“Here…” he grumbled as he crouched down beside her. “You need to…” He reached for the blocks.
“What are you doing?” Olivia asked.
“Hopefully showing you how to properly build a castle.”
“Like this one?” she asked hopefully.
“Better than this one,” he said as he started to position the blocks. “This castle is old… like me. You should build something more like yourself.”
“What do you mean?”
“Young,” he said. “Colorful. Better.”
Thalia found that she was holding her breath, not willing to make so much as a noise. But she could hear her heart thumping as the duke helped her daughter build what looked like a castle… almost. Really, it was just a series of blocks lined up in a row, more stacked on top, a large triangle with walls around it. And she noticed too that the duke’s hands were shaking, determined as he was not to look at Olivia who was watching on in rapture.
“There…” he said once he was finished. “You see how I used the bigger ones for the base? So that they can hold the weight of these…” He gestured to the smaller blocks on top.
Olivia scrunched her face. “I… I think so.”
“Do you want to try?” He dared to look at her finally, almost as if he was afraid of what she might say.
“But what if… what if… what if it’s windy?” A wicked smile flashed behind Olivia’s eyes and Thalia’s body turned rigid because she knew what was about to happen.
“Windy?” Ronan frowned. “Inside, I think?—”
“Argh!” Olivia cried out and swung her hands into the castle, knocking the blocks down. “A storm! A storm broke it!”
Thalia gasped as the blocks tumbled. Olivia giggled wildly, positively delighted by herself. Ronan said nothing, at first; his expression hardened, clearly not understanding what had happened or what he should do.
And then, the strangest of things occurred. He laughed.
It was not loud and gay. It wasn’t wild, unbridled laughter. It was a deep rumble breaking from his chest, a sound that was awkward, and looked to be as strange for him to do as it was for Thalia to hear.
I would not be surprised to learn that he has not laughed in some time. I wonder if he even knew how to do so before this very moment.
Olivia laughed loudly. “Again! Build it again!”
“So that you can knock it down?” he scoffed. “I don’t think so.” He sighed and stood back to his feet. “But now that you know how, I think you can do it yourself.”
“I will!” Olivia said, snatching at the blocks. “Thank you.”
“You are welcome.” Ronan turned to leave when Olivia called out to him again.
“You’re not staying? I want you to see!”
“Next time,” he told her. “Once you build one strong enough to stay up during storms.” He was smiling. It was soft and unsure, but it suited him. Even the scar on his face didn’t seem so scary or out of place.
“You better!” Olivia was already building again.
Ronan turned and walked to the doorway, and when he reached it he looked back, watching Olivia build for a moment longer. Thalia found that she was smiling and when the duke caught her doing so, she did not try and hide it. She wanted him to see.
His smile vanished suddenly, as if he was ashamed of it. But there was one in his eyes, and he held it on Thalia for long enough so it would not be missed. Her smile grew further, and he shook his head and then left.
Thalia felt something inside herself then; as she watched Olivia continue to build and as she thought about what had just happened. It was a warmth spreading up her body, wrapping her like a cloak in winter. A sense of comfort taking her like she had not felt in longer than she could remember.
For the first time ever, this castle was starting to feel like a home. And most strangely, it was all thanks to her husband. Slowly and steadily they went, but the course was the right one. And she was excited to see where it might lead next.
Fourteen
