He grinned. “I will take the money, of course, but somehow that seems rather insignificant by comparison.”
“What do you mean?”
“The wife was by far the better deal.”
Her smile broadened and she lowered her gaze modestly; she was thrilled and flattered by his compliments. It was enough to make her feel giddy but she managed to keep her head.
“Then, may I ask, what seems to be the most pressing in your view?” she asked. “Of course I would say that my wants are most important to me, but I also realize that you have far larger issues at hand. I am only worried about a small parish in Northumberland while you are worried about an entire country. What will we do?”
He watched her as she spoke, noticing how her nose crinkled when she asked a question. She had the most amazing face and he was in danger of becoming swept away the longer he looked at her.
“Well,” he grunted, shifting on the bench and pulling her between his legs. “I am destined to take Edward and head for London at some point; however, we are safe for the moment so I am not entirely inclined to move from this haven. Secondly, I suspect that when I do go, you will be no less determined to return to Forestburn and I do not want you returning there alone. In fact, I do not want you out of my sight. So I would imagine that we should take a day and ride to Forestburn so you can at least assess the damage and assure the town that all is asit should be and that you are still in charge. With your father’s death, however, there is no more lord mayor of Cartingdon.”
She lifted her eyebrows in agreement, trying not to think on the fact that she was both fatherless and motherless. It brought inherent sorrow. She tried to stay focused to the issue at hand.
“My father was mayor for many years,” she said softly. “The people of Cartingdon will not soon forget him. For now, I think it wise that they see me and know that they have not been abandoned. I will secure a few of the local farmers to tend our sheep, mingling them with their own stock and splitting any increases in the herds, which will take care of the problem of our sheep for the time being. I will also need to scavenge the ruins of Forestburn for anything salvageable.”
“Do you think you can accomplish this all in one day?”
“I do not know. Can you at least give me two?”
He nodded after a moment. “I suspect I can. We will go tomorrow.”
She smiled gratefully. “Thank you.”
He returned her grin, giving her a squeeze and kissing her cheek. “My pleasure, madam. Is there anything else we should discuss before I take my leave of you and return to the bailey?”
“One more thing.”
“What is that?”
She looked at him, hesitantly. “When you leave for London, will I stay here?”
His smile faded as he gazed into her almond-shaped eyes. “You will be safe here.”
She took a long, deep breath, lowering her gaze. “How… how long do you expect to be gone?”
“I do not know.”
“Are you going into battle?”
“Aye.”
She sat there, looking at her hands, before falling against him and burying her face in his shoulder. His big arms enveloped her, his face on the top of her head. As the flames in the hearth snapped and smoked, he rocked her gently in the weak light of the hall. He knew what she was feeling without benefit of words; mostly because he was feeling the same thing himself. There was already a longing for her in his heart that he could not begin to describe.
“I could not bear it if something happened to you,” her voice was muffled against his shoulder. “I have lost my entire family. I could not survive if I lost you as well.”
She could feel him sigh into the top of her head. “I am sorry to cause you such fear,” he said quietly. “But I have a destiny to fulfill and so does young Edward. A man is ruling England who has no right to the throne. I must make sure that the rightful king takes his place and that the threat of Mortimer is vanquished.”
She pulled her head from his shoulder and wiped at her face; he realized that she was crying and it touched him more than he could have imagined. Women had cried for him before, of course, but their tears had never meant anything to him. But Toby’s mattered a great deal. Before she could wipe all of her tears away, he took her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him.
“Elizabetha,” he whispered. “Look at me.”
It took her a moment to lift her eyes to meet his; they were still full of tears. He smiled gently, caressing her soft cheeks with his thumbs. “I have been a warrior for many years and have yet, in all that time, to become grievously injured. I can only swear that I will do my best to continue that tradition. I will do my best to return to you.”
“I could not bear it if I lost you,” she murmured, blinking and spattering tears on his hand.
He pulled her face to his lips and kissed her tenderly. “I swear to you upon my oath that I will do all in my power to ensure that you do not. I want to return to you as badly as you want me to.”
