She reached out and gently brushed aside a lock of black hair the wind had blown across Karl's forehead, the gesture natural and intimate.
"The mistakes of the past—we were both responsible. But the present and the future are what matter most. I believe in you, and I believe in the choice we've made."
Just then, Klein in Karl's arms seemed unhappy at being ignored. He wriggled and stretched out his little hands toward Charlotte, babbling indistinctly, "Ma... ma..." Clearly, he was looking for his mother again.
The smile on Charlotte's face grew even gentler. She smoothly took her son from Karl's arms and turned all her attention back to the child, expertly adjusting how she held him as she coaxed him softly. "What's wrong, Klein? Are you hungry? Or sleepy?"
Karl stood where he was, watching Charlotte's gentle profile as she lowered her head to soothe their child. At last, the taut string within him completely slackened, replaced by an indescribable warmth and relief.
That fleeting "crisis" just now seemed not only to have spared the mood from ruin, but to have strangely melted away a little more of the final, delicate barrier between them.
Charlotte's casual question, followed by her declaration, felt more like confirmation and acceptance after a test.
He walked to Charlotte's side and watched their babbling son with her.
The sunlight was just right, the breeze mild. In the distance, cannon fire sounded sporadically, while in the nearby harbor, sails dotted the waters, bringing life and hope.
The thought of a counteroffensive grew ever clearer and firmer in his heart, and his resolve to protect everything before him had never been stronger.
Over the next few days, an odd stalemate took shape outside Carnford City. The large-scale, bloody charges seemed to have had their