The Secret in East End [Agents of the Crown #1]

Chapter 24

Spending the past week reacquainting herself with her brother, mother and the household staff of Greystoke Castle had been a balm to her soul. While the first day was stunted at best, she eventually familiarized herself with the staff, old and new. Mrs. Clinton eagerly cooked her all her old favorites, and learned of her new ones. Elle laughingly complained that she'll have to send a message to the seamstress with her new measurements should the cook continue the way she did, but the staff were having none of it. Elle's return had brought back the laughter which had long been shoved in a forgotten box for the Stefford family. 

They spent everyday much the same, where Elle shared breakfast with her mother and brother, before Lucan headed off to deal with matters of the estate. He occasionally disappeared for the whole day, and returned disheveled and often late into the night. These were the days Elle knew he still worked on looking for the link between the Moonlighter and Midnight Raven, but the thought of the guy made her shudder. Lucan knew, and instructed his sister to leave it to him. Nevertheless, he ensured he always had a footman following her whenever she left the grounds.

Cassandra Stefford too, was busy with her friends who came calling. The first time, she paraded Elle to all of them, eager to show off her long-lost daughter. But in the following days, Elle begged off sitting in the parlor with the bunch of old ladies.Elle loathed gossiping, and that was mostly what they did.

Instead, the chestnut haired girl contented herself with exploring the grounds. Greystoke Castle in itself was massive, with two separate wings and countless rooms. She had been elated when she discovered the library, and over the moon when her explorations brought her to the grounds where she discovered a forgotten herb garden. Elle often explored the forest grounds as well, eager and curious about the various vegetation available there. 

A week after they had returned to the Castle, the setting sun found Elle perched at a little brook just a 5 minute walk away from the Castle. It was a spot she had found comforting when she first stumbled upon it. The gurgling of the brook lent a peaceful aura, as she sat against a tree with a book propped in her hands. Her hair was longer now, reaching past her shoulders, and she had twined them up with a stick. A few tendrils framed her face and her eyes, which were intent on the words of the pages.

It was in this state that Fabian chanced upon her.

He had requested audience with her upon arriving on the Greystoke Castle doorstep, but was informed by the footman that she was not in. Upon learning she had ventured to the forest shrubs, Fabian had wasted no time in diving in to look for her. 

In the golden glows of the late afternoon sun, the sight that it casted her in made Fabian pause, taking in his breath when he saw her. The golden rays made her chestnut locks glow in the light. Her cheeks were rosy,even despite the tanned shade of her skin, with high cheekbones merely accentuated by the stray tendrils that framed her face. Her lips were ruby, and the way they hung slightly ajar made Fabian suddenly very aware of the dampness of his own lips. Her legs were propped up against her chest, the royal blue day dress falling like whispers around her ankles. 

He was loathe to announce his arrival, quite content to just stare at her looking quite like a nymph. Mother Nature seemingly had other plans however. Out of nowhere, a falling branch on his head made him cry out, and in turn the sound had Elle looking up, scrambling to stand in order to be able to defend herself. When Fabian made himself noticeable, only then did her stance relax, although her cheeks immediately flushed. 

The sight of him reminded her of the conclusion that she had drawn from the few days she had spent away from him. 

She did not miss him as the poems and sonnets often describe. It was no heart-wrenching desire to see him, nor was it any particularly painful time apart. Yet it was in the little things that Elle found herself wanting to share with him. Of the little discoveries she makes in her day, or of plans she thinks of implementing in the newly discovered herb garden. How she had been delighted to see a family of squirrels just a little south of where they were now, and the beauty of the fox which had loped away as she approached. Elle couldn't help but wonder what his reaction would be, and it was these little nuances that finally convinced her that while theirs was no roller-coaster of emotion, it was a gentle sort of love that Elle wanted more then anything, after a tumultuous first few years of her life. Fabian provided her that stable, firm anchor she could rely on, for with him, she felt safer then she had ever felt in years.