Page 57 of The Swindler’s Daughter

I wrapped him in a fierce hug. “You’ll be a tremendous father. I know you will.”

“My baby will need her aunt.”

“You’ve decided it’s going to be a girl then?” I teased.

He didn’t answer, unwilling to be distracted from this worry.

“I’ll be fine,” I said as I pulled back to look at his face. “Rowan is watching out for me.”

“I don’t trust Rowan.” Worry pulled on his face again. “He’s too secretive and too arrogant and too…”

“Broken?”

My suggestion caught him off guard, and he looked at me with a question in his eyes.

I crossed back to the counter and leaned against it. “He has good reason for being the way he is. He’s fighting against his own past.”

“Broken people have no business trying to take care of others.”

I gave him a look. “You mean the way my very broken older brother took care of me—practically raised me?”

“It’s not the same.”

“Of course it’s not, because we’re all different,” I reminded him. “Just because Rowan battles his demons in a different way than you do doesn’t make him less capable.”

“I’m not worried about his capabilities; I’m worried about his recklessness.”

“If you think he’s reckless, you don’t know him well,” I said with confidence. “Rowan is bold, certainly, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him be truly reckless.”

He finally let out a gusty sigh. “You’re being careful?”

“Always.”

He shook his head, hating what I was doing but unable to stop me. Then he crossed the floor and wrapped me in another hug. “I can’t lose you, Miri.”

“You won’t.”

“And I’ll kill Rowan if something happens to you.”

“No, you won’t.”

He grumbled something unintelligible then let go.

***

“You would think none of us had jobs to do,” I commented.

The five of us were sitting at Rowan’s archery range. Rowan and I had been practicing, but then Oliver had wandered over, followed by Tyson and John. I’d stopped trying to concentrate when it was clear Rowan was being drawn further and further into their discussion. We’d made ourselves comfortable on the ground. I sat right next to Rowan, our arms pressed together as we leaned our backs against a tree.

John grinned at my comment. “It’s not a bad life, having the master away, is it?”

“Now I know how the two of you can get away with all the training you do here,” I said to Tyson and John.

“Don’t exaggerate,” Tyson said. “Sure, we have a bit more free time. You know what that’s like now. But we still take our work seriously. It’s why I wasn’t able to break into Reeve’s house with you all,” he grumbled, still sore that he’d missed the adventure. “Believe me, the butler and housekeeper wouldn’t let Bridgefield suffer, no matter how long the master stays away. We’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the festival though.” He grinned, clearly excited by the prospect.

“Do you think it will go on as usual?” I asked.

“I don’t see why not,” Rowan answered as he played with the ends of my hair.