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Chapter 16
Two weeks later, Harper sat in the back of the carriage reading a book about the lakes.
Lake Naso is one that is marked with history in Britain. Not only is it the first lake to witness a wedding ceremony, but it was the first-ever lake to bear witness to a civilian being knighted. The lake is shallow enough to see into while being deep enough to take a lengthy swim.
It was the lake that they had walked past, the very same one that they had been around when they were children. Reading about it both made her feel smarter while also taking the mystery away from the lake.
When they were kids, they used to make up stories such as ones that said a monster lived at the bottom of the lake. Other stories were about people going into the lake and never coming out. Harper found it a bit funny that since being a kid, the lake had taken on a romantic tone to it, especially after her time walking with Brian a mere two week prior. If she had known about the weddings there in the past, she would have opted to have her ceremony there. Brian probably would have not agreed to it, though. But it was still fun to think about.
Even though she was reading the book, her mind still languished over the trip she had with Brian. He had been guarded at times, yet it was the mix of being vulnerable that made it all worth it. He wasn’t wrong in telling her to focus on that and not her last sunset. Because it worked. She could not stop thinking about their time in the tree, as silly as it sounded at first.
“What book do you have your nose in now? It looks older than my ancestors’ tombstones,” he quipped.
Harper had to make the quick decision in her mind over whether or not she wanted to reveal what book she had been reading. She knew that he would make a joke about it. After all, it was a book about lakes. He probably expected her to be reading some romantic tale or about world history.
Before she could say anything, Brian snatched it from her hands and read the title. After laughing, he handed it back to her with his thumb holding her spot in the book. “You are reading a book about the very lake we just visited. That is a very Harper thing to do.”
Harper blushed and tried to contain her smile while placing her thumb in the book to hold her spot. “A Harper thing to do? You’re going to have to explain that to me. I’ve never heard such a phrase, although I’m intrigued.”
Brian sent his eyes up in thought for a second and then said, “You’ve always had a knack for learning. You could never just enjoy things as they were. As a perfect example, remember David the jester?”
She searched her brain for a moment and then said, “The man who used to do all those tricks at parties? He is dead now, I believe.”
“Yes, he died a few years ago from a breathing illness. But that is beyond my point. My point is, you used to go up to him at the end of the party and demand that he showed you how his tricks were performed.”
Harper laughed so hard that she couldn’t breathe.
“You were but a few feet tall and just a child but demanded it all the same, like you were the queen of England. You needed to understand and know all about it because your mind cannot be without knowledge.”
“You remember all that about me?” Shocked intrigue filled her.
“I remember things that I find strange, yes.”
Harper pursed her lips at his sarcasm. “Well, I find it enjoyable to learn about places I visit. Although, I barely consider a mere two weeks an actual visit. We were inside the hotel the entire time.”
Brian did not say anything in return. Instead, he sent his gaze outside the carriage, an act that always drove Harper crazy.
She could not understand why, but when Brian gave her less, whether that was in words or actions, she craved more. It turned her into a child almost. That immature impatience and need to have her way when it came to Brian, it was an impulse inside her that she neither could understand nor control. But ironically, as bad as it was for her, there was a part of Harper that enjoyed that feeling. It was like a chase. She was forever chasing Brian, just like when they were children running around the garden.
Even though Brian was withdrawn in many ways, their trip had still been enjoyable. It wasn’t perfect. They had their moments of utter silence. There were times where she could tell that Brian had left the room simply to revel in his own space.
And that was fine, because the moments that they did have together, they were exactly how they always were between them except with an extra layer of closeness. Perhaps there was just something about marriage that automatically made two people bond in a way like nothing else.
Harper had given Brian a quick glance, thinking about the possibility of marriage taking them in an unexpected direction. If they could travel together, stay in the same hotel, and spend all the added extra time by each other’s sides, actions that Harper had thought to be impossible at one point, then anything was surely possible.
There was one moment in the hotel that she could not force from her mind. It was one morning during the trip where their teasing had ventured onto the edge of flirtation. Those moments, even when they didn’t lead to anything physical, gave her body goosebumps.
“Aw, what a shame,” Brian said while sitting in the hotel room chair.
Harper looked up. She had been laying out her dress in preparation of getting ready. “What is a shame?”
“You’re getting dressed for the day. I enjoy you in your nightwear.”
Harper’s face grew red. “Is that so? And why should you get what you want anyway?”
“Because I am your husband, am I not? Everyone had always told me that being a husband come with a grand number of perks and privileges.”
Harper laughed. “I think that you’ve been lied to, Brian.”
