These days |Benedict Bridgerton|

A sight for her eyes ~ Chapter 15

The fragrant scent filled Eden's nose, the aroma of the flowers around clinging to the air, every so often she would get a whiff of zest from the passer-by with lemonade in their hands. The heat outside had risen by a lot in the past two hours.

Eden stared around at the park, the sudden color in contrast to the bleakness she had always remembered it as was a nice change. "Hello" A familiar voice greeted and when Eden turned an even more familiar smile shun in her eyes. "Hello Edward" She smiled back at the gleeful man in front of her.
"Are you ready to walk ?" He held out his arm to Eden, who gladly accepted it with a grin. "Yes, I'm ready to go" She giggled at the man's actions. "What has got you laughing so much ?" Edward smiled back at the woman's bowed head.
"Nothing I'm just happy" Eden answered now shaking her head before looking back to the man. "Oh, I hope it's caused by me and not some other gentleman" Edward added, looking forward to the surrounding people.

At his words, a flicker of Benedict entered Eden's's head and her smile shrunk just a little before her voice captured her attention again. "The fact you're not answering is making me very nervous" Edward joked, looking back at the woman.
"Who else could I possibly be happy about" Eden questioned the man. "A clear point" He smiled at the woman who rolled her eyes at his answer. "How was your travel home ?" Eden asked, her grip tightening around his arm. "It was calm, peaceful, and well very boring in fact..." He paused, "Although I spotted some deer in the woods we passed through, I did not shoot them as you thought" Edward smiled at the woman.
"That and you didn't have a gun on hand" Eden replied, fiddling with the hem of her glove.

"How are you settling into London ?" Edward now asked, she looked back to the man at his odd question, she had been in London for over three weeks now. "I- Well I'm setting okay it sometimes feels like I'm a child again, but then I catch myself in a reflection and see I am a 24-year-old spinster according to the ton and not some rumbustious misbehaved girl whose dress was covered in mud," Eden answered and Edward chuckled to her response. "Where did you reside before you came back ?" the pair walked over the small pebbled bridge.

"My two brothers, my sister, and I moved up north to York where my aunt resided she was the only known relative of mine and after my parents passed we fell into her custody Gerard was away in the army, George was sent to boarding school and Clara was sent to a girl etiquette and decorum school I was left alone" Eden's spare hand brushed again the warm blue railing. "What did you do all that time alone ?" Edward's concerned tone took Eden by surprise, so she offered the man a shy smile.

"I mainly read, and wrote poetry, although I was never excellent, I learned piano and violin, and I baked too, Ballet was my favorite to do, but I stopped when I moved the wood on the floors just didn't feel right" Eden explained wanting to cut the list short as possible. "Ballet ?" Edward tilted his head at the woman's words. "Yes, ballet." She grinned."Hmm you had a pretty sad life then" Edward spoke huffing out. "Excuse me" Eden exclaimed, but she couldn't hide the smile on her lips. "What you had no friends, and you were left in the solitude of that big house waiting for your siblings to return home" Edward explained his point to the offender woman who walked arm in arm with him. "I wasn't alone, if you let me speak you would have heard the rest," Eden added.

"While I was there my aunt had a maid she had just turned 16 upon my arrival it took a few months, but we finally spoke, and I luckily got her to be appointed as my maid, but I prefer to call her Lizzie she's a very close friend of mine." Eden looked up at Edward, who was just staring forward, smiling at her story. "She has beautiful blonde curly hair and big blue eyes a kind smile and a personality to match, she is one of the sweetest souls I've met" Eden finished the short description of her close friend. "She sounds lovely." Edward nodded at the gentleman passing by. "She is" Eden sadly sighed, as the pair continued to walk she could see the shadows of the branch above casting darkness onto the floor.