“Let me carry the pots of water to the bathroom for you,” he said, and that’s exactly what he did. He dumped the hot water into the bath.
“It’s like a mansion here. You even have proper floors,” she said quietly when she was in the bathroom.
His heart thudded in his chest. What on earth had his wife endured? He pulled her to him and enveloped her. She seemed so scared and incredibly vulnerable. He ran his hand through the water that filled the bath, checking the temperature. It seemed about right, and he turned off the cold water faucet. “Grab a towel from that cupboard,” he said. “There is soap on the bath, or you can get a fresh cake of soap from the same cupboard.”
He turned and left her alone.
It seemed like forever before his new wife came out of the bathroom in one of her new nightgowns. She looked fresh and smelled wonderful, but she also looked weary. He’d sat reading his bible while she bathed, something he did every night.
“Did you enjoy your bath,” he asked when she sat down opposite him. “You look more relaxed.”
“It was wonderful,” she said. “Especially being inside, away from the cold evening air.”
She leaned back in the chair, and was soon sound asleep. Noah put aside his bible, then went to the bedroom and turned back the bedding. When he carried her to bed, she didn’t so much as flinch.
He stood staring down at her for a very long time. He wondered what his wife had been through, and how long it was going to take for her to recover from the atrocities she’d endured.
~*~
Mary opened her eyes to the early morning light of dawn.
She glanced about trying to work out where she was – this place was not familiar. As she rolled over, she gasped at the sight of Noah in her bed. Well, really it was his bed, but she had no idea how she’d gotten there. The last thing she recalled was making herself comfortable in the sitting room after her luxurious bath.
As hard as she tried, she couldn’t recall being moved. Could Noah have brought her to bed? It was the only explanation she could come up with. It was a moot point now anyway, so she needed to move forward.
She slid silently out of bed, trying not to wake her new husband. She snatched up her clothes and hurried to the bathroom where she dressed and prepared for the day. She pinned her hair up out of the way, and headed to the kitchen.
Mary sighed. It was a magnificent kitchen and she knew it would bring her great joy in the days and weeks to come. She was certain Noah had no idea how much happiness his home had already given her.
She shook herself. Now was not the time to stand around daydreaming. She had fires to light and a meal to cook before her husband awoke. If he was anything like her Pa, it wouldn’t be long and he’d be up looking for something to eat.
She opened the door to the stove – there were still bright embers in there, but not enough to cook with. She threw in some twigs and prodded at it, to get it going, then filled the kettle with the faucets. How wonderful it was to have running water. It wasn’t long before the fire was burning nicely.
Mary peeled some potatoes and cut them into small pieces, then threw them in the frying pan with an onion, then chopped some bacon into tiny pieces. She then a found a large bowl and filled it with flour, sugar, eggs and milk. Pancakes were this morning’s breakfast. The potatoes would take far longer than the pancakes, so she decided not to cook those until Noah appeared. He seemed a reasonable man, unlike her Pa, and she was certain he’d be happy to drink his coffee while the pancakes cooked.
Was that true? She slumped down into a kitchen chair. She really had no idea what her husband was like. Yesterday he appeared to be kind-hearted, but was that all for show? She lay her head in her hands as she pondered the question. At least here there was food aplenty, and neither of them would starve.
She startled as he touched her shoulder. “Good morning,” he said gently, then leaned down to look at her. “Are you sick? Should I call the doctor?”
Her heart fluttered. It seemed she was correct – he was a kind man, and she needed to keep that in mind. “I’m fine,” she finally said. “Just thinking was all.” And she was. She was thinking about her new situation and her new husband, but couldn’t tell him that.
She suddenly stood and went to check on the potatoes. “Sit down and I’ll finish fixing your breakfast.”
He loitered about, looking rather awkward. “I don’t normally eat breakfast,” he told her.
She studied him. “Is that because you can’t be bothered making it?”
“Something like that.” He grinned at her and his face lit up. He was far more handsome than she’d originally believed, and now that he was more relaxed with her, she could see it. “Did you sleep well?”
She placed his coffee in front of him. “Sit down. And yes, I did, thank you. I guess you carried me to bed? You could have left me on the chair for the night.”
His head shot up and he stared at her. “I would never treat you that way.” He looked annoyed and took a mouthful of coffee while she made the pancakes. She stirred the potato mix then flipped the pancakes.
When she turned back around, he was staring at her. Was he trying to fathom her? There wasn’t much to learn – what ever
