Penny’s fussing became a more insistent cry, and I tore my eyes away for my husband to go get her. Usually, I carried her to the nursery, and sat there rocking her when she woke at dawn. This morning, I climbed back in bed, cradling her carefully in my arms as I propped myself against the headboard and brought her to nurse.
Smith rolled to his side, watching me without comment. But it was clear something was on his mind.
“Out with it, Price.”
“I was just thinking how beautiful you two are. I can’t believe we made that.” His voice held the familiar note of awe that it always did when he spoke of Penny, and for the first time in as long as I could remember, it filled me with joy. Maybe the medicine was finally working. Maybe things were getting better. Maybe the worst was behind us.
“Oh no,” I whispered, realizing that I’d been too distracted last night to think to take it. “I forget to take my pill.”
“Does that mean we get another one of these?” He asked with a smirk. “Because I’m game.”
“Not that pill,” I said dryly. Of course, if things were going in the direction they were last night, I would need to start that back up again sooner rather than later. Smith might be ready for round two, but I needed a little more time.
He mistook my thoughtfulness for something else. “We don’t have to have more.”
“What?” I asked absently. Then I realized what he meant. “Oh. No, I was thinking about something else. Although, if I’m being honest, I think we should wait a while.”
“We’ll do whatever you need,” he promised. He leaned down to brush a kiss over the downy hair on Penny’s head before doing the same to the back of my hand. “I’ll go get you medicine.”
He jumped out of bed, and I found myself admiring his tight ass as he headed into the bathroom to find it.
“Take your time,” I called. “I’m enjoying the view.”
When he brought my medication to me, he paused his hand cupping my chin to direct my eyes to his. He didn’t say anything, he just stared before turning away. But I’d seen it there—all the pain, all the uncertainty, all the hope. He’d been with me the whole time. He was as constant as the stars he’d shown me last night. I only had to remember to look and I would find him.
Everything felt new this morning. It had snowed. I discovered Edward downstairs, busily following along as Mrs. Winters barked instructions, and looking more stressed than I’d ever seen him.
“We were trying to beat you out of bed,” he said. “I wanted to make you breakfast.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I attempted to peek into the bowl he was stirring.
“I won’t let him poison you,” Mrs. Winters said seriously. Something about her tone suggested she was actually afraid he might do this. He couldn’t be that bad of a cook, could he? But just as I thought this, he followed her instruction to crack an egg into the bowl, dropping the yolk, white, and the shell.
Nevermind.
“I think I’m going to go for a walk. Smith has Penny,” I told them.
“When you come back I’ll make you your tea, and you’ll have a spot of breakfast,” Mrs. Winters said brusquely. I could never be sure if she liked me, but I couldn’t doubt that she was taking care of me. And really, what more did I need? Mrs. Winters elbowed Edward. “Why don’t you go with her, love? I’ll finish this up.”
Edward looked gutted to be dismissed from the kitchen before his coup de grace, but he followed me to the back mud room. Grabbing a spare jacket Smith kept on the hook rather than running upstairs to get his own. We trudged along the back half of the property. There was still so much of the grounds that I hadn’t explored yet. I recalled what Dr. Stanton had said about a lake. Or was it a pond? I didn’t even know.
“Which way?” Edward asked, his hands buried in his pocket and his shoulders shrugged up towards his ears to protect against the cold.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I laughed as I realized his nose was already turning red from the chill.
“Are you kidding? I love snow. About the most fun we had as kids was going to Scotland for Christmas. There was always snow and everyone was a little drunk, so we could spend all day playing. I don’t know how we all still have our fingers and toes,” he confessed.
It was one of the first times he’d spoken so lovingly of his family since he came here. Still, I didn’t want to press my luck so I let the conversation naturally segue into other topics, hoping it was a good sign that he hadn’t immediately started thinking of his troubled relationship with his brother. Sometimes love took time, I realized. Sometimes it wasn’t easy. It was important to remember that the unconditional kind—the type of love everyone wanted—didn’t mean flawless. It just meant it was worth it.
“I think there’s a shed back around here somewhere or maybe it’s a horse barn. I don’t know I lost track of all the outbuildings,” I admitted to him.
“You’ve been hanging around my family too long if you can’t remember what property you own anymore,” he teased.
“I was hugely pregnant when we bought it, and Smith wouldn’t allow me to go too far out on the grounds. He was worried I’d overexert myself.”
“He didn’t seem very worried about that last night, judging from the sound of it.”
I gave him a sly grin. “You heard that, huh?”
“They heard that in London, honey,” he told me. “I’m just glad you two are working through it.”
“I think we have you to thank for that,” I said. Edward had come along at just the right time. Maybe it was coincidence, maybe my medication was finally starting to take effect, but I couldn’t help but feel lighter with him here. He was a reminder of everything that we’d left behind in London. As long as he was here, everything would be okay.
“You think there’s a sled in these stables?” he asked.
“It’s worth looking.”
But we’d only gotten a few meters away, when Rowan came trudging up from the grounds, a large shovel in his hands.
“Where are you two going?” he asked, coming to a stop.
I hadn’t had much contact with the groundskeeper. He spent all of his time outside, which made sense. He seemed respectful of Smith, but not very interested in people. I guess that’s why he was good with plants. But I didn’t honestly know what all he was working on. I looked at the shovel.
“Just out for a walk,” I said. “I heard there was a pond.”
“The pond is the other way, ma’am,” he said, chewing on each word. “I’m in the middle of a project this way, and I’d thank you to leave it be until I’m finished. It’s no place for a lady.”
I was temporarily stunned. I opened my mouth, about to ask him how he dared tell me where to go on my own land when Edward grabbed my hand and tugged me in the other direction
“Let’s go find that pond.”
Rowan yelled behind us. “That pond may look frozen, but it’s not been cold enough. Don’t go walking on it!”
"I had no idea he was so bossy,” I muttered to Edward, “or rude or sexist.”