On the ride back, Maximilian leaned closer to her ear.
"You look beautiful, wife," he murmured.
Catherine turned to him.
The violet of his eyes seemed to deepen as he looked at her, the same way he always did, as though he still couldn't quite believe she was his. His tailored coat sat perfectly against his broad shoulders, his tie neat, every detail of him carrying the quiet elegance she had always found so unfairly attractive.
"You're handsome too, husband," she replied.
Her fingers brushed lightly over the lace at her sleeve.
"Sophia took this lace from my mother's dress and had it worked into mine." She looked down at it for a moment before lifting her eyes to him again. "I hope we too have a good marriage, Maximilian."
There was something almost shy about the way she said it.
Maximilian leaned in and kissed her.
Catherine closed her eyes and accepted the kiss, her heart softening at the simple certainty of it.
"We will."
