Rejected

Chapter 12

Delilah walked back to her room in a slightly slower gait than usual but that was to be expected because, even though she had regained the ability to walk on her own two feet, her ankle still hurt with a vengeance with each wrong move. She composed her face before she walked in knowing full well that any sign of discomfort would cause another bout of panic in Cecilia. With this reason firmly in her mind she breezed in her room with a smile and was startled to find Cecilia beaming back in a smug, satisfied cat like fashion.

"What have you done?" Delilah asked cautiously placing her books down carefully on the table.

"Cousin, I am now convinced you have a secret admirer," Cecilia giggled and pulled out a pot from behind her back. Inside the gold gilded pot was a plant with a small bud at the very end. Delilah barely needed a closer look to know the rose bud was blue. It did not take a genius to figure out who the sender was.

Delilah pursed her lips not sure how to explain anything to Cecilia so she did the next best thing and feigned ignorance like she had been doing for the last three days.

"You know I do not know why I'm being sent these gifts. It must be a case of mistaken identity," She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, tensely.

"At first I thought you were being sent flowers because you were hurt so publically. They seemed to be from people who witnessed that incident and wanted to wish you well but now I have been persuaded otherwise. They all seem to be from the same man. The repeated use of the same style of card is rather telling," Cecilia mused, absorbed by the mystery that lay before her. She pulled out a gold edged card that had been delicately perched on one thorny branch by the sender.

"How do you know this person is a man? It could easily be a female and besides how do you know that these flowers aren't for you?" Delilah sat down on a chair looking agitated. She regretted her swift movements because her foot twinged instantly.

"It's a he, of course. Look, this card smells like a man," Cecilia placed the card under Delilah's nose but her prey instantly pulled back with a look of disgust.

"How do you even know what a man smells like?" Delilah frowned, nose twitching.

"How could I not after being forced to twirl with each and every person asking for the pleasure of my company. I would be a fool if I didn't," Cecilia smirked, settling down next to her cousin, "And these are not for me. This person knows you too well. None of these flowers are culled; the lavenders were nicely trimmed, the pansies bright in their pots and now this rose. Each and every one of them came in their own pot knowing full well you'd throw a fit if someone gave you a murdered plant."

"It still does not prove anything," Delilah crossed her arms; looking the most petulant she had in years.

"Of course, it doesn't but I also know nobody is asking for my forgiveness. Every single present contains one tiny card and all it says is 'forgive me'. Lord Puddle might have stepped on my foot the whole time he danced with me but I doubt he needs to go to such great lengths to get me to forgive him. He is just one of those hundreds of men in this castle who is too arrogant to admit to a mistake," Cecilia wriggled her eyebrows as she continued, "And you paled when you saw that lavender bush the very first day. I know you did. You cannot fool me. I think you know who the mystery sender is."

Delilah looked away feeling incredibly bad humoured.

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"She is hiding something," Cecilia murmured to her friends as they swerved another group of over enthusiastic Ladies. The Palace was hosting a shopping bazaar especially for women and no one seemed to have missed the opportunity of obtaining new clothes and jewelry. One of the larger ground floor halls had been converted to into a shopping arena divided into stalls. There were new hats on sale, kid skin gloves, loose cloth and even some readymade gowns.