She was so lost in thought she didn't hear the water stop running. She didn't hear him rummaging in their bedroom or the pad of his feet as he entered the room. It wasn't until he spoke that she looked up, her eyes wide. Though he'd interrupted her, she didn't really jump with surprise. One didn't play spy as long as she had and still let surprise show on your face. She did, however, have the sense to reach up and wipe her eyes with the back of her hand.
"It was slow tonight. Thought I'd come home and surprise you." And instead, she'd been the one surprised. Sweet words, little notes, bits and pieces she knew she wasn't meant to be hearing until the end of May. But she was a curious creature by nature, and one who loved to see just how sentimental her husband could be. Marian had waited an impossibly long time to hear those words from him. Now that she got them on a regular basis, she craved them and couldn't possibly walk away from this chance to see his heart bared.
At least this time they weren't in any immediate danger of dying.