49 Chapter 49

Riftan very nearly had to haul Maxi back to the castle on his horse. After carrying her to their bedchamber, he bathed her in warm water, dressed and fed her, and lay her on his chest to lull her to sleep.

This was not the first time that Riftan had cared for her so tenderly. When they were together, he acted little different from a nanny. He constantly tried to feed her, and he was particularly adamant that they bathe together. In the mornings, he liked to snatch the comb from Ludis to comb Maxi's hair himself.

Such actions baffled her. All her life, she had been told that courtesy, polite disinterest, and duty were all that constituted the relationship between husband and wife. She had never once heard of a man treating his wife with such affection.