Niall scowled. “That’s stupid.”
“I thought so, too,” she whispered. “Do you think someone will find us?”
“Yes. But you do not have to worry, Fifi. Ever. I will protect you until we are found. I would never let any harm come to you—I promise it.”
She stared at him as if she hardly knew what to make of his fervent vow. Niall could feel the tips of his ears turning red.
“You are the best friend I’ve ever had,” she said a bit shyly. “I will protect you, too.”
They shared another smile, but to Niall’s mind, this one felt special. The small trinket he had made for her earlier, the one to cheer her up, unexpectedly took on a new meaning for him. Niall reached out. His fingers were trembling as he touched her cheek, but when he saw how dirty and rough they looked, he snatched them back. He didn’t want to dirty her, and once again he felt that raw, burning shame that he was so different.
“I…I have something for you,” he began haltingly.
Curious eyes assessed him. “What is it?”
Swallowing, he dipped into his pocket and fished out the ring he had made from twigs, green vines, and a flower. He held himself still as she stared at his gift with incomprehension.
“What is it?” she murmured, yet there was a throb of excitement in her tone, as if he offered her the world.
“It is a ring.”
“I have never seen such an odd ring before,” she said with a curious smile. “You made it?”
“Yes. For you.” He cleared his throat, trying to sound mature, as how his da was always berating him to be. “It is my promise to you that…that I will…” Love you, he wanted to say, but the words felt too important and weighty to voice so casually. “I will take care of you forever. Will you marry me?”
Fifi stared at him with somberness, as if she understood the gravity of his words. Niall did not understand them fully, but he knew what marriage was—his ma and da. They were always together. Ma was always smiling at Da, even when they had no food in their bellies, even when they worked the farm till their fingers bled. Da was often singing to her, and they were always touching their mouths together. It meant family. It meant never being alone. That was marriage for Niall, and he wanted that with Ophelia for his whole life.
“Yes,” she vowed with a solemn nod and the sweetest of smiles. “I will marry you, Niall.”
His heart pounded as if it would leap out of his chest, and Niall even felt dizzy. It took several gulping breaths to reorient himself against the hope. “Yer sure?”
She nodded happily.
“What about Lord Peter…” He didn’t remember the other name.
“I’ve never met him. I’ve met you, and you are perfectly wonderful,” she said with a shy smile.
They laced their hands together then and watched the stars until it grew too cold to remain outside. Niall ushered her into the cabin and shoved all the wood, sticks, and bramble he collected earlier into the fireplace. After he stoked the fire, he turned to face her.
She was dragging the sole chair closer to the fire. Hurrying over, he helped, and they got it before the warmth. He went for the lamp, glad to see it still had some oil inside, and lit it.
“If you are hungry, I have some berries from earlier.”
She nodded, then reached into the small bag she had gripped like a lifeline as the raging waters took her away, pried it open, and withdrew a thick leather-bound book.
“This is one of my favorite books. It is a bit damaged from the water, but it has all sorts of perfectly wonderful stories. Would you like to read it?”
His throat closed, and for the first time in his existence he felt ashamed and frustrated of his lack of abilities. “I…I cannot read.”
Her eyes flared with surprise. “I thought everyone knew how to read.”
Niall cleared his throat. “Only…only mostly people who have lots of money. Those who are poor cannot pay anyone to teach them.”
She thought about that for a few seconds. “Why didn’t your da teach you?”
Niall flushed. “He…he doesn’t know how to read, either. That is why he made up the stories he told me and Ma. He is particularly good; I bet his stories were better than those found in books.”
She declared gaily, “I bet they were. Would you…would you like me to read to you?”
“Yes.”
They huddled close to the small fire, the rain pelting the cottage, as her soft voice filled the room with the riveting tale of a little girl lost in the woods who encountered a secret magical kingdom. Niall was charmed by the animation of her features as she read her book and the way she changed her voice for each character. Despite his enchantment with the story, Niall’s mind darted and whirled. Ophelia was a nob, Niall was sure of it. And he was…he was nobody.
“Is your father very rich?” he asked, interrupting her reading.
She glanced up at him. “Papa is an earl, and Grandpa is a marquess. Would that make him very wealthy?”
Niall breathed hard, and the heavy weight of despair lodged in his guts. She was a nob herself. He’d thought her richer than he was for sure…
But not a real bleedin’ lady.
“My da is a carpenter…a fine one but still a carpenter.” And a poor one at that, barely earning enough to keep their family fed and healthy. How would Niall ever be enough to deserve her? He did not understand it, and he was a little lad, as she called him, but he was certain that Ophelia was his future.
“What are you thinking about?”
He inhaled deeply. “I was thinking when we would get married.”
She beamed and glanced down at the vine ring around her finger. “Miss Kinney says only when I am seventeen or older can I get married.”
He did the calculations quickly on his fingers. “I’ll be one and twenty then.”
She closed the book, excitement lighting in her eyes. “Wouldn’t that be splendid? That way we could be friends forever. I heard Mama once say that marriage is until death. That means we live and grow old together forever. Like my grandma and grandpa. They are really old.”
Niall nodded, and new lightness entered his heart. “I will work hard to ensure I can provide for you.”
She beamed at him and, to his shock, reached up and pressed a quick peck to his cheek. She hadn’t minded that dirt was on his face. Niall stared at Fifi wordlessly, his heart racing with an odd sort of joy. Not sure how to show his affection in return, he lifted a finger and gently tapped her nose with his knuckle. She giggled, and he hoarded that sweet sound deep inside him.