Elmore relaxed, his shoulders losing their tenseness. "Oh, good. And do you...remember what happened?"
Yes. Far more clearly than Aurora would have preferred, given what she had said. Yet it had all been in her imagination, none of it real, so Aurora kept it to herself.
"I don't remember much," she lied, hoping that Elmore chose not to press too hard. "It's all sort of fuzzy. Perhaps I should rest?"
Something akin to disappointment flickered in his gaze, but he nodded. "All right, that sounds like a good idea. Be safe, all right?"
Aurora smiled as she slipped inside. She hoped that Elmore didn't notice how her cheeks flushed as she turned to go upstairs, and that he believed her lie.
Chapter 34
Aurora Washam
When Aurora rose from sleep the following morning, she felt brighter than she had in a long time. Physically, she was well rested and comfortable, with no tickle in her throat or urge to cough at all. Considering the stress of the night before, a coughing fit wouldn't have been unexpected; and yet she was fine.
Emotionally, well, it was another matter. Aurora expected to wake feeling excited, but there was a strange hollowness opening up in her chest that refused to be ignored. Because, Aurora knew, their goal of getting a sponsorship was completed; but now Elmore would not need to spend so much time with her.
He had to return home sometime, he didn't live here in London. It was so disappointing that Aurora almost didn't want to go downstairs, knowing that Father would know something was wrong and ask about it.
Yet her stomach growled, and so eventually she trudged downstairs to eat.
There was already a bowl of hot porridge and honey waiting for her at the dining table, along with hot tea and toast. She inhaled the sweet honey scent and sat, thankful that at least today had started with something tasty. Perhaps it would give her the energy to get through today.
Father's brows furrowed when Aurora sat, and she knew before he even asked what he was going to ask. "Are you feeling well?"
The thing was, Aurora felt better than ever. In her body, at least. "The angel's trumpet has done its job," she said, injecting some false cheer into her voice. It sounded stilted, even to her.
Father's frown deepened. "If something is wrong, you can tell me. Are you experiencing any symptoms—"
"I'm fine," Aurora snapped. She didn't mean to, truly, but irritation rose in her chest as she took a gulp of tea. "It's only that I realize things will change now that we have His Grace's support, and I know that Elmore won't be around much now."
Father frowned. "Why would you think that?"
"He has a life outside of us, something I think we have both forgotten. He has a home and responsibilities, and he cannot oversee this project daily as we can."
The words tumbled out before Aurora could stop them, until she was left flush-faced and embarrassed. She hadn't meant to say any of that, but worse still was how she had come dangerously close to a confession.
Yet Father only smiled oh so gently, and said, "I think you should go outside, have some fresh air. I believe that Elmore left a surprise for you outside."
Her eyes narrowed. A parting gift? Or an apology for last night? Either way, she didn't need his pity, nor his reassurances. What had happened couldn't be changed, nor could she influence the future of Elmore's actions. If he wished to part now, she didn't have the energy to stop him.
"Really, Aurora. You should see; he has something truly special for you."
Aurora only scowled and stood, her chair screeching back against the floor in the process. Her appetite was gone, unsurprisingly.
"I think that I would like to read upstairs. A day of relaxation before our project proceeds."
"Aurora—"
"I would like not to be disturbed, please."
With that she turned heel and left, anger swirling in her chest. Anger at Father, for acting like everything was normal; but mostly it was for Elmore, because Aurora knew that it was only a matter of time before he left.
* * *
When Aurora was finally too hungry to ignore, she went downstairs for lunch. Papa hounded her again, asking her to go outside — but she studiously ignored him, taking leftovers and eating in the peace of the upstairs study. He tried the same at supper, and again when Aurora slipped into the living room to find a new book from the shelves.
By nightfall, he had worn her down. Unable to ignore curiosity forever, she eventually crept downstairs and into the garden. Just a quick, she promised herself, and then it was back inside for an early night in bed.