Will lifted his head, surprise widening his eyes, revealing his deep haunted wounds. She had the feeling he was about to say no, that this was one place he went by himself.
“Please?”
Opening the door a crack, he hesitated. After a moment more, he reached for a cloak hanging from a peg on the back of the door and held it out to her. “Don this first.”
She smiled, crossed to him, and took it willingly.
He swung the door wide and waved her through. Once they were in the dark hallway lit by a single smoking sconce, he started ahead of her. Before he could move beyond her reach, she slipped her hand into his.
At her touch, his steps faltered. He glanced down at her hand, and for a second she wondered if she’d been too bold.
But then his fingers closed around hers more firmly, and she shoved aside the warning that she was allowing herself to become too invested. Surely becoming friends with this man wouldn’t hurt anyone, would it?
~ 19 ~
WILL’S HEART THRUMMED with a new feeling he couldn’t quite describe. All he knew was that his chest was filled with warmth and fullness and satisfaction like none he’d ever known.
Marian sat across from Phillip and Robert, her head bent over the chessboard, her expression intent. The glow from the hearth fire lit her pale complexion and highlighted the spark in her eyes, the one that said she took the game seriously and was determined to win.
Both sons had his dark hair and blue eyes, but Phillip was the stockier of the two. At eight, the boy was past ready for fostering out. In light of Alice’s death, Will had put off the move longer than he should have. Now, he had no more excuses and needed to make the arrangements soon, ere he left again for France.
After his sons had patiently explained the rules of chess to Marian, they’d taken turns playing with her. He was proud of how intelligent both of the boys were already. Every time they glanced his way at the head of the table, their young faces seemed to seek his approval. Even now, Phillip raised his brow at him, beseeching whether to allow his new mother to win the game or whether he should challenge her.
Will shook his head curtly. He sensed Marian would desire to win fairly or not at all. She’d caught on rapidly, and with enough practice she would soon beat Phillip in her own right.
Phillip nodded and then made his next move, one that took Marian’s queen. Marian caught her bottom lip between her teeth, an unconscious habit that sent heat to Will’s gut every time he witnessed it.
Her fingers tapped against her king. Her soft, graceful fingers. He could almost feel them twined with his. He’d not understood her gesture the first time she’d placed her hand in his. But when they’d knelt together in the chapel yesterday and she’d kept her hand wrapped with his, he’d taken comfort from her hold, felt somehow bolder with her by his side.
When he’d poured out his transgressions before the Almighty Father, the burden hadn’t weighed quite as heavily as usual. Upon rising from prayers, she’d squeezed his fingers. And when he looked down into her eyes, she smiled up at him, her beautiful eyes radiating acceptance and reassuring him that no matter what he’d done, the mistakes he’d made, she could see beyond them to the man he wanted to be.
After she dressed for the day and after they broke their fast, he gave her the tour of the house and grounds she wanted. She seemed to know her way around, almost as if she’d been there before. She even greeted the flowers in the garden like long-lost friends.
Upon her insistence, they watched his sons in their sword and jousting drills. At her encouragement, he joined the swordsmaster and was surprised to find how much he enjoyed training his boys and wondered why he’d never done so before.
She planned a noon fare in the garden—something she called a picnic—and invited Robert and Phillip to join them. The boys were as surprised as he was, but they weren’t able to resist her charm as she led them to a secluded and shaded section directly under a canopy of ivy.
As Will laid back on the blanket she’d spread on the ground, he watched her through half-lidded eyes. Her face was animated as she told the boys stories about ships that could sail in the sky and some that could even carry men all the way to the moon. He loved how she enthralled the boys, how she genuinely liked being with them and treated them like young men and not children.
She would be a good mother to his sons as well as the children they would conceive together. He held in an exasperated sigh at the thought of the promise he’d given her—that she could have five days to get to know him. Part of him didn’t understand why it should matter. They could still learn about each other even after they consummated their marriage, couldn’t they? They had their whole lives to learn about each other.
However, even as his irritation surfaced from time to time, he only had to think of Alice, of the separate lives they’d lived, of the distance he’d felt even when they were together. Already with Marian, in so short a span, a connection drew him like a wave to the shore.
Mayhap if he took the time to understand her over the next few days, they would share a closeness even when he was gone off to war, a bond that could foster fondness in both their hearts through the passing of time and distance.
This morn, she’d met him in the chapel for prayers again. Afterward, she needed only to smile up at him for his reserves to weaken so that he all too readily agreed to her request to spend another day with him. She wanted to observe Robert and Phillip’s lessons as their tutor worked them through arithmetic and science. Will hadn’t needed much prodding to oversee the tutor and ascertain his worth.
Throughout the morn, more than anything, he learned how well-educated Marian was, along with how much she relished explaining concepts to his sons. He found her intelligence fascinating and enjoyed observing her as much as he had his sons.
Even now, with the chessboard spread out on the table, he owned freely that he’d savored the time together more than he thought he would—not only with her, but with his sons. He couldn’t recall when he’d been with them for more than a few minutes at a time. They were shy around him, perhaps even afraid of him. And he’d decided earlier today, he’d avail every opportunity henceforth to show them they had naught to fear.
With a steady drizzle forcing them to remain inside, Marian hadn’t been daunted. She’d insisted on learning chess. Now as the rain pattered against the shutters and roof, the gentle rhythm filled the great hall.
“Checkmate,” Phillip said solemnly.
Marian studied each of her remaining pieces and then sighed. “Yes, you have beaten me.”
“’Tis only your first day, my lady.” Little Robert spoke as solemnly as his big brother. “With practice, you will improve.”
“Do you think so?” She leaned across the table and brushed back a stray strand of damp hair from Robert’s cheek.
“You are already much better at it than I was my first time.” Robert glanced at Will as though seeking approval for his answer. He nodded at the boy, whose chest puffed out with pleasure at Will’s acknowledgment.
Marian studied each of the boys before rising to her feet. “It’s my turn to teach you a game.”
They climbed off their bench, eagerness lighting their eyes.
“Have you heard of hide-and-seek?”