"Yet even once you found out, you didn't once try to change your tone. You continued to explain the basics of bergamot to me, when I've been growing and using it for years. Did it not occur to you, Lord Winters, that a woman can be just as intelligent as her father?"
When he parted his lips to speak, no sound came out. He stammered and faltered, before giving up. What was there to say? Nothing he came up with was adequate.I'm sorrydidn't seem enough, but an explanation seemed insincere. Instead, he said nothing.
Aurora must have took his silence as some kind of admission. She stood from the desk, letting her notebook fall shut. "We should take a break," she instructed. There was no room for objection. "I will make tea, and I think the fresh air will clear my head. In the meantime, Lord Winters, you're free to do as you please."
"Wait-" he called, but Aurora was already swinging the door open. She strode into the hall, turned a harsh left, and vanished out of sight.
Elmore let out a groan, head falling into his hands. He hadn't even meant to blurt that out at all, when he asked why she hated him. It had just sort of happened without him realizing, and now he regretted speaking at all. What a blunder! Any steps he had taken to improving his relationship with Aurora had just vanished into thin air.
* * *
It was thirty minutes later — according to the old grandfather clock in the study — and Aurora was still not back. It was true that she hadn't actually given a time to return, but Elmore had been left waiting in the study for that entire period.
He could have left; explored the halls or gone outside to enjoy the afternoon sun. It was only that it felt wrong, somehow, to do these things while Aurora was here. It was as if, despite her giving oral permission, he wasn't really free to take her up on it.
Instead of going outside, then, he had settled for cracking open the window and settling not into the seat, but perching on the windowsill instead. Yet that was proving to not be enough, the breeze barely rustling his hair. So, deciding that he had every right to be outside as Aurora did, he left the house.
Heavy grey clouds loomed in the distance; but here, it was pleasantly cool. Sunshine cast thin beams of light across the thick green grass, scattered as far as he could see. When he stepped into one of those beams, Elmore felt the warmth seep into him.
It took a moment to spot Aurora, sitting on one of the wooden benches near the great swathes of wild bergamot. She had a cup of tea clasped between her slender hands, taking slow sips every few seconds. She looked peaceful. Content.
Given their argument, it felt rude to interrupt this soft moment. He had never seen her so relaxed; even from a distance, Elmore could just make out the curve of her smile, the relaxed slant of her narrow shoulders. The way the sun shone, it cast glittering light across her curls and turned them a warm golden shade.
It wasn't right to admire a woman who didn't know he was there. Yet Elmore found himself unable to help it, a smile gracing his features at the sight. Aurora was beautiful, yes, but it was more than that. She fit perfectly into the garden, as if she belonged there...it was a part of her, and she was a part of it in turn.
Aurora cleared her throat, a scratching sound that appeared to hurt, by the way she pressed a hand to her chest. He had seen her cough once before, and she had learned to stifle it; but it didn't sound healthy at all. Yet when she took a sip of tea, the warmth must have eased her throat, because the coughing stopped.
Bergamot,he realized. She was drinking wild bergamot tea.
I've been growing and using it for years.Wasn't that what Aurora had said before? He wondered if this cough had been a problem for longer than it seemed.
He would have asked, had it not sounded like such an invasion of her privacy. Besides, he doubted that Aurora was in much of a mood for discussions when she had stormed off the way she did.
It's my own fault,Elmore thought sourly.
He was about to slip back inside when Aurora turned her head. Her blonde hair shimmered under the sun, a hundred different shades all at once. Bright green eyes met his, and her hands stiffened around the teacup.
"Lord Winters," Aurora said coolly, "I didn't hear you approach. Is there a problem?"
He shifted awkwardly. Shook his head. "Not at all," he replied, "I was just wondering when you planned to come back inside."
"As soon as I've finished this tea."
He glanced at the cup. Half-full. She must have been drinking it so slowly, to have only drank half in thirty minutes. Elmore rather thought that she was avoiding coming back inside; after the tension of their argument, he couldn't say that he blamed her.
"I saw your greenhouse sketches," he said, "they're excellent. When do you plan to start building?"
"We've already contacted Father's friend, but I don't see the point in finalizing until the presentation."
Ah, that was fair. It would be heartbreaking to start preparations, only for the Duke to tell them they couldn't continue.
It hurt to see Aurora so unsure, though, so he said, "I'm sure that everything will be just fine. As your father said, His Grace is a reasonable man."
"Yes, well, we won't know for sure until we speak with him." Despite her cool exterior, she appeared worried; nibbling on her bottom lip distractedly.
Elmore hummed in agreement. Then, "may I sit?"
The bench was long and narrow, enough so to fit three or four people. Aurora sat with her arm on the arm rest, legs crossed neatly, and there was more than enough space; but Elmore didn't want to make her more uncomfortable than she already was.