Page 53 of The Duchess Audition

She leaned on the railing, prompting his heart to lurch into his throat.

“This is where I shall do all of my best work,” she cried, delighted, mirth shining in her eyes. “Yes, this will more than suffice, dear husband.”

He sensed she was teasing him, but the sound of those two words—dear husband—had a peculiar effect upon him. He found that his heart beat a little quicker, his gaze lingering longer on her joyful face, his desire to be closer to her not merely a matter of keeping her from harm.

“Come down from there,” he said, shaking off the feeling. “I have not checked its sturdiness for myself in a long while. Please.”

She shook her head, laughing. “I like surveying my queendom.”

William chuckled. “We’ll have to make you a crown.”

“I would not say no to such an adornment,” she replied, grinning. “You shall have to have one too, as the prince of this realm. And a noble steed.”

“I shall keep the queen safe!” William said proudly, chest puffed, waving his hand as if he had a sword.

Anthony watched them, dumbfounded. How could it be so easy for the two of them to play like this? Where was their embarrassment, their inhibitions? If Anthony had even attempted to join in, he knew he would have fumbled terribly. Playing was just not something he had ever done, had never learned how to do.

If I had had siblings, maybe, but… His gaze flitted back to Marina. She had not had any siblings either, as far as he was aware, and nor did William. Did that make him the strange one, incapable of being playful?

“And what of you, valiant knight?” Marina’s glittering eyes settled on her husband. “Will you be my hero today, and aid us with the mission that shall save this queendom of mine?”

Anthony swallowed tightly. “If you are the queen, would I not be the king?”

“Not in this realm, sire,” she replied with a sly grin. “This realm is my own. A land of learning and discovery and writing spells to heal the sick.”

His brow furrowed. “I do not think this is appropriate for⁠—”

“The witch queen of Knotgill, stirring up her magical potions!” William interrupted, as he dipped into a dramatic, low bow. “All hail the witch queen!”

“Now, this is absolutely inappropriate,” Anthony tried to protest. “It is tantamount to heresy. If anyone were to hear⁠—”

“Come, Prince Goldheart, let us fetch my tomes of sorcery from the swamp-keeper’s boat!” Marina cried in reply, as she scrambled down the ladder with such speed that Anthony could not have reached her in time, even if she fell.

William giggled. “Prince Goldheart?”

“Indeed, my boy,” Marina replied in a heightened voice that seemed to delight him. “For you have a heart of pure gold. The very best man in all the queendom. A shining example to its citizens.”

She took the boy by the hand and, just like that, they were gone from the library, their laughter echoing in the hall outside. Anthony stared after them, feeling oddly adrift.

“Are you coming, good sire?” he heard Marina call back. “A dangerous quest must have a brave knight!”

The strict and sensible part of Anthony wanted him to stay right there, or at least call some servants to help with the books while he continued about his day. But the part of him that secretly wanted to play along with the game, to see if he too could make his son laugh and to show that he at least had the strength to be his wife’s knight in shining armor, made him decide otherwise.

With a sigh and a roll of his eyes, knowing this might be uncomfortable, he headed out of the room to help on Marina’s ‘quest’ to fill up the library.

Drenched in sweat and stripped down to just his shirt and trousers, Anthony heaved in the last of Marina’s belongings: a crate of empty jars and bottles that rattled as he set them down on the floor of her new domain.

He had not looked at his fob watch to see how much time had passed, but the strangely pleasant ache in his arms and muscles told him it had been a fair few hours of hard toil. Indeed, there was triumph in the pain, making him feel like he had done something worthwhile with his morning.

“That is the last of them,” he said, tempted by the welcoming sight of the nearby chair.

Marina and William were busy putting the books away on the shelves, having settled into quite the rhythm: the boy found what she asked for and passed the books to her, where she placed them in some manner of order that only she understood.

She turned, bright-eyed and rosy-cheeked. “Oh, thank you! Thank you, thank you.” Her smile struck him with all the force of a punch. “I could not have done any of this without you.”

“Yes, well, I still do not see why you could not have asked for the help of the servants,” he mumbled, as he untucked his shirt and dabbed his brow with the hem.

When he glanced at her again, she stood motionless, her eyes somewhat glazed, staring at him rather intently.