Six months had passed since the most terrifying night of Adelaide’s life, and everything had changed.
It was quiet outside that morning. Adelaide shifted beneath the warm covers, her eyes blinking open to find Cassian sitting on the edge of the bed, staring out the window.
He turned at the sound of her stirring and smiled. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” she croaked, stretching gently.
Since the incident with Hargrave, he had refused to let her sleep alone. He needed to be by her side to protect her, and rather than feeling smothered by it, she enjoyed it more than anything else in the world. She reveled in the feel of his strong arms around her, as though nothing could ever touch her again.
“I cannot remember the last morning we spent like this,” he murmured. “We have had so much to do of late.”
“I know, all the teas and state visits and meetings with landlords. I do not know how we do it.”
He laughed quietly, the sound low and fond. “I know that we are fortunate. I will never deny that. Regardless, I am grateful for these quiet moments, where it is only you and me.”
“As am I. However, you might not like what I have to suggest, especially if you were hoping for a quiet day.”
He grumbled in jest, chuckling under his breath as he lay back in bed. “You may try to persuade me if you wish.”
“I do,” she said tentatively. “I think that it is time for us to repair our home.”
Adelaide had wanted to ask him for weeks. They had still not made any changes since the fire. All that had happened was that her belongings had been moved into Cassian’s room, and she had slept in there ever since. She did not want that to change, but a large part of her also longed to have a finished home.
Cassian chuckled, reaching for her hand. “I know this is what you have wanted for some time. We will do it together.”
She smiled at the offer.
He hardly ever refused her a thing, and it worked for them. For if he did say no to her, she would know that it was for a good reason and would not question him. In the past six months, she had allowed herself to trust him, and he had proven himself in return.
They dressed for the day, broke their fast, and then went to the west wing. Adelaide hesitated when she reached it, remembering what had happened the last time she had been there. But things had changed since then.
Cassian gave her hand a comforting squeeze. “I know,” he said softly. “I know. It will be difficult at times, but we can do it. You and I faced a criminal. We can face a hallway.”
She giggled, her nerves settling.
They stepped into the hallway, and Adelaide looked at the blackened marks that stretched along it.
A foreman approached and checked different parts of the wing, before coming back to them. Adelaide knew that he would find several things to change, so when he returned looking uncertain, she thought nothing of it.
“We will need to replace most of it,” he declared. “You see, if we cover the charred parts, it might cause trouble later. It is best that we fix everything now.”
Cassian nodded. “Of course. If you deem it in need of replacement, then you need not ask my permission.”
The foreman left, satisfied.
Cassian looked around. His gaze lingered on the ceiling for a moment, and Adelaide followed it. She did not ask him what he was thinking, for she already knew.
He was wondering what they were going to do with it all, how they would make it look now that they were the ones in control.
She was thinking the same, though she knew that she was going to let her husband decide what they would do. After so many years of him not being able to look at that part of the house, he deserved to make it his own.
Not only that, but she had something else on her mind.
For the past month, she had felt different. It was not sudden. Instead, it was a creeping feeling that something had changed. At first, she had simply thought it was stress, but then the feeling grew stronger.
In the last week, she realized what it was.
She wondered if Cassian had sensed the change too, and if that was why he wanted to repair the house. To her knowledge, he did not know a thing about it. But then he had softened so much that it was possible that he had sensed it.
