Page 75 of Lord of Misrule

“You did what?” Her eyes snapped up to his. “Tolin, I told you I don’t want charity.”

“It isn’t charity, sweetheart. I want my tarts and fresh bread and everything else you bake. The sooner you get your bakery back up and running, the faster I’ll get my food. Right?”

“Oh. Yes. I suppose so.” She smiled and looked down, still holding his hand. Even though she didn’t want pity or charity, she did like having his concern for her well-being. But it sounded to her as if he only had his own interests in mind after all. Not hers.

“I told my workers to add on two extra rooms to the bakery.”

“Whatever for?” she asked. “It was sufficient the way it was.”

“Nay, that won’t work anymore. Your family is growing. This way, you and Parker won’t have to share the same room with Oliver and Brenna and their baby.”

Kit’s heart swelled. So he was thinking of her after all. Mayhap she was being too stubborn about this and should accept his help. “Lord Tolin, that was so thoughtful of you. It makes me very happy. Thank you.”

“What would make me happy is if you stayed at the castle and never went back to the shop at all.”

“Never went back home? I can’t do that,” she said, slowly slipping her hand out of his hold. “I am responsible for my family and cannot and will not leave them.”

“Then why don’t you all stay at the castle,” he told her. “There is plenty of room. Think about it, Kit. Mayhap it is time your life changed.”

“Live at the castle? You mean as servants,” she said softly. “Nay, Lord Tolin, I cannot agree to that, I am sorry.”

“Why not? It would be a better life for all of you.”

“I am a free woman, if I must remind you. I am also a guild member and a business owner. I won’t give that up to live as a noble’s servant, even if it is in the castle. Not ever.”

Tolin released a deep sigh and looked off into the distance again. After a few minutes he spoke once more. “What if you all lived at Blake Castle but weren’t servants?” he asked.

“What do you mean? How could we live there as anything but servants? We are commoners, not nobles if I must remind you.”

“I am well aware of that, Kit.”

“Then tell me. What did you mean?”

“You could...you could...marry me. And be my wife.”

Her eyes opened wide and her mouth became so dry she couldn’t swallow. Had he just proposed to her? Surely she must have heard him wrong. Their gazes interlocked once again. Her heart beat so rapidly she thought it would jump right out of her chest. “I...could, I suppose. However, I don’t love you,” she said in a mere whisper.

“It’s all right,” he said with a shrug. “Nobles seldom marry for love.”

“But this won’t be an alliance either,” she pointed out. “And I am sure you don’t love me either.”

He looked deeply into her eyes, seeming as if he were searching his feelings. Finally, he spoke. “I am not sure what love even feels like,” he admitted. “I have never been in love before. Have you?”

“Aye. Once,” she told him. “With Parker’s birth father.”

“How did you know it was love? What did it feel like?” he asked, leaving her speechless again. She couldn’t admit that it felt a lot like the way she was feeling at this very moment.

“I’d have to think about it,” she told him, feeling confused and as if she needed to talk to another woman about this before she gave him an answer. “Tolin, do you really feel like this is the best thing for both of us? That a marriage between a noble and a commoner could really work?” Her body started trembling so much now that she couldn’t control it. Was this really happening to her? Mayhap her luck was changing. Suddenly, she could think of nothing else but how it would feel to be the wife of Lord Tolin Blake.

“I think—oh hell, no!” He looked forward and his eyes opened wide. A deer ran across the road right in front of them. The horses reared up in surprise and he struggled to control them to keep them from running. The dogs saw the deer and they all jumped over the side of the wagon barking, chasing after the buck. “Damn it! It’s going to be hell getting all those dogs back in the cart now.” He stopped the wagon and jumped down. “Jarvis, Parker, help me hunt down the hounds. Do whatever you can to get them back here. They go wild when they see a deer as most of them are hunting dogs.”

“Aye, my lord.” Jarvis jumped out and helped Parker get to the ground as well.

“King will help us too,” said Parker. “Go get the other dogs, King,” the boy gave the command and surprisingly, the dog seemed to understand and ran off after the others.

“You’re going to need something to lure them back.” Kit picked up the basket and got to the ground. “I have a basket full of food that might help.”

“Oh, nay,” moaned Tolin. “Anything but my food.”

“Come here, little dogs,” called out Kit, holding a pork chop in the air and waving it around over her head as she walked. By the look of dread on Tolin’s face, she could see this was the last thing in the world he wanted her to do right now. Secretly, Kit was happy about the whole situation because this would give her time to think and to calm her body from trembling. She’d been taken by surprise when Tolin asked her to marry him. Part of her wanted that more than anything. Yet another part of her wanted to stay in town at her bakery, taking care of her family on her own.

Life had just become so confusing that Kit wasn’t sure which road to take. She needed a mother right now, but hers was inaccessible and didn’t want her. The next best thing would be talking about this with her sister, Brenna. Now, Kit just needed to keep Tolin distracted until she could figure out how to give him an answer.