It didn't mean he posed any less of a threat, though, something that she consciously reminded herself of. Christopher had been demure, almost shy, and he had still humiliated her in front of a dozen people. The way men acted wasn't always their true selves; Christopher had proven that they were capable of turning when least expected.
Aurora took a spoonful of soup, but she didn't savor the taste. Her appetite was gone.
She had allowed someone to take advantage of her once. Not again. She was older now, more knowledgeable. Morecapable.This may have been a collaboration between herself and Lord Winters, but she wouldn't allow him to take all of the credit.
The last time she had been in love, Aurora's entire world had crumbled. Christopher hadn't just stolen her work on medicinal plants; he had broken her heart and left her in pieces. Not once, notever,was she going to allow that to happen again. Aurora was vigilant, careful — and perhaps most of all, she wasn't going to fall in love again.
They finished the meal in a quiet that was much less peaceful now, and proceeded with their plans. Together, they outlined their goals to present to the Duke, and Aurora wrote it out in her neat script.
Yet, she couldn't get rid of the thought that for Lord Winters, like Christopher, was going to betray her in the end.
Chapter 17
Elmore Winters
The days passed in a blur, and Elmore found himself wrapped up in talk of the greenhouse. He barely had time for anything else, but in truth he wouldn't have wanted anything else.
For the first time in years, he feltfree.He felt like himself, able to do the things he loved without fear of rejection. It was blissful.
Today was beautiful, the sun beating down on him as he sauntered through Mr. Washam's garden. The sky was cloudless, a perfect and bright shade of blue like his favorite watercolor.
He found Aurora in the garden by the roses, with a book perched on her lap. She looked to have been there quite a while, oblivious to the world around her.
He took a moment to admire the way her hair fell across her shoulders and pooled in her lap. It was longer than the current fashion, even longer still if not for the tight curls, and he wondered how she carried it all around without a headache. Lord knew that even if his own hair was a touch too long, it drove him mad.
Still, she looked lovely and delicate with such long hair. Magical, even.
Elmore stepped forwards; when he stepped on a twig, Aurora's eyes snapped up to meet his. Under the sunshine, they were such a stunning, bright forest green.
"Oh," she said awkwardly, "hello. I didn't think we had a meeting today?"
"We don't. Actually, I was hoping that we could take a walk."
She appeared to contemplate it for a moment, brows furrowed. His hope faltered for a moment, until she set down the book and said, "I would like to stretch my legs."
It wasn't overwhelmingly positive — but he hadn't expected it to be. He counted himself lucky that Aurora was agreeing at all.
"I haven't seen the grounds properly since I was still your father's student," he commented, with a sweeping hand towards the garden at large. "Much has changed, and it all feels different to when I was a boy."
Aurora tucked her book — he didn't see the cover — into a satchel thrown across her shoulder. Then she stretched, winced, and let her hands fall back down to her side.
"Father is always changing things," she replied with a shrug. "Squeezing in new plants where there's space, or moving plants to new locations. The only things that stay the same are the roses, and the bergamot."
He glanced across the rose garden, nodding in appreciation. Bright roses of every variety filled the space, climbing up the lattices, crisscrossed above to create a canopy of red and green. "It's beautiful. Unlike anything I've ever seen — he's much improved this space since the last I saw."
Aurora smiled at that; a hesitant little thing that made his heartbeat quicken. She was beautiful and strange, and he wanted nothing more than to be the one to cause those smiles.
"He's good at his job. Always has been — I only wish that more people took him seriously. Tookusseriously."
Elmore's heart ached to see her so upset. Yet he smiled, trying to reassure, and said, "I take you both very seriously. Your father taught me everything to become the botanist I am today; it's because of him that I've been able to do what I love." A pause. Then, "and you're his daughter, taught by the bestandbrilliant in your own right. I'm sorry if it felt like I doubted you before."
There it was, the apology that had lingered on his lips for days now. Since their fight, he had fumbled with the right way to bring it up. Subtly, so that Aurora wouldn't be angry. Yet hedidwant her to know that he appreciated her knowledge and her skills.
Her smile grew. Not much, but enough to make the corner of her lips quirk cutely. "Thank you," she said, "now, about that walk...?"
She was making real effort to be kind to him, and Elmore appreciated that more than she knew. He understood that things were awkward between them — mostly due to his own actions — but he hoped this was the start of something better. Hoped thathewas better.
"Perhaps you could show me parts of the garden I haven't seen yet?" he offered, "I hear there's a small garden of wildflowers the edge of the property."