“Do they have another colour in their wardrobe?” Theodore murmured as his son’s fiancé stepped out from the carriage dressed head-to-toe in black as usual. Marcus had to bite back a smart remark, his father certainly wasn’t wrong, but everyone had their peculiarities.

“It suits them,” Marcus said tactfully.

“It does,” agreed his father, “but perhaps not the season.”

 Rosalind was speaking to their driver as their assistant Tina climbed out from the car, and Marcus was surprised to see the woman. He’d never seen her outside of the house, but considering the heavy-looking book she toted, it made sense they’d bring her along. Rosalind was, after all, still very injured. This meeting should have happened at their home like the last one with Frigga, the one he’d been barred from, but his father had insisted for some reason.

Marcus vibrated at the top of the steps, eager to embrace his witch, but Theodore’s hand shot out to keep him put. “Stay here,” said his father icily.

“Why?”

“Because.”

Marcus scowled at his father; he wasn’t a child to be controlled, he was a fully-fledged adult! With a degree and a fiancé and, yeah, maybe he was a little cowed by the tension going into this meeting which was going to be difficult for everyone, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t help his injured fiancé up the steps!

But they seemed to be doing alright, leaning on Tina slightly, their casted arm hiding under the jacket draped over their shoulders like a cape. Rosalind spoke with Tina as they climbed the staircase very quietly, even for them, and their face was blank. They were nervous, though, because their un-casted hand was scratching at the back of their neck.

Less than a quarter of the way up the stairs, they finally locked eyes with him and the emotionlessness cracked into reserved relief. In his own excitement to see his fiancé, Marcus forgot about his father’s demand he stay put and rushed to their side. He’d expected them to shy away from his public display of affection, Rosalind seemed the type to be reserved about that kind of thing, but they gladly received him, allowing themself to be gently gathered into his arms and kissed. They even kissed him back and laid their good hand on his chest and Marcus’ pride at being theirs swelled under it. “I missed you,” Marcus chirped. “How are you feeling today?”

“Quite sore,” they admitted, and they sounded so tired.

“Want me to carry you up the stairs?” Marcus offered, and Rosalind’s facade of stone cracked further with the chuckle that escaped. Instead of allowing him to follow through on the ridiculous offer, they motioned for him to help support them by looping their good arm through his. “Alright, alright, I guess this will do,” Marcus relented as he started to help them. It was now he realized Tina had very tactfully stepped away to allow him to romantically accost her master and was standing nearby. “Hi, Tina! Thanks for helping us all out today!”

She smiled as brightly as her ghostly demeanour allowed. “It’s my pleasure, Mister Magnus-Monroe.”

“She wouldn’t let me come without her,” Rosalind muttered for his ears only.

“Why?”

“I fell asleep in the library earlier.”

Marcus grimaced. “We could have done this another day, Baby.”

“No, it needs to happen today. Frigga keeps writing me asking for a date and there’s much in my own estate’s paperwork I can’t move forward with until this is finished.”

“We could have come to you.”

“According to Theodore, that wasn’t an option today.”

What? Marcus looked up to his father to glare at him. “Is that so?”

“I don’t mind,” Rosalind said, pausing at the landing to rest. “I’ve been looking forward to getting out of the house.”

“You were so anxious to get home after,” Marcus gestured vaguely to their broken arm, “now you’re anxious to leave?”

They sighed. “It’s different when I can’t leave.” They shifted, trying to stretch out the shoulders that were hunching under the pain and winced. “Besides, I missed you.”

“Oh, Baby,” Marcus breathed, embracing them again as delicately as he could and he noticed that they weren’t wearing their glamour today. No, they had makeup on which was applied quite well but no amount of makeup was going to cover the texture of years of acne scars. They must have been too weak to maintain a spell still and that broke Marcus’ heart, but he made a mental note to be conscious of that. He didn’t want to accidentally rub any of it off and make Rosalind feel any more self-conscious than they likely already did.

Eventually the two of them made it to the top of the steps where Theodore finally greeted them with a proffered hand. “Good to see you, Rosalind,” he said with a formality he rarely affected.

Rosalind took the man’s hand with the formality they always affected. “You as well, Theodore. Thank you for inviting me. This is Ms Tina Ivanov, my personal assistant. She’s been with me for the last seven years.”

Theodore nodded politely to the woman. “Ah, good to meet you Ms Ivanov.”

“You may call me Tina, sir,” said Tina with a wispiness as the four of them began heading inside. “I’m quite excited to be assisting with such a wonderful occasion!”

“Quite,” said Theodore, and Marcus felt Rosalind bristle at the skeptical tone his father was speaking with. “I’ve had one of the board rooms prepared for our use.”

“Father,” Marcus blurted, not caring about the aggrieved tone of his voice, “that’s up another set of stairs. Rosalind can’t do that today!”

“I can,” they offered, their shortness of breath betraying them.

“No, Ros, we have plenty of rooms downstairs. We could even use the library!”

That made the witch’s face lighten substantially, clearly pleased with the suggestion. Theodore, however, made a grumbly sound, but Marcus didn’t care. The household’s manager Jenkins was descending the nearest staircase and so Marcus summoned him and demanded the meeting be moved to the library. What his father had been thinking was a total mystery and the fact that he hadn’t immediately changed the room at the sight of their struggle disgusted Marcus. The library was still a small walk from the main entrance, but not nearly as far as the upstairs meeting rooms, and when they crossed the threshold, Rosalind’s shoulders relaxed significantly. 

“You like it in here, right?” Marcus asked as they made their way to the nearest seating area together.

“Good memories,” they replied simply as they eased onto a seat in the conversation area. There were four plush chairs surrounding a small, round table in the centre. Theodore sat in the chair across from them and Marcus desperately wanted to drag one of the chairs to sit closer to them, but once Rosalind was seated and comfortable, Marcus took a seat in one of the remaining chairs. Tina, he noticed, opted not to sit but stand next to Rosalind like a spectre hovering over their shoulder. Rosalind ignored the behaviour, used to her being their shadow Marcus guessed.

Then came the awkwardness. As a rule, business didn’t start until tea was served, and tea had been served upstairs. Likely it wouldn’t be long until it arrived, but the few minutes before that consisted of Theodore asking after Rosalind’s condition and their short, concise answers that did not invite follow up. Rosalind inquired after the Magnus-Monroe mines, their family had shares in the company, but even that attempt proved ineffective. Marcus tried to pick up a thread of conversation that he could involve both Rosalind and his father, but then Theodore got onto talking about the newest construction project he’d sponsored and Marcus saw Rosalind’s limited patience for small talk shrivel. 

They hadn’t even started yet and this was going poorly.

When Jenkins finally came in with the cart of tea and accoutrements, the tension burst and everyone’s relief was profound. The butler even brought a small table over for Rosalind to have nearest their good hand so they had something easier to put their cup on. Once everyone had their refreshments, Theodore finally brought up their business.

“Now, I received the note you sent by the other day, Rosalind,” he said, and his tone lost all friendliness, “and I have to say I’m surprised.”

“What note?” Marcus asked, a bit frustrated he hadn’t been told about it.

“It was a note containing some of what you and I have already discussed,” Rosalind said cooly, “just so all of us could be on the same page today.”

The idea of Rosalind writing to his father was a strange one, but one he would have to get used to. “Right, so visits and stuff like that?”

“Exactly.”

“But,” Theodore said, “I can’t in good conscience agree to any of it.”

Rosalind and Marcus exchanged a glance. That hadn’t been at all what either of them had expected, Marcus least of all. “Why?” Marcus asked before he could even think to stop himself.

“Well,” said his father as he geared up to lay down the law, “for one thing, I find it unacceptable that Marcus should live anywhere other than here. It doesn’t make sense to take him from his ancestral home, his inheritance, so I’ve got to object to his coming to the Bloodswell home after the ceremony.” Rosalind looked as if they were about to speak when Theodore cut them off to continue. “And for another, if we’re going to host a wedding here, I really should be more involved in the planning of it. I’m sure you two would do a splendid job, but I have valuable experience! Not to mention the capital that will be bringing it all about, I’m sure, so I will be taking care of that. No need to stress yourselves out over it. Besides, Rosalind really ought to be here as much as possible, especially as Leland is going to be here and you’ll be overseeing the boy’s education. It makes much more sense for everyone to live here!”

“Theodore,” Rosalind said with a slightly pinched expression, “with all due respect, I believe in your son’s planning abilities and expect that he will do a remarkable job. There’s no need for you to trouble yoursel-“

“Nonsense!” Theodore interrupted, brushing Rosalind’s objections aside. “I’m sure it’ll be too boring for my son to want to do it.”

“No, father, I really don’t mind,” Marcus started.

“I think the best place would be in the ballroom,” Theodore continued, ignoring his son, “we should invite all the town’s officials and the nobility from Silverglare. They’ve been itching to visit and I got at least five letters saying how disappointed everyone was that they weren’t to visit in August! Well, at least we can have the ceremony in the springtime, just like you wanted, right son?” He clapped Marcus on the shoulder with a chuckle.

Marcus had never seen his father act like this, aggressively strong-willed to the point of not even allowing others to speak. It left him dumbfounded, speechless, and Marcus cast a wide-eyed look to Rosalind to make sure they weren’t too upset. If they were upset, Marcus didn’t see it; their mask was back and back in full force, stronger than he’d ever seen it.

“Thank you, Theodore,” they said with no hint of agitation, “for your opinion regarding this matter. However, as I said, I believe that Marcus is more than capable and, should he require your assistance, he will say so. Right?” They looked back to him and he understood; they weren’t going to let his father push them around today.

Theodore’s brows raised with surprise, but only very slightly. Shit, his dad had his business face on too. Marcus’ soul withered in his chest and the hope that his father and his fiancé might end this meeting on good terms along with it. 

“In regards to co-habitation,” Rosalind continued, “I will not be leaving my home for the foreseeable future. Marcus and I agreed that he would be coming to live with me a month prior to the wedding and would stay with me multiple nights a week until then.”

“Now that,” Theodore said, “isn’t happening. In fact, Marcus will not be staying at your home at all. You’re free to live there until the marriage takes place, but until then he’ll be here where he belongs.”

“Father,” Marcus objected, “you don’t get to decide that!”

“Hush, Marcus, you’re my son and you’ll obey me.”

“When has that ever been a thing?”

“Since you decided to shoot the coven’s leader, leaving us all with the mess to clean up.”

Marcus balked, unable to come up with a response that wasn’t gawking. How the fuck dare he? He looked to Rosalind and while their mask was still in place, he saw the slightest flush on the tips of their ears, a sign of big emotions. Sometimes embarrassment, sometimes anger, sometimes arousal but oh gods he was not in the mood to think about that in this moment.

“May I ask why you object to his coming to see me?” Rosalind asked with practiced coolness. Too practiced.

“Aside from the fact that you’re not yet married and therefore the visits could be seen as improper,” Theodore started as if his first point were not worth mentioning because it was a given, “as I said, Marcus’ place is his ancestral home and he’s going to be coming here every day anyway to work so it doesn’t make sense to make him travel like that every day.”

“That kind of thing hasn’t been seen as improper for at least two generations!” said Marcus. “And besides, I don’t mind commuting. I actually like it. I’d rather be able to leave work behind when I’m finished for the day, you should try it once in a while.”

“But we’ll need you!” Theodore protested. “What if there’s an urgent message and you’ve just left for a few days?”

“You can send someone with a note.”

“What if it’s more urgent than that?”

“When is it ever that urgent?”

“Besides!” Theodore exclaimed with a bit more volume, “you should stay where your family is, son. There’s nobody over there for you, surely you’d be lonely!”

It took all of Marcus’ limited self-control to contain his anger at his father’s ignorant statement, he almost lost his temper, but then Rosalind’s calm voice cut through his reactionary rage, “I’ll be there and I am Marcus’ family too.” The simple assertion soothed much of Marcus’ heat. He was starting to get whiplash. 

“Not yet, you’re not,” Theodore replied. “You might have gotten Marcus’ to agree to this whole thing, but until those papers get signed and you’ve got his mother’s ring on your finger, you’re just his fiancé. I’m his father.”

Rosalind cleared their throat and leaned back in their armchair before taking a sip of their tea. “I think,” they said carefully as they set it back down on the side table, “you may be under the erroneous impression that I require your approval in any of these matters. As I told you before, your blessing is a formality, a bonus, but by no means will I allow our marriage or our wedding to be interfered with by anyone including you.” Alright, Marcus was officially speechless. Where the fuck was Rosalind hiding these massive balls? It was kind of hot. No, it was very hot seeing them tell his father off. They then caught his gobsmacked eye and their mask softened. “For Marcus’ sake, I would prefer to have your good will, Theodore,” their eyes turned back to his father’s, “but I don’t need it.”

Theodore sighed and sipped at his own tea, leaving everyone to steep in the silence. “What about this,” Marcus tentatively offered, stepping into his usual role as mediator, “what if I wait to move in with Rosalind until after the wedding? Until then I’ll be sure to spend a minimum of two nights at each place, depending on how things go and the needs of our schedules, the other three days in the week might act as flex days.”

Rosalind’s eyes on him were slightly narrowed. He’d just changed the plan and he knew that was one of their least favourite things in the universe, but they were considering the offer. 

“Three days here,” Theodore grumbled.

“Two,” Marcus maintained. “I won’t promise more than that, father.”

“If you’re happy with that, My Love,” said Rosalind, “then I can be too.”

Something about their answer seemed to stump his father; Theodore was staring at them with an unreadable expression. “Father?” Marcus urged.

He wriggled his nose before sighing and raising his palms in surrender. “Very well, Marcus, I will agree to that.”

“And,” Marcus continued, a little irritable, “I don’t like how you just spoke to them. Like, I know it’s hard to accept, but Rosalind is my family now. The wedding is just a formality. They’re being really nice about it, but that was really rude.” Rosalind’s lips thinned into a line, they were biting down on a smirk which was also very nice of them.

“Yes,” said Theodore and he cleared his throat. “Yes, I suppose that was out of line. My apologies.”

“Thank you,” said Rosalind before they took another sip of their tea.

“As for the wedding itself,” Marcus continued on, “One thing I would appreciate your help with is the guest list. We agreed we didn’t want the large to-do like the one Sapphire had planned. We wanted to keep it under two-hundred.”

His father harrumphed. “That’s a bit on the small size, it might be silly to use the ballroom for such a small number!”

“I thought, perhaps, we use the gardens,” Rosalind offered. 

“We very well could,” Theodore agreed, “though the weather that time of year could be unpredictable!”

“Too bad the coven can’t magic the weather to be perfect,” Marcus joked.

“We could, but,” Rosalind paused, shifting in their seat. They were nervously fiddling with the edge of their jacket. “Must it be in the spring?”

“Of course it does, that’s wedding season,” Theodore said with enthusiastic gusto. “Even when he was a boy, Marcus wanted to get married in the flowers!”

Marcus grinned at his father’s enthusiasm, but when he saw Rosalind biting back something and their pained wince, he asked, “Is that not alright with you?”

They looked up to him, opened their mouth to speak and then shut it again. Rosalind was having a hard time finding the words which meant this was important to them. After another pause, Rosalind finally said, “My parents and grand parents were married in October.”

Huh. Not a month he’d considered, nor had his father with the way Theodore was laughing. It wasn’t ideal nor the image he’d had in his mind growing up. He’d always fantasized about saying “I do” amongst a luscious garden of cherry blossoms or under a trellis laden with hyacinths. But for Rosalind to voice this specific request, Marcus knew without a doubt that this meant a lot to them. Sure, October wasn’t the most romantic month of the year, but for Rosalind, his witch, he could re-imagine the dream. “Of next year?” Marcus asked.

“I’d rather not wait that long,” Rosalind said with the smallest of smiles hidden at the corner of their lip. That tiny smile, invisible to most, made Marcus’ heart melt.

“So this October?” Marcus asked with a sly smile.

“I know it’s soon,” Rosalind turned their eyes away, “so I understand if it won’t work.”

“I think I can make it work, if it’s what you want.” 

Rosalind’s eyes shot back to his and they were dancing with surprised elation. They nearly broke character into a full-on grin and then nodded as they were handed their datebook by Tina. “It is.”

Marcus scooted his armchair closer to look at the calendar with them, and together they decided on October twenty-fifth. Rosalind said it was a good day, astrologically-speaking, not to mention it was a new moon which would be perfect for beginning a new life together. The only issue was that it was the second night of the week leading up to the Veiled Night, a tradition dear to the Bloodswell family, but Rosalind maintained that the second night wasn’t as important and that the moon phase was more important to them. As long as the incense got lit the morning of the wedding, it would be fine. 

He didn’t miss their eyes’ glassiness or the slight tremble in their hands as the two of them picked out the date. He really didn’t miss how their eyes dipped to his lips and lingered there and he began to wonder how he’d been such an oblivious moron for so long. Rosalind wasn’t subtle, they just got away with the pining because their reputation had others assume they wouldn’t be caught dead doing it. Perhaps he was just noticing now because he knew what to look for or maybe they’d loosed the death-grip they kept on themself now that their secret was out, but their love for him was evident in every look and word.

“Good!” Theodore exclaimed behind his teacup. “Excellent! We’ve got the when and the where, Marcus and I will work on the who sometime very soon but if you’ve a list of guests, Rosalind, that’d be quite helpful.”

From the tome she carried, Tina produced a page and handed it to Theodore. “Master Bloodswell had me whip up that list yesterday!” she said with a polite cheerfulness Marcus had grown to be soothed by instead of creeped out by as he had been before.

“I could even look into having your mother attend, the Sheriff and I are on excellent terms,” Theodore offered.

“No,” Rosalind replied sharply, catching both men off guard. Tina merely returned to her place at their side. “She’ll be staying where she is.”

“You don’t want her to be there, Ros?” Marcus asked, a little surprised at their answer.

“She doesn’t deserve to be there.”

“But Ros-“

“No!” they snapped, and it was the first time they’d really snapped at him before. Their narrow eyes shot to his, held his gaze for a few breaths, and then darted away to the floor. “My apologies,” they murmured.

Marcus was still not sure why their reaction had been so bristled, but he was more curious than put off by their temper’s flaring. “You’re alright, Baby,” he reassured. “But if you change your mind, you need only say so.”

Their eyes slowly returned to his and it seemed like they were surprised by his patience. They nodded tightly. “Thank you.”

Theodore coughed to clear his throat, cutting the tender moment short. “I guess, if you’re quite certain then that’s fine, “ he said briskly. “Now, about afterwards: in our family, it’s a tradition to open wedding gifts the day after the celebrations as a newly united family.”

“That’s fine,” Rosalind agreed, “we can always come back the next morning.”

“Or we could spend the night here, just for the one night,” Marcus suggested. “We’ll probably be so tired from everything anyway, it’ll be nice to spend the wedding night here and then we can go home together with all the gifts and such the next day.”

Rosalind’s expression pinched. “Stay here?” they asked as if the thought was a flavour they found distasteful.

“Yeah, that way we can just disappear when we’ve run out of steam.”

“After all the formalities, of course,” his father supplied.

“Yes, Father,” Marcus replied monotonously. “If we have to go back to your-” he hesitated before adopting a softer, gentler smile. “If we go home after the event, we’ll have to wait until everyone is definitely done with us, wait for the carriage, and then wait in the carriage. We’re both going to be so tired, Baby, it’d be a relief to know sleep is only a staircase away instead of a fifteen minute carriage ride.” Their pinched expression didn’t release at the justifications. They were upset, why were they upset? “What’s bothering you, Ros?”

Their eyes didn’t meet his as they leaned back into the armchair. Their right hand began fiddling the left’s sleeve cuff. “I will not be able to rest correctly if I’m not in my own home, and after such a to-do is when I need that safety most.”

“Hogwash!” Theodore cut in before Marcus could respond. This dismissiveness from his father had Marcus wincing because the second that word came out of his father’s trap, he saw Rosalind’s heels dig in and their mask thicken. “I’m sure the rooms here are just as amenable! Let it not be said the Magnus-Monroes were anything less than hospitable and we’ll make sure to have all your necessities brought over beforehand! Even better, we can always have an extra set of them here for your use at any time. Rest correctly, indeed.”

“Father,” Marcus pleaded in a way that sounded a bit more like a rebuke, “I’m sure that’s not what they meant.”

“No no! I’m sure that the Bloodswell home is their safe space for a reason, but come now, it’s just silly to insist on going all the way there and all the way back when there’s plenty of room for you both here! If it’s privacy you’re worried about, there’s no question of that-“

“Aright, that’s enough.” Marcus really didn’t mean to sound so cross, but he absolutely did not want to speak of his and Rosalind’s privacy with his father. He looked back to Rosalind who’s expression was still entirely boarded up, and Marcus hated that they’d felt the need to protect themself here. Marcus placed a hand gently on the witch’s knee and leaned towards them, though not much; he wanted to make sure Rosalind didn’t feel cornered. “But my father is right, we can make sure everything you need to feel safe is brought here beforehand, if that’s what you need.”

“I don’t wish to,” they said in a near-whisper.

“It doesn’t make sense.”

“Why does it need to make sense?”

“I’m just trying to understand why you object so strongly.”

They finally allowed their eyes to meet his again, and what looked like mild frustration morphed into hurt. “You said you would come to me after the wedding. I’m already waiting an extra month, I don’t want to wait another day.”

Marcus hung his head and sighed, relieved but still a little frustrated. “I understand that you’re excited. I am too. And I get that the extra month wasn’t the original plan.” At that, Rosalind’s hand stopped fidgeting at their jewelry and covered his hand at their knee. “But think of it this way: coming home together alert and present the next day will be so much better than if we were to the night before as exhausted shells of ourselves. And besides,” he internally winced at saying this in front of his father, but he knew this reason would resonate with Rosalind, “the less time we spend in the carriage, the more time we’ll have to spend together alone on the wedding night, right?”

Rosalind’s gaze fell from his face to his hand and then away. Theodore opened his mouth to speak, but Marcus shot him a withering glare and shook his head to silence his father; Rosalind needed time to process the change in plans and formulate their thoughts. They were the type to have a clear vision, so for something to throw that vision into disarray was upsetting for them. Marcus saw them thinking through everything, one thing at a time, before they looked to Tina. “On the third morning, can I count on you to light the incense?” they asked with a wavering voice.

“Yes, Master. And when you return, we can light the candles.”

Rosalind nodded their head and took a deep breath in and out before looking to Marcus with eyes full of weary surrender. “Then we will stay here for the wedding night, if that’s what you truly want.”

Marcus’ heart fluttered with relief. “Yeah, it is. Thank you, Baby,” he said and leaned to place a tender kiss on their cheek while cupping their other with a palm to soothe them. This meeting had required so much of them and Rosalind was already fragile; he was so proud of them. When he drew away, they wore a small smile, and Marcus knew they were feeling better. “So then,” he said to move everything along, “We’ll go home the next day with everything and have a few days to settle in. Is there anything else we’re missing?”

“We will have to discuss property and inheritances,” Theodore said matter-of-factly, “but perhaps that can wait for a day when Rosalind is feeling a bit better.”

Marcus and Rosalind looked to Theodore, surprised at the concession, the first he’d offered all day. The way his father was looking at the two of them had shifted, was softer and less suspicious. “I would appreciate that, thank you,” Rosalind agreed with a small nod.

“Lunch should be happening soon,” Marcus offered. “Are you hungry?”

“Lunch sounds good.”

Theodore stood from his seat. “I’ll leave you two to yourselves, then. Tina, Rosalind’s note mentioned that you wanted to meet with Jenkins?”

She stood and followed Theodore as he led her out of the room. “Yes, indeed, I wanted to ensure that our home is as comfortable for your son as possible. My Master has made a few enquiries already, but it would be better to speak with your head of staff directly.”

“Of course! Jenkins has been head of staff longer than Marcus has been around! Knows him better than I do, so you’ll definitely be talking to the right person.”

“You’re very kind. Oh, is that a portrait of your parents?”

As the door shut behind them, Rosalind visibly unmasked and became visibly exhausted. Marcus’ heart broke at the sight. “If you were this bad you really shouldn’t have come. My father was a huge dick for doing it this way.”

They shook their head softly and closed their eyes. “Tina really did need to meet Jenkins, and I was glad to get out of the house. I didn’t realize how taxing this meeting would be.”

“You did amazing. I sort of expected him to throw his weight around, but the way you stood your ground was incredible!”

Their eyes cracked open and they smirked weakly at him. “If I let him bully me today, it would set the tone for the rest of our relationship. I expected he would try because, while we do have his blessing, he’s still obviously looking for any excuse to get you out of this. We can expect him to be this way for a while yet.” They shifted and winced before settling again. “Are you… Are you still sure?”

Marcus frowned and grabbed their hand. “Sure about what?”

“Me.”

Marcus huffed and rolled his eyes before leaning in to plant a full-bodied kiss to their lips. They made a small whimpering sound that was just the sweetest and had Marcus crazy to have more of them. It wasn’t going to happen, not for a while with Rosalind’s injuries, so he would just savour the way their lips felt against his, the way they smelled, the way their breathing sped up and their free hand cradled his jaw. When they parted, Marcus lingered in their airspace. “Of course I’m sure, Baby. I love you and nothing’s going to change that.”

They pulled him back down and kissed him again, as if by kissing him they could finally let themself truly believe him. For his part, Marcus would kiss them as much as it took to get it through their head that they were adored, and then he’d kiss them again after for good measure.

When Rosalind retreated, they let out a shaky breath and smiled a fragile smile. “I love you too,” they whispered, “and I can still barely believe any of this is real.”

“Why is it so unbelievable?”

They looked from his face down to the floor while they composed their answer. “You could have anyone you wanted,” they said slowly, “and I was sure that everyone was convinced I was emotionless.”

Marcus directed them to look back up to him and cradled their cheek tenderly. “Nobody thinks that, or at least I never did.”

“Never?”

“Never.” He paused to debate with himself whether or not to tell them something, but then decided he would. “Do you remember my mother’s wake?”

They blinked. “You… you ran off?”

“Yeah. I hid in the nook by the ballrooms, and the servants came looking for me. They asked you to look for me, but you turned them away even though you definitely sensed me.”

Their eyes flashed with the memory. “That’s right. I’m surprised you remember that.”

“I do, and that’s when I decided that I really ought to get to know you better. ‘Of course, I spent the next, like, year sort of wasted. Then your father passed. Then other things got in the way, but my point is that I’ve known that you were kind for years because of small things like that, and I can’t be the only one.” Their ears flushed and they squirmed under his authenticity, but Marcus didn’t let them go. “I’ll tell you as many times as you need, but I hope you believe me soon so that I can stop trying to convince you that I love you so that I can just love you.”

They nodded. “I want that. I believe you, My Love, I do.”

“Good.” He pressed a kiss to their cheek before retreating. “Now, we’ve got half an hour or so. Want me to read something to you?”

“Father?” Marcus ducked his head into the man’s study and found him reading his paper. 

Theodore looked to his son. “So, off for the next day or two?” he asked shortly.

Marcus nodded. “Yeah, I think Rosalind needs more help than they’re letting on, so I’m  going to stay a bit longer than I originally thought, but you’ll see me day after tomorrow.”

The man grunted his acknowledgement. “Very well. I suppose I’ll just have to get used to this, then.”

Marcus hesitated. “Why did you insist they come here today?” he asked quietly. He really didn’t want to assume the worst, but Theodore was never that oblivious.

His father sighed and closed his newspaper. “I wanted to make them uncomfortable.”

“Why?”

Marcus sunk into the armchair next to his father’s. “Because I’m not as talented as you are at reading people. I thought that if Rosalind was uncomfortable, they’d show any ill intentions they might be harbouring.”

“Really? You made them hurt even more than they already do so that they’d spill their insidious plan to, what? Marry into our family to take over the coven? You think a little pain would make someone that determined spill?”

Theodore deadpanned at his son. “I thought I’d see if they actually cared for you or if the pain would make them stop pretending, if they were pretending.”

Marcus glared at his father as his chest flared hot with insult. “And? Was it worth it?”

Theodore’s mouth ticked upwards. “It was.” At Marcus’ incredulous look in reply, he folded his newspaper with a clearing of his throat. “They did snap at you once, but they also exhibited more affection today than I’ve ever seen from them. It was really quite a shock.”

It was true, even Marcus had been surprised how affectionate they were outside of their home. “They’re the most loving partner I’ve ever had,” he said, “they’re just incredibly aware of everyone’s judgement, so they feel like they have to hyper-analyze every fucking thing they do and say.” He sighed heavily. “Cut them a break, please.”

“I was planning on it. After the other day and today, the worst of my fears have been abated.” He nodded at the door. “Go on, son. They’re probably falling asleep in the carriage waiting for you. Have a good visit.”

Marcus stood and gave his father a quick hug. “Thanks, I will. And thanks for cutting the meeting short in the end.”

“Make sure they get plenty of rest. I’ll be seeing you both soon.”

As Marcus climbed into the carriage, he found his father had been right; Rosalind had completely fallen asleep. Tina had left earlier with Marcus’ bags, so it was just the two of them. He didn’t wake the slumbering witch, instead he gently prompted his fiancé to lean on his shoulder. They nuzzled in close, and the carriage took off towards Marcus’ future home.