Do we REALLY know Dominic Bolton was Bethany Bolton-née-Ryswell's son?

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

1 minute ago, M_Tootles said:

So you are fond of saying, as I recall. Do you have this on cut and paste? I'm glad you take this as having the force of irresistible fact, and look forward to your response when several characters are revealed to have different parentage than alleged.

 

 

???? yeah er. OK..

Catelyn Stark rises from her bed and waltzes over to the fire to burn Lysa's note. And as she does so Ned & maester Luwin raise their eyebrows. She shakes her head and reminds them both that the old Maester has delivered all 5 of her children! 

And then this from cersei. 

Quote

Not that I wanted him to stay, mind you. I had Grand Maester Pycelle and an army of midwives, and I had my brother. When they told Jaime he was not allowed in the birthing room, he smiled and asked which of them proposed to keep him out.

 

 My response? when "several" characters are revealed to have different parentage than alleged...nope. just one. And his birth is deliberately secretive.  And again the woman suspected as his mother is going to turn out to be his mother.

Everyone else whom the fandom are oh, so fond of suggesting to be not who we are told they are is exactly who we are told they are. Barring the odd one or two who may have different fathers to that which we initially believe. And whilst you can fake who someone's dad is as the act is generally done in private and a woman can have sex with multiple men within a short time frame meaning the paternity is not certain. A baby coming out of your fanny tends to be pretty definitive.  

[Loose Bolt]

Why either lord Dustin (or his heir) accepted already soiled woman as his wife.

[Jak Scaletongue]

7 hours ago, The Weirwoods Eyes said:

???? yeah er. OK..

Catelyn Stark rises from her bed and waltzes over to the fire to burn Lysa's note. And as she does so Ned & maester Luwin raise their eyebrows. She shakes her head and reminds them both that the old Maester has delivered all 5 of her children! 

And then this from cersei. 

 My response? when "several" characters are revealed to have different parentage than alleged...nope. just one. And his birth is deliberately secretive.  And again the woman suspected as his mother is going to turn out to be his mother.

Everyone else whom the fandom are oh, so fond of suggesting to be not who we are told they are is exactly who we are told they are. Barring the odd one or two who may have different fathers to that which we initially believe. And whilst you can fake who someone's dad is as the act is generally done in private and a woman can have sex with multiple men within a short time frame meaning the paternity is not certain. A baby coming out of your fanny tends to be pretty definitive.  

Thinking of both parents and not just the father - I'm at two.  Jon and fAegon.  Technically, the question in-story is "Who's Jon's mother?" but once they get the answer (Lyanna) then they'll be asking about the father too (cause I don't think anyone assumes - here or in-story - that Ned and Lyanna got it on*).  And I definitely don't think fAegon is the son of Rhaegar and Elia (I haven't settled on anything more conclusive than that though - maybe Rhaegar and ? which would put him in the next paragraph in a different paragraph, but since fAegon's whole fucking life is one big question mark I'm gonna leave him here).  So there's (probably - I'll give you a probably) at least TWO characters that are going to have a different parentage then alleged.

*But my Monday-morning crackpots are going crazy! LOL! I haven't finished my coffee though.

Now, if you throw in known mothers/unknown or questionable fathers the list gets much, much longer.  I'd certainly put Sweet Robin on the questionable father's list - for now, anyway.  Maybe something in Winds will confirm Jon Arryn is definitely Robin's father, but on that note - if Lysa was sleeping with Jon Arryn and Littlefinger at the same time (which she probably was, while they were all in KL), I accept the possibility that she's not sure which one actually fathered Robin.  And a woman hiding her own bastards right under her husband's nose as legitimate offspring is kind of a major plot point in KL...it wouldn't surprise me if a few other "trueborn bastards" come out of the woodwork (though I suspect they'll be current characters - I don't see much point in a boy who's been dead since before the story started being one of those to come out of the woodwork).

But yeah, other than disagreeing on how many characters have secret parents, I'm with you.  Too many people in and out of the birthing chamber and labour itself is far too unpredictable to fake (seriously you guys, women in labour on TV is HILARIOUS!!  "OMG, the water broke, baby is coming NOW" - yeah, not how it works.  Not unless you're having a third or fourth kid! And even then....).  While I'm certainly convinced that a character that's been dead since the books began, along with his mother, is EXACTLY who everyone says they were.  Now if Domeric and/or Bethany was still alive it might have some bearing on the Roose/Ramsay/Northern plotline but they're both dead so I don't see how learning that Domeric wasn't Roose's will have an effect.  It *might* alter Barbrey Dustin's worldview, but having Ramsay poison her nephew (regardless of who his daddy was) is going to affect her storyline more, once Roose dies.  Once Ramsay kills Roose, Barbrey's gonna switch sides anyway...her nephew's daddy doesn't need to be Brandon for her to do that; Ramsay killing Domeric is the impetus for that.  I can't see how Barbrey's plotline would remain as it is if Domeric was her son and killed by Ramsay - I'm not quite sure what's keeping her with Roose when his bastard killed her nephew she was so fond of; WHY would she work with Roose so closely if Ramsay had killed her *son*?

Though, now that I'm procrastinating my mind's going a mile a minute!  The only way a baby-swap would work is if everyone is in on it.  Or mostly all dead, like Jon's case.  And even then, there seems to be more going on there then we've been told and I suspect there are a few other people still alive that were in on it.  Anyway, I could keep rambling but I'm gonna stop now and pretend to do some real work!  And finish my coffee...maybe I'll make more sense later...

 

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

4 minutes ago, Jak Scaletongue said:

Thinking of both parents and not just the father - I'm at two.  Jon and fAegon.  Technically, the question in-story is "Who's Jon's mother?" but once they get the answer (Lyanna) then they'll be asking about the father too (cause I don't think anyone assumes - here or in-story - that Ned and Lyanna got it on*).  And I definitely don't think fAegon is the son of Rhaegar and Elia (I haven't settled on anything more conclusive than that though - maybe Rhaegar and ? which would put him in the next paragraph in a different paragraph, but since fAegon's whole fucking life is one big question mark I'm gonna leave him here).  So there's (probably - I'll give you a probably) at least TWO characters that are going to have a different parentage then alleged.

Now, if you throw in known mothers/unknown or questionable fathers the list gets much, much longer.  I'd certainly put Sweet Robin on the questionable father's list - for now, anyway.  Maybe something in Winds will confirm Jon Arryn is definitely Robin's father, but on that note - if Lysa was sleeping with Jon Arryn and Littlefinger at the same time (which she probably was, while they were all in KL), I accept the possibility that she's not sure which one actually fathered Robin.  And women hiding their own bastards right under their husband's nose as legitimate offspring is kind of a major plot point in KL...it wouldn't surprise me if a few other "trueborn bastards" come out of the woodwork (though I suspect they'll be current characters - I don't see much point in a boy who's been dead since before the story started being one of those to come out of the woodwork).

But yeah, other than disagreeing on how many characters have secret parents, I'm with you.  Too many people in and out of the birthing chamber and labour itself is far too unpredictable to fake (seriously you guys, women in labour on TV is HILARIOUS!!  "OMG, the water broke, baby is coming NOW" - yeah, not how it works.  Not unless you're having a third or fourth kid! And even then....).  While I'm certainly convinced that a character that's been dead since the books began, along with his mother, is EXACTLY who everyone says they were.  Now if Domeric and/or Bethany was still alive it might have some bearing on the Roose/Ramsay/Northern plotline but they're both dead so I don't see how learning that Domeric wasn't Roose's will have an effect.  It *might* alter Barbrey Dustin's worldview, but having Ramsay poison her nephew (regardless of who his daddy was) is going to affect her storyline more, once Roose dies.  Once Ramsay kills Roose, Barbrey's gonna switch sides anyway...her nephew's daddy doesn't need to be Brandon for her to do that; Ramsay killing Domeric is the impetus for that.  I can't see how Barbrey's plotline would remain as it is if Domeric was her son and killed by Ramsay - I'm not quite sure what's keeping her with Roose when his bastard killed her nephew she was so fond of; WHY would she work with Roose so closely if Ramsay had killed her *son*?

Though, now that I'm procrastinating my mind's going a mile a minute!  The only way a baby-swap would work is if everyone is in on it.  Or mostly all dead, like Jon's case.  And even then, there seems to be more going on there then we've been told and I suspect there are a few other living people alive that were in on it.  Anyway, I could keep rambling but I'm gonna stop now and pretend to do some real work!  And finish my coffee...maybe I'll make more sense later...

*But my Monday-morning crackpots are going crazy! LOL! I haven't finished my coffee though.

 

My apologies, fAegon is just so insignificant to me I clean forgot he even existed! As it is though I am firmly on the:- he is the son of Illyrio & Serra with Serra being Varys's sister, them both being descended of Aerion Brightflame Targaryen and Illyrio Mopatis being the son /garndosn of a female Blackfyre train. 

Yes, fathers area different issue. Robert Arryn may turn out to be Little Fingers. I'm not fussed on that either way and I don't think we'll ever know for certain. I suspect it will be one of those mysteries left unsaid. Tyrion may turn out to be Aerys' and I was never on board with that but since the world book; I admit it is plausible.

But yes, people have a much harder time faking a pregnancy and birth than they do sleeping with a man who isn't their husband. And whilst Jon's birth is indeed shrouded in mystery and his mother "unknown" I think we all know it was Lyanna. And the fact no one currently talks about knowing this only means she gave birth in relative privacy. Unlike every other highborn woman in the books, who as I've pointed out would be attended by Maesters, Midwives, servants and her ladies. her pregnancy would also be impossible to fake as she'd be being examined by a Maester/Midwife on a regular basis to assess the babies growth and position etc. Lyanna however, was not in a fully staffed castle.  And I suspect that yes, quite a few people do know actually, or at least know pieces of the story. Some more than others, some the entire thing, and that it will be the culmination of various testimonies which will conclude in Jon's full parentage being revealed. 

I never read the OP. It was ridiculously long for a question which is extremely easy to answer. Nope, she's definitely his mother. So they were proposing Barbary as the mother and Brandon as the father? Shakes head. Not original. And not remotely plausible. As you say no way she'd side with Roose hadRamsey murdered her son! 

[Jon's Queen Consort]

I don't understand why we have to question Domeric's parentage.

[Jak Scaletongue]

53 minutes ago, The Weirwoods Eyes said:

My apologies, fAegon is just so insignificant to me I clean forgot he even existed! As it is though I am firmly on the:- he is the son of Illyrio & Serra with Serra being Varys's sister, them both being descended of Aerion Brightflame Targaryen and Illyrio Mopatis being the son /garndosn of a female Blackfyre train. 

Fair enough!  He is pretty forgettable, so far.  After Winds he may not be quite so forgettable...though I don't think he's going to survive much past the end of Winds (if he even makes it through Winds alive!).  I really like, and enjoy, the theories surrounding him and the Blackfyre/Brightflame theory definitely has the most merit.  But I rather like sitting on the fence and not making any personal conclusions!  Keeps the crackpot juices flowing! LOL!

Yes, fathers area different issue. Robert Arryn may turn out to be Little Fingers. I'm not fussed on that either way and I don't think we'll ever know for certain. I suspect it will be one of those mysteries left unsaid. Tyrion may turn out to be Aerys' and I was never on board with that but since the world book; I admit it is plausible.

Yeah, I'm not sure how I feel about Tyrion's parentage.  The world book definitely made it seem more plausible than the main story does.  But I'm gonna stay on the fence on that one, too!  And at any rate, I don't think Tyrion learning (or us learning) about his "real" father (if it IS Aerys) changes anything about Tyrion's "kinslaying."  Regardless of who got Joanna pregnant, Tywin was still his father for all intents and purposes and Tyrion killed him. 

But yes, people have a much harder time faking a pregnancy and birth than they do sleeping with a man who isn't their husband. And whilst Jon's birth is indeed shrouded in mystery and his mother "unknown" I think we all know it was Lyanna. And the fact no one currently talks about knowing this only means she gave birth in relative privacy. Unlike every other highborn woman in the books, who as I've pointed out would be attended by Maesters, Midwives, servants and her ladies. her pregnancy would also be impossible to fake as she'd be being examined by a Maester/Midwife on a regular basis to assess the babies growth and position etc. Lyanna however, was not in a fully staffed castle.  And I suspect that yes, quite a few people do know actually, or at least know pieces of the story. Some more than others, some the entire thing, and that it will be the culmination of various testimonies which will conclude in Jon's full parentage being revealed. 

On a different thread a few of us were speculating that Maester Walys (Flowers), the maester of Winterfell before Luwin that Barbrey was complaining about, may have been with Lyanna.  I'll find the thread, cause I can't remember how we got to that...something about Jafer Flowers, and the blue flower growing out of the Wall, and all the blue rose symbolism around Lyanna...yeah, I'll just find the thread and link it here!  Not that it's important for this discussion, beyond suspecting that the Tower of Joy may have been a bit more fully-staffed than we suspect....after all, "they" had to take Ned away from Lyanna's body, so there had to have been *someone* else there besides Howland Reed after all the KG had been killed.  It may only have been one other person, but it may have been a few more too.  Unfortunately, "they" is very vague...it only implies more than one, not how many more. While I certainly agree that Lyanna's most likely Jon's mother, I must admit that I enjoy playing devil's advocate and searching out the other "possible" solutions to the puzzle...but that's more to keep me amused than actually questioning it! 

I never read the OP. It was ridiculously long for a question which is extremely easy to answer. Nope, she's definitely his mother. So they were proposing Barbary as the mother and Brandon as the father? Shakes head. Not original. And not remotely plausible. As you say no way she'd side with Roose hadRamsey murdered her son!

The OP was interesting.  But I don't agree with the conclusions.  But that's cool - it's certainly nice to have something new to discuss, even if it's probably not worth discussing in the long run.  But we've got to do something to keep ourselves busy until Winds finally arrives!

Here's the link.  We get into the Walys Flowers at the ToJ on the second page, but the whole thread is pretty interesting.

 

48 minutes ago, Jon's Queen Consort said:

I don't understand why we have to question Domeric's parentage.

I don't either, but it's certainly better than re-hashing all the foreshadowing for R+L=J! 

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

Thanks, I'll take a read whenI get some time. 

I think the "They" is Gerold Dayne who I suspect was a squire to Arthur or one of the others even at the ToJ. GRRM said no other men left the ToJ he said nothing of boys. But besides the possibility of him; I think there were definitely smallfolk about scrubbing pots and clothing and tending to horses and cooking. 

 

[Jak Scaletongue]

I've also seen it speculated that Wylla the wet-nurse was there too.  I suspect there were a few people present that didn't die.

[M_Tootles]

22 hours ago, The Weirwoods Eyes said:

???? yeah er. OK..

You posted the same thing almost verbatim IIRC a long time ago. Here's it's not even germane, so I found it particularly irritating, sorry.

If you had actual read the OP, you'd see that it's not saying there's no evidence for the in-world claim that Domeric is Bethany's son, it's saying that THERE IS NO IN-WORLD CLAIM to that effect. It doesn't exist. It's a figment of reader's imaginations and jumping-to-conclusions and taking-the-wiki-as-gospel. Nowhere does the text say Dom is Bethany's son. 

That was the point of the OP. Please actually read it. There IS NO ALLEGED PARENTAGE. He is named ONLY as Roose's son.

[Tralalala]

2 hours ago, M_Tootles said:

That was the point of the OP. Please actually read it. There IS NO ALLEGED PARENTAGE. He is named ONLY as Roose's son.

What if roose could replicate himself? Like in that movie with Arnold,giving birth.

[Illyrio Mo'Parties]

At the risk of driving this thing right off-topic, I should point out that ladies born high and low did manage to have babies in secret all the time. Disappear for 6 months to a year, come back with some kid you "adopted", or pass the child off as a relative's, or even just give the child up for adoption in secret.

Also, several other mysteries in this story rely on the household staff keeping schtum, so I don't see why the fact that there are witnesses to a birth negates the possibility of any shenanigans.

On 27/03/2017 at 5:02 PM, The Weirwoods Eyes said:

A baby coming out of your fanny tends to be pretty definitive.  

 

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

That's a great The Office clip. 

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

9 hours ago, M_Tootles said:

You posted the same thing almost verbatim IIRC a long time ago. Here's it's not even germane, so I found it particularly irritating, sorry.

If you had actual read the OP, you'd see that it's not saying there's no evidence for the in-world claim that Domeric is Bethany's son, it's saying that THERE IS NO IN-WORLD CLAIM to that effect. It doesn't exist. It's a figment of reader's imaginations and jumping-to-conclusions and taking-the-wiki-as-gospel. Nowhere does the text say Dom is Bethany's son. 

That was the point of the OP. Please actually read it. There IS NO ALLEGED PARENTAGE. He is named ONLY as Roose's son.

 

This is so moronic I'm not even going to grace it with a reply pertaining to the content. 

[M_Tootles]

8 hours ago, Illyrio Mo'Parties said:

 

3 hours ago, The Weirwoods Eyes said:

This is so moronic I'm not even going to grace it with a reply pertaining to the content. 

Quote

 

 

What? Please point me to the spot in the text where it states Bethany is Domeric's mother. It doesn't. That's the point of the o.p.

 

Bethany being Dom's mother is an inference readers have made from the fact that Barbrey likes him. Nowhere does Roose or anyone else say Dom isn't the son of his first wife.

If you're just getting my point now, you plainly DIDN'T read the o.p.

[John Suburbs]

I'll also point out to people who say that aside from a few rare cases that everyone in the story past and present should be exactly who they say they are, let's run a check on all the secret identities that have emerged since the GoT prologue:

Arya: Arry, Weasel, Nan, Cat, Mercy, No One...

Sansa: Alayne

Tyrion: Hugor Hill

Bran/Rickon: both believed dead

Catelyn: Lady SH

Mance: Abel

Mance's Baby: Craster's Baby

Craster's Baby: Mance's Baby

Sarella: Alleras

No One: Jaquen, Pate

Barristan: Whitebeard

Sandor: Quiet Isle brother

Gendry: royal bastard

If the story were to begin at the present time, all of these people would be not who they appear to be.

[bent branch]

It absolutely doesn't matter whether it is stated definitely that Domeric is Bethany's son. This is an issue that will never matter, because both Bethany and Domeric are dead. The author tells us that Domeric was Roose's true born son, that Bethany was Roose's wife, and that Barbrey fostered Domeric. All of this would indicate that Bethany was Domeric's mother.

If you could provide any reason what-so-ever for questioning this (i.e. what importance this could have to the story), then this might be important. Otherwise it is just a speculation that will never be answered or amount to anything.

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

13 hours ago, M_Tootles said:

 

 

What? Please point me to the spot in the text where it states Bethany is Domeric's mother. It doesn't. That's the point of the o.p.

 

Bethany being Dom's mother is an inference readers have made from the fact that Barbrey likes him. Nowhere does Roose or anyone else say Dom isn't the son of his first wife.

If you're just getting my point now, you plainly DIDN'T read the o.p.

 

 

Yes, that is what TL;DR means.

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to grasp that Roose's trueborn son was born to his former wife. The clue is in the words True born. Of course, he could have been the mystery first wife's son. But the fact he squired for his second wife's sister kinda hints he was Bethany's. 

The thing with secret identities is that in order for then to work as part of the narrative there need's to be clues laid through the books to indicate that something may not be as it first appears. Hence why Jon has numerous hints along the way that he may have a hidden identity. And there are massive flaws in the story Varys tells about fAegon. And a lot of clues within the text which lead to the idea he may be a Blackfyre descendant, and that Varys may, in fact, be a Targaryen by blood.  

the thing with theory forming is that you need to have such hints and clues in the text in order for them to work with the story, as you are not writing your own story, you are trying to interpret someone else's. So you need to use their words which they wrote down to work it out. Not just make up your own ideas based on some technicality which doesn't actually point to anything. Especially not when the text does actually point to the obvious conclusion ie: that Domeric is the son of Bethany by Roose who was her husband. This is obvious because he squires for Bethany's sister and loves to ride, when she herself comes from the family who are famous for their horses.

 Now the sort of clue which would point to some secret identity would be if we were told something such as upon his death Lady Dustin was more grieved than she had been for both her sister and her lord husband combined, she wailed for weeks and could be heard sobbing in the night by her maids often. This kind of thing clues the reader into the possibility that she had a bigger emotional tie to the boy than just being his aunty.

Another idea of how to lead your reader towards wondering about Domeric's maternity would be to say that Bethany had spent the latter part of her pregnancy including the confinement period and birth; at her Sister's castle. Or that she had refused Rooses advances during her pregnancy. Never allowing him to see her disrobed. Or that Barbrey had been observed as being reclusive and spent a period of time shunning all visitors and never leaving her rooms. 

As without anything to go on but the technicality than no one in text names Bethany specifically as his mother you are forming no more of a theory than say that Satin is the bastard of Brandon and some Oldtown whore. Well!!!! it doesn't say anywhere in the text that he isn't? or name anyone else as his daddy. So this idea has as much basis as yours. 

 

[M_Tootles]

7 hours ago, The Weirwoods Eyes said:

some technicality

This speak volumes about your (mis)perception of what GRRM's doing in ASOIAF

 

7 hours ago, The Weirwoods Eyes said:

 

Especially not when the text does actually point to the obvious conclusion

Ditto. "The obvious conclusion", so I guess it MUST be true. No. Look with your eyes. Arya doesn't get Syrio's lesson, either (yet). It's ok.

 

7 hours ago, The Weirwoods Eyes said:

 Now the sort of clue which would point to some secret identity would be if we were told something such as upon his death Lady Dustin was more grieved than she had been for both her sister and her lord husband combined, she wailed for weeks and could be heard sobbing in the night by her maids often. This kind of thing clues the reader into the possibility that she had a bigger emotional tie to the boy than just being his aunty.

Yep. That would be a clue alright. In a children's book.

7 hours ago, The Weirwoods Eyes said:

Another idea of how to lead your reader towards wondering about Domeric's maternity would be to say that Bethany had spent the latter part of her pregnancy including the confinement period and birth; at her Sister's castle. Or that she had refused Rooses advances during her pregnancy. Never allowing him to see her disrobed. Or that Barbrey had been observed as being reclusive and spent a period of time shunning all visitors and never leaving her rooms. 

Again: yes, those would be "clues". Neon signs, even.

[M_Tootles]

16 hours ago, bent branch said:

It absolutely doesn't matter whether it is stated definitely that Domeric is Bethany's son. This is an issue that will never matter, because both Bethany and Domeric are dead. The author tells us that Domeric was Roose's true born son, that Bethany was Roose's wife, and that Barbrey fostered Domeric. All of this would indicate that Bethany was Domeric's mother.

If you could provide any reason what-so-ever for questioning this (i.e. what importance this could have to the story), then this might be important. Otherwise it is just a speculation that will never be answered or amount to anything.

Sure it does. It's a Chekhov's gun. House Dustin doesn't get a listing. Why? "True born son" doesn't indicate he's Bethany's son. It indicate he's Roose's son by a wife. Of which he had two pre-fat Walda. One of whom is pointedly not named. As the OP makes clear, Roose's verbiage oddly avoids any mention of a familial lesson between Dom and Bethany, despite having ample opportunity to do so, and despite it being a natural explanatory detail one might include when, y'know, EXPLAINING things, as Roose is doing to Theon.

Subsequent to the post I realized it was very, very important to the story (in a way I never dreamed of until it smacked me in the eyes). It's been worked into my Mother of Theories post/book I've been working on for the past year. Slid right into the slot I didn't realize was sitting there waiting for it.

[Jak Scaletongue]

22 hours ago, M_Tootles said:

 

 

What? Please point me to the spot in the text where it states Bethany is Domeric's mother. It doesn't. That's the point of the o.p.

 

Bethany being Dom's mother is an inference readers have made from the fact that Barbrey likes him. Nowhere does Roose or anyone else say Dom isn't the son of his first wife.

If you're just getting my point now, you plainly DIDN'T read the o.p.

I don't see how it matters.  We never even learned that Ned HAD a mother (besides the obvious - he clearly had to come out of *some* woman) let alone her name until TWOIAF.  Maybe it will turn out to be a plot point - or maybe GRRM just overlooked it and assumed everyone would figure it out with the context given.  He seemed damned surprised that people cared about knowing who Ned's mom was, even though she plays literally NO part in the story.  I'm putting this theory into the "GRRM forgot" until there's better proof than the author simply overlooking it. 

Basically, nowhere in the books does it even allude to Ned's mother.  Are we then to assume that Ned and his siblings grew out of the heart tree? Hell, even the Sept of Winterfell gets more mentions than Lyarra Stark.  What else are we to make of the complete absence of ANY mention of a previous Lady Stark before Catelyn?  We assume she was dead before the Rebellion started, but we don't even know THAT!  We assume Catelyn never met her, but how do we know she wasn't?  No one mentions her AT ALL. EVER.

Domeric *could* be the son of either the first or second wife - but I feel like GRRM just overlooked telling us *which* wife because Domeric's mother is completely irrelevant.  Domeric, even dead, has more bearing on Ramsay's story than either of his potential mothers.  All that WE, as readers, need to know is that Domeric came out of a woman who was married to Roose Bolton and then died 15ish years later - before the story even starts.  Which of the wives he came out of is irrelevant.

 

On that note, I'd certainly LIKE to be told who Domeric's mother is conclusively.  But I feel like that "reveal" is going to be of the underwhelming type we experienced when GRRM realized we gave a fuck about Ned's mom.

 

**I know it wasn't directed at me, but I would like to note that I *did* read the OP.  It's fishy, I'll admit, but I still think GRRM just overlooked it.  We thought the lack of Ned's mom being mentioned was fishy too, and that was completely irrelevant to anything in the current story (besides clarifying why there wasn't more Stark cousins running around - they closed up the family tree with a marriage between cousins).