“Some years are worse than others. It seems that the higher the heat, the more we see. And, of course, hurricanes strike us occasionally, though not as often as in the southern states. Perhaps this is the edge of one.” He stroked a hand down her back and then up again to where her hair so often tumbled down, though today none had dared escape Mother and Philly’s careful arrangement. “Not exactly the sunshine you likely envisioned for your wedding day, hmm?”
“Stop it.” She pulled his head down to place the caress of a kiss upon his lips. “I would have it no other way. I married you, which is all that matters. In God’s time, according to His plan. And if He feels we need a storm to sweep us into our life together, then so be it.”
That was his Miranda, straight from The Tempest. Though when a bolt of lightning hit somewhere nearby, the crack deafening, she jumped and all but melted into him. Apparently even Miranda had a limit to what she appreciated in a storm. “You were saying?”
Chuckling, she tilted her head back to look at him. “So it is a bit fiercer than to what I am accustomed. I still cannot regret it, especially since with all the havoc it is wreaking on the trees, it will slow the army’s progress if they intend to march this direction.”
“How very true.”
“And if I am a trifle unsettled by it, I have no doubt I will still sleep better tonight than I have in years. In your arms.” A blush stained her cheeks, but she held his gaze, absolute trust and love and expectation in her Caribbean eyes.
He could hardly resist trying to tease out an even brighter blush. “You think I intend to let you sleep, do you?”
Indeed the pink deepened, but she grinned. “I daresay you shall have to at some point, my love. You were out all night and have a full day of work ahead of you tomorrow.”
Was it only this morning he had ridden home with Arnaud after verifying the defeat at Bladensburg, the destruction of Washington? Only this morning he had asked her to be his for all time? He touched the pearls resting just beneath her collarbone. “I cannot know what the future holds, sweet, but know this. Whether we have five days or fifty years as man and wife, I promise you will never, for even a moment, regret marrying me. You are the most amazing blessing the Lord has ever sent me, and I will cherish you always.”
She caught his hand and gripped it. And though moisture gleamed in her eyes, the turn of her lips was brave. “And I you. May it be fifty years and beyond, Thad. Only a lifetime would be enough.”
He could promise her devotion for the rest of his life, but he could only pray that would outlast the war.
Gwyneth stretched, blinked open her eyes to the soft light of early morning, and decided that if there were a more pleasant way to awake than to a kiss from one’s beloved, she had certainly never discovered it. She smiled at Thad, who sat beside her, already dressed.
And beautifully so. She reached out to smooth a hand over the braid of his blue jacket. “My, look at you. I had no idea I so appreciated a man in uniform.” Yesterday they had been out from dawn to dusk, clearing away storm damage. This morning, though, he must drill with all the other men of Baltimore, and apparently they all insisted on looking the part.
Chuckling, he took her hand and kissed it. “Loath as I was to wake you, I did not want to leave without telling you goodbye. Do you still want to meet me after my drills to canvas businesses for donations?”
“Of course. Ten o’clock?”
“At the bank on Lexington Street, yes.” He brushed away a curl that had escaped her braid, leaned down, and kissed her again.
Yes, this was the way a day ought to begin. She wrapped her arms around him and held fast, even though she knew he must be away in a matter of minutes. They might as well make those minutes count.
When he pulled away, it was with a groan. “Blast this war for taking me from you for even a few hours. When it is all over, sweet, we are taking a trip. One where we can laze the day away in each other’s arms if we so please, and go out only when we feel the desire.”
A happy thought, but not their reality yet. She smiled and kissed him once more. “I shall hold you to that. And now I will shoo you out the door before you are late for reveille.”
He stroked his thumb over her cheek and then stood. “Can I get you anything before I leave? A cup of tea?”
“You haven’t the time for that.” She smiled and scooted up to a sitting position, fluffing her pillow behind her. “Though if you would hand me my Bible, I would appreciate it.”
He looked around his—their—chamber, which had yet to be put to rights after they transferred all her belongings into it. “And that would be…?”
“Still in my trunk, I think. I had no time to read yesterday. No doubt on the bottom, so I can get it. You should—”
“No bother, sweet. You stay right where you are.” One stride brought him to her trunk, the soft morning light catching on the lid as he raised it. He dug through, tossing her dressing gown at her and earning a laugh when it landed on her head. She pulled her arms through the light fabric as he continued to sift through her things. “There we are.” Yet he frowned.