At his words, words he liked, Apollo sighed.

Then he shared, “She knows I wish to wed her, Lees. It’s she who wishes to understand herself better before she allows this to happen.”

Achilles dropped his hand from Apollo’s shoulder as his brows shot together.

“How can a person not understand oneself?”

“I’ve no bloody clue,” Apollo replied, shaking his head. “She’s explained it. It made sense at the time. Or more accurately, what made sense was the emotion she felt behind the words she said which didn’t make sense. However, they did to her and she meant them a great deal. What I took from that is that she needs time. I’m giving it to her.”

“This is uncharacteristic of you, cousin,” Achilles remarked.

Apollo held his gaze when he replied firmly, “I’m a man falling in love. We do many things that are uncharacteristic.”

He watched surprise suffuse his cousin’s features before warmth overtook them.

“This makes me happy,” he said quietly.

Apollo smiled at him. “It does me as well.”

Achilles smiled back. “Obviously.”

Apollo did not reply so Achilles spoke on.

“Now, I will cease causing a delay so you can see to important matters.”

“Why do I not think you’re referring to me speaking to Frey?”

“Because nothing is more important than the pursuit of happiness.”

Yet another thing Apollo could not argue.

However, they had one other matter to discuss and it unfortunately took them out of discussions about the pursuit of happiness.

“An important thing of note that the witch shared with me is that she has not been able to find my twin from the other world.”

The warmth fled Achilles face and his eyes turned sharp.

“That does not seem to be good tidings, Lo,” he noted.

“I don’t believe it is. Neither does Valentine, who is speculating that he’s in this world, veiled by our enemy, but brought here in order to do ill.”

“If we remain in Lunwyn, with Frey here, the dragons and elves at his command, Lavinia and the green witch both providing their skills, they could be seeking non-magical means to bring harm to Maddie and the other women.”

“Precisely,” Apollo agreed. “And this other me has proved irrevocably he has no issue with bringing harm to Maddie and thus any woman.”

“I will increase the guard on the dower house and her,” Achilles declared.

“Also on Loretta, Meeta and Cristiana. They mean much to Maddie. If our enemy could get to them, they could be used to cause Madeleine harm.”

“Done,” Achilles stated. “I’ll see to this before I join you and Frey.”

Apollo lifted his chin.

Achilles nodded, and finally they moved to the doors.

* * * * *

An hour later, Apollo walked into his study, where he’d been told Maddie had gone to await him to take her to lunch with his children.

He found she was indeed there, standing at the side of his window, for some reason peering around the opened curtains as if she was using them to hide.

Whatever she was watching had her full attention. He knew this because she did not sense his presence and thus turn to greet him.

As he approached, he took her in wearing her dress that was nearly the color of the deep green of Valentine’s. But hers was knit, covering her from its rolled neck that went up to her jaw and down to the tips of her boots. Her extraordinary hair was mostly down, but the front and sides had been pulled away from her face and arranged in soft curls at the back of her head. The dress hugged her upper body magnificently, down to her waist where it flared into the skirt. But even the skirt clung to her figure, specifically her h*ps and arse, and it did this in alluring ways that brought to mind the fact that he needed to order a mirror to be installed in his bedroom.

Or hers should she elect to remain in the dower house for longer.

They could move it to his when she moved in.

But he wanted her to watch herself as he was taking her arse, something he greatly enjoyed but enjoyed more as she’d clearly enjoyed it.

Indeed, they could do much with a mirror.

And they would.

On these thoughts, he got close to her back and felt her jump when he slid his hands along her ribs.

She twisted her neck to look up at him and he smiled down at her.

“Hello, my dove,” he greeted.

Her hand cut to her face, her finger extended over her lips, and she hissed, “Shh!” before she turned to look back outside.

He felt his brows draw together as he moved his gaze to the window. Then he felt his lips curve up when he saw Hans speaking with Loretta out in the snow at the side of the house.

Hans was standing very close to the maid.

Loretta didn’t like this and was pulling back.

Thus Hans had an arm around her waist, plastering her to his side, just as he had his neck bent so he could bring his face close to hers.

“They can hardly hear us, poppy,” Apollo pointed out, still looking out the window.

“I’m concentrating,” she told him.

“On what?” he asked.

“Reading Hans’s lips.”

This surprised him so much he cast his gaze to the top of her hair.

“You can read lips?”

“No!” she snapped impatiently, not tearing her eyes from the window. “That’s why you have to shush so I can concentrate.”

His body shook with his laughter as he turned her resisting frame in his arms.

“Lo! I’m missing it,” she bit out irritably when he had her front to his.

“Perhaps we should let whatever-that-is play out without an audience,” he suggested.

“If we do, how can I report back to Finnie, Meeta and Bella?”

“You’ll just have to ask Loretta what occurred when you have that opportunity.”

Her expression changed to frustration when she shared, “She’s being closed-lipped about the whole thing.”

He was again surprised.

“I thought you women nattered about these things freely,” he remarked and watched her eyes narrow.

“We women are vast in number, Apollo. Some do. And some, like Loretta, don’t.”

He grinned down at her. “All right. Then perhaps you should allow her to share, or not, as she wishes.”

“What’s the fun in that?”

She had him there, so he didn’t answer.

Instead he changed the subject. “How’s her injury?”

He felt as well as heard her deep sigh as she gave into his demand that she leave his man and her woman alone, something she had no choice but to do with the hold he had on her, and she knew it.