Page 44 of Stay with Me

“Just one day?” That’s all she and Nicholas had so far. Was it enough?

“Then a week later, he left to fight in France, and I didn’t see him again for another year.”

“That must have been dreadful.”

She shrugged. “I didn’t become acquainted with him until after he returned and we had our son. Now, after thirty years, we’ve learned to love each other.”

Learning to love. What a foreign concept in modern relationships that so often started with feelings of love that dissolved as time passed. If couples went into marriage with the mindset that it would take a lifetime to learn to love, would more marriages survive the pull toward divorce?

“Your affection for Nicholas will grow with time,” Beatrice said confidently. “He’s an easy man to love.”

“I don’t doubt you.”

“Good.” She continued to untangle Sybil’s hair, almost as if in doing so she was helping to untangle Sybil’s thoughts. “I always said the maiden who ends up with him will be very, very lucky. He’s the kind of man who pours out his heart and soul for the people he loves without reservation or thought to himself.”

A deep place in Sybil ached for someone to love her that way and to reciprocate in return. But giving in to her attraction to Nicholas would be selfish, especially since she didn’t know how long she’d live in the past. It wouldn’t be fair to him to start a relationship only for her to be yanked back to the present without a moment’s notice.

At the sudden calls from outside the house, Beatrice paused and peered through an open window. “Looks like the rest of the men are back. Ralph will be hungrier than a wild boar.”

Sybil expected Beatrice to rush outside as she’d done when Nicholas had ridden into town, but instead she picked up the comb she’d placed on the table next to a linen head covering—which Sybil had no intention of wearing. The gown was enough, and she would let Beatrice know it.

Regardless, Sybil was grateful the kindly matron was willing to continue helping her smooth out the snarls. This time Beatrice worked in silence, inclining her ear to the conversationsof the returning men, to their tales of outmaneuvering and outwitting Simon’s men.

At the sound of Nicholas in the fray, Sybil’s pulse picked up speed. A moment later when his voice drew nearer, she sat up straighter. What would he think of her in the tunic? No doubt she looked as ridiculous as she felt.

“We should have the wedding as soon as possible,” Ralph said as he stopped just outside the cottage door.

“Not today,” came Nicholas’s low response.

“Then on the morrow?” Sybil could see Ralph’s tall frame, his baggy garments, and his hair tied at the back of his neck. He held his bow in one hand and cap in the other.

“I cannot say when.” Nicholas spoke as calmly as if he were discussing when to plant crops. Was he no longer frustrated and disappointed? Or perhaps Beatrice had been wrong about Nicholas’s desire for her. Maybe he’d changed his mind and didn’t want her after all.

Beatrice halted the comb halfway through a strand, clearly not wanting to miss a single word of the conversation.

“I would give her time to adjust first.” Though Nicholas’s words were hardly more than a whisper, they echoed loudly through Sybil’s mind and chased away any remaining doubts about Nicholas. He was a good man. That was clear.

Ralph shuffled, then dipped his head. “I don’t need to remind you that her reputation will be smeared.”

“I shall order the men to keep silent about what they saw.”

Ralph shook his head. “Your reputation too. They’ll lose their respect for you if you don’t set this wrong to right.”

Sybil stood abruptly. Nicholas hadn’t mentioned he needed to marry her to protect his own reputation. If the incident in the cave would put him at risk with his men and this community, then she needed to consider marriage, didn’t she? Doing so seemed like the wisest move for everyone, especiallysince Nicholas had all but offered her a marriage in name only. It would be temporary, without physical intimacy muddling things.

“I would be most grateful if you would allow her to stay with you and Beatrice.” Nicholas’s comment was so quiet she almost missed it. “I shall reimburse you handsomely for the favor.”

For pity’s sake. She couldn’t allow Nicholas to pay for her room and board. After telling her of his desire to have a place of his own someday, he didn’t need to waste his earnings on her. Straightening her shoulders, she started across the room.

“Just marry her, Nicholas.” Ralph’s voice was almost urgent. “I know you want to.”

Nicholas didn’t immediately respond.

Her steps slowed.

“I promised her I would do what she wants,” he finally said.

“And what does she want?”

---