Page 87 of Alliance Bride
She must have sensed his gaze, because she stirred. Her eyes fluttered open. They held his for a moment before she gasped and sat up.
“You’re awake!”
“I am.” The words scratched against his dry throat, and he winced.
Eadlyn scrambled out of bed. Had he the strength to reach out and keep her there, he would have. She grabbed a cup from the table and turned back to him. He tried to sit up, but his body resisted as though a waterlogged blanket weighed it down.
“Here, let me.” She slipped her hand beneath his head and tilted it up as she put the cup to his lips. Her touch was even more soothing than the cool water.
After he’d taken a long drink, she set the cup aside and sat down on the edge of the bed beside him. He lifted his hand enough to find hers.
“How long has it been?”
“You were unconscious for five days. Your fever broke last night. We weren’t sure when you would wake.”
Or if he would wake, judging by the signs of distress on her face. He rubbed his thumb over the soft skin on the back of her hand. Making her fear for his life was the last thing he’d wanted to do.
“I’ll be fine.” Though the weakness may take time to leave him, he was sure his body was on the mend.
She nodded, relief easing some of the worry from her face. Still, she clutched his hand tighter, as if she were afraid to let go.
A grin came to his lips as he thought of waking up with her next to him. “So I had to be injured for you to share your bed with me?”
Eadlyn’s brows shot up before she ducked her head. Dusty pink flushed her pale cheeks. “Well, I had to stay close to make sure you didn’t die on me in the night.”
As much as he enjoyed seeing her a little flustered, he didn’t want to push it too far. “I’m teasing. The bed is yours once I’m strong enough to move.”
Her gaze returned to his. “You will stay right where you are until you’ve healed. I am perfectly able to sleep on the floor.”
He didn’t want her to sleep on the floor. He wanted her here with him. But he kept his thoughts to himself. They could see about that once they’d both recovered from this ordeal.
Chapter Thirty-three
Eadlynwhisperedherthanksto God as she and Aevar concluded their morning walk, her heart lifted by the return of ordinary peace. Life, at long last, had settled back into the comfortable pattern it once knew before the attack. Aevar’s strength had returned little by little, and with it, so had the ease between them.
They paused in front of the longhouse, and Aevar’s hands slipped around her waist, his fingers settling with familiar comfort. That easy, lopsided smile curved his mouth. The one that still fluttered her breath no matter how many times he offered it.
Then came the kiss, gentle and unhurried. She leaned into it without hesitation, treasuring the open affection. In Kenwich, most noblemen treated their wives with cold reserve in public. But Aevar kissed her like the world wasn’t watching, and even if it was, he didn’t care.
He pulled back only a little, and his breath warmed her cheek. “I should find my father and brothers,” he murmured, the reluctance in his voice soft but unmistakable.
She let her hands linger on his chest. “I’ll see you later.”
He pressed one more kiss to her lips and turned, striding toward the training field. She stood for a moment longer, watching him go, a smile still clinging. In her heart, she whispered another thanks that his health had returned and for their growing relationship. Things had changed the morning of the Midsummer festival when he’d first kissed her, but it was more than that now. His near death had grown something even deeper between them.
When he disappeared, she turned and entered the longhouse. The heat of the summer sun had left sweat tickling her neck, and she welcomed the cool shade inside. Inga and Ranvi stood at one of the long tables, smoothing out a swath of yellow wool. Eadlyn joined them, letting her fingers drift across the fabric, admiring the color.
When she looked up, both women watched her with knowing smiles.
“What?”
Inga’s eyes twinkled. “We just enjoy seeing you and Aevar so happy. It was hard won.”
Hard won. The words echoed in her mind. Yes, it had been. She and Aevar could have remained cordial strangers, bound only by duty. Instead, they had broken through pain and fear to find something real.
Her deepest prayer now was for his salvation. In that, they were not yet united. But she had increased hope. Though they’d finished her small collection of Scripture, Aevar had agreed to start again from the beginning. He seemed more invested this time, his questions more frequent and deeper. Perhaps almost dying had him thinking about his eternal future.
After helping to cut pieces of the yellow fabric for the new dress, Eadlyn went to work at the loom, while Inga and Ranvi worked on their own projects. Nearby, Alys and Nesta spun wool. Soon Nesta entertained them with a tale she must have picked up while still living in Waelon. When she finished with one, it left Eadlyn with the perfect opportunity to offer to tell a story from Scripture. Switching to spinning, she sat down and began the story of Joseph.
