Page 75 of Wolf's Bane
Discussing the trivial details of their spending their lives together had paled compared to the pure joy of celebrating that decision. He now faced several uncertainties.
Did Solenne wish to remain in Boxon with her family? Even with the beast eliminated, the Marechals needed another hunter. Or should they seek their fortune elsewhere? Fallkirk needed a hunter. He presumed plenty of other smaller towns and villages on the fringe of the West Lands needed hunters. Finding a post would be as simple as deciding where to settle, in theory. Did he even want to go back to hunting? Could he do anything else?
He always had his ancestral home. The house needed care, but it was solid and the land was viable. The tenant farmers did well enough. Raising any kind of animal or crop seemed preposterous to him, but he could easily imagine Solenne in a garden. The Marechals kept sheep and a greenhouse, so Solenne had more of an idea how to earn a living from the earth than he did.
Perhaps Solenne wanted more than to keep his household and teach him how to raise sheep? Did she wish to return to university? He had some money. Not enough for tuition, but he’d figure it out if need be.
Fuck. There were too many questions, and Godwin kept staring at him, like he could smell his daughter on Alek.
“Unless you were successful in luring the Fallkirk beast here?” Godwin asked.
Alek ran a hand through his hair. “I thought I had lost the trail when it doubled back but yes, it’s possible it followed me from Fallkirk.”
“Papa, the beast attacked Solenne. Alek saved her,” Luis said.
“She what? And you didn’t tell me?” Godwin spun to face his son, and Alek enjoyed the brief respite from Godwin’s ire.
“We were busy.” Luis waved a hand toward the conflagration.
“Well?” Godwin looked from Luis to Alek. “Report.” Alek ran through what the doctor had instructed. “Good luck keeping her in bed,” Godwin eventually said.
Alek grinned, unable to help himself. He had a few ideas on the matter.
He filled and hauled buckets of water when the fire threatened to spread when the wind shifted. They doused nearby buildings to keep the fire contained. By the time the sun reached the day’s zenith, the barn was a smoldering ruin. If the beast still lived, it was badly injured.
“Dismember the corpse and salt the earth,” Alek said, before dunking his head under a water pump. The scent of smoke filled his nostrils and clouded everything else. All he detected was char, burnt grass, and an acrid chemical stench of whatever Chambers stored in the barn. No longer used for livestock, it served as storage for any number of highly flammable items.
Convenient how Chambers’ sacrifice cost him little. Such a loss would devastate any other farmer, even a gentleman farmer.
The wind shifted as a storm rolled in from the west, clearing the smoke. The dark clouds bisected the sky, one side summery blue and the other an ominous gray. Badly needing a bath and a meal, he wanted to return to the Marechal home before the downpour arrived. Beyond exhausted, he had pushed his body to its limits since last night. Even the beast required rest.
A fair-haired woman approached him.
“Aleksandar, may I speak with you?” She drew him to the side. “I’m sure you do not remember me.”
“I remember you, Miss Wodehouse.” When they were younger, Solenne and Charlotte burst into giggles whenever Alek entered the room. Since his return, he witnessed the same charming chatting and giggling like conspirators.
“Oh, excellent.” A warm smile spread across Charlotte’s face. “I need to beg for your help.”
“If I can.” Honestly, he did not understand how he could assist Charlotte. He was tired, covered in soot, and had burns on his hands and back. He wanted to return to Solenne as quickly as possible.
“I’m afraid this is rather delicate—” She glanced behind, as if to make sure their conversation would not be overheard.
“Miss Wodehouse, please,” he snapped. Then gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “Do not be concerned about my delicate sensibilities. I assure you, I have none.”
“Yes, I see. Well, I have a piece of news, and I know Solenne says she had no attachment to Lionel—Colonel Chambers, I mean. She seemed to encourage my affections for him but I’m uncertain. Hearts are tricky things. There’s what we know and what weknow.” She gave him a look that implied he understood, which he did not.
Displeasure rumbled low in his throat. Solenne had no attachment to that man. None!
Charlotte paled, as if alarmed. “Yes, but what I want to know is would it upset her if Lionel and I were engaged?”
Such a tiresome way to ask a simple question. Alek rolled his shoulders. “Are you engaged?”
“Yes, as it happens, we are. Lionel proposed last night, and I accepted.” A smile bloomed across her face. “Do you think it will crush Solenne?”
“No. She is already claimed.”
“To you? Did you propose? Was it terribly romantic?” Charlotte clasped her hands and sighed. “Oh, this is wonderful. We’ll have a double wedding, just like in the novels she reads.” She frowned slightly. “Without all the stabbing, treachery, and doom, of course.”
