I feel much better after using the facilities. I wasn’t lying about my need and the need had been quite pressing.
As I’m washing my hands, I consider that being chained via a collar is much more convenient than having cuffed hands. The snort laugh that escapes me, startles another laugh out of me. I am laughing alone in the bathroom like a maniac and Harry can probably hear me.
I pull myself together and walk back out to my bedchamber. Harry has set up the food on the small two-seater table by the window and he is sitting on one of the chairs. He is eating with me?
I take my seat and survey the salmon and asparagus pasta. Dinner, I guess? It’s alarming to realize how much I have lost track of time. It must be dinnertime, the same day we escaped from Hathbury House. It feels like I was chained alone in here for all eternity. It’s mind boggling to think that it has only been a few hours.
I’m going to truly lose my mind if Harry keeps me in here for any length of time. But he is dining with me, so maybe my captivity will not last for long.
“This is nice,” I say cautiously.
Harry looks pained. “It’s not my intention to make you suffer, Colby.”
I’m very glad to hear that. I flash him a smile and tuck into dinner. He has even poured some white wine. If I ignore the collar around my neck, this could be lovely. This will be lovely, because I am going to make it so.
“The weather has been lovely for this time of year,” I say.
Harry barks out a laugh. “You are full of surprises.”
“There is nothing surprising about wanting to enjoy a pleasant dinner with my husband,” I reply and I take a sip of my wine. It is delicious.
Harry is staring at me intently. I meet his gaze evenly. I have nothing to hide. The air between us thickens. He really is incredibly good looking. Thank heavens for arranged marriages because I never would have got someone like him to even look at me, let alone marry me, in the outside world.
“I can’t believe that anyone is as lovely as you appear to be,” he says softly, as if he thinks saying it out loud will cause it not to be true.
I shiver. Poor Harry. I’m not lovely. I’m just perfectly normal. It says a lot about the backstabbers and vipers he has in his life, if he thinks I’m special.
“I’m just too daft to be devious,” I say dismissively. “I’m not bright enough to have grand ambitions. All I have ever wanted is a husband, a mage to give my magic to.”
Harry’s look is considering. He is not rejecting my statement completely. Hopefully, he will see the truth of it.
“And I like you, Harry. A lot.”
He scoffs and looks embarrassed. As if he doesn’t know how to handle the compliment. To be fair, I’m not sure I would be able to either. But I hope he believes me.
“So, your friends thought I was mistreating you, came to rescue you and you knew nothing about it?” he asks and I can hear the disbelief in his voice.
“It’s true,” I say. “Garrington really hates you. Eban’s husband was awful, so he thinks all mages treat their vessels appallingly. Charlie was cruelly mistreated. That all clouded their judgment.”
Harry winces. “Eban has personal reasons to dislike me.”
I drop my fork. Eban’s husband used to share him out, I know that. Hyde is a close associate of Harry. I’ve just been burying my head in the sand by not connecting the dots before. Misery washes over me.
“I told you that I wasn’t a nice person,” Harry says sadly.
I take a deep breath. “Were you cruel? Did you hurt him? Scare him?”
“Not on purpose.”
He looks so sad. Truly remorseful.
“It’s not my crime to forgive,” I say carefully.
“I know,” he replies easily.
An uneasy silence falls between us. Steering the conversation away feels dismissive. Lingering on it seems unnecessary. My mood is plummeting into dark depths.
“I didn’t realize that he didn’t want to,” Harry says, almost desperately.
