Page 70 of Bound Bride
"I am fine."
"No… you're worried. I can tell. Is it…" She pauses and her lips press together. "Is it because of your first wife? Lianna?"
Rose, as ever, catches on to even the subtlest of things and hearing Lianna's name coming from her lips is surreal.
I could cover it all up and pretend nothing happened but what good would that do?
Maybe Rose would be more willing to have extra security if she knew the truth.
"Yes," I say eventually. "I do not wish to repeat that."
"What happened?"
A lump forms in my throat around the words I want to say and for a few long seconds, silence stretches between us.
It's broken only by the patter of droplets as Rose moves around to face me and her hands rest on my abdomen.
"Lianna was much like you, at first. We had an arranged marriage as expected, but we… were not a good match. She was kind and polite and she did her duties as expected of her but she did not look at me with affection, and I could not blame her. I was busy. Distracted. Working hard and neglecting her without realizing it. In time, she sought comfort and love with someone else. Someone who had sinister desires. If I had loved her then I might have seen the signs. Duty kept us together. I never believed real affection could bloom from such an arrangement."
My attention drops to Rose and I hold her gaze.
"Until now. You, Rose, are so different."
Her cheeks, already slightly pink from the warmth of the bath, darken and her lips curve into a warm smile. "Are you telling me you have a crush on me?"
"Such a word is not strong enough to describe what you make me feel," I reply honestly. "If Lianna was waves on the beach of my life then you, my dear, are a tsunami."
Rose's eyes widen, and her hand spreads flat against my chest.
"Lianna… invited her lover to stay one night. She snuck him in through the kitchen and he enacted his plan. He assassinated her, and his men killed twenty-seven of mine before they burned my estate to the ground."
Rose's eyes widen so much that the whites of her eyes glimmer around her beautiful irises. "Oh my god."
"It was the worst night of my life." I continue on, unable to stop now that I've started. "It was a disaster. My generals claimed ithighlighted my weakness. A man who cannot maintain his home has no hope of maintaining a successful business in their eyes. A poor judge of character makes apakhana poor negotiator of deals."
"So that's why you came to America?" Rose's hand slides up until her palm rests over my heart.
"Yes. A new start, to an extent. And I wanted to live away from the whispers and the accusing eyes. Even now, I wonder if such a disaster could have been avoided if I had spent more time with her, or doubled the security of the estate so that no one could sneak in." Our eyes meet and I hold her gaze while taking her hand in mine. "It is why I want to meet your father, to bond with your family and ensure you are happy."
Rose's brows twitch and something sad flickers in her eyes. "I don't think you should blame yourself," she murmurs. "If Lianna was unhappy and didn't tell you, how could you know to fix it?"
"I should have known. As her husband. As herpakhan. It is my job to know everything about everyone, especially those I hold dear."
"Well, you don't know everything about me." Rose's smile softens everything, including the tightness in my chest. "But you have plenty of time to find out."
"Will you let me learn everything?" I ask, gently cupping her face and skimming my thumb over her warm cheek. "What secrets do you hold?"
Her smile turns teasing. "I won't unlock that easily. But…" She turns serious in an instant. "Promise me something?"
"Anything."
"Don't put yourself in risky situations like that ever again. Seeing you come home covered in blood?" She shakes her head and bites down on her lower lip. "That was horrible."
"I cannot promise that," I say while drawing her closer to me. "But I will promise to always come home."
It's a weak promise at best, but the smile Rose gives me as I kiss her is what makes it worth it. Having her to come home to is stronger than any other motivation to make it back home safe.
The next day, the hunt for General Zangier finally turns up a lead closer to home than I would expect.
