Chapter Thirty-Five #8
The truth was that Christopher knew he should be furious, but he could not seem to bring himself to a rolling boil.
Had he not loved Dustin as he did, then his fury would be out of control and Gowen would surely suffer a painful death.
Yet because of the feelings he held for his wife, he understood and could not bring himself to be overly angry.
Still, he was enraged because they had taken matters into their own hands, but he knew now why they had done it.
And he furthermore knew there was no way he could annul the marriage.
Everything now suddenly made sense; all of the pleading, begging, the clues his wife had given him that he had been too narrow to see.
As always, he saw what he wanted to see.
After several long minutes, he simply shook his head and she slipped up behind him throwing her arms around his neck and pressing her face against the side of his head.
“Be merciful to them, my lord,” she whispered in his ear, sending chills up his spine.
“Imagine if it were we who were separated, subject to our fate by the decision of another, afraid yet so desperately in love that we did not regret our hasty actions. If there was a chance I were to be taken from you, would you not do everything in your power to keep us together? That is what Gowen did. Do not fault him for loving Deborah.”
After a moment she felt his huge gloved hand grasp her arms gently, and she felt him sigh. “I am given little choice in the matter,” he muttered.
She kissed his ear softly. “Please, Chris. Let them be happy.”
He closed his eyes at her touch, his mind torn between the issue at hand and her closeness. “Lady, your reasoning and wisdom improve by the day. Soon you will be as wise as your husband.”
“Who do you think I learned everything from?” she smiled, kissing his ear again. “I love you, Chris.”
He squeezed her arms around his neck. “Where is Deborah?”
“In her room,” she replied. “I told her to wait there for me.”
Christopher sat broodingly another moment, trying to remember when his life went so out of control.
He was unused to anything other than perfect obedience and order, but within the past year, he felt as if his command over something as simple as his family was slipping away.
Not with David, but with the women, Dustin and Deborah were giving him fits.
“I would go see my sister’s husband now,” he said in a low voice, gently unwinding her arms and helping her to stand.
“Can I come? Please?” she asked.
He kissed her cheek. “Nay, sweetheart. Go see to my sister, as I am sure she is in desperate need of reassurance.”
Dustin dared a little smile. “Then you will not annul the marriage? You will let them be?”
He tried to glare at her, but his heart wasn’t in it. “Aye, I shall leave them be. But they live here, under my roof, where I can protect my sister. And to hell with Gowen if he does not approve.”
Dustin smiled broadly and kissed him. He relented his hard stance with a throaty chuckle and kissed her again.
“You have a heart as big as a lion, husband,” she said softly. “Surely there is not a more understanding, generous man on this earth.”
“You have cast a new understanding on the term Lionheart,” he said, his eyes warm. “ ’Tis usually a phrase to describe fierceness and bravery. But you have always seen through me, haven’t you? You are the only person in this world who can read me like a book.”
“Not always,” she admitted. “You can be mightily unpredictable. And frightening.”
“Speaking of frightening,” he raised an eyebrow, “why did you fight with Jeffrey like that? You know the man was only doing his duty.”
“I have done worse to him,” she shrugged. “And he has hit me back on occasion.”
“He’s done what?” her husband responded sharply.
She laughed softly. “Mother gave him permission to discipline me if needed and, on occasion, he has. Did you think you were the first person to spank me?”
He frowned severely. “Of course not, but I never imagined Kessler was the enforcer.”
Dustin shrugged. “Father did not have the heart, so mother put Jeffrey in charge of dispensing punishment.”
Christopher shook his head. “Amazing,” he mumbled. “Go upstairs, now. I shall join you later.”
She kissed him again before retreating up the stairs. He watched her, waiting until the door closed softly before retreating to the sub-level of the abbey.
Dustin was nearly weak with relief as she made her way back to Deborah’s room.
She knew Deborah would be ecstatic with the turn of events, and Dustin was thrilled that the newlyweds would be living at Lioncross.
She and Deborah would go through their pregnancies together, and their children would be constant companions.
She was full of dreaming of the future as she mounted the stairs and passed into the second floor corridor, her heart and mood soaring with joy.
Deborah’s door was closed and she knocked, softly calling her name. Receiving no answer, she lifted the latch.
Four stories below her, Christopher heard the scream.