I would have liked to roll my eyes and announce that he could sleep on the floor if he didn’t care for any of the options...but I vividly remembered that moment, this afternoon, when I’d been so dreadfully certain of his death under my care. He’d spent that very same time arguing in the woods for Wrexham’s life...so I could put up with his requirements a little longer now.
When an appropriate compromise had been painfully hammered out at last and the last of the stragglers had been collected, my students and my professor of weather wizardry all finally settled in around the long table, laughing, talking, debating, eating cold chicken and drinking Miss Birch’s special hot, mulled cider, with spices that floated gorgeously through the air.
I let out a long breath of relief—and turned to where Amy waited for me, smiling, by the door.
Lady Cosgrave had chosen to take her own supper in her room that night, as had Miss Fennell, for understandable reasons. Not only was she grieving for her cousin, but her own political situation had just become infinitely more precarious. The secret of her betrothal would have to be kept a little longer, even here within the walls of Thornfell.
Jonathan, who never liked to be away from baby Miranda for long, had already gone home to confirm that all was well, while Wrexham had scooped up a plate of cold chicken and left for our room immediately after overseeing the careful bandaging of my wounds.
So Amy and I were left entirely alone as we walked, arm-in-arm, through the maze of dimly lit green-and-gold rooms that we had decorated, clocks ticking as we passed them on our way to the front door.
“Finally,” I said, as I squeezed her arm close. “Finally! Iknewyou would be a member of the Boudiccate one day, no matter how many years it took.”
“Of course you did.” My sister-in-law gave me a sidelong grin, her usual serene façade breaking into an expression of dazzling mischief. “Don’t Harwoods always get what we fight for...together?”
“Always.” The truth of it surged up inside me. I had to swallow hard before I could speak again. “We willalwaysfight together, no matter what. I promise you, Amy—I won’t shut you out of any of my battles again. Not ever.”
She let out a small sigh, squeezing my arm in warm return. “But I won’t be here to help you after all! When I step into the Boudiccate and take on all of those duties, with so much travel around the country—”
“You’ll still be a vital part of this school, no matter where you are,” I told her. “You can be our official patroness, if you like, with an intimidating portrait hanging in our front hall to glower at any interlopers from now on. Can you even imagine us having a member of theBoudiccateas Thornfell’s own patroness?”
“Well,” said Amy lightly, “I suppose, if you promise not to use that truly dreadful portrait of me in red just to tease me...”
I didn’t miss the tell-tale glitter of a tear in her eye as she looked quickly away from me, trying to hide it. “Yes,” she finished softly, “I would like that, actually.”
I leaned my head into her shoulder, slipping one arm around her soft waist. “Don’t you know I’ll be writing to you every day, asking for your opinion on everything I do? As always?”
“Oh, I know it,” she said firmly, “because if you don’t...!” Smiling ruefully, she swiped one strong brown hand across her eyes and gathered me in for a tight hug as we reached the foyer. “I’m proud of you, too,” she whispered into my hair. “Now go be happy for a night. You’ve been working long enough for it!”
I waved her off as she disappeared down the long, familiar path to Harwood House and my first home. Then I turned.
I’d barely slept in ten days. I hadn’t eaten a single bite of supper.
And there was only one place in the world that I wanted to be right now.
I gathered up my skirts and ran like a giddy girl, leaping up the public staircase two steps at a time. I skidded to a halt outside my bedroom door—
Just as Wrexham yanked it open from the inside, his black hair mussed and his face alight with happiness. “IthoughtI heard you coming,” he told me—and scooped me up into his arms.
I wrapped my arms and legs around him and let the door fall shut to the sound of our mingled laughter.
As we tumbled together onto the big bed, I reached out to trace his smooth, lemon-scented cheeks wonderingly. “You’ve shaved!”
“Of course I did.” He stroked my face, mirroring my action. “Isn’t it our wedding night? At last?”
“At last.” Melting, I leaned in for a kiss...then caught myself and pulled back just before our lips touched. “Wait!”
A groan of pure anguish ripped from his mouth. “What?Why?”
“Shh.” I propped myself up on one elbow to look down at him. I had important things to say before I could allow myself to be distracted. “There aresome people,” I told him carefully, “who think that I can be a tad...dictatorial from time to time when I’m making decisions for your sake. And...somepeople have pointed out that I don’t always take the time toaskyou what you actually want before I do it.”
His eyes narrowed; one long, clever finger trailed distractingly down my neck, slipping gently beneath the edge of my bodice. “Harwood, if you imagine I don’t want this...”
I captured that dangerous, stray finger and held it. “Wrexham,” I said, “I have an idea to solve all of our problems—with your careerandwith our marriage, to bring us more time together. But I don’t want to tell you what to do. So I need to ask first: what doyouwant next? Truly? Without worrying about what I need.”
My husband’s dark eyebrows arched as he watched me for a long moment in silence. Then he said slowly, “Other peoplehavesaid, from time to time, that I have a tendency to keep too many of my own thoughts private. So...you can hardly be blamed for not knowing what I’m thinking, if I’ve never said the words out loud.”
“But Iwantto know,” I said, “and it’s safe to tell me. Truly.”
