“I can’t wait,” Liliana said, taking Sophia’s hand.
Sophia looked back at him with a smile as she followed his mother and sister into the manor. He let her go, knowing she was in capable hands.
He had something he needed to say without her hearing it.
“I want to marry her,” he told his father and brother as soon as they were safely away. “I wanted to marry her before I knew, but now that this has happened, she needs my help.”
“You should talk to your mother about that,” his father said. “That’s her domain.”
“I wasn’t asking for advice about marriage,” Caspian said. “I was wondering if you had any advice on helping her rebuild her estate. The mansion in Riyel looked as if it had been stripped of most of its decor, and there were barely any servants. I’m assuming any other properties will have issues, too.”
“We’ll look over the books,” his father promised.
“And you know we’ll be here to help with anything,” Kellan said.
“It’s not like you’ve got any pressing needs of your own to take care of,” Lord Rendon told his oldest son, narrowing his eyes.
“I’ll find a wife when I’m ready,” Kellan said. “How did this get turned on me? Caspian’s the one who wants to marry a newly found lady whose estates are most likely in poor shape.”
“And Gideon likes to disappear for days or weeks at a time,” Caspian pointed out helpfully.
His father sighed. “Gideon is a problem I’ll have to deal with. But first, you two.”
“First, Caspian,” Kellan said firmly.
“Yes, please,” Caspian said with a grin. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to go find Sophia and make sure Mother isn’t scaring her.”
“She’ll have to get used to Mother if you marry her,” Kellan pointed out as Caspian hurried toward the house, ignoring his brother’s helpful advice.
Yes, she would have to get used to his mother, but he truthfully wasn’t worried about it.
He was worried about making sure she knew he would be there for her, no matter what.
He had to bide his time, waiting through dinner and an evening in the sitting room with his family, discussing everything that had changed. But once his mother had sent Liliana to bed, he stood and snagged Sophia’s hand. “Come walk with me?” he asked, and he was rewarded with a smile.
“Always,” she said.
“Goodnight,” his mother said with a knowing smile as he towed Sophia out of the room.
“Goodnight, Mother,” he called back.
He led the way out of the manor into the courtyard. The darkness hugged them as a cool breeze blew past. Sophia instinctively moved closer to him, and he wrapped his arm around her waist as she shivered.
“I should have brought my cloak,” she said lightly as they made their way to the same fence where they’d sat under the stars not that long ago.
“I’ll keep you warm,” he said, pulling her to a stop and pulling her into his arms.
“You are good at that,” she said. He could hear the smile in her voice as she buried her face in his chest. “I’ll keep you around, if only so my nose isn’t cold ever again.”
Caspian laughed as she made a show of rubbing her nose against his shirt. “Well, you’re the perfect height for me.”
She looked up at him with a twinkle in her eyes. “No, I’m far too short. It’s rather convenient for cold noses, however.”
“I see, you only keep me around because I’m convenient,” he teased.
“No,” she said, her voice turning serious. “You’re more than convenient, Caspian. You’re perfect for me, and I hope you know how much I love you.”
“Even if your title is better than mine now?” he asked as he leaned down and dropped a kiss on her hair.
