Chapter Twenty-One.
'What happens now?'
That was what I had asked Jack.
That was what I needed to know.
Jack appeared to be frozen still. Barely even breathing.
I knew it was an awkward subject to address. But it needed to be addressed. I needed to know.
But he seemed to be as much at a loss as I was.
How to even begin to move forward after so long apart? We were both completely different people than the two young dreamers who had been anxious to get married. We'd both known pain and heartbreak.
Was it unfair to ask Jack to take me back. I was a widow; I had been someone else's wife.
Could I ask him to be there for me, even when I still woke screaming some nights; having just seen him die before me. Could I ask him to look past the days I would have to go to his grave? Could I ask him to live with the ghost of James always hanging between us?
And what about him? What things had altered him? Did he have nightmares about his curse; the confinement, the masks, the unjust punishment. He had spent years waiting for someone who didn't remember him.
We'd both had lives since our planned wedding day. What if we no longer fit together the way we had done once? What if it was simply impossible for us to move forward?
I knew I still loved him. All my feelings had been awakened suddenly, and were as strong as they had been the moment the curse hit. But Jack had known the entire time.
He had told me before he still loved me, but what if he had been in love with the idea of me; the me from before? Now that he knew everything, would he come to realise that the girl he had loved, and the woman I was now, were just not the same person? I didn't think I was, not after all this time.
Where did we go from here?
Jack finally seemed to unfreeze himself, and he shifted a little so he was sitting more comfortably.
'I…I honestly don't know.' He told me.
Well, at least it was an answer. I couldn't fault him for that. If he had asked me that, I think that would have also been my answer.
But then, he reached forward to grasp my hand in his.
'Marion, I've spent so long wishing I could be out. This entire day still seems like a dream to me. There's no castle walls around me, and I can freely move without something stuck to my face. But, in truth, the reason I've been looking forward to this day; dreaming about it, fantasizing about it, whatever you want to call it…is because I wanted to see you again.'
There was something about the way he said it that made my chest tighten to the point of almost pain.
'I was counting down the minutes until our wedding. Ask anyone in the castle. Those weeks leading up to the ball, I was only waiting for our wedding. Until I could marry you. And that was what I was so angry about. It wasn't the confinement, or the mask, or anything else. It was the fact it stopped me from seeing you. What hurt the most was that I knew that you didn't remember me. I knew you would have made a life for yourself without me; how could you not? All I wanted to do was get out, so I could see you again. And it finally happened.'
He squeezed my hand so tightly it nearly hurt.
'I got out! I can see you! I've been waiting so long, that I only know that I don't want to waste a single second of it.' He admitted.
'There's no rush. It's not like the faerie's going to appear again.' I told him. I really didn't want him to rush into anything he wasn't prepared for. Something he might later regret.
'He might not, but I still think that this might be a dream. And that in a moment, I'm going to open my eyes and I'll be back in that damn castle with that horrid thing plastered to my face again.'
'It's not a dream.' I said, beaming. 'I don't think my imagination could have made something like this up.'
Jack sighed.
'Marion…I…'
His fingers curled around my hand, and he lifted it so it rested on his knee.
'Why did you bring your ring?' He asked finally, holding my gaze.
His thumb traced over the empty space on my fourth finger where it used to sit. All those months ago.
'I brought it…to return it.' I told him honestly.
His face dropped.
Then, I realised how that had sounded.
Of course he would be upset to hear that! How stupid could I be?
'No! Not like that!' I cried quickly. 'I just meant, I thought you wouldn't forgive me for all I had done. I had completely expected you to turn away from me for all the pain I caused you. And I thought you'd want it back…to maybe give to someone more deserving one day.'
Jack shook his head, but kept my gaze.
'Why would I give it to someone else? Not that I would, but why do you think I would give another girl your betrothal ring? Surely if you thought I hated you, why would I have wanted the reminder of us?' He asked confused.
'I wasn't exactly in the best state of mind. As you saw earlier.' I explained. 'I didn't get that far in thinking it through.'
Jack nodded.
'Either way, the ring's yours. As it always has been.' He told me.
'Mine… as a betrothal ring, or as a nice piece of jewellery?' I asked cautiously.
I left the question open.
All he had to do was tell me, or at least give me some sign. What did he want?
What did I want?
That was a much easier question to answer.
The feelings I had for Jack had not changed since the moment the curse hit. Probably because I hadn't remembered them long enough to change. I felt everything as strongly as I did the week before our wedding day. There was more guilt there now, and more strife, but it didn't change anything for me.
I loved Jack.
This handsome, sweet, kind, slightly awkward and caring young man. The boy who had taught me to dance, and spent his afternoons off with me. The boy I knew would have done anything for me. He even stood up to Bea, which was a terrifying feat in itself.
And I knew with every fibre of my being that he would have spent the rest of his life making me the happiest girl in the world.
In those weeks leading up to my wedding, I had never once doubted that I was making the wrong choice, or that I would come to regret it later.
I had known. And I now knew once again.
He was no knight in shining armour, like Clara wished for. He had no false pride, or secrets. In fact, there was nothing false about him at all. Jack was simply Jack, nothing more complicated than that.
A footman who had once fallen in love with a seamstress, and promised her a happy simple life. That was all we had been. Before all the magic and curses and complications.
And that had been enough.
It was still enough for me.
But I had the easier task in this. I didn't have to forgive him for what he had done, or live with the fact he would be grieving for someone else he loved.
It was all down to him. What he could live with, what he wanted.
'It can be whatever you want it to be.' He replied, eventually.
He was being as vague as I was being.
Which was not helping the situation. If we both kept dancing around the subject, we'd never get anywhere.
You would have thought that two people who had been about to get married would have been better at communicating with each other. Twenty-one months of separation truly changes people.
But he hadn't outright rejected me.
That I could use it as a betrothal ring once again, maybe it was possible.
Too much doubt.
And I'd had enough.
For far too long, I'd been kept in the dark and didn't know anything of this. And now, I wanted answers. One way or another.
I took a deep breath, and said, 'Can we both just be honest about this? I'm tired of the mystery and uncertainty. Where do we stand?'
Jack…wasn't surprised. I'd expected him to be, but he wasn't.
Most likely, because he wanted answers too. He'd been asking for them longer than I had.
'I know where I stand Marion.' He admitted. 'I've known since the moment I asked you to marry me two years ago.'
At that, my mind descended into chaos.
He still felt the same. Even after all the pain I'd caused him. He could be no clearer.
'Jack…I'm not the same girl I was two years ago. And I don't ever think I will be again.' I told him.
He only shrugged.
'I never expected you to be. I'm not the same person either. But, I was also a different person when I first met you. Even if things had gone the way I wanted them too, we would still be different people now than we were then! It doesn't matter to me.'
I never expected Jack to be so…eloquent. He always used to struggle to get across what he was trying to say. I used to tease him that he had to practice speeches in his head before he said them, to make sure they made sense.
He had changed a lot.
Or maybe twenty-one months of isolation was enough time to practice.
Either way, I couldn't help the rush of joy that filled me at his words.
'As I said,' He continued, 'I know where I stand. But where do you?'
He was giving the power to me.
It was my choice. It was up to me to decide what happened.
There wasn't anything pressing on me. No curse, or danger, or family to provide for. I could actually make the choice I wanted to make. I didn't have to do it for anyone but me.
It felt…odd. After the past few years when everything was much more complicated, this only made the decision harder.
I thought it would be more simple. If there wasn't some dire consequence that made me make a choice, then surely it would be better.
But as it turned out, not having only one real option made things much harder. It was down to me; if something went wrong, I had to live with what I chose. When I was doing it for my family, the alternative was their starvation and homelessness. Whatever might have happened after that I would have been able to live with, because I knew I was saving them.
But this…there was only me to worry about.
So everything was infinitely more complicated.
Could I do this?
Was it even possible?
Was I ready to go through all this again? What if something happened to Jack, just like with James? Or what if something happened to me, and Jack was left to go through everything I had been through? I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.
And were we even compatible anymore? Twenty-one months is a long time to spend apart. What if we didn't just fit the way we used to? I knew he said it didn't matter, but it did. I had a way I saw Jack, and he had a way he saw me. What if we couldn't live with the fact that neither of us were who the other one thought?
How would it even work now? I lived in the palace with Bea and my siblings. Milton wasn't my home anymore. And as snobbish as it sounded, I didn't particularly want to go back to a life where I had to worry about where my next meal was coming from. I liked the palace, and I had liked the manor. They say that money can't buy you happiness, but it certainly helped for when it came to comfort.
Could I abandon my family now? Leave them to live a life with someone else. I'd only just started to make an effort with Gwen and the others who were at the palace. Did I just give up on my relationship with them?
I wanted to be there for Scar, and her new baby. I wanted to see Alexander be a father. I wanted to hear Clara romanticising every encounter she'd ever had with a man at a ball, and particularly about Robert. And I wanted to see Daniel tease her mercilessly for it.
I wanted to be there for Bea. After everything she had been through, she was only now starting to become the Duchess we all knew she could be. She was working harder than I'd ever seen anyone work to try and keep on top of everything. Did I just leave her to finish it all by herself?
But, despite all of this, there was still one outstanding thought in my head.
And that was Jack.
Jack, the boy I had loved. The boy I still loved. My betrothed.
Had he not also suffered? Those months, locked away and cursed.
Didn't he deserve some reward for enduring all of that?
Did I?
There must have been some good heading towards us both after so much pain. Surely. I had to believe there was.
I don't think I could live in a world where no good came from all the bad we were all put through. I had to believe that things would get better.
Was this how they got better?
He had waited for me. All that time locked away, and he had waited for me. And the first thing he did on being free was to try and find me. If that wasn't devotion, I didn't know what was.
Who else would do that for me?
He loved me. Of that much I was certain.
And then, there was what Nerissa had said. On the day we confronted her, she had tried her best to hurt us, and insult us all. Even though she had never met me before, she still had used her mirror to try and find ways to hurt me. I'm still not entirely sure how she knew about me, but that was something I didn't think I'd ever know.
She had told me that I had two true loves.
She had used it as a way to insult me, but she failed. All she did was confirm what I think I already knew.
That Jack and I were meant to be together. And no matter the curses and trials that had been thrown at us, we were still here.
So, wasn't it time to finally put aside all those doubts and questions? To finally trust that actually, we would find a way to make everything work. We had each other, and that was really all we needed. Everything else could be sorted later.
With a slightly shaking hand, I reached up, and found the clasp of my necklace. Unhooking it, I knew Jack was staring at me as I pulled it off my neck, and held it in my hand before me.
There they both where.
Jack's ring, and James' emerald. Laying in the palm of my hand.
My fingers closed around the emerald, and let the ring fall off the chain and into my other hand. I tucked the emerald in to the pocket of my dress. Jack's eyes remained fixed to the ring.
It was warm in my palm, and my neck felt strangely cold.
And there it sat.
'Marion?' Jack asked.
In that moment, I knew what I had to do. What I had to say.
Because I was certain. I had made my choice.
Damn the consequences. I could deal with all of them when the time came.
I had to do this.
Shifting off the ground, I curled my legs under me so I was kneeling. Jack's brow furrowed in confusion.
With a shaking breath, I moved my palm before me.
'Jack, I honestly don't know what made me keep this all this time. Fate, coincidence, just luck. But whatever it was, I'm glad of it.' I told him.
His gaze flitted between the ring in my hand, and my face.
'I'm glad,' I continued, 'Because I want to wear it again. I want to wear…my betrothal ring again.'
Jack's lips curled upwards.
'I can't say I've missed you, because I haven't remembered long enough to. But I know that I still love you.' I told him. 'For me, I still feel everything I felt a week before our wedding. All my memories came flooding back, and everything I felt on that day I can feel again. And I was ready to marry you with absolutely no hesitation or doubts.'
I took a deep breath.
'And I think I'm ready again.' I told him honestly.
Jack released a broken sigh as a wide beam broke out across his face.
'I know what I did was unforgivable, and that I'm asking the impossible of you. But I don't think I can go through another day without you by my side.' I said.
Reaching forward, I moved the ring from my palm so I was holding it in my fingers.
'Jack Hale, I truly do love you. And I don't want to wait for another curse, or anything else to tear us apart again. I want things to be the way they were before.'
There were tears in my eyes now, blurring the edge of my vision.
'Jack, will you marry me?' I asked.
If that wasn't clear, I didn't know what else I could do.
Jack, didn't miss a second. The moment the words left my lips, he knelt up and pulled me towards him, his fingers tangling in the hair at the top of my neck. The smile he wore hadn't left by the time he kissed me, just as he had used to, all that time ago.
My heart soared. I kissed him back, just as fiercely as he kissed me. My arms were holding him so tightly; I didn't think there was an inch of space between us.
All I could think was how much I really had missed this. It felt so right, just as it had before. Back when I had been just a girl, in love with a boy, and we had been happy.
I couldn't tell how long passed before Jack finally pulled back, his eyes still full of joy.
'Should I take that as a yes?' I asked breathlessly.
Jack chuckled.
'Yes, of course. How could you ever think otherwise?' He beamed.
I glanced down to the ring that still lay in my palm.
'Do I have to put this on myself, or…' I asked, gesturing to it.
Jack laughed again, and then took it carefully from my hand. He grasped my hand in his other, and brought it to his lips. I sighed as he pressed a kiss to it, before he lowered it slightly, and uncurled my fingers so he could push the ring back into its former, and rightful place.
'There.' He muttered. 'My future wife.'
My chest almost hurt with joy as he said that.
Then, Jack appeared to laugh to himself.
'What is it?' I asked.
'I just thought that traditionally, it's the man who's supposed to propose.' He observed.
I shrugged.
'I've had two proposals already. I thought it was time I had a go.' I told him.
'Fair enough.' He replied. 'And how was it?'
'All the better for knowing the answer.'
'You were lucky. Do you have any idea how nervous I was when I asked you the first time? It was torture.'
'I have some idea. Lucien told me how you used to pace, practising the words. And you usually don't pace.'
Jack shook his head in embarrassment.
'He wasn't supposed to mention that.'
'And you thought he wouldn't tell me! Do you know him at all?' I teased.
'True, that one is on me.'
I just couldn't help the smile that wanted to blossom across my face.
I was betrothed…again.
To Jack.
I was going to marry Jack. I really was this time.
It was really going to happen.
Unfortunately, that was the exact moment my stomach began to start rumbling, rather loudly.
'Hungry?' Jack asked.
'It's been a long day. We had breakfast before sunrise, and nothing since.' I explained. 'What time is it now?'
Jack shrugged.
'It was about an hour or two after midday when I left Rault, and I think I'd only been walking for about two hours when I found you.'
'I left Milton around midday, so it's been about four hours since then.'
'Well, no wonder you're hungry!' Jack cried. Without letting go of my hand, he shifted so he was crouching, and then stood up, pulling me with him. 'We should be heading back anyway.'
I glanced up at the sky, and noticed that the sun was rather low behind the trees.
'We won't make it back to Milton before dark.' I said honestly. 'Even with my horse.'
Jack then looked to the sky.
'No, we won't.' He muttered.
Then, an idea hit me.
'Why don't we go to Rault? You said it's not far, and we technically still own the cottage there. It'll be more comfortable than sleeping on a cave floor.' I said.
Jack's eyes flared wide at that, but then he seemed to gain control of himself.
'You want me to…stay at your house?' He asked.
'Yes. Why is that a problem? You did it before.'
'But your family was there before.' Jack mumbled.
I couldn't argue with that.
'Well, the alternative is staying in a cave overnight. We might as well have beds and pillows.' I reasoned. 'And if we set off now, we can get there just before dark.'
Jack didn't look convinced.
'But…we should really go back.'
There was something about his tone that made me curious.
'Why? What's wrong with staying in Rault?' I asked.
Jack began to fidget.
'I just think we should head back. My mother wanted me back as soon as possible.' He replied, but didn't meet my eyes.
Well, at least that hadn't changed.
'I might be a little out of practice, but I can still tell when you're lying.' I remarked.
Jack head snapped up in surprise.
'I'm not!'
'Then what's the real reason?'
He released a huffed sigh.
'Don't…don't you think…people will talk?' He mumbled. 'Two betrothed people, alone in a house?'
'As opposed to two betrothed people alone in a cave?' I countered. 'There's no way we will make it back to Milton before tomorrow.'
Jack rolled his eyes.
'Fine.' He conceded.
Stepping forward, he raised his hand to grip my face; gently running his thumb over my cheekbone.
'To Rault it is. Anything for the bride.' He added with a smile.
He slowly lowered his head to mine, his forehead resting against my own.
'Tell me this is real.' He whispered. 'Tell me I'm not going to open my eyes and this will all be a dream.'
I grinned, and brought my hands to his face. A very small amount of ginger stubble was beginning to grow there; it was rough against my fingers as I traced his cheek.
'It's real. Or I'm dreaming too.' I told him.
Tilting upwards, I pressed my lips to his, proving once again that this really was happening.
After all this time, we had found each other again.
Our kiss was slow. But that was alright, we had all the time in the world. No more curses or spells, or anything else getting in our way. I could simply enjoy knowing that I was holding Jack, touching Jack, once again. Only hours ago, I hadn't thought it possible that any of this was possible. That he would just turn away from me for all I had done.
But he was here. Against my fingertips, against my lips; the solidity of him, the realness, was almost overwhelming.
He was here.
And we were betrothed. We were going to spend the rest of our lives together.
It was real. It was true.
Jack gently pressed this thumb over my cheekbone again.
'We should really go.' I told him. 'It's going to get dark.'
'You're just saying that because you're hungry.' He teased. 'You could never think of anything but food when you were hungry.'
I scoffed.
'I don't!'
'Yes you do. You always used to complain that it was too long until your next meal.'
'Well, I don't anymore.'
'And why is that?'
'Because I live in a palace with all the food I could ever want.' I joked.
Jack beamed, and shook his head, which was still resting against my own.
'You truly are incredible, Marion.' He whispered.
I shrugged.
'It's actually Lady Marion, if you want to be pedantic.'
Jack scrunched his eyes as he appeared to laugh more.
'Fine. Lady Marion. But it won't be for long.'
'Actually, it will be for the rest of my life.' I informed him.
Jack pulled back at that, and stared at me curiously.
'What?'
'Rose made me a highborn for life. Alexander and Daniel too. It was a surprise she sprung of us at Bianca's ceremony. For our help in bringing down Nerissa. So, regardless of what happens, we now all have titles. Even if we marry…' I told him.
Jack's jaw fell open, yet again.
'So, when we actually get married, you won't be Mrs Hale...you'll be-'
'Lady Marion Hale.' I finished for him. 'I'm not exactly sure what happens to you, whether you also get a title or not. But it is hereditary.'
'You really are full of surprises!' Jack cried. 'Did you not think to mention this before?'
'Why? Would it have changed your answer?'
'Of course not. But it seems like a rather important thing to leave out.'
'It doesn't really affect me. I've been a lady for over a year, and I didn't think that would be changing soon anyway; regardless of whether Rose ennobled us. You and your curse only changed that a few hours ago.'
'Well, I'm sorry for breaking the curse and coming to find you.' Jack teased.
I knew he only meant it in jest, but I still reached forward to grasp his face in my hands.
'Don't. Don't ever be sorry for that.' I told him.
'I won't. I promise.'
He leaned forward and kissed my quickly.
'Now, we really need to go.' He muttered.
'To Rault?'
'To Rault.' He agreed.
Pulling back, I lowered my hand and took his hand in mine.
We began to walk towards Penny, and I reached forward to pull her reins with my other hand.
'Hey, there's my girl.' I told her as her head rose away from the grass she was munching on.
'And this is?' Jack asked.
'This is Penny.' I said, stroking her face. 'Scar's horse. But she's one of the family now. I learned to ride properly with her.'
'So you really are a lady now. Do you ride side saddle too?'
I nudged him with my elbow.
'Not funny.' I smirked.
'I don't think she'll be able to carry us both.' I admitted.
'It's fine. Its' not much of a walk.' He said.
I released his hand to untie Penny. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his expression drop when I left his side to pull her around. No sooner than I had made it to the path, Jack had run around to stand next to me.
'Are you alright?' I asked.
'Of course.'
'Then why are you acting strange?'
'I just…' He glanced to the floor. 'I don't want you to disappear.'
I grinned, as he reached forwards and took my hand in his again.
And together, we walked down the path.
Back to Rault.
It took three hours to arrive.
The night sky was well on its way to covering the air above us when we finally spotted the cottage that I used to call home.
The walking itself had only taken an hour and a half.
But, we kept getting…distracted.
Not that either of us was complaining.
Although, I was quite sure that if Penny could speak, she would object.
The poor horse had no idea why we kept stopping to tie her to a tree for a few minutes.
But, we just couldn't help ourselves.
After so long apart, could anyone blame us?
We were young, in love, and almost delirious with happiness.
And we were about to be married.
After all these months, it was finally going to happen.
The rest of the journey was spent just filling in the details of other things that had happened to us in the time we had been apart.
Jack told me about his life in the castle. The day to day happening, and what it was like for him when Isabelle arrived. How hard it was for him to pretend like he didn't know who she was.
'I knew that she would know what had happened to you, but I couldn't just ask her without making her suspicious about how I knew you. She's very perceptive.' He said. 'It took weeks to finally get it out of her, and then it wasn't exactly good news.'
I remembered that Isabelle had told me that Jack ran out of the room when she told him that I had married someone else.
'What did you say to Weston?' I asked.
'What?'
'Isabelle said that Weston tried to talk to you after that. And he came back with his manner changed. So what did you say to him?'
Jack shrugged.
'I didn't say much. All I can remember was that I accidentally let Isabelle's real name slip. We'd all been calling her Belle; it was the name she introduced herself with. And I was rather upset, I said Isabelle to him instead of Belle. Although, he did seem to brighten once I said that.'
'He…what?' I asked.
'I don't know. He just seemed…excited. I still don't know what. Clearly something to do with Isabelle's name. He kept muttered something under his breath, but I didn't catch it. But he told me then that he was going to break the curse. I didn't listen.'
He gently rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand.
'At least it all worked out in the end.' He admitted. 'Maybe I should have believed him.'
'Why was Isabelle's name so important?' I asked.
'I have no idea. Something about the words 'Isabelle Greyson' meant something to him, clearly.'
'I'll just have to ask him when we get back tomorrow.' I replied.
There were other small details like that which passed the time between the glade and Rault.
However, I was more focused on the boy stood next to me.
That fact he was here before me…was a miracle in itself.
A once in a lifetime, incredible, miracle.
I hardly notice the sky beginning to darken above us. I didn't even realise it was almost too dark to see by until we finally stood at the forest's edge. Nearly every window in the village was lit with lanterns or candles, illuminating the path of my former home. I hadn't been back in nearly two months.
'There it is.' Jack muttered. '
'It hasn't changed.' I said, pulling Penny to a stop.
'Were you expecting it to?'
'I wasn't sure what I was expecting.' I told him honestly.
'How long has it been?' He asked.
'A little over two months.'
Then, my gaze fell on the place that I had spent the first fourteen years of my life in.
'It's so small.'
Jack scoffed.
'Living in a palace really does change you then.' He remarked. 'It's not that small. It's bigger than my mother's house.'
'Yes, but there was only you and your mother living there. There was ten of us at one time. And that was before we built that other room.'
'Regardless of size, it was still your home.'
I smiled a little.
'Yes, it was.'
It was small, and run down; but it was home. There were so many memories from within those four walls. Good, bad; it didn't matter.
This was home.
'Shall we?' I asked.
Jack squeezed my hand in response, and we set off towards the cottage.
It was so strange to know that I had made this journey so many times. But this time, my betrothed was with me.
This was the place that I had returned to when grief had me in its tight grip. James had never actually seen my home. We'd never returned, even after the curse had be broken. I think he'd had the same opinion of the people of Rault as I did. Even though they had been under a curse, they had still driven us out of the village. We had fled for our lives. I still hadn't entirely forgiven them for it. And they never really warmed up to me again either.
But none of that mattered now.
Jack was here.
We reached the end of our garden, and I moved to tie Penny to the fence for the night. Somehow, the blanket we used to cover her in was still in the box by the side of the house.
'If you haven't been here in two months, I'm presuming you don't have any food inside.' Jack said.
Lifting the lid off the box, I pulled Penny's blanket out.
'No, I don't think there will be.' I told him. 'There's a bakery just down the path. I'll go-'
'I'll go. It's fine.' Jack interrupted.
'But you don't know where it is.'
'Do you want to go? And have the news of your return spread around the village like wildfire? I don't mind going; I'll just be a traveller passing through.'
I grinned. I didn't particularly want everyone gossiping; especially if they knew that I was allowing my betrothed to stay in my house with me.
'Fine. You go. Just down the path there, third building on the right when you get to the main square.' I told him, throwing the blanket over Penny's back. 'And there's something I've got to do first.'
Jack looked like he was about to walk off, when suddenly, he changed direction and made for me. I barely had time to gasp, as he pulled my face towards his and kissed me briefly.
'What was that for?' I asked.
Jack shrugged.
'Nothing in particular.' He replied.
The urge to giggle rose within me. How long had it been since I had wanted to do that? In just one afternoon, I had been reduced to a girl of eighteen again.
'Go! I'm hungry' I told him, pushing him gently away. He grinned, and then began to make his way down the path. However, he did glance back as I watched him go. Part of me didn't want to be separated from him, and it seemed the same for him.
But who could blame us?
After everything that we had been through, was it any wonder that we were anxious about letting each other out of our sight? He could disappear, and I discover that I had made all this up, and that the curse wasn't really broken. I knew it was irrational, but that didn't make it any less real.
I just had to keep reminding myself that it was real.
I finished adjusting Penny's blanket, and she settled. She had always been a calm horse. Which was odd, as she came from the stables in Bianca's palace. And she was the opposite of calm.
And Bea would certainly be the opposite of calm as I hadn't told her what had happened. Which was something I needed to change.
Glancing around to make sure no one could see me, I ran towards the line of trees and back into the forest; just close enough that I knew there would be birds listening.
'Bea, I found Jack.' I cried up to them. 'And fortunately, you were right. He still loves me. We didn't have time to come back to Milton, so we're staying in Rault for the night, and we'll be there tomorrow. That should give you plenty of time to wipe that smug smile off your face.'
I knew that birds were good at repeating messages, word for word. So she would get all of that. I could almost see her face before me, with that 'I told you so' look.
But she had other things to worry about right now. I wondered how well her meeting with Weston went. Isabelle and Jack had both said that he was a changed man, but in my mind, he was still that cold and cruel man he had been when I met him. If he was even half as stubborn as he had been, the meeting of Bianca and Weston would have been quite something to witness.
That could wait till morning. Right now, I had the man I loved on his way back any moment.
I made my way back towards the cottage. Penny had settled now; she was lying on the ground.
The cottage was just as dark as I had left it. No one had been inside for a month, and I had not been back in nearly two.
Our home. We had just left, and not looked back.
Maybe we should have.
I had been glad to see the back of it. It was the place I had felt so much pain and loss.
But it had been home. And we had given it up for a palace.
If only my parents could see us now.
I could almost see them before me. Standing by the front door. They used to stand there, arm in arm watching us play when we were little. And that had always been what I had imagined for myself, one day, in the future.
And when James had died, part of that vision had died with him.
But suddenly, my life was no longer what it was. There was light and hope in it once again. I had gotten a second chance at this, and there was no way I was going to let it pass me by.
After everything that life had thrown at me, I was finally ready to be happy and content.
With Jack.
My first love.
Pushing open the creaking and rotting door, I stared at the dark room I had once called home. It felt…different. There were no children running and screaming. No laughter echoing around these four walls.
Just me, with the dark and silence.
The place was clean, cleaner than I expected it to be. I don't know why I thought that one month of disuse would make it fall into disrepair, but somehow, I had expected it.
But everything was the same as I remembered. Clara had left it in a decent state.
I moved towards the drawer in the kitchen, where we always used to keep the candles. Thankfully, Clara and the others hadn't thought candles were necessary to bring to the palace. They were all still there.
I lit them, and pushed them into their old spots in the hole in the wall. Father had carved it out years ago. I could actually see the house now, properly. It was emptier than it had been last time. But given the amount of thing they had brought with them, it didn't seem surprising. All the clothes had gone, even though no one had worn them since they arrived. Luckily, there were still sheets for the beds in the cupboards, so I set to work starting to make them.
I made up one of the boys beds for Jack. It was where he had slept the last time he was here. Then I moved on to my own room.
It was far smaller than I remembered it. My own little private room, away from my sisters. Even my tent at the war camp was larger than this. There was barely room to swing the door open before you walked into the bed. But it had served its purpose. To help me try and get what sleep I could get.
Compared to my room at the palace, this was nothing. Barely even the size of my wardrobe.
How can lives change so fast?
I pushed the sheet down and tucked it under the edge, and I was about to reach for the blanket when a voice rang out through the cottage.
'Marion?'
Hastily, I pulled a blanket over my bed, and almost ran out of the room, to see Jack standing just inside the doorway, basket of food in his hands.
'What took you so long?' I teased, grinning.
'The baker took some persuading, to open up after he closed.' Jack replied, placing the basket down. His red hair really shone in the candlelight. I'd forgotten quite how it did that.
I stood still, frozen for a moment, in how incredible it really was. I could finally see him again, right in front of me.
'Marion? Are you alright?'
I snapped out of my daze.
'What is it?' He asked.
'It's…' I muttered. 'It's just too good to be true.'
He huffed a laugh.
'It's just bread and cheese.' He replied.
I shook my head, grinning.
'You know that's not what I mean.'
He shrugged, still with a smile on his face.
I quickly walked over to where he was standing, and lifted myself onto my tiptoes to press my lips against his cheek. The blood rose in my face; I could feel it.
Jack turned to face me, and caught my head in his hand, and pressed his own lips against mine.
'Still not a dream?' I asked.
He beamed and shook his head.
'No, it's not.'
'Good, because I didn't think I could get this hungry in a dream.' I joked, turning away from Jack and towards the basket of food. Jack however, didn't let me go. Instead, his arms remained around my waist, even as he stood behind me, his head resting on my shoulder.
'Living in a palace has really spoiled you.' He remarked.
'I am well aware of that. Is that a problem?'
Instead of replying, he kissed the soft skin of my neck gently.
'Have a guess.' He murmured.
I tried my best to focus on removing the bread and cheese from the basket, but Jack didn't seem to want to stop.
'Do you actually want this food?' I asked, blushing furiously.
He finally lifted his head, and I turned around to face him.
'Yes I do. But can you blame me?' He grinned.
'Be useful, and see if there's a knife or plates in that cupboard.' I told him, pushing him back slightly. He did go, and his absence felt cold and strange.
But, at least now I could concentrate on food. Because my stomach was definitely starting to protest.
There had been years when I had survived on much less than what I'd had today. Palace life really had spoiled my appetite.
I pulled the loaf of bread out of the basket, and lay it on some cloth. Jack managed to find a knife for the cheese, but I had to show him where we kept the plates.
It was a simple meal, in an old rundown cottage. Only a few candles lit the room. But, to me, it was perfect.
We divided the food, and ate quickly. I almost inhaled mine, something Jack thought was rather funny to watch.
But, even though it had been so long since we had done anything like this, it felt so…familiar. And right.
We laughed and joked throughout the meal. I could hardly remember the last time I had smiled in this house. There was nothing in particular we spoke of; we simply moved fluidly from one topic to another.
And it was honestly the happiest I had been with a man for a long time.
I kept catching the reflection off my betrothal ring in the candlelight. It was the one thing that kept reminding me that all of this was true.
That we were betrothed, and after everything we had been through, we had found each other again.
I wasn't sure quite how long we stayed like that. Our meal had long since finished by the time we stopped talking. It was certainly quite late at night.
'I made a bed for you, in the boy's old room.' I told him, clearing up the plates we had used.
He only nodded in response.
'There's some old bed clothes of Daniel's I think, in one of the drawers, if you need some.'
I carried the plates over to the empty bucket. But before I could lift the bucket up to go and get water from the pump, I felt a warm pair of arms snake around my waist.
'Leave it for tomorrow. It's cold outside.' He whispered, the air ghosting over my ear. 'It was only bread and cheese.'
'But it needs cleaning!' I told him.
He pressed a kiss to my cheek.
'I have waited…'
He pressed another kiss, closer to my ear this time.
'Almost two whole years….'
The next kiss did reach my ear, and I almost shivered.
'To see you again. I am not letting any more time pass me by.'
He placed his lips in the spot just below my ear lobe, that always made me gasp. I felt his smile as I unwillingly made the same sound I always made.
'And I'm not waiting for you to clean some dishes on the day we were reunited.' He mumbled against my skin.
Quickly, I placed down the plate in my hand, and spun around to face him.
'Then you can clean them up tomorrow.' I argued, lifting my arms to wrap around his shoulders.
'I will happily do that.' He grinned.
'Good. Because I'm not used to doing the dishes anymore, I have servants for that.' I teased.
'Highborn power has really gone to your head.'
'So what if it has? I think I deserve a life of comfort and security after everything that happened.'
'You most certainly do.' He said.
'And I think you do too.' I told him, leaning up on my tiptoes so we were face to face.
His arms tightened around my waist.
'What on earth did I do to deserve you?' He muttered, more to himself than to me.
I shrugged, and then tilted my head up, just as Jack brought his down to meet me.
And all of a sudden, we were lost. Lost in each other. Jack's red hair was beneath my fingers, and his scruff was against my cheek.
Tighter and tighter, we clung to each other. His hands found their way up my back and wound themselves in my hair.
Just like they always used to.
And would do again.
That, I think was the best part. The knowledge that we had the rest of our lives with each other, and no damned curse was going to come between us again.
That there was a promise of a future. I had hope, and happiness, and love back in my life once more.
And nothing was ever going to make me let it go.
Suddenly, Jack pulled back, but his hands didn't leave me.
'We…' He panted. 'We should stop.'
I knew what he meant.
We were not married yet. We were only betrothed.
But, that didn't matter to me.
If all had gone as it should, we should have been married for a long time by now.
I wasn't let a small thing, like the fact we were unmarried, stop me from spending time with the man I loved.
'I don't care.' I told him honestly. 'I don't want to stop.'
And with that, I pushed my lips against his again. He stood frozen for a moment, but then seemed to realise what I had said, and pulled away again.
'Marion, please.' He groaned. 'We need to stop.'
'Why?' I asked, lowering myself of my tiptoes.
'We're…We're not married.' He mumbled under his breath.
'But we're going to be.' I said, holding up my ring in proof. 'I love you, and that's all I care about. After all the time we've spent apart, do you really want to spend more time away from each other?'
Jack jaw almost dropped.
'I don't ever want to lose you again.' I told him. 'So don't send me away. Please.'
At that, Jack pulled me in to him tightly, and kissed me fiercely.
It quite stole my breath away. And my heart.
To know that someone could care for me like this. To know that someone…wanted me. It had been a long time since I'd inspired any such reaction in anyone. And it was nice to have that back. I hadn't realised how much I had missed it.
I kissed him back, just a fiercely as he kissed me.
Over and over again.
I could barely breathe. I certainly couldn't think.
I moaned as Jack's lips found their way down my neck, hitting all of the sensitive spots that almost made my knees buckled beneath me.
And I found that I couldn't get enough of him. I wanted to feel more, to see more. My fingers almost ached to trail over his skin.
Jack kissed his way back up the column of my neck, and I grabbed his chin to meet his lips with mine again, my fingers diving into his fire red locks.
I didn't care about what came tomorrow, or what else I needed to do at the palace, or anything else. I didn't even care about the fact that we were married.
All I cared about was Jack.
And I was never going to let him go again.
So, somehow, I managed to untangle myself from him, take his hand…
And I led him to my bedroom.
He stared intently at me all the way there. I could feel it. My betrothal ring sat as a constant reminder of what was to come.
Maybe a little sooner than what was deemed 'proper'.
But, who cared about proper, or what others thought?
Had they lived through what we had; had they suffered everything that we had suffered?
All I cared about…was love.
And how could that be wrong. How could love possibly, ever be wrong?
We reached my tiny cupboard of a room, and I was forced to sit on the bed so Jack could enter behind me. Beaming, I stared back at the face of the man I loved with all my heart.
He turned, and closed the door swiftly behind us.
And that night was the first of our life together.
A life that would never separate us again.