Page 37 of House of Roots and Ruin
Sometimes we talked; sometimes we were silent. He’d tucked a book into the side of his wicker chair and after lunch, he read italoud, making me laugh as he created funny voices for the characters, performing with dramatic flair. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect afternoon.
“I suppose we ought to go in, shouldn’t we?” he mused as a chorus of spring peepers began a twilight song. “We’ll need to dress for dinner—Arina help us all if someone should see me wearing the same clothes I’ve had on all afternoon.”
I pressed my lips together, trying to hide the threatening smile. It did sound rather preposterous when he put it that way.
He let out a long breath, watching the water. “This has been the most marvelous day. I hate to see it end.”
“It has been beautiful,” I agreed, scooping my charcoal pencils into their tin and brushing aside the curled shavings dusting my lap. My hands, black with smudges, hummed with a tired but satisfied ache. “And aren’t we lucky we get to do it again tomorrow?”
“It won’t be the same. The water will be different. So will you. The blossoms will be a day older. So will I…I don’t believe you’re cursed, for what it’s worth,” he admitted softly, finally shifting his gaze from the lake to me. “I just…I wanted you to know that. And I’m sorry that Grandmère brought up such a painful time in your life.”
“It’s all right—” I started, but he quickly cut me off.
“It’s not,” he insisted. “And I shall speak to her about it when she returns. You have my word on that.”
I smiled. I hadn’t known him for long, but I’d already noticed how earnestly Alexander craved for the right things to be done. His moral compass was fixed with unwavering focus. I’d never met someone so good, so kind.
His intense reassurance made my chest warm and I looked away before a blush could fully bloom over me.
“What’s that?” I asked, just now noticing a dark shape far out in the middle of the lake. The sinking sun played off its lines, making it sparkle. It was a statue of some sort. I squinted, trying to see it better. It almost looked like…
“Arina’s burning heart,” Alexander explained. “Part of the Laurents’ old shrine.”
“A statue? In the middle of a lake? How is it supported? The water looks so deep.”
“There’s a little island of sorts there. I’ll take you out to it one day.”
I liked the way he said that, with such a casual assumption that we’d have so many futureone daystogether.
After a beat, he waved his hand, gesturing for Frederick and Johann to come over. Alexander winced as Frederick helped him from the ground and settled him back into the chair. “Thank you.”
“Shall I take those up to your room, Miss Thaumas?” Johann asked, scooping my pencils up from the quilt.
“Oh, thank you, please,” I said, also relinquishing my hold on the book.
Alex pushed himself along a path toward the manor, straining to get the momentum to go up the embankment.
“May I?” I offered.
“Oh, you needn’t—”
“I know,” I said, cutting him off. “But I can and I want to.” I took hold of the bars at the back of the chair. It moved easier than I expected but still required a focused effort to keep him on the boarded walkway.
“Well, thank you.” His face was rosy from the sudden exertion. “I must rely on Frederick for so many things—he helps me in and out of the chair and with other…personal tasks…but I try to make it a point to move about the grounds on my own.”
“You enjoy being self-sufficient.”
He nodded. “Take the right at the fork.”
I steered the chair as he said, shifting my weight on one handle to keep the change in direction smooth. As we settled onto more level ground, he reached behind his shoulder and patted my hand.
“You’re a terribly kind person, Miss Thaumas.”
His fingers lingered over mine and the warmth sent a small thrill through me. “All day long it’s been ‘Miss Thaumas this’ and ‘Miss Thaumas that.’ I thought you were going to call me Verity?”
His head bobbed. “That was last night. It’s easier to feel bold and cavalier in darkness. Easier to play the role of a charming boy meeting a pretty girl for the first time. Daylight comes and strips away such audacity. It makes you wonder if you were too forward, too brash.” He dared to glance back at me, his eyes uncertain.
I felt poised on a precipice, standing on unfamiliar ground. Though there were many young men who worked at Highmoor,Camille had made it clear she wouldn’t welcome casual friendliness between them and myself. As sister to a duchess, I’d been told I was meant for grander matches but—with a decided lack of possible suitors on the islands—I had to assume all ofthatwould happen later on in my life.
