Page 33 of Caroline Saves the Blacksmith
William huffed humorlessly. It was exactly the kind of question he would expect from the perceptive woman who had invaded his dreams the night before. “He was my closest friend, and I watched him die.”
Caroline stared at him, licking her lips and clearly uncertain how to respond. Finally, she crossed over to sit down next to him on the settee, placing her smaller hand over his. “I am sorry.”
“You have brought me more comfort than you could possibly comprehend.”
“Me?”
“Every night since his death, I have dreamed of Charles. When you told me to count my blessings last night … the dream changed. I realized how much my cousin sacrificed so that he might secure freedom for his parents, his town. His country. By focusing on the loss, I failed to honor him. Now I know I must live my life as a mark of respect to Charles. If our positions were reversed … I would want him to have sought a full life. Live life for the both of us.”
Caroline stared down at their clasped hands.
“You are a good man, William. You deserve to live a full life.”
William broke the clasp to take her in his arms. Embracing her close to bury his face in her hair, he breathed in the scent of vanilla with a hint of peppermint. “What have you brought us to eat?”
She chuckled against him. “I have a roasted chicken and a Christmas mince pie I fetched from the baker, Mr. Andrews.”
“What? No Christmas pudding?”
Caroline giggled. “I had no time nor reason to start making a Christmas pudding back in November, I am afraid.”
William soughed heavily in feigned disappointment. When she pulled back, he gave her an exaggerated wink. “We shall make do, I suppose.”
She smiled, then leaned over the tray, handing him a plate laden with chicken and pie. “To make matters worse, we have to eat on the settee.”
Taking up a fork from the tray, William took a bite of the pie and shut his eyes in bliss. “Mr. Andrews is a genius.”
Caroline took her bite, then hummed in delight, which reminded William of her vivid nocturnal visits. Somehow, in his dreams, he had seen to the very essence of this woman and he knew her better than he knew himself. She had found the keys to his cage and released him from purgatory itself.
He only wished he knew her secrets. What would it take to convince her to relinquish the one she was holding back? Perhaps it did not signify. Eventually, he would learn everything about her.
He put his plate down, along with his fork.
Caroline tilted her head in question, but William said nothing. He simply took her plate and fork away to place them beside his own.
Carefully, he lowered himself onto his knee and turned to take her hand with his. Her mouth fell open, her eyes wide as she stared back at him in shock.
“Caroline Brown, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
THE ARGUMENT
“Have you gone mad?” Her question was sincere. She was genuinely concerned that William had lost his mind. “You barely know me!”
“I know everything that matters,” he responded, his blue eyes earnest as he cradled her hand in his own. His fingers and palms were rough against her skin, reminding her of the work he did. He built things, bending metal into shapes that would allow it to become useful implements. He did it well, and he had built a business that was the envy of many townsfolk.
And he is offering to marry me?
“Is this because we lay together? You need not feel obligated. I was aware of what I was doing, and I had no expectations of you.”
William chuckled. “Nay, Caroline. You are a fine woman, and laying with you would have made me feel obligated to behave as a gentleman, but the truth is, I had already determined this course before we lay together.”
“What?”
“I lay with you because I had already decided I wanted to make you my wife.”
Caroline’s mind was swimming, a maelstrom of confusion. No man had ever desired to marry her before, and from what she knew of the blacksmith, he was not a lunatic. She recalled imagining what it would be like to marry him, but never expected that he desired to do so.
“You do not know me!”
