((Warning: The following contains some adult content.))
Life at Rift Fell was very different for the newly-created Kramer family. They were a nobleman's daughter and a coffee merchant, uprooted from their homes and locked together in matrimony for the sake of their niece and nephew, who needed a mother as much as protection from harm. The children were taking to the royal palace remarkably well, kept mostly unaware of the actions being taken against the men that had stolen their parents from them, but Leo and Esme were painfully aware of every development. Yet somehow, they too were finding their own even keel together, as husband and wife.
Neither had spoken of their feelings just yet, but there were covert glances and shy smiles; tangled fingers and tender kisses; whispered endearments and shared dreams. All of these things boded well for a happy marriage, even if they were off to a slow start.
But there was more for them to do than simply learn to love one another and parent two small children. Though not yet officially invested with their waiting titles, they had been given the guardianship of the ducal estate of Ansburg, with everything that entailed. This meant hours spent on paperwork, catching up with everything her father had been unable to do since he had fallen ill. It was tedious, but at least it was done in company.
Though he was only a simple coffee merchant, Leopold seemed up to the task. Maybe it was the fact that he was accustomed to hard work, or maybe he was just too stubborn to give up. Either way, he knew he had to make this work, one way or another, not just for the children's happiness and well-being, but his own and Esme's, as well. And though he hadn't admitted it or even realized it yet, he was already well on his way to reaching that goal. If only he was bold enough to ask her if she felt the same.
"Enough," Esme said suddenly, sitting back from the desk with a shake of her head. "We have been doing this every day for a week, it can survive being left for an afternoon." She offered Leo a faint smile. "I think we have earned the right to a little leisure time, don't you?"
He glanced her way, the quill in his hand poised over the inkwell. "Leisure time?" he echoed, a hint of a smirk touching the corners of his lips. "Whatever is that?" he teased, as if she was speaking a foreign tongue, which she obviously was not.
She laughed, flicking a tiny ball of parchment at him. "Oh, my darling, you will have to learn that being an earl includes leisure time," she told him, the endearment coming without a second thoughts. "It's practically a requirement of the job."
"Is it?" he asked, still looking amused, as he lowered the quill to rest upon the table. The endearment did not go unnoticed - the likes of which were becoming increasingly common between them. "Then, why was I never informed of this 'til now?"
"I should imagine everyone thought you were already aware," she answered, a flickering tease in her smile. "After all, you are of the city classes at heart. Don't you all believe that all the nobility is good for is shooting ducks and lying around looking pretty?"
"Ah, but as you might guess, my dear brother's wife was kind enough to inform me otherwise," he told her. "What sort of thing did you have in mind for our leisure time?" he asked, reaching for her hand to tangle his fingers with hers. His expression was warm with affection, a hint of longing in his eyes, though he had not yet made any untoward advances.
The rosy bloom on her cheeks was familiar by now, the sign of her own soft longing unspoken thus far. "Nothing, to be truthful," she admitted quietly, glancing down at their tangled fingers. "I simply ....I wanted to spend time with you. Time that doesn't have accounts and obligations and duties piled through it."
"Very well. What shall we do?" he asked, at a bit of a loss. Did she want to spend time only with him or with the children, too' A game of chess seemed out of the question. A picnic, perhaps" He couldn't help but let his mind wander to other thoughts, more private thoughts, thoughts he knew would make her blush. But then, he adored that blush. He forced those thoughts away before they got the best of him. It was the middle of the day, after all.
"I ....I don't know." Esme glanced about the room as though looking for inspiration. Whatever she was looking for, it seemed to come to her. "No, I do know," she corrected herself. "There's a view I want to show you. We can't take the children until they're bigger, and I don't believe anyone else goes there. Rolanda didn't even know where I was talking about."
"A view?" he echoed, brows arching upwards with curiosity. He wasn't sure what kind of view she was talking about or where it was located, but he trusted her and more importantly, wanted to please her. "All right. Is there anything we need to bring with us?"
She shook her head, her smile suddenly bright with enthusiasm. "Just yourself." Rising to her feet, she gave his hand a gentle tug. "That is, if you do not mind climbing a few stairs."
"I do not mind," he said, a smile tugging at his lips as he moved to his feet and pulled her up with him. He did not bother to add "So long as you are with me," though the words rang unspoken inside his head. "Lead and I will follow."
It was a surprisingly long walk, and peppered here and there with Esme giggling and pulling him into doorways to avoid being seen by this servant or that council member. She couldn't remember having had so much fun since those first days she had spent visiting Leo and the children. It had been just a few months ago, but it felt like a lifetime. When, at last, she reached the appropriate tower, the steps took them winding up, up, up, right to the roof and into the blazing sunshine, at the very highest point of the castle with only a two-foot high stone railing to keep them from tumbling to their deaths.
He, too, had laughed as he followed her through the castle and up the winding staircase to emerge at last on the roof, blinking in the sunshine. He lifted a hand to his forehead to shield his eyes from the sun and take a look around.
It was a breathtaking view. From here, they could see the circular layout of the castle and its grounds, resting in the midst of sparkling blue waves. To the east was the land itself, the sprawling city of Carantan with its market places and docks and busy streets; to the west was the wide expanse of the sea itself. From up here, it was possible to believe there might be no one else in the world but they two.
All Leopold could manage to say when faced with that breathtaking view was a quiet, "Oh." How was it possible he had lived all his life in Carantania and had never before seen the capital city in such a way as this"
"It's lovely," he murmured, as he turned to take in the view in all directions. Lovely and isolated and safe.
Life at Rift Fell was very different for the newly-created Kramer family. They were a nobleman's daughter and a coffee merchant, uprooted from their homes and locked together in matrimony for the sake of their niece and nephew, who needed a mother as much as protection from harm. The children were taking to the royal palace remarkably well, kept mostly unaware of the actions being taken against the men that had stolen their parents from them, but Leo and Esme were painfully aware of every development. Yet somehow, they too were finding their own even keel together, as husband and wife.
Neither had spoken of their feelings just yet, but there were covert glances and shy smiles; tangled fingers and tender kisses; whispered endearments and shared dreams. All of these things boded well for a happy marriage, even if they were off to a slow start.
But there was more for them to do than simply learn to love one another and parent two small children. Though not yet officially invested with their waiting titles, they had been given the guardianship of the ducal estate of Ansburg, with everything that entailed. This meant hours spent on paperwork, catching up with everything her father had been unable to do since he had fallen ill. It was tedious, but at least it was done in company.
Though he was only a simple coffee merchant, Leopold seemed up to the task. Maybe it was the fact that he was accustomed to hard work, or maybe he was just too stubborn to give up. Either way, he knew he had to make this work, one way or another, not just for the children's happiness and well-being, but his own and Esme's, as well. And though he hadn't admitted it or even realized it yet, he was already well on his way to reaching that goal. If only he was bold enough to ask her if she felt the same.
"Enough," Esme said suddenly, sitting back from the desk with a shake of her head. "We have been doing this every day for a week, it can survive being left for an afternoon." She offered Leo a faint smile. "I think we have earned the right to a little leisure time, don't you?"
He glanced her way, the quill in his hand poised over the inkwell. "Leisure time?" he echoed, a hint of a smirk touching the corners of his lips. "Whatever is that?" he teased, as if she was speaking a foreign tongue, which she obviously was not.
She laughed, flicking a tiny ball of parchment at him. "Oh, my darling, you will have to learn that being an earl includes leisure time," she told him, the endearment coming without a second thoughts. "It's practically a requirement of the job."
"Is it?" he asked, still looking amused, as he lowered the quill to rest upon the table. The endearment did not go unnoticed - the likes of which were becoming increasingly common between them. "Then, why was I never informed of this 'til now?"
"I should imagine everyone thought you were already aware," she answered, a flickering tease in her smile. "After all, you are of the city classes at heart. Don't you all believe that all the nobility is good for is shooting ducks and lying around looking pretty?"
"Ah, but as you might guess, my dear brother's wife was kind enough to inform me otherwise," he told her. "What sort of thing did you have in mind for our leisure time?" he asked, reaching for her hand to tangle his fingers with hers. His expression was warm with affection, a hint of longing in his eyes, though he had not yet made any untoward advances.
The rosy bloom on her cheeks was familiar by now, the sign of her own soft longing unspoken thus far. "Nothing, to be truthful," she admitted quietly, glancing down at their tangled fingers. "I simply ....I wanted to spend time with you. Time that doesn't have accounts and obligations and duties piled through it."
"Very well. What shall we do?" he asked, at a bit of a loss. Did she want to spend time only with him or with the children, too' A game of chess seemed out of the question. A picnic, perhaps" He couldn't help but let his mind wander to other thoughts, more private thoughts, thoughts he knew would make her blush. But then, he adored that blush. He forced those thoughts away before they got the best of him. It was the middle of the day, after all.
"I ....I don't know." Esme glanced about the room as though looking for inspiration. Whatever she was looking for, it seemed to come to her. "No, I do know," she corrected herself. "There's a view I want to show you. We can't take the children until they're bigger, and I don't believe anyone else goes there. Rolanda didn't even know where I was talking about."
"A view?" he echoed, brows arching upwards with curiosity. He wasn't sure what kind of view she was talking about or where it was located, but he trusted her and more importantly, wanted to please her. "All right. Is there anything we need to bring with us?"
She shook her head, her smile suddenly bright with enthusiasm. "Just yourself." Rising to her feet, she gave his hand a gentle tug. "That is, if you do not mind climbing a few stairs."
"I do not mind," he said, a smile tugging at his lips as he moved to his feet and pulled her up with him. He did not bother to add "So long as you are with me," though the words rang unspoken inside his head. "Lead and I will follow."
It was a surprisingly long walk, and peppered here and there with Esme giggling and pulling him into doorways to avoid being seen by this servant or that council member. She couldn't remember having had so much fun since those first days she had spent visiting Leo and the children. It had been just a few months ago, but it felt like a lifetime. When, at last, she reached the appropriate tower, the steps took them winding up, up, up, right to the roof and into the blazing sunshine, at the very highest point of the castle with only a two-foot high stone railing to keep them from tumbling to their deaths.
He, too, had laughed as he followed her through the castle and up the winding staircase to emerge at last on the roof, blinking in the sunshine. He lifted a hand to his forehead to shield his eyes from the sun and take a look around.
It was a breathtaking view. From here, they could see the circular layout of the castle and its grounds, resting in the midst of sparkling blue waves. To the east was the land itself, the sprawling city of Carantan with its market places and docks and busy streets; to the west was the wide expanse of the sea itself. From up here, it was possible to believe there might be no one else in the world but they two.
All Leopold could manage to say when faced with that breathtaking view was a quiet, "Oh." How was it possible he had lived all his life in Carantania and had never before seen the capital city in such a way as this"
"It's lovely," he murmured, as he turned to take in the view in all directions. Lovely and isolated and safe.