Andrew felt guilty as all hell. He'd been with another woman. There was shame creeping up the back of his neck. How was he going to deal with this? Firstly, he had a flat to give up because he stupidly offered it in the heat of the moment, and now he was going to have to explain why he had hired a woman to help him at the shop. Then he started feeling less guilty as he remembered that she would not lay with him sometimes. Hmph, it was her fault, right? No, no, even Andrew couldn't think that way. Disgust ate at him as he opened the door to the cheerful yellow house he bought for his new wife.

He wasn't going to touch Rose tonight. And he decided maybe he wouldn't touch her at all if she wanted to be the way she was. Annnnnnd then he felt guilty again.

Rose had really done her best today. Her meatpies were only slightly too brown and hard on the top. The vegetables were cooked only slightly too soft. The potatoes were cooked perfect, and the gravy... okay, the gravy was tasteless and too thin, and she had forgotten to add salt to the potatoes, so they would find out about that oversight pretty soon, but for now Rose was very proud of her work and she hoped Andrew would be too.

He had seemed grumpy again this morning. Over the past few days, she had felt the tension grow. Or maybe it had begun to grow before that. Perhaps it was because for the past few nights, she hadn't given him what he wanted, stating that she wasn't feeling so well. And it wasn't the first time. Before he'd start thinking she was neglecting her wifely duties, Rose intended to make amends.

The house was scrubbed. The food was ready on the table. Rose had even found time to redo her hair. She waited at the door.

He saw her when he opened the door. Things gleamed with cleanliness. Guilt nagged at him when he saw that she was trying to be a good wife. God damn it, he thought. He sighed and simply nodded at her, his eyes dropping to the floor. He couldn't tell her. He fucked up and he couldn't tell her! But he would have to tell her about Ruth being in the flat though. "I thought ye should know that I am lettin' a woman and her children take the flat above the bakery... She'll be workin' fer her rent, but she won't be down in the bakery wit' me, just doin' her cookin' upstairs to help me. Once her son is old enough, I'll be havin' him as me apprentice in the shop itself."

His voice was gruff as he spoke more, "I need ta take time away from the bakery ta spend wit' ye and it'd take that chore off yer shoulders as well." Lying piece of horse shit, he thought to himself.

Rose rushed over to take her husband's hat. She tiptoed, failed to plant a kiss on his cheek, and planted it on his shoulder instead. But her face and mood dropped when she saw Andrew's expression. "What's...?"

He already told her what was going on. It didn't help lift the mood. Why would Andrew not discuss something like that with her first? A woman living in that place, possibly working in the bakery? She knew she should trust her husband, but she... well, of course she trusted him! Yes. But... There was an uncomfortable feeling just below her stomach.

"Oh..." she said. She turned away to put the hat on the stand and not have to show her face to him. Then when she managed to look more neutral, she turned back to him. "I... I wish you would..." Was it wrong of her to ask him to discuss it with her first? It wasn't her flat. She had barely brought anything into the marriage at all. And she knew she shouldn't make her husband feel like... well, she shouldn't seem to demanding. "I wish you'd tell me in advance..." she decided instead. "She... she won't work in the bakery with ye, will she? I'm really fine around here." God forbid that he would work less to take over the housework she failed at. Could anything be more humiliating than that?

"She'll be upstairs," he said honestly. That didn't stop Ruth from being a temptation. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I know, and I am sorry." He reached over to try for some affection, not that he was going to try to do anything with her. He said, "I just want ta spend more time wit' me wife is all," he managed a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. God, the guilt...

Rose didn't answer his attempted affection. She stood very still as the idea still sank in and awoke many uncomfortable thoughts. The intention, she supposed, was sweet, but she did not like it one bit.

Then suddenly, she found the solution. She put her hands on his upper arms, looked up at him, and - did he still feel sad? Had she made him feel guilty over not discussing it in advance? Would he hold that against her? Her attempted smile faltered a little. Yet she pursued. "I could come help you in the bakery, if you'd like us to spend more time together. I can handle customers while you do the baking and refilling!"

"Rose... Nay, lass. I want ta spend time wit' ye here..." And then he was earnest, "I want a child. I want ta start a family. Ye don't know how much I long fer a bairn o' me own." He looked into her eyes. At least he was being honest there.

"You...?" she looked up into his eyes. Then she cast her own down to avoid him seeing too much in hers. She blushed. She had been actively trying to avoid getting pregnant. She had just wanted to put it off a bit. But perhaps this was what had made Andrew seem so grumpy earlier. Perhaps if she did finally give him a child, he would discuss things like letting a woman live in the flat beforehand.

Anyway, if he was going to be home more to make a baby, it would be harder to make excuses not to sleep with him.

Perhaps it was time.

She looked up at him and smiled lightly - tried to put the thought that woman in the bakery aside for now. "Care if we eat first?" she teased.

He would never touch Ruth again, he swore to himself, nor any other who wasn't Rose. He hated himself a lot in that moment, giving a smile even still. "Aye," he said, "And a long hot bath on my part... Or ye could join me in the bath if ye'd like later?" He offered. But the offer churned his stomach. This was wrong, this was all kinds of wrong! Andrew was going to have to bed his wife though to keep her from asking questions. It was rather distasteful, sleeping with two women on the same day.

He forced himself to the present and said, "It smells good in here..." at least he wasn't lying about that. But he knew it might not taste as good as it smelled.

Rose grinned and gave him a little push. "I might as well..." But her grin didn't reflect in her eyes. There was something about his face or the energy in the room that made it feel like something was off. Was there more to it than Andrew had said? She barely dared to think about it. It was probably wrong of her to think such a thing of her husband in the first place.

"C'mon then," she led him to his chair and put food on his plate, before sitting down on the other side and helping herself. Suddenly she didn't know what to say. She was afraid to ask him about his day.