Wicked Graces

Chapter Fourteen

Responsibilities kept Sebastian busy throughout the day, and for that he was grateful. If left to sit and fester with his thoughts, he would have been a lot angrier with Hawke as the day progressed, but distractions kept him levelheaded. By the time he sat down at a table made ready by the servants in his apartment, he was calmly prepared to confront her if she didn't confess her secrets.

Of course, she managed to keep him waiting even though his invitation was for promptly seven o'clock. He was relatively sure she did it on purpose; she liked to get under his skin in every way imaginable. That extra fifteen minutes made him angsty, his mind finally able to churn over all the things that had been bothering him since he woke up hungover that morning.

His wife was keeping secrets from him. The child she carried, his child... He had a right to know about it. And why was she meeting secretly with Wardens? He knew the moment his heart could no longer deny her, before they ever stood before Mother Hesperida in Kirkwall and pledged their heart and their lives to one another it wasn't going to be easy to hold Hawke back for long periods of time. That free spirit of hers was a death sentence in the offing, but they promised one another as they took their vows nothing the world threw at them would ever truly come between them. They would make precious every moment they had together, but Maker's breath, she was with child. The family they wanted to start together would become a reality far sooner than they expected, which meant it must become a priority; not just for her, but for both of them.

She had no business planning anything that involved fighting, or darkspawn, or blight, and the Wardens promised all three. What in the name of Andraste's Mabari was she thinking?

Minute by minute ticked by, his ire growing as he tossed it all around. It hurt to think she didn't trust him enough to share her plans, that she didn't respect him as her husband enough to tell him about their child. He loved her with conviction, the strength of bond between them stronger than anything he ever endured, and he knew she loved him too, but true love, the kind of love that lasted a lifetime was built on trust.

If she didn't trust him, what did they have?

"What's all this?" she appeared in the doorway, a hand on her hip and her head cocked curiously as she surveyed the spread on the table. "Did I forget my own birthday?"

The kitchen staff and the servants had outdone themselves preparing a romantic setting. Candles on the table, every piece of silver shined to perfection, the napkins and porcelain dinnerware impeccably placed. It was a gesture she would pretend not to appreciate, but he knew better. Deep down, under layers of hardened blood and suspicion, there was a lady, someone soft and appreciative of romantic gestures and moments that left lasting impressions. She'd seen so much hardship, held onto too many bad memories, and maybe he was overreaching, but he wanted every precious moment of their life together to begin outweighing all the bad. How could he give her that happiness and peace if she wasn't completely forthright with him?

"No," he chuckled, his spirit lightening in her company. It was so easy to be dismissive of his own feelings when she was being infuriating, but he kept a grip on the fact that he was almost furious with her.

"Did I forget your birthday?" she balked.

"You've got several months to forget that," he said, gesturing for the servant to depart. "I think we can manage from here, thank you for everything."

"As you wish, Your Highness. If you need anything ring the bell."

As the servant bowed out of the room, Sebastian rose from the chair and moved to greet her with a chaste kiss on her cheek. She wasn't taking just that. She turned her mouth into his, catching him by surprise and further cooling his anger; enough so that when he said, "I was beginning to wonder if you misread my invitation," his tone was more thoughtful than irritated.