You sit about at home all day and do nothingafter those words, I resolved to teach him a lesson.
Long before my own wedding day, friends would warn me that when an Englishman weds, he soon begins to think of his wife as his own possession, letting slip the mask to reveal his true nature. Yet, like any foolish young girl, I thought William would be different. During our courtship, he cherished me, never uttered a harsh word, and seemed almost fearful of upsetting me. He wished always to have me at his side. But as with so many women before me, I was mistaken. It’s true that when a man wins a ladys heart, he often changes.
A few months after our vows, William began to speak ill of my mother. Why must she ring so frequently, why must she visit each Sunday? Desperate to keep our marriage afloat, I sided with him and asked my mother to call less often, speaking to her only in secret. But the ordeal didnt end there. I soon fell pregnant, and when complications confined me to bed, I lost my position at the officemy contract, sadly, was not renewed.
Thats when Williams complaints really began. “You just lounge about at home all day and do nothing at all,” hed say. Once more, I bit my tonguewhat would become of me if he left me while I was expecting?
After our daughter Margaret arrived, about eighteen months later, William started demanding to be treated like some lord of the manor. When he returned from work, I was to greet him at the door, have his slippers waiting, and see to it that supper was always piping hot upon the table. He never bothered himself about the babyafter all, looking after children was a womans work, wasnt it? The fatigue wore me thin. So, I packed a valise, gathered Margaret, and returned to my mothers house.
For two months, William and I did not speak. Life carried on; I found work once more and felt stronger with each passing week. Then one day, he turned up at my mothers cottage, looking hollow and dressed in threadbare clothes. He dropped to his knees and begged our forgiveness. I told him, if he wanted us to return, he would have to sign up for cookery lessons. Upon our return, he would do his fair share around the house, in the kitchen and elsewhere. William agreed. Time would tell whether he kept his word.
