Unaware that Katrina had followed him and been watching him, Edge remained by the graveside of his first wife and also his 5 year old son, they had been buried together within days of each other it had broken his heart.
When he had sent Katrina to bed earlier, he had suddenly felt restless. Dressed in his old army uniform had stirred up memories of his first wife, he was torn about thinking of the past, and that of his future, which had suddenly changed with the new responsibility of Katrina. Which was why he had come out here to think and try and clear his head.
In his heart he still believed he had done the right thing marrying Katrina, but now he was pondering how they would deal with each other. He had solved the problem of saving her from her uncle, and in doing so had also created more daunting ones.
Would she be happy and contented being his wife and living under his protection?
There were so many differences between them, apart from the fact she was younger, she came from a different class, even though she was penniless when he had married her.
He had made some of his own discoveries about her before their wedding, including the fact she had been engaged to Lord Gilson’s son, and had her father not died and kept up the charade that he still had money, they would have been getting married next month.
He imagined Katrina’s father had kept his debt problems from Katrina hoping that she would be safely married to the noble man, and would be cared for financially and it would not matter anymore about his own financial state of affairs.
But his sudden death and the fact that his reputation was ruined had also destroyed Katrina’s future, and now had left her fate was Edge’s his hands.
He could never offer her what Lord Gilson’s son could, a lavish lifestyle, and comfort that she was nominally used to. He just hoped she could adjust, and not regret marrying him. His intentions had been to make her life easier not harder. Besides after all, he had promised her he would take care of her how could he back out of that promise and desert her like everyone else had done recently? So he had gone through with the marriage hoping for the best.
Right now, he reckoned she was very grateful to him, and happy to have escaped her uncle’s clutches. What the future held beyond that was uncertain he could never give her what Lord Gilson’s son might have. But he was comfortably well of enough to make sure would make sure she would never go hungry.
He stared at the wooden cross where he had carved Juanita’s name. Wondering if she would have approved of his actions, understood his motives, his decision to marry Katrina?
Recalling the sweet face and lovely smile and generous nature of his first wife, he was comforted that she would.
*********************************
Edge had been right in his concern about Katrina settling into her new life, which was very different to her old one, and suddenly she realised how daunting it was.
She had been raised in a home with servants to do her every task and take care of her needs, she had never to wash or cook or clean, or concern herself with such menial work. Yet as Edge’s wife she realised these were the very skills that were needed.
Determined to be useful, and not wanting Edge to be disappointed in her, she set herself to the challenge of learning these with the help of Myra, who dropped in every day when Edge was away to keep her company.
Apart from selling horses he also tended the small farm and stables he had built in the few acres of land he owned, so he was out from early morning and away most of the day.
In the early evenings he would return, and she would ask him how his day went and he would tell her, they would share a meal together which mostly consisted of cooked meats or cheese he brought back from the market .
Sometimes he would produce his fiddle, and play a traditional Irish tune on it and sing along, Katrina would settle herself next to his feet by the warm hearth leaning against his legs, listening to him and sometimes singing along if she knew the song, they found out they were enjoying each other’s companionship.
The days passed into weeks, and Katrina becoming more confident in her newfound
role, decided she wanted to surprise Edge by cooking him a hot meal, when he came in, and let him see how well she was adjusting.
She decided the stew Myra had shown her how to make should be easy enough to cope with on her own, and maybe try baking some bread as well, she would be a good wife and have the house clean and the food ready for when he came home, and show him what she was capable of.
When Edge came home that evening he stepped through the door, it was not to a neat clean home and a bowl of hot stew. The smell of something burning hung faintly in the air, assaulted his nostrils. he found Katrina, sitting at the table her face buried in her hands by the way her shoulders were shaking and the noises he realised she was crying.
“Kat, what has happened?” he asked with slight alarm, he had started shortening her name to Kat a while back. He went over to her, lightly putting his hand on her shoulder.
She looked up at him then, her hair had partly fallen out of its pony tail hanging around her face and seemed to be covered in white powder, which also seem to be down the front of her dress Edge realised it was flour.
“I-I wanted everything to be so right for when you came home” she manage to hiccup, ”I wanted you to be proud of me, to show you what I had learned.. it seemed so easy when Myra showed me how to do it… but I burnt the stew and the bread is a disaster and everything went wrong” she wailed and buried her face in her hands again.
“Is that all?” Edge looked openly relieved, “I thought something awful had happened”
“But it is awful” Katrina looked up from her hands her expression still mournful, “I am such a useless wife, I can’t do anything right”
“Well at least it was just the stew you burnt and not the house, so its not so bad” Edge couldn’t help grinning
“Oh please, don’t tease me so, I feel bad enough I have let you down, don’t make light of it” she finished bitterly, sniffing and wiping her eyes
“What am I going to do with you?” he queried with mock patience, as he stood surveying her, shaking his head a little, “Come here” he then ordered beckoning her over with his hand.
She stared at him uncertainly sniffling, and looking slightly pathetic, yet strangely sweet all mussed up, with her red eyes and red nose and covered in flour.
“C’mon” he urged her, holding out his hand to her.
She reluctantly rose from the chair and went over to him, he took her hand and led her over by the seat by the fire. He sat down and pulled her down on his knee, securing her there by wrapping one his arms firmly around her waist. He then proceeded to use his free hand to push the stray strands of her hair away from her face so he could see her better.
“ Now Let me tell you something,” he spoke conversationally, “You don’t have to prove anything to me about being a good wife, that’s not why I married you”
“B-But I want to be able to do things for you. It’s the least I can do, to try and repay you in some little way for taking me on as your wife and taking care of me” Katrina sniffed, “And don’t say it doesn’t matter, because it does” she insisted
“Well its not going to happen overnight,” Edge replied realistically, “I think its great you wanted to do this for me.. it was very …sweet. And even if it did not turn out right, I am still proud of you for trying”
Katrina’s blue eyes scanned his face as if not believing him, “You are?” she finally queried doubtfully
Edge smiled and nodded, “And I know before long, you will be baking bread, and cooking and pots of stew fit for a king” he declared
Despite her earlier misery at her failure to do the simplest thing, she found herself giggling, at Edge’s faith in her abilities which she thought were very far of yet,
“Some how I don’t think so” she replied dryly
“Well, I know so” he assured her squeezing her closer to him.
She sighed, and without really thinking about it, because it seemed the most natural thing in the world to do, she rested her head against his shoulder and snuggled against him.
“How come you always have the knack of making me feel better?” she pondered aloud
“Must have something to do with my Irish Welsh charm” Edge quipped thoughtfully
“Must be” Katrina smiled up at him, her blue eyes meeting his green ones,
Right up until that moment, Edge could have described his feelings towards Katrina as having a more fatherly concern, but the feelings he was getting now was far from fatherly he suddenly realised as he looked down into Katrina’s smiling face.
Sensing the change of expression in his eyes, and demeanour, and found herself caught up in some growing intensity between them, she didn’t quite understand, but it made her heart seem to flip flop in her chest in an unusual fashion, and she suddenly pulled away from him to break the spell.
“I had better go get cleaned up, I look such a mess” she said, wanting to escape because being close proximity of him was making her feel in a way she never felt before. She needed time to herself to analyze these newfound emotions and try and put them in some sort of order she wasn’t sure if it was right or proper, or if she ought feel this way, and she didn’t want him to see he had caused it.
“Are you going to be alright now?” Edge asked with mild concern, realizing he might have frightened her of. He chastised himself for letting his mind wander into forbidden territory, he didn’t know what had possessed him. But then again he was only a man, and she was an attractive young woman and the moment had almost been intimate.
He had not considerate that they might become close being in each others company so much when he had married her. But somehow they had, without either of them realising it until now.. He just wasn’t sure how to deal with it.
He had been caught of guard when she had smiled up at him, inside he was in as much confusion as she was, which was why he was unable to move or find the right thing to say to ease the sudden tension between them.
Perhaps it had been sensible she had removed herself from him, he had been on the verge of desiring to feel the taste of her lips on his and what might have happened after that he wasn’t sure he wanted to think about.
“I am fine” she manage to reply not daring to look at him and pushing her hair away from her face “I just need to get all this flour out of my hair.. I must look a sight” she tried to speak light heartedly, but there was a slight tremor in her voice, and she escaped outside to the water pump.
Putting her head under the pump, she doused herself in the freezing cold water , not only in an attempt to get the flour out of her hair, but also hoping it would wash away her flustered thoughts on what had occurred between her and Edge.
When he had sent Katrina to bed earlier, he had suddenly felt restless. Dressed in his old army uniform had stirred up memories of his first wife, he was torn about thinking of the past, and that of his future, which had suddenly changed with the new responsibility of Katrina. Which was why he had come out here to think and try and clear his head.
In his heart he still believed he had done the right thing marrying Katrina, but now he was pondering how they would deal with each other. He had solved the problem of saving her from her uncle, and in doing so had also created more daunting ones.
Would she be happy and contented being his wife and living under his protection?
There were so many differences between them, apart from the fact she was younger, she came from a different class, even though she was penniless when he had married her.
He had made some of his own discoveries about her before their wedding, including the fact she had been engaged to Lord Gilson’s son, and had her father not died and kept up the charade that he still had money, they would have been getting married next month.
He imagined Katrina’s father had kept his debt problems from Katrina hoping that she would be safely married to the noble man, and would be cared for financially and it would not matter anymore about his own financial state of affairs.
But his sudden death and the fact that his reputation was ruined had also destroyed Katrina’s future, and now had left her fate was Edge’s his hands.
He could never offer her what Lord Gilson’s son could, a lavish lifestyle, and comfort that she was nominally used to. He just hoped she could adjust, and not regret marrying him. His intentions had been to make her life easier not harder. Besides after all, he had promised her he would take care of her how could he back out of that promise and desert her like everyone else had done recently? So he had gone through with the marriage hoping for the best.
Right now, he reckoned she was very grateful to him, and happy to have escaped her uncle’s clutches. What the future held beyond that was uncertain he could never give her what Lord Gilson’s son might have. But he was comfortably well of enough to make sure would make sure she would never go hungry.
He stared at the wooden cross where he had carved Juanita’s name. Wondering if she would have approved of his actions, understood his motives, his decision to marry Katrina?
Recalling the sweet face and lovely smile and generous nature of his first wife, he was comforted that she would.
*********************************
Edge had been right in his concern about Katrina settling into her new life, which was very different to her old one, and suddenly she realised how daunting it was.
She had been raised in a home with servants to do her every task and take care of her needs, she had never to wash or cook or clean, or concern herself with such menial work. Yet as Edge’s wife she realised these were the very skills that were needed.
Determined to be useful, and not wanting Edge to be disappointed in her, she set herself to the challenge of learning these with the help of Myra, who dropped in every day when Edge was away to keep her company.
Apart from selling horses he also tended the small farm and stables he had built in the few acres of land he owned, so he was out from early morning and away most of the day.
In the early evenings he would return, and she would ask him how his day went and he would tell her, they would share a meal together which mostly consisted of cooked meats or cheese he brought back from the market .
Sometimes he would produce his fiddle, and play a traditional Irish tune on it and sing along, Katrina would settle herself next to his feet by the warm hearth leaning against his legs, listening to him and sometimes singing along if she knew the song, they found out they were enjoying each other’s companionship.
The days passed into weeks, and Katrina becoming more confident in her newfound
role, decided she wanted to surprise Edge by cooking him a hot meal, when he came in, and let him see how well she was adjusting.
She decided the stew Myra had shown her how to make should be easy enough to cope with on her own, and maybe try baking some bread as well, she would be a good wife and have the house clean and the food ready for when he came home, and show him what she was capable of.
When Edge came home that evening he stepped through the door, it was not to a neat clean home and a bowl of hot stew. The smell of something burning hung faintly in the air, assaulted his nostrils. he found Katrina, sitting at the table her face buried in her hands by the way her shoulders were shaking and the noises he realised she was crying.
“Kat, what has happened?” he asked with slight alarm, he had started shortening her name to Kat a while back. He went over to her, lightly putting his hand on her shoulder.
She looked up at him then, her hair had partly fallen out of its pony tail hanging around her face and seemed to be covered in white powder, which also seem to be down the front of her dress Edge realised it was flour.
“I-I wanted everything to be so right for when you came home” she manage to hiccup, ”I wanted you to be proud of me, to show you what I had learned.. it seemed so easy when Myra showed me how to do it… but I burnt the stew and the bread is a disaster and everything went wrong” she wailed and buried her face in her hands again.
“Is that all?” Edge looked openly relieved, “I thought something awful had happened”
“But it is awful” Katrina looked up from her hands her expression still mournful, “I am such a useless wife, I can’t do anything right”
“Well at least it was just the stew you burnt and not the house, so its not so bad” Edge couldn’t help grinning
“Oh please, don’t tease me so, I feel bad enough I have let you down, don’t make light of it” she finished bitterly, sniffing and wiping her eyes
“What am I going to do with you?” he queried with mock patience, as he stood surveying her, shaking his head a little, “Come here” he then ordered beckoning her over with his hand.
She stared at him uncertainly sniffling, and looking slightly pathetic, yet strangely sweet all mussed up, with her red eyes and red nose and covered in flour.
“C’mon” he urged her, holding out his hand to her.
She reluctantly rose from the chair and went over to him, he took her hand and led her over by the seat by the fire. He sat down and pulled her down on his knee, securing her there by wrapping one his arms firmly around her waist. He then proceeded to use his free hand to push the stray strands of her hair away from her face so he could see her better.
“ Now Let me tell you something,” he spoke conversationally, “You don’t have to prove anything to me about being a good wife, that’s not why I married you”
“B-But I want to be able to do things for you. It’s the least I can do, to try and repay you in some little way for taking me on as your wife and taking care of me” Katrina sniffed, “And don’t say it doesn’t matter, because it does” she insisted
“Well its not going to happen overnight,” Edge replied realistically, “I think its great you wanted to do this for me.. it was very …sweet. And even if it did not turn out right, I am still proud of you for trying”
Katrina’s blue eyes scanned his face as if not believing him, “You are?” she finally queried doubtfully
Edge smiled and nodded, “And I know before long, you will be baking bread, and cooking and pots of stew fit for a king” he declared
Despite her earlier misery at her failure to do the simplest thing, she found herself giggling, at Edge’s faith in her abilities which she thought were very far of yet,
“Some how I don’t think so” she replied dryly
“Well, I know so” he assured her squeezing her closer to him.
She sighed, and without really thinking about it, because it seemed the most natural thing in the world to do, she rested her head against his shoulder and snuggled against him.
“How come you always have the knack of making me feel better?” she pondered aloud
“Must have something to do with my Irish Welsh charm” Edge quipped thoughtfully
“Must be” Katrina smiled up at him, her blue eyes meeting his green ones,
Right up until that moment, Edge could have described his feelings towards Katrina as having a more fatherly concern, but the feelings he was getting now was far from fatherly he suddenly realised as he looked down into Katrina’s smiling face.
Sensing the change of expression in his eyes, and demeanour, and found herself caught up in some growing intensity between them, she didn’t quite understand, but it made her heart seem to flip flop in her chest in an unusual fashion, and she suddenly pulled away from him to break the spell.
“I had better go get cleaned up, I look such a mess” she said, wanting to escape because being close proximity of him was making her feel in a way she never felt before. She needed time to herself to analyze these newfound emotions and try and put them in some sort of order she wasn’t sure if it was right or proper, or if she ought feel this way, and she didn’t want him to see he had caused it.
“Are you going to be alright now?” Edge asked with mild concern, realizing he might have frightened her of. He chastised himself for letting his mind wander into forbidden territory, he didn’t know what had possessed him. But then again he was only a man, and she was an attractive young woman and the moment had almost been intimate.
He had not considerate that they might become close being in each others company so much when he had married her. But somehow they had, without either of them realising it until now.. He just wasn’t sure how to deal with it.
He had been caught of guard when she had smiled up at him, inside he was in as much confusion as she was, which was why he was unable to move or find the right thing to say to ease the sudden tension between them.
Perhaps it had been sensible she had removed herself from him, he had been on the verge of desiring to feel the taste of her lips on his and what might have happened after that he wasn’t sure he wanted to think about.
“I am fine” she manage to reply not daring to look at him and pushing her hair away from her face “I just need to get all this flour out of my hair.. I must look a sight” she tried to speak light heartedly, but there was a slight tremor in her voice, and she escaped outside to the water pump.
Putting her head under the pump, she doused herself in the freezing cold water , not only in an attempt to get the flour out of her hair, but also hoping it would wash away her flustered thoughts on what had occurred between her and Edge.
Nice moment there 
Edge holding Kat near the fire! I would need a cold shower after that one.
Great chapter, annj!
