Night of Eden 45

 Chapter 45

***

The glittering tones of rolling marbles echoed through the outdoor garden.

Under a large canopy, Isabella and Theodore sat side by side, listening to the music.

The harpist had recently become a popular performer in Peron, and her euphoric phrasing and abundant virtuosity were awe-inspiring.

"She’s amazing, and her interpretation is wonderful."

Isabella whispered, covering her mouth with her fan. Theodore nodded lightly in her direction.

Leaning back in his lounge chair, he seemed deeply engrossed in the performance. No one noticed that he wasn't paying attention in the slightest.

[Master, I think I've made a big mistake].

His mind was filled with another letter from Celeste.

From the moment he opened the rhubarb-scented paper, he was overcome with a strange emotion he had never felt before.

[I just wanted to tell you that I'm worried about Master Edwin. I had no intention of getting Dana kicked out, but I never in my wildest dreams thought that the Duchess would be so enraged].

Theodore's eyes turned to his mother. Isabella smiled softly at him, and he returned the smile, but there was a sharp chill in the corner of his mouth.

[Still, I’ve remained silent about what the Master had instructed me to do. Don't worry, she doesn't know yet that you were trying to find out about Master Edwin's relationship with Dana.]

Theodore blinked slowly.

Sometimes, clever servants would think too far ahead, jump to conclusions that were not at all what their masters intended, and do presumptuous things.

Belle Celeste had made just such a mistake. Strange things, unidentifiable things, were simmering again, slowly, at the bottom of his heart.

[I think the Duchess sends me back to Peron so abruptly to keep my mouth shut and not interfere. I've even been put on probation, which is fine by me, but I'm afraid she's going to turn her arrows on Dana unnecessarily].

His chilled pupils slowly turned to his mother, and through his dizzying thoughts he heard the sound of applause.

"Alas, excellent."

Isabella jumped to her feet and applauded, realizing that the movement was already over. The musician was coming toward them, wiping her sweat with a handkerchief.

"Depia, that was wonderful."

The musician bowed with her hand on her heart.

"Now I know why everyone calls you the hand of God."

"You're being flattering."

"The last... that... You know the part where it goes from minor to major, and when I hear that, my whole body just shudders, and my heart beats uncontrollably in my chest... It's like the intense spirit of a tragic life transcending itself."

Isabella fanned herself with excitement.

"You must come to the party I'm throwing in Belvida this time. Do you understand?"

"I'd be honored."

As they exchanged pleasantries, Nordstrom approached.

"Miss Depia, please go to the waiting room, I've got some refreshments for you."

Isabella turned to her son.

"That's amazing. She’s so young, and can express herself like that. I feel like I'm watching a master. Don't you think?"

A squeak and a scrape on the floor answered.

"Teddy?"

She stared up at her son, who had suddenly stood up.

Theodore stared back wordlessly at his mother.

The Empress's right-hand man.

The shadow power of the social circle.

He imagined the small girl who stood before such a mother.

A chill ran down his spine as he remembered the small, pale face.

"I'll get up first."

"...Now?"

Isabella blinked in confusion.

In that moment, Theodore realized. The identity of this strange emotion swirling like a storm in his chest.

It was anger.

Anger at his mother for casting the girl away so arbitrarily, and he couldn't think straight.

***

Rosi’s eyes wandered dizzily over the flowing dress.

"Master... gave you... this...?"

Dana's head shook helplessly.

"Master Theodore gave you this dress... Why would he….?"

Rosi trailed off, glancing down at the dress once more. It wasn't one of those flowing dresses that required a bustle to be tied around the waist, but rather a unique dress that fell straight down from the bust line.

It was far from fashionable, but it was certainly not something a maid would wear.

"Anyway... this one too... I'll keep it, I hope?"

Before Dana could reply, Stan stepped forward.

"No, not now. The Master wants her to change and bring her in. He wants to see how she looks."

Rosi looked back at Dana with her mouth open. Dana's head dropped to the ground in defeat. Stan coughed and checked the time.

"Come on, get changed."

Dana hesitantly picked up the hanger.

Stan turned to Rosi when Dana disappeared.

"Look at that. Don't you think I'm right?"

"No, it can't be, it can't be anyone else, not even you...."

Rosi shook her head in disbelief. But Stan couldn't lift the frown from his brow.

"What kind of man in the world would give an outfit like that to a insignificant maid?"

"...."

"And what about the puppy? Isn't it just as much the child's as it is Lady Liana's gift? The word is getting out among the servants now. It's very strange how the master treat her."

Rosi’s pupils, which had been wavering, settled back into place.

"No, I don't think he means it; it can't be so, and the butler is mistaken."

"Ha!"

"Didn't you tell me, I don't know how many times, that it was Master Marcus who made her drowned a few months ago, and that master Edwin felt indebted to Dana for it."

"And you believe him at face value?"

Stan clicked his tongue in frustration.

"No, Master is not the kind of man to do that."

Rosi was undeterred.

"If the Master really had Dana's heart, he wouldn't give her clothes like this."

Just then the door opened and Dana reappeared. Their heads turned in unison. And they were mesmerized for a very different reason than ever before.

***

Edwin had a similar look on his face when he spotted Dana through the fountain's stream of water.

The only difference was that his cheeks were flushed with joy, not anxiety.

"It will match the color of her eyes."

Rosaline Tiso's eyes were spot-on.

The delicate blue-gray eyes sparkled like jewels against the deep apricot chiffon.

"It looks great on you, really...."

Despite his admiration, Dana couldn't smile.

"Uh... Master... I really appreciate it, but...."

Dana blurted out.

The wall that separated the clock room from the parlor was very thin, and she could hear everything outside as if it were right next door. As she dressed, she felt her heart burning in her chest.

"This is... I... I don't think it looks right. I don't mean that it's not pretty... It's beautiful, but... I feel like if I wear this, people are going to...."

"Yeah, I know what you're trying to say."

Edwin held up a hand to stop her.

"People will gossip. It's inappropriate behavior for the heir to House Hastings."

The casual, light tone of his voice was enough to make Dana's jaw drop. Edwin stared at her calmly, wiping the smile from his face.

"Do you want to take a walk?"

He strode off toward a walkway lined with cypress trees. Willow ran after him. Dana couldn't help but follow.

The evergreens were flushed in summer, but the tips of their leaves were dark with water. The breeze that rustled the branches was now cooler than cool.

Fall at Belvida, was Dana's favorite season.

And who was there beside her? None other than Master Edwin.

How dare she have imagined this day would come?

But now, all Dana felt was a pang of anxiety.

“I've heard the head maids talking about you.”

"Careful, you don't know the human heart. There's nothing so terrifying as jealousy.”

Bessie's words echoed dizzily in her mind.

The man's shoes screeched to a halt somewhere on the hillside overlooking the sea.

The wind scratched her cheek, adding to the sharpness. Dana gingerly gathered the hem of her gown, fearful that the thin, soft fabric might spoil.

Waves lapped at the base of the cliff. Several times the water crashed white against the rocks, and then Edwin spoke.

"What do you think of Theodore?"

Then, with a crash, the giant wave swallowed the rocks once more. Dana swore, her heart felt like it was plummeting beneath her.

"No, I don't have to ask, it's obvious how he would have treated you."

From the time Theodore dropped the bow tie on purpose, to the maid smell, to the accusations of thievery, to the scorn and insults he hurled at her at every opportunity.

Memories that brought tears to her eyes flashed through her like a flashlight.

"He wouldn't even treat you like a human being. Sometimes he does that to his friends, let alone you."

Yes, it was definitely a memory she wanted to forget. It was like a bad dream. It was a harsh experience that she never want to relive again.

But why did it feel so normal now? Everything seemed like it happened so long ago.

"If he was mean to you, it was because of me, not because you really did anything wrong, so I'll apologize on his behalf."

"Oh, no, Master. No apologies."

Was it shallow coyness? Or a foolish simplicity that's easily forgotten?

Time was filtering the bad memories and feelings like a sieve.

"I'm sure you know the basics of my relationship with him, I'm sure you've heard a lot about it here and there."

The voice in her ear was bitter.

Dana snapped out of her dizzy reverie and turned to face Edwin.

"Theodore and I grew up being compared, from the time we were children, from who could kill more in hunting competitions, to our grades in school, to our friendships, to our captaincy of the polo team, we were weighed hourly."

Her ears fluttered as if she had overheard a secret she was never supposed to know.

"And for the most part, Theodore has won. No one says it out loud, but it's true. He's better than me, in almost every way."

"No...he's not!"

Dana exclaimed uncontrollably.

"How dare you compare yourself to someone like him."

His raised eyebrows turned toward her. Dana's breath caught in her throat. She couldn't let Master Edwin know that she thought of him that way, not even for a second. If nothing else, she had to stop that.

"You are... leading the house in the place of the ailing earl... You're a great man... Everyone says it, you're amazing... How can you do that when you're so young... they say?"

Edwin had heard similar compliments dozens of times before, in salons and social clubs alike, but no one had ever made him blush like that.

"I... To work for this Hastings family that you've built... How... proud I am, and it's not just me, but everyone who works here... I'm sure they’ll agree. You're the one who gave us that pride."

Dana wiped her lips with her tongue.

"And to think that you'd diminish yourself with something as trivial as...... For something as... as... as... as... as hunting and playing...."

Funny enough, Edwin felt better. The tickle that started in his chest traveled up his spine and threatened to crawl out of him.

"It's not anyone else... it's not that... that... that... Childish... weasel-like person...."

Edwin finally gave up. The strangest things, both embarrassing and smug, made him curl his lips into a wide smile and make a sound.

A cool chuckle rolled over him in waves.

"Weasel." 

Edwin wiped a hand across his forehead as he smiled through his sudden burst of laughter. Dana's face was redder than ever. 

"Don't worry, it's cute compared to his nasty nickname." 

Her pupils fluttered to the floor, then snapped back to Edwin. The breeze, now calm, drifted between them. The faint trace of laughter faded away. 

What was it?

Edwin fought back a momentary shiver of strange emotion.

"I'll be honest with you. At the Shore, I felt like I was losing you to Teddy."

Dana was nailed to the spot.

"I'm still not sure what exactly this feeling is, either. Is it mere rivalry or do I really feel like I'm losing you to......."

Just then, Willow, who had been sniffing around, suddenly began to run frantically somewhere.

Woof!

Sharp barks rang out.

Woof! Woof! Woof!

Dana and Edwin's heads snapped around at the same time. Then they froze.

"Teddy."

Theodore was standing there watching them.

***

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