Page 12 of House of Blood and Roses: Vol. 2
"Yes." He gestures to a low crumbled wall and the two of us make our way over so we can sit.
Pip figures out we're stopping almost immediately and appears with a stick that's too big for her.
"You need to get a smaller one," I tell her.
She drops it at my feet and cocks her head to the side, clearly not understanding.
"Here, I've got it," Linc says, grabbing the stick and using his foot to get leverage, snapping it down into a more manageable size. "You ready, Pip?" he asks my dog.
She watches him expectantly, so excited that her tail stops wagging completely. I can't help but smile. There's something so beautiful about seeing the two of them like this. I could watch them for hours. And if it wasn't snowing, then there's a good chance that I would.
Linc throws the stick and it disappears into the forest. Pip sprays snow up into the air as she races off, determined to fetch it.
"Please don't worry about the gift," Linc says as he retakes his seat and waits for Pip to return. "I've got it all under control."
"I'm not worried about that part," I admit. "It just feels like a lot of pressure to put on you, especially when we've only known one another for a few months."
Pip returns proudly clutching her stick. Except that it's a different one than before. Linc doesn't even question it as she drops it at his feet. Instead, he picks it up and throws it for her again.
"It's not that kind of gift," Linc responds. "There are a lot of rules about what I should get you."
"That feels like it takes all of the fun out of gifts," I murmur.
"A little." He takes my hand in his and gives it a squeeze, though I find myself wishing that we weren't wearing gloves, even if it's too cold for that.
"I suppose that means there are going to be rules for what I'm supposed to get you as a birthday gift too?" I ask, trying not to worry too much about what that means and how difficult it's going to be for me to get there.
"Yes, but you have more than half a year before you have to worry about that," he assures me. "And you'll have me to help you."
"I know, you always do." I meet his gaze, feeling all kinds of grand emotions as I do.
I clear my throat and look away as Pip brings her stick back. I pick it up, mostly to distract myself from the words bouncing around inside me and feeling like they want to escape before I'm ready for them to.
I toss the stick, though I don't manage to get it as far as Linc did.
We lapse into a comfortable silence, taking turns to throw the stick for Pip, while she never tires of running back and forth. Not for the first time, I find myself wishing that I had her energy. It's such a peaceful moment with the snow floating down around us and no pressure from anyone up at the palace to press in against us.
I lean my head against Linc's shoulder and let myself just enjoy the moment. No doubt it's times like this that will build our marriage, and not dealing with the complexities of court life, even if there's going to be plenty of that to come.
SIX
I enter the dining room, stopping in my tracks when I realise the layout is different to normal. No doubt the introduction of Lady Ermentrude has meant that there needs to be a change when we eat formally, but I hadn't truly considered what that would look like until now, especially as she hasn't been joining us for many meals.
"My Lady," a servant says.
I turn to the man and smile at him.
"This is your seat." He gestures to the chair to the right of Lord Fallmartin's, the one that used to belong to Eliza before she moved into her new husband's home. I wish she'd spend more time here, but there's nothing that can be done to change that. I suppose it'll be the same for me when I move into the royal rooms to be with Linc.
"Thank you." I pull it out and sit down, waiting for the others to appear before the meal can begin. I'm not even entirely sure why we're having a formal dinner tonight. We've had plenty of informal ones since I came to court, but this is different.
The door opens and Bella enters with Thomas beside her. She raises an eyebrow when she sees where I'm sitting. "It seems like you've gone up in the world."
"I think it's only so that Bastian and his wife can sit beside one another," I respond quickly.
She nods as if that's not what she thinks, but doesn't say anything else, taking her seat on the opposite side of the table. I'm going to miss sitting directly opposite her and watching her reactions to the dumb things my brother says.
Bastian and his wife arrive soon after, making me feel somewhat alone, even though I know that's illogical. Or perhaps I'm just wishing that Linc were here too. I fold my hands onto my knees and try my best to ignore the awkward silence in the room. Even Bella isn't doing anything to needle Bastian, which I assume has to do with the presence of his wife. I don't know Lady Ermentrude beyond a handful of conversations, and I imagine the same is true for Bella and Thomas too.
