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With a sweet smile, she recalled the exact time and place. “Yes, we were in your father’s home, in your room, in fact. We had just gone there after leaving the party celebrating our marriage.” His marriage to Olgrethe, she was tempted to say, but thought better of it.
“Yes, and I had only one thought on my mind. You were a lovelier bride than I had dared hope to have, bright and so considerate, but you were right in saying we were strangers. I thought we would have a lifetime to become well acquainted, but that one night was all we had. I did not mean to be such a poor husband to you, to accept you that night and then turn my back upon you at dawn.”
Surprised by his candor, Celiese reached out to give his shoulder a comforting pat, and he took her hand in his, bringing her palm to his lips for a sweet kiss. “We have never had the time to become friends, have we? So much has happened to us, so many terrible things, and we’ve never had the time to simply get to know one another as we should have in the beginning.
“It might have happened when we were on my farm, if only I’d not kept insisting you were my slave. I was such a fool then, and obviously I am still one today.”
“You are no fool, Michael, please don’t think so, for the evidence was always against me, and you cannot help that your mind is a most logical one.”
That she would not insult him even when he deserved it pleased him greatly, and he reached up to pull her down across his lap and he hugged her tightly. “I should not have left you as I did, but I thought it was my only choice that morning. You seemed to delight in tormenting me with problems I thought you created yourself, but when I chose to leave you, I found it impossible to go.”
“What do you mean? You were gone, when I went down to the beach your ship had simply vanished.” She knew that for a fact.
“That’s true enough, but the second day of our voyage we ran into a fog bank that seemed endless. I tried not to think about you, but I couldn’t keep your striking beauty from filling my mind. Finally I gave in to my memories and began to wonder how things might have been different for us. When it dawned on me that if I had accepted all you told me as the truth from the beginning, then everything would have fallen neatly into place. I came back as fast as I could make the Falcon fly through the waves. I swear to you that in the very instant I decided to change our course the fog lifted and the wind grew brisk to give us the speed we’d need. A very minor miracle perhaps, but one for which I am sincerely grateful.”
Celiese hesitated to comment for a long moment. The silence between them was not an awkward one, however, but quite comfortable. Finally, she spoke, “Please do not misunderstand me, but I think the days we’ve been apart have helped us both to see our lives more clearly. I have been a very poor wife; whether you considered us married or not, I failed you in so many important ways.”
“Oh, Celiese,” he argued impatiently. “The fault was all mine, every damn time.”
“It takes two to argue, Michael, and you must admit we had fights aplenty.” She was ready to argue this point, too.
“At least you remember my name now, that is an improvement.” He had missed her so terribly, and yet now merely holding her in his arms filled him with a contentment he had feared to be lost forever.
“Thank you. I am attempting to change for the better, truly I am. I know I do need to be more thoughtful, and to curb my temper. You were the one who convinced Robert to let me reclaim my estate, and I did not even take the time to thank you for your help. That was why I came to the convent, to learn how I might be a better person, because I knew you would come back some day, and I didn’t want to lose you again.”
Mylan pulled her close, kissing her temple softly, “Would you have remained shut up in that drafty old place until I finally had the sense to return?”
“The convent is far more comfortable than it appears to be from the exterior, but no, actually I did not plan to stay much longer.” She blushed, her cheeks filling with a burst of color she couldn’t suppress, but she could think of no way to confide her suspicions.
“Celiese?” He wound his fingers in her lustrous curls to force her gaze to his. “What is it, tell me. I don’t care what you’d planned to do, it could not have been nearly so silly as battering down the door of the convent. You were sweet enough not to laugh at me for that folly, and I will not laugh at you now, I promise.”
She looked down at his hand, that held hers so firmly. His skin was deeply tanned, his grasp warm, as comforting as his words, but her eyes filled with tears as she explained, “No, I am not afraid you will laugh, nor be angry; it is only that I did not want a child until you were proud to call me your wife, and I was uncertain that day would ever come.”
Thrilled, he turned her gently in his arms, kissing her damp eyelashes sweetly before he spoke. “I adore you and will never call another woman my wife.”
Celiese smiled, her eyes sparkling with the affection she no longer had to hide. “You are the only man I have ever loved, only you, and no matter what you choose to call yourself, I will love you still.”
He hugged her tightly, returning her enthusiastic embrace with a satisfied grin. “Now is there still some doubt as to the depth of my pride in you, my beloved bride?”
She shook her head, too happy to respond in words when she would be moved to tears with joy. She kissed him instead, her obvious pride in him making her gesture irresistibly appealing.
“I hope this babe is only the first child of many for us, for a woman as loving as you will be the best of mothers. I helped to raise my three younger brothers, and I don’t think I’ll do too badly as the babe’s father, do you?”
Astonished that he would ask such a question, she hastened to reassure him. “You are so very clever, you’ll be a marvelous father. You have sailed to so many exciting places and know how to raise abundant crops, as well as hunt with a skill any man would envy. I could ask for no finer man to help me raise a family and rebuild my home. Our home.” She corrected herself quickly and was relieved to see by his amused glance that he was not offended by her unintentional slip.
“The first thing I am going to do is teach your countrymen how to use a sword effectively, for I certainly don’t want to have to depend upon them to form our defense armed with no more than their pitchforks.”
Surprised by that prospect, Celiese gripped his hand tightly, “Do you think we will need to defend ourselves now that our province is the property of a Dane? Surely Robert’s name alone will keep other Vikings from attacking us.”
“I am certain it will, but skill with weapons will give the men the confidence they lack, and they’ll be better farmers as a result.”
She understood his reasoning well, for in the months they had been together Mylan had again become the man he had once been, courageous and proud, and she liked to think it was her belief in him that had made the difference in his attitude toward life. She reached out to touch the shiny silver hammer he wore suspended around his neck, but did not ask him to return it, for she wanted it to again be his gift to her.
As if he could read her mind, Mylan took the silver chain from around his neck and slipped it over her head. “Forgive me for taking this. I only wanted something of yours to keep.”
She gripped the tiny hammer in a firm grasp. “Thor has brought us both good luck today, hasn’t he?”
With a deep chuckle, he helped her to rise, then got to his feet and brushed the leaves from his clothes. “Well, let us hope his magic works with my mother-in-law, as well. I will have to rely upon you to translate my words into something she will understand and admire, and then I will see to the new door.”
