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E.F.
His reply came the next morning.
Dear Miss Fairbanks,
I would also faint should one of those huge beasts chase me. I even dreamed of the damn thing last night. I say, I even admire your delightful wit and courage more!
Your friend,
L.G.
A warm feeling unfurled inside her chest.Lovely compliments will not seduce me, you rogue, she silently thought; yet she was filled with a feeling of wonder. Then she chuckled at the image of a man as self-assured and arrogant as Lucien Glendevon running from a cow.
Dear L.G.,
I will not be swayed by flattery. I am made of sterner stuff.
Yours,
Miss E.F.
Dear Miss Fairbanks,
If flattery will not work, what will?
Yours,
L.G.
Eleanor tried to be circumspect and did not reply right away. Two days later, another letter arrived, and she opened it with shaking fingers.
Dear Miss Fairbanks,
I visited Brighton with my sister Genevieve and brothers Oliver and Edmond yesterday. It was a pleasant day walking by the rocky seaside and inhaling the fortifying and bracing crisp sea breeze. The seaside is our sister’s favorite place, and we try to visit either Brighton, Sidmouth, or Ramsgate once a month for her. I found an onyx stone that I entreated a lapidarist to smooth and carve into a pear-shaped pendant. I do hope you will accept this gift.
Your friend,
L.G.
The beauty of the stone had stolen Eleanor’s breath, and for a wild moment, she had considered returning it. It was not acceptable for a gentleman to offer a lady a token or for a lady to accept it. Yet when she attempted to toss it through the windows, her fingers had curled over its coolness as if they had a life of their own. The token itself was simple, inexpensive, yet possessed its own charm. Very different from the three bouquets of flowers Mr. Hayford had delivered to her home earlier.
Dear L.G.,
Thank you for the stone.
She refused to use the word pendant or gift.
Please see enclosed a stone of my own. I present it in its rough form. However, it is evidence of my once naughty and contrary nature. A few years ago, I tossed it and broke a window in our manor. I was never able to confess to my mama that I was the culprit, and I hid that stone in a lockbox with the hopes it might never see the light again. Today I gift it to you.
Yours,
Miss E.F.
It was with a sense of dark humor she had retrieved the stone she had never gotten rid of and sent it to him.
Dear Miss Fairbanks,
I received your stone. I will treasure it always. I will never break the trust you place in our friendship by providing the written confession and the evidence of your heinous window-breaking crime. I received an invitation to Lady Preston’s ball, to be held next week. I have accepted in the hopes I might see you again and that perhaps you would honor me with another dance, in the gardens, of course.
