Page 77 of The Thief
He sighed, frustration filling his heart.
“Alastair? Is everything all right, dear?” Antoinette asked, concern on everyone’s faces.
He cracked a smile and replied, “I am all right, Mother, just worrying about a few frustrating things.”
She reached out and placed her hand on his arm.
“Everything will work out,” she said, smiling. There was a hope in her eyes that renewed Alastair’s.
“Thank you. I needed that,” he whispered, leaning over to kiss her cheek.
“That’s what mothers are for.”
They went back to eating, Alastair wishing he could be that positive.
Alastair tapped on Scarlett’s door, waiting for an answer.
Less than a minute later, Scarlett came to the door, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. When she saw it was him, she quickly shut the door for a moment, fixing her hair so it was not as mussed, then opened it back up.
“Hello,” he said, winking at her.
She blushed but Alastair saw a smile come to her lips.
“Hello,” she murmured.
They stood there for a moment in silence, each waiting for the other to say something.
He cleared his throat and said, a slight blush forming on his face, “I was coming up to invite you to a picnic and a boat ride. Would you be interested in that?”
She looked at him with a blank look on her face.
He thought she was going to say no at first, but he was pleasantly surprised when she replied, “I’d love to.”
Alastair positively beamed at her, making her so happy.
“I will let Bard know, and then I will come up to get you within the hour.”
She nodded and he turned to walk away. Before she could shut the door, Alastair turned back around and said, “Scarlett?”
She opened the door back up fully and he said, “I’ll see you soon.”
With that said, he walked off, leaving Scarlett to change.
In a flurry of activity, both Alastair and Scarlett rushed to get ready. Scarlett rang for Melody to help her change and do her hair. Alastair called for Bard to help him ensure that everything was ready and perfect.
He made sure to remind himself to grab the necklace he had gotten for her that day at the market. It had been completed and hand delivered by the owner of the stall a few days before, giving Alastair the idea for the picnic. He patted his pocket softly, making sure that it was there before he left the room to go get Scarlett.
He arrived at her door a few minutes later, knocking softly, waiting for her to answer. She opened her door and he was greeted with a beautiful sight. Scarlett wore a pastel green-striped dress, her hair pinned back from her face. The rest hanging loose in a bunch of curls down her back.
A white sunhat sat atop her head, the wide brim able to easily protect her face from the sun.
She slipped on her gloves and grabbed her parasol, stepping out to join him in the hallway.
“Shall we go?” she asked.
“We shall,” he replied, holding out his arm to her.
She took his arm and as they walked down the stairs together, she couldn’t help but notice how amazing he looked in his dark red jacket, his pants black, and his shirt clean and crisp white.
