Restart Again: Volume 1 by Adam Scott (pocket ebook reader TXT) 📕

first thing you could think to do was thank us for our hospitality. You didn’t ask for repayment, or reward.” Marten turned away to stare into the darkness again. “That’s the sort of man I want Marlia to be with. That’s the sort of man you are.”

“I...I can’t marry your daughter, sir. I’ve only just met her. I have no prospects and nothing to give her.”

Marten let out a small laugh. “Who said anything about marrying her?” He laughed again, harder this time. “When you leave, take Lia with you. If you killed Jack and his men single handedly, there’s not a safer place in the world for her than by your side. Just let her be happy with you. And if, once you get to know her, marriage is on the table…” He trailed off, tilting his head side to side. “...There will be a dowry waiting for you back here.”

We stood in silence for a long time as I thought through everything he had told me. Could I really do that? Take her with me, away from her family, and certainly into an even greater danger than before? Would she even want that? The sun had completely set revealing a large swath of stars above us before I spoke again. “I’ll...think about what you’ve said.”

He clapped me on the shoulder and pushed off from the barn door. “Good lad.” Marten started to make his way back to the house. “Now, let’s get inside before our ladies begin to worry about us.” Chuckling at himself he turned the corner to the front of the house, leaving me standing alone by the barn.

Is that really...what’s best for her? Would she want to be with me, even if I can’t reciprocate those feelings? It wasn’t a question I could answer by myself. With that future conversation now looming before me, I jogged into the darkness to catch up with Marten. I told Lia she could ask me anything she wanted to know. I guess a dose of honesty will do us both some good.

***

12. HONESTY

Lia called to us from the living room as we entered the house. “Where have you two been? I was starting to worry something might have happened out there.” She was sitting with her mother, a deck of playing cards spread out on the table before them. The room was lit by a few small candles on the table, and a larger lantern hung on the wall behind them. It gave the space a very intimate glow, making me feel once again like a stranger in their home.

Marten laughed as he walked over to them, placing his hands on Lia’s shoulders and giving her a quick kiss on the top of the head. “Oh, I was just showing Lux around outside. He helped me put away the wagon and lock up the barn.” He turned to me with an eyebrow raised in amusement. “Isn’t that right?”

“I was interested in your father’s trading business, so we got to talking and before I knew it, the sun had gone down.” The lie came naturally to me, which made me feel a bit guilty. “Sorry if we worried you.” I stood awkwardly in the entryway, not sure where I belonged.

The look on Lia’s face gave me the impression that she didn’t believe me, but she shrugged it off as unimportant. “I was just finishing my game of cards with Mother.” She turned back to the table and shuffled a few cards around. “I was just winning my game of cards, that is.”

Hana smiled sweetly and laughed. “It looks like you’ve bested me again, Marlia.” She scooped up the cards in front of her, stacking them into a neat pile. “Shall we play again?”

Her husband cut in before Lia could respond. “I think we should be getting to sleep, darling. We have an early morning tomorrow, after all.” From across the room, I caught a quick exchange of facial expressions between the couple, although the impetus and meaning were far beyond me. Hana stood, nodding.

“Of course. We’re meeting with Tomas tomorrow just after dawn.” She placed a similar kiss on the top of Lia’s head, then moved with her husband to one of the two doors I had yet to explore. Hana gave me a small nod. “Goodnight, Lux.”

“Goodnight, Hana. Thank you again for the meal.” I nodded back to her. She entered the room, and Marten followed in behind her. He paused a moment in the doorway, turning back to look at me.

“Lux, you can stay with Lia tonight. I’m sure it will be much more comfortable than the basement floor.” A wry grin curled its way across his face. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Lia stand, clearly flustered, but I just smiled and nodded to him.

“Thank you, sir.” Clearly satisfied with himself Marten closed the door behind him, leaving me alone with Lia. I crossed the living room and sat down in one of the chairs opposite the table from her. “So, which room is yours?”

She busied herself with the task of cleaning up the remaining cards from the table, avoiding my eyes. Hastily gathering up the pile she moved to the far wall and set it in a small box on a hanging shelf. Lia stood facing the wall for a while, arranging and rearranging the same few knick knacks as she bobbed in place. Without warning, she turned and walked past me, tapping me lightly on the shoulder as she went by. “This way.”

I followed her around the corner, back into the dining room. Directly behind the chair I sat in during our meal was another door, which I had somehow missed on my first sweep of the room. Lia pushed the door open, revealing a simply furnished bedroom. The door opened along the left wall of the room, leaving just enough space beyond it for a bureau with a mirror on top. A small but comfortable looking bed was set in