“It was a letter from her brother.”
“The youngest one, the one who was missing?”
“No, Harry,” Adam answered sarcastically. “The one who is dead. Of course the younger one.”
“That’s a rather harsh tone to take with someone only days out of his deathbed. A man who politely stared out the window while you accosted your wife.”
“You neither kept your eyes diverted nor were in any danger of succumbing to your cold. If I thought for a minute a cold could do you in, I personally would shove you into Falstone Lake during the next snowstorm.”
“A refreshing swim could be nice.” Harry nodded.
Why did the man never take any of Adam’s threats seriously?
“I am going to assume, based on Persephone’s rather warm response, that the news of her brother was not only good but arrived courtesy of you, somehow or another.”
“In a moment of insanity I sent a letter,” Adam grumbled.
“And knowing you, you probably went straight to the Admiralty.” Harry laughed. Almost immediately he reined in his amusement. “You did, didn’t you? That got results, I daresay. Even the Royal Navy bows to the Duke of Kielder.”
“That’s treasonous, Harry.”
“But true. A letter from the Duke of Kielder could overthrow a kingdom.” Harry looked thoroughly amused. “It certainly closed up the Boar and Dagger in a trice. I heard Smith, the innkeeper, was none too pleased with that.”
“He was a scoundrel,” Adam said. “Any man who would charge a pound a piece for quill, ink, and paper, so a sick man could send for medical help, then provide him with no nourishment while he waited, ought not be running an inn.”
“From what I’ve heard, he was livid when the magistrate shut down the inn,” Harry said.
Adam shrugged. Mr. Smith of the Boar and Dagger would certainly not be the last person he’d make livid.
“Like I said—” Harry smiled “—the Duke of Kielder could run the country with a simple snap of his fingers.”
Adam would never have said so out loud, but Harry was more correct than he realized. Should he choose to, Adam could have more influence over the course of the war with France than the Crown and the rest of Parliament combined. But he had enough problems.
For one thing, he had a wife whom he had inadvertently discovered he very much enjoyed kissing. He hadn’t foreseen that complication. He’d always intended to remain as unaffected and undisturbed by his wife as he was by everyone else.
He felt confused and indecisive. He had no idea why he’d kissed his wife and no idea what he meant to do about it. Except keep his distance.
Chapter Twenty-Two
So much for distance.
The wolf pack had begun early that night. Either Persephone’s nervousness at their noise had rattled him or the pack had drawn closer to the castle than usual. They were louder than they used to be. And Persephone was closer now as well. She’d tiptoed through the door only a few moments earlier. After her usual whispered “Adam?” she’d hurried, much faster than on previous nights, to the bed and climbed up.
A particularly menacing howl erupted outside. Adam heard Persephone quietly groan. “They’re getting louder,” she whispered to herself.
This was the precise reason he’d decided to stay away from his wife. Hearing the distress in her voice, Adam felt sorely tempted to reach out and touch her. He found himself wondering if she would feel less afraid if he held her hand. He quickly dismissed that thought. She’d probably run from the room as fast as her legs would carry her.
Adam felt the bed shift as Persephone changed positions. She did that a lot during the night. It had bothered him at first, but the last couple of nights he’d found himself waking up if she hadn’t moved in a while. He’d peek, convinced she had left the room, only to inevitably spot her in her mountain of blankets. Then he’d lie there, watching to be certain she still breathed. Which only proved he was losing his mind. Only an idiot would jump to such a far-fetched possibility.
“Thank you for my letter, Adam,” Persephone whispered. He could tell she had turned to face him. She didn’t usually.
He was so tempted to open his eyes. Why? He had decided to keep his distance. How much greater distance could a person achieve than being sound asleep?
“Linus sounds happy,” Persephone continued, her voice never rising above a whisper. “He didn’t mention Evander, which worries me a little. It was always his way to avoid topics that were upsetting. But he did promise to keep writing.”
Why did Persephone feel more comfortable talking to him when he was asleep?
“I hope Linus writes to Papa. He and the girls will be worried about him as well.”
