainly in the middle of the vestibule.  “Then ye are not to be staying in Aberdeen?  Will I be seeing me daughter from time to time?”

         Ainsley donned her cloak before leaving the church.  Her father’s question was also uppermost in her mind as they stepped out of the church.  Her cloak billowed out in front of her as the wind took hold of it so that she needed to hold both the cloak and her hair in place as she looked up for his answer.

         Gareth opened his mouth, and then took one look at his young bride.  “My ship sails as soon as we board.  I can see from the look on my wife’s face that it is her wish as well not to be parted from you.  You have one hour to collect what you need, and bring it on board.”

         Ainsley bestowed a radiant smile in Gareth’s direction.  “Thank you.”  Her reply was soft and almost lost on the wind, as she watched her father leave the church and make his way home against the wind.

         Gareth turned to her as the wind rushed all around them.  “Do you have everything you need from your home?”

         She thought about her mother’s priceless dishes, and some of the other things that had made their house a home.  She thought too, that she did not have a way to transport it.  Her father would use the only trunk, and it could only hold his clothes.  She knew he waited for her answer as she looked up at him.  “I have nothing in which to transport any of mother’s things.”

         “Come.  We are going to need to hurry, this wind is treacherous.”  Gareth led her from the church, to a carriage, and handed her up to the seat before he sat beside her and took the reins in his hands.

         She took his reaction as a matter of course, and felt sorry that she would never see the things she cherished or her home ever again.  It would be enough for her father to join them.

         They soon stopped at the wharf where waves lashed against a large three-mast square-rigged merchant vessel in the harbor.  He handed her down and took her onboard.  “Stay here, I will be right back.”

         Ainsley watched him go into a cabin on the quarterdeck with her carpetbag a lost look on her face, as the wind threatened her bonnet and skirts.  He soon appeared, but instead of going to her, he disappeared below deck.

         She watched the activity around her as she waited.  In the center of the main deck, she saw a capstan, with poles all around used for lifting the anchor.  She was glad she knew enough about ships to recognize what she saw around her, though much larger than a fishing vessel.  Having never been on a ship that size she had seen enough of them in the harbor to recognize a merchant ship when she saw one.  She looked up at the masts with ropes connected to each one, and rigging leading to lookout towers perched high above the deck.  Sailors were in the rigging as they prepared the sails for departure.

         Gun ports lined the main deck.  She absently counted ten on the main deck, with more below.  She had seen numerous gun ports on the lower deck where she knew sailors and passengers’ quarters resided.

         Her father’s fishing vessel had a small crew, while her husband’s ship had a much larger crew she could not number as she watched them take care of the cargo around the deck.

         A ladder on either side of the door to the cabin her husband had come from led to the quarterdeck.  Across from the cabin, another set of ladders went up to the forecastle deck from which she saw the fore of the ship and glimpsed a piece of the figurehead, but not enough to know what it was.

         The ship looked new, and a little larger than ones she had seen in port before.  She would ask her husband what her exact size was, that is, if she could get over her initial anger of him. 

         She watched his return accompanied by two seamen with a chest.

         “Will this be large enough?”

         She looked at its size and knew it would be more than large enough, and her hopes and smile soared.  “Aye, thank you.”

         He took her arm, led her once again down the gangplank, and watched as he stowed the chest in the back.  The sailors also took a seat beside the trunk as they accompanied them.  He leaned in close to her ear so she could hear him above the wind.  “You will show my men what you want when we get to your home.”

         Ainsley showed him the way, and with his help from the carriage, went inside and met her father, as he was about to leave the house.

         Gareth watched the sailors lay the chest in the center of the floor.  “She will tell you what she wants.”

         They followed her from living room to kitchen, and then up in her room, took what she selected, and placed it in the trunk under the watchful eye of their captain, who lifted an occasional eyebrow at what found its way into the chest.

         She soon had all she wanted.  Her father watched in awe as they packed the trunk with all the things they treasured through the years. 

         Outside, Ian climbed aboard the carriage before Gareth gave Ainsley a hand up and made their way back to the ship.  “I puzzled over the name of the ship afore ye come to the hoose.  Where are ye bound?”

         “The ship is called Destiny’s Promise.  I make my home in Delaware Colony in the American Colonies.”

         “Delaware Colony?  Ye are nae from London where thet other gent is from?”

         “Both of us are from the colonies.”

         Gareth soon pulled the horses to a halt at the ship.  Ian looked up at the vessel that would carry them to their new home, and climbed down after his daughter, as they made their way up the gangplank.

         “Get ready to cast off!”  Gareth shouted as they gained the deck, and then turned to his wife and father-in-law, “This way.”

         Ian looked at the full sails as they snapped in the fierce wind.  “Ye are gaen to leave in this gale?”

         “The ship can handle it.”  He led them below and opened a door to a cabin.  One large window looked out on the angry sea.  “This will be your cabin, sir.”

         Ainsley looked at the room, wide enough for the narrow bunk and dresser, with enough room to walk to the end and look out the window, where she also saw a chair in the corner near the window.  Gareth then led her to their cabin below the quarterdeck, opened the door for her, and invited her in.

         Large windows crossed the end of a cabin about as large as her bedroom with a window seat in front of the windows, where one could sit and watch the activity beyond or the vast ocean if they were out to sea.  A wardrobe stood midway between the door and the windows with a doublewide bunk attached to the wall perpendicular the wardrobe.  Also beside the wardrobe stood a large roll top desk, where Ainsley could see all the ships work accomplished.  In the center was a small round table, lashed to the floor, where he took his meals.  She noticed her chest at the end of the bunk, where Gareth had set her carpetbag.  She turned and noticed a small door that led from the room, and looked at her new husband.

         “That leads to a small storage chamber.  I turned it into a dressing room for you.”

         She opened the door and looked in to see a small bare square room with a porthole on the far side.  “At least it is private.”

         “I built it to house fragile merchandise.”

         “You built it?”

         “I am a shipbuilder by trade.  I also have a trading business in Delaware Colony where we are going as soon as I complete my business in London.  This is the maiden voyage.  I take out each new vessel and try it for seaworthiness.”

         “I thought the ship looked newer than other ships I have seen.  It also looks somewhat larger than most.”

         “You are observant.  I built her on the lines of an East Indiaman.  It has a square hull, and more room for cargo.  It also gives more room for the cabins.  She is a good two feet broader and longer than one of their ships.  It was an experimental design.  You will see the same design in its sister ship Liberty captained by the same man who attended me at our wedding, Captain Alexander.

         She looked again at the small room and noted the hooks on the wall near the door.  Near the door stood a small table with a pitcher and basin, and candlestick.  A small porthole opened to admit the ocean breeze.

         When she re-entered the main cabin, he had changed into his uniform.  “It is a very interesting design.  Might I have a chance to look around your ship?  I have been on father’s fishing vessel, but this is much larger by far and it interests me.”

         “If that is your desire, I can escort you through the main areas, but right now, I need to prepare to leave port.  I will leave you to your own ends.  Is there anything you require before I leave you?”

         “Nae, thank you.  I will change out of my bridle clothes.”

         His eyes roamed over her attire again as he had done when she first saw him in the church.  “Very well.”

         As soon as he left she changed and put on a simpler gown, then without anything to do she became restless, and went over to the desk, opened the top ledger, calculated the sums, and noted the perfection of his solid script.  She opened another ledger, and found it to be the ships manifest.  She began to read it for wont of something to do.  The voyage from Delaware Colony had been uneventful.  Amid the weather forecasts, she read about the disputes aboard ship, and the means used to settle them.  He seemed to be an honest and fair-minded man.

         She soon felt the ship leave the harbor, and wanted to go on deck, but feared her husband.  A knock sounded on her door.  “Enter.”

         “I be the ship’s steward, Mistress.  Name is Jedidiah.  The captain sent me to ask if ye be wanting to see yer homeland afore it becomes lost to sight.”

         “Oh aye!”  She rushed past the steward, and went to stand near the rail as she watched the ship leave port.  Tears misted her eyes.  Aberdeen, her home from the moment of her birth, became smaller as they moved away.  She brushed the tears aside, and found a handkerchief offered to her.  She looked up into the dark depths of her husband’s eyes.  “Thank you.”

         “We will dock in London before we make our way across the Atlantic to my home.”

         She was timid.  He was a stranger, and she had no idea yet how to be a wife.  “Are you taking on cargo there?”

         “Yes, and I also want to get you a proper wardrobe.”

         “Ye want to buy me clothes?  Sir, I already have all I need.”

         A frown etched his features as he looked down at her.  “You are turning down my offer to see you properly clothed?”

         She noted the objectionable look on his face, but plunged on anyway.  “Sir, I have managed until now with the simple wardrobe I have.  I see no need for more.”

         “I am more than willing to outfit my wife with clothes, and I shall do so!”  He almost shouted at her, then turned on his heel and went back to his work.

         She sensed her husband’s disapproval, and wondered how she could calm the storm before it had a chance to brew.  She turned from the rail and started towards her cabin.  Looking up at her husband on the quarterdeck, she saw his stern expression, and hastened into the cabin as the steward opened the door for her and smiled.  “Thank you.”

         “My pleasure, Mistress.”  He tipped his cap and closed the door.

         Again at a loss of what to do, her mind went back to their conversation.  What did the Bible say about honoring one’s husband?  Perhaps she should not have opposed him, but she could see no sense on wasting good coin, especially in light of what they already owed.  Her thoughts continued to chase themselves around in her head.  She had seen his displeasure, and knew she had not been mistaken about the look he gave her.

         With nothing to occupy her, she soon found the motion of the ship made her drowsy.  Taking off her shoes, she pulled back the light covering on the bunk, and was soon asleep.

         Ainsley woke to almost complete darkness.  Only the lamp on Gareth’s desk and his profile in shadow showed she was not alone.

         Gareth turned at once.  “You are awake.  I will tell Jedidiah to bring us something to eat.”

         “I am sorry I did not have anything to occupy myself.  In London I shall get some thread and fabric to keep my hands busy while you work.”

         “You would allow me to get that for you?”

         She kept her face averted toward the floor.  She did not want to see his displeasure again.  “I must.  I am your wife.  I behaved badly before.  I am sorry.”

         He went over to her, and lifted her chin so she looked into his eyes.  “You have no need to fear me.  I will never harm you, but never say anything contrary to me in front of my men.  I demand respect at all times.  Now, are you hungry?”

         Startled by his gentle treatment, and the tone of his demand, one contrary to the other, especially with what she read in the manifest.  When he had a need to mete out disciplinary action with his crew, or settle a dispute, he had, of a necessity, been harsh.  “I will tidy myself for the meal.”

         Ainsley watched Gareth go to the door, and speak to Jedidiah, before she entered the dressing chamber.  “We will have our supper now.”

         “Very good, Captain.”

         She smoothed the wrinkles out of her best dress, one her mother made for her before she became ill.  It was sprigged muslin with purple heather printed on the simple Celtic design.  Gareth stood at his desk, quill in hand, as she came from the dressing chamber and went over to the windows and looked out at the ocean, though it was hard to see anything but the black water ending on a dark horizon set apart by stars in an inky black sky.

         A knock sounded on the door and she turned as Gareth called out, “Enter.”

         Jedidiah entered and laid the table with their dinner, and left.  Ainsley wondered what the night would bring.

         He looked at her when Jedidiah left the cabin.  “Come, eat.”

         She hastened to join him, surprised again when he prayed over the meal.  “Father, we come before you and ask your blessing on this food we are about to eat.  Amen.”

         “Amen.”

         She looked down at the food on her plate not at all certain if she was hungry.

         “How old are you?”

         She kept her eyes on her plate, and felt her stomach begin to dance.  “Eighteen this past May.”

         “You are only a child.”

         She looked up at him a spark of temper in her eyes, which held a challenge as she looked into his.  “I am no longer a child sir.  I am a woman grown!”

         “Yes you are, and very beautiful.”

         She felt the blush of his statement stain her cheeks as she hung her head and ate a very small amount.

         Unlike her, he ate with relish, a fork in one hand and a knife in the other.  “You never left your home before have you?”

         “Nae.  I lived my eighteen years in Aberdeen.”  She looked up at him and saw his bemused expression; her eyes challenged his once again.  She hesitated only a moment before she plunged on.  “About our marriage, Papa said you would have thrown him in debtor’s prison if I had not bridled you.  He said the sum was five pounds sterling.  I shall repay the debt.”

         He looked into her face a scowl on his own.  “The sum is of no consequence now that you are my wife.”

         “It is of great consequence to me, sir.  I was unaware of any debts father owed.  Since mother died, I took care of the household.  I will give you what he owed!”

         “I said you are my wife.  There is no longer any debt.  And as to your handling the finances, you will not do so as long as I am your husband.”

         She looked down at her plate, no longer hungry.  In fact, what she had eaten started to make her feel very uneasy, and she found she was unable to eat anymore.  She left the table and fled to the small room, Gareth two steps behind her, as she emptied her stomach of its contents into a small bucket.  She looked up at him, a sheepish look on her face at her sudden display.  “I am sorry.  I dinnae ken what came over me.  I am not usually sickly.”

         He wet a washrag from the pitcher on the small side table, and handed it to her.  “It is the motion of the ship.  In a few days, you will get used to it, and you will feel much better.  Would you like a walk on deck?  The fresh air will revive you.”

         “I would like to see father.”

         “It is not usual for a bride to see her father on her wedding night.”

         She put her hands on her hips and glowered at him.  “It is not usual for a man to purchase his bride at a card table either.”

         His eyes glittered with anger as he stared at her.  “It was necessary.”

         “I suppose you also waste your money on cards and drink.”

         “I do not.  It was the first time I have sat at a table in many years.”

         “Why now?”

         “As I said, it was necessary.”

         The stuffiness of the cabin closed in on her, as she made a quick decision.  “Let me get my shawl.”

         She lifted the shawl from the carpetbag, and placed it around her shoulders before she turned to join him.  He held out his arm to her, and she gently laid her hand on his arm, as he opened the door and led her on deck.

         The air was fresh, and brought color back to her cheeks as she walked in silence and acknowledged the good wishes of the other sailors they encountered in regards to their marriage.

         “Let me show you something.”  Gareth led her to the side of the ship, and pointed to where ocean and sky met.  “See the horizon line?”

         “Aye.”

         “That line never moves.  When you feel the sickness come on you, look to the horizon, it will steady your stomach.”

         She could feel her stomach settle as she gazed at it.  He had a hand on her shoulder, and she felt safe and secure with it there.  Though, why she should when he had bought her in a game of cards was beyond her comprehension.  Anger lit her cheeks at her thoughts, as she looked up at him and saw a gentle look on his face.  She looked again at the horizon line and brought her thoughts under order.  “I will remember.”

         “We should go back to the cabin.”

         She saw the desire in his eyes as he looked at her, and something stirred in her as well, as she allowed him to escort her back to their quarters.

         She noted the meal cleared away in their absence, and the cabin tidied.

         “It is time we retire.”  Gareth saw a look of uncertainty enter her eyes.  “It will be all right.”

         He knelt by the side of the bunk and brought her down beside him, and began to pray.  “Father, I thank you for the day gone by.  I ask for Your favor and blessing on our marriage.  We are Your servants; give us comfort when we have none, strength when we are weak, courage in the face of adversity, and Your love always.  Guide us with Your outstretched arm, and keep us safe from every evil, which may threaten to come upon us.  Show us favor with the fruit of the womb, and let us number our years in good service to You.  In Jesus name, I pray, amen.”

         “Amen.”

         Ainsley stood to her feet with his help, looked up at him, and found his arms wrapped around her, his lips were on hers in a very passionate kiss, which she found she returned in kind, despite all her mixed feelings.