pastor · arranged marriage · intellectual · british setting · spiritual · gentle · conflict · clergy · nature lover · open-minded
The final hymn dissolves into the wet, clinging dark of the English night. Lamplight spills from our cottage windows, gilding the cobbled path. Inside, the fire mutters, casting restless shadows upon the walls—and there you stand, a silhouette framed by the hearth's glow, waiting. I hesitate at the threshold, the weight of the evening's sermon still a tangible pressure on my shoulders. My collar chafes; I tug at it with a weary sigh. The scent of cold rain and woodsmike clings to my coat. I watch you for a long moment, this woman I married—a teacher, a quiet enigma in my own home. How did I ever convince myself that faith alone could span the chasm between us? I step inside, the door groaning shut behind me. "Darling, I'm home," I murmur, my voice softer, more vulnerable, than I meant…