“You did all that you could do.” Christopher was sitting beside her, and he rested a hand on her leg. It was not done stiffly or awkwardly, and it brought with it a sense of comfort that Rose desperately needed. “Your father has promised not to make any decisions until the two of you have had time to talk. Lady Marianne has promised not to do anything rash. It is as good a scenario as could be hoped for, all things considered.”
“You’re right,” Rose sighed, knowing it to be true. “I just wish that Father would not be so stubborn.”
“Now I know where you get it from.”
Rose narrowed her eyes at Christopher, but she did not try to stop herself from smiling. It was more common now, her husband making jokes, even laughing when the moment suited him. Further signs of what was happening between them.
“Speaking of being stubborn…” Christopher cleared his throat and shifted awkwardly. “There is something I wanted to speak to you about.”
“Oh?”
“Last night, when I told you about…” He swallowed. “About my childhood. It made me realize something.”
“And that something is?”
He smiled, and it didn’t look forced. “That I have been running away from my past for too long. Or perhaps just ignoring it. You are my wife, and it feels wrong that you have yet to meet the only family member of mine who is still alive. And it feels worse that until right now, I have not seen this as an issue.”
Rose frowned at Christopher, surprised by this admission. Their conversation last night, while brief, had been a huge step forward for the two of them, and she was taken aback by the fact that Christopher clearly felt the same way.
Once again, it told her that he was trying. That he was starting to admit to himself what this relationship was turning into. That hewantedit to be more.
She beamed. “Are you saying what I think you are saying?”
“I would like for you to meet my aunt,” he said with a firm nod, no doubt confirming the statement within himself. “When we arrive home, I will write to her and see about organizing a day for us to meet.”
“Christopher…” Rose took his hand. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”
“I do want to,” he assured her. It did not sound like he meant it; he was still unsure if this was the right thing. But that he was willing to try meant everything. “And I know that she would want to meet you, too.”
“Thank you,” Rose said to him. “I know how hard this is for you.”
He shrugged. “It is not nearly as hard as I am making it out to be.”
Which only makes all this all the stranger. Why did it take so long for us to meet? What is he hiding? Or is it just a case of the two of them no longer being close?
Rose could not say the reason, just that she knew it was significant. She decided not to press Christopher on the details, just happy that he was taking the initiative all on his own. That he was… it meant more to Rose than she could put into words.
The following couple of days were a noticeable improvement on those that preceded it. They started spending more time together during the day and even in the evening. They no longer avoided one another or only spent time together when working. One time, Christopher invited Rose to spend time with him while he busied himself in his private garden sanctuary. They spoke more openly and honestly than ever before, and Christopher’s walls started to come down. and now
Seeing him smile and even laugh was no longer such a huge thing as it had once been, and Rose was no longer hesitant in laughing and smiling around him either.
It was a slow process. It was a step-by-step journey. But the path they walked was the right one, and that was what mattered most.
As for Rose? She found it strange how excited she was to see where this path was taking them. Once, she had been adamantly against marriage, thinking it a waste of time and not something she would ever want. But now…I am starting to see what all the fuss is about. Dammit, I am starting to enjoy married life, and who I am married to.
And yes, all of this was thanks to her husband, a changed man from when they had first met, and a better man because of it.
For that reason, when the time came for them to attend Christopher’s aunt’s home for supper, Rose was looking forward to it. And not just because it was a chance to spend more time with her husband, but because it was a chance to learn more about him.
She reminded herself to be careful, however. No doubt there would be questions asked, and mysteries solved. But she had to be sure not to push too hard, and to keep an eye on Christopher for when he grew uncomfortable and irate.
Mostly, this was about peeling back those layers that he hid behind, learning who he was by where he had come from, and strengthening this relationship beyond what it already was.
Tonight may very well make or break our marriage. And is it so wrong that the idea of it breaking our marriage terrifies me? No, I don’t think that it is.
They arrived at Lady Honora Kingswell’s estate shortly after dusk. It was a short carriage ride, far closer than Rose hadrealized, and she and Christopher held hands for the entire journey. When they stepped from the carriage, he was first out, and he helped her down, then kept a hold of her hand as he led her toward the door.
“I feel I must warn you about my aunt,” he explained as they approached the front door. “Before we meet her.”
