Heart's Content

Part Thirty-Two

{'Prince Florimund finds the Sleeping Beauty' - Project Gutenburg from Wikimedia Commons}

Genevieve was still uncertain about how she felt because as far as she could tell, she appreciated Sabien and Lisette both equally, but as far as love was concerned, she wasn't sure. Perhaps she loved neither, perhaps she loved both, perhaps she loved one or the other -- in any case, whatever her feelings, she hadn't realized them one way or the other. No matter her feelings, she knew she couldn't remain hidden and so she made a genuine effort to act as though nothing were the matter, she had only been told she was loved and there was certainly nothing wrong with that.

Both Lisette and Genevieve managed to carry on for the rest of the month without acting as though anything had occurred between them. Of course they each knew that this wasn't true, but Lisette continued to treat Genevieve as she always had once their initial feelings had settled and Genevieve forced herself to believe that her recognition of Lisette's feelings had been incorrect, even if she knew that wasn't true.

With things between them settled, it seemed that nothing else of import could occur to destabilize the mood around the manor until a few days into the new month when Genevieve received a small note. She was a creature of habit and the note was from someone who knew her habits well enough to be certain that if something was left between the pages of the current book she was reading, there was little chance she would miss it.

With faith that she would find it before the appointed time, Pioter had left the note in the book he had given her, requesting in quite simple terms that she meet him in the pavilion that night without so much as offering a signature. As he knew her, so too did she know him and so she was able to recognize his handwriting. The note and the request of course left her with a bit of anxiety. She knew that meeting him wasn't necessarily clandestine, but she also knew why he was asking her to meet him.

The night air was still cool, though the land had begun to distinctly show that spring was nigh. Genevieve hadn't bothered changing out of the gown she had worn that day despite the late hour because she knew she would be venturing out into the garden once the household was asleep and thought it more appropriate not to appear in her nightclothes. To protect herself from the chill, she wore her winter cloak with the hood drawn over her hair that was still worn pulled back from her face.

She had barely just closed the door through which she had entered when she heard another door at the opposite end of the room close as well and she jumped slightly before turning and lifting the edge of her hood so it obscured her vision less, "Pioter?"

The figure across the room from her nodded and came closer, skirting around the furniture that came between them, "thank you for meeting me."

Genevieve smiled warmly as she was able to discern his face, Genevieve had always thought him lucky for only suffering scars to his face, though she had come to realize that what truly made him lucky was the fact that he had survived the incident that caused his deformity. His face had nearly been completely shattered and his right eye suffered the worse for it, the socket seeming to sag in its place though the angle he had been struck at saved it from being completely destroyed. They had both suffered incidents in childhood that no child should ever have to suffer and because of this, they had always found in one another something they could not find in anyone else.

"Of course, why would I ever refuse?"

He smiled and chuckled softly from his nose and a moment of silence passed between them before he spoke again, "I see you are almost done with the book."

"Ah! Yes! If I don't finish before you have to leave, I expect that you will write to me once you are settled and I shall have it sent to you immediately."