Contrite & Convicted

The Wisteria Bush Part I

The Wisteria Bush Part I

The beautiful changing of the leaves was the most enticing thing Ester was looking forward to today. A beautiful green turning brown, to gold and orange and yellow. Colors only possible on a tree leaf. The little brown spots that dotted the leaf Ester was currently holding in her hands were a testament to the truth that each leaf was of its own creation.

Ester quickly added the thought into her letter.

The leaves are turning colors now, oranges, reds and browns have completely littered the sidewalks. Seeing children gather them and throw them at each other made me remember when I taught you how to play in leaves.

She put the quill down on top of her stomach which had grown a decent size since the end of the social season. Then again, when you discover you are having twins your stomach is bound to grow a massive size.

Ester still had four to five months to go but she already couldn't walk outside without wanting to collapse. Squeezing her hand opened and closed she decided she would have to finish her letter to Colin, her brother in law, tomorrow.

Colin was now off somewhere in Greece studying who knows what. Ester felt obligated to check on him with a series of large letters so he didn't feel excluded. After all, he had suffered a massive heartbreak just a few months ago.

Colin was engaged to a Miss. Marina Thompson, it was a short engagement but when Lady Whistledown, London's largest gossip column discovered she was actually with child before her engagement to Colin, he shut down. If it wasn't for Ester playing chess with him everyday she was sure he would have wasted his time in his room.

So, she kept up her familial duties by writing him letters as long as a news article. Daphne, her sister in law, decided to write as well. So Colin received at least two short books from each of his sister's letters alone.

"Do not come near me with that, Gregory or I will surely rip out your hair!" Ester turned to see her youngest in-laws, Gregory and Hyacinth, were playing near the garden. Gregory had found what appears to be a garden snake and was chasing his little sister around with it.

"Gregory, do keep the snake to yourself. You wouldn't want me to fetch a spider in your bed would you?" Ester called out to the two. Gregory immediately put the snake down and the two began playing their game of Pall-Mall.

Ester sighed a deep sigh and continued twirling the leaf she held in her hand. With Violet Bridgerton, her mother in law, assisting Daphne and Simon move into their new home in London for a while, Ester was in charge of the household. Which held negatives and positives.

If she wasn't massively pregnant she was sure she would have enjoyed the challenge but being pregnant made her want to just sit around and eat. Ester was rather boring now.

"Ester!" Ester turned to see Eloise and Francesca, also her sister in laws coming towards her with a letter in hand.

"Yes?" Ester said, taking the letter from the two eager girls who were waiting for her to open it.

"Who is it from?" Ester asked, no address label listed anywhere on the letter, just her name.

"Your husband of course! Read it!" Ester tried not to show just how much she didn't want to open the letter but Francesca all but ripped it open for her. Eloise was kind enough to just hand it to her.

"What does it say!?" Fran called to her, almost seven octaves higher than anyone should ever speak. Not really reading the letter she just skimmed it really, blah blah blah, apologizes, apologizes, somewhere in Manchester, blah blah blah.