Chapter 15
Yes, Your Wife is Still Alive and Shockingly Well-Behaved
The camp had settled into a quiet routine by the time Caspian retired to his tent. Fires burned at regular intervals around the perimeter, guards rotated on schedule, and the exhausted soldiers who'd fought through the day were finally getting rest.
Caspian sat at his field desk, reviewing tomorrow's route home, when Edwin ducked into the tent followed by two other officers.
"Your Grace," Edwin said. "Thomson just received a message from Frostholme via enchanted carrier."
Thomson stepped forward with a small scroll. "Arrived about ten minutes ago, Your Grace. From Sterling."
Caspian took the scroll, noting the seal was intact. Enchanted birds were expensive to maintain and typically reserved for important communications. Sterling wouldn't have sent one unless there was something significant to report.
He broke the seal and unrolled the message, aware of Edwin, Thomson, and Marcus—his vice commander—watching with varying degrees of curiosity.
Your Grace,
I write to inform you of recent developments at the estate during your absence.
The Duchess continues in good health and spirits.
She has been maintaining her studies in estate management with commendable diligence, showing particular interest in the grain storage schedules and household accounts.
Staff morale remains high, and the Duchess has continued her pattern of courtesy and consideration toward all members of the household.
The Dreamweaver cub (Mochi) is thriving under her care. No incidents of aggression or concern. The creature appears remarkably well-socialized and follows the Duchess throughout her daily activities.
Caspian felt a small measure of relief. Caroline was well. Mochi was behaving. The estate was running smoothly.
He continued reading.
Two days after your departure, the Duchess received an unannounced visit from her siblings: Viscount Jasper Holloway and Lady Beatrice Holloway. They arrived expressing concern for the Duchess's welfare and have remained as guests at the estate.
Caspian's jaw tightened slightly.
Her siblings. Here. Unannounced.
The Viscount and Lady Beatrice appear to have been pleasantly surprised by the Duchess's demeanor and contentment. I have observed no signs of distress or conflict. On the contrary, the siblings seem relieved by the changes they've witnessed in their sister.
The Duchess has enlisted her siblings' assistance in a project to add warmth and personal touches to the estate's public spaces. To this end, she has commissioned the following items:
● Twelve tapestries from Master Weaver Aldric (commissioned for the great hall and main corridors) - 2,400 gold crowns
● Custom furniture pieces from Craftsman Hendrick, including cushioned settees and chairs (eight pieces total) - 1,600 gold crowns
● Collection of artwork from various artists (six paintings, three sculptures) - 3,200 gold crowns
● Decorative ceramics and vases from the capital's finest artisans - 800 gold crowns
● New draperies and window treatments for public rooms (materials and labor) - 1,200 gold crowns
● Various plants, planters, and decorative elements - 400 gold crowns
Total expenditure to date: 9,600 gold crowns
Additional commissions are anticipated as the project continues.
Caspian read the list twice, tallying the individual items to confirm the total.
Nine thousand, six hundred gold crowns.
For someone of more modest means, this would be a staggering sum. It represented more than most nobles spent on their estates in a year.
For Caspian, whose ducal holdings and Crown stipends for defending the northern border generated over six hundred thousand gold crowns annually, it was barely noticeable.
He'd spent three times that amount furnishing Caroline's wing when they'd first married, trying to make her comfortable while keeping his distance. The irony that she'd ignored all of it then but was now enthusiastically spending his money to make the estate feel like home wasn't lost on him.
The Duchess has expressed that these improvements will make Frostholme "feel more welcoming and warm." Lady Beatrice appears to be providing guidance on aesthetic choices, while Viscount Holloway has offered assistance with coordination and logistics.
The siblings have indicated they plan to remain until your return, expressing a desire to meet with you properly.
All other estate matters remain routine. The guards report no security concerns. Supplies are adequate. No issues requiring immediate attention.
I remain at your service,
Sterling Whitmore, Senior Advisor
Caspian set down the letter and rubbed his temples.
"Bad news, Your Grace?" Marcus asked carefully. The vice commander was a solid, practical man in his early thirties who rarely showed concern unless the situation warranted it.
"No," Caspian said. "Just... complicated."
"May I ask what's complicated, Your Grace?" Thomson ventured.
Caspian considered the question. These were his most trusted officers. They'd already been witness to his unusual behavior over the last three days. They might as well know why.
"My wife's siblings have arrived at the estate," Caspian said. "Unannounced."
Edwin's eyebrows rose. "The ones she's been writing desperate letters to for two months?"
"The same."
"The ones who probably think you're a monster holding their sister hostage?" Thomson added.
"Likely, yes."
Marcus frowned. "That could be problematic. Do they pose a security threat?"
"No," Caspian said. "They're concerned family members checking on their sister. Which is... reasonable, given how Caroline was behaving before."
"Before she decided to stop being miserable and start adopting apex predators," Edwin said. "I'm sure they're very confused."
"According to Sterling, they seem relieved by the changes they've witnessed." Caspian tapped the letter. "They're helping her redecorate the estate."
"Redecorate?" Thomson asked.
"Tapestries, furniture, artwork, plants. Making the place feel 'warmer and more welcoming,' apparently."
Edwin leaned forward with interest. "How much is this costing you?"
"Nearly ten thousand gold crowns so far. More anticipated."
All three men blinked.
Then Edwin started grinning. "Your wife is spending your money. To make your estate feel like home. And you're worried about her siblings."
"I'm concerned about unknown variables," Caspian corrected. "Her siblings might try to convince her to leave. To annul the marriage. To—"
"To what?" Edwin interrupted. "Rescue her from the horrible situation she was so desperate to escape?
" He leaned back in his chair. "Your Grace, Sterling's report says they're relieved by what they've seen.
They're helping her decorate. They want to meet you properly.
That doesn't sound like siblings planning to whisk her away in the night. "
"We don't know what they're saying to her in private," Caspian said.
"No," Edwin agreed. "But we know what Sterling observed. And Sterling is exceptionally good at reading people. If he thought the siblings were a threat to the Duchess's contentment, he would have said so."
Marcus nodded slowly. "Captain Hawkridge has a point, Your Grace. The report suggests the siblings approve of the changes in the Duchess."
"They're spending ten thousand gold crowns redecorating your estate," Thomson added. "That's not the behavior of people planning to remove her from it."
"It could be a final indulgence before they convince her to leave," Caspian argued, though even he could hear how weak that sounded.
"Or," Edwin said, "it's your wife making your cold military estate feel like an actual home, with help from family who are happy to see her happy."
Caspian didn't answer, reading through Sterling's letter again.
The Duchess continues in good health and spirits.
Staff morale remains high.
The siblings seem relieved by the changes they've witnessed.
These improvements will make Frostholme "feel more welcoming and warm."
He'd built Frostholme to be functional. Defensible. A military command post that happened to have living quarters. He'd never considered making it warm or welcoming because he'd never had anyone to welcome.
Until now.
"The expenditure doesn't concern you?" Marcus asked, clearly curious.
"No," Caspian said honestly. "I spent three times that amount on her chambers when we first married. If she wants to spend money making the public spaces more comfortable, that's her prerogative."
"Her prerogative as Duchess," Edwin said meaningfully. "As the lady of your estate. As someone who plans to stay."
Caspian shot him a look.
"I'm just observing, Your Grace, that women who plan to leave don't typically invest in large-scale redecorating projects."
"Unless they're trying to assuage their guilt," Caspian countered.
"Or," Thomson said carefully, "unless they're building a home."
The tent fell silent.
Caspian looked back at the letter, at the itemized list of tapestries and furniture and artwork that Caroline had commissioned. Things to make Frostholme warmer. More welcoming.
A place worth coming back to.
"The siblings want to meet you properly," Edwin said. "That's actually good news. It means they're willing to give you a chance. To see that you're not the monster they probably feared."
"I am called The Butcher of the North," Caspian pointed out. "Their concern isn't unreasonable."
"True," Edwin agreed. "Which makes it all the more significant that they're still there, helping your wife decorate instead of dragging her back to the capital. They've seen her. Talked to her. Observed the changes. And they're staying."
"Until I return," Caspian said. "Sterling says they want to meet with me."
"To assess whether you're treating their sister well," Marcus said. "Standard protective sibling behavior."
"Are you treating her well?" Thomson asked.
Caspian thought about the question. Was he treating Caroline well?
He'd invited her to dinner. Shared tea with her. Let her keep a dangerous pet. Agreed to her redecorating projects without question. Spent the last three days fighting through a Blightspawn incursion with unusual aggression specifically so he could get home to her faster.
"I'm trying to," Caspian said finally.
"Then you have nothing to worry about," Edwin said. "Let them assess. Let them see how you interact with their sister. If they're reasonable people—and Sterling seems to think they are—they'll recognize that you're not the threat they feared."
"And if they're not reasonable?"
"Then we deal with it," Edwin said simply. "But I suspect they will be. People don't help someone redecorate an estate they plan to remove them from."
Caspian rolled up the letter, his mind already working through the complications of tomorrow's return.
Caroline would be there. Happy to see him, if her words in the courtyard had been genuine.
Her siblings would be there. Protective. Suspicious. Evaluating.
The estate would be in the middle of redecorating projects.
It was going to be complicated.
"We leave at first light," Caspian said. "I want to be back at Frostholme by early evening."
"To deal with the siblings?" Marcus asked.
"To deal with everything," Caspian said.
After his officers left, Caspian remained at his desk, staring at Sterling's letter.
Nine thousand, six hundred gold crowns.
Tapestries. Furniture. Artwork. Plants.
Making Frostholme feel like home.
He thought about Caroline standing in the courtyard when he left, telling him she'd miss him. The way she'd looked worried for his safety. The way she'd called him 'my husband' with such natural possessiveness.
The way she was apparently spending his money to make his cold military estate into something warmer.
Something worth coming home to.
"Pathetic," Caspian muttered to himself again.
But he carefully folded Sterling's letter and placed it in his personal effects.
Tomorrow evening, he'd be home.
He'd face Caroline's protective siblings.
He'd see what she'd done to the estate.
He'd find out if her words about missing him had been genuine.
And maybe—just maybe—he'd figure out how to navigate having a wife who actually seemed to want to build a life with him.
The thought was terrifying.
The thought was also something that felt dangerously like hope.