“Because I’m the reason they lost their child.”
He tugs me forwards, leading me inside. Abel’s father glares at me but smiles at Silas. “Are you eating in?” he asks, and I frown. I’ve never been invited to eat in, and I’m surprised when Silas leads me through a door into a café area. I recognise two wives from the other families, and they smile in Silas’s direction.
We’re seated and brought coffees. “Don’t slouch,” he murmurs, his lips hardly moving.
I sit straighter. “Sorry, I’m nervous.”
“There is no need to be.”
“You put a lot of pressure on me,” I whisper, and he almost smiles. “I have to be on my best behaviour, remember?”
“Are you happy with the clothes?” he asks, stirring his drink, and I nod. “Words, Wynter.”
“Yes, Silas, thank you so much.”
He grins. “You like sarcasm.”
I shake my head, worried I’ve annoyed him after spending a nice hour in his company. For a while, I almost forgot who he was and how much I hate him. “I’m being genuine.”
He nods. “I’m glad you like them. When you’re happy, there’s a light in your eyes,” he says, hooking a finger under my chin and tipping my head up to meet his gaze. “You’re very beautiful.” I’ve never really had a man compliment me, and I blush. “Eyes greener than the ocean.”
I smile. “I’ve never seen the ocean. Isn’t it blue?”
He thinks for a moment before adding, “It appears blue, but from above, there are definitely green areas too. Maybe one day I could take you?”
My heart skips a beat. The thought of leaving the village thrills me, and I have to take a breath to calm myself. He grins wider. “You like that idea?”
I shrug, acting casual. “I’ve never thought about being outside, but I think I’d be safe with you.”
My praise works, and he tries to hide the smile as he takes a sip of his coffee.
Clara, Adrian’s wife, approaches. “Silas,” she greets, “is Ava not well?”
He places his cup down and stares until she wilts slightly. “She’s helping Pearl get ready for this evening.”
“Of course. We’re very excited for you all.”
“I’m sure you remember Wynter,” he continues. She eyes me warily. “She’s my wife now, too.”
“Oh, I wasn’t aware.”
“Were you supposed to be informed?” he asks, arching a brow.
She smiles, stepping back. “I’ll leave you to your coffee.”
He rolls his eyes as she scuttles off back to her friend, probably to gossip. “Nightwear,” he announces, standing. I jump up, surprised by his sudden outburst. “You need better nightwear.”
We go into the third clothes shop, the one we didn’t visit yesterday. I gasp at the full wall of underwear. There’s not one item made of white cotton in sight. As we pass, he selects a few pieces, and when we reach nightwear, it’s mostly like the slip Ava wore. He sighs. “I was hoping for something different.” The assistant smiles knowingly and leads us out back. She opens afew boxes, and Silas roots through, pulling out the things he likes, which mainly consist of silk but in different styles.
“We also need shoes,” he tells her. “Heels.”
I stare at the red heels held out in front of me. “Try them,” the assistant says, plopping them on the ground. I kick off my canvas flats and slip them on, wincing at the way they squeeze my feet. I wobble, grabbing her arm to steady myself, and Silas grins. “You’ve never worn heels?” I shake my head. “You can practise when we get home.” He turns to the assistant. “We’ll take them in red and black.”
By the time we get home, I’m exhausted. Silas leads me to the bedroom and dumps the bags on the bed. Ava appears from the bathroom, eyeing the bags in annoyance. “Just the person,” says Silas. “Help Wynter practise walking in those things,” he says, pointing to the shoe boxes, and then he leaves. I sit on the edge of the bed, slip off my shoes, and rub my feet.
“He’s smiling,” she mutters, lifting the lid from the box and arching a brow. “Red.”
“He chose them,” I utter.
