Everquiet

Scene Thirteen: An Evening of Questions

By the time the final notes of the waltz faded into silence, I was smiling without realizing it.

Neither of us spoke for a long moment.

The musicians quietly lowered their instruments, waiting.

Sebastian reluctantly released my hand.

"I'm afraid I have business that requires my attention this afternoon."

The words pulled me gently back to reality.

"Of course."

"I'll see you at dinner."

I nodded. "Thank you... for the dance."

A small smile touched his lips.

"No, Miss Hawthorne. Thank you."

He offered a slight bow before turning toward the doors. Within moments he had disappeared into the corridor, his footsteps swallowed by the vast manor.

The ballroom suddenly felt much too large again.

I lingered only another minute before leaving myself.

The halls of Ravenscroft seemed quieter than they had that morning. Perhaps it was simply because I was no longer distracted by curiosity.

When I reached my room, I closed the door behind me with a weary sigh.

"I suppose dancing is more exhausting than it looks."

I crossed the room and, without bothering to sit properly, threw myself face-first across the bed.

The mattress caught me with surprising softness.

I smiled into the blankets.

My day replayed itself behind closed eyes.

Thomas proudly tending the gardens.

The endless rows of roses.

Sebastian laughing.

The music.

The way he had moved so effortlessly, as though dancing was as natural to him as breathing.

I laughed quietly.

The room was warm.

Comfortable.

My thoughts drifted further apart until they became impossible to hold.

Without meaning to...

I fell asleep.

I wandered through endless rows of crimson roses.

Their petals brushed against my hands as I walked, stretching farther than I could see beneath a sky painted silver instead of blue.

Somewhere ahead, someone was calling my name.

"Liora..."

The voice echoed softly.

I turned, but no one was there.

Again.

"Liora..."

The roses swayed though there was no wind.

The voice grew closer.

"Miss Hawthorne..."

I frowned.

The dream blurred around its edges.

"Miss Hawthorne..."

The words became clearer.

Insistent.

"Miss Hawthorne."

I jolted upright with a startled gasp.

Margaret took a step backward, placing a hand over her chest.

"Oh dear."

For a second neither of us spoke.

My racing heart slowly settled as the dream faded away.

My eyes finally focused on Margaret standing beside the bed.

"What time is it?" I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"I've come to get you ready for dinner," she said, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Imagine my surprise when I found you asleep."

"I..." I blinked several times. "I actually don't remember falling asleep."

"That much was obvious."

I pushed myself upright and swung my legs over the side of the bed.

The moment I tried to stand, the layers of my gown tangled around my ankles.

"Oh."

I stumbled awkwardly before catching myself on the bedpost.

Margaret pressed her lips together, though the corners of her mouth betrayed her.

"I see you've yet to make peace with proper dresses."

"They're plotting against me."

She laughed.

"I've noticed."

After a second, I finally managed to free myself from the mountain of skirts and stand properly.

"There we are," Margaret said. "Let's get you changed and ready for dinner."

She helped me out of the day's dress and into another, this one a deep forest green that brought out the color of my eyes. The fabric was lighter than the previous gown, though no less elegant. Tiny seed pearls decorated the high neckline, while delicate embroidery of climbing roses wound around the cuffs.

Once the dress was fastened, Margaret gathered my hair into a graceful arrangement, leaving a few soft curls to frame my face.

She stepped back, studying her work with approval.

"There."

I glanced at my reflection.

"Thank you," I said.

Margaret smiled warmly.

"The master is waiting."

Taking one steadying breath, I left my room.

When I stepped into the dining room, Sebastian was already waiting.

The moment he saw me, he rose from his chair.

"Good evening, Miss Hawthorne."

"Good evening."

He crossed the room, his expression softening with that familiar, almost imperceptible smile I'd begun looking for.

"You look beautiful this evening."

I felt warmth creep into my cheeks.

"Thank you."

He pulled out my chair before taking his own seat across from me.

"I'm sorry if I've kept you waiting," I said as a servant poured wine into Sebastian's glass and tea into mine. "I seem to have accidentally slept away half the afternoon."

"It appears the manor has finally convinced you to slow down."

I laughed.

"I think the ballroom is to blame."

"One dance exhausted you?"

"I was tripping over my own feet for most of it."

"You improved rather quickly."

"I had an excellent teacher."

The corners of his mouth lifted.

"I'll accept that compliment."

Dinner was served, and conversation flowed as naturally as it had each evening before. We spoke of the gardens, and I told him about Thomas proudly showing me the roses and hidden paths winding through the estate.

"He spoke very highly of you," I said.

"He speaks highly of everyone."

"Not true." I smiled. "He was especially proud when he talked about the roses."

Sebastian's gaze drifted briefly toward one of the tall windows.

"They meant a great deal to my mother."

"He told me."

A quiet smile touched Sebastian's face.

"I'm glad someone still enjoys them as much as she did."

"I certainly do."

Comfortable silence settled between us as we continued eating. It wasn't awkward. I had discovered that Sebastian wasn't the sort of man who felt compelled to fill every quiet moment with conversation, and surprisingly... neither did I.

Eventually, curiosity nudged its way back into my thoughts.

"May I ask you something?"

"You may ask me anything."

I smiled at that.

"How did you know my grandfather?"

His expression remained calm as he set down his knife.

"We met many years ago."

"Were you friends?"

"I believe we respected one another."

There wasn't much more to it than that.

Oddly enough, I found myself accepting the answer. Sebastian never lied, at least not that I'd caught him doing. He simply revealed only what he wished to reveal.

After another bite, I looked back up at him.

"When will we be married?"

His eyes met mine.

"When the time is right."

I tilted my head.

"And how will we know when that is?"

A thoughtful smile appeared.

"When neither of us feels like strangers sitting across this table."

Something about that answer settled warmly inside me.

It wasn't a date.

It wasn't even close.

Yet... it somehow made sense.

I glanced down at my plate before asking the question that had lingered in my mind since the day I'd arrived.

"Why me?"

He didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he studied me with those impossibly dark eyes, as though weighing whether the truth was enough.

Finally, he spoke.

"I don't know."

I blinked.

He held my gaze.

"Your grandfather's letter explained many things."

"But not that."

"No."

"So you were just as surprised as I was."

"I was."

There wasn't the slightest hesitation in his voice.

For the first time since I'd arrived at Ravenscroft Manor, I realized something unexpected.

Sebastian hadn't chosen me.

In many ways...

He was living with my grandfather's decision just as surely as I was.