Roul’s family lived in the Suttones’ old house in the merchant borough. Birtle’s idea. He was getting too old to manage the shop solo and had reached a point where it was no longer practical for him to live alone there.
‘Birtle can move to Wright House,’ Harlan had said without hesitation. ‘And the Thornton family have a ready-made business waiting for them.’
The women had all agreed to gift the business to Roul’s family, who were starting from scratch. Roul had initially insisted on buying the business, paying it off in small increments, but then Harlan pointed out that it was a family business, and he was now family.
Eda paused on the stairs on her way down, looking out at the room below her. She normally despised social gatherings, but these were her people. Scarred and experienced in the art of suffering. Soldiers, like her.
A knock at the front door had Eda descending. ‘I’ll get it.’
It was her aunt and cousin. Her uncle had once again, much to everyone’s relief, declined the invitation.
‘Where’s Edmund?’ Eda asked Kendra as she kissed her cheek.
Lady Kendra had recently married a very rich lord in his forties who needed an heir for his estate. Once it became clear to Thomas that King Becket had no interest in marriage at present, and with Kendra ‘now in the latter part of her prime’—her father’s words—he had agreed to the match. Her cousin described the man as kind and wealthy, but focused more on the wealthy part when socialising in noble circles. The lord was always polite when the families crossed paths and never stopped Kendra from visiting Wright House, but he came from a long line of noble snobs. He too declined any invitations that came his way.
‘He issobusy at present,’ Kendra said, making unnecessary excuses for his absence. ‘However, he sends his regards.’
Eda suppressed a smile. ‘How nice.’
After dinner, Harlan built a fire outside. The children ran around with Garlic and the goats while the adults enjoyed their blackberry wine beneath a starry sky. Birtle brought his lute out and played softly amid the hum of conversation.
‘Father said the removal of the wall would be acompletedisaster,’ Kendra was saying to Roul. ‘Though he has been oddly silent on the subject since it came down. It seems the wave of crime he predicted did not come to fruition.’
When King Becket had announced he would be removing the wall that separated merchants and nobility, the entire kingdom had spoken of nothing else. Everyone prayed it would go well, and it had—mostly. There would always be a few who would take advantage of the situation, because there would always be desperate people. But according to King Becket, that was not a good enough reason to keep them separate.
‘So long as the farming borough wall remains in place, all will be well,’ Lady Victoria said.
Clive spoke up at that. ‘The gate’s permanently open now. People are free to move between the boroughs.’
‘But they have the ability to close the area off, should the need arise,’ Wilona said, smiling at Victoria.
They spoke like merchants now, like they belonged. It warmed Eda’s heart to see how well the family had settled in. Odella was even courting a young farmer Lyndal had introduced her to.
‘Now we just need to find Presley a husband,’ Lyndal had said loudly when she had shared the news, ensuring her sister-in-law heard.
Presley insisted she had no interest in marrying, despite reports of flirtatious behaviour with a certain butcher who regularly visited the farm.
‘Ready?’ Roul asked, stopping in front of Eda.
She passed their sleeping daughter up to him, then rose, bidding everyone goodnight before going to check on the new foal. Mother and baby were doing splendidly. Basil not so much.
‘You’ll survive a few days,’ Eda reassured him before they left.
The three of them disappeared into the quiet of the trees. The area was so familiar to them now that they easily navigated their way home in the dark.
Once they had tucked Starla into bed, they grabbed some blankets and went to sit by the creek with their own private bottle of wine.
‘Your family seem happy,’ Eda said, resting her head on Roul’s shoulder. ‘In fact, everyone appeared in good spirits tonight.’
Roul did not reply straight away. ‘I always feel a bit nervous when things are going too well. Is that strange?’
‘Why do you think I resumed training? I’m not used to this pleasant, easy existence. I’m always bracing for the next traumatic event.’
He drew her closer. ‘But you’re happy?’
‘So happy—and terrified of it all being taken away.’
He kissed the top of her head. ‘I won’t let anyone take it away.’
