The War at Home | Adult F/F Romance [COMPLETE]

Part XIX (end)

Romana entertained the children whilst Jordie settled into silence as they traversed an increasingly snowbound Bristol. She was grateful Edgar had sprung for heating in his car otherwise they'd all have frozen in the chilly night.

Jordie's reservations returned with a vengeance once they pulled up to the circular drive outside the Gentry residence. The house was still beautiful, if more ostentatious than Jordie would have expected of Romana. Knowing it was Edgar's choice and its ornamentation was Edgar's preference helped somewhat.

"Jordie?" Jordie swallowed her doubt to trade glances with Romana. "It's cold out. Would you care to come in?"

"Mummy, I'm cold," complained Madeline behind them, with the jeering assent of the other children. Not even the radiant heat arising from the engine was enough to keep out the worst the coming snowstorm.

"You heard her," Jordie deflected. Romana's sympathy filled her with guilt. Here was the woman who had risked her reputation to love Jordie, and Jordie was asking herself if all this was worth the fear.

Romana held her gaze for a long moment until Jordie took her cue cut off the engine. "I'll get the bags if you round up the children."

"Shouldn't I take care of that...considering?" The sudden cooling in Romana's gaze filled Jordie with immediate remorse.

"Considering?" Romana challenged, daring Jordie to spout the very chauvinist nonsense her colleagues did.

Jordie adjusted the fit of her driving gloves. "I was the soldier after all. I think I have something of an advantage in the strength department."

"You and I are going to settle that argument about you being big and strong sometime soon."

"I thought that was what you liked about me."

Romana softened and she brushed a hand along Jordie's jaw. "One of many, many things."

"Mummy!"

"Remind me to list them for you, in detail, once this lot are all tucked in for the night."

They hastened out of the snow into the house and immediately set the hearth to burning whilst the children got settled.

"Madeline, Troy, show Daniel and Dawn where the large guest room is." The girls had bunked together in Madeline's room whilst Daniel shared Troy's the previous evening. "You can store your bags there. We'll get you all set up after playtime."

Jordie gave the house a second look now it was day. Every detail took on new significance now that Jordie was here to stay. This was her home now.

"I thought you lived here alone because he'd abandoned you." She hadn't pried early on; she had too many secrets of her own to prevent Romana demanding reciprocation. Now she wanted to know everything that Romana had lived through, who had hurt her. Who she'd hurt.

"He did, in a manner of speaking. Edgar found someone new. He gave me the option of maintaining the fiction of a happy marriage while he kept a second house, and I decided I'd rather be alone. That was how I felt already; why pretend?" The nonchalance of her confession did nothing to hide how affected she was by the divorce. Why pretend?

"I didn't know I was pretending in the early days. I thought marriage felt like this for all women. What kind of wife was I that going to war felt the most like being free?"

"The right wife in the wrong marriage. Nothing more."

"I expected it to hurt. Only...it's just...leaving there knowing I'm not permitted in my family home stings." Jordie looked up to keep erstwhile tears from clouding her vision. "I loved him. I love him, as the friend he used to be. I didn't want to cause any harm."

"You did as little harm as you could, and you suffered for it. The War is over, Jordie. Time to lay down your weapons, darling, most especially against yourself."

Romana held her and kissed her and loved her. In Romana's eyes, there was nothing wrong with her. There was nothing wrong with Jordie, and Jordie was starting to believe that.

"Now, no more tears today, hmm?" Romana stroked her hair. Jordie hadn't managed to put it in order this morning; Romana couldn't keep her hands out of it long enough. "If you're good, I'll make you a Sunday roast. I've saved up plenty of rations now I'm no longer entertaining so frequently. Which isn't to say you won't quickly eat me out of house and home if your two eat like you do."

"We'll make do." If they couldn't afford to remain in Bristol, so be it. They'd go to London, or they'd go to the country. Jordie would go anywhere if it meant keeping this family she'd built.

"We most certainly will." Romana left Jordie in the safekeeping of the sofa they'd nearly made love on this morning.

"Where are you going? I thought you were going to challenge me to a duel in defense of your honor."

"I can think of something I'd much rather do to you."

"Oh?" Jordie's heartrate increased just thinking of all they might get up to with the wee ones distracted for the foreseeable.

"Not that, insatiable woman." Romana's kiss removed the sting. Jordie tried to pull her Romana onto her lap only Romana sidestepped her efforts. She was much nimbler than her heels implied.

"Not until the children are sleeping. This will be almost as good."

"I find that hard to believe."

Romana put on the record player and a scratching, hitching melody swayed upon the toasty air. Jordie didn't know much about music, but she knew a love song when she heard one.

Romana held out her hand. "May I have this dance, Captain Freemantle?"

Jordie let herself be pulled to her feet. "I thought you'd never ask, Ms. Gentry."

They drifted together, puzzling out whose arms went in what position when it was two women instead of a woman and a man. It was a work in progress. They laughed.

"What are we dancing for?"

"To celebrate the first day of the rest of our lives. Isn't that plenty of reason?"

"Plenty."

Their noses brushed. They kissed. They sang. They laughed some more. They swayed in front of the fireplace, safe in their balmy sanctuary while snow fell outside in torrents, painting the world in ice.

Jordie had told Elliot the truth at least. She was going to be happy here. She already was.

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That's all for The War at Home! I hope you enjoyed this story. It's one of my first forays into historical fiction and I'm pretty proud of it despite the admitted artistic license I took with some of the historic detail. If you enjoyed it, please let me know. If you're in the mood for some more adult F/F fiction from me, check out Color Your World on my profile!

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