Chapter 26

“Torren is building a new home,” Seraphine said dreamily. She was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, feeding Theo his bottle.

Elowyn looked up from where she was scrubbing the floor. “Oh?”

“Yes.” She smiled down at the baby. “He says he’s building it for me. He says that once it’s done, he’ll buy me from Alaric, and we’ll be married.”

She kissed Theo’ forehead. “It is a very small house. Only three bedrooms but Torren says that’s enough for us to have a boy and a girl. He says I’ll have to learn to cook and clean. He cannot afford slaves, but I don’t even mind the thought of that. Is that what love does to you, Elowyn? Does it make even the most menial tasks seem romantic?”

Elowyn laughed, scrubbing at a particularly dirty spot in front of the fireplace. “I wouldn’t know.”

Seraphine continued to stare dreamily at the baby. “I was so frightened when Mama sold us to the slave house. I used to lie awake at night and worry about what would happen