Back at their hotel, the four of them gathered in Melissa’s room.

“Mom? Did you know about Jack being a Lord before you came back here from your tour?” asked Zane.

Melissa smiled at Jack. That was his signal to explain.

"Zane, don't blame your mother. She knew that my family had farmed the same land for over eight hundred years. Plus, she knew nothing about the 'Lord' thing at that time. It is not a big thing where we live, as you saw for yourself. I only use it at times, like earlier, to make an impression. I told her when you two were off getting a burger at the airport. Then she told me that she already knew," he smiled and took hold of Melissa's hand.

Melissa smiled and said,
“I already knew about Jack. That was because Moira gave me the third degree while we were preparing the baked potatoes for the party. Naturally, she was concerned about what people call ‘gold diggers’. At the time, she was more concerned about the mysterious Neil. I told her not to worry and that I was a woman of independent means, thanks to your father. I was worried why she was asking all these questions. Then she told me that Jack is the ‘Lord of the Manor’ for real. I was stunned at first, but it didn’t make one bit of difference to how I felt about him and his family. I told her that to her face right there in the kitchen. She gave me the biggest hug humanly possible without squeezing the very life out of me.”

Then she smiled at her children.
“What convinced me was seeing you two making a real effort to fit in and make friends. Even the Estate Manager was impressed at how you just mucked in and helped out, and you did it with a smile on your face. It was after speaking to him and seeing for myself that I knew that I wanted to marry Jack and, more importantly, try to become the complete family we never were, with your real father. Moira’s last words to me were, ‘Let him tell you in his own time’. I did that.”

She grinned at Jack.
“Jack asked me to marry him when we stopped for gas on the way to Heathrow. It was at a place called 'Watford Gap Services'. Hardly the most romantic of places, but it will do. This time, it is for real and for keeps.

“When are you going to get hitched?” asked a grinning Brittany.

“It depends on Henry. Jack and I talked to him and Moira early this morning, and Henry said that we should do it here and he’d try to pull some strings. I don’t know what they are, but I’m happy. If we have to wait a week or as long as it takes, it means that both of you can attend.”

Before Zane could ask, Jack said,
“It wasn’t the time nor the place for you to come out to your father. When he sends off that letter and the custody issue is approved by the court, then you can tell him. However, if I were in your shoes, I'd leave it until you are eighteen. That's not that far off, and once you are legally an adult, he can't touch you from a legal point of view."

Zane had sat rather stony-faced, but a smile slowly spread across it.

“Ok Dad…”

For a moment, there was silence in the room. Then everyone burst out laughing.

Then Zane said,
"I mean it, Jack. From day one, you treated both of us as adults. That is something my other Dad never did, as you saw for yourself earlier. He still thinks that we are in diapers or, at most, 1st graders. You saw how fearful he was about us enjoying ourselves. It was just as bad when we were staying with Gramps. Dad wanted to know who I was speaking to and what we talked about. It was worse for Brits here. If she even looked at anyone younger than him, he got suspicious, even if it was just a server in a shop or at the gas station doing their job. Gramps saw what he was doing and told him off more than once, but that was like water off a duck’s back to Pop. He kept her on a very short leash, including trying to see who she was communicating with on her phone."

Brittany nodded her head.

“Zane is right, you know. That’s why he blew his top when he saw the video of my dance class. He immediately thought that I was going to lie down and open my legs to every male there.”

“Don’t exaggerate, darling,” said Melissa.

Brittany’s face became very serious as she searched for something on her phone.

“He posted about the event on social media and sent me a message with a link. He also said that I would never make anything of my life without his contacts. His contacts mean his cronies or backers, and I'd have to become like Mom was before, the pseudo ‘Stepford’ wife holding the fort back in the district while my husband gets to do as he pleases. Sorry, Mom!"

Both Jack and Melissa read the text from her father. Neither of them could quite believe what it said.

“Are you sure that it was from him?” asked Zane.

“That’s his congressional phone number. The area code is for DC. His phone has the area code of his district,” said Melissa.

“Then, it is a good job that we are rid of him,” said Zane.

"Not quite. A bit of patience is needed. Please, just bide your time and do nothing to antagonise him," said Melissa.

“We’ll try, won’t we, Zane?” said Brittany.

Zane mimicked the ‘three Monkeys’. See no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil.

It turned out that getting married was not as simple as they’d thought. Because the divorce was so recent, the paperwork was still incomplete as far as their home state authorities were concerned. After a ‘new’ family conference, they decided to wait until the weekend before the midterm elections in November. That way, Jeff would be busy with his last-minute campaigning. They would also try to make the location of the ceremony close to the school where Brittany and Zane were students.

Jack flew home a couple of days after the meeting with Jeff. Saying goodbye to Melissa was even harder than it had ever been before. As much as he wanted to stay, he had an estate to run, and people depended on him to make decisions. The winter shooting season was not that far away, and it was up to him to get it all organised. People paid good money to come to the estate for a day’s shooting, and Jack was expected to host the shooting parties.

Much to everyone’s relief, Jeff sent the signed and witnessed letter granting Melissa sole custody of Brittany and Zak. Melissa attended the hearing in Worcester, MA, where the judge granted the motion after asking Zak and Brittany if this was what they truly wanted. Their answers made it clear that they were done with their biological father.

To reinforce that, they sent a ‘Happy Birthday DAD’ card to Jack for his birthday in late September. In private, he shed more than a few tears.

[late October, Washington, DC]
“Are we all set?” asked Jack.

Melissa had just emerged from the British Embassy Consular building.

“Yes. Everything is in order, and I have the right visa. Now we can get married, and I can leave this swamp for good.”

Jack smiled and gave his bride-to-be a brief kiss.
“Now, let’s get out of here.”

DC was very quiet when it came to the main exhalers of hot-air and much-ado-about-nothing important beings that pretend to be lawmakers, because it was just a few days before the 2022 mid-terms. All the congress critters and most of the Senate were back in their districts campaigning for the last few votes. The media was dominated by the opinion polls that suggested that the forecast GQP 'red wave' was not going to happen, and the races for Senate seats in Georgia and Pennsylvania. They were predicted to be very, very close thanks to the 'Z-list personalities' that the Republicans had put up, even if one of them was just as big a liar as No. 45 and the other one had no idea what ingredients went into 'crudites'. For many people, it was sad that so much attention was being given to intellectually deficient candidates.

Melissa and Jack left the DC area and travelled to Boston on an Amtrak service. It was something that Jack had always wanted to do, and Melissa was only too happy to buy their tickets. In Boston, they picked up a rental car and headed west along the Mass Turnpike.
Their wedding was all arranged for the day before the election in front of a judge in central Mass. Zane and Brittany had been given leave from their school to attend the ceremony. Henry and Moira had flown over from Yorkshire the previous day and were waiting for the couple at their hotel just west of Worcester, MA.

Melissa had needed to apply for a Marriage Visa so that she could move to the UK after the ceremony. Thanks to Henry and his former position as Ambassador, the application process went smoothly. Her financial status more than qualified her, given the rules that had been put in place after BREXIT. Zane and Brittany didn't know it at the time, but some of the money she received in the divorce would be used to provide a place for them to call home, somewhere they could put down roots and not have to live with either parent.

Melissa was determined to let them be as independent as possible, but with their support close at hand should they need them.

In the time between the incident with Neil and now, a lot of information has been obtained from Canberra. That information sadly revealed that Jack’s real son had died in a flood at their home in November 2013, thanks to Cyclone Alessia. He had perished along with his mother and both grandparents when a levee broke, and the flood inundated their homestead. There was no one left to question Neil’s claims. That was the perfect setup for a con.

Jack hired an investigator in Brisbane who had previous experience with this sort of con. He soon produced a lengthy report on Neil or James or Steve or Nick, or Tyler. He had at least twelve different aliases and five fake passports from English-speaking countries, including the USA and Canada. Thanks to the Australian Government, an alert was sent out, and a month later, Neil, using another alias, Robert Raines, was arrested in Vancouver just as he was about to marry a rich widow and then take all her money. He was extradited to his home country to face sixteen charges of fraud, impersonation and robbery. It was later discovered that he had more than twenty million dollars (AUS) in offshore bank accounts thanks to five fake marriages in four different countries. No one was sure why he'd changed his modus operandi and targeted Jack's family, but he'd bitten off more than he could chew with them. He'd chosen the wrong targets, which would ultimately lead to his downfall.

Both Henry and Jack provided written statements, which were sent to the Federal Police in Canberra. That was the end of it as far as they were concerned.

On the morning before the 2022 Mid-Term elections, Melissa, wearing a long white dress, marched into court arm in arm with Jack. They were followed by Zane, Brittany, Henry and Moira. Bringing up the rear were two former colleagues of Henry who were going to act as witnesses.

The judge was brief and to the point, and before long, Jack was kissing Melissa, and the ceremony was over. Zane and Brittany returned to school for the remainder of the day. They would be back in the evening for a small reception that was being held at the home of a good friend of Henry’s from his time in the diplomatic service, not that far away from the courthouse.

At dead on eight that evening, Melissa emerged from a bedroom wearing a shimmering red dress that was well above her shapely knees. She’d chosen it because her former husband would never have let her wear anything that short. It was her visible act of defiance to show that he was dead and buried as far as she was concerned.
Melissa paused and stuck her hand out. Moments later, Jack, or as he wanted to be called, Faith, because anyone trying to make him into a passable woman needed a lot of 'faith' emerged. She was wearing an iridescent green version of the same dress. Melissa had been working for at least two hours, transforming Jack into Faith. Moira was so proud of both of them.

Gingerly, Faith and Melissa came down the curved staircase. Faith seemed to be managing the high heels better than her wife. That didn’t go unnoticed amongst those present.

When they reached the bottom, Henry and Zane stepped forward. Henry took Melissa’s hand and Zane Faith’s. Then they proceeded to dance. After the first number, Brittany and Moira cut in and took the lead. The beaming smiles on everyone’s faces said more than a million words could.

Pictures would be taken of the event, but none of them were going to appear on social media for Jeff to rant and rage about. The sight of Jack in a dress would send him crazy, given some of the anti-LGBTQ ads that he'd put out in the run-up to the election. He just stopped short of wanting anyone in that small group of the population killed, but the intent was there.

After a brief honeymoon in Jamaica, Melissa and Jack returned to Yorkshire and hosting the regular Pheasant Shooting events. The cold mornings surprised Melissa at first, but seeing the frost patterns in the grass stirred an old desire in her. She went off later that day, being very secretive about her mission. Only Moira knew what she was up to. It was only later, when Jack saw the artist's materials, that he knew why.

Melissa was soon going out in the early mornings with Jack’s old camera and capturing the dales at their best. Cold Crisp mornings with a bit of frost and mist in the valleys. Then, she would spend hours painting the scenes. That was in between taking over the running of the local Women’s Institute from Moira to running at least one coffee morning each week in aid of one or more local charities and getting to know all the tenants. For the latter, she held make-and-bake events for the wives and partners of their tenants. She soon got to hear about the real issues that the different farms face. Jack began an improvement programme for all their tenants and gave it to Melissa to manage. It was tailored to their needs, which seemed to make everyone happy. With her taking a hands-on part in the life of the estate, the initial reticence of some of the locals towards her soon disappeared. Her natural charm and ability to listen and not pass judgment without knowing all the facts really helped with that.

After a few months, everyone treated her as if she’d been there all her life and not just five minutes because she mucked in and helped with mundane things such as washing up after a W.I. meeting. Melissa had Moira to thank for that help. It was a real team effort.

While this may at first seem similar to her life married to a congressman, in reality, it was very different. Jack was never far away, nor were Henry and Moira. For the first time in her adult life, she felt at home and not alone. They could almost always be called upon to help out when needed. No more giving excuses like ‘there is a bill that I need to read before Monday’ from a place hundreds of miles away from her.

Brittany and Zane came to visit the newlyweds for Christmas and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The highlight was the Boxing Day ‘clay pigeon shoot’. Zane proved to be a far better shot than anyone thought. Now that he was eighteen, he could enjoy some of the hot mulled wine that was supplied by Moira and served by Melissa. A proper team effort, one that she was relishing.

Their father had been re-elected for another two-year term, but with a vastly reduced majority thanks to some very astute advertising by his opponent, who targeted his adultery and his fake embrace of Christianity. Domestically, things were not so hot. Zane and Brittany had stayed with their father for Thanksgiving. Zane, who was now an adult, came out to his father. While Jeff took it without blowing up, it was soon made very clear that neither of them was welcome in his home from that day forward. For both of them, that was a relief. Their father had hitched his wagon to the Trump MAGA train, hoping to get a cabinet position should their ‘dear leader’ get re-elected in 2024. His appearances on Fox, OAN and Newsmax were carefully scripted auditions aimed at Trump, even though that name was never mentioned. One change that Melissa noticed was that he’d stopped wearing blue shirts.

It was Brittany who remarked that he was having to use a lot of makeup when on camera.
“I wonder if the baby is keeping him awake at night,” she said, grinning.

“Brittany darling, remember that his new daughter is your half-sister. You were almost impossible to put down at night. That was the one time that your father really pitched in to help me by keeping your brother occupied. That is about his only redeeming quality, so…?”

“Sorry, Mom.”

Melissa took hold of her daughters’ hands.
“Just grin and bear it.”

“Mom,” said Zeke.
“I’m going to stay in New England with Brits after I graduate. I want to be there for her in her senior year.”

“What about your course?”

“Errrr…. Ever heard of a gap year?”

Melissa knew when she’d been blindsided by her children, but deep down, she was proud of both of them. They were showing a lot more independence since meeting Jack. His influence was right there in their new approach to life, especially since he took them on a ramble on the fells on the 26th Dec. Melissa didn’t mind because Jack had told her about it beforehand. He used that time with them to make it clear that he would be there for them no matter what, and how trivial it was. A six-mile hike, followed by a pub lunch, cemented their relationship.

Melissa counted herself so lucky to have found a man who was actually interested in someone other than himself.

Zane and Brittany were growing up fast, and with Jack as head of their new family, they were being given the freedom to make decisions for themselves. The tale of their lives was just at half-time. Would it be one or, like their mother, two more halves? That remained to be seen.

To top it all, Melissa put on a show of her paintings at the village hall. All of them were sold. A very proud Melissa donated all the proceeds to the fund to maintain that very hall. That told the villagers that she was a woman of many talents. Jeff would have never let her show her paintings to the world because it was a threat to his preeminence. Jack was just the opposite and supported her all the way.

Jack was naturally very proud of his wife. He thanked God that she’d had that puncture when and where she did. His life as a bachelor was over. For him, the marriage game was just starting.
[the end]
[Authors note]

I hope you like my tale of three halves. It was fun to write, especially the parts set in the USA and all the crap that goes on all the time when it comes to elections. While I hate all of our governments back to the days of the 1st Harold Wilson crapfest, at least our elections are over and done within just a few weeks, unlike the perpetual campaigning and fundraising that goes on for members of the House of Representatives.