His eyes widened in shock as he reached out to help her.
“You had a bookthat bigin your gown the entire time?”
“It was heavy,” she admitted. “I was scared my mother was going to ask why my breasts had squared.”
He laughed at that, long and throaty, before wrapping an arm around her and planting a kiss on the top of her head, one that sent warmth through the entirety of her body.
“That’s my girl,” he said, and Minnie was suddenly grateful for the dark to hide what were sure to be pink blushing cheeks.
Why did this man affect herlike no other? From the moment she had first laid eyes on him, she could hardly wait until the next time she would see him.
That hadn’t changed when they had married, even if their flirtatious banter had transformed into an uncertain tension.
She was beginning to wonder if he was one of those men who enjoyed the chase. When she had been unattainable, he had wanted nothing more than to be near her, but now that they were married, he had what he wanted. She couldn’t help but wonder if he had lied when he had told her that he wouldn’t seek out another for his bed. Why else would he turn away from her every night as though she repulsed him?
But then he did things like this. Looked at her in excitement, pressed kisses to the top of her head.
It could very well be that it was the excitement of the moment and not anything to do with her specifically.
“What do we do now?” she asked, ignoring those feelings that were being tossed around in her mind.
“Jonny left a few of the books he found at the shop this morning,” he said. “So, I say we go home and see what we can discover.”
Minnie nodded, thrilled when he reached down and took her hand in his as they continued down the street.
Her parents lived on the edge of Salford, so it wasn’t a particularly far walk home to the blacksmith shop.
“How was your conversation with my parents?” she asked, and Tommy let out a low chuckle.
“It was… enlightening.”
“In what way?”
“Your mother has no idea what your father has involved himself in, nor how deeply he has dug himself. I think your father is beginning to try to disconnect from Blackwater, but it’s probably too late. Once you’re in with a man like that, it’s hard to escape.”
"He saved his shipment, from what I know.”
“He did. But he was on edge tonight. He’s probably waiting for Blackwater to come for you — or for whatever he feels he deserves instead of you.”
She shivered, looking over her shoulder as though someone was going to jump out of the shadows at her. Tommy didn’t say anything, but by silent agreement, they picked up their speed – just a little at first, but they slowly increased until by the time they made it to the shop, they practically sprinted up the stairs, Tommy locking the door behind them before they ran into the room, Minnie collapsing on the bed. They looked at one another, and one of Tommy’s brows rose as though he was questioning her, before his lips tugged upward and he let out a short chuckle. She laughed in response, until they were both nearly bent over in laughter at their ridiculousness and the relief, no longer feeling as though they were being chased.
“Oh, goodness,” Minnie finally gasped. “That was quite the run home.”
“Are we fools?” he asked, a hand against his side.
“Likely,” she said before sobering, “although there is a good chance we were being watched, is there not?”
“There is,” he admitted, before walking over to her, stretching his arms out and wrapping them around the top of her shoulders. “I don’t want you to be scared.”
“I know,” she sighed. “But you are doing all you can to make me feel safe.”
“By practically forcing you to marry me.”
“The alternative was to marry to someone who bought me,” she said dryly, and he nodded.
“True.”
He looked so deeply into her eyes that she wondered whether he could see into her very soul before he slowly, tentatively, drew her in toward him, as though scared that she was going to push him away.
