Page 40 of Quest of Fools

But mostly Warf just couldn't wait until they never had to think about her again.

Gathering up all his dirty clothes in a hamper tucked in the dressing room, he hauled it downstairs with them and left Marian to find the others while he went in search of a place to do laundry.Thankfully, that proved easy enough.There was an entire room dedicated to it just off the kitchen, the smell of soap and lye permanently sunk into the walls.

After months of hard travel, of fear and worry, only having laundry to do felt utterly trivial.

He'd just gotten the water heated when footsteps drew his attention, and he wasn't remotely surprised when Kaltin appeared with his own hamper.He smiled when he saw Warf."Might have known you'd beat me to it.You're a lord now, though, silly.You don't do laundry."

"I think I'll manage," Warf said dryly."How's your leg, and why are you hauling things around while your arm is still broken?"

"Because I do what I want," Kaltin retorted, and Warf had to admit he seemed to move along just fine as he dragged his hamper further into the room to set with Warf's."The others are exploring the manor.Lord Marian already seems a thousand times better than he did last night.I'm so glad."

Warf grunted as he added soap to the hot water and once it was good and dissolved, threw in all the clothes he could before setting to scrubbing.He sat on a stool while he worked, bent over the large washing board.Laundry wasn't something he'd done often over the years, as he usually traded laundry for food or labor with his neighbors, but he'd done it enough.

As he finished scrubbing, he threw the pieces into a tub of cold water for rinsing, which Kaltin handled before hanging them up to dry.True to his word, lacking on arm did not seem to slow him down much, not even with the weight of wet clothes to hang up.

By the time he was finished, Warf was more than ready for a bath.Emptying the large washing tub, he heated more water to do precisely that."How's the weather?"He glanced toward the windows along one side of the room, but they were made of cheap frosted glass, showing nothing useful.

"Viletti thinks we're officially stuck here a couple of months.Thankfully, Clarkson saw to it plenty of stores were laid in, and she can also do some hunting if necessary, so we should be fine.I really wish we'd been able to make it back home, though.I know your children must hate this."

"Yes, but they have Rath and Prince Isambard, so they'll be all right.They have to learn to be apart from me anyway, even if right now they're a bit too young for it.Can't be helped."He definitely wasn't sorry for the choices he'd made, and in a few months he'd be reunited and could start making up for his long absence.

When he and Kaltin were clean and dressed in freshly laundered clothes, they went in search of the others, following the sounds of talking and laughing to what proved to be the breakfast room.Marian, Viletti, Alliana, and her children sat at the far end, closest to the fireplace.

Marian broke into a smile when he saw them, and beckoned for Warf to sit beside him."Where have you been?"When Warf had taken the seat, Marian leaned in and up to kiss him, smiling softly as he drew away again.

"Doing laundry," Warf said with a laugh as he helped himself to the food spread out across the table."Someone hauled all of this out of the kitchen and didn't notice us in the laundry room?"

Viletti shrugged."Didn't want to interrupt you.Have to do some of that myself, but I'm in no hurry."

"Plenty of clothes around this place, I'm sure," Marian said."Not like you have to be in uniform every hour of our wintering.Borrow a dress from Clarkson, wear it while you check on her, enjoy the seething."

"Me in a duchess's gown, oh la," Viletti said with a laugh."I admit I'd love to see her face, though.Maybe I'll go poke around her wardrobe after lunch."She grinned as she poured herself more wine."Ana, want to try on fancy clothes with me after lunch?"

"Oh, yes, the very moment I've laid the boys down for their nap."

"I'll watch them," Warf said."You two have fun."

Alliana huffed and shook her head."You've just been reunited with your love!"

Grinning, Marian replied before Warf could."We'll have fun later tonight."His grin widened when that set the women to laughing brightly.

"Brat," Warf said, but didn't mind at all when Marian kissed him again, soft and sweet.

Thankfully, the children fell asleep easily after all the food and excitement of the day.Rather than haul them upstairs, they got them settled on a large sofa in the library, in a nest of blankets and pillows.

Warf and Marian settled on the far end of the room, where they could keep watch while conversing without causing a disturbance."I'm still a little bit surprised every time I look at you," Marian said."That you're really here.That you came for me.That even though we're still in this rotten house the ordeal is over."

Glancing briefly at the children, still fast asleep, Warf then reached out and hauled Marian into his lap, wrapping arms tightly around him before kissing Marian long and lingering."I'm here.You're safe.A few more months we'll be home."

Marian rested his head on Warf's shoulder, tangling the fingers of his left hand in Warf's shirt."You're so warm."Warf could feel him smile."And so big, but I'll make those jokes later."

Warf chuckled."Brat."

"First thing we're going to do is spoil the girls rotten and assure them we'll never vanish like this again, not if we can possibly help it," Marian said between yawns.His head settled back on Warf's shoulder, heavier this time, eyes sliding shut."The second thing I'm doing is filing a claim against Clarkson.The third…" Marian yawned again, then seemed to forget he'd been speaking.

Smiling faintly, Warf quietly prodded, "What's the third thing?"

"Drag you to bed and stay there, obviously," Marian said sleepily, and then with a soft sigh slid fully into sleep.

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