Nearly four months later, things were good. Edward had warmed up to William quite a bit and had taught him more skills that were necessary if he was going to be living on a farm. Rose Anne was getting big and she was holding her head up and giggling, and Keziah had settled well into her role as a mother. Things between her and William were quite good, if a little strained. She had kept him at a distance but the more she got to know him, the more comfortable she felt around him and soon enough she had began confiding in him, and one particularly [i]interesting[/i] talk had led to  her taking him into her bed. The next day, however, she pushed him away again. It wasn't that she was angry or upset, she had been the one to initiate it, it was just that she felt like a sinner. Today was just like any other day from the past four months, complete with the awkwardness that was now between her and William. She woke early enough to begin breakfast by the time her father woke, William should be waking soon enough. She prepared the simple meal and began to work on the dishes left over from dinner. Rose Anne would be sleeping for a while longer and then it would be bath time for the infant. 

She smiled to herself as she thought of Rose Anne. The little girl looked so much like Elizabeth and sometimes it hurt. She had Samuel's dimpled smile. Keziah was puled out of her thoughts by her father coming to sit next to her and taking the large pot from her hands. He sat down next to her on a stool and wordlessly began scrubbing the pot. "Keziah…" He said, getting her attention when she looked awkwardly down at her apron. Edward knew there was something that was brewing between them but in no way was he ready to see his daughter married again. 
Even though plenty of widows remarried earlier than five years, he wanted to make sure that this was something that Keziah really wanted and she just wasn't going to use the man to fill the hole in her heart. 

"Something happened, didn't it?" Edward looked at his daughter from the corner of his eyes and he sighed, stopping to put the pot aside as he reached for his daughter. Things were still sore in regards to losing Samuel and her sister-in-law, Edward understood that. Losing his wife had been hard but loosing another child…that left a hole that would never be fixed. Keziah looked at her father when he took his face gently in her hands. "I just want to understand if those are genuine feelings or if you just want to be a wife again for the sake of it." He wouldn't judge her, mistaking the awkwardness between them for something other than it really was. 

Keziah looked down, taking his hands away from her face. "Papa…I think…I think I might really fancy him." She said quietly. "I like that he helps with Rose Anne, I like that I can talk to him openly…and I like the butterflies I get when I see him." Her father smiled. His daughter was a romantic like him, even though she was quite firm on being married before taking any sort of next step with William. Keziah was in denial. She didn't want to admit how much she really cared for him. She was still afraid that he'd leave or be taken from them. This just wasn't about her anymore, she had Rose Anne to look after and she hated to rumors that the women in Lexington had spread that Rose Anne was some sort of bastard child that would grow up without a family. 

"I know those feelings. I was like that with your mother." Edward smiled before going back to his pot. For his little girl he would shed that [i]manly[/i] persona. He'd always had a soft spot for Keziah.  They finished the dishes in silence and ate breakfast in that manner before going about their daily tasks. Keziah cleaned like always, worked on making new socks and repairing old ones, and giving Rose Anne her bath. The baby cooed at her and she cooed back. A few times she had slipped up and called William Rose Anne's father, both at home and in public. Edward had worked with William, mostly letting the younger man do the work while he barked orders. Around noon Keziah had come out of the house with Rose Anne balanced on her hip. It was warm enough to not need to swaddle the baby and Keziah didn't like using cradleboards all that often. 

In the other hand she held a basket of bread and cheese wrapped in cloth to keep the bugs away and several apples. "Here's some food." She said as she walked into the barn where Edward had been grilling William on slaughtering cattle. Edward stopped to kiss both on the forehead before taking the basket aside and excusing himself to use the bathroom. A month ago he'd fallen and required a cane ever since. When he was gone, Keziah smiled at William and switched Rose Anne into her free hand. 

"Good afternoon." She said, even though it was a little awkward. Keziah had been thinking a lot lately and she honestly didn't know if this was appropriate, asking this after they'd done something that only a man and wife should do. She'd asked him a lot about his time, well at least before it got messed up. She had asked about everything from medicine to marriage, to education and to what…what was it called? Video…Video somethings…Ah, video games, so she knew that it was common for this to happen in his time…but not in hers and if it did happen then it was usually when people were courting, not…not whatever they'd been doing. In return Keziah had taught him about everything she could about this time. She smoothed out Rose Anne's hair but didn't look at William. "Remember…how you had said that Rose Anne needs a father?" She hoped that this was okay. If her father were here he'd probably be laughing his ass off at her and her inability to look at the tall man. 

"I know you've been…trying…and you're so good for her. Um, and I want things to be right. Right for her and…Right in the eyes of the Lord because of what we --" Keziah took a deep breath and began to apologize, losing her courage. "-I-I'm sorry this isn't appropriate…please just forget that I…" She shouldn't even bring this up with her father not so far away. Before coming out here she'd been practicing her question to the walls, to Rose Anne…and now that fiery courage was gone. Even though she was in denial, Keziah had thought of it as a good time to approach this topic. Apparently not if she was this cowardly about asking.

With red cheeks she took a step back and held onto the infant in her arms a little tighter. "William! Keziah!" The voice of her father had caught her off guard and she hurried out of the barn. Standing with her father was the same militiaman who'd handed Rose Anne over to her. Keziah was suddenly very afraid about where this was leading. 

The man didn't smile or give any sort of happy greeting. Instead his eyes flickered to the woman and child before looking back at William. Things had gotten busy back in the War and they hadn't had the time to get back to William. Minor skirmishes had been breaking out as the Redcoats tested the Patriots for any weaknesses. The man looked tired, even more so than he did a few months ago. The militiaman sighed. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy. Clearly he had been crying. Rather than the bad news right off the bat, he moved a little closer to Keziah and the baby. "She's getting big." he said. He knew that the baby didn't belong to either of them but he hoped that they cared for her like she did. He even cracked a small smirk as he looked over Keziah. "I thought your wife would be swollen with child right now. Or ya can't perform right?" He teased. It was better to ease into the bad news rather than spew it all.