Chapter 54

Next day, we all woke up early. And, for the first time since I arrived at the house, Ethan ate breakfast with us. Usually, breakfast was eaten at different times, depending on what each needed to do during the day.

To have all five at the table was a first that made me happy. 

"What ye doing with all the fabric you bought?" Ethan asked after we were done eating.

Lucas had gone to town to give Monthe what he had hunted and Joseph and Felix were down in the patch. With Ethan, we were getting ready to have a short lesson on writing.

"I will sew some clothes for me, for Felix and Lucas." I replied.

"The fabric's not enough for Joseph and I?" Ethan curiously asked.

"It might be enough. But, you are giving me troubles with your past paramours. Until you behave, I will sew something for you." I sniffed and turned my back at him. 

Next thing I knew, I was embraced from behind. "I think there's a way I can make you happy again." He slyly said, his hands sliding dangerously down my sides. One even started rubbing my thigh, his fingers brushing very close to my private area.

Although I was very interested in this method, there were more important things to do. I stopped his naughty hands. "Someone might see. Besides, you need to practice." 

"We can do it inside..." His breath ghosted over my ear. I sighed as his lips kissed my neck. 

I was starting to get wet between my thighs. For a moment, I thought it was not a bad idea to start the day with a very nice encounter.

However, the fact we were in need of money hung over our heads, successfully dousing my desire.

"Another time, Ethan. Really. Right now, I need you to learn how to write and count." I firmly said. Thankfully, he also understood the situation and stopped his actions after one last kiss on my neck.

"Let's start, then" 

The lesson was more about teaching him new words, how to form sentences, and reviewing what he had already been taught.

I made him repeat words after words and sentences after sentences, letting him memorize how they were written until the morning was almost over, and Joseph and Felix had already returned to cook lunch.

Only then we took a break.

Wanting to try cooking once again after not trying in a while, I followed Felix and Joseph to the kitchen. The small vats in the kitchen were already housing a good amount of potatoes, carrots, beets and parsnips.

And, today, they were adding lemons to the list of ingredients we could use to cook. I checked what we had for meat and found some fish. 

My mind flashed with the image of a dish I once tried. Sadly, I could not remember the process of how to make it. I could only try based on the presentation of the dish and the flavors that assaulted my mouth at the memory.

I told Felix to peel some potatoes, carrots and parsnips and cut them in long pieces. It was a shame we had no tomatoes to add to the dish, but there was nothing we could do.

Meanwhile, I prepared the fish by slicing it from the side and fill it with some herbs like mint and cilantro, and some chopped onion. The outside of the fish was also sprinkled with dry herbs.

Like that, the fish was taken to fry with a bit of oil. We could finally fry food! 

The vegetables were put to steam with a bit of water and a few fresh rosemary leaves. First the potatoes as those needed to be very soft. The carrots and the parsnips were put later to leave them crispy.

When those were ready, we poured them on the pan where I fried fish and let it simmer for a few seconds. 

It was not a stew as the water from the vegetables mixed with the remaining fish fat to make some sort of fish sauce. It did not look nor smelled bad, so I was very satisfied with the result. By the time we were done cooking, Lucas had already returned from town.

There were no leftovers from lunch.

Satiated, Felix was the first to fall for a nap. I would have also loved to rest, but I had to start sewing the pillow cases. I was given twenty of them and did not want to have them for so long. While I embroidered, I supervised Ethan's writing. 

"So, when are we gettin' married?" Joseph suddenly spoke up as he took a seat. Lucas and him had been the ones to wash the dishes. The two were returning from the task.

Ethan stopped writing on the board. My ears perked up at the topic, though I did not stop moving my hands. "We'll need to go to the Civil Affairs Office in town for that." Ethan's words made sense. Telling the Chief was just a formality, the real deal was to sign the papers at the Office.

"How much?" Lucas interjected.

"I've no idea how much the process costs. We'd need to ask." Ethan replied. His writing slowly resumed. I glanced at his words and nodded inwardly. He was getting better. 

"Try writing Civil Affairs Office." I challenged him.

The beauty of learning how to write was getting the satisfaction of tackling new words without a mistake. Which was not the case for Ethan, yet he was getting less mistakes the more he practiced.

"Double F in Affairs and Office." I corrected him. He added it and, without being told, repeated the words a few more times.

"You sure there'll be no problem with the five marrying?" Joseph asked.

"Yeah..." Ethan distractedly replied.

"Either way, it will not happen so soon." I said, getting their attention.

I glanced at them before going back to picking another thread color.

"We have to make sure we have enough money to pay the process. Also, I would love to make new clothes for you all for the ceremony. Fabric is rather expensive, so we also need money to buy it…. What?" I asked perplexed, noticing their expressions.

"… no, it's just..." Ethan tried to speak, but seemed to have troubles expressing his thuoght.

"We've no one to invite to no ceremony. We don't have parents. You probably have, but it's not as if ya remember 'em. The villagers ignore us at best. Is a ceremony so necessary?" Joseph had no qualms to say what was in his mind.

I looked at the three brothers, at their lost expressions. I could somehow understand their point.

Why make such a fuss when no one would see us getting married, no one would congratulate us, much less give us gifts as it was done at all weddings? Why try so hard for people who would not attend?

It was a bit of a sad situation.

However…

"I want to do it for us. I want us to have a beautiful memory of that day. As someone who has no memory of my past, I do not want for my present and future to be full of boring and common memories. If you do not want to do it for others, at least do it for me." I grinned at them.

I knew my proposal would not be denied.

"Anything for you, Isabelle." Ethan promised.

"For you, then." Lucas nodded.

"Guess you're right. Our marriage, our problem." Joseph smirked. 

"That is right. Now, you all start practicing your math. Felix can already do multiplications and you cannot even subtract." The three impishly smiled at me, yet they did as I said. 

  Half the afternoon was spent with the brothers arguing over how much it was 452-176-84-20. It lasted until Felix woke up from his nap and solved it very quickly, leaving his brothers in the clouds as to how it was solved. 

It was really funny seeing the three older brothers succumb to Felix's genius. Their defeated expressions made me smile past through our dinner, during that day's lesson, until bath time.

From inside the house, where I ran away to with the excuse that I had to pick up my sleeping garment and towel, I listened to Joseph preparing the bath in the kitchen; pouring the water into the tub. 

I was surprised at how long it was taking me to fix this matter with Joseph. Part of the reason was because I did not want to hear bad news coming from his mouth. I was cowardly like that.

The other part was that I somehow still expected him to explain what had happened that day at the market.  If he did not want to deepen into the story with this woman, it was fine.

Though, some words like: 'this woman wants this or that' might really help me trust him. If he was all hush hush about it, acting all secretive, then there was no way I would take him seriously.

As my mind whirled with these thoughts, I inevitably laid down on the bed. 

Soon, my tired body begged for rest, and I succumbed to it.

Far away, I heard Joseph calling my name.

Then, I knew no more.