Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Nina
Wychwood House
When Nina finally arrived home, she paused in front of the door, Anthony’s hand clasped in hers. She felt… odd. Young, perhaps, or inexperienced. She was bringing a boy to her family, hoping for their approval and also ready to stubbornly refuse anything less than full acceptance.
“I’m nervous,” she said, voice quiet.
“That makes two of us. What are the odds Prudence will attempt to poison me again?” Anthony asked.
“Mira said she was going to talk to Prudy.” Read her the riot act were her exact words. Nina hoped it would work.
Arianna flung the door open. Her eyes glanced down to Nina and Anthony’s joined hands. “Well, I’m not surprised. Come on in.”
Surprisingly, that was a better reaction than Nina expected.
Stepping inside the house was stepping into an embrace. Figuratively, as the smell of beeswax, lemon soap, and the flower bouquet in the foyer were scents she associated with home. Literally, as her mother wrapped her in a bone -crushing embrace.
“You never leave home, and when you do, it’s one disaster after another and then you’re arrested for murder! A criminal!”
“I also cheat at cards, which you taught me,” Nina said.
“And you—” Arianna turned her attention to Anthony. He stood a little straighter, ready for an interrogation. “You let her cheat you at cards, didn’t you?”
“Yes?”
She made a disappointed noise. “I will teach you. This will not happen again.”
Just like that, the entire family gathered around the kitchen table.
Arianna and Aunt Prudy had made Nina’s favorite, a chorizo and chickpea soup and a side of potatoes in a spicy red sauce.
It was rich and comforting, the perfect welcoming embrace.
There was an omelette of sliced potatoes and eggs.
Ham and cheese croquetas. Freshly made rolls, the fussy kind folded into half-circles with a pat of butter in the middle.
An almond cake with a texture so light and springy.
Finally, a cold pitcher of fruit soaked in wine, which was normally reserved for the hottest days of summer.
They may have made too much food.
Whatever conversation Mira had with her mother, Nina saw the effects. Prudy wasn’t warm and welcoming to Anthony but she also didn’t sneer or try to poison him again.
After the meal had been consumed and the dishes cleaned, her father took Anthony out to the workshop.
He had a project in mind that would require two sets of hands and wanted Anthony’s opinion which was essentially a pat on the back and a “welcome to the family, son.” Anthony looked delighted and agreed to help.
The ladies moved to the parlor for coffee and cards.
“I suppose we have to live with him now,” Prudy said.
“Mama—” Mira protested. “We talked about this.”
“What? I can’t be salty that I don’t have a say in who lives here? It’s my house too.”
“We can find our own place,” Nina said, playing a card. That could be an excellent solution.
Arianna slammed her cup into the saucer, the sound threatening to break the porcelain. “You will not.”
“No, I probably should. Everyone else has left home. It’s independent. We’d have privacy and?—”
“ Nina Valentina Navarre Garcia , you will not leave this house!”
“Oh no, the full name and it rhymes,” Mira whispered. She placed a card on top of Nina’s with a triumphant grin.
“Mama—” Now it was Nina’s turn to protest.
“You love that man?”
“Yes. Absolutely.” She took a breath before continuing. “It snuck up on me, but yes. More than anything.”
“And that man loves you?”
“Yes.” She had no doubt about that.
“Good, because you are perfect and we would have words otherwise. I am surprised by your choice?—”
“You really wouldn’t be if you ever saw the way they looked at each other,” Mira interrupted. “All big eyes, sighs and name calling.”
“You’re not helping,” Nina whispered.
“He is family now and this is your home. You stay here.” Arianna refilled her cup of coffee, the matter settled.
“What are we going to do about the mayor?” Prudy asked.
“Prudence,” Arianna started.
“He had Nina arrested on fabricated charges. He slandered my name and accused me of murder. We’re just going to endure this insult?”
“Fear not, I have a plan.” Nina played a card and particularly enjoyed the look of dismay on Mira’s face.
“Will you share this plan or shall we guess?” Prudy asked.
“You’ll have to be patient.” Nina slapped down her last card and grinned, having won the game.
* * *
“Your father has a small armory,” Anthony said when they retired for the night. “The pieces are really very clever. A blade that never needs sharpening.”
“He’s very good at making metal resistant to bending.
An unfortunate consequence is that the metal is brittle and prone to shattering.
” She had tested several daggers for him and reported the many ways the blades snapped.
“I have hair pins he made that will never bend. They are extraordinarily useful.”
“He has a pair of spectacles that repel dirt. Can you imagine creating something so useful and keeping it to yourself?” he asked, wonder in his voice. “He could make a tidy profit if he took commissions.”
Nina could not imagine her father taking commissions. He was more the type to follow where the spirit took him, not make items to order. “Perhaps we could convince him to sell a few pieces and use the funds to pay for a new roof.”
“I have contacts who would pay handsomely for the pieces he showed me tonight.”
A pleased sensation settled in her chest. Was this what it was like to have a partner? The weight of keeping the house standing, the family together, the deputies on task, the station operating, and the community as a whole safe felt overwhelming for one person alone.
Now she was no longer alone. She didn’t have to make important decisions on her own. In fact, it would be remiss of her not to include Anthony.
“What is that look for?” he asked.
“I have something I need to discuss with you.” Nina sat on the bench at the foot of the bed and unlaced her boots.
“A good thing or an unfortunate thing?”
“We haven’t really discussed what this,” she waved a hand from herself to him and back again, “is going to be. I think we should get our own place. For a year or two, while we learn what it is to live with one another. I’m quite set on my ways, as are you. What do you think?”
Anthony’s expression fell. “Your family doesn’t want me here,” he said, no doubt in his voice.
“Far from it. Mama put a good deal of effort convincing me that this house is my home and I should never leave.”
“It is your home.”
“Pearson, really.” She kicked her boots and crossed the room. With one hand on his chest, she said, “You’re my home.”
His hand covered hers. “A sentimental thought and not one I believe for a moment.”
“Privacy? Is that reason enough, or would you rather my parents comment on noises they hear through the walls?”
The blue-green of his complexion went a little less blue-green. “An excellent suggestion. I heartily approve.”
“A few years at most,” she said. “My parents are getting older and I want to be there for them when their health declines.”
“Any other demands?”
“Nearby. It does not have to be on the same street, but close. In town, obviously. I’m not going to quit working.” She paused, waiting for his reaction. This had been the demand that broke her previous engagement.
“Why would you quit? I understand the situation with the mayor has been unpleasant but you should not give up your post.”
“I have no intention of letting that man drive me out of town.”
“Excellent.”
“Do you want a short or long engagement?” he asked. “I’d drag you to the courthouse tomorrow if possible.”
“As short as possible,” she said without hesitation. Her family would involve themselves, inevitably slowing down the process, but she could tolerate a moderate delay. “We’ve waited long enough, don’t you think?”
“Too long.” He smiled, the pure joy in it transforming his face. Nina had always thought him handsome. The transformation added a compelling element to his visage but nothing made him so attractive as happiness.
“Anything else we need to discuss?” she asked, because at that moment she didn’t care about the thinness of the walls or what her parents might hear.
“I would like a dog, or a cat. I never had one. They seem delightful.”
“Then we’ll have a dog or a cat,” she agreed. “Or both.”
“Children?” he asked. “I’ve always been ambivalent about the matter. You’ve met my family. I had no desire to continue that horror, but circumstances have changed. I would like children with you.”
“Interesting question.” She wondered if her witch genes would prevail or if their child would have the same condition as him. It was purely academic as it didn’t matter. She’d love the baby with her whole heart. “Yes. I would like a child.”
“Not two?”
“One. You won’t do the labor or be the nursemaid.”
“Fair.” He stepped forward, forcing her to step backward in the direction of the bed. “I very much look forward to meeting our child.”
“We should start?—”
“Yes, we should.”
In the morning, no one dared complain about any noises heard through the walls.
Anthony
Attempts to keep the wedding secret failed.
It was naive of them to think elopement was even possible.
As a compromise to appease her heartbroken mother that they were setting up their own residence, they agreed to move out after the wedding, which occurred after a short engagement.
Nina remained firm on her principles and they had a small ceremony in the town hall and a celebratory dinner at Wychwood House.
The house was, in true Navarre fashion, stuffed with cousins.
When asked if he had someone to invite, he sent an invitation to Mrs. Marsh and young Mary.
The elderly woman would never make the journey but he wanted her to know that she was in his thoughts.
If he knew where to find his old nanny, he’d write to her as well.
They were the only people who ever showed any affection to him when he was young and he remained quite fond of them.
As for his standing with the family, it was better than he deserved. John was a man filled with endless curiosity about seemingly everything. Assisting the man in his workshop gave him an insight into Nina’s own inquisitiveness.
Prudence would never be his champion but he felt that they had reached a truce.
Arianna upheld the social graces in the family: she played piano, embroidered, and knew exactly what to say when conducting social calls. She also attempted to teach Anthony how to cheat at cards but apparently his face betrayed him and she declared him hopeless.
He quite enjoyed Mira’s company but suspected that she would travel soon. Wanderlust had her in its grip.
“I bear your family no ill will, but you have entirely too many cousins,” he said, finally in the privacy of their room. In two weeks, they would have the privacy of their own little house, but for now, this would do. “I cannot possibly remember all their names.”
The day had been rewarding but exhausting. In many ways, it seemed a dream, that he might wake up and find he imagined everything that had transpired. He still feared it was all a fevered hallucination and he was still trapped in the crypt, slowly suffocating.
“They know yours. All you have to do is nod and smile,” Nina replied. Sitting at the vanity table, Nina undid her braid. Today, she wore it wrapped around her head like a crown adorned with spring buds.
He removed the remaining flowers and set them on the vanity table. “I have been informed by a credible source that my smile is disturbing.”
“You have two rows of teeth. Frankly, it’s rude to flaunt such an abundance when cousin Silvester only has three.”
“I counted at least five.” In actuality, the cousin was only missing his two front teeth.
“Another joke. Whatever is happening to you, Pearson?”
He took the brush from her hand and started to work at the bottom of her hair, each stroke going higher. Now that he thought about it, he wondered about Sylvester’s absent teeth. “Do you know what happened to his teeth or is it shrouded in mystery?”
“A bar fight happened. He broke his nose too.”
“Your family is a menace.”
“Is that so?” She tilted her head back to look at him.
“Beyond a doubt.” He kissed her forehead. “My wife is a menace.”
She hummed with pleasure. “Say that again.”
“My wife is a menace.”
“No, just the first part.” She twisted in the chair to face him.
“My wife.”
She grinned. “Again.”
“My wife,” he repeated, bending down to brush his lips against the shell of her ear.
She turned her head, catching his mouth in a kiss. With a growl, he lifted her up in one easy motion, and she wrapped her legs around his waist.
“My husband,” she whispered.
The day hadn’t felt real until this moment. She was his heart. His home.
Once again, no one dared complain in the morning about noises heard through the walls.