“I thought the last night we were together was the best night of my life,” Lily told him, sitting next to him at the table, but I was wrong. Tonight was even better than today.”
He smiled, looking so handsome, disheveled and weary. “I like hearin’ that, lass.”
He popped another piece of buttered bread into his mouth and groaned with delight. “’Tis so warm. Like ye.”
She blushed and let him chase her back to the bed.
Morning came too quickly. Lily wanted to stay in bed and sleep for another twelve hours. But the children were coming home and she missed them!
They washed and dressed then Elias left the house to fetch the children while she stayed behind and prepared them something to eat. She left the house to go to the field for fresh milk.
Strolling along in the morning sun, she thought about how happy she was. She saw Hild leaving the field and the two women waved and greeted each other. “Is everything well with you and Norman and the girls?”
“Aye, and you and Elias and the children?”
Lily explained that Elias had gone to bring the children home but, aye, she and Elias were well. She had a hard time not blushing and finally excused herself and hurried off.
She continued walking, feeling like a woman, sore from her husband and ridiculously happy about it. She brought her hair to her nose and inhaled. She could smell him on her. She liked it. She wanted to bring him back to bed, or behind the shed. She didn’t care where, as long as she had him. And she did have him. She was his wife, she was adored, and she was certain she would be carrying his bairn in her belly soon enough.
She was finished living in her past with Bertram waiting to break her. Hatred hadn’t done it. Love had. She needed to be broken in order to be put back together again, the right way.
When she saw her children running toward her a few moments later, laughing and calling to her, she waved and felt a ray of hope that the pestilence was over.
At last, it seemed as if the tragedies were finally over.
She welcomed her children in her arms and smiled at her husband coming toward her.
None of them were aware of the men watching from the trees.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Lily stood behind her table in the shop and sliced off some sprigs of potted lavender. It was three hours after they ate and no one had turned up sick. She closed her eyes and said another prayer of thanks that it seemed to be over.
Still, almost everyone who lived had trouble getting to sleep at night. She knew of a good remedy that included lavender and chamomile and a few other things.
“Lily?”
She heard the dulcet voice of Annabelle and smiled, turning to look at the little girl walking in fanciful little circles into the shop.
“Aye, my love?”
“May I go play with Terrick?”
“I thought you did not like Terrick’s company.”
The petite girl looked at the herbs, not her. “I do not like him. But he is sometimes humorous and, that, I do like.”
Lily did nothing to hide her smile at the six-year-old girl. “Aye. Humor is important.”
She grinned and then stopped when Annabelle gave her a curious look. “Have you finished all your duties?”
“Aye.”
“All right, then. Find Charlie. He is likely with Elias and little Eddie at church. Father Benedict needed your fath—Elias to help him move some things.”
Annabelle smiled. “’Tis all right to call him that. I have never had a father.”
Lily’s heart swelled. “Very well, then. I will come get you before dark.”