Disclaimer: I neither own Reign, nor profit from this story.
Ch 6 - Take a Step and Breathe
Opening the door for her, Henry was slightly embarrassed by the state of the room.
He may have not thought quite this far.
After placing her satchel of belongings near the bed he turned back to find her looking around the room.
Raising his arms out to the side briefly he broke the awkward silence. "It's not much but it is warm and dry, and my master has promised me that I will inherit his business when he is gone. His children have all found their own paths."
Realizing that she hadn't moved either forward or back he realized what a poor host, or rather husband he was being.
"Oh please, this is your home now too. Please come in."
He moved to clear off the one chair in the room. "What I have is not much to look at, but it is yours as much as it is mine."
Walking slowly around the room she examined it as if in somewhat of a trance. He fingers brushed lightly over grooves and fixtures. She smiled when she came to a small collection of what appeared to be remnants from his childhood. A smooth pebble, a roughly carved horse, and a scrap of cloth that looked like it might be worn lace.
"Was this your mothers?" she asked, forgetting herself for a moment.
It wasn't polite after all, and turning around swiftly eyes wide she began to apologize.
Henry answered quickly hoping to assuage any guilt. "No, no it's fine. We are wed now, there is nothing I intend to keep from you."
Walking over to the scrap he picked it up and rubbed his fingers over it gingerly.
"Yes, my parents both died in a fire a few years ago. I was out late with a friend. They had begun to give me more freedom and I was thoroughly enjoying myself."
Smiling at the memory, his expression quickly faded as the memory continued.
"They owned a farm not far from town, it had been a hard season because of a drought so they had gone to bed early. We think it may have been a stray coal from the cooking fire outside."
Frowning he continued, "I hold onto the possibility that it could have been painless, that they may have died from the smoke before the fire even got to them. But I will never truly know.
He turned away from her then. Not fully, but enough to hide his face and the threatening tears.
Hoping that it was the right thing, Catherine placed her hand gently on his arm in an act of comfort. When she received no response she slowly backed away, not wanting to make things worse.
"No please," he said, turning back to her as he swiped at his eyes. "Please don't feel as if you need to retreat. I am not offended I just…sometimes I still feel embarrassed when I am overcome by strong emotions in front of others."
Returning her hand to his arm Catherine responded with a voice of compassion and understanding.
"I am told that my mother used to say that it takes strength to show how you really feel, to let others in."
"Used to?"
Smiling, Catherine was glad for this give and take they had begun to develop. Feeling for the first time more certain that she may have made the right choice after all.
"Yes, used to. My uncle only took over my guardianship when my mother died in childbirth, my father having died only months before. My step father's family was unwilling to take me in and so my uncle grudgingly took on the 'task'."
Swallowing visibly she continued, "That is why he was so eager to get rid of me, one less burden to consider."
Happy for the distraction Henry turned fully to face her, placing the cloth back in its place and reaching for her hands.
"Well I for one am glad that he is, it means that you are now here with me."
As Catherine was directly in front of the window Henry looked out and clearly saw the bright moon, the night was far spent, and the morning would come quickly.
"It is getting late, we should turn in."
Seeing the slightest hint of apprehension in her eye, the tension in her body raising ever so slightly he stuttered on with his reply. "I, I will sleep on the floor. I know tonight must have been difficult and do not want you to feel imposed on. We don't need to…I mean I do not expect you to…"
Smiling at her suddenly uncertain husband. The word echoed in her own head and give her pause.
She was now married and had a husband, and she a wife.
Blinking once to clear her thoughts she answered him first with a hand to his chest, "No Henry, you kept you word tonight and were as gentle as you could be. I do believe you and in your intentions. If you would just show me where personal business is attended to I will willingly share a bed with you tonight."
Though her words were still formal Henry believed that she was being truthful.
Normally they would have had to leave the minimal warmth of the building and use the privy, but he knew where his master kept the chamber pot for his own wife when she visited and thought that he wouldn't mind as long as it was refreshed by morning.
Bidding his new bride to wait he left the room to retrieve it and decided that he did not want to leave her alone for long so they would both use it and he would empty it in it's proper place quickly.
While he was doing that Catherine had taken the opportunity to remove her day garments and he found her sitting on his bed in just her white chemise, a shawl drawn across her shoulders to ward off the chill.
She looked so small.
Once again feeling awkward he stammered, "We should…ummm, we should retire."
Nodding her head once she got up and stepped to the side as the bed was placed in the corner of the roon, but remained nearly frozen.
Turning down the covers, Henry decided that he may as well begin taking the lead now. He never intended to force her into anything, but it was the job of the husband to be the caregiver, particularly of his wife, right?
Moving over to give her as much room as he could he held the covers open to her to invite her in.
Smiling a bit woodenly she responded walking the rest of the way over. Sitting first and removing her shawl, then lying down carefully she lay straight as a board. on her back.
Henry decided to mirror her, making for a most uncomfortable position, but a better one than it could have been.
Uncertain of what to do, but knowing that touching each other while they slept was nearly inevitable in such a small bed he decided to face it sooner rather than later, and with her fully conscious. Reaching over gently with one hand he sought out her nearest pinky and simply curled his around hers. She tensed for a moment, but then visibly relaxed.
The next morning he found her turned towards him on one side, pinkies still linked, but with her other hand now on his chest.
He felt content, and it would seem at least for the moment, that so did she.