Chapter 23: To each their secrets
"There you are!" in the calmest and kindest of voices, Edgar greeted Arabella the instant he laid eyes on her, "And here I'd started to think I wouldn't be seeing you today,"
With a radiant smile, Arabella stood in place, still clutching at her gown, "Oh, I decided to stop by the music room for a bit. It was quite phenomenal,"
"Well, if you say so then I must take your word for it," he tilted his head a bit to the side, "I've never visited the music room,"
Arabella watched as Edgar continued to dig little holes in the dirt before planting the seeds at their hearts and covering them in the end.
Such a soothing and satisfying process it was that the young woman wished to stay and admire his work for as long as it lasted.
"Are you not allowed in the music room?" in a subdued tone, she asked, her smile dimming a little.
"No!" Edgar stopped his doings to look up at Arabella and spoke in a reassuring note, "Lady Persephone prohibits no soul living under her roof from exploring the manor, provided that they do their jobs, of course," he paused to offer a brighter smile, "I simply meant, I've never had any business in the music room and thus never saw the need to find it, but perhaps if you invite me...," Edgar had half asked and half suggested.
Arabella's cheeks hadn't fully returned to their natural color yet. They still held a tinge of red from the intense blushing they did minutes prior to her arrival in the gardens.
The unexpectedly artful look and tone he'd used made her heart flutter as it pumped more blood than it usually did within the same span of time which did not help cool down her face.
"Is Everything alright with you?" eyebrows a tad furrowed, he waited for an answer while seemingly studying her face.
"Uh... Yes!" her voice had gone so thin and weak that her words practically became squeaks, "I am alright," she cleared her throat.