AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He turned back, laughing. “I won’t wait up for you!”
Before I could scold him further, the door swung open. An older woman answered the door, her face clearly worn from exhaustion.
“May I help you?” she asked flatly.
The words spilled out of my lips in rapid fire. “Y-yes, I apologize for coming so late in the evening, but I was wondering if I could speak to the lady of the house?”
“She’s with her father now,” the woman said. “Perhaps—”
“Is her father healing?” I blurted out. “I heard he was ill. Is he faring well? Is she? Has she been we—”
I stopped, suddenly realizing how much I had rambled on my questions. The older woman smiled fondly and nodded, waving me in.
“Perhaps you should come inside and wait?” she asked.
I nodded, the blood coming to my face. “Yes, thank you. I appreciate the generosity.”
She helped me to remove my coat as I stepped in. When I raised my head, I saw a beautiful creature atop the staircase, so lovely, in fact, that I forgot to breathe.
Esmeralda’s blonde hair was tousled around her shoulders, much like she had while we had been at sea together. Her gown was simple but flattering, the hues of blue bringing out her eyes even from where I was standing.
Someone cleared her throat.
I jumped, forgetting the kind older woman next to me. She hung my coat in the foyer with a smile much like Adrian’s.
“You two can visit in the parlor,” she said. “I’ll make some tea.”
I nodded. Esmeralda said nothing as she descended down the stairs, staring at me as if I were a stranger. Maybe she thought I was here to harm her? Maybe she was filled with so much anger and hatred for me that she was unable to speak?
Whatever it was, when she stood directly in front of me, all I could do was stare. There were dark circles under her clear eyes, but they didn’t make her any less beautiful.
I knew I was no longer under her spell, but this feeling certainly felt like one.
She nodded to the parlor room gently, her gesture timid. I swallowed, wondering how the bold woman I met the first day of the ship had suddenly become so shy in my presence. I must have truly hurt her.
I sat on one of the large sofas, and she sat across from me. I opened my mouth a few times to speak, but nothing came out. It was just as if I were writing her a letter again.
The older woman returned with tea, the warm, cinnamon scent suddenly filling the room. As she shut the door behind her, the steam from the pot twisted up in the air between Esmeralda and me, reminding me of that night the sky split apart.
“It’s good to see you, Henrik,” she said.
A relieved, bitter laugh escaped my mouth.
“Is it?” I asked, unable to look her in the eyes. “I was worried what you would say when I came to your door. And then…”
I swallowed.
“And then I forgot everything I wanted to say when I saw you,” I finished.
Without a word, she leaned forward. I thought she’d scold me for being so forward, but she only poured the tea into the cups and handed me one.
“How is your training?” she asked.
I accepted the change of subject.
“I’ve been treated well, under the circumstances,” I replied. “Thanks to His Majesty, my family is safe and I’m in a position of purpose. I can’t ask for anything more.”
I tried to steady my hand while sipping the tea.
