my dear. I'm either Julia or Mother to you.”
“Mother, then,” she said, pleased by the smile her words elicited. “About Christopher and me getting married without consulting you.”
“Oh, no!” Julia cried, gesturing with her teacup and sloshing a little tea onto
her dress. “I'm upset you had a… crisis. I was afraid something like this might
happen. I hate how badly you've been hurt, but I'm delighted you're finally safe,
my dear. I wanted this for you, for both of you. I think, once you've recovered
from your ordeal a bit, you and Christopher will be excellent together. I do wish
there had been time for us to talk a little before the actual… marriage took place.
I assume you're… fully married at this point?”
Katerina colored. “Yes.”
Julia nodded. “Good. Did you know what to expect?”
The burn in her cheeks intensified. “Not at all, but Christopher got me
through the process well enough.”
“Oh, dear. I imagine that was awkward.” Mrs. Bennett's lips twisted at the thought.
“Yes.” And so is this line of questioning. Please, don't carry on.
Julia, it seemed, was not finished, though she hesitated before asking, “Was
it… all right?”
Katerina nodded, her hands pressed to her cheeks. “I didn't hate it.”
“Good. That's a good start. Husbands like their intimacies very much. It's good if their wives do too.”
“This is a very uncomfortable conversation.”
“You're right,” Mrs. Bennett agreed, though her porcelain cheeks remained
uncolored by any discomfort she might have felt, “but you don't have a mother. I
want to be sure, since you're embarking on married life, that you understand what is needed. Do you have any questions?”
Katerina thought for a moment. “How do I fall in love with my husband?”
Julia blinked in surprise, and then a wide grin split her face. “What an excellent question, love. Here's what you do. First, don't rush yourself. You have
a lot to get past before you can be open with anyone. But while you're healing,
look at your husband. Every person has good and bad qualities. You need to understand the bad ones, how you feel about them, so you won't be surprised by
them. And then you need to see what is good about Christopher, glory in it. Roll
his goodness around yourself like a blanket until you feel warm and safe and happy with him.”
“I already do,” she replied. And with every act of kindness he performs, almost without thought, I feel it more.
“Do you?” Mrs. Bennett beamed. “Excellent. Keep doing it. And if you
sometimes have to retreat, to pull back, don't fret. You can always return. A setback is not a defeat, and even the healthiest couples have them. Learning to make one out of two is difficult, but if you make yourself open to it, if you learn
to trust, eventually you will succeed.”
“I feel like I'm taking terrible advantage of him,” Katerina admitted.
Mrs. Bennett dismissed the question with another wave of the teacup. This time the liquid remained inside. “You're not. Every man wants to be his lady's hero. He's fortunate; he's already yours. Isn't he, Katerina?”
“Oh yes. He saved my life,” she replied fervently.
Her mother-in-law set the cup in a saucer so she could continue gesturing safely. “He did. Now you dedicate your life to pleasing him, and I'll encourage
him to do the same for you.”
“Oh, he can't do any more for me,” Katerina protested, pressing her hands to
her cheeks. “It's too much already.”
