There were things she had to be carrying. Weight she felt belonged to her alone. As her arms wrapped tightly around his waist, he knew he needed to find a way to let her know she could trust him to have her back.
Maybe he needed to have a conversation with Jeanette and Madeleine.
Speaking of... "Are Anthony and Madeleine still here?" He hadn't heard their travel plans.
"For now. They're still in the suite down the hall, but we can ask to have them moved to their own suite if it would make us more comfortable." She rested her head against his chest.
"I don't mind having them stay here with us."
"Well, that's good." Amusement filled the voice coming from behind him.
Enzo and Victoria loosened their hold on each other and turned to see both of their guests emerging from the hallway.
Victoria leaned up and kissed his cheek. "I'm going to take that shower now." As she passed them, Anthony also gave her a kiss on the cheek while Madeleine gave her a hug and whispered something to her.
After she nodded in response to Madeleine's statement, Victoria continued walking toward their suite.
Madeleine looked to him. "I would like to call in colleagues from Eastern Novigradia. They're experts in their field. They've worked with us in our archives a number of times on special projects. I have a couple of hunches, but I'd like to discuss them in person rather than over any kind of long distance communication."
"I don't have a problem with it. Please send the names to me and I'll give them to Cap. As long as he approves, and I don't see why he wouldn't, please send for them."
"Thank you. I think they will be a big help. They've done this sort of thing before in other locations and are well-known and well-respected in the industry."
Anthony jumped in. "I can vouch for what Madeleine is telling you. I had my own checks run on them not long after Caroline passed when they were helping validate some of the new artifacts that were part of the process to be Catherine's regent. I understand the need for due diligence, but if it's acceptable to you, can we let them know to pack and that they'll likely be needed here?"
Enzo nodded. "That would be fine. If they're trusted by both of you and Catherine, I find it highly unlikely they won't be allowed here."
The three of them spoke for another minute before going their separate ways.
Victoria was already curled under the heavy blankets, pulled up to her ears, and facing away from his side of the bed.
It hadn't been long since she'd left the front room, so she must have sped through her bedtime routine, even if it was truncated significantly. He quietly went about his own routine, hoping to let her rest without pressure to talk to him when she wasn't ready.
He knew what she'd said when he'd found her in the archery nook. That's what he'd been calling it in his head anyway. He knew the window had been an arrow slit, so archery nook made sense to him.
One thing he didn't want to do was minimize her feelings. He knew it wasn't true - she was needed - but he had no right to tell her she didn't feel the way she felt. People often believed thingsabout themselves that weren't true, but they had to come to that realization themselves.
All he could do was love and support her until she might finally believe it for herself.
Once his nighttime ablutions were finished, Enzo made his way under the blankets until he lay facing Victoria's back. He wanted to reach out, wrap his arm around her waist and hope he could bring some comfort, but he didn't think she would be ready for him to do that.
Instead, he pondered what he'd begun to realize.
Enzo wasn't just falling in love with his wife.
He already had.
Victoria didn't understandwhy she was needed in the archives. She hadn't even been assigned a job the day before. The only reason anyone noticed she had left was because Enzo came to look for her.
Being raised in a palace meant she had a lifetime of practice concealing her emotions. In front of family or very close friends it might be acceptable, but not in front of anyone else - at least not all of the time. There were times it would be appropriate - such as a memorial service - but appearing to be upset or depressed at any other time would not.
She sat in the conference room near the office now being used by Jeanette and waited for the meeting to begin. Four others were already there, but she didn't know who they were. Given their lack of reaction to her presence, she suspected they didn't know who she was either. One was an older gentleman,probably in his late 60s or early 70s. The other three looked to be a bit younger, maybe in their early 50s.
Based on their accents, they weren't from Dellisole, but she couldn't quite place where they were actually from.
The door to the conference room was already open, but from where she was seated, Victoria couldn't see who might be coming. Given the way the other three jumped out of their seats and snapped to attention, she figured it out.
A few seconds later, Enzo entered the room. Victoria stood but didn't curtsy. She'd already seen him before leaving their quarters. After giving her a kiss on the cheek, he took a seat at the head of the table while Jeanette, Madeleine, and Anthony sat across from her.
