them know about Connor and about their wedding, but he had told her they likely already knew. It was their choice to remain distant.
Sadi hadn’t said another word about it. She felt it wasn’t her place and she could tell how wounded Luke really was by their actions, though he put up a tough exterior. She remembered his mother and father hadn’t answered their first wedding invitation; not that she was sure she had sent it to the correct address.
Sadi looked out the window of the car Luke had rented for their time in Scotland. She glanced over at him. She wouldn’t have been brave enough to drive on the twisting, turning roads. Then there was the small matter of her complete ineptitude when it came to driving a standard.
Luke had surprised Sadi by throwing himself into the details of their honeymoon planning. He had never had an interest in Europe before but he seemed to now. He had planned an amazing trip in Spain, Italy, and France, saving Scotland for last, as he knew it was one place Sadi had always wanted to see. They had set aside two weeks for the first half of the honeymoon and saved the last week for Scotland. Luke had been very mysterious about what he had planned for her.
Luke had also taken care of the details for their wedding ceremony. He had rented a nice spot in a private park, where it was just him and Sadi, expressing their love for each other in front of a JP.
Sadi would have never imagined her wedding turning out like it did, but she was glad it had. She could still remember the ways her hands shook as she said her vows, the way Luke gripped them and steadied her. He had kissed her, his eyes slightly misty, like it was going to be the last time, leaving her completely breathless. Her dress had been simple: just a knee length white dress. They had forfeited a fortune in lost deposits for booked venues, DJs, caterers, and a fancy dress that was left sitting at the dress shop. Luke had just shrugged when Sadi had brought it up and told her not to worry about it. The wasted money was less important to him than the wedding he truly wanted to have.
Luke finally stopped the car in front of a massive looming stone structure.
“A castle?” Sadi cried, clapping her hand over her mouth, embarrassed by her high pitched outburst.
“That’s right,” Luke smiled back. “I thought that if we were coming, we should do it right.”
Sadi laughed and quickly got out of the car. She was half way to the huge wooden door before she turned around, remembering Luke and their bags. He grinned at her as he hauled the heavy luggage out of the tiny car’s trunk and up the cobblestone walkway.
Luke checked them in and Sadi held her breath while she listened to the kind, elderly woman at the front desk talk to them. Sadi had always thought accents were beautiful, but this completely outdid anything she had ever heard before.
Once they were settled in the room, complete with a huge four poster bed, woven rugs, a cheery fireplace with a fire already set, heavy drapes, and stone floor and walls, Sadi looked at Luke.
“This is amazing,” she said again. She noted the sparkle in his eyes and the way his gaze roved over her body. He seemed to love that she was pleased by his choice. She saw the familiar fire ignite in the depth of his blue grey gaze.
Sadi felt her body start to burn. Luke had never looked at her that way before the bombing. Never once. Yet his gaze had held the same fire, the same burning intensity, ever since that night they had made love after the rose petal bath.
Luke surprised Sadi by stripping off his sweater and laying it on the bed. His shirt followed. Sadi felt her breath catch as she
Pierre Pevel, Tom Translated by Clegg