Page 38 of When I Fall in Love (De Piaget #4)

N icholas sat near the fire in the great hall and did his best to concentrate on what was going on around him. He wasn’t one to be distracted, but he supposed he had cause. After all, it wasn’t every day that he wed a woman he adored, entertained her family from the Future, and plotted ways to kill his elder brother and brother-in-law all at the same time.

Robin and Jake were, of course, doing all they could to quietly suggest to him that a standing up might be called for.

“When hell freezes over,” he’d said to Robin as Robin had brought him wine. “I’ll see you in hell first,” he’d remarked calmly to Jake as Jake had refilled his cup.

They’d only smirked and returned to their seats where they whispered together and smirked a.bit more.

Standing up, Nicholas snorted. As if he would actually allow them to strip him, one, or strip Jennifer, two. He imagined that her knees did not knock. If they did, he didn’t care. He wasn’t going to repudiate her, so it was best that Robin and Jake merely retreat to the lord’s solar for a quick game of fish.

Nicholas scowled. Jake had quite a bit to answer for, actually.

“You’re frowning,” Jennifer said sweetly.

He turned to her and smiled. “Happy thoughts, actually.”

“I think you have Robin’s demise on your mind,” she said, her eyes twinkling. “Perhaps Jake’s as well. I don’t think anyone else has dared tease you.”

“They haven’t,” he agreed.

“I think they’re trying to distract you,” she said solemnly. “You look a little nervous.”

“Me?” he echoed. “Never. Never mind that your father continues to glare at me and your grandmother has nodded knowingly several times in my direction.”

Jennifer laughed. “It serves you right for all the times your grandmother sized me up.”

He took her hand in his. “I suppose it does. But ’tis torture just the same.”

“I don’t think the torture’s going to end anytime soon,” she remarked. “I understand your grandmother has a full afternoon planned. Music. Dancing. Perhaps a play. My sister and Connor are very famous actors, you know. They might do something to entertain us. At your grandmother’s behest, of course.”

“I am unsurprised,” he grumbled.

Jennifer laughed and patted his hand. “I’m sure the day will just speed by. You’ll see.”

What he would see is someone’s head on a pike outside the gates. Or perhaps two someones. He decided on that after the wedding feast had been accomplished and other chairs set up by the fire for relaxing and conversing. His family seemed perfectly content. Jennifer’s family seemed perfectly at ease. Jake was translating for Father McKinnon. Jennifer translated for her mother and grandmother. Nicholas saw that his parents were doing their best to make Jennifer’s parents feel at ease. Anne, Amanda, and Isabelle were their gracious selves, adding beauty and charm to the afternoon.

Still, the day dragged on like a cart with a broken axle.

Nicholas found that he was as nervous as a cat. Between Jennifer’s father looking at him as if he was about to bed his daughter, and Robin and Jake occasionally coming close to make suggestions on how soon he should retreat upstairs to his chamber which they had made ready for him so he could do just that, Nicholas was tempted to do damage to someone.

“Dancing, now,” Joanna announced. “Robin, go fetch the musicians. Everyone else, make ready for a lovely afternoon.”

Nicholas would have complained, but he found himself suddenly pulled to his feet.

“I must speak with you,” Jennifer said seriously. “Come with me now.”

Nicholas followed her across the hall whilst the rest of the company was in confusion trying to sneak food from where it had been laid on the high table, or flee out the front door before Joanna could catch them. He was unwholesomely unsettled by Jennifer’s tone. Had she changed her mind? Had she decided that she might prefer Wyckham without him?

She pulled him into the stairwell and turned around.

He steeled himself for the worst.

She took off her shoes. He looked at her in surprise. Was she now going to clout him over the head with those terrifying bits of business?

Then she leaned up and kissed him.

He blinked. “I’m confused. I thought you wanted to speak to me.”

“Not really,” she laughed. She took his hand and pulled him up the stairs. “Come on, Nicky.”

“Nicky,” he repeated. He followed her up the steps and down the passageway. “Where are we going?”

“We’re going to bolt ourselves in your chamber, of course. Miles has done us the favor of supplying enough food and drink that we won’t need to unbolt the door until at least tomorrow morning. Also, the trunk my father brought along is inside.” She smiled up at him. “Future marvels, my lord.”

“Ah,” he said, realizing what she was about. “Are you avoiding Robin and his ideas of standing up?”

“Damned right,” she said, pulling him down the passageway.

He followed her into his chamber. In this, at least, his brothers had not done poorly. There was a fire in the hearth, wine on the table and candles lit for their pleasure. His brothers were noticeably absent.

That was perhaps the best gift of all.

Jennifer shut door, then bolted it. She set her shoes on the floor, then turned and looked at him.

“Well?”

He smiled weakly. “I’m unaccountably nervous.”

“Why? It’s just me.”

“Your father’s downstairs.”

“I promise, he won’t come tuck us in.”

He laughed and took a step closer to her to pull her into his arms. “I certainly hope not.” He looked down at her. “I still cannot believe you’re here.”

“Neither can I,” she with a tremulous smile. “But I don’t regret it.” She pulled his head down and kissed him. “Where is your self-control, my lord?”

“I left it with your father.”

“I’m sure he appreciates it. Now, why don’t you kiss me? I don’t think you have to stop today. But be sure you do a thorough job.”

He smiled, pulled her into his arms, and obliged her.

Thoroughly.

N icholas woke quite late, for him. Of course, it made a difference when he had spent most of the night not sleeping.

Blissfully so.

He sat up. The sun was already up and streaming through the window. It fell upon the figure of a flame-haired woman who was kneeling in her shift in front of her trunk, peering into it.

“You said you’d wait,” he chided.

She turned and smiled at him. “I did wait. I was just peeking.”

He clucked his tongue and rolled from the bed, wrapping a sheet around his hips. She looked up at him.

“Cute.”

“Cute?”

She pointed to his sheet. “Attractive.”

“Is it?”

“Actually, it’s distracting, just like the rest of you. Now, do you want me to concentrate on the trunk or not?” she asked, with one raised eyebrow.

He smiled. “Well, now that you ask, nay. Not exactly.”

She laughed and held up her arms to him.

I t took another several attempts at investigating the trunk whilst doing so in various states of dress before Nicholas found himself the next morning sitting with his wife in front of the trunk, both of them fully clothed. Nicholas looked at Jennifer and sighed lightly.

“I suppose we’ll manage this this time.”

She laughed. “I suppose so. But don’t worry. I sent a message to my father that we wouldn’t be down until dinner. You have all afternoon for a very, very long nap.”

“The saints preserve me.”

“I think you said that a lot last night. You might say it again this morning.” She opened the trunk. “Here you go. The Future brought right to your lap.”

Nicholas peered inside with the same care he might have used whilst looking into a trunk full of asps. He frowned. There were books, but of no sort he’d ever seen before. He looked for quite some time without touching, then finally sat back on his heels and looked at Jennifer.

“I must admit it,” he said slowly. “I have no idea where to start.”

“I’ll start for you. Maybe I’ll make piles for me, piles for you, then we’ll see what’s here to share.” She reached in the trunk. “Oh, look. Some chocolate. Definitely for me.”

He looked at the shiny gold box. It looked like a holy relic, but what did he know? “Chocolate?”

“It’s food.”

“You should share.”

“Maybe. You can have half of one of the smallest pieces and I’ll have all the rest.” She smiled. “It’s Godiva. It’s powerful.”

“I’m a knight of legendary prowess. Your sister said so. I daresay I’ll survive.”

She opened the box and took out a small brown ball. She closed the box back up reverently and put it down. Where he couldn’t reach it, he noted. She bit into the ball.

Her eyes rolled back in her head.

He reached out to catch her only to have her straighten and wink at him.

“Just kidding. You try.”

He accepted what was left of the small ball she had eaten. He sniffed. He had, he could say with all honesty, never smelled anything like it. He considered just a small taste, but decided that was cowardly. Instead, he popped the entire thing in his mouth and chewed.

He understood the eye rolling.

He swallowed and smiled. “How much is left?” he asked, trying to see around her.

“Not as much as we’d like. I think they have chocolate in Spain. Did you never have any?”

“Nothing that tasted like that,” he said, with feeling.

“Yeah, well, this box has my name on it, so don’t try anything funny.”

He frowned at her, but she only laughed at him. She reached out and smoothed her hand over his hair and smiled.

“I’m teasing. I’ll share. Maybe. Let’s see what else is in here.”

Nicholas watched as she pulled things out of the trunk and set them on the floor.

“Violin strings, lots of rosin, a book on restringing my bow. Very important. Some music which I’ll look through later. Knitting needles, though yours were nicer. Lots of yarn. My granny’s doing, obviously.” She held a ball of pale yarn up to her cheek, then held it against his. “Cashmere. Lovely, isn’t it?”

“Wonderful,” he said honestly.

She peered again into the trunk. “Here we have washable, organic feminine protection products, thank you, Mother. A book on natural childbirth.” She shot him a look. “I imagine that’s from my grandmother. She likes to be prepared.”

He watched with wide eyes. “So I see.”

She pulled out a gray, flat box and opened it. She smiled and looked at him. “For us both, I imagine. Surgical needles for sutures.”

“Smaller than mine.”

“Much. Let’s hope we never have to use them. Plus a book on herbal medicine. Very useful.”

“Any more chocolate?”

Jennifer poked around in the trunk. She flashed him a smile. “Several boxes of Godiva, a couple of Kit Kats and a six pack of Lilt.”

“Good?”

“Very good.” She pulled out a pair of what looked like soft gauntlets. “Leather gloves. For you. Cashmere socks. For you again. Oh, and Nicholas look, here’s a chess set.” She smiled. “It must be from my father. He’s the only one who plays chess.”

He smiled. “Perhaps he isn’t opposed to me after all.”

“I imagine he’s not,” she agreed.

He watched as she continued to remove things he supposed he would learn the use for at some point. Then she pulled forth the books he’d peered at before; they were nothing like he’d ever seen.

“Books,” she confirmed. “There’s a tag on them with your name, so I assume they’re for you.” She smiled. “They’ll blow your mind. We have geography, history, Shakespeare, all sorts of other literature. You’ll love it.”

“These are books?” He shivered. “I’ve never seen anything so fine.”

“Well, it’s entirely possible that we should feed the fire with most of them after you’ve read them,” she admitted, “but I think you’ll enjoy them until then.” She looked inside the trunk, then froze.

“Jen?”

She pulled out two small, gray boxes. They were similar to her cell phone, which she had shown him the night before. She looked at him.

“Music,” she whispered.

“In there?” he asked, stunned.

Tears rolled down her cheeks. “In here. And solar battery chargers as well. I’ll show you how it all works, but not now. Now I think I just have to sit and think.”

“And eat more Godiva?”

She laughed. “When it’s gone, it’s gone.”

“Then let’s eat it now, before Robin finds it. Though the books are tempting as well.”

“I have competition,” she murmured.

He hauled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. “You most certainly do not. But I’m tempted to agree with what you said.” He took an unsteady breath. “All this could truly see us at the stake.”

“What should we do?”

“Lock it well,” he said with feeling.

“We could bum it.”

“Not the chocolate,” he said immediately. He paused. “Not the books.” He looked at her in wonder. “And I thought I could provide you with luxuries. I daresay I cannot equal—”

She kissed him softly, interrupting him. “You clothed me when I had nothing. You made me look like a princess when I could have looked like a peasant. You married me, when you could have had anyone.”

“I wanted you,” he said. “I would have waited dozens of lifetimes for you—”

She put her hand over his mouth, then put her mouth over his mouth. “Don’t even say it. This stuff is just stuff and nothing compared to what I feel for you.” She reached over and shut the trunk lid. “Let’s leave the rest for later. Now, I think we have better things to do.”

He couldn’t have agreed more.

It occurred to him, at some point during that long, luxurious afternoon with Jennifer McKinnon in his arms, that he’d known the truth of the matter long before he’d seen what the trunk contained.

The true marvel from the Future was what he held in his arms.