18

Mabel

I stared outside at the bare trees and simply took in the beautiful scenery. So much had happened over the past few months.

Too much to keep it all straight most days.

Raymond took over as marquis and was working with Andre and Ian to dismantle everything horrible the Matthias family was involved with. He also completely cut ties with my family, saying that the deal was ridiculous. Maybe it had been needed when their business had been growing too fast, but now it had stabilized and they did not need the Sundes.

I hoped Father and my older brothers all suffered for it. The fact they made so much money off my abusive marriage and were never even grateful for it would forever disgust me.

And apparently, no one would even consider marriage talks with my eldest brother Christopher. It was well known how sexist and behind on the times any Sunde was, but now that I was the grand duchess and saint… People worried about upsetting me.

Plus, all of the males in my family had been very vocal that they would never believe that I was the saint. Though apparently, my father had tried to sell me off to the pope even after I was married to Ian.

To say the king lost his temper was an understatement. I thought Ian was going to make my father have an "accident."

I told him that I would not have minded.

It was the truth.

Renee turned things around the past few months and has become a huge help. She was constantly managing fundraisers and helping temples change their image. She was traveling to inspect other local temples now that the social season is over and… I had a lot of help from her.

I found it shocking too, but I think she truly enjoys it, and having a purpose in life besides looking pretty and riding the whims of her father.

Viscount Bryd never let his in-laws push him around to train their children to basically take over his position and get their foot in the door at my company. But he did hire a few third sons of noble families to assist him in managing all of the stores now. They also traveled to the new stores in the temples and made sure everything was in order.

Ian had verified several groups of young mercenaries, and they now escorted shipments of my product all over the kingdom. And they brought back some ingredients from the temples as needed. Or directly from distributors if they were close. That cut down on my overhead and basically covered the cost of them.

And it was a good job according to them. Most knew when seeing them not to mess with them, and only a few stupid bandits had tried anything.

There were now fewer bandits in the kingdom, so it worked out well.

Kathy had also flourished being in charge of the women's center. She raised funds to keep it running and handled all the educational events. It will slow down now that the social season is over, but there will always be enough nobles in the capital to keep it open.

And commoners now have a chance to enjoy it as well since it will not always be so packed. We've done a lot of good so far. If nothing else, I will always be proud of the loan I took out from a bunch of ladies and taught them exactly how that process should work.

I gave them the normal return on their investment, and while it was nothing overwhelming, they now understand how business works a bit better. They all had talked about other endeavors, and I ended up investing with them in a trade ship that should be coming to port soon. It was a bigger investment, and the risk was greater.

I made sure they all understood that it was a form of gambling because if the ship was delayed, so was the return. And if the ship sank—which happened too often—they would lose everything.

I asked the goddess for a bit of help on this. It wasn't about my money or being selfish, but just this once I wanted the women of the kingdom to come out ahead. The entire voyage was funded by women using their own money… Let the goddess give us this one.

She made it clear to not be worried and maybe she was a bit amused with me? I was fine with amused.

It was so much better than reliving the years she was disappointed in me. She was not anymore, and after months of work, the drug to cure the infectious lung disease has worked on three test cases. The quarantine rooms in the temple have been a blessing as well. Next time something happened and people did not know the answer, there was now a place to try and handle it.

I turned around and sighed as I stared out at my study. I hated it. It felt so… Stifling. I wanted to smack my past self who told Ian that I would not redecorate or touch his mansion at the capital. Yes, alterations had to be done so I could have a workroom, but that was all I'd touched.

And I was not a fan of most of the decorations. For one, everything was too dark. It was like entering caves instead of rooms. I had been hesitant to speak with Ian about it because I did not want to be a woman who went against her word, but I… I hated most of the decorations of this house.

I simply hadn't realized it yet because I was too worried about not causing any more trouble. That worry had long since passed and I was his wife.

Glancing at the clock, I saw it was time for lunch and decided to finally be a big girl and bring it up. If nothing else, it was fair to say I wanted to redo my study, right?

I was glad when Andre, Colin, and Kathy were there with us. People were talking through most of lunch, but then Ian suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

"Lovely, if you do not finally tell me what is upsetting you, I might lose my mind."

"She hates her study and a lot of the decorations of the mansion," Kathy tattled.

"Traitor," I hissed, rolling my eyes when she simply chuckled.

"Then change them," Ian told me easily. "Change all of it." He gave a shrug and looked at me like he was waiting for the rest of it.

"But I told you I would not change anything when I first came here," I hedged.

Amusement filled his eyes. "Lovely, you announced that on your own. I never cared. And you were not my wife then. Now this is your home too. Do what you want with it. I prefer you not burn it down, but anything short of that—have fun."

Kathy smirked at me, clearly saying "I told you so."

"But it is all of your family decorations and—" I argued.

"My father did it all, and I hate most of it as well," Ian cut in, nodding when I could not hide my surprise. "It was never important given how much time I spent in my territory or traveling." He gestured around the dining room with his fork. "Change it all. Change parts. Whatever you want."

Colin cleared his throat. "There are rooms at the estate Ian will never let be touched."

Ian nodded. "My sister and mother's rooms. I like them to be… Someday I will move past losing them, but there is no need for now."

"No, of course not," I agreed. "You truly are fine with it?"

Colin was the one who reacted, bursting out laughing. "Oh goddess, the man could not care less. I have to handle any repairs of furniture for the mansion with the head butler. Ian will not even discuss it. We simply maintain." He smiled at me. "Please, please give this place the remodeling it's needed. For the sanity of the staff alone."

Ian rolled his eyes but seemed amused. "The only preference I have is leaving the windows. I rather like them."

I met his gaze and nodded. No, he liked that his hawk could unlock and open them when he was in that form. "They are lovely. I mostly want to start with the—the mansion needs more light let in. It feels like my study is a cave, not a room."

"I feel the same about mine if you are making updates," Andre let me know.

Perfect.

"I will start small and easy," I promised Ian. "And some of the furniture—it might be best to replace it so the memories of the past are gone." I felt better when he seemed relieved. I understood it.

He did not want to waste money, but he had to be haunted with the idea of his father in the mansion. Or even seeing him at times. There was a chair in my study that looked exactly like one my father had, and half the time it made me shiver feeling as if my father could yell at me at any moment.

It had to be a hundred times worse for him.

We talked about some small adjustments to the dining room as we finished eating. I suggested a lighter color of paint so it seemed more open and different window dressings. Something that simple could make a world of difference.

"And recovering the chairs," Kathy suggested. "The frames are lovely, but they might be due for some more stuffing and new material."

"It was on the list for the winter," Colin admitted. "There is a list I have of what was going to be handled this year. It might be easier to start there."

"Yes, I will gladly take that off your hands and work with the head butler and housekeeper so I use the trusted tradesman." I was thrilled they all agreed… And amused when they all came with me to my study and asked what I was thinking specifically.

I felt so silly for ever having worried about it. Ian was always so understanding and gave me everything. I moved closer and gave him a kiss, thanking him.

"Always, lovely," he muttered. "How about a quick outing to get the process started? New furniture for your study and sometimes seeing what you were thinking in the store is better."

And he wanted a break from what he was working on. I saw it in his tired eyes and immediately agreed, thanking him for taking the time.

We talked Colin into a break as well, and the five of us were in the right store a half an hour later.

Andre loved what I picked out for my study and agreed to have the same. Ian agreed to the changes to the dining room as well. So we managed a lot in a short period of time, which was always nice.

"You do not have to pay for it," I argued when Ian was over by the manager finishing up. "It's for my study and—"

"It will come out of the household funds, lovely," he said easily.

"Yes, but we are equals, and I want to contribute to my home too," I interjected. "I have money, Ian. I know I worry about the taxes I will owe with the end of the year coming, but I still have more than enough—"

Colin burst out laughing, making me jump. I saw Andre was in the same surprised state I was, but Kathy simply shook her head. Colin kept laughing and finally had to lean on a display to stay standing.

"What in the world are we missing?" Andre asked, blinking at the man.

Ian came over and kissed my cheek. "You are a member of the royal family now by marrying me, lovely. You do not pay taxes."

"Oh, I did—what?" I exclaimed as what he said hit me. I grabbed his arm and made him face me. "What do you mean I do not have to pay taxes? How—"

"Well, at least you know she did not marry you for that perk," Kathy teased. "Mabel, you are such a delight. It was why Viscount Bryd and your attorney told you not to worry about taxes. They did not mean to stop worrying because of your income and accounts. They meant stop because you are exempt from taxes. Your business too."

"Oh my," I whispered, fanning my face. "Well, yes, that is one less concern to think of then."

"How can that be acceptable?" Andre asked quietly. "So the richest people in the kingdom do not pay taxes?"

Ian snickered. "I have to have several companies while taking care of my territory and being a minister. Plus all my royal duties and things I get dragged into. Gerald does not get a salaryfor his job. Neither does Louisa. I do not." He gestured to me. "Gerald was going to give her the same as the saint. Where does the money for that job come from?

"And more than that, the royal treasury they talk about dipping into is not government-funded. That is Brooker history and money. It's gifts given from people and other nations. Do you have any idea how often they take from that to fund the kingdom when problems strike? That war we fought in—the kingdom did not have that money.

"Not even close. It almost bankrupted our family. It has taken me over a decade to recover and help Gerald and Louisa recover. I pay for so much out of my funds that there is no budget for. You saw the amount my ministry received, and I had the most personnel with the police and courts. I was covering a lot of other necessities personally.

"Being part of the royal family is not a money-making endeavor. Especially when they have all been focused on who gets the crown and the palace. I have broken that cycle and make a lot of money now. No, I am not paying taxes after all the service and how much I personally spent. I personally paid out the benefit for every fallen soldier."

He stormed out of the shop and I could not hide my shock.

We thanked the employees and hurried out after him.

"I apologize," Ian mumbled as he soaked up the sun, angling his face that way as if needing it.

"No, I apologize," Andre muttered. "Clearly, it's a sensitive topic, and I should have thought before I spoke."

"He's had to defend it too many times to not become hostile about it," Colin said gently, patting Ian on the back before helping Kathy into the carriage.

I was not sure what to say, but I was determined to do my best, reaching over and taking his hand in mine. "I will do my best to help and contribute as well."

He smiled before opening his eyes and looking at me. He lifted my hand to his lips. "Lovely, if you contribute any more or find another way to help, you will make the rest of us poor humans look bad. You need more rest, not more ways to help. I hope this will help you be able to reinvest in your company, and that means more medicine for many. That is more help than we deserve."

I melted. Of course, he felt that way. I thanked him and winked at Andre, glad when they were fine in the carriage. We were always going to have times when we tripped, but we loved each other, and that was what was most important.

Always.