They both watched as the edges of the paper began to glow red and then, all at once, it caught fire. Violet sucked in a breath but said nothing as the wax seal melted and the letter opened, revealing its contents, but they were too far away to make out the words.
For a minute, they both stood still, staring at the burning letter until it had been reduced to ashes. Only then did she turn to look at her husband with narrowed eyes. He released her, and she moved away from him.
“You never tire of vexing me, do you?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest.
“No, I don’t.”
The fire glowed brighter, illuminating James’s dark hair and the side of his face. It accentuated his jaw and wild, rugged handsomeness, and her heart skipped a beat. For a wild moment, she wished he would grab her and kiss her again, but of course, she knew he wouldn’t.
Finally, she had to look away, to keep these fantasies from overtaking her mind.
“Come on, Violet,” James said, at last, his tone surprisingly warm. She turned back to him, and the gentle look in his eyes made her knees tremble. “Tell me what the letter said. I promise it won’t be nearly as painful as you think it will be.”
He took a step closer, and her breath caught in her throat.
“Well…” She was finding it hard to think when he was walking closer and closer to her.
His hands curled around her wrists, and very slowly, he pried apart her folded arms. He stood in front of her, loosely holding her wrists, and looked deep into her eyes.
“Be brave,” he murmured, and she felt as if she might collapse against him. Her whole body was vibrating with the desire to be held, to be kissed again.
“I apologized,” she said hoarsely. She cleared her throat and tried again. “In the letter, I apologized to you for the cruel things I said about why you don’t want to have children or live with me as my husband.”
James released her wrists and let his hands fall to his sides.
“Do you really mean that?” he asked, and she was surprised to hear the huskiness in his voice.
“Of course,” she said, her heart aching. “The things I said were completely unacceptable, and I am deeply ashamed of myself for saying them in anger like that.”
“Your anger was understandable,” he acknowledged. “I have let you down and betrayed your trust.”
But she shook her head. “It does not excuse my saying things I did not mean just to hurt you. And that’s what I did—I said hurtful things because of my pain. And I am deeply sorry, James. I don’t know what will become of us and our marriage, but I do know that I want us to treat one another with respect.”
She took a deep breath. It was difficult for her to say the more intimate things that she had written in the letter.
“Because I do respect you. And regardless of our differences, nothing will change that. You are a good man. And despite everything, I’m lucky to be married to you.”
She surprised herself with how many of her mother’s words she not only repeated but also truly meant.
Maybe Mother knows me, and my feelings, more than I give her credit for.
“I respect you as well, Violet,” James said. “You are the smartest, bravest, and most capable woman I have ever met.”
“Please, this isn’t about me,” Violet insisted quickly. “This is about me apologizing to you.”
“Well, I accept your apology,” he said. “And I understand why you said the things you did. I’m also sorry for my deception. I know I’ve said it before, but I will keep saying it for as long as you are mine.”
There was a flicker of something in his eyes, and it took her a moment to realize that it was fear.
Immediately, she reached out and took his hand. “I don’t want an annulment,” she said as gently as she could. “I regret threatening you with it. It was another instance of me speakingrashly and with anger, and I’m sorry. As much as I want things to change in our marriage, I want to work on them with you.” She looked deep into his eyes. “I don’t want to give up.”
A small smile spread across his face, and he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. The feel of his warm, soft lips on her skin sent a shiver down her spine. She knew he’d felt it because his eyes flashed, and she felt tingles erupt throughout her whole body.
“I will explain more,” James murmured, looking at her with his fiery, dark eyes, “at a later date. For now, we are tired and should go to bed. But for now, suffice it to say that not having children was the only way I could do the opposite of what my father wanted. It isn’t about you, Violet. You would be the best mother, just as you are already the best wife.”
His thumb stroked where he had just kissed her hand. “We will discuss it more tomorrow, I promise. Until then, I want you to get some rest.”
As much as Violet didn’t want to wait to hear his explanation, she also knew that in her current state—with her heart pounding in her chest and her body buzzing where he offered the slightest touch—she wasn’t in the best place to have a serious conversation about his relationship with his father.
