Page 52 of Veiled in Stars and Silver
“You may come in now,” I called when we were settled.
The woman and children entered, and the mother quickly shushed her little ones and their curious stares, ushering them up onto the bed. A few seconds later, the lantern on the worn table extinguished.
James nuzzled my neck. “Go to sleep, Wendy. I swear on my mother’s grave, a perfect gentleman I’ll be. Or, at least, I’ll be an honorable scoundrel.”
A smile tugged on my lips. “Now that there are children in the room.”
He chuckled, and he pressed a soft kiss to my bare shoulder. “Good night, love.”
Chapter 19
Wendy
I awoke to two pairs of large brown eyes staring curiously at me.
Instinctively, I grasped the blanket and clutched it upwards, making sure it covered me. A line of light shone through the crack under the door, signaling that it was morning.
A little girl of about five squatted in front of me, next to her younger brother. “Is he your husband?” she asked, taking in James and his brace flowing across his shoulders and the hook on his hand that was resting on my left hip.
“Umm.” I wasn’t sure why I was hesitant. I’d said he was my husband easily enough the night before. Only now that I thought about it, James once had a wife, and I felt odd claiming that title—like I was stealing something special from him.
James’s arm under the blanket tightened around me. “Of course she’s my wife. You don’t think I’d let someone this wonderful get away from me, do you?”
My cheeks blazed.
The children looked startled that it was he who had responded, instead of me.
James raised his hook so they saw it better. “I bet you’d both like to hear the story of how I got this, wouldn’t you?”
The young ones nodded, wide-eyed.
“I was in a battle with this evil tyrant. I about had him, when, at the last second, he lopped off my hand and threw it to a Crocodile.”
The children’s eyes grew even wider. “The Crocodile ate your hand?” the boy gasped.
“Aye, lad. And ever since then, she’s been following me, waiting till the time when she can get the rest of me. And you know what? Once, she almost did, but as luck would have it, I escaped.”
“How?” the little girl asked, enthralled.
But their names were called, and they both jumped and rushed over to the bed with their mother, who proceeded to scold them for bothering me and James.
The woman turned to us. “We thank ye for the room. We’ll be going.” The little ones groaned but followed her toward the door.
“You can have the room,” I said.
“Miss, I don’t want to intrude no further.”
“We insist, you can have it. We don’t need it anymore. Just let us get changed, and it’s yours.”
Tears filled the woman’s eyes. “Ye’re so kind. Thank ye.”
The mother ushered her children outside and shut the door.
“Howdidyou escape the Crocodile?” I asked.
“I’m pretty sure she let me escape,” he said. There was confusion in his voice, like he wasn’t sure himself.
“Peter said you died. That the Crocodile got you.”
