Page 10 of Leviticus
The room quickly filled with people. Easily over a dozen, including Reverend Jacob and my father. The only elder not in attendance was Ruth’s father; a small fact that relieved me. If men were watching this happen to their daughters… I could barely finish the thought without feeling the bile rise into my throat.
“We will need Mrs. Temple to lie back now, Leviticus,” Elder Jared explained, once again pulling Ruth from me. I resisted, not letting her go.
“Surely, you can allow me just a moment with my wife first?” I urged with a smile that I hoped was convincing.
“Of course, Leviticus, but do hurry it along. We need to begin,” my father’s voice answered from near the foot of the bed. Of course he would want a ring side seat to this.
I tugged Ruth towards me, lifting her veil so that I could see her face. She looked up at me with wide, dark eyes filled with fear and apprehension.
“Hey there,” I spoke softly, my thumb rubbing lightly along her forearm where I still held her.
“Hi,” she managed, almost inaudibly. Even her arms were shaking now.
“I want you to know that it will be okay,” I murmured, trying to find words that would let her know that I was here, while not giving away that I thought this entire production was asinine.
“Of course.” I watched as her face shifted, the fear and anxiety melting away, being replaced by stoic calm and a fake, plastered on smile. Just like my mother had. I didn’t want that. I didn’t want her to be fake. But it was necessary today, just as my own mask was.
I nodded, smiling down at her with sincerity.
“Alright then.” With that, we turned back to the Elders.
“Let us begin. Mrs. Temple, you shall lay here on the bed for your inspection. I trust your mother prepared you?” Reverend Jacob spoke. Elder Jared sat at a chair at the foot of the bed, Reverend Jacob to his left and my father to his right.
“She did,” Ruth answered with a bravado that floored me. She showed no signs of fear or doubt. That could not have been easy. Even I was full of apprehension and disgust, and I wasn’t the one who was about to be poked and prodded by skeevy old men.
“Good. Now, please place yourself here,” Reverend Jacob instructed. I helped her to the bed, helping her balance as she situated herself and lay back on the mattress. Reverend Jacob moved next to me, making sure her veil was out of the way and her face was fully in view.
I watched in hidden horror as my father took one of her legs and Reverend Jacob took the other. Elder Jared lifted the hem of her dress, exposing her legs and undergarments to the room. My father and the reverend spread her legs, holding her by the ankles at the corners of the bed. Only her undergarments protected her from the men’s gazes, men who had now become quite interested and had circled in closer. Lechers. Every one of them. I swallowed rapidly, pushing the bile down and doing my best to relax the tension in my throat.
“Now, do your best to relax, my dear. This is standard procedure,” Elder Jared explained. He lifted a pair of sheers and cut her undergarments away, exposing her to the entire room. I shifted my focus to her face. We couldn’t stop the group of men from looking at her like some pornographic centerpiece, but I could control this.
I gripped her hand in mine, unwilling to let her go through this alone, yet knowing that I had to still play the part of the dedicated Follower.
“Let us begin.” Ruth’s eyes widened and found mine. The fear I read there filled me with dread.
Christ, I needed this to end.
I needed a fucking drink.
CHAPTER4
RUTH
A few hours earlier…
“There. Utter perfection, dear.” My mother’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at me, all dolled up in white.
“Thank you, Mama,” I smiled prettily. It felt surreal to be standing here on my wedding day. I shouldn’t have been surprised. As soon as my parents had caught wind that the Temple brothers would be in search of wives, it had been like an auction house. Every mother in the community was calling on Mrs. Temple, trying to win her over for one brother or another.
“It looks even prettier on you than it did on me on my own wedding day,” Mama dabbed at her watery eyes. I couldn’t blame her sentimentality. I could only imagine how I would feel if I were watching my own daughter be married off. I was just grateful my parents had made such a match for me. I had seen my fair share of matches that were… less than palatable.
“Now, before I add the veil, we should have ourselves a little chat,” Mama began.
“We talked last night about… marital acts, Mama.” I couldn’t help the blush that spread across my cheeks. Mama had been quite thorough, making sure I understood the important details of marital life. How to keep myself in shape and clean for my husband, the best ways to conceive, and of course, remedies for marital bed ailments such as chafing and soreness. It was all a little overwhelming, but Mama had been kind in her teachings. I could only hope that my future husband would be gentle on our wedding night, as Mama had said Father was with her.
“Yes, we did. I just wanted to remind you of the importance of what happens after your marriage vows. You remember why you must prove your purity?” Mama prompted with a pointed look, fussing with my dress for the hundredth time.
“Because of Eve’s deception we, as women, must prove ourselves and be found pure by the Church in order to confirm the validity of our marriage bond. Then we are to consummate the marriage, while those closest to the Lord’s voice bear witness and bless our union to be fruitful,” I recited perfectly. It sounded horrendous, but it was the way things were. I only prayed that my new husband and I would be found pure and would be fruitful, blessed by God and blessed by the church.
