“I believe it came from you,” she continued. “Or rather, from losing you for one single day.”
“That cannot be true. That is far too little time, and?—”
“You underestimate the power you hold as his wife. In the face of difficulty, you have remained, but you were not passive. You have questioned him when others would have retreated. You have not accepted his distance as permanence. That must have meant something to him.”
Adelaide looked down at her hands. She had told her friends about Cassian’s outburst and everything that had followed, and they had all looked at each other as though it were a good sign.
“I have only ever wanted honesty from him.”
“And in wanting it,” Cecilia said gently, “you have asked him to confront himself. He did not like it, but given some time, he will have found clarity. It would seem that is what he needed.”
The thought settled heavily.
Adelaide had not considered herself capable of such influence. She had believed herself merely persistent, perhaps even inconvenient. But even then, she had not thought that any good could come of it.
“I do not mean to change him,” she said quietly.
“Of course you do,” Cecilia replied, grinning. “All younger men can benefit from a few changes, and he is no exception. It is not bad for you to guide him in that direction.”
Across the room, Adelaide could hear footsteps again. Cassian’s voice came, and something in her chest tightened in response.
If her friends were right, then the ease she had glimpsed in him was not going to leave him.
It was precisely what she had wanted since their wedding day.
“So,” Cassian announced when he entered, “I have decided on an activity for us to partake in today.”
Everyone turned to him and saw that he was smiling.
Adelaide saw the faintest spark of mischief in his eyes, and though she did not know for certain where it had come from, she liked it immensely.
“We shall play pall mall,” he continued. “The weather is pleasant, and I have not played it in a long time.”
Cloaks were fetched, gloves retrieved, and within minutes, they had made their way onto the lawn, where the long grass had been trimmed and the iron hoops already stood in place. Cassian had known that they would all gladly engage, and that was where he had been.
They each took a mallet, and the game began. Without making any particular effort, Adelaide found herself beside her husband, and there was a subtle change between them that she liked a great deal.
“So, you have not played in a long time,” she noted.
He glanced at her, then back at the mallet. “Not in years. I thought it best that I chose something I had not played in a long time, for it would be unfair of me to suggest a game I would excel at.”
“Then I shall thank you for the advantage.”
The game began. Owen struck first and sent his ball veering wildly off course, earning groans and laughter in equal measure. Cecilia followed with careful precision, while Leonard offered unsolicited commentary that she ignored entirely.
Adelaide waited for her turn, watching the way Cassian studied the field. He seemed more at ease than earlier, his attentionfixed outward for a change. When his turn came, he adjusted his stance, hesitated, then struck. The ball rolled forward cleanly, passing through the first hoop with ease.
Adelaide laughed despite herself, and it surprised her how easily the sound came. They moved down the lawn together, the order shifting with each successful strike. At one point, Adelaide’s ball came to rest directly in front of Cassian’s.
“You may knock it aside,” he said, stepping back.
“I am aware,” she replied. “And it is most tempting, but I will not.”
She struck at an angle, sending her ball arcing neatly around his. Cassian watched the motion closely, admiration flickering across his face before he looked away.
As the game progressed, the others drifted ahead and behind, conversation splintering into pairs and trios. Adelaide found herself walking beside her husband more often than not.
“You enjoy this, yes?” she asked after a while.
