Sweet Surrender

~Changes~

"Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change."

Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

The morning paper and countless reports laid above his desk before him. It was all discarded and ignored the minute her letter arrived. He opened the letter, he sat back relaxed and smiled to see her handwriting.

Dear Adrian,

            I pray that when you receive this letter you are in the best of health.
I apologize for not writing sooner for Madam Phelps has tired me tremendously with my studies and I have fallen behind. Needless to say I have slowly mastered my French. She assures me if I continue to practice I will speak it and write it better...

             I have spent my free time otherwise painting, riding Violet and helping Rosie with her chores. I tend to stay away from stitching.  Rosie says Stitching may not be my forte, she fears that as many times as I prick my finger, I will hand over blood stained hem work or mayhap end up stitching my finger to the fabric.
In truth I do not like needle work I find it tedious and boring...

He chuckled shaking his head imagining her tossing around the fabric and that cherubic face of hers pouting at Rosie in protest.

         On other days I have tried to assist Penniford in his duties but I always get shooed away. I don't think he likes my company after I helped with his last chore.  He is not a sociable man. He claims I am trouble and  that I must stay away from him. He is extremely angry with me after I accidentally trampled his Rose garden.  I swear I did not mean to, I was trying to catch a beautiful rabbit then I lost him....

He let out a boisterous laugh. She was a handful. He quieted down and slowly he continued down the last paragraph of her letter. As if calling out to his heart he read them.

               In all honesty, I try to occupy my time just wishing the days would go by faster and so that you would come back home. We all miss you so very much. I miss you very much and I pray you come home soon.

All my love,
Eva

He sat back smiling at the last words in closing. All my love,Eva.
She was a precocious creature he chuckled. Yet so innocent and lovely. He had to admit he missed her if not even more. She was such a delight to be around.
He found the smallest things about her, from the dimple that appeared in her cheek when she smiled at him to the softness of her laugh, ever fascinating.
~·~·~~·~·~

Anxious brown eyes watched as envelope after envelope was sorted through in the stacks of correspondences on the foyer table.

Penniford took his dear sweet time and she could tell he was deliberately taking his slow time with his search because ever so often he would stop to comment nonchalantly about the person it was from.

She wanted to scream. Her throat was beginning to tighten and her palms began to sweat. She had awoken early that morning got dressed and went to the stables. She rode most of the morning trying to grasp for some type of distraction. Although months had passed the wait was unbearable and her sanity hung securely by a thread only because of his letters.

When she returned it was in time to spot the courier leave. With an impatient trot of her mare she barely got through the entrance of the stable before hoping off and tossing the reins to Joseph the stable hand in haste. And ran towards the manor.

Now she stood before Penniford and his pinched visage. Stiff and snooty as ever as he flipped through the letters.

"Penniford, please," she huffed with a whine. Stomping impatiently. If he didn't hurry she would be old, grey and near blind to read it.