Truth
It was clear to Will as soon as he entered the house that his Aunt Margaret had at least some inclination that he and Cordia had been involved romantically. He was not sure precisely what she knew or how she had come to gain this information, but he could tell by her expression and her shortness that she had come to realize that she had been deceived and that she was pondering both the nature and the duration of their relationship.
At dinner, a heavy silence hung over the entire table. The boys could plainly see that their mother was upset about something and almost thirty years of marriage had allowed Arthur the ability to read his wife very well. In this situation, he found, it was better not to speak than to risk becoming the object of her frustration.
Will joined in the silence, knowing eventually he would have to talk to Margaret about Cordia but thinking now was not the best time. He had been contemplating his conversation with Cordia the majority of the day, and he was beginning to realize that there was a distinct possibility that the emotional hell he had been going through these past two months was greatly due to a lack of communication. Nevertheless, he was still extremely upset that Cordia would be willing to wear another man’s ring while he was off fighting. He had been completely unaware that she was spending time with someone else.
About halfway through dinner, Margaret’s disturbance got the best of her, and she decided to alleviate her curiosity. Considering her sons were present, she attempted to be cryptic, knowing she may have to send them out of the room if she failed to keep her composure. She decided to begin the conversation with some general questions and then work her way into what she really wanted to know. “Will, did you get much work done on the house today?” she asked.
Will had been working to restore his family home in Vernon County when he wasn’t helping out at his uncle’s farm. He was hopeful that he would eventually be able to move Julia there and lessen the burden on his extended family. When he had first returned from the war, he went to see his parents’ and Nolan’s graves, thinking surely the house would have been burned to the ground by marauders some time ago. But it was still standing, and he began to focus his attention on repairing it. If nothing else, it took his mind off of Cordia, or at least it was an attempt to do so. Today, he had found little relief from her memory and had gotten next to nothing accomplished. “Not much,” he replied, still leery of joining into a conversation with his aunt at this point.
She nodded. “That’s too bad. I know how much it means to you. Though I still don’t think it is a good idea to be moving Julia out there until she is fully recovered. I guess you had an eventful day, one way or another,” she added.
Hoping to avoid any further questions, Will simply nodded and chose not to respond. He refused to even look in her general direction and tried to concentrate on finishing with dinner so he could excuse himself before Margaret began to ask the more difficult questions.
His silence was even more aggravating to Margaret, so she continued. “You can imagine my surprise when she flew out of here so quickly to chase after you.”
Now, Will realized that there was nothing he could do to escape this conversation and that his aunt had chosen this moment to have it, despite the confused looks on the faces of the others present. “Yes, I can imagine that was surprising,” he admitted.
“How long?” she asked bluntly. No one was eating now, and the younger boys looked especially bewildered, as if they wished they could melt into the floorboards and disappear.
Will considered the question. How long? Not long enough? Too long for Margaret’s liking? He finally said, “It’s over, Aunt Margaret. It doesn’t matter now.”
She cleared her throat and placed her napkin in her lap firmly. “I want to know how long,” she repeated, trying to keep her calm.
Will just shook his head, “You won’t understand,” he replied quietly.
Margaret banged her fist on the table. “How long?” she demanded.
“Two years." He watched her eyes widen before adding, “Yes, the answer to your question is yes,” he replied as calmly as he could.
She buried her face in her hands, and her family became genuinely concerned. Arthur looked at Will as if he was just realizing this information would affect him as well. He glanced back at his wife who was beginning to recover from the shock of the information. “How could you?” she asked quietly, without looking up. Then she added, “How could she?”
Will looked around the table, not sure exactly what he should or should not say in front of his younger cousins. “It wasn’t intentional. We were waiting until I came back to let you know.... to let everyone know. But, clearly, I got what I deserve because I’m exactly where. . . he would have been,” he said, continuing to choose his words carefully.
Arthur realized exactly what the conversation had been about now, and he gasped in shock. “What?” he asked quietly, looking at his wife whose eyes confirmed his suspicions. “Boys, why don’t y’all run upstairs, and let us have the rest of this discussion in private.”
As if they had been released from prison, all three boys took off up the stairs as quickly as they could. Arthur waited until they were out of earshot before he asked, “Do you mean to tell me you were having an affair with Cordia while Jaris was still alive?” He was doing his best to control his tone, but he was aware that the anger was building as he completed the sentence, and he was doing all he could not to come undone.
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