Lianrin soon got used to praying - for many things, but most of all for Liam to forgive her and take her away from that cold place. When she found out she was pregnant, her prayers became even more desperate. As a noble lady she had midwives and maids for help with both the childbirth and any care the babies might need. Would she get any here?

She learned the answer sooner than she would have liked. When her time came, sister Miriam, one of the more pleasant nuns, if unbearably boring, came to comfort her. But when Lianrin asked the nun if she was going to help her in any way, Miriam just shrugged her shoulders.
"I will do my best to pray for you."

Lianrin screamed in frustration and pain as her labour intensified. Sister Miriam's praying only made her head ache, but Lianrin was determined to survive this. She pushed desperately.

When it was all over and Miriam asked what she wanted to call her newborn son - Mother Superior probably would not have asked and named the baby something suitably penitent - Lianrin hesitated. She looked at the baby boy's grey eyes, so familiar, and wanted to name him after his father. But... what if a child - a child with an unoffensive name - would make Liam take her back? There was no way to be sure, after all.
"D... name him Damien." She changed the name a bit in the last second, hoping it would be enough.

When the news reached Liam, he didn't even care to hear the baby's name. He still had not forgiven Linrin and didn't think he ever would.
Not long after this, however, tragedy struck the Lorimer household. Just as Liam was searching for a way to tell if the two children Lianrin had given him - firstborn Lenard and baby Anora - were actually his, Lenard became ill. Despite all Liam's efforts to save his only son and heir, the boy died soon after, leaving the young lord with only a baby daughter and his stepsister Ellara to stand as heirs to the Lorimer estate.

Liam was in despair. What would become of the family name now?

"Marriage is a sacred vow and as such must be taken seriously and with all the dignity belonging to it..."
Talen was still unsure how exactly he had ended up in this position. The position being on the knees before father Ambrose, about to be married. It had all started as harmless fun with the daughter of lord Liam's cook. The girl was young but she had known exactly what she wanted - she had seduced him, for the Watcher! Then her pregnancy and shame, then his name came up, then lord Liam's ultimatum. Talen suspected he reminded the young lord of poor banished Lianrin and for this reason Liam was grateful for any excuse to get rid of him.

"...so I now pronounce you man and wife."
Lissa clung to him as Talen leaned to kiss her, the wreath of straw marking her shame. At least she was still in love and still more than open to more fun. Talen supposed it could have been worse.
They sealed the marriage with a kiss, so that their child wouldn't be born a bastard.

Alysanne still wasn't used to being home alone. It was as if everything since the moment lord Liam found her father together with lady Lianrin was a nightmare. Her father was sent away for some terrible punishment and the village people made it clear to Alysanne she was not really welcome there any more. She had mostly kept to herself since then. Until now.
When she saw the two boys coming to her - yes, it was her house now - she couldn't help feeling nervous. Especially as one of them was Mertin and their last meeting had not been exactly a pleasant one. Still, she greeted them with a forced smile and waited what would happen. They were of similar age as herself, maybe they just... wanted company?

...or maybe not. Petyr waved away all the attempts at conversation she managed to make.
"Is that meant to be funny? Because it isn't."
"I'm sorry, I..." Alysanne started, but she didn't really know how to continue. Especially as she had no idea what it was that he wanted.
"Oh, never mind."

"It's not like I could have expected anything better from such an obvious hussy. And the priest's pet."
Alysanne bit her lip, but then decided she had not heard that one. She didn't want to argue.
"Um... would you like to come in?" She asked instead and immediately hated herself for it. But what else could she have said? This was the polite thing to do, as father Ambrose would surely say...

"So this is where you live?" Mertin looked around as if he was seeing the house for the first time. Which he was from the inside, but surely he couldn't have expected...?
"I kind of thought it would be nicer. Or more impressive. The place that lured our lady away from her castle and all that. Are you at least going to make us feel welcome?"

Alysanne started to say something about having nothing to offer them at the moment except maybe some fruit and berries, but before she could even finish the sentence Mertin's expression changed from haughty to something more aggressive.
"Isn't this the house of pleasure? It was for lady Lianrin, so why not for us? It's not like you should be good for anything else. So..."
"What?" Alysanne took a few steps backwards, feeling tears come into her eyes.

"Just... please... go away..." She said, trying to wipe those tears away as fast as possible.

Mertin laughed.
"No pleasure here, it seems. Come, Petyr, let's not waste out time." Then he turned to Alysanne again, his face once again haughty and falsely magnanimous. "And you don't cry. You're lucky you can live here at all. A bastard child of a criminal, you know. You should be grateful to us all you're not in a convent too."
At that moment Alysanne thought a convent might actually be better than this, but she kept her mouth shut. She was too afraid she might scream.