Page 18 of Vows of Sacrifice

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“I’ve stopped counting. So, it’s up to you. And you?”

“What about me?”

“Your age.”

“Eighteen years old.”

Once again, he choked on his food.

“You’re just a baby!”

He grabbed his cup to fill it with red wine and drained it in one gulp. I watched him pour himself another.

“I’m not a baby. Or a child.”

His eyes lowered briefly to my chest.

“Yes, indeed,” he then muttered.

He tried to hide his amused grin by raising the cup to his lips while I furiously readjusted my shawl.

“I was talking about responsibilities,” I explained.

“Yes, yes.”

“I am serious!”

“I know. Massim mentioned it. You helped your father administer the kingdom.”

I opened my mouth to contend, but his last comment cut me off dead in my tracks. I pursed my lips, just long enough to think about what I was going to ask him, and more importantly, how.

“Are you against this?”

Dovah raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

“Against what?”

“For a woman to take on the responsibilities of a man.”

“You mean do a man’s job?”

I nodded, then waited nervously for his reply. He studied me for a moment before speaking again.

“To be honest, before you, I’d never asked myself that question.”

“Well? You do have an opinion on the subject!” I pressed, impatiently.

“I would say this: if that’s what she wants and she proves herself competent, why not? For me, it’s only the results that matter. How you get there is just that, a means to an end.”

At least one thing seemed to be looking up with this situation. I was better at managing land than knitting shawls.

“You look happy. Did I say something right?”

I nodded again, unable to supress the smile that stretched across my face. I wasn’t a conventional wife, and the idea that he wasn’t against my deepest aspirations gave me some hope for the future.

“Is it the idea of working that puts you in such a state of joy?”

I burst out laughing, a laugh that I immediately stifled by pressing my napkin against my mouth. I didn’t know how he managed to be funny and make me smile when I wanted to hate him with all my soul.