‘Yes.’
She did not react with happiness because she was too afraid she had misunderstood. ‘Does King Becket know?’
He laughed. Roul washed in sunlight was one thing. Roul washed in sunlight while laughing was everything. ‘Yes, he knows. It was his idea. He wants me to return and resume my duties in his army.’
‘He wants you to come back?’ Now the joy crept in, making her heart race and throat close. ‘Because you fought for him?’
‘Among other reasons.’
The reasons were not important at that moment. ‘Are you sure you heard him correctly?’
‘Quite sure.’ He leaned in and kissed her tear-soaked cheek. ‘Before I go, I’m going to call upon your uncle and tell him we’re getting married. And when I return, we’re going to have a wedding with both our families present.’
Eda covered her face with her hands.
Roul carefully placed his arm around her. ‘And this baby will grow up withtwoparents.’
Her hands fell away. ‘And two donkeys.’
He kissed her gently, then rested his forehead against hers. ‘And two pain-in-the-arse donkeys.’
EPILOGUE
Roul watched them from the trees behind the house. They were swimming in the river. Playing, shivering, laughing.
His wife.
His daughter.
They had called her Starla, because she most definitely belonged to the heavens. She was pure light, from her dimpled cheeks to her infectious laugh. And she was walking—far too soon. Still a month from her first birthday.
Eda lifted her from the water and placed her on her feet at the edge of the creek. Summer was coming to an end, and they had been treated to snatches of sunshine. The weather was changing—very slowly, but changing. And he thanked God for it each day, because he did not want his daughter to suffer as they had.
Moving quietly between the trees, he made his way to the other side of the house, the one they had built by the creek in Eda’s favourite spot. In his hand was a wooden sword.
As though sensing him, Eda stilled and looked in his direction. Her eyes swept over the trees, but she did not spot him.
‘Starla,’ she said, turning their dripping daughter around and pointing to the trees. ‘I sense danger in the forest. I think Mama needs to get her sword.’
The tiny girl managed a smile despite the thumb jammed in her mouth. This was her favourite game.
Roul waited for Eda to retrieve her weapon before emerging from his hiding place. Starla jumped, then squealed, then began running in circles, cheeks bulging and laughter ringing in the air. Eda’s playful eyes went to him, and then she attacked. They sparred for a few minutes, until Roul fell to the ground and surrendered. Starla came for him then, legs wobbling beneath her. She ran straight into his open arms. He lifted her high, anything to see those dimples again.
Eda disappeared into the house to fetch towels. Then the three of them sat in the fading sun eating the blackberries the girls had picked earlier.
Yes, there were berries that summer.
‘How was your day?’ Eda asked, pushing wet hair back from her face.
He loved her that way: wearing only a chemise that was see-through when wet, hair out and dripping, her skin cold and flushed.
What had she asked him?
She looked down at herself. ‘Don’t worry. I’m planning on dressing for dinner.’
‘Maybe we could eat here tonight.’
A knowing smile spread across her face. ‘Absolutely not. That would require me to cook.’
