A pair of twins cause headaches at Hayfield Hall.

An unauthorised story set in the SPA Universe created by Karen Page. These events are intended to take place one year after the events described in “A New Style of Education.” Reading that story first is essential to understanding the events in Double Trouble.

Chapter 1

“Come in please, Alice, and take a seat.”

Alice perched on the edge of the seat in the small office and looked nervously at the man sitting opposite her. He gave a gentle smile and the girl forced herself to relax a little. Her hands ran down the seems of her school trousers and checked that her blazer was sitting properly then they folded in her lap. With her spine straight and her chin up, Alice looked back at the man and waited for him to speak.

“Hello Alice, my name is Keith Thompson and I’m here to discuss the possibility of you attending our school.” The man had a calm, confident tone of voice.

“Before we start, I want to be clear about one thing. Do you understand that Hayfield Hall is a boarding school which you would be attending 365 days per year? If you join us, you would not be leaving until you graduate. No holiday breaks, no trips home, no family visits.”

Alice nodded, her curly hair bouncing on her head.

“I get that. It was explained at the assembly. But I’m not going unless Peter’s going too. Either we both go or neither of us do.”

Keith smiled. “We understand that. After these interviews we will either offer both of you a position or neither of you.”

“Oh!” said Alice. “That’s okay!” She shrugged. “If we’re both there, there really wouldn’t be anybody we’d want to visit. I mean, our foster parents are nice but we wouldn’t miss them and they wouldn’t miss us.”

Alice was quiet for a moment, looking down at her knees, then she shrugged and looked back up at Keith. He had been watching her silently. When she returned her attention to him, he quietly cleared his throat and began reading from the file in front of him.

“Let’s start with some basics. Your parents were Henry Arthur Fallow and Melissa Joan Fallow nee Harper, both sadly deceased. The name on your birth certificate is Jordan Brodie Fallow though for the past five years you have been using the name Alice Fallow. You are thirteen years old and your birthday is on the eighteenth of March. You have a twin brother Jason Arthur Fallow who has been using the name Peter Fallow for the same length of time. How am I doing so far?”

Alice had gone slightly pale as Keith talked. She blinked a couple of times, swallowed and then gave a small nod.

Keith then went on to read some other details about Alice’s life, pausing every so often to get a nod from Alice. Finally Keith put his notes down and leaned back in his chair.

“One thing puzzles me, and I would love for you to help me understand this. Here you are, sitting in front of me. You are obviously a very pretty and delightful young girl. Your school, your foster parents, your case worker, the welfare agency, even your current doctor appears to be completely convinced that you are female. Yet, your birth certificate clearly identifies you as a male. Can you explain that to me?”

Keith watched the girl with his calm eyes and a patient expression on his face.

Alice glared at Keith. “The hospital made a mistake filling out their forms. I’m a girl. Do you want me to prove it?”

She jumped out of her chair and stood in front of Keith, her eyes flashing with anger. She undid the button and zip on her trousers and started pushing them down.

Keith held his hands up in surrender and called out “Stop!! That isn’t necessary!”

Alice sniffed in disgust and refastened her trousers. Then she flounced back into her chair, tossed her head to send her curly hair flying and crossed her arms. She sat there glaring at Keith and waited for him to make the next move.

Keith sat back in his chair, quite relaxed, and watched her for a moment. After a moment, Alice uncrossed her arms, sat up straight, checked the seam on her trousers and adjusted her blazer then folded her hands back in her lap.

“I’m guessing you’ve done that a few times before, haven’t you?” said Keith.

Alice shrugged.

“Aren’t you worried that sooner or later someone will call your bluff and let you go all the way?”

“It’s not a bluff.”

“We spoke to a Dr Albert Morlin. He was your G.P. when you were living with your parents. He has very clear memories of treating the Fallow twins. He assured me that both of you were definitely boys. His files support his memory. You were born male.”

Alice went white as a sheet and her mouth gaped open.

“Alice you are not in trouble,” Keith said firmly. “I am not going to out you to your foster parents or your school. This will not prevent you from being accepted into Hayfield Hall. I repeat, you are not in trouble. Do you understand me?”

Alice snapped her mouth closed and managed a nod. She still looked frightened.

“Before we can accept you into Hayfield Hall, we need you to be honest with us — completely honest. So, I’d like to try this again. I’m trying to ease my way into the big questions by asking little ones first, okay?”

Alice gulped and nodded.

“Do you know what the word transgendered means? Or gender dysphoria?”

Alice shook her head. “No,” she whispered.

“Are you seeing any doctor or counsellor about your gender issues?”

Alice shook her head. “No,” she whispered.

“Then how did you convince the welfare agency that you are female?”

Alice stared back at Keith with a stubborn expression frozen on her face. Keith sat patiently and waited. Finally, Alice sighed and looked down.

“Jordan Brodie is the kind of name that could be either a boy or a girl. Our first case worker was really busy and frantic. That first day, we were standing right next to her while she was typing our file into the computer. Then she saw the M on my birth certificate and asked me about it. I did the same thing to her that I just did to you. It was a crowded office. I was standing there in a dress. The last thing she wanted was a hysterical seven year old girl stripping off in front of everyone. Like you, she stopped me before anybody saw anything. She just typed the F into the computer and that was it. I told her I preferred to be called Alice so she typed that in, too. From then on, they all thought I was a girl because that’s what their computer said.”

“Didn’t they have copies of your medical files?”

“I was just lucky she didn’t check those. They were sitting right there on her desk but she was too busy to check them. Five minutes later she left us beside her desk while she went off to the loo. I dropped a couple of drips of her coffee onto their copy of my birth certificate so that the M got all smudged in case anybody else checked it. I hid my medical file in my bag and got rid of it later. She just assumed she’d lost it in all of the mess. Since then, all of my case workers and foster parents knew I was a girl because the agency said I was. We told the receptionist for our new doctor that I’d had all the same illnesses and injections and stuff as Peter so she just made a new file and copied the information across.”

Keith sat quietly and watched while Alice kept staring at the floor. A couple of small wet circles appeared on the leg of her trousers, directly under her face.

“I know what I did was wrong. I’m sure it broke a whole bunch of laws. I was desperate! I saw a chance and I took it. I’m sorry.”

She was quiet for a moment longer.

“So what happens now? Are you going to report me? Do I get arrested?”

“No, Alice. I’m not going to report you. I’m pleased that you’ve been honest with me. That helps me a great deal. None of our research could reveal how the change happened. We had to be careful not to ask questions that would cause you problems if we didn’t accept you. That meant we couldn’t ask anyone else the questions we needed to ask so I had to ask you.”

Keith handed over a box of tissues. “Here! Clean your face and let’s get back to the interview.”

A pair of twins cause headaches at Hayfield Hall.

An unauthorised story set in the SPA Universe created by Karen Page. These events are intended to take place one year after the events described in “A New Style of Education.” Reading that story first is essential.

Note: This story assumes the counselling team at Hayfield Hall does not change significantly as a result of events yet to be revealed in Karen's story.

Chapter 2

Keith waited until Alice signalled she was ready to continue and then resumed the interview.

“I was quite impressed with your little performance before. It was quite convincing. If I hadn’t known the truth, I probably would have believed that you were really physically a girl and highly offended by any suggestion to the contrary. Have you had to make a scene like that since your first case worker?”

Alice gave a little nod. “My first new school after … after going into the agency. The school head saw that my old school records had an M. I did the whole performance again about the old school making a mistake and showed her my welfare forms which all had F on them. Then you, today.”

“As I asked before, aren’t you worried that one day someone like me might call your bluff and let you strip all the way?”

A shrug and then a sneaky smile. “Not really! We’re in the middle of a crowded school. You’d be in a lot more trouble than I would if someone came in and I was half naked. I know how the system works. You’re an adult and I’m only twelve. All I’d have to do is scream and somebody would come in. You had to stop me or you’d be arrested for being a pervert.”

“Perhaps! But you would still have been outed as a boy.”

“No I wouldn’t,” Alice blurted out. Then she blushed and bit her lip.

“What? Could you explain that please.”

Alice was still blushing. Despite this, she stared back at Keith with a defiant look on her face.

“I asked you to explain that. Why wouldn’t you be outed as a boy?”

“There’s nothing to see.”

She bit her lip and closed her eyes for a moment. Then she opened them again and stared straight at Keith.

“Before I came in here, I pushed everything up inside and glued my skin together over the top. We got hold of that medical glue stuff they use instead of stitches so it works on skin. There's a solvent that melts it all away when I don't need it anymore. Peter and I found some pictures on the internet on a site about puberty. I look about right as far as we can tell — provided nobody looks too closely. We’ve never actually seen — well, you know, that part — of a real girl, so it’s kind of hard to be sure.”

Alice had resumed sitting quite upright and was still staring defiantly at Keith.

“That’s not a very safe thing to do,” said Keith calmly. “Nor does it sound very comfortable.”

Alice shrugged and looked unconcerned. “Being made to act like a boy would be worse.”

Keith nodded thoughtfully.

“Do you do that every day?”

“No, just for times like today when we think I might get challenged. It would be horrible to do that every day. The glue feels disgusting. Most of the time I just push it all in and wear a tight pair of knickers under my ordinary ones.”

“What about doctors?”

“I’ve only been to a doctor once, since … since then. That was for an ear infection. Doctors don’t make you get naked for an ear infection. I was pretty sure I’d be safe. I thought he might make me undress down to my underwear but he didn’t even do that so I was okay. Apart from that I’ve avoided doctors.”

Keith looked at her for a moment and made some notes on his file.

“So now the big question. Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why have you been living as a girl for the last five years? Tell me about how that little Fallow boy turned into Alice.”

Alice shrugged. “I don’t know. It felt like the right thing to do. And once I started, I couldn’t really stop. I couldn’t exactly walk up to somebody and tell them that I’ve been living as a girl for the last however long and now I want to stop. Besides, I’ve never really wanted to stop.”

“It sounds like you are happy being Alice?”

She shrugged. “I am Alice. Sometimes I’m happy. Sometimes I’m sad. But I’m always Alice.”

“Hmm! If we accept you into Hayfield Hall, you and I are going to have some long talks about all of this. You’ll also spend some time with our medical staff working out where this is leading you to.”

“Will you make me …?”

“No, we will not make you stop living as a girl. Hayfield Hall exists to support young people who have the potential to excel but struggle in a normal school environment. Young people like you and your brother. If your gender identity issues are what is holding you back at the moment then we will support you by helping you to learn and grow into a fine young woman."

“Really?”

“Yes! Really!”

“Wow!”

"However, if you do decide you want to stop, we will support that and make it as easy as we can for you to go back to living as a boy.”

Keith nodded and made an note to himself.

“Let’s change the subject slightly. Where did Alice and Peter come from? What happened to Jordan and Jason?”

Alice sat and looked at Keith for a moment while she thought about the question. Then she sighed and nodded.

“Our parents were always really cutsey about having twins. Jordan and Jason always had matching names, matching clothes, matching hairstyles. They loved it, we hated it. Around about our seventh birthday we had a little rebellion and refused to go along with it any more. We told them we were different people and wanted to be treated differently. We had this huge family fight — there was lots of yelling and crying. In the end they gave in and things got better. As a kind of symbol of our new beginning, we got them to choose new names for us and they chose Allan and Peter — then Allan changed into Alice and here I am.”

“The fire was only two weeks after your seventh birthday.”

Alice went pale and nodded. They were both quiet for a moment.

“Let’s change the subject again,” said Keith. “Every time you have a choice, you and Peter choose to be in different classes or even different subjects. Do you have difficulty being in the same class as Peter?”

“No! That’s not a problem at all. We get on really well together. It’s just more interesting if we’re learning different things or have different teachers or whatever.”

“More interesting? How?”

“It gives us more to tell each other when we get home. If we’re both in the same class with the same teacher it’s not nearly so much fun afterwards.”

“You teach each other what you’ve learned in class?”

“Um … yes! I guess so. But it’s more like we tell each other everything that happened, not just what we learned.”

“What about your instruments. You play violin and Peter plays trombone. Do you teach each other those as well.”

Alice shrugged. “Our foster parents don’t let us practise at home so that’s a bit harder to do.”

“When you get to Hayfield, you will both be in the same class for most of the day. How do you think you will cope with that?”

“In the assembly, they said your school used new techniques that challenged the students more than most schools. We kind of guessed that meant we would be getting proper homework and assignments and things like that instead of the time-wasting stuff we get from here that’s supposed to keep us busy without actually teaching us anything. If we’re being challenged, then we’ll be happy being in the same classes more but we’d still like to do some things different if we can.”

“That seems reasonable.”

“Now I’d like you to tell me about Peter. How is Peter different from you? How is he the same?”

Keith leaned back and listened to Alice talk.

Some time later …

“Come in please, Peter, and take a seat.”

Peter slouched over to the chair and slumped into it. His straight hair was tied back in a loose pony-tail that dangled to his shoulders. Despite his apparent relaxed attitude, his eyes were bright and intensely focused on the man sitting opposite him.

“Hello Peter, my name is Keith Thompson and I’m here to discuss the possibility of you attending our school. Before we begin, I’d like to be clear about one thing. Do you understand that Hayfield Hall is a boarding school which you would be attending 365 days per year? If you join us, you would not be leaving until you graduate. No holiday breaks, no trips home, no family visits.”

“Sure,” said Peter, “But no way am I going unless Alice gets in too.”

Keith smiled. “We understand that. After these interviews we will either offer both of you a position or neither of you.”

Peter sniffed. “That’s okay then. As long as we’re clear.”

“So Peter,” Keith’s voice was casual and calm. “What do you think about your brother living as a girl for the last five years?”

Peter jerked upright and stared at Keith in astonishment. “She told you?”

Keith smiled calmly and stared Peter in the eye.

“Peter, the first thing we expect from our students is honesty. It would be difficult for us to go forward if you and Alice couldn’t be honest with us. The second thing we expect from our students is that they look after each other. Much the same way you have been looking after your twin for the last five years. I’m not criticizing you or Alice. I’m merely ensuring that you understand we need you to be honest during this interview.”

Peter’s mouth opened as if he were about to say something and then it closed again.

Now that Keith was certain that he had Peter’s full attention, he smiled and opened the file in front of him.

“We’ll get back to that shortly, but first let’s start with some basics … .”

A pair of twins cause headaches at Hayfield Hall.

An unauthorised story set in the SPA Universe created by Karen Page. These events are intended to take place one year after the events described in “A New Style of Education.” Reading that story first is essential.

Note: This story assumes the counselling team at Hayfield Hall does not change significantly as a result of events yet to be revealed in Karen's story.

Chapter 3

Dr Quentin Hobson, Headmaster of Hayfield Hall, closed one folder and opened the next with one hand while he sipped coffee from a mug held in his other hand.

“Now let’s talk about the Fallow twins. Keith, what’s your take on them?”

“They’re both ideal candidates for this school. Academically, they are both very bright but massively underachieving. They both play musical instruments to a high enough standard that they will fit into the orchestra without any difficulty. Alice presents as a classic transgender child, though I suspect there’s more going on there than meets the eye. Peter presents as a fairly typical thirteen year old boy though some of that is an act. Through close contact with his sister, and possibly their experiences in foster homes, he is a lot more tolerant of differences than most boys of that age.

"If you want more detail about why they qualify for a place with us, I refer you to the second page of my report."

There was a rustle of papers and then silence for a moment as those around the table read the information being referred to.

"As a result of what you see there, the twins are socially isolated and quite suspicious of other peoples' motives," continued Keith.

“Also, there’s a lot of fallout from the death of their parents that I don’t think they’ve fully processed. I’m quite sure we’ll hit some turbulence when all of that comes out. We barely touched on Alice’s gender issues …”

Rachel snorted. “‘Allan became Alice and here I am’ is the shortest description of a transition I’ve ever heard.”

Keith grinned and nodded. “They have some serious trust issues with people in authority and in one session I didn’t expect to crack through that many layers of Alice’s shell so I left it at that. I was pretty impressed that I got the story out of her about how she got the computer file changed at the welfare agency. That story alone should give us some idea of the sort of intelligence we'll be dealing with. Also, I’m certain I didn’t get the full story of why they use Alice and Peter rather than their birth names. None of those issues have even been recognized where they are, let alone any attempt made to treat them.”

“We’ve never had twins before,” said Quentin. “We’ve had siblings in different year groups but not twins.”

“We’ve had a few come in with very close prior relationships,” argued Keith. “Jill and Anna were practically sisters when they came in to us last year, for example.”

“We will have to watch that they don’t isolate themselves from the rest of their year group,” said Rachel.

"The same possibility existed with Jill and Anna," replied Keith. "But they integrated into the whole group quite quickly. We must be careful not to simply assume the same thing will happen again with these two.”

“The relationship between the twins is going to create a different dynamic for study partners compared to the normal sorts of relationships that develop between study partners,” said Rachel.

"You seem to be assuming they would be study partners," said Quentin.

"Given their current co-dependency, I don't think we should split them up in any way," responded Keith. "As study partners they can continue to support each other. And yes, that implies a different dynamic than develops between many of our study partners."

“Not every pair that we put together graduate as life-partners rather than study partners,” said Quentin. “Adolescence puts a lot of stress on the relationship between twins as they struggle to establish their own identity. If we can guide the Fallow twins through adolescence and have them graduate with a healthy, long-term, close sibling relationship still in place then I will be a very happy man.”

“We need to be careful to stop identifying them as the Fallow twins,” said Keith. “They are Alice and Peter and with quite significant differences between them. They are very closely bonded and do many things together but react strongly against being treated as the same person.”

“Noted,” said Quentin. “The discussion I’m hearing seems to be assuming that we are accepting Alice and Peter. I’ve heard issues we will need to deal with rather than any actual objections. The rest of you have been fairly quiet. Are we all agreed?”

Quentin’s question is answered by nods from everyone present.

“Very well then.” He took another sip from his (now cold) coffee and closed the current folder. “Next we have …”

Alice and Peter were sitting on the fence outside their foster parents’ house when Keith drove up. They stood up and were walking towards the car even before Keith had finished parking. Keith got out of the car and went to meet them.

“You’re foster parents aren’t here to say goodbye?” asked Keith.

Alice shrugged.

“They had to go to work,” said Peter. “We told them we didn’t mind.”

“You were told you couldn’t bring anything with you,” said Keith looking at Alice.

Alice was clutching to her chest a small battered shoebox that was tied up with string.

“This is all that we own,” said Alice with a tear in her eye.

“All?” asked Keith.

“We do have some money from the house insurance,” said Peter — more to Alice than to Keith. “And a bit of money from the life insurance.”

Peter turned to Keith and explained. “It’s all being in held in a trust for us. It’s not very much — we’re not, like, rich or anything — but now that we won’t have to pay for anything through to the end of high school, it should be enough to get us at least some of the way through university.”

“That’s assuming that shonky accountant doesn’t steal it all,” said Alice to Peter with some bitterness. “It’s going to be hard to keep checking on him when we’re away at boarding school for the next five years.”

Keith smiled calmly. “Our legal people will help you with that. Hayfield looks after its students. We knew about your financial situation. We’ve already started the process to watch over your trust fund for you. Your money will be looked after. So what’s in the shoe box?”

Alice clutched the box more tightly to her chest and didn’t reply. Tears silently ran down her cheeks.

“It’s all we have left from … before,” said Peter. “Dad’s watch, a necklace Mum had loaned to a friend, a few photos, that’s about it — not much survived the fire. The photos are kind of water-damaged and the watch is a bit melted so it doesn’t work anymore. It’s one of those old fashioned ones that Dad inherited from his grandfather.”

“Can’t we please keep them with us?” begged Alice. “It’s all we have.”

“None of the other students are allowed to bring things with them,” said Keith as gently as he could. “It wouldn’t be fair on them if we made an exception for you.”

“I guess we could mail the box to our accountant and ask him to hold it for us until we graduate,” said Peter.

“I don’t trust him that much,” spat Alice.

Keith pressed a button on his keyring and the boot on the car popped open.

“Put the box in there. I will put it in storage for you. It will be safe, I promise you. It will be returned to you when you graduate.”

Alice stood there and hugged the box, crying softly.

“Come on, Al,” said Peter. “We knew their rules. It was worth asking but we expected something like this.” He gently took the box from Alice and handed it to Keith. Then he wrapped Alice in his arms and hugged her.

Keith put the shoebox in the boot and closed the lid.

“Nothing in your pockets?” asked Keith.

They both shook their heads.

“In that case, hop in and let’s get on the road.”

Peter strolled in through the connecting door.

“Do you believe this place?” said Peter. “The walk-in closet is bigger than our last bedroom. And the clothes …”

“I know … I saw! They even put the hair stuff I asked for in the bathroom.”

“You mean a hair-curler and all that? That’s good.”

“With these big rooms and the quality of the clothes,” said Alice. “It all feels like honey in the middle of a really big trap. I’m just waiting to find out what type of trap this is.”

“Whatever type of trap it is, we’ve already marched right into it. We took our chance to get out of that last place. We’ll have to wait and see if this place is better or worse. I’ll tell you this, though. I poked my head into the hallway and introduced myself to a couple of the other newbies and they’re just like us.”

“What, twins?”

“No! They were from the bottom of the heap — just like us. The sort of kids that nobody would miss if we suddenly disappeared.”

“We saw that group of older students as we came in. They didn’t look abused or mistreated or anything,” said Alice.

“How would you know if they were being abused or not?”

“You and I both know what abused kids look like — we can even pick abused kids who are trying to hide it,” said Alice. “Those students aren’t being abused.”

“You’re right. They looked healthy and happy. Maybe this place really is being run by do-gooders who just want us to get educated.”

Alice snorted. “It doesn’t sound likely does it. We’ll just have to keep our eyes open and watch each others’ backs.”

“What’re you doing?” asked Peter.

“Just retrieving our stash before I get changed.”

Alice was sitting cross-legged on the bed unwrapping a small cloth package. A second package lay open on the bed in front of her. Laid out on the cloth were the contents — a series of small photos, cut into ovals, and a tiny brooch in the shape of an owl.

Peter crawled onto the bed and sat crosslegged in front of her. He carefully scooped up the brooch and stroked the owl with his finger. Then he put the brooch down and picked up the photos — handling them carefully.

“The Wedding Photos,” he whispered, reverently. Carefully he looked through the photos — gazing lovingly at each one, before moving onto the next. “I wish we remembered which of the grandfathers was Justin and which was Jordan.”

Alice sighed and stopped what she was doing. “I remember the conversation. I remember cuddling on Mum’s lap while she told us. You were squidged in beside us. I remember her pointing but I can’t remember which way around she pointed.”

“After all this time, we aren’t going to suddenly remember it today. I was just saying what I wished.”

Peter put the photos down and gestured for Alice to finish unwrapping her other package. It quickly revealed a small multi-coloured scarf. Alice lifted it to her face and breathed in deeply.

“I can still smell her perfume,” said Alice. Then she held out her hands to Peter who smelled the scarf carefully.

“It’s so faded now,” said Peter, sadly. “I can barely smell it at all. We handled it too much in those first few months.”

“We didn’t know,” said Alice with a pout.

“I know. But if we had kept it wrapped up better and not handled it so much, maybe her perfume would have lasted better.”

Alice carefully flipped open the scarf and scooped two rings from the central folds.

“Mum’s rings?” asked Peter. “I thought you were going to leave the rings in the box with Dad’s watch.”

“I couldn’t,” said Alice, tearfully. “I knew what was going to happen to the box. Keith did exactly what you predicted and promised to store it for us. Who knows if we’ll ever see it again. I just wish I could have hung onto Daddy’s watch as well.”

Peter grinned and pointed at her now-flat chest. “Two years ago you wouldn’t have been able to smuggle in even that much. At least as a thirteen year old you get some storage space. Dad’s watch would have made you look all lumpy.”

Alice shrugged. “I would have just worn a bigger bra. If I wrapped it well enough, it wouldn’t poke out.”

Peter picked up her hand and rubbed her wrists. “You’d have had to wear a double D to do that. And they might have noticed if you suddenly sprouted out that much between the interviews and now.”

“We should probably hide these,” said Alice. “I bet they search our rooms.”

“Of course they search our rooms,” said Peter, looking around. “And even if they don't, other kids will probably raid us. Those closets have so much stuff in them, I’m sure if we’re clever, we could hide it all in there.”

Alice started wrapping the pile of mementos up again. “Which room should we use? We’ve never slept in different rooms before and I don’t want to start now. Who knows who will try to come in while we're sleeping.”

Peter shrugged. “Both rooms look the same. We’re in here now so we may as well live in this one. We haven’t shared a single bed long-term before but it’s big enough so we’ll manage. We can use the spare room for studying or whatever.”

Peter stood up. “We’re supposed to get changed into their clothes. Everything we’re wearing now goes in those black bags. We probably won’t see them again. They said we'd get them back when we leave but that seems pretty pointless. Even if we only last here for a year or so, by the time we leave none of this will fit us.”

“I know,” said Alice. “I heard the instructions, too. I’ve just been putting that off as long as I could. This is my favourite top. This is my only top. We gave all the rest of our clothes away last night.”

“Have you seen the clothes in there? You’ll have a new favourite top in next to no time. Your old clothes aren’t important. That little pile of things on the bed are the only things that really matter. Let’s hide our stash and get changed. Then we can go out and meet the rest of our group. Keith said they’d all be meeting up in the common room in about half an hour.”

The two of them wandered into the walk-in closet.

“I feel sorry for the others,” said Alice. “Most of them are coming into a place where they don’t know anybody. At least we have each other. We should try to be extra friendly.”

“Sure. We can do that,” said Peter.

“I’m just worried that they’ll all turn out to be horrible little shits like at our last school,” said Alice.

Peter shrugged. “Then we can always go back to ignoring them but we should at least give them a chance.”

“Absolutely. Now where do you think we should hide these?” asked Alice.

“How about there?” said Peter, pointing.

Alice smiled. “Perfect.”

They worked together to conceal their little collection of contraband.

"I'm glad they know about me here," said Alice. "The people who run this place, I mean."

"Why is that?"

"We have that medical appointment later today. Usually I would be getting stressed by now about having to face a doctor. But this one will know my secret already. It's kind of a relief."

"Keith was right about one thing. Sooner or later somebody would call you on that bluff. Something tells me the doctors here would be the ones to do it."

"I still can't believe this place is real. It's nothing like what we expected. Everything is so … so …"

"I know what you mean."

A pair of twins cause headaches at Hayfield Hall.

An unauthorised story set in the SPA Universe created by Karen Page. These events are intended to take place one year after the events described in “A New Style of Education.” Reading that story first is essential.

Note: This story assumes the counselling team at Hayfield Hall does not change significantly as a result of events yet to be revealed in Karen's story.

Chapter 4

“I’m getting a strange vibe off Peter and Alice,” said Keith.

“What do you mean?” asked Rachel. “They seem to be settling in very well. They even seem to have made friends amongst their year level.”

“They still block the doors with furniture while they sleep,” said Quentin. “And they watch everybody. A number of the staff have mentioned that.”

Keith shrugged. “That’s just a healthy dose of paranoia. Perfectly reasonable for a pair that have spent the last five years in welfare. That isn’t the problem. They’ll get over that gradually as they learn to trust us. In fact we've already made some progress with that. Over the last week they have definitely started to thaw. My strange vibe is to do with them as twins. As you know, before I came here, I worked with a number of sets of twins. That’s why I was put in charge of Peter and Alice. In the last few days, I’ve had sessions with each of them separately and both of them together. I can’t put my finger on it but something feels just a fraction off when I work with them.”

“Has anybody else had that reaction?” asked Quentin as he looked around the room.

He was met with a circle of shaking heads.

“Tomorrow might bring something out,” suggested Rachel. “The first Mix Up Monday seems to reveal a lot about the character of the new students.”

“I agree,” said Quentin. “We should all keep a careful eye on Peter and Alice tomorrow.”

Alice slipped through the door and closed it behind her. She looked over at Peter and giggled.

Peter was standing in front of a mirror wearing a dress with violet and green stripes. He was struggling to adjust a long red wig.

“This is wrong. I look like a prat!” said Peter.

“You really do,” said Alice. “You look like a boy doing a bad job of pretending to be a girl. I don’t like it. They shouldn’t be making you do this.”

“It feels like they want to humiliate me and my only defence is to play the clown. And it feels wrong to clown around with this stuff.”

"I’ve just been for a walk. This place is so weird," said Alice. "I still can't believe how many people here are like — you know — different. And even the ones who aren't, they accept it so easily. Like today. Everybody I saw is taking this whole dressing up thing so seriously. They’ve all made this huge effort. We can’t go out there and be silly about wearing the wrong clothes. I think we’d offend just about everybody. Anything else we could do is just too weird."

"I agree," said Peter. "Absolutely nobody has been mean to us since we arrived here — either students or staff. In fact most of them have gone out of their way to be kind. It was kind of disconcerting at first. I'm not going to be the first person to be mean to somebody by making fun of their issues with clothing and gender and stuff like that. Besides," he pointed at his reflection in the mirror, "this is just wrong!"

"It's bad enough for you," said Alice. "Even thinking about it feels totally wrong for me. I absolutely do NOT want to dress up like a boy. And this place really is so accepting. I swear I could walk out there and say I want to be a giraffe and they would all just nod and start trying to figure out how to tie my food onto tree branches so it would feel more natural for me."

Peter laughed. "Keith would probably say, 'What are the main things you think are stopping you from being a giraffe?'"

"He would too," said Alice. "Then he would go to you and say, 'How do you feel about your sister pretending to be a person while all the time she was really a giraffe?'"

They both had a good laugh about that. Then Alice sighed and took hold of Peter's arm. She laid her head on his shoulder and looked into the mirror.

"I'm really starting to like this place," she said. "I'm almost starting to feel safe here. I really don't want to mess it up by making fun of them. I can't do this thing today.

“I think we should go with Plan B,” said Peter.

“Be ourselves, you mean?”

“Yeah!”

******

The Year One breakfast table went quiet when Peter and Alice entered the room. They walked over and took their seats without taking any notice of the stares. Then some hissed whispers started up, teasing the twins for not taking part in the day.

Finally Peter glared around the table.

“Look! We tried, okay? And we couldn’t do it. It just felt too weird.”

Keith had been sitting quietly at the table and not saying anything until this point.

“If you had concerns about the day, why didn’t you talk to me about it yesterday. A couple of the other Year Ones spoke to their counsellors about today.”

“Yesterday we were just planning for me to wear an oversized dress and make a joke about it. Today I put on a dress and I felt like a total prat. I felt like I was being insensitive to everything some of the people here go through. Besides, it was even worse for Alice. She doesn’t want to be a boy. She doesn’t want to dress like a boy. It’s just wrong to make her be one. You told us we wouldn’t be forced to do anything we really didn’t want to do. It’s breaking your own rules if you force us to do this.”

Keith had leaned back on his chair and watched Peter during his little rant. He didn’t respond in any way. Peter finished talking and immediately started eating, staring down at his plate. Alice glared aroumd the table — warning everybody, including Keith, to leave her brother alone. Then she reached over and rubbed her hand up and down Peter’s back. After a moment, Peter shrugged his back. Alice took the hint and moved her hand away.

The entire table quietly resumed eating, the silence broken only by the sound of Keith tapping on his PDA. Eventually quiet conversation resumed but the silence hung around Peter and Alice like a cloud until the end of the meal.

Just as their plates were being cleared, both Peter and Alice’s PDAs let out a loud ping. They took out their PDAs and looked at them then looked over at Keith.

“Why do you want us in your office?” asked Peter.

"We didn't do anything wrong," said Alice. "How can we be in trouble if we didn't do anything wrong?"

“I’d just like to talk through in more detail your reasons for choosing not to take part in today’s activities. As Peter correctly pointed out, we can’t force you to take part so you can’t be in trouble for not taking part. But why don’t we have the rest of this conversation somewhere with a little more privacy. Let’s walk together, shall we?”

Keith stood and waited for Peter and Alice to join him before they walked together to his office. Peter and Alice took a seat together on the sofa and Keith pulled a chair over so that he could sit facing them. Alice fluffed out her curly hair with both hands and then adopted her usual upright prim-and-proper pose. Peter slumped back into the sofa the way he always did.

“So, let’s start again, shall we. Help me understand why you’ve chosen not to take part in our Mix Up Monday.”

Keith listened as Alice repeated, virtually word-for-word, the speech Peter had made at breakfast.

“Alice, is that really the way you feel?”

Alice nodded.

“Okay, Alice, I understand where your concerns are coming from. I’ll come back to you shortly. Peter, I still don’t understand why you couldn’t take part. You said you realized it would be wrong to turn it into a joke but with a little effort I’m sure you could have presented as a reasonably convincing girl. You wouldn’t have offended anybody here if you did that. I’m sure that Alice could have helped you.”

“We told you, it just felt wrong,” said Peter.

“Peter is a boy,” said Alice. “It would be wrong for him to dress like a girl.”

Keith looked at Alice and blinked twice.

“Alice!” Keith’s voice was gentle. “You are a boy who is dressed like a girl.”

“That’s different.”

"Why is it different?"

“Because … just because!” said Alice.

“Because Alice really is a girl,” said Peter. “On the inside, I mean. And I’m not.”

Keith looked between the two of them and nodded.

Then he looked back at Peter.

“Nobody is asking you to be a girl, Peter. On days like today we are only asking you to dress like a girl. One of our reasons for today is so that you can get a better idea of what it is like for people like Alice. Don’t you think that is a good enough reason to make the effort — even if it feels a bit wrong?”

Peter looked back for a moment and then shrugged.

“Peter, will you do something for me? I want you to sit up straight for a moment.”

Peter looked puzzled for a moment and then sat up so that he was sitting properly next to his sister.

“Would you mind folding your hands in your lap the same way Alice has her hands?”

Peter looked back at Keith with a strange expression on his face and then folded his hands in his lap.

“Your hair is long enough,” said Keith. “A bit of time with a curling wand and you would look exactly … “

Keith’s voice trailed off as he looked back and forth between the two of them.

“Oh good lord! You really are twins, aren’t you? I should have thought of this before.”

Keith slapped his forehead and shook his head in disbelief.

“You’ve done a switch on us!”

Peter and Alice looked at each other and then back at Keith. They both shook their heads and then sat there looking at Keith with a blank expression on their faces.

“You have, haven’t you?”

“No!” they said together in unison.

“I’m Peter,” said Peter.

“And I’m Alice,” said Alice.

“We haven’t switched,” they said in unison.

Keith sat there and looked back and forth between the two of them. His face displayed the confusion he was feeling. Then his eyes suddenly widened.

“Ah!” said Keith as he jumped to his feet. “I’ve just thought of something.”

He went over to a cupboard and fished out a strange looking piece of apparatus. He sat it on his desk and plugged the cable to the side of his computer. He started up a program and then turned the monitor around to face the room.

“Alice, please come over here,” said Keith.

“Why?” said Alice. “I don’t want to!”

She sat there and pouted, looking suspiciously at the device.

"I don't know why you can't just trust us," said Alice. "We told you we didn't switch."

"I think you're trying to bluff me again," said Keith. "Just come over here beside my computer."

“Go on, Alice” said Peter. “You may as well.”

Alice sighed and stood up. She walked over to Keith.

“Now what?” said Alice.

“Just put your right eye up against this scanner here.”

Alice sighed and did as she’d been told.

A moment later the computer beeped and an information screen appeared.

It had a whole page of details such as birthdate and so on.

There, filling one quarter of the screen, was Peter’s photo.

And directly under the photo, in large, bold print was:

Jason Arthur Fallow (aka Peter Fallow)

A pair of twins cause headaches at Hayfield Hall.

An unauthorised story set in the SPA Universe created by Karen Page. These events are intended to take place one year after the events described in “A New Style of Education.” Reading that story first is essential.

Note: This story assumes the counselling team at Hayfield Hall does not change significantly as a result of events yet to be revealed in Karen's story.

Chapter 5

Alice’s face dropped as she stared at the screen. It was showing a picture of Peter’s face and all of his details, including his name: Jason Arthur Fallow (aka Peter Fallow)

Then she pouted.

“Your computer’s broken. Somebody entered the data wrong. I’m Alice. I don’t care what your stupid computer says.”

Keith raised his eyebrows and looked at Alice.

“You’re certainly Alice today, I can see that,” said Keith.

She turned and flounced back to the sofa where she dropped into the sofa and crossed her arms, glaring angrily back at Keith.

Keith looked at Peter and pointed at the scanner. “Peter, would you please …?”

Peter stood without making any fuss whatsoever. He walked over to the desk, put his eye to the scanner and then returned to slump on the sofa without even bothering to look at the screen.

As Keith expected, the screen was now displaying the details and photo of Jordan Brodie Fallow (aka Alice Fallow).

Keith smiled and went back to the seat.

“Well, I guess that clears up one thing, anyway. Thank-you for taking part in our Mix Up Monday. Congratulations, by the way. You managed to fool all of us with your switch. I guess the joke’s on us.”

Alice frowned and looked like she was about to say something. Peter nudged her and she closed her mouth. The two sat and looked at Keith with blank faces.

"I must say," said Keith, "that I'm very impressed. Your performance today has been immaculate. You didn't merely swap your clothing and change your hair, you also mimicked each other's actions and normal behaviours almost perfectly. You even answered my questions the way your sibling would have done so."

Keith stopped and shook his head.

“You are both far too good at this. I can’t believe this is the first time you’ve switched with each other. How many times have you done this before?”

They both looked at each other and then looked back at Keith with blank faces.

“Okay,” said Keith. “Let me do it this way.” He looked at Peter. “Alice?”

“Yes?” said Alice.

“No, I mean the real Alice!” said Keith.

“I am the real Alice,” said Alice.

“You aren’t helping,” said Keith. “We just showed on the computer that you aren’t the real Alice.”

“And she told you that the computer was wrong,” said Peter.

“Wait, I’m confused. I was with you on the day you arrived here and we put those scans into the system. Are you saying that on the day you arrived at the school that you, Peter, was dressed as Alice and that you, Alice, was dressed as Peter?”

“We never …” Alice’s face crumpled. “You don’t understand.”

Keith leaned back and looked bewildered.

“What don’t I understand? Please help me.”

“Alice would never dress up like a boy,” said Peter. “We told you that before.”

“And Peter doesn’t want to look like a girl,” added Alice as she blotted away some tears with a tissue.

“Alice has always been Alice,” said Peter.

“Peter has never dressed up like this,” said Alice, waving her hand down at herself.

Keith scratched his head. At first he’d thought that the twins were playing a typical twin-type practical joke. But now he was starting to think that something more was going on. His every instinct was telling him that his young charges were being honest with him. They were telling him the truth as well as they could explain it. The only problem was that the truth wasn’t making any sense. They were contradicting themselves and each other nearly every time they opened their mouths but they seemed to believe that everything they said was the absolute truth.

“Wait! Which of you was born Jordan Brodie Fallow?”

The two twins looked at each other and then gradually their bodies seemed to crumple slightly as they pulled in closer to each other. Finally Alice raised a shaking hand. Then tears started to trickle down her face.

Keith looked at Peter. “So that would make you Jason Arthur Fallow?”

Peter burst into tears and nodded.

“Jason, how many times have you been Alice?”

For a moment Keith didn’t think he was going to get any answer. He watched as Peter used his sleeve to wipe the tears from his face.

“More than once?” asked Keith. Peter looked miserable and nodded.

“More than ten times?” asked Keith. The two twins nodded together — tears running down both of their faces.

Peter wiped his face again.

“Every second day,” said Peter in a quavery little child’s voice.

Keith’s jaw dropped.

“Every second day? For how long? Since you arrived here at the school?”

They both shook their heads. Tears streaming down their faces.

“Since before you came here?”

They both nodded.

“Since when, then?”

They didn’t respond.

Keith’s eyes widened in shock. “Since the fire?”

Again they didn’t respond. They simply kept looking at Keith with tears streaming down their faces.

“Are you telling me that for the last five years, the two of you have been alternating every day between Peter and Alice?”

The two of didn’t even acknowledge the question. They clutched onto each other and started sobbing.

Keith leaned back in his chair and stared at the two crying boys in amazement.

"Well!" he said quietly to himself. "I didn't see that one coming."

A pair of twins cause headaches at Hayfield Hall.

An unauthorised story set in the SPA Universe created by Karen Page. These events are intended to take place one year after the events described in “A New Style of Education.” Reading that story first is essential.

Note: This story assumes the counselling team at Hayfield Hall does not change significantly as a result of events yet to be revealed in Karen's story.

Chapter 6

Keith sat in his chair and looked at the two children on his sofa. They were hugging each other and sobbing loudly. He shook his head in amazement.

Taking out his PDA, he quickly sent a message to the Year One leader and her — no today that would be his — partner. “Please come to my office.” Then he remembered that they were still new to the school so he sent a second message. “Come now! Hurry, but don’t run. If you are currently handling some other crisis, send another pair.”

Then Keith sent a message to all of the counsellors. “I would appreciate any of you that are available at my office. I need backup. I’ll brief you when you get here.” He flagged the message as “Not an emergency but serious.” Keith thought for a second and then copied the same message to the Headmaster, Quentin Hobson.

A knock on the door announced the arrival of the young year leader and his partner. They were both panting slightly. With his head full of the current situation, their alternate names slipped out of Keith’s head so he used no names rather than the wrong names.

“Thanks for coming. I know you were only elected yesterday. One part of your job is that you’ll get called in to help when any of your year are particularly upset.” Keith smiled at the girl “Being the partner of the year-leader means you’ll get called in sometimes, too. That’s part of how you can support your partner.”

They both shrugged and nodded. “Of course, Keith. No problems.”

“Right now I have Peter and Alice on my sofa. I don’t want them left alone, but I need to speak with some of my colleagues. This is where the two of you come in. Would you please sit with them for a while?”

They both said “sure” and walked into the office. In no time at all, they had squeezed in on the outside of the two crying twins. Keith looked at them and shook his head. The sofa was designed for two adults. It was just as well they were all thirteen years old. Any older and the four of them wouldn’t have fitted.

In response to a second knock on the door, Keith slipped out into the hallway. Quentin and some of the counsellors were standing there.

“You called for help,” said Quentin. “The cavalry is here.”

"There's another issue being dealt with but the rest of us are here," said Rachel. "How can we help you?"

Keith led them across the hall into Rachel’s office and then looked around at the small circle of concerned adults.

“I’ll be honest. I think I’m a little out of my depth.”

Quentin nodded. “We’ve all been in that situation. That’s why we work as a team. What have you got?”

“The Fallow twins are in my office. I seem to have made a breakthrough of sorts. I want to keep pushing them while the iron is hot but I’m not completely sure how to proceed.”

The others nodded for him to continue.

“I didn’t get anywhere until I started calling them Jordan and Justin. This is what I think is going on. In a sense, Peter and Alice don’t exist. They are roles that the twins have been playing. For the last five years — including during this last week with us — Jordan and Justin have been alternating been the two roles. Every second day, Jordan is Alice and Justin is Peter. On the other days they swap and Jordan is Peter while Justin is Alice.”

There was a moment of stunned silence.

‘Every single day?” asked Rachel. “That’s incredible. I haven’t picked any differences. None of the staff have.”

Quentin frowned. “Is this some sort of twin-style prank that’s gotten out of control?”

“I don't think so. I'm not sure what is going on. It is possible that we have two youngsters who are both transgendered. In the confusion after the fire, they managed to create one role for a girl. So they have taken it in turns to be that girl so that both of their needs were at least partially satisfied. Being exposed as Justin and Jordan appears to have been more traumatic for them than when I challenged Alice’s gender during the interviews. I’m not sure why. I only cracked them by using the iris scanner to prove that the twin presenting as Alice today is not the same as the twin who presented as Alice the day they arrived here. The two of them are quite distraught at being exposed in this way.”

“How did they manage to fool everybody for all this time, swapping every day?”

“In the interviews they both described how much fun they had each evening telling each other about their day. They even deliberately chose different subjects so they’d have more to talk about.”

“They debrief each other?”

Keith nodded. “Effectively. They both test as being very highly intelligent yet they’ve been kept in a standard curriculum for their age group. I suspect this is how they’ve been challenging themselves. Either deliberately or unconsciously, they have created a situation where they have to stretch themselves to perform the roles of Alice and Peter so flawlessly that nobody has detected them — until now. Also, by choosing multiple subjects between the two of them, they have been broadening their education somewhat by taking different subjects every second day. Though I imagine the majority of the work was still boring for them.”

“I’ve seen both of them in the practice rooms every afternoon,” said Quentin. “Alice always plays the violin. Peter always plays the trombone.”

“Jordan and Justin must be at about same level of competence on both instruments. Otherwise they wouldn’t be able to swap for music sessions. That’s something we could check.”

Keith cursed softly to himself. “I asked Alice in the interview if they taught each other their instruments and she dodged the question. She did it so skilfully that I didn’t even notice.”

“They’ve been presenting as Alice and Peter continuously for the last five years,” said Rachel with a thoughtful expression on her face. “We may be looking at something more pathological than a simple role swapping twin prank. Especially given that this all appears to have been locked into place on the night their parents died in the fire. The conditions are conducive to developing something akin to dissociative identity disorder — what used to be called multiple personality disorder.”

“That would explain why I was feeling out of my depth,” said Keith. “I have no experience in that area at all.”

“I have a very little,” said Quentin. “It dates back to a long time before I was associated with this school. I can help a little but we may have to consult outside of the school. Hopefully, one of our sister schools has somebody with expertise. Otherwise, we’ll have to locate a suitable specialist and find a way to consult without breaching security.”

They all nodded and looked at each other.

“Rachel’s idea would also explain why Keith had problems getting through to Jordan and Justin. Peter and Alice aren’t just roles the twins have been playing, they are solid, well-established identities that exist to conceal Justin and Jordan.”

“So, how do we proceed from here?” asked Keith.

“You may as well stay on point,” said Quentin. “You’ve been doing a good job so far and you have an established connection with the twins. Rachel and I shall back you up and that releases the others to hold the fort with the rest of the school.”

The others nodded and then turned and left the office.

“I’ve had the camera in my office running since the start of today’s session,” said Keith. “You could review the session so far from in here. Then you could watch live as I resume with the twins. Any suggestions you want to whisper in my ear would be gratefully accepted.”

Quentin nodded and pulled out his PDA. “I’ll ask David to send one of his team to give you an undetectable earpiece. Oops! I guess today that would be Jayne.”

“My first suggestion will give us a bit of time to set up,” said Rachel. “Given that you have uncovered Justin and Jordan, we can keep them uncovered by using the rules of Mix Up Monday.”

“What do you mean?”

“The rules say they have to dress androgynously for the second half of the day. I suggest we get them out of their Alice and Peter clothes and looking more like a pair of androgynous twins called Jordan and Justin.”

“Let’s go with that,” said Quentin.

A pair of twins cause headaches at Hayfield Hall.

An unauthorised story set in the SPA Universe created by Karen Page. These events are intended to take place one year after the events described in “A New Style of Education.” Reading that story first is essential.

Note: This story assumes the counselling team at Hayfield Hall does not change significantly as a result of events yet to be revealed in Karen's story.

Chapter 7

Jayne, the second year leader, was sitting at the computer in Keith’s office when as Keith entered the room.

Keith was followed by Jordan and Justin — now dressed identically in trousers and matching zippered sweatshirts. Jordan’s hair had been straightened and now hung loosely to just below the top of his shoulders. Justin’s hair, freed from its ponytail, also hung loosely, the same length as Jordan’s. With their clothes and hair the same, there was now no obvious way to tell the difference between the twins.

“Hey!” said Jayne. “Come on over here. I need Jordan first.”

Jordan glanced at his brother and then walked over, looking doubtful. Jayne held up a camera linked to the computer.

“Smile!”

Jordan managed a tentative smile and the camera flashed. Within a second the image was shown on the computer screen. Jayne typed a few keys and the picture on the screen shrunk and joined a row of three pictures: Jordan, then Alice then Peter with Jordan’s full name across the top.

“Now put your right eye to the iris scanner! That’s it! Now put your thumb on this plate! Excellent. We’re done. Now Justin!”

Jayne went through the same process with Justin and then started packing up her equipment.

"Like we talked about before, I'm going to put an extra function on your PDAs. Each morning, you will have a menu, just select whether you are presenting as Jordan or Alice or Peter for the day. Or in Justin’s case, your choices will obviously be Justin or Alice or Peter. You can change it later in the day if you need to. Any messages addressed to Peter will go to whoever is presenting as Peter and will be available to either of you when you're presenting as Peter. Any messages addressed to Justin will go privately to Justin, whoever you're presenting as. Same for Alice and for Jordan. I’m off to do the programming now. It shouldn’t take long. I’ll upload it as soon as I’m done. If you have any problems, talk to me — or to talk to David." She grinned and shrugged. "One of us will help you."

"You won't … tell anybody," said Justin. "About us, I mean!"

"Of course not," said Jayne, looking offended. "You're secret is safe with me. I'm used to keeping secrets. When you decide to come out to the rest of us, I promise to be as surprised as everybody else."

"Jayne is trusted with a number of secrets around the school," said Keith. "She's a year leader and our computer whiz, so she knows a lot more about what goes on around here than even I do."

"I doubt that," said Jayne. "Keith won't tell me what you talk about in a session for example — that's private. The only reason I know about you guys is because you asked for help getting the PDAs to work properly. Did you notice that Keith left it to you to explain what you wanted from me. If he'd said anything, he would be revealing private stuff to another student. Apart from Mr Hobson and the other support staff, absolutely nobody else in the school will know what's going on with you two until you're ready to tell us. I promise you that."

Jayne bundled her equipment into a bag and slipped the bag over her shoulder.

"Well! I'm off to do that programming. See you around."

With a cheerful wave Jayne walked out of the room.

Justin watched Jayne walk out and close the door. Then he turned to Keith.

“Does this mean we don’t have to stay like this?” said the little, wavering voice.

“We don’t want to stay like this,” said Jordan in a similar voice.

“No, you’re like this because of Mix Up Monday. I explained that to you,” said Keith. “Tomorrow you can go back to being Alice and Peter if that’s what you want. Maybe even tonight if that’s what you would prefer.”

The two of them clutched each other’s hands and sat together on the sofa. They were both huddled together and looked very insecure.

“You really are identical twins, aren’t you?” said Keith with an encouraging smile.

They nodded in unison.

“Is there any way in which you look different?”

“Jordan has a little black spot on his hip,” said Justin.

“Sometimes Justin uses a pen to make a matching mark on his hip but it never really looks right,” said Jordan.

“May I see it?” asked Keith.

Jordan nodded and rolled to one side, then pulled down the waistband of his trousers. Keith looked at the mole on his hip for a moment and then sat back on his chair and waited while Jordan adjusted his trousers and sat properly again.

“Anything else?”

“Justin got a cut on the back of his wrist when he was little. It made a small scar. Later on I got a knife and cut myself in the same place so I’d have a scar too, but I cut too big and my scar turned out too big. Then Justin cut himself again so now our scars are about the same — but they aren’t exactly the same.”

“May I see?”

Both boys held out their left wrists and Keith studied the two scars for a moment.

“They aren’t very big or very noticeable. When you start wearing a watch, I’m sure they’ll be completely hidden.”

Both boys looked at each other and nodded.

“Sometimes Alice wears a bracelet around her wrist,” said Jordan.

“Ah yes, Alice. Which one of you was being Alice when I interviewed you?”

They looked at each other and shrugged.

“It doesn’t matter,” said Jordan.

“We both remember it,” added Justin.

Keith sat and waited. The twins looked at each other.

“I think it was you, wasn’t it?” said Jordan.

“Yes, that’s right. It was me,” said Justin.

Keith looked back and forth between the two of them.

“Do you often have trouble like that? Remembering which of you was which?”

“It’s never mattered before now,” said Jordan.

“We just remember what Alice did and what Peter did,” added Justin.

“But you remember what both Alice and Peter did?”

The two twins nodded in unison.

“If I was talking to Alice, would she remember what Peter has done?”

The twins looked confused.

“Alice and Peter talk all the time so Alice knows what Peter has done.”

“Ah! I see.”

Keith listened to Quentin whispering in his ear for a moment. Quentin had been watching through the closed circuit tv and had an idea.

“Have either of you ever had any blackouts?” asked Keith.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean when time seems to suddenly jump and you have no idea what’s been happening. For example, you might suddenly wake up sitting in class at school and the last thing you remember is going to bed the night before.”

They both looked at each other and then shook there heads in unison.

“Nothing like that.”

Keith nodded. “Do you get panic attacks?”

They both shook their heads.

“What about Alice and Peter? Do either of them get panic attacks?”

“Alice hates spiders,” said Jordan. “But Peter stomps on them for her.”

“Alice hates spiders but Peter stomps on them,” repeated Keith.

“Yes!” they said in unison.

“Is that all the time or maybe only every second day?”

The twins frowned and looked at each other.

“You don’t see spiders every day,” said Justin.

“But every time Alice sees a spider, she gets scared and Peter stomps on it.”

“Huh!” said Keith. “What about Jordan and Justin? What do you think of spiders?”

They looked at each other and shrugged.

"We don’t really like them," said Justin.

Keith sat quietly for a moment while he listened to a conversation in his earpiece.

“Have either of you ever had to be Alice for more than one day in a row?”

They both nodded.

“Alice got an ear infection,” said Justin. “And Peter didn’t get it.”

“Alice had to go to the doctor and get ear drops and everything.” said Jordan.

“Peter had to go to school. He wanted to stay home with Alice but he wasn’t allowed,” added Justin.

“So did Jordan get the ear infection, or did Justin get it.”

They both looked puzzled. “It was Alice,” they said in unison.

Keith chewed his lip for a moment.

“How did Peter feel while Alice was sick?”

“He didn’t like it. He was sad all the time,” said Jordan.

“He was angry, too,” said Jordan. “He got into trouble for fighting.”

“Fighting?” asked Keith.

“Yeah. He got punched, right here,” said Justin pointing at the side of his stomach.

“It really hurt!” they both said in unison, each rubbing their stomach where Justin had pointed.

Keith nodded. “I can believe that. How did Alice feel while she was sick?”

“She felt sick!” said Jordan. “Duh!”

“She got sad, too,” said Justin. “And angry.”

“She broke two plates because she threw them on the floor.”

“Oh yeah! I forgot that. She got smacked for that.”

“Right on the bottom!”

“It didn’t really hurt because she was wearing a dressing gown.”

“But she cried anyway.”

Keith nodded.

“Have Alice and Peter ever been away from each other for more than one day?”

They both shook their heads in unison.

“Apart from the time you just told me about, have Alice or Peter ever been in trouble for fighting or for breaking plates or anything like that?”

They both shook their heads in unison.

“Not for bad stuff like that,” said Justin.

“Peter’s naughty sometimes, but it’s always little stuff like not doing chores,” said Jordan.

“Alice is naughtier than Peter,” said Justin.

“Is not,” said Jordan.

“Is too!”

“Is not!”

“Alice got more detentions at school than Peter!” said Justin.

“Oh!” said Jordan and tipped his head on one side. “Maybe that’s true. But mostly that was because of those girls being mean. She got caught a few times getting revenge.”

“Yeah! I guess! But she only did that so the teacher would ask why and then the mean girls got detentions, too.”

Keith nodded. “It sounds like Alice can be a bit sneaky.”

Both twins opened their mouths to object but closed their mouths without saying anything. Then they both shrugged.

“Okay,” said Keith. “Let’s go back to talking about Jordan and Justin.”

The twins had been sitting forward and becoming more and more animated during the previous conversation. Now they shrank back into themselves and looked at Keith with wide eyes.

Keith saw that and silently changed his mind about what he was going to ask.

“Back when you were young — say younger than seven — did you ever dress up like girls?”

They both nodded in unison.

“Did you do it together, or just one at a time?”

“Together,” they both whispered in unison.

“Did you do that a lot?”

They nodded again.

“Did your parents know?”

They nodded.

“Not at first,” said Jordan in a quiet voice. “But then one day, Daddy came upstairs and found us wearing Mummy’s dresses.”

“I think Mummy knew before then,” said Justin. “But she didn’t say anything.”

“Oh!” said Jordan. “I don’t remember that.”

“After that, Mummy and Daddy bought us clothes to wear — girls’ clothes,” said Justin.

“Did you wear girls’ clothes all the time?”

“No!” they said in unison.

“Never to school,” said Jordan. “We always wore boys clothes to school.”

“Besides, boys clothes are better for outside games,” said Justin.

“Like climbing trees, and playing ball,” added Jordan, nodding.

“And playing with boys,” added Justin.

“But girls’ clothes are better for playing with girls,” said Jordan.

“And for looking pretty, and for playing with girl toys,” added Justin.

“You played with other girls when you were dressed as girls?”

“Mummy took us in the car to the next town and we went to Rainbow Guides there,” said Justin.

“It was fun. We did lots of fun activities. We got invited to some parties. But we stopped going after a while.”

“I don’t remember why.”

Jordan shrugged. “Me neither.”

“How would you feel if I asked you both to wear dresses for the rest of today?”

They looked at each other and shrugged.

“How would you feel if I asked you both to be Alice for the rest of today?”

“That would be weird,” said Justin.

“There’s only one Alice,” said Jordan.

“And what would happen to Peter?”

“Yeah! Peter wouldn’t like that.”

“Oh!” said Keith. “Let’s go back to when you were living with your parents and sometimes dressing up as girls. Were there any times when only one of you was dressed like a girl and the other one dressed as a boy?”

Keith watched as the twins relaxed and smiled as they remembered.

“Yeah! Mummy and Daddy were teaching us to dance — Cinderella at the Ball type dancing — not pop music dancing,” said Justin.

“You need a boy and a girl for that, so we took turns,” said Jordan.

“Sometimes, Mummy and Daddy would make it like a grown up date with dining and dancing,” said Justin. “And Peter would bring flowers for Alice and kiss her hand and stuff like that. And then we'd eat dinner with candles and then we'd dance and all the crowd would watch and sigh and say 'What a lovely couple!'”

The two twins had happy little smiles on their faces as they looked off into the distance.

“And sometimes we would be Princess Alice and Prince Peter at the ball and all the crowds would wave and cheer,” said Jordan as he started swaying from side to side.

"And you took turns being Peter or Alice?" asked Keith.

They both nodded happily.

"Which was more fun? Being Peter or being Alice?" asked Keith.

They shrugged without losing their dreamy expressions.

"It was fun to do both," said Jordan.

"Sometimes we would be movie stars at a big opening," said Justin. "The crowd would take photos and ask for autographs while Alice and Peter walked up the red carpet and then we’d go inside and dance while everyone watched and took photos for the magazines."

“It sounds like you had a lot of fun with your parents.

They nodded happily.

Then Jordan went still and a tear started trickling down his face.

“What are you thinking about?”

“That’s what we were doing the night …”

Justin's breath caught in a gasp and he started crying too.

“The night of the fire?” asked Keith.

They both nodded in unison. Now both of them sat silently with tears trickling down their faces.

Keith went over and knelt in front of them, rubbing their outside arms gently. He talked to them softly while they cried.

In his ear, Keith heard Quentin’s voice.

“That was nicely done. You brought them to where Justin and Jordan can begin to grieve for themselves instead of hiding behind Alice and Peter. And you did it quite gently. I doubt if you’ll achieve much more this session.”

Then Rachel’s voice took over. “This was a very revealing session. You’ve made a lot of progress. Let’s talk more when you finish up here.”

A pair of twins cause headaches at Hayfield Hall.

An unauthorised story set in the SPA Universe created by Karen Page. These events are intended to take place one year after the events described in “A New Style of Education.” Reading that story first is essential.

Note: This story assumes the counselling team at Hayfield Hall does not change significantly as a result of events yet to be revealed in Karen's story.

Chapter 8

“… and that is where Alice and Peter came from,” concluded Keith.

“And that explains why Jordan was in a dress when they ended up at the welfare agency!” added Quentin.

“The good news is that they don’t appear to meet the criteria for dissociative identity disorder,” said Rachel. “There appears to be a complete internal awareness of their different personalities and the lack of blackouts is a very positive sign. So we probably won't need to consult any outside expert. But there is some dissociation going on that we will have to deal with. I think we have enough experience amongst ourselves to handle that."

"I am quite satisfied that this is not just a pair of twins playing an extended game." said Quentin. "The roles are too deeply embedded for that."

Rachel nodded. "However, we should probably consider Alice and Peter as well-entrenched social roles rather than separate personalities."

“I’m still astonished that they’ve been alternating every day since they were seven,” said Quentin.

“In a sense, it is not that much different to children from repressive home situations who present one personality at home and a different one at school,” Rachel replied.

“Now that I know what I’m looking at, I have more understanding of what I’ve been seeing since the interviews,” said Keith. “I agree that Alice and Peter aren’t really complete personalities. In a way they started as two seven year olds’ idealization of what the differences are between the personalities of girls and boys. Alice and Peter’s personalities have grown and developed since then but their origins are still visible. Alice is emotional, Peter is rational. Alice is tidy and prim, Peter is messy and slovenly.”

“We’ve also seen that Alice can be sneaky and manipulative,” added Rachel. “Peter tends to be more direct and straightforward.”

"More of that gender stereotyping," said Quentin with a grin.

“I suspect that there is really only one possible way forward in the short term,” said Keith. “We will need to spend more time with the Jordan and Justin — building them up so that they can draw on the strengths of both Peter and Alice. But we will have to go slowly. Peter and Alice are still in control and they have only just begun to trust us. I think we made some progress on that front today. If we are careful not to betray their trust, we will make better progress. I will also work with Peter and Alice — try to help them become more rounded individuals — or characters, if you prefer. I think both of those actions will eventually give me access to a more mature Justin and Jordan. Then we can try to answer some of the important questions.”

“Such as whether they are truly transgendered,” said Rachel. “I’m not convinced that they are. They both seem as comfortable portraying Peter as they do portraying Alice. Only Justin and Jordan can answer that question. I don’t think we can rely on the answers Alice and Peter gave you in the interviews.”

"It is possible they are truly androgynous," suggested Quentin. "Effectively without gender. Society forces us all into either one gender or the other. Even as young children, our twins wouldn't have been permitted to present as completely androgynous. Adults and other children would have pressured them to come down on one side of the line or the other. By presenting alternating genders, on average our twins end up in the middle."

"We've had androgynous students here before," said Keith. "They reported feeling uncomfortable portraying either gender. These two seem comfortable in both gender roles. Maybe rather than being non-gendered, our twins are pan-gendered."

"The story about the ear infection is very revealing," said Rachel. "Both of them became anxious and stressed when forced to remain in the same gender role for an extended period."

"Once again, we discover that there are as many different types of people in this world as there are people in the world," said Quentin.

"This speculation is interesting," said Keith. "I am sure the truth will be even more fascinating. Right now, the only thing I'm sure of is that we have two very mixed up kids on our hands. We haven't really addressed what happened on the night of the fire, or the effects of how they have been treated since then. They appear to be happy presenting as Peter and Alice but I'm not sure what is going to happen when Justin and Jordan emerge more regularly. I have a feeling the questions about Justin and Jordan's gender will also be central to resolving their issues. To unravel what's really going on will be a long term task. I can't see us making much progress until Alice and Peter accept that they have a problem. Who knows how long that will take? Even once that happens, we will have to work slowly and carefully."

"I agree," said Rachel.

“Being in an environment where it is safe to openly discuss questions of gender will be an enormous advantage for them,” said Quentin. “Once they realize that the entire student body is actively supportive, they will feel free-er to explore the question of their own gender.”

“So this is what I was thinking of doing over the next few days,” said Keith. “I’ll leave them alone tomorrow, so that they can settle back into their Alice and Peter personas, but then …”

"Good morning Mr Hobson."

"Good morning David."

"I was thinking about the Fallow twins in Year One," said David.

"Really? What were you thinking?"

"I think it's interesting that we have two people who can convincingly portray a single character so identically that nobody can spot the difference," said David. "More than that, they can portray identical characters in either gender. Then I was thinking about how that could be useful in certain activities outside the normal school curriculum."

"I must admit, I was having similar thoughts. But at the moment they are a long way from being able to cope with the pressures such activities would involve. Our first priority is to untangle their various issues. The health of the students comes first."

"I know. I'm just saying that it's interesting. Also, I think they have the right mix of intelligence and observation skills and paranoia to be successful. Eventually, once they are well enough to join us, they could be quite useful."

"Understood! Perhaps at some stage down the track we can explore that possibility."

“Hey!” said Peter as he walked into the bathroom.

“Hi,” said Alice. She was sitting on a stool in front of the mirror and frowning. Her hair still hung straight down and she was fiddling with it.

“Yesterday was pretty weird,” said Alice. “It was like I was watching a TV show or something. It felt like I was just sitting back and watching while they talked to Justin.”

“I felt the same,” said Peter. “What was really weird to me was that Jordan and Justin seemed to know more about us than we did. How could that happen?”

“It was a bit scary!”

“They seemed to act a bit immature sometimes. Like they’ve been half-asleep for the last five years. How could that happen? I mean — they are us, we are them. We’ve been the same people for all of this time but now they are different from us.”

“It is a bit confusing. Do you know what I noticed?” said Alice.

“What?”

“They were having fun. Not during the session with Keith, that was pretty rough, but afterwards when they were hanging out with our year level. Remember how we used to hate looking the same and acting the same. Well, last night they were liking it.”

“You’re right! They were having fun,” said Peter. “It’s something they haven’t done for five years. Maybe they missed it. I mean, maybe we missed it. Maybe we could do that again some time.”

“Sometime soon, maybe? But not today. I want to be normal today,” said Alice.

“Yeah! Me too!”

“This conversation is so surreal,” said Alice. “We’re talking about ourselves as if we’re completely different people.”

“Surreal? You get points for using that word in a conversation,” said Peter. “But you’re right, it is surreal. Speaking of cereal, it’s nearly time for breakfast.”

They both had a laugh about that.

“You haven’t even started curling your hair,” said Peter. “If you don’t get started soon, we’ll be late.”

Alice looked into the mirror and twisted a strand of her hair around a finger.

“I was thinking — before you came in — I was thinking of doing something different.”

“Huh?”

“Girls change their hair all the time,” said Alice. “I was trying to figure out why I always did the same thing with mine.”

“Alice always curls her hair,” said Peter. “Always! It would be wrong to do anything different.”

“I know. I agree. It feels wrong to me, too. I was just thinking about it. But why is it wrong? Why can’t I just put my hair into a ponytail like some of the other girls do?” asked Alice.

“Because … I don’t know. It just is!” said Peter.

“I think Jordan and Justin might have been right.”

“About what?”

“Last night, before they went to sleep, Jordan and Justin were talking to each other.”

"I know. I was there." Peter stopped and frowned. "Kind of."

“They said there was something wrong with us. It’s like we’re broken inside. And because we’re broken, we’re stuck doing the same things over and over.”

“We don’t do the same things over and over. We learn new things all the time,” protested Peter. “We do different things.”

“Yes, but I think they meant about the way we act, all of that sort of stuff. Like me always curling my hair, for one thing.”

“Oh!” said Peter. He frowned for a moment and then got a determined look on his face. “Hold still!”

Peter quickly went into closet and came back holding a scrunchy. He stepped behind Alice and gathered all of her hair into a ponytail, sitting high on her head. He secured it in place with the scrunchy and stepped back to look at the result.

Alice turned her head to one side, and then the other so that she should see the ponytail in the mirror.

“It looks wrong,” they both said in unison.

Alice looked down at the small photo on her lap. "Mother had her hair in curls at the wedding. I'm supposed to have curls."

Alice put her hands up to undo the ponytail but Peter caught her hands and stopped her.

"I remember Mother with her hair tied back one time when she was doing housework. You'll still look like Mother but just not like in the photo. Let's try the ponytail. You'll get used to it. Just like you got used to wearing a bra. After a while, it will feel like part of you. We can change. Justin and Jordan were wrong.”

Peter played with the ponytail, twisting it and fluffing it out.

“I don’t think so,” said Alice. “What they said feels right, in here.” She tapped the centre of her chest firmly with her fist. “I think there is something wrong with us. You said it yourself. How can we be different from Justin and Jordan? They are us!”

Peter looked at the image of her face in the mirror as he thought. Then he leaned forward and put his arms around her.

“Maybe! Maybe you’re right. I think these people are trying to help us. They seem to know something is wrong with us. I think Keith and the others want to make us better. Maybe we should work with them — let them help us.”

Alice leaned back into Peter’s arms, putting her head back onto his chest. “I’m scared. They’re going to want to change me. They’re going to want to change you. By the time they’re finished we won’t really be us anymore.”

“Maybe. But maybe we’ll still be us but better — not so broken anymore.”

“Maybe,” said Alice with a sigh. "I guess I'm most worried that they'll stop us being us altogether."

“I don't think they're going to do that or they would have done it yesterday. Regardless of what is going to happen,” said Peter. “I know one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“They aren’t going to do anything to us before breakfast.” He held out his hand to her. “Let’s go.”

"I just have to hide the photos again," said Alice. "Wait a minute!"

They held hands as they walked towards the breakfast hall. Just before they went through the door and joined the rest of the school, Alice stopped and bit her lip.

“Peter? Will you promise me one thing?”

“What?”

“Whatever happens, however much they change us, will you promise to always stomp on the spiders for me?”

Peter smiled and opened the door.

“Always!”

Alice nodded and then stood up straight.

"Let's go!"

With a confident smile on their faces, Alice and Peter strode through the door — ready to join the rest of Hayfield Hall.

A son's duty to his father, given to him by God, is to marry and produce children so that his father's blood is carried on into the next generation.
A son's duty to his sisters, given to him by God, is to protect their virtue and to protect them from harm.
A son's duty to his hearth, given to him by God, is to stand at the threshold and guard it from the thieves and the brigands who would despoil his home.
And first, above all, a son's duty to God is to always walk with God in his heart and to teach his children to do the same.

In a time and place where his wrongness would lead to him being stoned or burned unto his death, Ezekiel found a way to fulfil all of his duties as given to be him by God, and yet still be true to himself.

This is the story of Ezekiel's Victory.

Caution:
This story is set within a Puritan-like community. I take no responsibility for historical inaccuracies. There are frequent references to God and praying. This story contains references to sexual activity (see tags) — my descriptions of sex is generally minimalist — sometimes to the point of being Biblical. This is quite a dark piece in places and some may find aspects distressing. All I can say is that if you find it so, please keep in mind the title.

Chapter 1

Constance wept as she gazed down at the babe in her arms. Hope fed contentedly from her breast, oblivious of the river of tears baptizing her tiny head. Constance's father watched in silence from across the room. Samuel, who would have usually averted his eyes at the sight, found he could no more look away than he could stop himself from breathing. He could barely stop from weeping himself.

Noises in the distance made the two of them start and look nervously towards the door. The door opened and Isabelle, Constance's mother, slipped inside and closed the door firmly behind her.

"They will come soon," said Isabelle. "It is as we feared. The village has become a mob. They will come seeking blood. We are watched. We cannot flee."

"But she did not do this thing," protested Samuel. "She swears so before God and who are they to say otherwise."

"They will not listen to reason," replied Isabelle. "They will not even wait for a judge. They mean to hang her, this very night."

"I suspect this is all because of Abigail," said Constance. "She has developed a dislike for me and she was jealous when Symeon chose me for a wife instead of her. She has poisoned the village against me."

"Are you saying it was Abigail who struck down Symeon in such a cowardly way?" asked Samuel.

"That I cannot say," replied Constance. "But I am quite sure that it was she who began the story that Hope is not the daughter of Symeon. And it would not surprise me if she stirred the rumor that I am responsible for his death."

"Well Abigail must face God in her own time," said Samuel. "If she has begun this thing out of jealousy and spite then God will judge her. We should pray that she finds peace in her heart before she goes to face Him."

"Amen," said the others.

The door to the inner room opened and Constance's brother and sister emerged.

"It is done," announced Charity as she gestured to her brother.

Ezekiel shivered and shifted nervously as his family turned their gaze on him. Then he stood up straight and proud.

There was silence in the room for a moment.

Ezekiel walked over to his sister and stooped to kiss her cheek. The two of them ignored Hope who still suckled quietly at her mother's breast.

"You should uncover and unbind your hair," he said to his sister.

She nodded. "Will you help me?"

Ezekiel carefully untied and removed the bonnet that concealed Constance's hair and draped it over his arm. Constance reached up and removed the finely carved combs holding her hair in place. Then she shook her head and let her hair fall free around her. Ezekiel ran his hand gently through her hair and arranged it to draped down her back to her waist.

"You will have to cut off your beautiful hair," he said, with quiet determination. "And you will have to bind your breasts against your chest."

Constance looked down. "They will not bind so well when they are full of milk."

Ezekiel shrugged. "You must do as best as you can. My clothing is set out on my bed. The shirt should be loose enough to conceal what needs to be hidden. We are close to the same size and we look enough alike that nobody will see the difference, provided they do not look too carefully. I think that tomorrow our neighbors will stay away long enough for all of you to leave. Nobody will look too closely."

Constance nodded and then looked up and down at her brother. "That was always my favorite dress. I do not know why but it seems to suit you."

Ezekiel blushed and ducked his head and smiled. "Thank you."

Charity forced a thin smile. "If my sister is to walk to her death, then she should do so in her best dress."

Constance gestured at his chest and whispered "How …?"

Ezekiel leaned closer and whispered, "Stockings with grain in their ends. And Charity sewed for me a … foundation garment … that holds them in the right places against my chest. It is quite … novel … to have this extra weight on my chest. And the dress feels strange against my legs."

Constance giggled softly. "But it certainly gives you the seeming of a woman. Only your hair is wrong, but when you put on the bonnet, that will be hidden."

"My son," said Samuel, his voice breaking. "Are you certain that this is the right thing to do? It goes against God for you to wear those clothes."

"I am her brother," replied Ezekiel. "She is innocent and it is my duty to protect her. I will protect her even unto my dying breath. They are too many to fend off with weapons. This is the best way. If God objects, well, I shall face Him soon enough and then I shall discover God's will."

In a time and place where his wrongness would lead to him being stoned or burned unto his death, Ezekiel found a way to fulfil all of his duties as given to be him by God, and yet still be true to himself.

This is the story of Ezekiel's Victory.

"My son," said Samuel, his voice breaking. "Are you certain that this is the right thing to do? It goes against God for you to wear those clothes."

"I am her brother," replied Ezekiel. "She is innocent and it is my duty to protect her. I will protect her even unto my dying breath. They are too many to fend off with weapons. This is the best way. If God objects, well, I shall face Him soon enough and then I shall discover God's will."

Chapter 2

Ezekiel paused for a moment and looked down. Then he brushed his hand down his dress and stood up straight with a strange smile on his face.

"You all know I have felt a wrongness since I were a child. A wrongness I could never put into words. A wrongness that suggested God had a different purpose for me. I could never be like the other boys in the village, despite my best efforts. Today, standing here in this dress, for the first time I understand the message of that wrongness. This is my purpose. I feel it in my heart. God wants me to wear these clothes. He wants me to walk out that door as a woman. It is God's plan that I walk up that hill in the place of my sister, that she may live. Why else would I feel such joy at this terrible time?"

"You also have a duty to marry and produce grandchildren who will serve God while carrying my blood into the next generation," said Samuel. "If you do this thing, you will fail in that duty."

Ezekiel blushed and looked down. "Father, I could never speak of this before, but that same wrongness I mentioned …" He hesitated and then continued. "I have never looked upon a woman and felt …" He stopped again.

Ezekiel's face turned the brightest shade of red as he looked nervously around his family. He saw only love and compassion reflected in their eyes so he looked down to the floor and tried again.

"I fear that were I to marry, I would be unable to consummate my marriage in a way that a husband should. I am shamed to say this. There could never have been such grandchildren for you. This was a duty I was destined never to fulfil."

Samuel frowned and looked away. Ezekiel lifted his head up and spoke to his father's back.

"This is the right thing for me, Father. Please believe me. Dressed as I am, I know that I am ready to stand before God and accept His judgement. Until this moment, I could not comprehend what God wanted from me, but now I do know. Now I am ready."

Isabelle stepped forward and embraced her son. "We have always known about this wrongness within you. We suspected that of which you speak. Please do not blame your father for holding out a last hope for a grandson from you. Put aside your shame. It is not needed. You are still loved in this house. And for your sacrifice tonight, you will always be honored."

Samuel cleared his throat as he turned back to face his son. He placed his hand on Ezekiel's shoulder. "Indeed, my son. You are loved and honored. That you offer your life to save your sister is beyond all duty and speaks only of love. If God has given you this purpose then who am I to deny Him."

They turned and looked towards Constance. Hope had finished feeding and now lay sleeping in her mother's arm as Constance adjusted her clothing with the other arm.

Ezekiel suddenly let out a small cry of joy and broke away from his parents. His skirts swirled around him as he crossed the room. He gathered the skirts around him and knelt before his sister.

"I have just now thought of a way I can protect you even beyond this night. Further I can, at least in part, fulfil my duty to my father to provide him with a grandchild. Before the man Ezekiel disappears from this world, there is one last deed I can accomplish. Constance, my dear sister, will you marry me? Will you marry me, right now, tonight? Then, when I am gone, my father will be duty bound to protect his widowed daughter-in-law."

"We would protect her anyway," said Samuel. "She is our daughter."

Isabelle nodded and added her agreement.

"Father, while you may protect me out of love, you forfeited that duty when you gave me as a wife to Symeon," said Constance. "That duty should now fall to Symeon's family but they have spurned me. I am here because of your generosity, Father, not because of your duty."

She turned to Ezekiel who still knelt before her. "Yes, I will marry you. I will be honored to be your wife and accept your protection for however long you can give it. I love you dearly, my sweet Ezekiel. It gladdens my heart to see you so full of purpose. It gladdens my heart to see you so happy, even in this hour of desperation. Stand and let us embrace."

While her son and daughter embraced, Isabelle crossed to the table and picked up the family Bible from its place. She handed it to Samuel and stood beside him. Samuel frowned in doubt.

"To marry your own sister? Surely that goes against God."

"Hush, my husband," whispered Isabelle. "I see God's hand in this. Look at Ezekiel. Can you not see? Such Grace can only come from God."

"Yes!" exclaimed Ezekiel. "I feel the Grace of God within me! Please do not deny me this."

"Besides," continued Isabelle, "as Ezekiel's wife, Constance will rejoin our family in the eyes of God. There is no wickedness in this union for they will never lie together as man and wife. The only wickedness here tonight is what awaits outside our door."

Ezekiel took Constance by the hand and led her over to their father. Though he wore the dress of a woman, he walked like a man — strong and proud.

Constance handed Hope to Isabelle who cradled the infant in her arms. Then Ezekiel and Constance clasped hands and rested their joined hands on the Bible.

In a solemn voice, Ezekiel then spoke.

"I, Ezekiel, son of Samuel, do this day before God and these witnesses take you, Constance, as my wife."

Constance lifted one hand from where they were clasped and brushed a tear from her cheek. Then she pushed her hair back behind her ear so that her family could see her face clearly and put her hand back on the Bible.

"I, Constance, widow of Symeon, do this day before God and these witnesses take you, Ezekiel, as my husband."

"Amen!" said the others in unison.

Ezekiel and Constance exchanged a kiss on the lips. The kiss was chaste but with passion, if such a thing is possible.

Then they all watched as Samuel opened the Bible to the inside cover where a handwritten list could be seen — each in a different handwriting and with different ink. He picked up a pen and dipped it in the ink and then carefully wrote, "Ezekiel, son of Samuel m. Constance." He dipped the pen again and then added the year, 1662, and the name of the village. Samuel took a moment to run his eye over the previous entry which was the record of his own marriage to Isabelle and the entry before which was that of his father and mother and the entries before that.

"It is done!" announced Samuel as he carefully blotted the ink and closed the Bible. "In the eyes of God, my son Ezekiel and my daughter Constance are now husband and wife."

"There is more," said Ezekiel.

He stepped over to his mother and carefully took the sleeping Hope from her arms. He strode to the centre of the room, his skirts swishing as he moved.

"Father, before God and these witnesses, I take this child as my own."

"Amen!" called out the others.

"Father, I present to you Hope, daughter of Ezekiel. She is now, in truth, your granddaughter."

Ezekiel bent and gently kissed his new daughter on her head. Samuel smiled then carefully took Hope from his son's arms. He kissed his new granddaughter, now of the line of Ezekiel and smiled with pride.

"And what of your other child?" asked Constance as she moved to join Ezekiel. She laid her hand gently on her abdomen. "I was yet to speak of this to anybody but I am with child again. It is Symeon's but now he is dead and I am your wife. Perhaps here is a grandson for your father. Will you also claim this one as your own?"

There was a moment of confusion as everyone in the room cried and clapped with joy. Ezekiel did not need to say the words since all knew that any child born after the wedding would automatically be his but Constance cried with tears of joy when Ezekiel knelt before her and kissed her abdomen through the thick material of her dress.

More tears were shed and many hugs were given. This continued until Ezekiel was embracing Charity.

"And what of me, dearest brother? Constance is not the only sister in need of protection this night. Will you take me as a second wife?"

The others fell silent so they could watch.

"I am promised to Noah and I thought I loved him," said Charity. "But he has joined the mob down at the village in clamoring for my sister's life. Unless we can prevent it, tonight he will become a murderer. I could never marry such a man. But if we do nothing, he could claim me this night or tomorrow and prevent me from leaving this cursed place with my sister and my parents and my beautiful niece. I would rather die than let that happen. Won't you claim me also and save me from such a fate. I say again, will you take me as a second wife?"

Ezekiel opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again. He looked towards his mother for guidance.

Isabelle shrugged. "Charity has always been strong-willed," she said. "She speaks rightly about Noah. If this is what she truly seeks, I will not stand in her way."

Ezekiel's eyes flicked then to his father but Samuel merely grunted and shrugged. He felt like so much had changed this night, what was one more thing? Besides, he could see no flaw in Charity's argument. Samuel had no desire to wed his daughter to a man involved in this lynch mob and this was a way that could be avoided.

Ezekiel turned back to Charity and embraced her in such a way that his mouth was near her ear.

"Are you certain?" he whispered as quietly as he could. "You would bind yourself to me and become a widow before you even know the joy of lying with a man?"

Charity squeezed him tightly and whispered her reply. "I would bind myself to you if it meant we had to walk through the very gates of Hell together. It is you that I truly love and seeing you do this today, I cannot help but to love you even more. We will leave from here and have to travel for some time before we can start a new life. It could be years before I find a man who is willing to take me with all of my faults. Until that time, I would rather live as a widow than as a maid."

She stopped and smiled a sly smile. "Besides, do not worry so much about me learning of the joy of lying with a man. I have a plan for that."

Charity giggled softly into his ear then kept whispering.

"In our new place, I will do as Lot's daughters did and lie with my father so that he may have grandchildren. I am certain that when Constance learns of my plan, she will do so as well. In this way we shall both fulfil our duty to our beloved husband. Between us, we shall soon have a brood of younglings and I shall proudly teach them all to call Ezekiel their father. Your duty as the son of Samuel shall be met in full measure and more."

Ezekiel gasped at the audacity of Charity's plan. It was not without precedent for a widow to become second wife to the father or the brother of the dead man but this was a step further than even that. Then he shook his head for Charity had always been nothing if not audacious. Charity's nature had made his role as elder brother difficult at times, but he had always loved her for it.

Charity leaned back so she could look Ezekiel in the eye. "And further, if you take me as your wife tonight, then you have completed in full measure your duty as my brother to protect me and for that I can only love you even more."

Charity gently pushed him away and glared at him. "Now, we don't have a lot of time and you have something important to do."

She looked pointedly at the floor at her feet and then at him and then again at the floor. Ezekiel started as he finally understood her message. But he shook his head.

"Unbind your hair, sister," said Ezekiel. "Let it fall freely, as your sister's does. I understand a need to cover your hair before strangers, but there are no strangers in this house. If I am to go to God tonight then I would see my sister unfettered and free."

Charity reached up and removed her bonnet. She removed the combs that held her hair in place and shook her head. Her hair tumbled in thick tresses and dropped all the way to her hips.

Ezekiel gasped and smiled at her beauty.

He carefully gathered his skirts around him and knelt before her.

"Charity, my dear sweet Charity. Will you do me the honor of agreeing to be my second wife? To stand alongside Constance, your sister, that I might love and cherish and protect you both?"

Charity called out her afirmation in a loud voice so that none present could doubt her sincerity. Charity's smile was radiant as she lifted Ezekiel back to his feet. Then she turned and looked at Samuel. "Father! Why are you still standing over there. Fetch the Bible. We have another ceremony to perform."

Samuel sighed and shook his head but he said nothing as he moved towards the table. Isabelle got there first, however. She picked up the family Bible and pressed it into her husband's hands with a smile.

Now it was the turn of Ezekiel and Charity to perform the simple hand fasting ceremony with their hands clasped over the Bible. It was simple and solemn and achingly beautiful.

At the end, when everyone said "Amen," Charity flung her arms around Ezekiel's neck and kissed him in the way a husband and wife would usually kiss only in the privacy of their own room — and perhaps not even then.

Samuel grunted and quickly turned away. He walked over to the table and carefully made another entry in the front of the family Bible. At the same time Constance, unwilling to be upstaged by her younger sister, stepped forward and applied her own passionate kiss to her brother/husband. Then the two sisters embraced and welcomed each other as sister/wives. Ezekiel blushed when Charity and Constance exchanged a kiss of their own. It may have been less passionate than that bestowed on their husband but it was still more than would normally be proper for two grown women.

Perhaps it was as well that Samuel had his back turned at the time while he replaced the family Bible in its place on the table.

And so, in the space of less than an hour, Ezekiel the strange and ungainly boy became Ezekiel the man — husband and father with, not one, but two devoted wives, a babe in arms and another on the way.

In a time and place where his wrongness would lead to him being stoned or burned unto his death, Ezekiel found a way to fulfil all of his duties as given to be him by God, and yet still be true to himself.

This is the story of Ezekiel's Victory.

And so, in the space of less than an hour, Ezekiel the strange and ungainly boy became Ezekiel the man — husband and father with, not one, but two devoted wives, a babe in arms and another on the way.

Chapter 3

Hearing noises in the distance, Isabelle looked out through a gap in the curtains.

"It is time," she announced sadly. "I see the torches moving out of the village."

Her announcement cast a chill over the room. They all looked sombrely at each other.

Ezekiel nodded and bowed his head.

"Now it is the time for Ezekiel, the man, to end. I pray to God that He will walk beside me on this night."

Ezekiel turned to Constance and Charity. "My dearest wives! I pray you, do not hide yourself in the darkness but walk always in the light. God will be watching down on you and I shall find my place in His presence and watch with Him. Walk with God in your heart and know that I watch over you."

He stopped and kissed each of his sisters lightly on the lips.

"Do you have any other instructions for your new wives?" asked Charity — attempting to look demure.

Exekiel put on a stern expression but his eyes danced with laughter. "Only this, you should love and honor your husband's father as well as you would your own."

That raised a quiet chuckle from his family.

Then Ezekiel took a deep breath.

"My dear family will you gather around and pray for me. When you finish and open your eyes, your son and brother and husband will be gone and someone new will stand in his place."

Ezekiel's parents and his two sister/wives gathered around him. They each briefly hugged and kissed him and then they formed a circle around him. They linked hands and closed their eyes.

Samuel started quietly and sombrely singing the Lord's Prayer. The rest of the family joined in softly and the ancient words rustled through the simple building, filling it with the power of God.

Ezekiel dropped his head. He grasped the bonnet that he had earlier taken from Constance and tied it carefully around his own head. Then he carefully checked that it completely hid every strand of his hair. Finally he closed his eyes and allowed Ezekiel to slip away. He gasped with joy as he sensed what was revealed beneath as Ezekiel faded.

The prayer finished and the building became silent as those within it waited calmly for a sign that they should open their eyes.

A soft, gentle voice spoke from the centre of the circle.

"Honored Father, I present to you your eldest child, who is now named Grace. You have a new daughter, born this hour, yet suddenly grown."

Samuel opened his eyes and gazed in wonder at the girl who stood before him. She looked very much like his other daughter, Constance. She even had the same little smile and way of standing.

"Welcome, Grace," said Samuel. "My heart is overjoyed to meet you. Yet as I see you, I realize I have known you as my daughter since you were an infant," exclaimed Samuel in wonder. "Surely God has opened my eyes in this moment. Praise Him for this miracle."

He stepped forward and kissed his new/old daughter on the forehead.

"My eyes were also closed," said Isabelle. "I hope you can forgive me for allowing my firstborn child to suffer for so long due to my blindness. But now God has opened my eyes as well and I see you clearly for the first time. I love you, my daughter."

Charity spoke no words but flung herself to her knees and wrapped her arms around her new sister — sobbing silently into the folds of Grace's dress.

"Welcome, sister," said Constance. "I weep that you face such a terrible fate on my behalf. I weep that I must lose you so soon after discovering you in our midst. If we had but known, perhaps we could have welcomed your earlier and shared more of our lives together."

The others murmured words of agreement.

"This was meant to be," replied Grace. "Even if, by some miracle, I survive this night — I would not last long in this world. Should I have been reborn as Grace before this night, it is likely I would not have been here now to fulfil my purpose. If the people of this village would hang Constance based on mere rumors of murder, who knows what they would do to one such as me?"

"Indeed," added Samuel. "To those who don't know you, you would be an abomination, or posessed by a demon. Until God opened my eyes to you, I would have said the same."

The others all nodded sombrely.

Grace shook her head. "Do not be sad. This was God's plan for me and I embrace it. My life may be short but it is full of wonder. I am content."

Constance and Charity welcomed Grace as a sister and clung to her tightly.

Only Grace was not effected by the sombre mood that cast a pall over the rest of her family. She stood upright and proud. She was outwardly serene and inwardly filled with a quiet joy that she was now finally complete. Her feet were now on the path God had laid out for her and all doubt was swept away.

Grace turned to her sisters. "Go! Now! Go to the back room and do what has to be done. If they come into the house they must not see two Constances or all of our planning is for naught. You must now truly become the newlyweds, Ezekiel and Charity, as I have become Grace. Show only those faces to the world until it is safe for you to do otherwise. God will forgive Constance for taking on the seeming of Ezekiel because your husband has commanded it and you are duty-bound to obey. That you are both newly wedded shall not be a falsehood, for you have both married me this night before God and therefore God knows you as sister/wives to each other."

Charity swallowed a sob. "I would say to you, may God bless you, but I see He has already done so. Know that I love you with all of my heart."

"I also love you," said Constance, with tears rolling down her cheeks. "I shall pray for your soul that you are delivered from this evil safely into God's arms."

"Do not weep for me for I am Grace and God is with me. Walk with God in your heart. And walk always in the light that I may more easily see you from my place at God's side."

Grace smiled serenely and kissed her sisters. She took Hope from Constance's arms and then gently pushed her sisters away. The two girls scurried into back room and closed the door.

"Now," said Grace to her parents, "Let us face these cowards outside. I would rather not be dragged from this house, kicking and screaming."

With Hope cradled in her arms and her parents flanking her, she walked out through the door.

The three of them stopped just beyond the threshold. A river of torches flowed towards them from the village. The flickering torchlight picked up reflections of pitchforks and angry faces.

Grace glanced about as the three of them stood outside their door.

"There has been much said of duty tonight," she said softly. "A son's duty to his hearth is to stand before the threshold and protect his home from thieves and brigands such as these have become."

Samuel nodded. "Then let us stand here and wait for them and so let my lost son fulfil that duty, also."

"And yet," said Isabelle, "of all of the duties mentioned, the first duty is to hold God in our hearts. Even when faced by such wickedness, it is possible to hold God in our hearts."

Samuel nodded sombrely. "We shall hold God in our hearts."

Grace smiled serenely. "I feel at peace with myself and with God for the first time in my life. It shall not be difficult to hold God in my heart for I search inside myself and all I find is God's love. I am filled with it. My heart is too small a vessel to hold all God's presence that is within me at this instant."

The procession finally arrived and stopped as the villagers arranged themselves into a rough half circle around the front of the house. They growled to see the girl they came for standing between Samuel and Isabelle, calmly holding her adulterous child.

"Why do you come here and disturb our peace?" shouted Samuel.

"We come for the murderess," replied a shout from the crowd. "Adulteress!" shouted another. "Whore!"

"Where is the judge? What proof do you have? I call for a trial?" shouted Samuel

"What need do we have for a judge?" shouted someone. "We've already held the trial!" shouted another. "She is guilty! It is as plain as day."

"I shall pray for all of your souls," shouted Isabelle. "For you have lost your way. No man who holds God in his heart could do what you do this night. You women here tonight should crawl away in shame. You have stepped out of the light and walk now in darkness. I shall pray for you all!"

"Send her to us!" they called, pointing at the girl who stood between her parents. "Send her out, or we shall come and drag her out!"

Grace kissed the babe in her arms and handed her to Samuel. "Hold onto Hope!" said Grace. "And hold onto hope. Tomorrow you must all flee this place as we have planned. For surely these people are lost and you are in peril if you stay among them. Furthermore, our subterfuge would not last long if you remain here, and their anger at being deceived would be dreadful. By all means pray for their souls. But do so far, far from here. Walk with God."

"Walk with God," her parents echoed.

"If it is me that you want," called Grace in a soft but clear voice, "then I shall come with you, freely."

Then Grace stepped forward and walked boldly towards the crowd. The villagers were surprised and didn't know what to do, so they fell back and made space for her. Grace would not meet their gazes, but her head was held high and she walked with bold and confident steps.

Deprived of the chance to grab and drag and maybe even beat her, the villagers surrounded and escorted her with their pitchforks waving and their torches flickering. A few braver souls reached out and poked or pushed her but her lack of reaction unnerved them so they contented themselves with shouting out their abuse and their hatred.

Grace walked amongst them, unaffected by their hostility.

A few of those walking close noticed a small smile on her face in the flickering light of the torches. They were puzzled by the smile on the face of one condemned.

They had no way of knowing that the smile came from the joy of finally becoming who she had always been meant to be — no matter how briefly. And the smile came from thinking of her sisters, saved from the rope and saved from a joyless marriage. And the smile came from thinking of her sisters free to live their lives in a new town as women in a way that she could never have lived. And the smile came from the Grace of God that burnt like a fire within her.

Samuel and Isabelle watched from in front of their door as the parade of torches wound its way away down the track and then off to the right where an ancient tree stood on the hilltop — hidden in the darkness. After a short time, Charity and 'Ezekiel' slipped out of the house and stood with their parents. Samuel greeted them with a kiss to their foreheads. Then Isabelle embraced them both, together.

Together, they watched the procession of flickering torches clumped and massed around the top of the distant hill.

They quietly prayed for the soul of their daughter and sister. And they prayed for the souls of those who had fallen into evil. And they prayed for Abigail whose bitter words had sparked these awful events.

Then they fell silent and watched the distant torches flicker as shouts and jeers drifted through the darkness.

There was a moment of quiet.

Then there was a single great cheer.

Then there was silence.

Samuel, his voice breaking with emotion, softly began to sing the Lord's Prayer. His family joined in — singing in little more than whispers.

Some time later the mob of torches broke apart as the people separated and made their own way down the hill and back to their own homes.

It was done.

In a time and place where his wrongness would lead to him being stoned or burned unto his death, Ezekiel found a way to fulfil all of his duties as given to be him by God, and yet still be true to himself.

This is the story of Ezekiel's Victory.

There was a single great cheer.

Then there was silence.

It was done.

Chapter 4

"Come now," said Samuel with a sad sigh. He handed Hope to his new son, Ezekiel, and ushered his family inside. "We have much to do if we are to leave in the morning. Through the sacrifice of our daughter Grace and through the Grace of God we have been given a chance to save ourselves, we must not waste this opportunity. We must defer our grief until another time."

Later in the night, Samuel and Charity harnessed their horse into the wagon and led it through the darkness up to the hill. As they walked beside the head of the horse, Samuel spoke quietly to Charity.

"I need to speak to you words that you may find surprising. But they need to be said, and I need to say them before this night is done. Please understand, they come from the love I hold for you as well as the duty I owe to you as your father."

"I am listening, Father. What would you say to me?"

"It has always been known among us that our ways are not for everyone. From time to time a few who have grown amongst us have found their nature not suited to living as we live. Such few have either stayed and been tormented by our rules or they have spoken out against us and been whipped or hung for blasphemy or they have left us and gone to make their own path in the world."

"What are you saying, Father?"

"I am saying that you may be such a one. Tonight God opened my eyes that I might see Grace in her true form. Those same opened eyes saw you standing beside your sisters. You shine with a light that cannot be bound and held inside the way we keep our light inside us. I fear that if you try to bind yourself tightly as is our way, then you will end up in despair and lose God from your heart."

Charity listened carefully and thought about her father's words.

"Perhaps it is our way that is too tight not just for some but for most. Did not everybody in the village lose God from their hearts this night? Maybe some, such as yourself, can bear the pain better than others but I cannot imagine anybody living as we do without feeling a pain in the soul."

"My daughter, with those words I am assured that I have seen you truly. Your nature is not suited to living as we do. To live as I do is not a burden to me, yet it is clearly burdensome to you."

"Father, are you telling me that once we are safely away from this cursed place that I must leave you and go my own way? "

"No! I am not saying you must leave us. I am saying that if you feel the desire to separate from us, and find your own path, then you may do so with my blessing. I only ask that you walk with God in your heart."

"Then I will stay with you. I have a duty to my husband that I intend to fulfil. Perhaps I do need to find my own way. But, with your permission, I will do so while walking amongst my family."

"It would gladden my heart if that is your choice. But if you do stay with us then you must restrain yourself — particularly when in the view of strangers. I would not have you treated as Grace has been treated should any mob decide you are unnatural."

Charity nodded. "I think I can find a path that avoids offending too many. But you said to restrain myself before strangers. Does that mean I may truly be myself when within the bosom of my family?"

Samuel smiled. "I beg you go easy on me. You have already set aside some few of our rules this evening and I don't know that my heart can take much more. While you live in my house, you will …"

He shuddered and walked for a moment in silence.

Then Samuel sighed.

"Do what you must, my daughter. Remember that we love you and do not wish you to despair. Hold God in your heart and think of others before you act. If you do those two things then we will find a way to live together. Perhaps I will learn something from watching you on your journey. God has already taught me much, this night. I am not too old to learn more."

"Thank you, Father. I feel a weight lifting from my shoulders as we speak. Let us talk more of this tomorrow. But for now, we have another task and I would honor my sister and my husband by putting aside my own concerns."

They walked in silence as they lead the horse the last few yards up the hill to where the ancient tree stood.

Charity guided the horse until the wagon stood directly under the branch of the tree from which her sister still hung in the darkness. Samuel stood on the back of the wagon and cut down the body of his eldest daughter. For a moment, he held her in his arms and sobbed. Then laid her down in the back of the wagon.

They swapped places and Charity stood on the wagon while she carefully wrote a short message onto the tree using a brush dipped in ink. Her father patiently held a lantern for her while she wrote. Once that was done, Samuel lead the horse and cart quietly back down the hill and back to their house.

In the back of the wagon, as they rolled down the track, Charity carefully laid her sister out and arranged her clothing so that it lay neatly around her. She took a damp cloth that she had brought with her in a dish and carefully wiped clean her sister's face, neck and hands.

When Charity was finally done, she lay down next to the body of her sister and wept.

In a time and place where his wrongness would lead to him being stoned or burned unto his death, Ezekiel found a way to fulfil all of his duties as given to be him by God, and yet still be true to himself.

This is the story of Ezekiel's Victory.

When Charity was finally done, she lay down next to the body of her sister and wept.

Chapter 5

The lanterns burned long into the night in Samuel's house.

In the morning, the neighbors were not surprised to see the wagon already packed high with furniture and belongings. They watched silently from a distance as Samuel and the remainder of his family haltered their cow and tied it by a lead rope to the back of the wagon. Then they climbed aboard the wagon. Samuel took up the reins and flicked the horse into action. Their audience stood still and silent as the wagon, with the cow plodding steadily after it, slowly made its way slowly down the track and then turned left and away from the village.

Some few of those watching noticed that Ezekiel's movements were a little less than manly but those who did simply turned their heads and looked away. After all, that boy had always been a little strange.

Just after turning out of sight of the village, Noah stepped out into the path of the wagon. Samuel grunted and pulled back on the reins until the horse and wagon rumbled to a halt.

Isabelle sat silently beside her husband. She had Hope sitting on her lap and playing with a string of baubles held firmly in Isabelle's hand. She looked across at Samuel with sad eyes but did not say a word.

"What would you have of us, Noah?" asked Samuel. "As you can see, we are leaving. We are not in the mood for idle conversation for we have buried one of our daughters this morning. Stand aside and let us leave in peace."

"Your daughter, Charity, is promised to me," said Noah. "With your family in disgrace, she is no longer so worthy. Perhaps if you double the dowry you promised, I shall consider taking her off your hands."

Noah peered at the wagon, but Charity and Ezekiel sat at the back behind the pile of furniture and were hidden from his view.

Samuel grunted again. "Trying to bargain like this is unworthy of you, Noah! Have you fallen so far?"

Noah did not reply but he stood firm in front of the cart with his arms folded.

Isabelle said nothing but stared long and hard at Noah — her gaze seeming to pierce through to his very soul.

"I saw you in the crowd last night, Noah, son of Mattiah," said Samuel in a calm voice. "I heard your voice shouting for my daughter's life. Even if you prostrated yourself before me in supplication and paid me all of the wealth in your family, ney, all of the wealth in this entire village, I still would not place another of my children within your reach."

"I pay you?" Noah scoffed. "I prostrate myself before you? No self-respecting man would do such a thing."

Samuel grunted. "Over the last day and night I have been thinking long and deeply about what it is to be a man. God has led me to question what a man may or may not do and still remain a man. I have found that my learning has been incomplete on this subject. Now, I know that, if God showed me the need, I would gladly prostrate myself before the lowest of the low and yet I would still remain a man. It appears that you would not do the same. What limit would you place on the sacrifices a man may make yet still remain a man?"

Noah shifted nervously. Isabelle's silent gaze was even more unsettling than Samuel's comments.

"Hand over Charity to me. You must do so or be foresworn," said Noah. "Charity is promised to me. Perhaps I will be generous and accept only that nicely carved table you have on the cart in addition to the dowry you promised me."

Samuel shook his head. "I made that table myself and it is precious to me in its own way. But nothing is more precious to me than my daughters and you will not get even a hair off Charity's head from me. As for the promises, it is too late for that. Your duty as Charity's Promised was to stand with her family in their time of need. Your duty as Charity's Promised was to stand as a man of God before wickedness. You failed in both of those duties last night and so the promise is broken. And now Charity has married another and because of that, she is beyond your grasp. This pleases me, for today you have shown that you are also lost to the sins of greed and pride. Now stand aside and let us be on our way."

"Married another?" exclaimed Noah in surprise. "Whom did she marry? And when?"

"She married my son, Ezekiel, last night in a proper hand fasting. It was done before God and witnesses. She is married and beyond your grasp."

"Charity and Ezekiel? But they are brother and sister?"

Samuel shrugged. "It is not common, but it has happened before — in particular circumstances. And these are particular circumstances."

Noah shook his head. "Ezekiel! There is something wrong with that boy. I would be ashamed if he were my son."

Samuel stared at Noah for a long time and then softly replied.

"Then you would be a fool, and doubly so. Ezekiel is more of a man than you shall ever be. I pray God grants me the courage he has shown. When he stands for judgement before God at the end of days, Ezekiel shall not be found wanting. I cannot guarantee the same for you."

Samuel sighed and shook his head.

"Look into your heart, Noah, son of Mattiah. Do you find God there? I think you are lost and I shall pray for your soul. You were a party to murder last night for the woman you hung was innocent — more innocent than you could possibly imagine. No member of my family was responsible for the death of Symeon. At no time was Constance unfaithful to her husband. Yet you clamored for her death and stood to watch it happen because you chose to believe the lies and the rumors instead of listening to God. You are stained with the evil of that act. I pray you find God again, Noah, for you were once a good man."

Noah could not meet Samuel's gaze and dropped his eyes to the ground.

Finally Isabelle leaned forward and spoke in a clear voice.

"I pray you find God again, Noah, son of Mattiah. But the only way back to God is through His Grace and last night you all destroyed the only Grace in this cursed place. May God have mercy on your soul."

"Amen!" said Samuel.

With that, Samuel whipped the reins and his horse lurched into action. Noah quickly scrambled out of the way.

As the wagon passed, Charity and Ezekiel came into his view — they were sitting on the back of the wagon and had been hidden until that moment. As soon as Noah came into view, Charity flung her arms around Ezekiel and kissed him passionately, pushing him flat until he was all but hidden beneath her body and her long dress. Ezekiel appeared to simply lie there. Noah thought that a proper man would have chastised her for behaving so wantonly in public instead of simply lying there and allowing his wife to do that to him.

Noah watched — half in envy and half in disgust as the wagon rolled away from him. He knew Charity was doing it deliberately to taunt him but he was still appalled. Finally he shook his head and turned away.

"Perhaps it is well I am rid of her," he muttered to himself. "If she behaves in such a brazen way, she could never have made a decent wife to one such as me."

With that he walked away without looking back.

Charity continued her passionate kiss until they were over a rise and well out of Noah's sight. Then she stopped and sat up — looking around carefully to ensure they were not observed. She looked down at her sister/wife and giggled at the expression on her face. Ezekiel was blushing so brightly that she was close to bursting into flames and her eyes showed her confusion at the intensity of Charity's actions.

"It was important that Noah not look too closely at your face," said Charity with a giggle. "It came to me that in this way I could hide your face yet still leave him in no doubt that Ezekiel was here with us."

Ezekiel did not reply. She touched her fingers lightly to her lips and looked up at Charity with confusion still in her eyes.

"Come, sit up! My dear husband," said Charity. "I have something to speak about."

Ezekiel did not show any sign of moving, so Charity kept talking.

"Father spoke to me last night. He said that I should seek a path that is not the same as the one we have been taught to follow. I confess to being relieved for I was feeling despair about nearly every aspect of my life. My love for you and for our brother/sister and for our parents felt blessed by God. The rest of my life and my path into the future was barren and tasted of naught but ashes. Our brother was not the only one who felt a wrongness within him but perhaps I hid it better than he did. Now, in the midst of this sadness, I feel myself coming alive for the first time. It is as if Grace's sacrifice has set me free. I mourn for her loss but I cannot help but feel … full of joy!"

Charity caught a glimpse of someone standing in the field off to one side and quickly dived down to cover her husband with her body. She fastened her lips to Ezekiel's and kissed her again — once more letting loose all the passion she felt within her. After a moment, she popped her head up to look and giggled.

"My mistake, dear husband. It was a cow!"

"I do not think," protested Ezekiel, "that you need to kiss me so soundly every time a person is sighted in the distance. My appearance should be sufficient from a distance. It is only when someone is very close — as Noah was — that we must be more careful."

Charity giggled again. "But Ezekiel and Charity are newly wedded. How else should they behave but show their passion for each other at every opportunity? Our husband instructed us to show these faces to the world and to show the world that we are newlyweds. It is my duty to obey. Besides, I do not know why, but I find I am gaining much pleasure from embracing you. It is a strangeness as, despite your clothes, I know you for a woman, and more, I know you for my sister. Yet this subterfuge permits me to behave in this manner towards you and I find that it awakes a passion within me. I do not know how this can be. Perhaps this is a part of the new path that Father encouraged me to seek out."

"I worry that it is yet another sin with which we stain our souls," replied Ezekiel from where she lay flat on her back. "But I still feel God's love in my heart and I cannot deny that I am also pleased by our embraces. Your kisses and tender touches have effected me more than Symeon ever did."

"Some may describe this as a sin but that is nothing to what they would say about the act I intend to commit once we are in a safe place," said Charity with a grin.

Ezekiel lay there for a moment and touched her fingers to her lips in wonder. She was thinking that perhaps Charity was not the only one feeling more alive than ever before. Grace had done more than merely save her life. It was as if Grace, through her sacrifice, had freed her sisters from some binding spell and now they were discovering the true joy of living in God's presence.

Perhaps celebrating in this way was somewhat sinful. And perhaps even to walk abroad, dressed as she was with her hair cut short and exposed, was sinful. Yet none of it could be a sin, because she still felt God in her heart. And God's warmth flowed through her when her sister/wife kissed her so intimately. Maybe that was it — they had both been married before God to the same wonderful man. And since her husband had commanded it, it was her duty to give the seeming of a man. She had no knowledge of proper behavior between two sister/wives. If this was proper behaviour, then so be it. Who was she to deny God's will? Besides, she was now Ezekiel, and Ezekiel was newly married to Charity. And if any from the village were watching, it was important that the watchers clearly understand both of those facts in order for the family to escape with their lives.

Ezekiel reached up and pulled her sister/wife back down into her embrace. This time she returned the kiss with a passion of her own. Together, they gave thanks to Grace for the gift of their lives by celebrating their passion.

A little while later, the two lay together in the back of the wagon. Ezekiel looked to the side and saw tears begin to slide from Charity's eyes. She looked away.

"I beg you, sister," said Ezekiel in a soft voice. "Do not weep. For if you go there then I cannot help but follow after. A man weeps differently from a woman and if I were to weep my disguise would be undone. Put aside your grief, my sister, until it is safe for us to weep together."

Charity nodded and brushed the tears from her face. She looked away and gulped and then forced herself to breath deeply.

After a time, Charity spoke in a soft voice. "I am ready. Perhaps we should speak of something else for a time to keep my mind from wandering."

Ezekiel rolled over onto her side and stared down into her sister/wife's eyes.

"Very well. You spoke earlier of something that sparked my interest. What is this terrible act you intend to commit?" she asked.

"Shh!" whispered Charity.

She pulled Ezekiel down so that her mouth was close to Ezekiel's ear.

"Think of the story of Lot and his two daughters, and that will give you the right idea," whispered Charity.

Ezekiel blinked twice and then her eyes opened wide in shock.

"What are you thinking?" whispered Ezekiel. "You cannot do such a thing!"

Charity giggled. "And this from a woman who has spent the last hour being passionate with her very own sister," she replied. "I pledged to give our husband/brother a whole brood of children including at least one son so that our father's blood is carried on into the next generation. In this way I can ensure that our brother's duty to his father may be fulfilled. And given our brother's sacrifice for us, I will not break that pledge. Lot was surely loved by God. And if the daughters of Lot could lie with their father without incurring God's wrath, why should not the daughters of Samuel?"

"Lot was plied with wine by his daughters," replied Ezekiel. "He knew not what he was doing. Perhaps the lesson is that Lot was freed from guilt but the burden fell on his daughters."

"Yet God must have looked with favor on his daughters, for the sons they conceived that night each founded his own city and they both became great leaders."

Ezekiel saw the determination in her sister's eyes and recognized the futility of arguing further. She thought for a moment and then quietly nodded and lay down beside her sister. They draped an arm around each other and gazed silently up at the passing clouds.

*****

Earlier, at the front of the wagon, Samuel and Isabelle were not oblivious to what was going on behind them.

Samuel grunted as another peal of girlish laughter drifted to them from the back of the wagon.

"I do not know how they can be so full of cheer," grumbled Samuel. "Have they set aside the loss of their sister so quickly?"

Isabelle sighed and shook her head. "No, my husband. They will grieve when the time is right for grieving — as shall we. I can glean a little of what they are feeling for I feel some of it myself. I feel that I have escaped from a dark cave and for the first time I walk in sunlight. Whereas before, I felt the warmth of God's love, now I feel His love as a heat that reaches into my very bones. The further we travel from that cursed place, the more I feel it. I can barely restrain myself from leaping to my feet and singing psalms to the cows as we pass them that they may know of God's love."

Samuel grunted and flipped the reins gently. For a time they did not speak. They sat together on the bench in silence. The only sounds were the steady clop of the horses hooves and the relentless grind of the wagon wheels turning and the occasional babbling from Hope where she sat on Isabelle's lap.

Then Samuel grunted again.

"I have been thinking of Noah. I fear you are correct in what you said last night. Noah may be beyond redemption. I shall pray for his soul but he will not be the one to find what we have left and thus be led back to God." Samuel sighed. "And he was such a good man before he wandered into the darkness."

Isabelle nodded. "It will be Abigail. I told you that I saw her at the back of the mob last night. She covered her face but I am certain that she wept even then for what she had done. I cannot condemn her for her words. I do not believe she meant for matters to go this far. She will find her way back to God, I am sure of it. It will not be soon, but God is patient and He will welcome her when she returns to Him."

Samuel nodded. "Amen."

They rode in silent contemplation for a little further.

A fresh burst of giggles wafted forward, followed by the faint sounds of passionate kissing.

Samuel grunted again. "Our daughters are embracing in a way that is not seemly for two grown women to embrace. I should go back and chastise them but I cannot find it in my heart to do so."

Isabelle shook her head. "Sister/wives share their husbands bed and therefore it is not unknown for them to lie with each other. It is not the same as when a husband lies with his wife, but the wives may certainly seek solace in each other's arms when the husband is absent. It is true that it is not seemly to behave in this way before strangers but I do not think the creatures in the fields will be offended. I have an idea where their passion is coming from. It is a woman thing and it would be better if I speak to them."

Isabelle paused and teased Hope with the baubles in her hand. "Hope will need feeding soon. We are approaching a village. Once we are past it, watch for a copse of trees or an outcrop of rocks that we may hide within. For I cannot feed Hope and neither can Charity. Any passing farmers or tradesmen might find it strange to see our son, Ezekiel, feeding a babe at his breast so we must stop in a private place. While we are stopped, I will speak to our daughters about their behavior."

A short time later, Samuel steered the wagon away from the track and into a small copse of trees. It had clearly been used as a campsite in the past but being late in the morning, the area was deserted. Samuel stopped the wagon next to a clump of bushes and they all climbed down from the wagon. Samuel untied a stool from the pile of furniture in the wagon and placed it on the ground between the wagon and the bushes so that the occupant would be completely hidden. Then he went and spent time caring for the horse and the cow so that the women may have some privacy.

Ezekiel seated herself on the stool, then Charity and Isabelle helped her to untie her shirt and unbind her breasts. Soon Hope was suckling happily and the women were free to talk.

"You are not being as discreet with your affections as you should be," scolded Isabelle.

"I am sorry, Mother," said Ezekiel. "I know not why I am behaving in this way."

"I mourn my brother/sister but despite that, I feel so full of the joy of life that I can barely contain it," added Charity.

Isabelle leaned forward and placed her hands on the slight swell in Ezekiel's belly. "Does the babe within trouble you?"

"No, Mother," replied Ezekiel. "I have not had the sickness in the mornings for several weeks. The babe is yet too small to kick. It lies quietly within me."

Isabelle nodded. "Each time I was with child, at about the time my belly swelled in this way I found myself more than eager to carry out my wifely duties to my husband. Were you similar when you bore Hope?"

Ezekiels's eyes widened. "Yes, indeed!" she exclaimed and then she giggled. "When Hope was this big within me, I fear I was so eager to fulfil my wifely duties that I came near to exhausting poor Symeon, may he rest in peace."

"It seems to me that this babe is also stirring your passions," said Isabelle. "But without a husband, that passion is being directed at your sister."

"She is not my sister but my wife," said Ezekiel. "I am Ezekiel, her husband and it is proper for me to show passion for my wife." With that she looked down and carefully moved Hope to her other breast.

Isabelle did not reply but pressed her lips together in disapproval.

After a moment, Ezekiel sighed. "I think you have the right of it, Mother. The babe within me has awoken my passion and we are not being as discreet as we should be. I know it for a sin but my earthly body betrays me."

"It is not so much of a sin for the two of you to embrace for you are both wives to the same husband. A woman may even kiss another woman without sin. But to do more than that would be unnatural. And to be seen acting wantonly could result in you being whipped, or worse."

Ezekiel nodded and bowed her head.

"But what of me?" asked Charity. "I know that I am not with child for I have never lain with a man, yet I am also overcome with passion — perhaps even more so than my sister/wife."

Isabelle sighed. "You have always been one to do all things in full measure. Did not your father say to you that he saw your light shining more brightly than any other? Being with child is not the only time our bodies can betray us. When I was the same age as you are, Charity, in the year before I married, one of my brothers died from being kicked by a horse. I very much adored him and his death near broke my heart. My sister and I sought to console each other in our grief and we experienced something akin to what you are experiencing. If my sister were a little less strict with herself, perhaps we would have done what are you are doing today. I certainly felt the desire to do so."

Charity nodded. "There is no doubt that the death of Grace has effected me. But there is more. I feel the desire to lie with my sister as woman would lie with a man. I do not even know how that is possible but I feel the desire within me. I know it is unnatural but my body betrays me, also."

"What would you have done if all of this did not happen?" asked Ezekiel. "You were to marry Noah."

Charity shrugged. "I know the duties of a wife. I would have lain with my husband as is my duty. Noah was a good man and if he hadn't abandoned God in the way he did, perhaps I could have lived as his wife without falling into despair. But now that my eyes have been opened, I know that I would have missed much."

They helped Ezekiel rebind her breasts and adjust her shirt for Hope had finished suckling and now slept. Then they worked together to remove Hope's nappies and clean her before re-dressing her in clean clothes. During all of this, they continued their conversation.

"You are not the first woman to feel such a desire for another woman," said Isabelle. "You are expected to bind that desire within you and behave like every other woman. God expects you to marry and bear children. That is your duty to God and you cannot shirk it."

"But I have married Ezekiel and I will find a way to bear his children so in that I will fulfil my duty to God," replied Charity. "I just feel that there is more for me than that."

Isabelle sighed. "God's will can be difficult to decipher. For now, I will not condemn you for seeking solace in your sister/wife's arms. Neither will your father. Others, however, may not be as forgiving."

"Yet what is there to forgive?" asked Ezekiel. "For all they will see is a man and his wife together."

"Indeed!" replied Isabelle. "But even newlyweds would show a little more restraint while outside of their house than you have done this morning. We do not need to draw attention to ourselves by behaving wantonly."

"Yes, Mother!" they both replied together.

"Perhaps it would help if we kept busy," suggested Charity. "We are unused to this idleness and that has not assisted our cause. I think Ezekiel should drive the wagon for a while and I shall sit next to her and tend to Hope. It will give you and Father a chance to rest for a while in the back of the wagon for I know that neither of you slept last night."

Isabelle nodded. "I think that is wise. I will suggest it to Samuel."

She looked up into the sky and saw that it was past noon. "We should eat something now before resuming our journey."

The women prepared a simple lunch and the family ate together while Hope slept in a small basket. Samuel protested that it was not proper for his daughter to drive the wagon while he was fit and able, but the women explained that it would be his son, Ezekiel, driving the wagon and that was proper. Samuel grumbled but accepted that having Ezekiel driving would assist in the subterfuge.

So they resumed their journey with Ezekiel driving the wagon and Charity sitting next to her on the bench with Hope still sleeping in her basket. In the back of the wagon, Samuel and Isabelle lay back side by side in the small space available to them and rested.

After a time, Isabelle sighed. "I see what my daughters meant. I am not used to such idleness. The wagon jerks and bumps too much to sew or do any other such task."

"I am also unused to such idleness. I should be working in the fields at this time," said Samuel.

"Embrace me, my husband, for I am sorely in need of consoling," said Isabelle. "That is a task you can complete."

And so Samuel and Isabelle, in between short periods of sleep, found a way to pass the time which, though more subdued, was not greatly dissimilar to the way their daughters had passed the time that morning.

That evening, the family stopped beside a stream and set up a simple camp. Charity and Ezekiel lifted a small canvas bag from the back of the wagon. Then together the three women disappeared behind a small clump of bushes while Samuel got a fire going.

A short time later, Charity and Constance and Isabelle emerged — all wearing their formal black dresses as a sign of mourning. Isabelle wore her bonnet but Charity and Constance had their hair unbound and hanging loose. For Constance, that was not saying a great deal for it was cut short like a man's, but Charity's hair was newly brushed and hung loosely down her back to her hips. Isabelle led the two girls over to where Samuel sat on the fallen trunk of a tree having milked the cow and lit the fire. He saw them coming and rose to his feet.

"Samuel, my husband," said Isabelle. "I present to you the widowed wives of your son Ezekiel. The duty now falls on you to guard and watch over and protect your daughters-in-law."

"Before God and with the creatures of the fields as my witness, I accept this duty in the name of my son. He lives now within the Grace of God. And I mean that in both ways. We who are left behind must go on and build new lives. But, as always, we should hold God in our hearts."

"Amen!" said all of the others.

Then Constance sat down on the log next to where Samuel had been sitting.

"Come, Father, and sit. Hold your granddaughter."

Samuel did as he was told and gently took Hope into his arms.

His eyebrows shot up when Constance, sitting next to him, immediately started unlacing the top of her dress to expose her breasts. He looked around nervously, wondering if he should stop her from undressing in the open.

"Father! With the creatures of the fields as our witness, you said. The creatures of the fields certainly know what it takes for a mother to feed her babe. And this babe has not fed for a number of hours. We are fortunate that she is old enough not to need feeding even more frequently. Now you may avert your eyes if you wish, but I beg you to watch and share this with me. Do not feel shame, for I am your daughter and this is your granddaughter and you have pledged to watch over us and protect us. I refuse to believe there is any shame in what I am doing — despite what we were taught and what you were taught. Grace sacrificed her own life that I might live and I don’t intend to spend that life hiding myself away. Indeed my husband commanded me to stand in the light and not hide myself away in the darkness and it is my joyful duty to obey him. So watch and rejoice with me that I am alive and here to give sustenance to your granddaughter."

Samuel grunted and frowned and grunted again. Then he shuffled sideways until he was right up against his daughter's side. He wrapped an arm around Constance's waist and kissed her head.

"It seems that God is determined to teach me new things," muttered Samuel. "I was taught to avert my eyes when a woman fed her child — even if it were my wife. Yet God gave a woman breasts for just this purpose. I have been given much cause to question my teaching over the last few days. I shall do as you ask and watch God's purpose unfold."

He shook his head as if to shake away some cobwebs and then he gazed down with awe and wonder as his granddaughter suckled at his daughter's breast.

Isabelle and Charity watched the entire incident in silence. Isabelle had tears sliding silently down her cheeks as she watched her husband and her daughter and her granddaughter together. Everything was so new and so wonderful. Isabelle sometimes felt lost as her family threw away rules they had followed for generations. But standing there in that moment, she could feel God's hand guiding them to something new.

When they were finished. Samuel looked over at Charity while Constance adjusted her clothing.

"Charity, my daughter, why is your hair unbound and uncovered? I should ask Constance the same question since she has clearly stopped giving the seeming of Ezekiel."

"Our husband commanded us to uncover our hair and let it fall freely before he would even marry us," replied Charity. "As with my sister/wife, it is my joyful duty to obey my husband. This is our home for this night and when we are in our home, I shall do as my husband commanded and unbind my hair."

"We bind and cover our hair to express our modesty," said Isabelle quietly. "Would you have people think you immodest?"

"There are no people here but my family," said Charity. "I would hope your opinion of me is not based on something as little as whether or not you can see my hair. I was taught the sight of my hair would inflame a man's lust. But Father is the only man here and he does not seem to have become inflamed. When we travel, or meet strangers, I shall do as my husband bid and as I have been taught and cover my hair so that they will think me modest."

"In this matter, I agree with my sister," said Constance. "I shall also honor my husband by following his commands."

Samuel sighed and shrugged. "I cannot see any harm in this when we are alone. And I respect your willingness to obey your husband."

Isabelle stared at Samuel and then back at her daughters. She thought deeply for a moment and then seemed to come to a decision. She stepped forward until she stood before Samuel.

"Well?" said Isabelle. "Do you not have something to say to me?"

Samuel looked up at her with a puzzled expression on his face.

"What would you have me say?"

"My hair is also long," she replied. "Though not as long as Charity's."

Samuel stared at his wife and she stared back at him. He blinked and lifted an eyebrow slightly. She replied with the slightest of nods. Samuel sighed and leaned back.

"Very well, as with your daughters, so it shall be with you. Uncover your hair, my wife, unbind it and let if fall freely. I would see my wife's hair hang freely, just as my son asked to see the hair of his wives. By all means, preserve your modesty before strangers but do as you will within our home."

Samuel grunted and looked around. "Mind you," he muttered to himself, "I believe it is stretching the truth to describe a temporary campsite as a home."

Isabelle untied and removed her bonnet. Then she removed the combs from her hair and let it fall. Charity came to her with a brush and helped her brush it out until it fell neatly to just above her waist.

Shortly after, Isabelle and her daughters tied aprons over their dresses and prepared the evening meal while Samuel held Hope in his lap. She was now awake and chuckled gleefully as she played with the ties on his shirt. Samuel watched her play in his lap and tried hard to conceal the joy he felt while doing so.

Isabelle and Charity quickly discovered the disadvantage of unbound hair while trying to cook over an open fire. Constance with her short hair had no such trouble but the other two finally decided to braid their hair into a single rope that draped down their back while they cooked.

After the meal had been served and eaten, they sat around the small fire and shared stories of their brother, Ezekiel, and their sister, Grace. That night they finally allowed themselves to grieve for their lost son and daughter and brother and sister and husband.

They wept and they spoke their memories and then they wept some more.

They marvelled again that incidents they recalled from Ezekiel as a child and as a youth, that had seemed a strangeness at the time, had simply been Grace shining through and did not seem so strange anymore. They pledged to each other that they would keep alive the memory of Ezekiel and Grace within their family and that his sacrifices and her sacrifices would be honored and remembered and passed down to the next generations.

Then they prayed. They prayed for Grace that she may rest in peace. They prayed for themselves that God may guide them safely through this time of uncertainty and change. And finally they prayed for Abigail and Noah and the other villagers that God may forgive them for what was done and lead them back into the light.

Eventually they changed out of their good black dresses, spread their blankets beneath the wagon and they slept.

In a time and place where his wrongness would lead to him being stoned or burned unto his death, Ezekiel found a way to fulfil all of his duties as given to be him by God, and yet still be true to himself.

This is the story of Ezekiel's Victory.

In the meantime, back at the village:

Chapter 6

In the meantime, back at the village:

Nobody made their way up the hill that first morning after the hanging. Most felt at least some shame at the way they behaved the night before. They watched Samuel and his family leave the village and did not speak to each other for they knew not what to say. They went about their morning duties in contemplative silence.

The first to go up the hill was Abigail. She felt confused and disoriented. At first she had felt glee to see her rival brought down so abruptly. But she had expected the people would chase her rival from the village — not lynch her and hang her as they had done. That had truly shaken Abigail.

Abigail stood under the tree and stared in confusion at the cut end of the rope hanging from the tree. Nobody had gone up in the morning to remove the body. What had happened to Constance?

Then she noticed the message drawn thickly onto the trunk of the tree with a brush dipped in ink.

First was the year, 1662.

Under that, it said, "Evil was done here. Innocence murdered. God abandoned. Pray! The only way back to God is though Grace but you have destroyed the only Grace in this cursed place."

Abigail was sorely troubled and she fell to her knees and prayed. In that moment, she saw her actions for the evil that it was and she wept. She prayed but heard no answer. Her heart was empty and she knew that she had abandoned God and that God had abandoned her. She cast herself into the dirt at the base of the tree and wept again.

Abigail finally stood and read the message again. She staggered down the hill in a daze. She knew the message was aimed at her but she did not fully understand it — most of it was obvious but the overall message was a mystery.

Others who later read the message also felt that it was aimed at them but felt the same confusion.

Noah saw the message and remembered the words Isabelle had spoken to him as Samuel drove his wagon away from the village. Noah told the others that he had set aside Charity as being unworthy to be his bride. He said nothing of the conversation between himself and Samuel.

There was a lot of praying in the village, but the prayers did not bring answers.

Later that day it was discovered that Saul had slipped out of the village and was gone. Saul was a young man who had disputed with Symeon over the placement of the border between their farms.

The elders of the village talked and wondered if they had done a great wrong. Perhaps Saul was responsible for Symeon's death. In which case they truly had murdered an innocent. They were sorely troubled. The message on the tree had even greater import. But still none could decipher its true meaning.

The next morning Abigail carried a small ladder up the hill and some other supplies. She lit a fire in a small brazier and stoked it until she had glowing embers. Then she heated a short poker in the brazier until it glowed. Holding the poker carefully, she climbed the ladder and burned into the trunk of the tree over the ink markings made by Constance's family. In this way the message, scorched into the trunk, lasted for as long as the tree did. It was a constant reminder to the village of what they had done on that terrible night. It took Abigail many hours to complete her task because she had to frequently climb down and reheat the poker in the brazier. She did it as a kind of penance for her part in the evil. When she finally finished, she stood there, her hands blistered from handling the hot metal, and knew that she hadn't done enough. God had not forgiven her. Her penance was not over.

Nobody else was ever hung from that tree and from that day onwards the villagers were careful to invite a judge and hold a proper trial for any major crime.

Nobody dared to visit Samuel's old house until two days after he and his family had left in their wagon. The first little group who did make their way up the track included Noah who was vaguely thinking that maybe he could claim something from within the house as partial payment towards his lost bride.

The group stopped before the house and stared. The flagstones in front of the doorway had been lifted and a fresh grave dug directly in front of the doorway, beyond which the door was clearly nailed shut. Standing upright before the grave was one of the missing flagstones with the following message scratched into it. There were no dates, no names, just the following message.

"Here lies our beloved — daughter, sister, inspiration. She now rests safely in the arms of God, all duties fulfilled. And yet still she strives to carry out God's purpose from beyond the grave. What greater victory can there be?"

There was a gap, and then a second message scratched into the stone in smaller writing than the first.

"In the end she led us to Grace. But for you who abandoned God, and who destroyed the only Grace to be found, the only way back to God will be through Grace. We pray you will find your way."

It was the same message as on the tree, except perhaps in different words. It was a mystery.

Noah kicked the stone in frustration. The stone jerked and then sank down until it lay flat at the foot of the grave. Noah saw the fallen gravestone as a final accusation. He could hide behind his bluster no longer. He turned and walked away, leaving the others to ransack the house.

The remainder of the group stared at the house and then at the grave that guarded its threshold. They had come to see if the family had abandoned anything worth salvaging but to investigate the house they would have to step over the grave of the victim of their madness from the other night.

Their already frail courage deserted them. They backed away and left.

And so, even in death, Ezekiel fulfilled his duty to his hearth by guarding the threshold from thieves and brigands.

In a time and place where his wrongness would lead to him being stoned or burned unto his death, Ezekiel found a way to fulfil all of his duties as given to be him by God, and yet still be true to himself.

This is the story of Ezekiel's Victory.

Samuel and his family slept the night under the wagon.

Chapter 7

The next morning, Charity woke slightly before dawn. She stretched and wriggled and then propped herself up on one elbow so that she could look down at her sister. Seeing that Constance was blinking sleep from her eyes, Charity leaned down and kissed her soundly.

Constance's eyes widened in surprise. Then her arms reached over behind Charity and pulled her close so that she could return the kiss in full. After a moment they pulled away from each other. Constance lay there, blinking up at her sister and smiling.

"What was that, my sister?" whispered Constance. "Did you not get your fill of this yesterday?"

"Yesterday I was kissing Ezekiel," replied Charity, also in a whisper. "I wanted to find if there was a difference between kissing Ezekiel and kissing Constance."

Constance laughed quietly at her sister. "And … ?"

"And I am not sure," whispered Charity. "I may have to try some more of both before I make up my mind."

Constance laughed some more. "Oh, my dear sweet Charity. You are surely the most outrageous person I know. I thank God that He has placed you in my life. You are truly a gift to me."

Next to them, Hope stirred in her basket and started to cry. Constance quickly scooped her out of the basket and scrambled out from under the wagon. Charity followed and held Hope briefly so that Constance could unfasten her dress. Soon Hope's cries were silenced as she suckled.

While she fed her babe, Constance smiled and closed her eyes, letting the rising sun warm her skin. Then she felt a soft kiss on her neck below her ear. She smiled quietly but did not open her eyes. Then a second kiss landed on her uncovered shoulder and then a third on the skin at the rise of her breast, just above where it was covered by Hope's head. That last made Constance's eyes open in surprise. She stared at Charity who grinned back at her without remorse.

"What … ?" said Constance.

Charity leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. Then she stood and strode away without saying another word. Constance watched in amazement as Charity started collecting firewood as if she had done nothing more than wish her a good morning.

Shortly afterwards, first Samuel and then Isabelle rolled out of the blankets on the other side of the wagon. They brushed down and straightened their clothes and then moved around to begin the day. Samuel smiled and nodded at Constance when he saw her sitting there, feeding Hope, but he took no more notice as he bustled around, getting the fire started and milking the cow.

Constance finished feeding Hope and then changed her nappies. Then, with Isabelle's help, she removed her dress, rebound her breasts and donned trousers and shirt to become Ezekiel again.

A short time later, they sat down together to break their fast. While they did that, Isabelle and Charity rebound their hair and put on their bonnets. Afterwards, the blankets and such like were reloaded onto the wagon and the lead rope for the cow was tied once more to the back.

Then Ezekiel and Charity resumed their place on the back of the wagon. The family had decided that it would not be safe for Constance to be seen in public until they had travelled for many days — weeks even.

And Ezekiel did not mind so much. After all, Ezekiel and Charity were newly married and they had much to learn about each other. Their joy in living was infectious and as they travelled, Samuel and Isabelle found a new joy for themselves. Ezekiel and and Samuel would swap the duties of driving the wagon, their respective wives sitting beside them, while the other couple rested in the back.

During their turn at sitting up front, the younger pair would wait until the were on an isolated stretch of track and then tease their parents — calling back "We are alone now, Father. Are you kissing your wife? You should! For the back of the wagon is perfect for that! Kiss her, Father. Tell her of your love and demonstrate your passion under this wide blue sky. Kiss her Father, out here in the light, for God is watching and is surely please to see us live our lives. Embrace your wife, Father, out here in the light for Grace is with God. Let her see you and rejoice.

This was an entirely new thing for Samuel and Isabelle and there was much hesitation and diffidence. But Samuel was beginning to resign himself to the changes in his life and Isabelle was more than eager for him to try this new thing.

And when it was the turn of Samuel to drive, the younger pair nestled in the back and did exactly what they had challenged their parents to do while Samuel and Isabelle sat on the front bench and pretended to be oblivious of what was going on behind them.

This ceased when the wagon wound its way through a village or passed an isolated farm. At those times, the couples would sit demurely beside each other and share their thoughts. They stopped in some of the villages to purchase food and to seek directions but they did not linger and they rarely exchanged more than pleasantries with the villagers they spoke to.

One other thing of note that happened over these two days is that Ezekiel spent much time carefully watching her father. She took note of the way he moved and the way he gestured and the way he spoke to his family and the way he spoke to strangers. Then she began to imitate him.

Gradually, over the passage of the two days, she became more and more manly in her movements and her actions. Charity giggled and laughed at her attempts but also supported and encouraged her — often stopping her and pointing out moments when she had forgotten herself and behaved too much like a woman. Ezekiel also practised speaking with a lower voice and slightly gruffer that she might sound more like a young man. And so, slowly and deliberately, over the course of these two days, she became a he.

Late in the afternoon, a farmer saw them passing as he walked back in from his fields. He offered them the use of his barn for the night for there was a storm brewing on the horizon and it would be a bad night to be camping under the wagon.

Ezekiel was driving the wagon at the time and he thanked the farmer for his generosity. The farmer showed them a side track and pointed to the barn a little way off the road.

"God bless you," said Ezekiel. "We shall all sleep more soundly tonight for your kind offer."

The farmer shrugged it off. "I am doing no more than any other honest man would do. Help yourself to some hay and a little grain for your horse and your cow. Sleep well. The storm should be gone by morning."

Ezekiel was able to pull the wagon inside the barn and still leave room to move around it. They brushed down the horse and put the horse and cow into a stall amongst the farmer's own animals.

Then a pair of children came skipping up the track and knocked on the door of the barn. They came with an invitation from the farmer's wife to join them at sunset for the evening meal as there was no hearth in the barn for the travellers to use for cooking. The group all looked at each other because they were concerned that Ezekiel might be exposed under such close scrutiny. They gathered to hold a quick conversation in whispers. Charity assured them all that by the light of lanterns in a crowded room, Ezekiel's disguise would be sufficient. Samuel turned to the children waiting by the door and asked them to thank the farmer's wife and tell her they would accept her kind invitation.

Isabelle hunted through the wagon and picked out half a cheese and filled a small bag with vegetables.

"Come, Charity. You and I must go down to the farmhouse and help with preparing the meal. I shall tell them that Samuel and Ezekiel are conducting some minor repair to the wagon and will come down in time for the meal."

She then turned to Samuel. "Do not come down until sunset so that they will not look too closely at Ezekiel during daylight."

They all agreed on the plan and Charity picked up the basket in which Hope was currently sleeping and then accompanied Isabelle down to the farmhouse.

Samuel turned to Ezekiel. "I don't think Isabelle knew it, but her words about us repairing the wagon will not be a falsehood. I need to replace some of the leather harnessing for the horse and you, my son, can help me."

"Yes, Father," said Ezekiel with a smile. "I would be honored. It is a son's duty to labor beside his father."

And so Ezekiel spent the next hour learning some new skills that were traditionally carried out by the men of the family. Samuel confessed himself pleased to have a new son to teach and was effusive in his praise when Ezekiel showed himself to be a quick learner.

They finished the task just before sunset so they quickly washed their faces and hands in the horse-trough, lit a lantern and made their way down to the farmhouse.

As Charity had predicted, Ezekiel's disguise was not penetrated. He managed to stay in the background and let the others do the talking. He even found a seat in the corner where the lanterns cast a slight shadow. Realizing their subterfuge was successful, the family was able to relax and enjoy the meal and the company of their hosts.

Their hosts did ask why they were travelling, but Samuel waved his hand and explained that there had been some unpleasantness at their village and they had decided to leave rather than cause a confrontation. Their hosts listened to them talk and watched the way they behaved and decided that these were Godly people who had endured some ill fortune and decided not to press for further information.

When the meal was finished and tidied up, Samuel and his family thanked their hosts and withdrew back to the barn. Once returned to the barn, Ezekiel fed Hope and changed her nappies. Samuel and Isabelle climbed up to the hayloft and spread their blankets on a bed of hay. They changed out of their clothes for the first time in two days and donned nightclothes.

"We will soon have to find a place where we can stop for a day," said Isabelle. "Our clothes need washing and we will soon run short of cloth for clean nappies for Hope."

Samuel grunted and nodded.

"Now, come to bed, my husband," said Isabelle. "I still have a pain in my heart from the loss of my daughter/son and perhaps if I fulfil my wifely duties, that will help erase the pain."

So Samuel and Isabelle lay together and quietly unleashed the passions within them. Afterwards, they embraced and slept.

Ezekiel and Charity decided they could not sleep in the hayloft for if Hope woke during the night and crawled out of her basket, there was nothing to stop her from crawling over the edge. They spread some fresh hay in an empty stall and spread their blankets over that. Then they wedged some loose boards below the bottom rung of the stall so that Hope could not crawl in amongst the hooves of the animals.

They removed their normal clothes and donned sleeping gowns and so it was Constance and Charity who crawled between the blankets.

The rain began to sound on the roof of the barn. At the same time the wind picked up, pushing through the trees and driving the rain harder.

They listened to the sound of the storm outside the barn and embraced for warmth. Then Charity kissed her sister, unleashing her boundless passion.

They kissed and kissed some more. Then, while they were kissing, Charity's hand — more by accident than by design — landed on the part of Constance's sleeping gown which concealed her breast.

Constance, feeling the contact on her breast froze and stared in surprise. Despite their enthusiasm, this was a liberty the two girls had not previously taken. Charity took a moment to recognize where her hand had landed, and then she also froze. They both lay there, unmoving, their faces inches apart, staring through the darkness into each other's eyes, wondering how the other was going to react.

Then Charity's hand moved, gently stroking and exploring the shape hidden below the material of the gown. Constance's eyes were staring and her mouth was open. She had no idea how she should react to this so she did not react at all. Then Charity found Constance's hand under the blanket and slowly drew it down until it lay over Charity's breast. Charity gently pressed the hand into her breast and let it go.

Constance's hand did not move for a moment, but then it started stroking and exploring. Soon Charity's hand returned to Constance's breast and together they explored and discovered the sensations involved in this new activity.

After a time, Charity's hand left her sister's breast and trailed down her body until it found the small swelling in her sister's belly. She stroked and petted that mound and then sighed.

"One day my belly will swell like this," whispered Charity. "What does it feel like?"

Constance sighed and rested her own hand on her belly. "In my body, it feels pleasant, later — when the babe is closer to being born — it gets uncomfortable. In my mind, the feeling is … I don't have the words. Both wonderful and frightening. God has blessed me with a new life within me. It is a wonderful blessing but the responsibility to care for and nurture that new life can be frightening.

"And what of the making of the new life? When you lie with a man — what is that like?"

Constance gave a small smile in the darkness. "Ah, sister. You are asking all of the difficult questions tonight. Again, I don't have the words. It varies. On some nights, when the passion is missing, it is like peeling the skin from potatoes — a duty that is not difficult but tiresome and repetitive and not entirely comfortable and you are glad when the task is done. But on the nights when the passion is there — ah! On those nights it is wonderful."

"Yes, but what does it feel like?"

Constance sighed. "Charity, my sister, I think you have been gaining much pleasure when we embrace and kiss. How would you describe that pleasure to a maiden who has never been kissed?"

"Why, it's … it's like … Oh!"

"Exactly, so, my sister." Constance kissed Charity lightly on the lips. "Do not fear, like all else it is a part of God's plan. Hold God in your heart and all else will happen as He wills. Now let us sleep for it is late and I am finding this travelling to be very tiring."

Charity nodded and returned to her sister the light kiss she had received. Then they nestled together and slept.

In a time and place where his wrongness would lead to him being stoned or burned unto his death, Ezekiel found a way to fulfil all of his duties as given to be him by God, and yet still be true to himself.

This is the story of Ezekiel's Victory.

Constance kissed Charity lightly on the lips. "Do not fear, like all else it is a part of God's plan. Hold God in your heart and all else will happen as He wills. Now let us sleep for it is late and I am finding this travelling to be very tiring."

Chapter 8

The family rose before dawn the next morning. They were concerned lest the farmer come to milk his cow and find Constance sleeping instead of Ezekiel. Samuel milked the cow by lantern-light while Constance managed to wake Hope and get her to feed. Then Constance dressed as Ezekiel and the family broke their fast with the last of their bread, some strips of beef jerky and some fresh milk from the cow.

They had just finished eating when they heard the farmer walking up the track with his buckets clanking. When he came into the barn, Charity was changing Hope's nappies, Isabelle was folding blankets and stowing them on the wagon while Samuel and Ezekiel were harnessing the horse to the wagon and then tying the lead rope of their cow to the back.

The farmer nodded in approval. "Getting an early start is a good idea!" he said.

"Last night's storm may have cleared," said Samuel. "But it looks like another may follow it later today. I'd like to get as far as we can this morning before we need to seek shelter again. God bless you and your family for your hospitality."

The farmer nodded again. "God be with you!"

"And also with you," echoed the family.

Ezekiel and Charity pulled the big barn doors open and Samuel drove the cart outside.

"Mother, will you ride in the back with us?" asked Charity. "I have some questions I would like to ask you while we travel."

Isabelle nodded and climbed into the back of the wagon with Hope. Ezekiel and Charity closed the barn doors, gave a final farewell to the farmer and climbed into the back of the wagon. Hope was allowed to crawl around over their legs while they dangled baubles in front of her to play with.

As Samuel steered the wagon down through the farm, the farmer's elder daughter came out of the farmhouse with some fresh bread and a pot filled with hot porridge wrapped in cloth to keep it warm. The family accepted the gift gratefully and blessed the girl and her mother for their thoughtfulness.

They decided to eat the porridge while it was hot and save the bread for later. Isabelle dug through the wagon to find some bowls and spoons and they shared out the porridge. Charity called to her father to stop and then ran around to the front of the wagon to deliver his bowl of porridge so that he could eat while he drove the wagon. Then she clambered back into the back of the wagon. They ate the porridge while the wagon trundled slowly down the track with Ezekiel and Charity taking turns to feed tiny mouthfuls of porridge to Hope.

Charity looked around to check that there was nobody close to the wagon and then spoke quietly.

"Mother, how difficult would it be for me to become a wet-nurse for Hope?" asked Charity.

Isabelle blinked and looked at her daughter. "It could be done. Why do you ask?"

"We have been lucky, up until now, that we have always been able to feed Hope somewhere private. If Hope had demanded to be fed last evening when we were in the kitchen with the farmer's family, it would have been awkward. If I were able to feed Hope that would solve the problem."

Ezekiel smiled and clapped his hands. "It would also help you become a true second-mother to Hope. I would love you to do that."

"Milk cannot be turned on and off like a lantern," said Isabelle with a frown of her own. "It could take many days of effort to start your milk and then once you have started, you would need to keep feeding her every day until she is weaned — or Constance is back and there is no longer a need."

"I understand, Mother," said Charity.

"I think it a grand idea," said Ezekiel.

"This may not be easy. Most wet-nurses simply take over feeding another baby as they wean their own so their milk never dries up. I have seen women start up their milk again after they have dried up simply by putting the babe to their breast and letting it suckle. For those women it can take anything from a day to a week, depending on how long since they stopped feeding their own child. I have never known a woman who has never born a child of her own to start up their milk, but I have heard that it can be done."

"So it can be done!" said Charity. "What must I do?"

"It would be easier for me to bring on milk since I have born children," said Isabelle.

Charity's lip began to stick out and quiver. "I would very much like to do this myself. After all, as Ezekiel said, I am to be a second mother to Hope and to the new child when it is born."

Isabelle nodded. "Very well. If that is what you wish. I will not stand in your way."

"So what do I do?" asked Charity. "I have heard women talk of bringing on their milk to become a wet-nurse but I haven't heard how to do it."

"We get Hope to suckle. And we get her to do it as often each day as we can for as long as we can. And we may have to do this for many, many days because you are yet to bear a child of your own. It seems that something about having a child suckle at a woman's breast is like a call that the woman's breast responds to."

Isabelle began scrambling in amongst their belongings on the wagon. She pulled out a blanket and hung it from the pile of furniture to make a small enclosed space. Then she took out a small pot of honey.

"It is not long after Hope fed, so she may not be willing to suckle for long, but we should make the attempt anyway. The sooner we begin, the sooner we will get results. You will need to unlace your dress."

Charity, her privacy secured by the hanging blanket, unlaced her dress and exposed her breasts. Isabelle used her finger to put a small dab of honey onto a nipple. Then they together lifted Hope and laid her in Charity's lap.

Charity offered her breast to Hope and Hope immediately latched onto it — enticed by the sweet taste of the honey. Charity's eyes opened wide as she felt for the first time that unique sensation of a babe suckling at her breast.

"Use your fingers on your other teat," said Isabelle. "Perhaps tugging and stroking like milking a cow will help."

Charity lifted her hand and did as her mother had suggested. But she did it in a distracted way for most of her attention was focussed on the sight and feeling of Hope suckling at her other breast.

"A younger babe will stop sucking if she doesn't get milk," said Isabelle. "Hope may be old enough to keep sucking out of habit. For now, we need to change her to the other breast. We need to prepare both breasts equally else your milk will not come in evenly."

Isabelle put a dab of honey on Charity's other nipple and then helped the two younger women move Hope around until she was happily suckling on Charity's other breast. Charity's free hand lifted to stroke and tug at her unoccupied nipple.

This continued for several minutes, then Charity looked up with joy on her face.

"She sleeps," whispered Charity. "Hope sucked at my breasts and now she sleeps with her lips still against me. Thank you, God, for this wonder."

Ezekiel smiled. "It is truly a marvel. You may not think it so when you have your own babe and must wake throughout the night to feed it."

Charity grinned. "When my milk starts, and your next babe arrives, I will help you in that task. We can take turns so that each of us is not excessively deprived of sleep."

Constance laughed. "Very well, sister/wife. I shall look forward to your help when the time comes."

Isabelle looked at Hope sleeping happily with her lips pressed against Charity's breast. "You have surprised me, today, my daughter. If we are finished, I shall go back to the front and sit with Samuel. It is a little cramped back here with all of us."

"I do have another question, Mother," said Charity. She looked down at the sleeping Hope and then looked back at her mother.

"I wish to have a child of mine own, that I may fulfil my duty to my husband and my pledge to my husband to give him a son."

Isabelle blinked and looked at Charity with surprise.

She thought for a moment.

"It will be difficult while we are travelling, but perhaps when we settle we can find you a new husband so that you may have a child."

Charity shook her head. "No, Mother. That will not do. For then, the babe would belong to that new man and not to Ezekiel."

Isabelle shook her head in confusion. "You should not lie with a man unless you marry him. And you will not have a child of your own unless you lie with a man."

"I need marry no another man, for I married Ezekiel, my brother," said Charity.

"But he is with God now," said Isabelle. "You are a widow and free to marry again."

"Ezekiel my brother may be with God," replied Charity. "But here beside me is another Ezekiel who I am content with. I will not marry again."

Isabelle was still confused. "But this Ezekiel cannot give you the child that you want."

Charity smiled sweetly at Ezekiel who shrugged.

"That is truth," acknowledged Charity. "But I am not concerned for I have found my answer in the place all answers can be found — in the Bible. I would like to do as Lot's daughters did and lie with my father that I might have a child."

Isabelle rocked back in surprise. She opened her mouth to answer and then closed it again. Finally she spoke.

"I doubt that Samuel will be pleased with this plan. It goes against God for a man to lie with his daughter."

Charity grinned. "I thought to do as Lot's daughters did and ply Father with wine so that he may know nothing of my actions. But to do that, I would need your aid."

Isabelle's eyes narrowed and she stared at her daughter as she thought deeply.

Finally Isabelle shook her head. "I cannot aid you in that. It seems to me dishonest to make a man insensible with drink so that he may be drawn into sin without his knowledge. And for me as his wife to assist with that — no! I cannot do it. Besides, Samuel is not given to drinking heavily. Moderation in all things — that is our way. You plan will not succeed with Samuel."

Charity hung her head for a moment, and then looked up again.

"It may be a sin for a man to lie with his daughter, but it is not such a sin in this case for I am no longer Father's daughter. When Charity was married to Symeon, Father gave her to him and she became his wife rather than Father's daughter. In the same way, Father gave me to Ezekiel and I became Ezekiel's wife rather than Father's daughter. Then Father stood before God and with the creatures of the fields as his witnesses, he pledged to hold me and keep me as the widow of his son."

Isabelle nodded to show she was listening.

"If a man is pledged to keep the widow of one of his kin, it is not a sin for him to lie with that widow," said Ezekiel — having grasped Charity's argument. "Indeed, some could say it is his duty. Even in our own village, we saw that. For when Joshua's brother died, Joshua took his brother's widow as a second wife. She bore more children and the village approved — for that is a woman's duty."

Isabelle looked at Charity. "Are you asking Samuel to take you as a second wife?" she asked.

"No, Mother, that would not do either, for then the babe would belong to Samuel and not to Ezekiel. I would remain married to Ezekiel, both of them — the one as his widow and the other as his wife. All I ask from Samuel is that he lie with me that I may have a child and fulfil my duty to Ezekiel."

Isabelle sighed. "I must think on this and I will pray to God for guidance for this is something new and I do not know how to respond."

Isabelle called out to Samuel to stop the cart. Then she climbed down, walked forward and climbed up onto the bench next to her husband. He raised his eyebrow at her as if to ask her about the topic of the discussion but she shook her head and stared off into the distance.

In the back, Charity waited until the wagon lurched into motion once more and then looked at Ezekiel.

"Well? Do you think Mother will help me?" asked Charity.

Ezekiel shrugged. "I do not know. I was expecting her to scold us both. You could take the lack of a scolding as a good sign, if you will."

Charity moved to place Hope into her basket, but doing so woke Hope and she struggled to escape from Charity's grasp. Charity laughed quietly and released Hope, then the two of them watched as Hope began to crawl around between their legs.

In all this time, Charity had sat with her dress unlaced and her breasts exposed. She looked down and ran a finger over one nipple.

"Mother said that I should tweak my teat and milk it as if I were a cow in order to encourage the milk. Will you help me? I am anxious to fulfil my duty as second-mother to Hope and provide her with my milk."

Ezekiel reached for one of Charity's breasts and did as he had been asked while Charity did the same to the other breast. They continued this in silence for a moment and then Charity glanced shyly at Ezekiel.

"Perhaps you could even suckle, for surely my breast does not know the difference between one mouth and another."

Ezekiel blushed. He closed his eyes and held still for a moment. Then he leaned forward and applied his lips to Charity's breast, suckling at it like a babe.

Charity's eyes widened at the sensation and her mouth opened as if to speak, though no words were forthcoming. She stopped all movement and lifted her head up high with her eyes closed, her hand now idle on her other breast. Her other hand moved through the air without purpose and then came to rest on the back of Ezekiel's head — stroking his hair gently as he suckled.

After a time, Ezekiel stopped and laid a gentle kiss on the breast of his sister-wife. He sat up slightly and glanced sideways to check on Hope.

"Why did you stop, my husband? I found that to be most pleasant," said Charity.

"Strangely, I also am finding this to be a pleasant task. I did not expect it to be so. But we must not overdo this at the start," replied Ezekiel. "Else you will become sore and not wish to continue. Besides, we must ensure we share time between your breasts or your milk will not come in evenly and your breasts will be mismatched. This is something I was taught when I first began feeding Hope."

Ezekiel used a leg to hook Hope away from the edge of the wagon. Charity put one arm loosely around the child so she would not stray. Hope sat there without complaint and was soon playing happily with the fingers of Charity's hand.

Ezekiel lowered his head and began to suckle at Charity's other breast.

They stopped before noon when Hope became restless and hungry. Isabelle came back and retrieved a small bowl from amongst their possessions.

She looked at Ezekiel. "Unbind your breasts and use your hands to squeeze milk into this bowl."

Ezekiel looked puzzled and then did as he had been instructed. Isabelle had a small strip of cloth which she rolled lengthways.

"I saw this done, once," said Isabelle. "It was done to help a new mother get her milk to start. Perhaps it will help here."

Isabelle instructed Charity to unlace her dress and put Hope to her breast. She dipped the cloth strip into the bowl of freshly squeezed breast-milk until it was saturated. She carefully slid the end of the cloth in between the edge of Hope's mouth and the skin of Charity's breast. In this way, Hope was suckling at Charity's breast and receiving milk from the cloth.

Charity sat there with joy on her face. "I am feeding Hope! God has surely blessed me in this moment. Mother, I thank you for this wonder."

Ezekiel and Isabelle were both smiling to see the joy and wonder on Charity's face.

Isabelle encouraged Ezekiel to keep squeezing his milk into the bowl. Isabelle would then resoak the cloth and return it to its position. This method of feeding took longer than normal, but none complained. In the end they put Hope to Ezekiel's breasts to drain the last milk from his breasts.

Shortly after lunch, Samuel guided the wagon into a village and stopped to ask directions of a group of men working to repair a roof.

An older man came over to the wagon and introduced himself as Jebediah. He nodded at Samuel's question and pointed down the track.

"This track that leaves to the West is the one you want," he said. "But you will not go further on this day. The bridge was washed away three weeks ago and the storm last night has raised the river level so the ford cannot be used."

Samuel grunted and looked at the sky.

"Indeed," said Jebediah the older man, "there will be more rain before the sun sets. It could well be two or three days before you can continue your journey."

"Is there a barn or some such that we can use to shelter in while we wait for the river to drop?" asked Samuel.

Jebediah scratched his chin. "We may be able to do better than that."

He looked around and called out to a stocky man who stood atop the roof they were repairing. The second man quickly scrambled down and the two men held a hurried conversation. Then the second man came over and introduced himself as Isaiah. Greetings and names were exchanged and then Isaiah spoke.

"We have an empty house up on the ridge," said Isaiah. "My brother was killed when the bridge washed away and I took his widow as my second-wife. She and her children now live with me. My brother's house stands empty and abandoned for a man can only live in one house. If you are looking for a new place to settle, perhaps you will consider staying here — we could use the extra people and the house is there already. If you would continue your journey, then the house will be a good shelter for you until the river drops."

Samuel grunted. "Thank you! God bless you for your generosity."

Isaiah nodded. "Head down the road and turn to the right up the track between the third and fourth houses. I'll meet you up there."

He walked off between the houses and started climbing the hill behind them while Samuel flicked the reins and guided the wagon following the directions he had been given. Isaiah was waiting for them up on the ridge outside a small building surrounded by slightly overgrown farmland.

"You are welcome to stay here for as long as you need. There is a small barn around the back. You may be able to fit your wagon into it without unloading. There's not much furniture inside the house and no cookware or linens, for my second-wife brought it all with her when she and her children moved into my house, but it looks like you have your own."

"Bless you, Isaiah. This is more than we could possibly expect," said Samuel.

Isaiah nodded. "I'll come back later and show you how to read the ford."

With that, he turned and strode back down the hill to rejoin the group mending the roof.

The family quickly inspected the house. They found it to be a simple two-room building, like their own had been, although this was smaller. The back room was a bedroom with a bed platform along the back wall which could be covered with mattresses. The front room had a similar platform at one end to provide extra bedding. A solid table stood in the middle and the kitchen end had a fireplace including a cooking hearth.

Isabelle quickly opened all the window shutters as the air inside was slightly musty from the being closed up for a few weeks. After a quick discussion, they unloaded things they would need for the next few days and then Ezekiel and Samuel took the wagon around to the barn at the back.

Charity picked up a bucket and filled it from the rainwater barrel. When she came back, Isabelle and Charity donned aprons and then set to scrubbing the tables and sweeping the floors.

As they worked, they discussed other tasks that needed to be done, what to cook for dinner and such like. At one point, Isabelle put the scrubbing brush down and looked over at her daughter.

"I have been thinking much and praying much about this thing between you and your father. I understand your reasons although I do not completely agree. You will need to speak to Samuel yourself. If you can convince him, I will not stand in your way. I warn you not to raise false hopes for I think Samuel will be difficult to convince."

Charity had stopped sweeping to listen to her mother. "Thank you, Mother. That is as much as I could possibly ask of you. As you say, I must convince Samuel of the rightness of my arguments."

In the meantime, Ezekiel and Samuel had brushed down the horse and released both animals into a small enclosed pasture to graze. They had to spend a little time repositioning two fallen bars of the fence around the pasture. Then they carried a ladder over from the barn and Ezekiel held it while Samuel climbed up and did some minor maintenance to the roof of the house. They carried some dry firewood into the house from the lean-to at the side of the building and then picked up axes to go and cut some fresh firewood.

Isabelle and Charity were sitting beside a pot, peeling and slicing potatoes when there was a knock at the open door. They looked up and saw two women standing in the doorway, each holding a small basket.

"Hello and welcome," said Isabelle as she and Charity scrambled to their feet. "Please come in." Isabelle then introduced herself and introduced Charity as her daughter-in-law.

The two women stepped inside and introduced themselves as Isaiah's wives, Prudence and Felicity. Felicity, Isaiah's second wife, looked around the room which was her old house and noted with approval the freshly scrubbed tables and swept floor, the neatly made bedding and even Hope playing happily on a blanket spread on the floor.

Prudence, however, focussed immediately on the two women and her mouth turned downwards in a poorly hidden scowl.

"Why are your heads uncovered?" she asked. "I took you to be Godly people."

Indeed, both women had their heads uncovered and their hair braided into a long rope which hung down their backs.

Charity nodded. "Our husbands instructed us to remove our head coverings while within our own home — and, for the next few days, this house is to be our home. It is our duty to obey our husbands in all things."

"We were not expecting visitors," explained Isabelle. "If you are offended, we will put on our bonnets."

"We most certainly are offended," said Prudence. Although she spoke for both, Felicity seemed more interested in watching Hope play on the blanket than the presence or absence of head coverings.

"We will wait until you are presentable before speaking further," said Prudence.

She stood with lips pressed together and furrowed brows while Isabelle and Charity looped their braided hair up onto their heads and put on their bonnets.

Once Isabelle and Charity were dressed to her satisfaction, she nodded and spoke.

"We came to offer our welcome to the village as is our duty," said Prudence, with a cold voice. Then she offered the basket she held. "Here is bread, for it is difficult to make while travelling."

Isabelle took the basket and gave her thanks and blessed her for her hospitality.

Then Felicity smiled warmly and spoke. "I noticed as your wagon drove past our window that you had no chickens."

"Yes," said Isabelle. "We slaughtered them and salted their meat to make the travelling easier. We will need to purchase some replacement chickens when we find a new place to settle."

"Well here are some eggs for you," said Felicity. "I offer them as a welcoming gift. They are fresh today so should keep well into the morning."

Charity took the basket from her and peeked inside. She beamed in pleasure at seeing the handful of eggs nestled within. Charity thanked the two women and blessed them both for their generosity.

Prudence let out a harumph. "I expect we should leave and let you get on with your preparations. God be with you."

She turned and walked out but Felicity did not follow.

"Why would your husbands command you to uncover your hair?" she asked, in little more than a whisper. "It seems like the strangest thing for surely it goes against God."

Charity giggled. "My husband did not fully explain himself and I chose not to question him. I believe God is more concerned about what is in our hearts than what is on our heads. Look to the Bible for guidance about what goes against God. Not everything our elders teach us comes to us from God."

Felicity gasped at the audacity of Charity's statement and then turned and scurried out the door as she heard Prudence huffing in annoyance outside.

Charity watched the two women make their way down the hill and then turned to her mother and let out a long breath.

"I am glad I am not the second-wife to such a woman," muttered Charity. "I fear I would quickly become unruly."

Charity defiantly reached up and whipped off her bonnet — flipping her braid over her back.

Isabelle chuckled as she removed her own bonnet.

"I suspect you are right, my daughter. The path God has laid out for you is already a difficult one. Having such a woman as first-wife would surely make it much harder. Though perhaps we should think on her more charitably. We may have arrived at a difficult time. It cannot be easy to suddenly take a second woman and her children into your home. I would think to do so would require some time to adjust."

The two women went back to work preparing dinner as they continued discussing the visit and the likely outcome of Prudence taking a dislike to them.

Isaiah came striding up the track and waved to Samuel and Ezekiel when he saw them out cutting wood. They put the axes away and came over to him.

"I thought to show you the ford," said Isaiah.

Samuel grunted and nodded. The three man walked down the track and followed the main road through the main village and over a slight rise. The river became visible as soon as they topped the rise and the road clearly stopped at the remains of the destroyed bridge. Isaiah pointed out a side track and they walked down it to join the river about one hundred feet upstream from the bridge.

"Do you see that large rock across the river? The water now covers nearly half of it. When you can see the base of the rock, the river is safe to cross with a wagon. You can just see the track coming up from the water immediately upstream of the rock. Line yourself up with this tree stump and head for where the track comes out and you will be in the centre of the ford."

Samuel grunted. "Seems simple enough. Thank you for showing me this."

Isaiah nodded. "Once you cross the river, the track rejoins the main road just through those trees. Are you heading towards the town?"

"No! I want to avoid towns as much as I can," said Samuel. "I hear too many tales of wickedness from towns and cities. I am a simple farming man. I would lose my way in a town."

Isaiah nodded in approval. "Soon after you rejoin the main road, you will come to a fork in the road. The North branch will take you into the town. Take the branch to the South and West and you will avoid it. The next village you will come to is a Quaker village. I do not hold with Quakers but they will not trouble you if you ride on through."

Samuel grunted and nodded. Then they all looked up as lightning flashed in the distance.

"We need to get back to the house," muttered Samuel. "I left the animals out in the pasture to graze."

"As did I," said Isaiah. "Walk with God!"

"Walk with God!" said Samuel and Ezekiel.

The men shook hands and parted at that point, striding off to return to the different houses.

Samuel and Ezekiel climbed back up to the ridge and quickly rounded up the horse and the cow. They stabled the animals and provided them with some grain from their supplies and a little of the hay that had been left in the barn.

The two men then returned to the house where they found Isabelle and Charity closing the window shutters and securing the house against the storm. Lightning flashed again and the rain started to fall shortly after everyone had retreated inside.

In a time and place where his wrongness would lead to him being stoned or burned unto his death, Ezekiel found a way to fulfil all of his duties as given to be him by God, and yet still be true to himself.

This is the story of Ezekiel's Victory.

In their flight from their home village, the family has stopped for a few days in a small abandoned house while they wait for a river to subside.

Chapter 9

The thunder roared and the rain poured from the sky as the storm battered in full force against the tiny house. Inside, the family erected a temporary screen using a blanket. Using water heated in a tin bucket over the fire, they took turns to retreat behind the screen and wash themselves in a small tub. Even Hope got a wash with Ezekiel and Charity working together to clean the wriggling child. They also fed Hope a small quantity of smooth mash they had prepared for her.

By the time everyone was clean, the stew was ready. The family stood around the table and gave thanks to God for blessing them with food and shelter. They sat and ate the stew and bread. While they ate, Samuel and Ezekiel described the ford and the likely delay before they could cross it. Isabelle and Charity described the visit by Prudence and Felicity, though they kept to themselves their feelings about Prudence's nature.

After they had finished eating, Samuel tapped the table with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"There is a question in my mind that has been troubling me," he said. "I am not sure if I fully understand what is happening with Constance. It was my understanding that Constance would put on the seeming of a man so that none would know that my son had sacrificed himself in place of Constance back at the village. As such, it was necessary for Constance to give the seeming of Ezekiel when we are before others. Yet here we are, alone in this house and unlikely to be disturbed, and still I see Ezekiel sitting before me."

Ezekiel nodded. "I understand your confusion, Father, for I am also confused. When we began our journey, I felt like Constance disguised as Ezekiel. But as our journey progressed, more and more I have felt like two people. I am both Constance and Ezekiel. I move between one and the other by the simple act of changing my clothes. It is a strangeness. In this instant, I am Ezekiel — your second son of that name, husband to Charity. At this instant, Constance is like a dream to me — a memory of another time and place. I am still Constance but I am changed, much like I changed when I went from maiden to married woman. I know I once was that Constance but I am no longer precisely the same. Tonight, I shall remove these clothes and don a nightgown. At that time I will be Constance again — widow of my brother Ezekiel and sister-wife of Charity. It will be that second Ezekiel who will then be the memory. I cannot explain it. God's path for me is a mystery."

Samuel grunted. "I must confess, I have enjoyed having a second son with me to work with and teach. My first son tried very hard but he was never …"

Samuel stopped and sighed. "But then, God opened my eyes and I know now that he was always Grace. She was a daughter trying so hard to be the son I never had. Yet nobody could doubt that she was born with the body of a man. God truly works in mysterious ways."

Samuel was silent for a moment, staring down at the table. But the family could see that he had not finished speaking so they waited quietly for him to continue.

"But with Constance, I never sensed any strangeness. As a child, and as a youth, she was always a girl. At least, she seemed so to me. But then, naturally I spent less time with Constance. Perhaps Isabelle saw something that I did not."

Samuel looked at Isabelle with the question in his eyes. Isabelle shook her head.

"I saw no strangeness in Constance. Ezekiel's strangeness was clear to all, though we knew not the reason for it. I also saw from an early age that Charity's path would be a difficult one. I must admit to being troubled by some aspects of the path Charity has begun to follow over the last few days, but I am not surprised to see her act so and I am pleased that she has finally begun to find joy in her life.

Isabelle smiled warmly at Charity, who returned the smile.

"But Constance reminded me very much of myself as a child, as a youth, and as a young married woman. I saw nothing that would suggest this change in Constance."

Ezekiel shrugged. "I felt nothing in myself. The best I can explain it is that until three days ago, I had never left the village and I was content where I was. But in the last few days I have seen so much more of the world and I am entranced by the breadth of God's creation. In the same way, I was content as maiden and then a married woman. But now I have learned that there is more within me — a breadth in my nature that I had never before suspected."

"I confess, I do not understand it, still," said Samuel. "It seems to go against all that I have known to be proper. But I concede Grace taught me that my knowledge of what is proper was incomplete. So I will not stand in the way of this second Ezekiel."

Ezekiel put his hand on the slight bulge in his belly. "There will come a time when I must put Ezekiel aside. The babe within me will grow too large to conceal. When that happens, I must show only Constance to the world for certainly a pregnant man would a be a strangeness none could ignore. For that reason, when we get further from our old home, and before we get too close to wherever we are likely to settle, I must put aside Ezekiel so that the people of our new village will only know Constance."

A look of sadness crossed Charity's face for she had come to like having this second Ezekiel with her, but she kept her silence on that matter.

Samuel grunted and nodded. "So be it."

There was quiet for a moment, and then Charity stirred.

"Father, there is another matter I would raise with you," said Charity.

Samuel grunted and nodded.

Charity started to speak, but then closed her mouth and looked nervously around the table.

Ezekiel, his hand hidden under the table, reached over and clasped Charity's hand. He smiled at her and nodded encouragement.

"I would have a child of mine own," said Charity.

Samuel shrugged, unimpressed. "It is the duty of a woman to bear children."

"Yes, it is!" replied Charity. "And it is the duty of a husband to lie with a woman that she may bear children. And when a husband dies, that duty falls on the man who takes her in."

Samuel frowned. "I do not follow!"

"I am the widow of Ezekiel. And before God and the creatures of the fields as witnesses, you took me into you house. Now I ask you to fulfil your duty as that man and lie with me that I may bear a child."

"But you are my daughter!" exclaimed Samuel. "It goes against God for a man to lie with his daughter!"

"Father, I ceased to be your daughter when you gave me to Ezekiel as wife. Now I am merely his widow and your daughter-in-law."

"Do you ask me to take you as a second-wife?"

"No, Father. I am content with my current status as the widow of one Ezekiel and the wife of another. I merely ask you to do your duty as my father-in-law who has taken me in after the death of your son. Lie with me that I may fulfil my duty as a woman and bear a child."

Samuel scowled. "These sound like weasel words. They are more worthy of a lawyer than one who has been taught as you have been taught. In the final judgement, God will not be interested in weasel words — only in what is in your heart. Speak your heart to me."

Charity looked down at the table for a moment to gather her thoughts. Then she lifted her head and looked directly at her father.

"On the night I wed to Ezekiel, I pledged I would bear him children that he may fulfil his duty as a son and give you children unto the next generation. Through my love for Ezekiel, I would honor that pledge."

Samuel grunted. "And to do so, you ask me to go against God and sleep with my daughter."

Charity sighed. "I ask you to recall the story of Lot. He escaped with his two daughters when God took retribution against the city of Sodom. His daughters, knowing they were the last of their tribe, lay with their father and got children from him that their tribe may continue. In a way, our flight from the village is similar to that of Lot. We are like the last of our tribe and I would get a child so that our tribe may continue."

"Our stories are not exactly the same," put in Ezekiel. "For we are fortunate our mother did not fall into the temptation to look back and so did not get turned into a pillar of salt."

"Fortunate indeed," replied Isabelle.

"But the story of Lot tells us that God is not completely opposed to the idea of a man lying with his daughters in particular circumstances," continued Ezekiel. "And, as you said to Noah, these are particular circumstances. I would lie with her myself if I could consummate our union. But I cannot and therefore I beseech you to do so."

Samuel stared at Charity, his face impassive but it was clear that he was thinking deeply behind that mask. Charity held her breath while she waited for a reply.

Samuel stood abruptly.

"It is late. Come, Isabelle, it is time we went to bed. I shall leave the two of you to bank the fire and so forth."

Samuel waited for Isabelle to stand and join him, then he picked up a lantern and escorted Isabelle into the back room and firmly closed the door behind him.

There was silence in the main room as Ezekiel and Charity absorbed the sudden end to the discussion.

Finally Ezekiel shrugged. "He did not say no! You may take some comfort from that."

"Perhaps I ask too much of Father," said Charity. "It does go against everything he has been taught."

"Perhaps. And perhaps you need only be patient so that he may decide in his own time."

Charity sighed and shook her head. They were quiet again for a time.

Ezekiel stood. "Here, help me unbind my dress and don a nightgown. We must feed Hope before we go to bed. Would you like to do once more that thing Mother showed us so you may feed Hope from your own breasts?"

Charity smiled. "Indeed! That would please me, greatly."

Charity held Hope to her breast and watched with large eyes as Hope suckled. She almost shuddered at the love she felt for this child who was becoming a daughter to her. The process of squeezing milk from Constance's breasts and feeding it to Hope at Charity's breasts took a lot longer than the normal way, but neither woman begrudged the extra time and effort. It was a joy to both of them and they shared the time with delight.

They fed Hope, changed her nappies and tucked her into bed. Then they banked the fire and climbed into bed themselves.

Charity embraced Constance and kissed her. Then she began tugging at her sister's nightgown.

"What are you doing?" asked Constance.

"I am taking this off of you, that is what I am doing," replied Charity.

"But then I would be entirely naked!" exclaimed Constance.

"Indeed! I would have you entirely naked. And when you are so, I shall also remove my nightgown and be entirely naked as well. Then we shall lie together beneath the blankets and embrace, for I would feel your skin against my skin."

Constance gasped. She blushed and ducked her head. But she did not resist Charity's efforts to remove her nightgown.

Shortly they nestled together beneath the blankets. They kissed again and then tenderly ran their hands over each other.

Constance gasped again, but this time in delight. "I never dreamed …" she whispered. "It feels so … Oh! Charity!"

"Now," whispered Charity. "Are you so certain you cannot consummate our union?"

Constance chuckled. "Quite certain."

"I am not convinced," said Charity. "Won't you at least make the effort? Perhaps God will be kind and grant us a small miracle."

Constance chuckled again. "Charity, my sweet sister-wife. Have you no end to your outrageousness? Why should God grant such a miracle?"

"Who are we to question God's will?" asked Charity. "If we do not make the attempt, we will not know if He has favored us. God expects His people to work. He expects the fisherman to throw their nets. He expects farmers to till their fields. If they do not work, He does not provide the miracle of food. In the same way, God expects a husband to lie with his wife and a wife to lie with her husband. If they do not, He does not provide the miracle of life. So lie with me, my husband. Lie with me the way a man should lie with his wife and perhaps God will reward us with a miracle."

Constance sighed. "Until this moment we have kissed and touched to show our tenderness and affection. I do not know what else we can do for despite all lofty words, we are both women."

"Kissing and touching seems like a good place to begin. Let us do that some more and then explore. Perhaps together we will discover new ways to show our tenderness and affection."

With that, Charity pulled Constance into her embrace and they kissed soundly. They went on to discover more that could be done when two women lay together. Their experimentation provoked new sensations and revealed the deep emotions within the couple. They spent the time together in wonder and delight.

God blessed them with strong feelings but He did not grant any miracles that night and their union did not result in Charity becoming with child. But it was not for want of any effort by either Charity or Constance.

In the meantime, within the back room, Samuel was lying on his back and staring sightlessly into the darkness above him. Isabelle lay on her side next to him and waited in silence.

Eventually, Samuel sighed and spoke.

"Well? What do you think I should do?"

"In this, I cannot direct you," replied Isabelle. "I will stand by you and support whatever you decide."

"I find myself having a crisis of … something. It is not a crisis of faith for God still holds His place in my heart. Perhaps, it is a crisis of learning. So much that I was taught now seems irrelevant. This began with Ezekiel. He showed me that there are other ways to fulfil our duties than the way that I was taught. Now I question everything."

"And yet, the first thing we are taught is to seek our own truth in the Bible," said Isabel. "We are not Papists who rely on what they hear from their priests for everything they know. We are Calvinists. As children, we listen to our elders and take their words without question for a child knows no better. But we are adults now. You are an elder in your own right! Listen to God and follow the path He sets out for you."

Samuel grunted. "I ask God for guidance and the only reply I hear is that God is watching me. If I sin, He will turn his eyes away from me. Surely it is a sin for a man to lie with his daughter."

"Yet Charity is no longer your daughter. She is a married woman — the widowed wife of your son. You took her in and gave her your protection. In the law of the land she is now your woman, not your daughter. There would be no sin in this."

Samuel grunted and stared upward in silence for a moment.

"In effect, she asks to be my second-wife, in everything but name. How do you feel about this?"

Isabelle was quiet for a time. Then she sighed.

"It is a source of great shame for me that I bore you so few children — and of those, only three survived to adulthood. A son and two daughters — and not a one of them following the path we might have expected for them. With the loss of Ezekiel, your direct line is ended. I have failed in my duty as a wife."

Samuel shook his head. "Do not speak so. I have not the words to express my pride in Ezekiel. His sacrifice exceeded all expectations for a son to his father and for a brother to his sisters. If my line is to end with him then I am content. Ezekiel has surely won the greatest victory for I am certain he stands now beside God in heaven and no man could ask for more from his son. I will not hear you talk of shame in the same sentence as you speak of Ezekiel."

"Nevertheless," replied Isabelle. "I still feel great shame for my failure. You asked how I felt and I answered. Charity offers a way to continue your direct line into the next generation. A night away from your bed is a small price for me to pay to be redeemed from that failure."

Samuel swallowed a chuckle. "You and I both know that it will take more than one night before we can be sure she has taken with child. And I see Charity's heart very clearly. She will not settle for one child. If I agree to one, she will come back asking for more. And where Charity leads, Constance will follow. It is in both their natures to act thus. They will not be satisfied until we cannot cross the floor of our house without wading hip-deep through younglings."

Isabelle knew the truth of this and made no attempt to deny his words.

"So, in everything but name, you will have not one, but two junior wives to wrangle," said Samuel. "I recall when Joshua took his brother's widow as his second wife, there was much turmoil in his house. It was several years before they learned to live together without breaking out into fights the whole village could hear. Is such disharmony such a small price for you?"

Isabelle shook her head. "We already know each other very well. We know we can live together in harmony. There will be no turmoil in our house. There will not be such jealousy as Joshua had to contend with. For Charity and Constance, you will be a stallion that they go to for stud duties. I think they will not demand more of your heart than they already hold. For the most part, I think they will be content with each other."

Samuel snorted. "Now I am to be nothing more than a stallion in the fields put out to stud?"

"Indeed! And that is not a small thing for God's creatures do His will without argument or complaint. I would gladly share my stallion with my daughters. There will be no turmoil in our house because of that."

Isabelle stopped to think for a moment.

"I will not deny that with three women living in one house there may be occasional arguments. But we will not shame you by broadcasting our disagreements to the entire village the way Joshua's wives did."

"We could build a second house for Charity and Constance and their younglings," suggested Samuel.

"I will not hear of it," replied Isabelle. "How would you care for them and protect them when they live in a different house? No man can live in two houses. No! One house will suffice. I shall joyfully wade hip-deep through the younglings. And then, should we survive long enough, they may care for us in our infirmity while we preside as elders over the weddings of our grandchildren. That would be a great joy to me."

"All of this presupposes that I agree to Charity's request. God must surely be laughing at me in this moment."

"And why would God laugh at you?"

"As little as a week ago, I sat with the elders of our village. In my pride — in my hubris — I thought I knew God's path for me. I would grow old in that place and I would draw on my wisdom and experience to guide those younger than me that they would know God as I did. Then Symeon was killed and Constance accused of his murder. Then Ezekiel … Then Ezekiel showed me that all of my wisdom and experience was built, not on stone but on sand. Now my world is upended and I grope blindly for a firm place to set my feet. Surely God is laughing at my hubris."

Isabelle rolled over and put her arms around Samuel. Samuel shifted to his side with his back to her.

"Enough talking! It is time for sleep" said Samuel. "Say nothing to our daughters, for I do not know my mind on this matter."

Isabelle kept her arms around Samuel and embraced him tightly. She laid her head on the pillow behind her husband and closed her eyes.

Samuel's eyes remained open and staring into the darkness for much of the night.

In a time and place where his wrongness would lead to him being stoned or burned unto his death, Ezekiel found a way to fulfil all of his duties as given to be him by God, and yet still be true to himself.

This is the story of Ezekiel's Victory.

In their flight from their home village, the family has stopped for a few days in a small abandoned house while they wait for a river to subside.

Chapter 10

The following day was washing day. The whole family worked together for there was much to do and they wanted it all done within a single day if that were possible. The work was unfamiliar to Samuel as he would usually be working in the fields while the women did the washing. But he pointed out that he had no fields to work and it was not in his nature to sit idle while there was work to be done.

The storms of the previous two days had passed but the sun only appeared occasionally between the passing clouds. Despite the lack of constant sun, a steady breeze made it a good day for drying washing.

The people of the village left them alone for the most part. Their only visitor during the morning was Felicity — the second wife of Isaiah who had previously lived in the house they were using. She climbed up the ridge carrying a basket containing a rabbit that had been trapped overnight and some vegetables. She offered the gift to the family and bid them walk with God in their hearts. They thanked her and invited her to join them for some bread and cheese while they took a brief rest from their labors, which Felicity readily accepted.

Felicity made no comment of the women working with their heads uncovered and their hair hanging down their back in a braid. Nor did she comment on the sight of Samuel and Ezekiel working with the women to wash clothing which would normally be women's work. Instead, she cheerfully sat Hope upon her knee and exclaimed at how beautiful the child was.

Isabelle expressed her condolences to Felicity for the loss of her husband. Felicity nodded and then quietly told the story of the torrent which swept the bridge and her husband away. When she was done, she shrugged and said, "God willed it so."

Everyone took that as a signal that their break was over and Felicity took her leave.

And so the day passed. When someone found themselves briefly between tasks, they sat on the blanket with Hope and played with her. Even Samuel joined in with entertaining Hope — a task he rarely indulged in with his own children as he was usually in the fields when they were awake and playing. Besides, he had been taught that looking after the children was to be left to the women. He quickly discovered the simple joy of playing with a child and felt regret that he had not done this with his own children when they were small. When Hope wanted to be fed, Charity and Ezekiel withdrew to the back room away from the bustle.

Finally, the last load was washed and hung flapping in the breeze. Charity and Isabelle turned their attention to the night's meal, preparing a stew from the rabbit and vegetables that Felicity had so kindly gifted to them. Samuel thought about the rabbit and then gestured Ezekiel outside. The two of them collected some supplies from the wagon and then trekked over the ridge and away from the village. They entered the woods and Samuel taught Ezekiel how to set snares for rabbits and squirrels and other such small creatures.

"I taught Ezekiel how to do this when he was a child. Perhaps I should have taught all of you at the same time. If a man can wash his clothes when it is needful, why should a woman not learn how to trap animals so she can put meat on the table? In the morning, when we return to check the traps, we should bring Charity as well."

They returned and washed their faces and hands using water from the rain barrel outside before joining the rest of the family for the evening meal. After they had eaten, they retired to bed. In the back room, Isabelle eagerly performed her wifely duties for Samuel while at the same time, in the front room, Charity did much the same for Ezekiel. Charity also continued to have both Hope and Ezekiel suckle at her breasts at every opportunity in the hope that her milk would start.

Early the next morning, Isabelle worked in the kitchen making bread and looking after Hope while the other three met up to check the traps. When Samuel saw Charity he stopped with a shocked look on his face. Charity had dressed in trousers and a shirt like Ezekiel and had her hair uncovered and hanging in the now familiar braid down her back.

Samuel grunted and scratched the back of his head.

"Are you also to become a man?" he asked.

"No, Father," replied Charity. "I am a woman and have no desire to be other than a woman."

"Then why are you dressed like a man? It is unseemly for a woman to be seen in such clothes."

Charity glanced sideways at Ezekiel who was wearing the same clothes and then looked back at her father.

"We are not going to be seen, Father. We go to scrabble about in the woods where no others will see us. A dress would be a hindrance in the woods. Ezekiel told me there was much crawling about and scrabbling under bushes to be done. A dress would quickly become torn and dirty. I simply chose clothes suited to the task."

Samuel grunted.

"Father, you are the only one who will see me," said Charity. "I would not walk through the village like this for fear of offending others but I hoped you would not be upset. If it is too much for you, I will go and put on a dress."

"No! No!" sighed Samuel. "I understand your reasoning. You do not offend me. It seems God has not finished laughing at me. Let us go before He finds another way to upend me."

Samuel turned and started walking towards the woods. As he walked, he could be heard muttering.

"I have now seen all three of my grown children wearing both dresses and trousers. It would not surprise me if next they would ask me to put on a dress."

Following behind, Ezekiel and Charity heard this and laughed. They caught up with him and walked each side of him — each with an arm looped through one of his.

"Perhaps so, Father," said Charity with her eyes shining with laughter. "Perhaps if we asked of you a task where a dress was most suited — then we would ask you to put on a dress."

"I managed the washing yesterday without needing a dress," grumbled Samuel. "I cannot imagine a task where a dress would be more suited than trousers."

Charity was about to make a joking reply but then she closed her mouth. She walked in silence for a time as she tried to think through the consequences of her father's statement.

"Being large with child," said Ezekiel as he ran his hand over the slight bulge in his belly. "Wearing a dress is much more suited to being large with child than wearing trousers."

"Indeed!" said Samuel with a serious expression on his face. "I imagine that would be true. However, I think God will spare me that particular task."

"Indeed!" laughed Ezekiel. "In that case, perhaps you will be spared the need to wear a dress."

"Perhaps," said Samuel. "That is good for I have no desire to do so."

Charity walked in silence and explored the feelings of walking while wearing trousers instead of a dress. The way the cloth moved against her skin felt quite different. She could stride along freely beside her father without struggle. She felt so much more exposed. Her womanly shape was much more visible like this. She could become accustomed to that. She had no doubt that trousers were better suited to any number of tasks. She shivered as she wondered if she had the courage to flout all tradition and custom by wearing trousers more often. This morning had been something of a sudden impulse rather than a carefully thought out plan.

Then she sighed. She could not hope to convince an entire village to permit her to walk around in trousers. They would call her a whore and whip her or throw stones to drive her away. The thoughts in her head were nothing but fancy. But wouldn't it be a thing of wonder if she could wear trousers as she worked in the fields beside her father.

They arrived in the woods and both Ezekiel and Charity listened attentively as Samuel continued his task of instructing them in the art of trapping and skinning game. The traps had caught two rabbits overnight and Samuel made them take turns removing the animal and resetting the trap.

They brought the two rabbits back to the house and washed up before sitting down to breakfast.

As they were cleaning up after breakfast, they heard a bell tolling in the valley. They went outside and looked down the slope to see the villages in their fine clothing making their way towards the church.

"It must be Sunday!" exclaimed Samuel. "In all of our troubles, we have completely lost track of the days."

The family went back into the house and quickly put on their best clothes. Then they walked along the ridge to the small church above the village. They were greeted as guests by the local villagers and welcomed inside.

The church was very similar to the one at their own village — a simple building with no decorations but for the plain wooden cross on the front wall. They all took their places on the simple wooden benches and joined the service. Charity had Hope sitting on her knee and Hope was happy to sit there quietly and play with the cuff of Charity's dress. The service was lead by one of the village elders in the absence of a regular minister. He gave readings from the Bible and lead the congregation in singing psalms. He gave a short sermon on the topic of adhering to the duties given to them by God and avoiding falling into sin. There were a few announcements — a babe had been born, a couple were to be hand fasted before the congregation on the next Sunday, Samuel and his family were welcomed, a group was formed to build a replacement bridge. The new bridge would not be built until the very end of summer when the river would be at its lowest but the timber needed to be cut so that it could be put away in barns around the village and seasoned. Finally the congregation stood together and sung the Lord's Prayer.

After the service, the villagers quickly dispersed back to their own homes.

Samuel and his family walked down the road to the ford and watched the river racing by. The water was still very high — covering most of the rock on the other side. It was clearly going to be at least another day before they could continue their journey.

The family returned to the small house up on the ridge and they sat around the table in the main room. Samuel took out the Bible and read from the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Mark — where Jesus taught the crowd using the parable of the farmer sowing seed. In the parable some seed fell on the road where it was eaten by birds and some seed fell on the hard ground where it grew but quickly withered and some seed fell among the thorns where it was choked and some seed fell in the good soil where it grew full and healthy. And then Jesus explained that in this parable the seed was the word of God.

Samuel then turned to his family as was his custom and asked what they thought was the meaning. They all sat and thought carefully.

Ezekiel said, "We must ensure that our hearts are clear and full of God's love. For as a farmer must prepare the soil, so must we prepare ourselves to hear God's Word."

They all nodded and thought some more.

"Are we the soil waiting to receive God's Word?" asked Charity. "Or are we carriers of the seed that God has sent out into the world that we may grow God's Word in a new place?"

"Or do we have within us already seedlings that are new grown which must be nurtured and fertilized," said Isabelle. "For surely we have heard God's Word and now we must strive to follow His path."

And so the discussion continued as the family struggled to understand the words of Scripture and apply that understanding to their own lives.

After the discussion had run its course they sat for a time of silence in contemplation. They finished the session by standing and joining hands and then singing together the Lord's Prayer.

After lunch, Samuel took out a grinding stone and spent time sharpening all of his tools and also all the kitchen knives. Once he was done, Samuel picked up a carving knife and a small piece of timber and started carving a small wooden doll for Hope. Isabelle sat in a chair outside the door where the light was good and sewed patches onto clothes where patches were needed. On seeing what Samuel was carving, Isabelle then took some cloth scraps and sewed a small dress for the doll. Charity and Ezekiel assisted both of their parents in their tasks at one time or another and also made time to play little games with Hope.

And so the Sunday passed quietly for the family.

In a time and place where his wrongness would lead to him being stoned or burned unto his death, Ezekiel found a way to fulfil all of his duties as given to be him by God, and yet still be true to himself.

This is the story of Ezekiel's Victory.

In their flight from their home village, the family has stopped for a few days in a small abandoned house while they wait for a river to subside.

Chapter 11

The following day, the sun rose to reveal a clear blue sky. Samuel took Charity and Ezekiel back out to empty the traps. They had caught a single rabbit that morning. They worked together to dismantle the traps because they were hoping to move on later that day or early the following morning if the river had subsided enough. They returned to the house and ate breakfast together.

After breakfast, Charity approached her father as he washed his face at the rain barrel.

"Father? I was hoping you would have an answer for me," said Charity.

"An answer?" asked Samuel looking puzzled. Then his face cleared in understanding. "Oh, yes! An answer."

Samuel grunted and looked around. "I have been thinking and praying. I must ask you to be patient a little longer."

With that, Samuel turned and walked away. Charity watched him go without moving so much as a muscle. Only a lifetime of training to contain and conceal her emotions prevented her from screaming. Eventually she gained sufficient control to be able to move again. She shook her head and went to find Ezekiel.

Samuel walked down to the bank of the river and stared at the swirling water, hoping for a sign from God.

Charity and Ezekiel spent time skinning and boning the rabbit they had caught. They rubbed it in salt to preserve it for a few days so they could have meat as they travelled.

While they were working, Isabelle had walked along the ridge with Hope on her hip. She saw that an ironmonger had driven his cart into the village. Isabelle walked back to the house and left Hope with Ezekiel, then Isabelle and Charity walked down to the ironmonger carrying one of their pots which had a hole in it. For a small fee, the ironmonger agreed to mend the pot later that morning along with several others which had been produced by other villagers.

Charity noticed that in amongst the pots and pans hanging off the cart was a collection of other items which were for sale. This included a small number of books which the ironmonger had picked up during his travels. She picked up a book and started flicking through it. Her eyes opened wide when she saw that it was a medical book and contained page after page of illnesses with a description of symptoms and the suggested treatments. Another book contained detailed descriptions of treating wounds and simple surgeries. After briefly haggling with the trader over the price, she bought both books. The trader was surprised because mostly doctors were men but Charity's money was as good as anyone's so he was happy to sell the books which were otherwise taking up space.

Down by the river, Samuel was staring at the water as it swirled its way past him. He saw a large branch that had obviously been carried downstream by the river but it was now wedged firmly in the mud at a bend in the riverbank. The water lapped against the branch, pushing and tugging on it but it was too firmly stuck in place and was not moved by the swirling water. As Samuel watched, a small bottle floated down the river. It was the kind of small glass bottle that was used to hold gin or whiskey and obviously someone had thrown it into the river upstream after emptying it. Now the bottle bobbed and swirled along with the water as the river swept it along.

"So," said Samuel to himself, "Perhaps God is asking if I am to be like the branch, sturdy and strong but stuck so securely in the mud that I cannot move. Or am I to be like the bottle, afloat and moving but swept along by the torrent with no control over my own destiny. Neither choice seems like a good one."

Samuel sighed. He didn't know what to do. As a farmer, his life had been straightforward. He had learned the proper times to plough and sow and harvest. He had learned how to care for the soil and read the weather. It was hard work each and every day but the decisions were never complicated. The last week had turned his life upside down and now everywhere he turned he discovered new things he didn't know how to respond to.

Samuel climbed back up the ridge and returned to the house. Ezekiel was sitting on a blanket in the front of the house and playing with Hope. Samuel sat down and joined in, once more discovering the simple joy of playing with an exuberant child.

Later in the morning, the ironmonger sat beside his cart and busied his hands with constructing a small furnace and melting pieces of iron in a crucible so that he could mend the pots. A small crowd gathered around him and asked for news from outside the village. Charity and Isabelle listened with the rest as they heard how the new King in England, Charles the Second had restored the Church of England. This was bad news for Calvinists here in the colonies since King Charles wanted all the colony churches to revert to Church of England as well. So far most of the colonies were refusing to change and nobody knew what was going to happen next. They also heard stories of the latest deprivations by the natives living near the borders of the colonies — some of the local tribes were friendly but some were not and one of the unfriendly tribes had been raiding farms just to the north.

Then the trader went on to tell the story of a village not too far from here where a woman had been hung for murdering her husband and the woman's family had packed up and fled. A number of people turned and looked at Charity and Isabelle. The two women didn't know what to do. They looked at each other and decided to leave the group. They took their mended pot and Charity's new books and walked away without saying anything. Immediately the crowd starting asking the trader for more information about that story.

When Charity and Isabelle returned to the house, they told the others what was happening down in the village. They all looked at each other and shrugged. There was little they could do. They were stuck until the river crossing was safe. They decided to pack as much as they could back onto the wagon so they could leave quickly if they needed to. Everyone was nervous and kept looking down at the village. Samuel kept reassuring everybody that none were accusing them of doing anything wrong so they should be safe but they all nervously stayed close to the house and to each other.

It was early afternoon when they saw a small group of villagers climbing the ridge and heading towards them.

Samuel watched them for a moment and then growled. He walked around to the cart and retrieved a pitchfork from along the side of the cart.

"What are you doing?" asked Ezekiel.

"I am doing what I should have done last week," replied Samuel. "I am protecting my family."

Samuel stalked back to the front of the house and planted himself in front of it. He held the pitchfork upright with the but of the pitchfork resting on the ground beside him. Ezekiel watched him go and then nodded. He took a short handled scythe — the type used to cut hay or long grass — and walked over to stand beside his father.

"What are you doing?" asked Samuel.

"A son's duty to his hearth, given to him by God, is to stand at the threshold and guard it from the thieves and the brigands who would despoil his home," said Ezekiel.

Samuel grunted and nodded. The two of them stood side by side and waited for the approaching group. Neither of them were holding their weapon in a threatening manner but both were clearly holding something that could be a weapon.

The approaching group halted about ten paces short of the pair. None of them held weapons.

"There is no need for weapons," said Jebediah, the older man they had met when they first reached the village. "We only came to talk."

Samuel grunted. "That remains to be seen."

"The ironmonger told us of a woman who had been found guilty of murdering her husband and hung," said Jebediah. "Are you her family? Why did you flee?"

Samuel stared back for a moment with his face impassive.

"Some of your facts are incorrect," said Samuel finally, in a voice tinged with sadness. "There was no trial. They would not wait for a judge. The village decided my daughter was guilty and there was a lynching."

There was some murmuring in the group behind Jebediah as they learned this.

Samuel continued. "My daughter was innocent. She swore her innocence before God and my daughter was not given to falsehood. We left because the rest of my family could not be safe in such a place. We left because we could not live with people who would do such a thing."

Jebediah glanced sideways at the others who stood with him and then nodded to Samuel.

"Perhaps what you say is so," said Jebediah. "Our concern is for the child. The ironmonger said the woman was the mother of an infant. We have all seen the child with you. By law that child belongs to the family of the husband. Why do you have it? For you to take the child is kidnapping."

Ezekiel stirred and looked about to make some comment. Samuel laid his hand on his sons shoulders, signalling for him to be silent. Samuel stared back at Jebediah for a moment. He wanted to protect the family secret but he could not lie outright.

"Noah's family accused my daughter of adultery. They claimed her child was not his. They cast her out — her and her child. They did it publicly — many in the village saw this happen. They renounced their claim on her and her child. My son, Ezekiel, took her in and adopted her child as his own. This was done before God and witnesses. The child belongs to us now."

Jebediah looked troubled. "This is too complicated for me. Perhaps we should hold the child here and call for a judge."

"Hope is my daughter!" exclaimed Ezekiel. "Morally, legally and in the eyes of God, she is mine. If any of you lay so much as a hand on her, you will feel the sharp edge of this blade."

Charity suddenly appeared beside Ezekiel, brandishing a meat clever. Her eyes flashed with anger. "And this blade as well," she shouted. "I warn you not to reach for Hope or you will lose your hand and more besides."

Samuel kept his face impassive but shifted the pitchfork so that he held it two-handed across his body. The three of them had formed a single line in front of the doorway and all stood aggressively ready to defend themselves and each other.

Isabelle stepped to a position in the doorway with Hope sitting on one hip. In the other hand she held a carving knife. "Hope is ours and nobody will take her from us!" She spoke in a cold voice that sent shivers down the spines of those who heard her.

The group of people in front of them looked alarmed at the sudden threats. Jebediah looked confused.

"I did not know the child was only a girl," said Jebediah. "Perhaps we have been hasty. There is no need for threats."

"I think we have had enough talk," said Samuel in a firm voice. "You should go before any blood is spilled. To threaten to take a child from its family is a serious thing. You would do well to think more carefully before threatening such a thing again."

Prudence, Isaiah's first wife, pushed her way forward and stood beside Jebediah.

"Their daughter was a murderess," she snarled. "The stink of such evil hangs around them like a cloud. They should leave before our whole village is cursed."

There were murmurs of agreement from behind her.

Jebediah turned to the family. "It would be best if you left immediately."

"The river is still too high," said Samuel. "We are stuck here until it falls."

Jebediah nodded. "It will fall further overnight. By tomorrow morning the ford will be open."

Samuel grunted. "We will leave at dawn."

Jebediah nodded. He turned and gestured at the others to leave. "Go home now. I am satisfied and so should you be satisfied. Go to your homes. They will leave and are no longer our concern. Let God be their judge if they have done wrong."

Gradually they all backed away and then turned and made their way down the hill. There was much discussion as they went.

The family held their positions until the group was out of sight. Then they all breathed out and relaxed. They withdrew inside the house. Samuel took the pitchfork inside and carefully propped it up beside the door. Ezekiel watched him do that and then placed the sickle next to it.

Charity and Isabelle returned their knives to the kitchen area and then hugged each other with Hope still on Isabelle's hip. Ezekiel burst into tears and ran to scoop Hope into his arms. He was then enveloped in the hug by Charity and Isabelle with Hope securely nestled in the middle.

Samuel watched them, hesitating for a moment. Then he strode over and gently put his arms around the others, gently rubbing backs and speaking soft words.

In a surprisingly short amount of time, Ezekiel had himself back under control and the group broke up.

Samuel led them all to the centre of the room. "We should give thanks!" he said quietly.

They stood in a circle and joined hands — except for where Ezekiel held Hope on his hip. Charity stood next to Ezekiel and looped her hand through his elbow.

"Lord God, we thank you for protecting us from harm on this day. We thank you for allowing us to keep Hope with us. We pray for those who stood against us. We seek forgiveness for picking up weapons in anger."

Charity scowled and interrupted. "Father, we should not say that. The weapons were necessary to protect our family. We did nothing today that deserves forgiveness."

"I agree that the weapons were necessary," said Isabelle quietly. "But I cannot deny that I picked up a weapon in anger."

Samuel shrugged. "I would not change anything we did today, but I was very angry."

"But even the anger was necessary," protested Charity. "Because of our anger, they saw the rightness of our indignation. They saw our determination to protect ourselves. It was only then that they backed away."

"Yes!" said Samuel. "We were righteous in our anger. But we were angry and we are admonished not to let the sun go down upon our anger. Can we put aside our anger and forgive those who angered us?"

"They acted in ignorance," said Ezekiel. "I cannot remain angry at them for they accepted their mistake and withdrew. I will forgive them for trying to take Hope from us but I will not trust them so easily. I will keep Hope close to me until we have left this place."

Charity looked at Ezekiel and chewed her lip for a moment. Then she sighed. "I will take my lead from you. I will forgive those who angered us and put aside my anger."

Samuel raised his hands to each side and reclasped hands with Isabelle and Ezekiel. "Then let us pray."

The others reformed the circle and looked to Samuel.

"Lord God, we thank you for protecting us from harm on this day. We thank you for keeping our family together during this time of trial. We forgive those who angered us and pray for them that they may feel the light of your love. We thank you for giving us the strength today to do that which had to be done. We ask that you continue to give us strength so that we may find a place of safety to make our new home. We ask you to forgive us for our deception to ensure the safety of our daughter Constance. We ask you to understand that it is not so much a falsehood as it is a presentation of a different part of her own truth. We ask you to continue to conceal Constance from those who would harm her until such time as she is beyond their grasp."

Samuel stopped and looked around the circle at the others. They looked back at him with calm and peaceful expressions on their faces.

"Amen," they all chorused.

"Lord God, we thank you for the blessing you sent to us in the form of Grace. Through her example we have learned much and I am sure we have more to learn. Lord God, hold her safely in your arms and let her shine her light on us that we may see more clearly the path you have laid out for us."

"Amen," replied the others.

The family stood in silence and looked at each other for a moment. Then without discussion, they broke from the circle and quietly went their own way.

In a time and place where his wrongness would lead to him being stoned or burned unto his death, Ezekiel found a way to fulfil all of his duties as given to be him by God, and yet still be true to himself.

This is the story of Ezekiel's Victory.

The family have fended off a delegation from the village where they are currently staying, but they have been told to leave in the morning. In the meantime, Constance is disguised as Ezekiel, her late brother. And Charity has asked for a favor from Samuel, her father ...

Chapter 12

"This is very much like carving a very soft type of wood," said Samuel.

Samuel held up a half-peeled potato in one hand and the small peeling-knife in the other. He frowned at the section still to be peeled and then resumed his task.

"I suppose it is," replied Isabelle from the other side of the table. She was busy peeling and slicing a pumpkin while Samuel worked his way through the small pile of potatoes. "What brought on your sudden desire to learn how to cook?"

"I am not given to sitting idle while others work around me. Usually at this time I would be out working in the fields. Yesterday I helped you wash clothes. Today I am helping you cook. It seems to me that there is no harm in me learning how to do such things. There may come a time when you are ill or infirm. If our daughters are not around then it will fall upon me to wash our clothes and cook our meals. I still hold onto the hope that they will change their minds and accept marriage with some young man of whatever village we end up in. If that happens, we will be on our own."

Isabelle shook her head. "Charity experienced Noah appearing to be a good man but then doing such an evil thing. It will be a long time, if ever, before she opens her heart to a new man in that way. She is determined to have children who call Ezekiel their father. The only way she can do that is through you. Charity is strong-willed. She will not accept anything less. For her it is either you or nothing. Constance is more likely to accept another man but do not hold your hopes too highly for that to happen. Symeon was a fair man but he did not treat her as well as this family does. Symeon's family betrayed her when they cast her out based on rumor and accusations and that hurt her very deeply. Now that Constance has discovered these new parts of herself, she believes this family is the only place where she will be accepted and protected — no matter what the circumstances. I have to agree with her on that point."

Samuel looked at her without responding. He put down the newly peeled potato and picked up the next.

Isabelle looked at the door to the back room of the house. Soft sounds could be heard from within the room.

"They said they wanted a short rest after the excitement of the day. It sounds to me as though they are not getting much rest."

Samuel shrugged and then carefully changed the subject.

"I have been thinking about the reverse as well. What if I were to become ill or infirm? I have begun teaching those two where and how to trap small animals like rabbits. They already know somewhat about the care of our animals. When we settle, I will teach them how and when to plough and sow and reap and all the other matters involved with farming. If, as you say, they will not leave us then there is less need for you to learn such things as well."

Isabelle nodded. "Steadfast, wife of Joseph, ploughed their fields when Joseph hurt his leg and none in the village questioned her. It is not a strange thing for a woman to learn how to do such things."

Samuel grinned. "But she did not wear trousers to do so and found the going quite difficult. I suspect that Charity and Constance will don trousers when ploughing now they have discovered the difference. That should raise a few eyebrows."

Isabelle's eyes widened. "Are you not concerned that we would be driven away by the other villagers when they do such a thing?"

Samuel shrugged. "There is a reason we are travelling to the south and west. I have heard there are some in that direction who are less …"

He paused as he searched for the right word.

"… ardent about their adherence to the rules we were taught by our elders. Of course, our elders mentioned them with scorn. The elders said that such people had abandoned all hope of being saved by God but it seems to me that God will save who He wills — good men and sinners alike. To hear the elders speak, such people were worse than pagans who do not know God at all. I now remember their words with different ears. They sound like people who have learned to question the elders and their teachings. I think perhaps such people would not reject us."

Samuel scratched his chin as he thought. "We will have to choose the place where we settle carefully. I intend to claim some land a little away from a village. As long as the girls do not go into the village wearing trousers, there should be no concerns. If any should see the girls working in the fields and complain, I shall ask them to recite for me the scripture where a woman is forbidden from wearing trousers."

Isabelle frowned. "I do not recall any scripture where it actually says a woman is forbidden from wearing trousers."

Samuel smiled and nodded. "Exactly!"

At that moment, their conversation was interrupted by squealing and shouts from within the back room.

A moment later, Samuel and Isabelle burst through the door and into the back room. Samuel was holding the scythe and Isabelle once again wielded the carving knife. Inside the room, they quickly saw that weapons were not needed.

Charity and Ezekiel sat on the sleeping platform and Hope sat on Charity's lap. The squeals and shouts had been for excitement rather than fear. They looked up as their parents entered the room and shouted with joy.

Charity's dress was unbound leaving her breasts fully exposed.

"Look! Look here! My milk has started!"

Charity squeezed her breast and a drop of clear fluid formed on her nipple.

Isabelle immediately rushed to her side, exclaiming in pleasure. Samuel stopped and stared in stunned amazement, before remembering to turn his back on her nakedness.

"Father, do not be shy!" called Charity. "Come and see. It is one of God's miracles when a woman produces milk for her baby."

The others added their call to Samuel for him to come and join them in their celebration. Samuel finally turned — his face red — and stumbled over to Charity. He knelt before her and watched in awe and wonder as Charity brought Hope to her breast and had her suckle.

There was only a little fluid in each breast and it was clear rather than white but Isabelle quickly reassured Charity that the milk would soon turn white and that the quantity of milk would quickly increase. Ezekiel removed his shirt and unbound his breasts so that Hope could finish feeding while Charity and Isabelle continued to exclaim their joy.

Samuel stood and moved over to sit on the sleeping platform a little apart from the others. He picked up a small glass bottle that he had set beside the mattress and rolled it in his hands as he sat. His brow furrowed in thought as he watched his family. Isabelle moved over to sit beside him.

"What is it, my husband?" asked Isabelle quietly. "What is that in your hands?"

"It is a glass bottle, such as is used by drunkards to keep gin or some such. I stood by the river and asked for a sign from God. Then I saw this bottle floating by. At first I thought perhaps it represented me, carried along in the swirling waters with no control over my destiny. But then I saw that it represented Charity. Like Charity, it was not suited to be in the water. It struggled to stay afloat in that torrent as it was swept along. I knew that sooner or later, a wave would top it and it would fill with water and sink. Or it would be swept against some rock and shatter. As I came to know that this was like my daughter, I saw that it would soon be swept around the curve and out of my sight while I stood idle on the river bank. In the same way I knew that if I did nothing, the river of life would carry Charity away from us and she would be lost. Lost to us and lost to God. So soon after losing our first born child, I could not stand to lose another."

"So you rescued the bottle from the water," said Isabelle.

"I did," replied Samuel.

"And what of Charity?" asked Isabelle. "Will you stand idle on the bank and watch her disappear around a bend in the river? If you do not respond to her soon, I fear she will leave us in despair and be lost."

Samuel did not respond for a moment. He sat and looked across the room to where Charity and Ezekiel were huddled over Hope.

"I am a simple farmer," said Samuel. "There are many things in this world that I do not understand. I did not know it was possible for a woman to bring milk to her breasts unless she bears a child."

"It can be done but it takes work," said Isabelle. "Charity has been working for this throughout the last week. I expected it to take longer but she has been very determined."

"Even I can tell when a mare is broody," said Samuel. "Charity is most definitely broody. She persists in her desire to lie with me that she may bear a child of her own."

"She does," replied Isabelle.

"But she refuses to bind herself to me as a wife," said Samuel.

"She wishes to remain the widow of Ezekiel, not become the second wife of Samuel," said Isabelle.

"She asks me to commit adultery," said Samuel.

Isabelle sighed, then looked Samuel directly in the eye. "Charity is my daughter. I bore her in my body and fed her with my milk. She is a part of me that I have put out into the world. When she speaks, a part of me is speaking. When she sees, a part of me is seeing. When she weeps, a part of me is weeping. Everything she does, she does as a part of me. Charity is a part of me and I am your wife. To lie with me is not adultery, it is your duty as a husband. She asks that you lie with that part of me which is Charity."

Samuel grunted. "If she is your daughter then she is also mine. Incest is also a sin."

"It is different for a man," said Isabelle. "She was your daughter, but you gave her away to Ezekiel. Now she is merely a woman, a woman whom you took in when she was widowed."

Samuel looked down at the bottle in his hands. "I knew what my decision would be when I saved this from the water. If I am to do this thing, I should do it tonight, before my resolve deserts me."

"Why wait for the night?" said Isabelle. "There is time before our evening meal."

"But it is the day. The sun still shines through the window. Day is the time for working in the fields. It would not feel proper to lie with a woman while the sun still shines."

"Hush, my husband. You have no fields to work. But you do have a woman to get with child and that is a worthy task. Just give me time to get her ready. A woman should not go to a man's bed for the first time without being washed and dressed in clean clothing."

Isabelle stood and hurried over to Charity and Ezekiel. A short whispered conversation resulted in squeals of happiness. Charity rushed over to Samuel and knelt at his feet. She wrapped her arms around his legs saying "thank you" repeatedly.

In a time and place where his wrongness would lead to him being stoned or burned unto his death, Ezekiel found a way to fulfil all of his duties as given to be him by God, and yet still be true to himself.

This is the story of Ezekiel's Victory.

Ezekiel's Family have fled and Charity is to finally get her wish.

Chapter 13

Samuel sat in the bedroom with a sleeping Hope on his lap. He gazed down at the small face.

"Praise God," he whispered. "Praise God for creating such a wonder as this. May He give me the strength to protect and nurture this child that she may grow into a strong and dutiful woman."

He leaned down and softly kissed Hope on her forehead and then resumed gently rocking with his adopted grand-daughter cradled safely in his arms.

In the front room, Constance, wearing a dress for the first time in many days, had heated a bucket of water over the fire. Now Charity stood naked in the small tub while Isabelle and Constance washed her down with soap and damp rags.

When she was done, she stepped out of the tub and stood still while Isabelle dried her body and then brushed out her hair.

Constance took the bucket of water into the back room and set it down beside Samuel.

"Come father," she said quietly. "Hand Hope to me and remove your shirt. Charity will soon come to you as clean and pure as new driven snow. You should be clean as well."

Constance set the sleeping Hope down on the platform and then used the rag to quickly wash Samuel's chest, face, arms and back. Samuel protested all the while that he was capable of washing himself but Constance merely hushed him and reminded him that it was a daughter's duty to honor her father. Further, her husband Ezekiel had commanded her to honor his father as she would her own so she was doubly bound to honor him.

When the top half of him was clean, Constance said, "Now Father, stand and remove your trousers so I can wash the rest of you."

Samuel reached over and took the wet rag from her hand. Then he firmly steered Constance toward the door. You have honored me as much as is needful. Now leave me be so that I may retain some dignity while I finish washing.

Constance giggled, but allowed herself to be pushed. She stopped and turned just before the door.

"Father! Charity may talk like an experienced woman — married and widowed and so forth, but in truth she is a maiden and this will be her first time to lie with a man. Please be gentle with her."

Samuel smiled and nodded. "Of course. Despite all the weasel lawyer words that have been used, she is still my daughter. I could hardly do anything else. Now go"

Constance giggled again and then withdrew, closing the door behind her. In the front room, she helped Isabelle dig a newly made nightdress out of Charity's Hope Chest. They helped Charity to put it on and then stood back. Charity blushed and turned in front of them while they made admiring comments.

A moment later they escorted Charity into the back room and watched with pride while Charity stood before Samuel with a slight blush on her face. Samuel's eyes were wide as he looked at the young woman, taking in her beauty. He stood for a moment in silence and just stared.

Samuel grunted and shook his head slightly. He reached out and took her hands in his. Gently he stooped and kissed her hands and then led her toward the sleeping platform. The two of them were so absorbed in each other they didn't notice as Isabelle and Constance scooped up Hope and quietly made their way back to the front room, closing the door behind them.

Charity stopped just before the bed and freed her hands. In quick movements, she undid the ties on her nightgown and allowed it to drop to the floor, leaving her standing naked. She stepped out of the nightgown and picked it up, carefully draping it over an unused portion of the sleeping platform where it wouldn’t get damaged.

"What are you doing?" muttered Samuel. "You are entirely naked! That isn't necessary."

Charity put a hand on his lips to silence him. "It may not be necessary. But these past few nights with Ezekiel, I have found that being entirely naked feels quite wonderful. I thought perhaps it would be the same with us. So let us be as Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Let us be naked the way God intended us to be."

Samuel clasped Charity's hands and moved them from his mouth. "But it is still day. To be so entirely naked in the light of the sun is surely …"

His protest was stopped abruptly as Charity pressed her lips to his and kissed him soundly. While he was thus distracted, her hands busily loosened the laces of his nightshirt and lifted it up, breaking off the kiss for long enough to slip it over his head. That done, she hustled him onto the bed and lay down beside him.

And so Samuel and Charity lay together the way God intended Man and Woman to lie together.

Some time later Charity gazed up at Samuel — her eyes filled with wonder. Her strong arms held him in place above her. They both stayed in place for a moment, staring into each other's eyes. The only movement was their heaving chests as they both struggled to regain their breath.

Then Samuel shifted sideways off her and rolled onto his back. Charity shifted into his side and lay her head on his chest.

"Oh!" she whispered. "My goodness!"

Isabelle and Constance, taking the silence as a signal that activities were concluded, pushed the door open and moved quietly into the room. Isabelle was holding a sleepy Hope in her arms. After confirming with their eyes that activities were indeed concluded, they approached the bed.

Isabelle was, perhaps, slightly shocked to see both Samuel and Charity lying entirely naked and completely exposed but she said nothing. She found a blanket and with the aid of Constance draped it over them so that they were covered and, at least in her mind, somewhat more decent. Samuel looked up at her with a worried expression and did not relax until he saw her smile down at him and tuck the blanket around him.

He reached down and gently stroked Charity's head where it lay on his chest.

Charity looked up at Constance with half-lidded eyes and whispered. "I understand now. There are no words to describe …"

Constance nodded and stooped to kiss her sister on the forehead.

"Definitely better than peeling potatoes," whispered Charity while her sister was close.

Constance chuckled and soothed Charity's hair.

"I'm happy for you. Rest for a moment, but then you should come and eat some supper."

Charity frowned. "But I want to do that again." She twisted her head to look at Samuel. "Can we do it again?"

"Indeed, you must," said Isabelle. "For it can take many such attempts to plant a babe in your womb. But Samuel will probably need to rest for a while before he is ready for another attempt and supper is ready.

Constance picked up the discarded nightdress and held it out for Charity.

"Come, sister. Cover yourself with this and we shall all go and eat. Making babes can be surprisingly hungry work."

Isabelle found Samuel's nightshirt and held it out for him while Constance helped Charity. Shortly after that they sat around the table and ate supper. There was little conversation while they ate but it wasn't an awkward silence. It was more that all were content to think their own thoughts and weren't ready to share those thoughts with others.

After supper was finished, Charity proudly exposed her breasts and fed Hope the small amount she had to offer. Then Constance took over feeding Hope and ducked her head towards the back room. Charity took the hint and offered Samuel her hand. When he clasped it, she led him into the back room and closed the door.

Isabelle did not hurry as she tidied up after supper and cleaned the pots. Despite this, Constance had only just finished feeding and changing Hope when Isabelle sat down opposite her at the table. They looked at each other as Constance gently rocked Hope in her arms.

"I suppose it is time we thought about bed," said Constance. "You are welcome to sleep beside me out here."

"I have been thinking about that," replied Isabelle. "It would feel wrong to do anything other than sleep beside my husband. I shall wait out here until they are finished and then go and tuck myself into the other side from Charity."

Constance sighed and looked down at the sleeping Hope. "It sounds like it's just you and me tonight."

"The sleeping platform in the back room is quite wide," said Isabelle. "There's no need for you to be alone out here when there is room in there for both yourself and Hope next to Charity."

Constance looked at her mother while she thought about that. "Hmm!"

"It does mean those two will have to restrain themselves until morning," added Isabelle.

The corners of Constance's eyes crinkled as she tried to contain a laugh. "I don't see why. The two of you never restrained yourselves when we were younger and sharing the same room with you."

Isabelle gasped and blushed. "You were supposed to be sleeping. We tried not to waken you."

Constance grinned. "I'm sure there were many times when you didn't wake us, but for those times when we did wake, we all knew what was happening. We knew to keep our eyes closed and feign sleep if we realized you were performing your wifely duties."

Isabelle kept her eyes on the table.

Constance looked at her for a moment and then shrugged. "There is no call for embarrassment. You were merely doing what God intended a husband and wife to do. Ezekiel explained it to us and we understood."

Isabelle sighed. "I suppose that even if you did look, you wouldn't have seen much. We always stayed under the blankets."

Constance grinned. "I assure you, we were well aware of that for I can't promise that we never looked. But enough talk about the past. I haven't heard anything from the back room for a little while now, so perhaps we can go to bed."

Samuel and Charity were discovered again in almost exactly the same pose as they had been before with Samuel on his back and Charity draped over his chest and both entirely naked and completely exposed. The only difference being that this time they were both sleeping.

Isabelle and Constance quietly settled Hope off to one side and then covered Samuel and Charity with a blanket. They changed into their night dresses and laid themselves down onto the sleeping platform on either side of the sleeping pair. Isabelle softly kissed her husband's shoulder in silent thanks for his actions and then kissed her daughter's head before cuddling up to Samuel's side and relaxing.

On their other side, Constance stroked and arranged her sleeping sister's hair before draping her arm around Charity's waist and resting her head on Samuel's widely flung arm. It did not take long for them to join the others in quiet slumber.

The following morning, Charity made no effort to conceal the broad smile on her face as she helped the rest of her family pack their belongings and tidy the house. Soon the wagon was making its way down to the river with their cow plodding steadily along behind. The ironworker was only just behind them as they splashed their way over the now sedate river and pulled back onto the main track.

Shortly afterwards, they came to a fork and Samuel turned the wagon to the south. Charity and Ezekiel sitting in the back watched as the ironworker turned north towards the town and left them alone.

Ezekiel climbed further into the wagon and changed out of his trousers and into her dress. Constance came back and sat next to Charity as she adjusted the bonnet on her head.

Charity looked at her with a question in her eyes.

Constance shrugged. "The ironworker told the story of a woman being hung. My name was never mentioned. He didn't seem to know many details about our family except for the baby and he didn't even know Hope was a girl. I think we're far enough away that we'll never meet anyone from the old village. We are safe. I don't have to hide any more."

"So you'll stop being Ezekiel?" asked Charity with a slight pout. "I liked you being Ezekiel."

"For now. But not for always. I liked being Ezekiel too. But I've missed being Constance out here in the light. I had to do this soon, my belly keeps swelling. Now is as a good a time as any."

They travelled in silence for a while, watching the road roll out behind them.

Charity turned to Constance. "We should stop the wagon for a moment."

Constance whistled and Samuel pulled the wagon to a halt. They all climbed out and stood in the road while Constance explained why she could now be herself again. Samuel nodded in agreement and Isabelle hugged Constance.

"We should pray," said Charity. "We should give thanks to God and to Grace. Grace sacrificed herself so that we could escape and here we are. Ezekiel said it was like a battle which he would fight to ensure our freedom. And now it is clear he has surely won his victory."

So that's what they did. They stood in the road and joined hands in a circle while they gave thanks to God for their safety. Then they climbed back into the wagon and settled themselves.

Samuel clucked at the horse and it moved. Everyone swayed as the wagon lurched once more into motion and trundled its way down the dusty road.

In a time and place where his wrongness would lead to him being stoned or burned unto his death, Ezekiel found a way to fulfil all of his duties as given to be him by God, and yet still be true to himself.

This is the story of Ezekiel's Victory.

Epilogue

The family found a village more tolerant than most and claimed some land a little way out of the village where a steep hill gave them some privacy. They built a house and the day it was finished, Charity announced that she was with child. We, their descendents, live there unto this day. In fact, today, nearly the entire village is populated by either descendents or relatives.

Constance bore a son, and he was named Ezekiel the Younger. Then Charity bore a son and he was named Moab (after the son of one of the daughters of Lot) — to the quiet amusement of everyone within the family though to the rest of the village it was a name from the Bible and therefore a name as good as any other. Then Constance bore another daughter and Charity bore another son and this went on until there were ten children in the family and the house had to be extended twice to accommodate them all. And they were all named as Ezekiel's children and they were all raised with two mothers who both fed each child at her breast so that each child would bind to both of them. And they were all brought up to walk with God in their hearts. And, by God's Will, every one of them lived to adulthood.

And when the other people of the village asked Constance and Charity who this Ezekiel was and where he was, they were told "He is our husband and their father and he lives within the Grace of God."

The villagers would walk away puzzled but they would shake their heads and get on with their lives for they had learned that Samuel's family were a little different and seemed to live by different rules. And the villagers knew that sometimes Samuel's family were a little brazen but they were good people and Godly people and they were generous and kind and loving people. So the villagers forgave them their eccentricities and accepted them as members of their community.

Samuel was quickly appointed as an elder of the village and he had much to say about what teachings should and should not be taught — which is to say, he questioned everything that was taught by the other elders and challenged them to justify their teachings. And when he took his turn at the pulpit as a lay-preacher, instead of a sermon, he would ask questions like "What does God expect of each of us?" and "What is the difference between a child and an adult?" and "What tasks may a man perform that are forbidden to women?" and "Does God expect us to change our ways from time to time or to always do the same thing?" Then he would stand there and say nothing while the villagers thought about the question and when he decided they had thought for long enough he would conclude the service without ever giving his own opinion. And the villagers would spend the entire week discussing his question as they sat in their homes or worked in their fields or passed each other in the road. And so Samuel fulfilled his duty to God as an elder by leading his people to a deeper understanding of God's Creation and their place within it.

Over time, some things Samuel's family did were adopted by others in the village. So it came to pass that the women of the village put aside their bonnets (except for when attending church) and they wore their hair in long braids — even when out in public. And no one looked twice at the sight of a women wearing trousers while pushing a plough or digging in the dirt or climbing a frame to hammer nails during a barn building though they would all wear dresses at other times.

Charity became quite a talented doctor. And in this way, she fulfilled her desire to find her own path but to remain within the bosom of her family. First Constance and later Moab worked with Charity as nurse and secretary. And Moab learned how to be a doctor by working at her side and continued as doctor for the village when Charity retired. And one of Moab's nieces continued the family practice after him. And I, your dutiful scribe, now practice beside her and shall continue when she retires.

And when the times changed and it became needful to have a family name, there was only really one choice, though nobody had ever heard of Ezekiel being used as a family name before. Poor Ezekiel the Younger caused some confusion with the name Ezekiel Ezekiel, but nobody who mattered was too concerned for, to them, he was simply Ezekiel the Younger — and he remained so until the day he died at the age of 51.

And occasionally, within the family home — or at family gatherings — Momma Constance would go away and "Uncle" Ezekiel would make an appearance and play with the children for a while before withdrawing into the back room with Momma Charity where the two would spend some time alone together before coming out with flushed faces and shy smiles. Then they would sit with the children and teach them about their father Ezekiel and how every person had duties that God expected them to fulfil. Then when the children were old enough to understand, they told them the full story of their father, Ezekiel, and who Grace was and how it came to be that their father lived within the Grace of God. And Samuel and Isabelle would sit in their chairs with their greying hair and nod to the wide eyed youngsters and confirm that every word of the story was true.

And in time, their children were told the same stories. And they told those stories to their children. And so on, to this very day. And so Ezekiel and Grace are remembered and honored within the family.

And that is why, when a grandson of Moab grew up 'a little strange,' my family recognized me for who and what I was. And so I became Grace — the second within the family to take that name. And I have lived a life much longer and fuller than the first. A life which is not yet over. But that is an entirely different story.

Walk always with God in your heart.

Dr Grace Ezekiel, March, 1775