As soon as they’d breakfasted the following morning, Alexander announced it was time to load the wagons. Madelina hadn’t realized just how much she had to take with her, but her uncle had announced that he would be sending four men with them, along with two wagons. That way they would be safer on their ride. His men would take turns driving the wagons while she and Alex rode beside them. Letice would ride in the wagons at times and with Alex and Madelina at times. The girl was not afraid of horses, and Madelina planned to start teaching her to ride as soon as they were at their new home.

Madelina embraced both of her parents, thanking them for loving her as they did. When her aunt Christiana embraced her, they came up with a plan. “Every hour or so, reach out to me with your mind. If I answer, you know that I will be able to hear your cries for help and pass along news from there. If I don’t, you will know that you have to go back to the previous place.”

“You really don’t think you’ll be able to communicate with me from that distance, do you?”

Christiana shook her head sadly. “I’m certain I won’t. So it will be up to you to find the closest place to your new home where we can communicate.”

Thinking of how much Alexander hated her communicating with her aunt with him there, she realized she may have to hide what she was doing. It was a small thing, and she needed to have a way to contact her family. “We will make it work, Auntie.”

Eva hugged her as well. “Stay strong,” was all she said.

Madelina swung up onto her mount and faced forward, refusing to turn around and wave. As they passed over the hill that would hide the castle where she’d grown up from her view, she thought to her aunt, “I love you!”

“Be safe!” came back loud and clear.

Madelina refused to cry because they didn’t need rain on their journey, so instead she kept her shoulders back and stifled her emotions. Alex watched her. “You’re doing well.”

She smiled, happy that she’d fooled someone. She would never be able to fool herself, though. Half of her heart was staying with the people who loved her so much at the Nobilis Castle. “Does your home have a name?” she asked, trying to think of only what was ahead of her and not what she was leaving behind.

“It is called Lain Castle.”

“Lain?” she asked softly.

“’Tis our family name.” Alex couldn’t help but worry about his new bride. She looked as if she was strong and doing well, but he knew how very much she loved her family. She would be sad for a time, and he would need to help her work through that sadness. “My father and mother are surely expecting us to return soon. I don’t know if Father realizes that we’re married, but it’s a possibility. He often guesses correctly. It’s part of his luck.”

She smiled over at him. When one of her sisters had married, she’d hidden her powers from her husband, worried that he wouldn’t want her if he knew about it. She was glad that she and Alex could be completely open about their families with each other.

Letice spent much of the day riding with her new mother, enjoying being held as well as looking around her. She seemed content to sleep as they rode as long as her mother was still holding her.

When they stopped at the end of the day, Madelina’s legs were wobbly, and her arms were half asleep from holding the child. They’d put in a good eight hours on their horses, and that was the longest she’d ever been on a horseback. Alex held Letice as she dismounted, his gaze on his bride. “Are you all right?”

Madelina nodded, laughing. “I thought the hours I had spent on horseback over the years would have prepared me for this journey. There is a great deal of difference between two hours on a horse and eight hours on a horse. I may have to limp off and rest for a bit.”

He smiled at that. “I will see to supper tonight. I have eaten on the road before, and it is easy for me. There is a tent for us. I slept on the ground on the way here, but I didn’t think you’d want to sleep in the open.”

“Thank you for thinking of me.”

“Thank your uncle. He sent the tent with instructions it be returned with his wagons. He didn’t want you to feel out of place.”

She smiled at that. “Let me take Letice, and she and I will avail ourselves of the woods for our needs.” She also wanted to talk to her aunt Christiana to let them know they’d made it safely through the first day of her voyage, but she didn’t want to do it with Alex there. He’d made his feelings clear already.

While she was taking care of her needs, she reached out to her aunt. “Aunt Christiana? We have finished our first day of travel. I am sore!”

“Well, of course you are! Your mother packed a salve in your potion bag. Use it on your sore thighs. She promises it will help.”

“Thank her for me, and send my love to all!”

“You receive love back from every one of us. You know that without being told, though.”

Madelina did know without being told she had the love of everyone she’d left behind. This was the first night of her life she would not sleep under the roof of her uncle’s castle. The first night she would not be protected by her father and uncles. Her life was changing quickly. She wasn’t sure she was ready for the rate of it all.

When she and Letice returned to the wagons, Alex had a fire going and was working to put up a tent with the other men. He was stripped to the waist, his arm muscles bulging as he did his share of the work and more. Madelina hadn’t thought before about the type of training he must do to keep fit, but apparently, he worked as hard at it as her father and uncles did.

“How can I help?” Madelina asked, wishing she could just get the salve to use and not have to deal with anyone.

“Rest until supper. You’re not used to this type of work,” Alex called back.

She started to protest, but she realized she really did need to rest. She went into her medicine bag and found the salve her mother had included, disappearing back into the woods to apply it. “Are you sore?” she asked Letice.

The little girl shook her head, her hair swinging about her face. Madelina knew she needed to start tying it back or it would always be in the way.

She was moving easier as soon as they left the woods and returned to the campsite, and she and Letice sat down several feet from the fire. She didn’t want the fire to go out when she called in the wind to keep herself cool.

The meal consisted of dried venison and some greens Madelina and Letice picked while they waited for Alex. “These are greens that will make us stronger,” she said, passing a handful to him.

“You know how to find food from vegetation growing beside the road?” He was surprised but knew he shouldn’t be. Her upbringing had been very different than most young ladies.

She shrugged. “My mother has taught me much.” She watched as Letice ate a bite of the greens and made a face. She didn’t stop eating, though, which pleased Madelina. The child had spent her life until now in poverty. She knew that if she didn’t eat what was put before her, she didn’t eat. Eventually she would learn differently, but for now, it worked out well. “The tent looks ready.”

Alex nodded. “The men will take turns guarding the tent through the night. They can take turns sleeping in the wagons while the others drive, so they will be fine.” He rightly saw on her face that she worried about the men guarding them.

“That sounds good. I’ve never slept in a tent.”

He frowned at that. “Never?”

She shook her head. “I’ve never slept anywhere but the castle where I was born and raised. My family wasn’t one for travel, and if someone did travel, most of the children stayed with whomever was left at the castle. Mother was frequently sent for when someone important was dying because she was known for her healing, but she never took me with her.”

“That’s probably because she knew you’d be safer at home—and she was afraid you’d make it snow on everyone around you.”

Madelina nodded. “That’s exactly why. I have been guarded my entire life. This is the most freedom I have ever known.”

He eyed her curiously. “You are free, but you know you must listen to my instructions, don’t you?” Most women knew they must be obedient to their husbands, but she had been raised so differently.

She shrugged. “I know that the man is head of his wife even as Christ is head of the church.” She felt that there was much compromise in marriage, though, and she’d seen that’s just how it should be in the marriages she’d observed from infancy.

“And you believe that?”

“I believe that there is compromise in a marriage. I know that there are times when our opinions will differ, but I hope you will always listen to my counsel. My experiences are very different than yours, and I may be able to provide insight into a matter you know nothing about,” she said softly. She certainly hoped he’d agree with her.

“But my word will be final, correct?”

She nodded. She believed that—mostly. In time he’d come around to her way of thinking. She was sure of it. She decided to change the subject because she wasn’t sure they were ready for their first big argument. “I can’t wait to arrive at your home. I am looking forward to teaching Letice to ride.”

“With a saddle?” he asked, popping another piece of the venison into his mouth.

“I thought to teach her to ride the way I ride.”

“It’s not safe.” He wouldn’t hear of her teaching any of their children to ride without a saddle.

“I’m perfectly safe when I ride Buttercup.”

“But our daughter wouldn’t be.” He sighed. “I have a feeling you’re going to be more opinionated about many things than I expected while we courted.” He was proud to have a wife of such spirit, but hopefully she would also be able to bend to his will.

“I would gladly have shared my opinions with you then if you’d but asked,” she pointed out honestly.

“Mayhap you would have. I was too busy kissing you to worry about your opinions at the time.”

She grinned at him. “Much to my father’s dismay.”

He shook his head at her. “I know you laugh about it now, but it was not funny at the time. He wanted to challenge me to a joust.”

“A joust? Really? I’ve never seen one because I’ve never been anywhere. Do you joust, Alex?” She found she was fascinated by the idea.

His face softened into a grin. “I never have jousted, but I have been trained as a knight. There was just no need for me to ever try to prove myself on a mock battlefield.”

“I would give you a token of my esteem before you rode into the arena. A scarf maybe?” She was amused at the very idea of him jousting. Her father had held much the same opinion as he seemed to about jousting. If you were a good knight, you had no need to prove yourself on the grounds of a tournament.

He shook his head at her. “And what color would your token be, milady?”

“Oh, it must be the perfect shade of bluish gray to match your eyes.” Madelina leaned toward him, resting her head on his shoulder. “Have I mentioned how fascinated I am by the color of your eyes?”

“Mayhap once or twice . . .” He found himself more fascinated by this creature he called his wife every day.

Madelina unexpectedly burst out laughing. “Look at the babe . . .”

He glanced at the child, who was now stretched out between them, sound asleep. Shaking his head, he said, “As soon as we have finished our meal, I shall carry her into the tent. Are you as tired as our daughter is, wife?”

“Not quite, but I’m looking forward to sleeping tonight. And I really look forward to arriving at our new home and sleeping in a real bed with a roof over my head.” She looked over at the tent and frowned. “Not that you didn’t provide every luxury you could during our journey.”

He kissed her forehead. “I will usually provide you with much better than this. But you will need to enjoy this as much as you can in the meantime.”

“If it’s too hot in the tent, may I make it snow?”

“Hot? Summer nights are cool.” He sighed. “How about a cooling breeze? I prefer those to snow . . .”

“All right, but sometimes you take all the fun out of my powers . . .”

After he carried Letice into the tent, he left Madelina alone to prepare herself for bed. She carefully tucked the covers around her daughter, wanting her to stay warm and healthy; even though Madelina knew Letice would be plenty warm, she worried about the fever the child had had just days before.

She undressed and slid under a cover to wait for Alex. It was a perfectly cool evening, normal for July in England, and it felt good to her. She was ready for sleep.

When Alex entered the tent minutes later, he found his wife and daughter both sleeping peacefully, and he smiled. All was right with his world if his ladies were happy.

* * *

Late on their third day of travel, Madelina reached out mentally to her aunt. When there was no answer, she frowned. “How far from your home are we, Alex?” Her aunt’s voice had sounded weaker and weaker in her head as the hours had passed. She’d known she’d be losing her soon, but until that moment, she hadn’t believed she would lose her completely before they reached their home.

“Less than an hour. Are you too tired to go on?” he asked, frowning at her.

She was filthy, bedraggled, and exhausted, but she had the promise of a hot bath and a bed waiting for her, and there was nothing that would keep her from continuing their journey. “Of course not. I’m ready.” In fact, knowing they were so close made her pick up the pace. Surely, they could ride ahead and have the wagons follow them. She had her husband at her side and her child on her lap. What more could a woman ask for?

As they rode, she was vaguely aware of their surroundings. They passed the walled city of York and just rode a few minutes north of there. She would have liked being further from the city, but she wouldn’t complain. Home was within her grasp.

When Alex stopped in front of a large castle—not quite as large as the one she’d grown up in, but very big nonetheless—she looked at him. “Home?” she asked softly.

He nodded, swinging down from his horse and holding his hands up for Letice. Madelina swung her sore body down from the back of her mount and moved to stand beside him. “Are your parents home?”

“My parents are always home. Now that my father has retired from fighting, he is content to stay at my mother’s side. Mother says she wishes he would find himself a hobby that would keep him out from underfoot all the time, but so far, he hasn’t done so.”

She smiled at him. “When we’re that age, will you bother me by being underfoot all the time? Or will you be a docile husband, obedient to my every wish?”

He threw back his head and laughed. “If you think there will ever be something docile about me, you are a very confused woman.” He led her into the castle, calling out as they entered. “Mother! Father! I’ve come home with my bride!”

Both of his parents hurried in from a room off the great hall. “Introduce us, Alexander!” his mother told him. She frowned at the child in his arms.

“This is my wife, Madelina, and this is an orphaned child we found. We decided to keep her so Madelina could have a daughter.” He smiled over at his wife. “Father, Madelina is the youngest daughter of Charles Nobilis, who is the younger brother of Roland.”

Her new father-in-law stepped forward and grasped both of her hands in his. “I don’t see any of the features of my old friend, but I’m happy to welcome you to the family. I heard both Roland and Charles married well.”

Madelina smiled in response. “They married sisters, and their friend, Hugh, married their third sister. All of us have lived in the same home. I was raised with brothers and sisters and cousins.”

His mother stepped closer to Madelina. “It sounds like you have had a wonderful life. I can’t wait to start training you on running this old castle.”

Madelina then broached the topic that had been bothering her for days. “Alex has said that you will move away now that we married. Please know that I would love to have you stay here with us. The castle is plenty large enough.”

Lady Lain laughed loudly. “You think if I stay you’ll be able to pursue your own interests. It’s not going to happen. This place is all yours to manage.” She leaned over and kissed Madelina’s cheek. “Welcome to the family.” She reached out her hands for Letice, who was watching everything with interest, her thumb firmly in her mouth. “Come see your grandmama.”

Letice looked at her for a moment before leaning forward and allowing her new grandmother to hold her. “Grandmama?”

“Yes, I’m your grandmama.” Lady Lain grinned at Madelina. “I like how you solved the problem with no daughters being born to the seventh son. Very creative of you.”

Madelina grinned. “I thought so.”

“I hope you’ll call me Mother, just like Alex does. Would you like to see your new home?”

“Yes, I’d love that.” Madelina lifted her hands to take her daughter from the older woman, but Letice just put her head on her new grandmama’s shoulder.

The house was significantly smaller than the one she’d been raised in. Of course, her uncle’s castle was built with the knowledge that there would be three married couples living there with all of the children they bore between them, which ended up being seventeen. The house had needed to be large.

This home had been built with a different knowledge. The knowledge that every generation that lived in it would have seven sons. What an odd thing that was to know going into a marriage.

As she was shown the first floor of the home, including the kitchens and the storage rooms, Madelina could see the care that had gone into the home. “Alex is very excited to have Letice and me here under his roof.”

“I’m sure he is. It must have been strange for him being under your family’s roof. Tell me, how long have you been married?”

“We were married four days ago. We spent two nights at my home, and then we began our journey here.”

“You must be exhausted! Instead of the rest of the tour before supper, let me take you to your room, and I’ll have the servants ready a bath for you.”

Madelina wanted to kiss the woman’s feet. “That would bring me a great deal of pleasure.”

“I’m certain. Being on the road is so tiresome.” Lady Lain walked toward the stairs and opened a door at the top. “We will be moved out within the week, but for now, I think you’ll find Alex’s boyhood room comfortable.” She opened a door at the other end of the hall from hers. “We can put little Letice in the room beside yours that was his brother Philip’s.”

“Thank you.” Madelina walked into the room and found everything perfectly set up. She sat on the edge of the bed. “This room will be perfect for now.” She reached out her hands, and this time Letice came to her, getting down to look around the room.

“I’ll go request that bath.”

Madelina liked the way that statement had been worded. She would “request” a bath rather than order it. It sounded like that was exactly the kind of family she needed to have married into. “Your room is next door,” she said to Letice. “Would you like to go see it?”

Letice nodded. Madelina groaned softly as she got to her feet, walking to the next room. There was a firm bed and a nice window. “This will be just right for you. Papa and I will be right next door. All right?”

“Aye.” Letice didn’t need a further invitation. She climbed into the bed and pulled the covers over her, shoes and all.

Madelina wished she could do the same, but she knew she couldn’t be rude on her first night in her new home. She tucked the covers around her daughter and left the room.