“Just cautious. What is the reason for this gift?”
“Does there need to be a reason?” he asked. “Other than a desire to see my wife happy.”
“Now I know there must be a reason.”
He laughed, and it was an alien sound. “I just wanted to do something nice for you and after much consideration, I think… I hope that I came up with the perfect means to do that.”
Still, she watched him as if unsure. That look in her eyes, one would think that he was a stranger pretending to be her husband… with the way he was behaving, he practically was.
“All right then,” she spoke carefully. “Let us see this so-called gift.”
Marcus turned and indicated at the stable hand who stood waiting by the side of the house. Although they were in a townhouse, it was still large enough to have its own stable, andthe pathway that wound the side of the home led to where this stable was located.
The stable hand walked forward, leading behind him a pristine white mare with a golden mane. The sun shone bright overhead, it caught the white of the horse’s hair, and it made the magnificent creature glow as if God Himself was blessing this gift.
Lucy’s mouth fell open.
“Do you like it?” Marcus asked eagerly, his heart skipping a beat when he saw the look on her face.
“I do not even… my gift is a horse?” She looked at him.
“The horse’s name is Beauty and she belongs to me,” he explained. “The gift, however, is that she is now yours to do with as you want, when you want it. I know that you like horse riding and –”
“How do you know that?” she cut him off.
He smirked. “I have my ways…”
She narrowed her eyes. “What is this? Really. What do you want?”
It spoke much about the state of this marriage that Lucy just assumed Marcus wanted something from her. That he could not give her a gift for the sake of it, that there must be some underhand reason.
But that would not be the case for much longer, and the thought of that brought Marcus much joy.
“I promised you freedom,” he explained as he walked forward and took Beauty’s reins. “And it occurred to me today that I haven’t fulfilled my side of the bargain. You have been so busy with James that you deserve an afternoon to yourself, and what better way than on horseback? Unless…” He raised an eyebrow at her. “I can send her back? If you would rather stay here –”
“No!” she hurried, even rushing forward and taking the reins. “That won’t be necessary.”
“You like it?” he asked hopefully.
She studied the horse, her eyes glimmering. Then she fixed herself on Marcus, that same glimmer in her eyes, with a smile to match. He knew then that he had done the right thing. And oh, how good it felt.
“I love it,” she said. “Will you be joining me?”
“Maybe next time…” He stepped back. “Today is for you. If you follow this road north, it will take you to the city’s outskirts, fromwhere you will find miles of fields and farmland to explore. More than enough for you to get lost it.”
“Is that a hint?” she joked. “Hoping I might get lost and never come back.”
“Not even a little bit.”
She side-eyed him, still smiling, still trying to figure him out. Marcus gave nothing away, save for how thrilled he was that his gambit had paid off.
Soon, she was atop the horse. A moment later she was steering it down the road. Marcus stayed to watch her leave, utterly satisfied and content with what he had achieved here today. It was a small gesture, but wasn’t that exactly what this marriage required? Wasn’t that the key to happiness, as Lucy had claimed?
Stranger still, once she was gone, Marcus felt something else.
He walked back inside, looked about the large foyer, and his stomach sank with a sense of loneliness. He was used to being alone, he wanted to be alone, yet now that Lucy was out of the house, he felt it like never before.
How very strange….
