All the Wrong Reasons

Part 21

Chapter 21

Cassandra held her breath while she stared at her husband.  He held her fate in his hands.  With one simple word, he could crush her every hope.  She wasn’t used to having her life be determined on one person’s reaction, but here she was; sitting there waiting on a man to tell her the outcome.

A smile spread across his face, and Cassandra had to blink multiple times to make sure what she was seeing wasn’t an illusion.  He was smiling at her in amusement.  She expected many things, but amusement wasn’t one of them.  Frankly, it made her mad that he thought so lightly of her secret.

Glaring at him, she crossed her arms over her chest, “Pray, tell me what you find amusing.”

“You,” he said, “You are amusing.”

“I’m glad you find my story humorous.  Silly me thinking that I was opening up to you,” she stated with sarcasm dripping off every word.

He chuckled, “Do you honestly think that something like that will keep me away from you?  What did you expect me to do?  Send for the magistrate?  Alert the people?  I am not a fool; I know some let their beliefs cloud their judgment, but I am not one of those people.  For once in a very long time, I care about something.  I am not about to let that something go.”

She froze.  Did he just say that it did not matter what others thought?  Did he just tell her that he cared for her?  Her expression softened as she scanned his face.  She saw no sign of trickery.  He meant what he said.

“Thank you,” she whispered while turning her face away.  She didn’t know how to deal with this much acceptance.  She had had others accept her for who she was, but no one’s approval had mattered as much as his.

The sound of footsteps made its way to her ears.  Looking over, she watched as Colin sauntered towards her with a grin, “Come, it’s time for dinner.  Then you can retire.  You’ve had a long day.”

Grabbing his offered hand, she rose to her feet with a hesitant smile, “A nights rest sounds splendid.”

“What sounds splendid is some food.  Spending time with Cooper made my day go faster than usual,” he stated while grabbing her elbow and steering her down the corridor.

She let out a laugh, “He is a wonderful lad.”

“Yes, wonderful.  He will be a great older brother.”

Cassandra body tensed up, “He will be.”

The rest of the walk was spent in quiet contemplation.  They hadn’t spoken of children, but she knew they would have to eventually.  Matters like this could cause problems if they were not resolved at the beginning of a relationship.

All thoughts she had were cut off as they rounded the corner.  The room was empty apart from the dining table and chairs, which were in the middle of the large open room.  Cob webs lingered in the corners and dust lined the walls and ground.  Glancing at the table, she let out a relieved sigh.  It was clean.

“Come, let us sit,” Colin said while pulling her towards the head of the table.  He sat down and motioned to his right.

Cassandra sat without making a noise and looked down at the table.  It was a beautiful dark wood, but something that surprised her was the quality of the dishes they would be using.  She had expected metal, not this fine glass that sat in front of her.

“My mother did have taste,” Colin told her in amusement, “There are things that are left over from her stay.  Like the dishes.”

She nodded, “Where are the others?”