Sometime in the night Connor woke, aware of the sound of another person's breathing in the room with him. He turned and saw her asleep in the chair. She did not stir as he sat up and contemplated her; her dress torn with the bright white of linen bandages showing through the cuts, one stockinged foot was tucked up underneath her and the one that dangled over the arm was scuffed and bare. Most worrying of all a massive bruise had begun to darken the side of her neck and face but she was alive and she was here.

She whimpered in her sleep as he picked her up as gently as he could and laid her on the bed but she did not wake. He tucked the blanket around her shoulders and took up her position in the chair, his eyes falling on the painting of Achilles and his family. Surely it could be done. He had given up fighting for years before Connor had showed up. He thought on his people who had left and people of the town and nearby cities, of the perfectly ordinary lives they led. He went briefly to the office and retrieved the box from where he had left it on his way to Boston and placing it on the table by the bed resumed his position in the chair lost in thought.


When she awoke in the morning she was surprised to find herself in the bed and the chair empty. She climbed from the bed stiffly, her body protesting and every cut making its presence known. She stood stretching carefully aware of the massive bruising down the right side of her body. From the door she could hear voices and went to investigate. Connor stood fully dressed at the door directing two men to place her trunk in the front room. He sent them off and turned, grinning to see her standing there.

"What do you think you're doing?" He frowned at that and gestured to the trunk. "I thought you said you wanted it here." She walked to him and took his hand, pulling him down the hall behind her. "I meant what are you doing out of bed? You need to rest." "I'm fine. You needed it more." He held out his hand to show her that the burns from last night had already begun to heal over the cuts in his arms were already starting to mend. She tried not to gape at his arms but continued firmly. "Fast healer or not the doctor said he would be here this morning and you should be resting. Gut wounds are nothing to laugh at."

She helped him from his coat and boots and positioned him back in bed but on top of the covers and propped up with several pillows. "Once you're cleared to eat I'll make you some breakfast but I want his okay first". She started to go for the chair but Connor caught her hand and she sat on the edge of the bed, their fingers linked.

He looked up at her. "You are staying right? You won't go?" She smiled and toyed with their fingers. "Yes, I'll stay. They will have sailed without me by now anyway. I think it's time I made a break with the past. No more Carolyn Blair, Loyalist. Just Carolyn now. Carolyn and Connor, don't you think? No ties. No regrets." He frowned at that. "That's not how it works here. I've thought about it. You're right. My people are gone, this is my world now and I need to adapt. I cannot live in the past nor can I ignore it." He looked up at the painting of Achilles. "I'm done with the war. My part is over now. They can finish without me." She smiled at that, tears shining in her eyes. "It's time to live a normal life I think. And normal people have ties. And families. For all that I never used it I'm afraid I only have one name to give." He looked up, meeting her eyes. "If you no longer wish to be Carolyn Blair would you consider being Carolyn Kenway?" She blinked back tears laughed out loud. "Well, since you asked so nicely. Yes, I'll marry you." She leaned over and kissed him where he lay on the bed. "But you still have to rest."

He laughed "In that case there's something else I can give you as well." He gestured to the box sitting on the table next to her. "A woman I met once wishes you happiness. She was my first." Carolyn stiffened at that more than a little surprised. "My upbringing didn't introduce me to many women and the war has kept me busy. You never judged my skin but to both people I've always been an outsider. " She flushed. "Well I guess in that case you can't hold it against me that I didn't wait for my wedding night either." She opened the box and fished in it briefly. "And that means one less thing we need get. I think this one should fit you. His hands were also very large. " She held up two gold bands set with tiny sparkling blue stones in the light. "They were my parents. For all that things could have ended better they loved each other very much." She held the ring up to his finger but it did not appear to need resizing. He looked at the rings in confusion. "Why would you not take them? Surely the patriots would not have taken these." She smiled sadly and covered their joined hands with her other palm. "I did not think to ever need them. After all, where would I find someone else like you?"

He ran his thumb across her knuckles and changed the subject. "Rings, food, clothes, what else do we need?" She turned thoughtful. "I have the blue riding dress. That should be sufficient I think. Your captain's jacket almost matches it and I think it would be a nice pair. The rings we have. Other than that I think the bridegroom not in stitches." She smiled down at him and then with a thought piped up "Oh and if we're not doing a complete break with tradition I would like a candle." "Candle?" he asked thinking over Myriam and Norris's wedding. She smiled "It's a tradition where I come from. The new couple lights a candle from the altar and takes it back to the house with them. All the other fires have been put out and they relight them together to mark the beginning of a new household. It's not necessary but it would be nice. It's considered good luck too so long as it doesn't blow out. Honestly I think we can use all the luck we can get." She smiled shyly at him. "A candle it is then."

He leaned up to kiss her but a knock at the door let them know the doctor had arrived. He fell back with a sigh. "Oh and once he's done I suppose you had better go and stay with Ellen until the wedding." He frowned at the thought but he had heard enough in town to know that people at least wanted the illusion of good behavior. "At least it won't be very long. You said when the stitches come out right?" he looked at her hopefully. She turned to him "My father was a doctor, Connor. It might be weeks." He laughed at that glad that his rapid recover was proving to have more than one use. "Wait and see."


4 days later Carolyn stood before the church shaking her head in the setting sun. "I'm still bruised and he already has his stitches out. I would say it's not fair but given his history I suppose it's for the best." She turned and linked arms nervously with Ellen. Having nobody to stand in for a father she had asked if her friend would consider walking with her. She was the closest thing to a mother she had had.

Together they walked to the front of the church were Connor stood waiting. Taking a deep breath she placed her hands into his and took her vows.

Afterwards Father Timothy explained to the guests briefly about the significance of the candle and she held Connor hands lightly as he lit the wick of a thick white candle in a silver stick. He held it nervously as they walked to the tavern and joined the party as it began. Placing it carefully on the table they made their rounds and accepted various measures of congratulations and advice from their friends. His eyes kept checking on the tiny flame. Noticing his distraction she looked up at him. "Do you want to stay longer or head back to the house?" His eyes focused on the flame "Home I think." She smiled took his arm approaching one of the central groups consisting of Ellen, Dave and Myriam. "We're going to go before a gust blows the flame out and Connor faints." She smiled. "Enjoy the party!"

Arm and arm they left the tavern, the night still and warm around them. "I didn't expect you to take it quite so seriously. It's just a superstition you know. " she said a little guiltily. "What do people do if it rains?" "Then a group of their friends carries a tarp over them so it does not get wet. Properly speaking they usually have an escort to the house anyway but I did not think we needed one." She blushed at that in the darkness. "I don't know why I'm telling you this as I thought I'd never live it down but when I was maybe 5 or 6, I'm not sure how old but my mother was alive I remember, I went to a wedding and when the couple left and I was so upset about how unfair it was that people kept celebrating with the guests of honor gone that I insisted everyone stop until they got back." He smiled at the image of her confronting a group of adults full of righteous anger. "What happened?" "The person hosting the party for the newlyweds explained to me that my reasoning was not wrong but that they would not be coming back and would want us to enjoy ourselves and that I would understand when I was older. I didn't believe him until the escort got back. The next day the bride and groom visited my parents and thanked me for trying to save the party for them. Needless to say the story gets brought up at almost every wedding I attend."

They reached the door and he handed her the candle stick while he fumbled for the key. The door swung open, the house pitch black inside. He looked down on her "Where do we begin?" "First your domain." She led him to the office and stood while he lit the fire place. "Then mine" she led him to the kitchen and carefully lit the stove. From there they walked around the rest of the first floor lighting a candle or the fireplace in each room. "Actually while we're here" she led him back into the office and pulled a thick book from the desk. "It's the family bible. It's been in my family for generations. " She opened the front cover to display a tree showing her family back to the 1600's. His eyes followed her fingers as she traced the path of her blood lines until it reached a lonely branch. "Deaths, births, marriages. They all go here." He saw her parents Edward and Elizabeth each with their own date for birth and death and the shared date of their marriage. The second branch contained the name Benjamin and only one date, the same as the mother's date of death. He focused on Carolyn's now.

She pulled out a bottle of ink and a pen. "Would you like to do the honors?" He shook his head, awed by the history that contained on a single piece of paper, the span of lives set down in numbers. "You're hand writing is better." She nodded and knelt adjusting the entry. "Carolyn Blair Kenway married to Connor Kenway March 10th 1782." "She looked up at him suddenly "You know I don't know your birthday." He shook his head at that "Honestly neither do I." She blinked at that but left the book open for the ink to dry and put away the pen. His eyes fell to the empty branches that forked way from where his name was now written.

She took his arm again and met his gaze. "We still need to finish upstairs" He started for the bedroom but she shook her head drawing him to the other rooms in the upstairs first. At last they reached the bedroom door and nervously he showed her in. She looked around, having never been in the particular room before and smiled at the distinct stamp of his interests. He knelt and lit the final fire, placing the candle stick on the mantle with a sigh of relief. Mentally reminding himself not to blow it out by habit he turned to Carolyn "Done. Do you want to go back to the tavern now?" He looked up at to see her already removing her boots and placing them by the bed. She laughed at this blushing. "Hmm I guess I didn't explain it well enough." Rising she walked to him and bent his head down to hers "Nobody ever goes back to the party." She smiled and kissed him, drawing him with her to the bed.


Back at the Tavern Big Dave looked around. "How long does it take to light a few candles? Aren't they coming back?" Ellen laughed so hard she began to choke but shook her head at him. "I wouldn't expect them back."


The candle had not quite burned out when Connor woke and looked over at his wife, thoroughly asleep beside him, a smile gracing her lips. Quietly he rose from the bed and picking up the candle stick crept downstairs. Opening the secret door to the work room he slipped down the stairs and lit one of the candles by the table. His father's portrait appeared in the light and he frowned at it suddenly but he wanted to be complete. Returning upstairs he deposited the now almost gutted candle on the table before returning to bed and was rewarded by Carolyn sleepily pulling him into her embrace.


When he awoke the second time she was already awake and sitting next to him in bed studying him carefully. "Good morning." She offered him a brief kiss. He pushed a strand of hair away from her face and considered her. "I've made breakfast. I figured you might be hungry after last night." She blushed "I mean you didn't eat much." Rising he dressed and followed her down stairs taking his usual seat at the table in the kitchen as she dished up scrambled eggs, biscuits and fried potatos. "Do you drink tea? Or coffee? I didn't see any." He shook his head. "I usually just have some hot porridge and water. Not that this doesn't look good I just don't normally bother." She smiled at that. "Well we're married now. You have someone to bother with that for you." Pouring herself a cut of tea she took her spot opposite him at the table. She held her hands out to him and bowed her head. He took her hands and contemplated her until she looked up slightly flustered. "Sorry, force of habit." She drew her arms back and clasped her hands re-bowing her head recited quietly "Please guide our steps in wisdom as we begin the day."

They ate in relative silence as Connor contemplated his new life. Somehow he had missed the part in his plans where being married meant actually having a wife. Putting aside his fork he looked at her curiously. "So now what? I mean do you have class today?" She shook her head. "No, spring planting season is fully here so we've got a 2 week break. I suppose this is a bit odd but no doubt we'll get used to it. I don't really remember my parents together but households change and people adjust. " He thought about this. "I've never lived with anyone but Achilles after losing my mother but I will learn. Did you have plans?" she looked around the kitchen. "Honestly I suppose there is a lot to do. I'll need to take inventory first. I'm sure Achilles did a wonderful job but just looking around last night it seems that this house hasn't been under a woman's care in a while. No doubt you have a pile of things that need mending stashed about somewhere. And if you wouldn't object I could use some supplies to make new things." He shook his head at this. "What do you need?" "Well a quilting frame for one. I used Ellen's at her house. If you do go hunting and take any birds I could use some feathers. Your… our room is quite nice but it does seem a little chilly. I'm not as used to the cold as you are. Besides I would like to continue helping Ellen with her embroidery if I have time and you need a good frame for that. What will you do today?"

He thought about it briefly. "There are some rumors of lost items on the frontier and I could get in some hunting." She looked at him. "Will you be back for lunch?" he shook his head. "Dinner?" "I usually get back shortly after dark." She smiled across the table at him. "I'll plan to have you there then."

When he got back that evening the house was warmly lit and the smell of fresh baked bread filled the hall. He waited patiently while she bowed her head and prayed over her plate. "Thank you for the understanding we have gained today" Smiling she picked up her fork and listened to his stories of discovering the man thought to be Big Foot and of a cave he had found with an old piece of 'treasure'. In return she told him old stories of the adventures the children in class had gotten into. In his limited experience with children they seemed like such a handful and he marveled at her ability to deal with a whole room full of them. The trick, she assured him, was having a way to distract them and keep them from realizing they had her outnumbered.

Afterwards they retired upstairs and she climbed into bed next to him with a yawn. "That was a good start I think. It will grow easier with time. I promise." He nodded at that but she spoke again, her voice slightly anxious. "Connor, that book downstairs with the homestead accounts. You're busy so much, would you mind if I managed them?" He thought on it briefly but decided he primarily did it to handle his own items. "If you would like. I don't mind." Smiling she curled up against him, her head on his chest.