Till Death do us part

The wedding was not a typical wedding of wealth. Normally a bride coming into the marriage with a dowry will dress in a fine new dress with her hair done by her bridesmaids. This wedding, between a wealthy gentleman and a poor woman in a small town, did not have all of the finery. The whole town came to the wedding, it was planned for days in advance but the bride knew nothing of the engagement. Marriages like this were common. Rich men often picked the most beautiful women and if they were of lower class the men thought nothing of it. Well not 'nothing'. Women who entered a marriage without a dowry were branded on their legs just above their ankles to show they were the property of their husbands. It was a very painful tradition but one that made sure the women did not try to take any money and leave their husbands.

Colin James would use a J with a double slash through the stem like a lower case t in the J. Jeannie would have this forever burned on her. This would happen with anyone she married because of her family's station in the town.

Jeannie and Anna entered the church and walked up to the altar where the priest and Colin waited. Anna put her daughter's hand in Colin's then walked to her pew. The first part of the wedding took place like any other in the town but it ended with Jeannie sitting on the ground looking at her steaming ankle. Anna had to look away when the brand was pressed to her daughter. Three men held Jeannie down to make sure she didn't wiggle. The pain caused her vision to blur and her eyes to water.

Jeannie wondered if she would even be able to sneak into the woods with her ankle hurting so much. She wished Pitch was with her, he had a way of calming her down and made her feel safe.

Anna ran to Jeannie and helped her up but Colin came over and picked her up off of the ground. Jeannie's arms wrapped around his neck and her knees squeezed his elbow. He carried her to his home, which would be hers for as long as she lived. He sat her down on the bed and she passed out from the pain almost instantly.

When Jeannie woke, she was alone in the room. Colin had gone to have drinks with his friends to celebrate catching the hardest catch in town. He wouldn't tell them she passed out before their marriage was official for obvious reasons and he would probably stay out all night so she had the chance to go.

When she tried to stand, though, her ankle sent sharp pains up to her chest. She knew she needed to go, pain or not, if she wanted to see Jack again. She pushed off the bed and stood as tall as she could and stepped forward. She found a knife on a desk in the room and she stuck it in her sash, put on a black cloak that was obviously a wedding present from the tailor, and stepped out of the house to the dark street. It was late but the moon shone her way to the wood.

"I am ready Jack. We will be together in your world soon," Jeannie put the hood of the cloak up over her still braided hair, walked into the woods, out-of-town, and to her doom.