Night of Eden 100

Chapter 100

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It wasn't until Bilbo and Greenwood reached a secluded spot where there were no people that they stopped walking and looked at each other.

"See?"

The pawnbroker's jet-black eyes flashed with an uncanny light.

"They were side by side like that in Tribbon yesterday, like lovers."

"Mr. Greenwood...."

"You wouldn't believe it if you saw it yourself? Wasn't it the dark kitchen, of all places? Mrs. Miller looked very flustered, as if the two of them had been doing something sneaky and had been caught."

Bilbo's dazed face suddenly sharpened.

"Let's not get carried away, sir."

His mind raced with Noah's words.

"Stop by often and see how she's doing. In fact, I want you to do it every day if you can!”

“I'm worried she’ll work without eating.”

"I don't know why I'm so anxious.”

Sometimes the old man thought Noah’s affection for his wife was excessive. When he saw the relatively aloof and indifferent Dana Miller, he even frowned a little.

What kind of couple was so one-sided?

Noah looked more like an unrequited lover than a doting husband.

And then to see something like that.......

Bilbo felt very strange, but he couldn't let the rumors get out of hand.

"I'll go and see Mrs. Miller in my own time, but be careful what you say, sir, for people are watching."

***

Late at night, Tilly knocked on his Master's hotel room door.

Theodore was leaning over the balcony railing in a shirt and slacks. The lights of street lamps and carriages shone like stars below the twelve-story tower, an innovative construction technique.

After nearly a year of traveling in and out of the Federation, Tilly couldn't help but marvel at the tremendous progress and change.

Why hadn't the Master changed his clothes at this late hour, anyway?

Tilly shook his head and walked over to him.

"Miss Olivia left a note."

The man with his elbow on the balcony railing didn't move. Tilly felt another tightness in his chest.

"How many times have I told you to take Miss Olivia with you when you see Dana?"

The glass dangled precariously from Theodore's fingertips, reflecting the firelight sharply.

"You mustn't keep forgetting, the woman is now married. You're a tourist, Master, so you can get away with it, but Dana is different. You know how conservative the merchant council is here, and if you keep wandering around her like that..."

"I know, I know."

Theodore interrupted. His low voice was rough, like stepping on sand.

Ugh.

Tilly shook his head and went into the room to organize his master’s clothes and papers.

Suddenly, his eye fell on the platinum pendant on the desk. Inside was a portrait of Dana.

It had always been open because he'd peek in whenever he could, but why not today?

The two pieces of metal were closed tightly, like seashells, and a strange hope sprang up in Tilly's heart at the sight of them.

Could it be that the master was slowly realizing?

That he was dreaming an impossible dream?

That it was too late to turn back?

He hoped he came to his senses now....

May this meeting be a definitive goodbye, not a reunion.

Tilly walked back out into the living room, his heart pounding with anticipation.

Theodore had returned from the balcony and was leaning against the couch. He was holding a bookmark in his hand from somewhere.

Tilly watched as he twirled it nonchalantly in his hand.

Theodore felt his stare, but he didn't forget to give him instructions.

"Call her, this Saturday."

"Yes."

A few moments passed.

Theodore put down his bookmark and stared into space. Unlike the languid way he lay propping his head with one hand, his eyes were sharp and focused, burning with intensity.

He sat up abruptly and picked up his jacket, which he had left on the backrest. Tilly could see the back of his head now.

Where he was going, and who he was going to see?

"Master!"

Theodore didn't even pretend to listen, and he was gone.

***

The tea room on the first floor was completely dark, but the second floor was not.

Theodore stared up at the glow of the lamps peeking through the curtains, then raised his hand and knocked on the door.

Once, twice...

Then three, four times.

As he raised his arm again to knock one more time, a light began to shimmer and descend from the stairs beyond the hall.

Theodore stepped back and waited. His pulse was racing, blood boiling in every branch of his veins.

Dana had a premonition that it was Theodore who had knocked on her door after midnight. But when she finally saw his form through the glass of the doorway, she was shocked enough to make her legs buckle.

She regained her composure, undid the latch, and opened the door.

The heat from the man's body hit her like a blast of cold air.

"I lied when I said you didn't have to understand."

Dana's hands tightened on her shawl.

"I'm sorry, Dana."

Her heart dropped out of her chest. She felt like it was rolling off a cliff.

"What I did to you was so wrong."

The intense man's eyes fluttered wilder than ever.

"I've always thought, for the past three years, that I..."

The muffled voice stabbed at her lungs and began to churn and stir.

"If I could turn back time..."

Dana was nailed to the spot.

"But I can't."

The tiny flame that had been burning in her chest all day grew in an instant and burned uncontrollably.

Theodore released the grip he had been holding so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

One step, two steps, backward, and then his legs reversed. He was running away.

***

It was an unusually sunny day.

Dana sat by the window with her jaw clenched. Her eyes were fixed on the small flower bed directly in front of her. More specifically, she was watching a tiny spider dangling between a boxwood branch and the fence.

The spider was building its home, moving its slender legs and abdomen constantly. It had stretched the strings radially out to form a web, and then crossed them back and forth, weaving and warping.

But the spider's almost-complete web was torn apart in an instant. The rainwater that had accumulated overnight on the roof was dripping down.

The spider froze, helpless. A dull, dull ache rose in her chest as she watched the tiny creature, seemingly helpless.

...hurts.

Dana had been like that for the past few days.

"I lied to you when I said you didn't have to understand.”

"I'm sorry, Dana.”

The muffled voice rippled over and over again.

What would she have done if she had heard those words before she left Belvida?

Just asking the question made her heart pound way too fast.

Dana took a sip of her tea. But even the hot water did nothing to calm the churning in her stomach. For the past few days, she'd been drifting mindlessly through a thick fog with a hole in her chest.

A moment later, she saw a carriage pull up to the window. Dana quickly checked the time.

9:55.

Theodore was just in time.

She pulled on gloves and put on a shawl. As she slung the handle of her small tote bag over her arm and turned her attention back to the carriage, Dana stiffened as if struck by lightning.

It was a roofless carriage, so she could see who was riding. Wisburne, of course, she thought. But she hadn't expected Olivia. Thump, thump, her heart made a strange noise, and behind her she heard Mick and Rachel whispering.

"Oh my God, Mrs. Lindsey was right."

"What do you mean?"

"She said Mr. Scott was building a bridge between the couple at the mayor's request. The nobleman fell for it, and he's staying here for a while longer."

"Huh? So they're dating?"

Dana stared at the two of the couple.

He was dressed as usual in a gentleman's suit and frock coat, and even though she knew how well-dressed he was, she found him even more striking today.

Olivia was wearing a gorgeous dress in the latest fashionable Rococo style, which matched her glossy jet-black hair, and her skin was unusually pale and high beneath a dark fur bolero.

Dana opened the door and stepped out, trying not to stare. Olivia recognized her immediately and beamed.

"Mrs. Miller, how nice to see you again."

"Hello, Miss Olivia, and good morning, Mr. Macmilan."

Theodore returned the greeting with a nod.

"It's an honor to see you again, too. Ma'am."

"Hi. Mr. Wisburne."

Dana climbed into the carriage with the help of a servant.

There was only one empty seat, next to Mr. Wisburne. Dana bowed as if to beg his pardon, then settled into the chair carefully. The carriage pulled away.

It was late fall, and the weather was chilly.

It was a little too cold for a roofless carriage, so why bother?

Dana pulled on her shawl, puzzled. Olivia hunched her shoulders and tied the straps of her fur bolero.

"Maybe we should have gotten a cup of salt tea before we left, to keep us warm."

Dana smiled, listening to Olivia.

"I was thinking about that the other day, and I asked the maid for some milk tea, but it didn't taste the same."

"Neither did I."

Wisburne interjected, laughing lightly.

"I'm glad you liked it, and you're welcome to come over whenever you're free, but...."

Dana swallowed hard and turned to Theodore.

"Mr. Macmilan."

He turned his head from looking elsewhere, and just before their eyes met, she saw a vision of the man who had knocked on her door the previous night. Even his hot breath, a hint of urgency mixed with the cold wind, was recognizable.......

Dana finally spoke, unable to look him in the eye.

"We're... Where are we going?"

"Oh, my God, Theodore."

Olivia interrupted abruptly. The freely used of his name hit Dana in the ear.

"You invited her here and didn't even tell her where we were going?"

She shook her head sharply. Then she laughed again, softly, at Dana.

"We’re going to the Brookshire Museum, where the Macmilan family collection is on display, and my father asked me specifically as soon as he heard that the heir of the Macmilan family was staying here."

Her olive eyes turned to Theodore once more. The comfortable words followed.

"By the way, Theodore, there's a difference between arrogance and rudeness, and while I like an arrogant heir, I really don't like a rude one. Every time you're this rude, I swear I feel like this place is going to open up and explode."

Olivia poked her forehead to emphasize.

Lady Liana suddenly popped into Dana's head.

Unlike the young lady who was too busy trying to keep up appearances for Theodore, Olivia was proud and confident. Dana liked that about her, but at the same time her mood sank drastically.

"...."

Dana's eyes drifted to the sidewalk. She could feel passersby glancing at them as the fancy carriage passed by.

Sooner or later, Third Avenue would be filled with rumors that they were dating.

"By the way, ma'am."

Mr. Wisburne suddenly spoke up.

****

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