Chapter 71 - He Did Nothing (1/2)

Three months passed as I tried to get used to my decision to make my marriage work. With all the nobles back at their estates, things were quiet on the political front.

Mariela spent her days as usual at first but once her belly began to show Franz insisted she remain secluded. It was insane that no one had figured it out yet but I was willing to bet Sigmund was getting suspicious after she didn't show her face at any meals for over a week.

Once I decided not to play matchmaker for my husband with Marcy, there wasn't really a point in orchestrating meetings between them. Our trips to the kitchen for food became slightly less frequent but I couldn't stop them completely for no reason. Both Al and Marcy would be confused and besides, it was a way to kill time.

I had to hand it to her, she was a phenomenal actress. If our conversation in the storage closet never happened I would still believe in her sincere desire to be our friend. As it was I couldn't tell what was real or fake.

Did she actually like us or only showed her friendly side because we were working toward a common goal? I was glad Al hadn't fallen for her tricks this time.

That being said...things with Al were a bit hard to describe. Our habit of keeping busy didn't change much. We went out in the snow, played cards, read books, and rode horses in our usual war against boredom.

However, it was very obvious that he was courting me because he regularly gave me gifts, compliments, and physical affection.

I took an online love languages quiz a few years ago when I had nothing better to do and discovered that my primary love language was acts of service. After a few weeks of 'dating' Al it was obvious that his was physical touch.

If we were reading, he would sit close with an arm slung around my shoulders. When we went riding he insisted on helping me on and off Rapunzel personally rather than let the stable hands do it. He frequently played with my hair or touched my arm casually when we sat around talking.

I couldn't help but wonder if he was touch-starved from all his years alone. Sometimes when I saw his blissful expression simply from me mussing his hair to tease him I wanted to go punch every member of his family in the face for not showing him any love growing up.

I wasn't in love with my husband but I couldn't deny that I was protective of him. Or that I rather enjoyed kissing him.

Though both of us were novices in the beginning it got better with practice. I put my foot down about anything beyond that though, not wanting to end up like Mariela. If we were going to start a family someday it would NOT be under threat.

That had been an awkward conversation—to the point that we couldn't look each other in the eye for the rest of the day—but I had to do it.

Back home, having a family was a mystical, far-off concept since I was so single I didn't even have a crush on anyone.

I always thought I'd settle down and become a mom around thirty. I may be mentally twenty-four now but this body was seventeen. Kids were out of the question.

Even if they weren't...My mom came from a home with an abusive father. She told us that when we chose a partner to spend our lives with, we needed to think about the kind of parent they would be. Al had a kind heart but no sense of responsibility. What kind of dad would that make him?

”What are you thinking about?” Al's voice sounded in my ear as he hugged me from behind.

I nearly jumped out of my skin and flailed my arms at him angrily as I broke free. ”Don't scare me like that!”

It's very disconcerting when someone you're thinking weird thoughts about sneaks up on you. My heart raced as I observed his gray eyes overflowing with mirth.