Heart's Content

Part Twenty-One

{'Charlottendun Forest' by Peder Mork Monsted from Wikimedia Commons}

Even though Genevieve had set her mind on the marriage, her thoughts still wandered to Pioter and his offer and while she was firm in her decision, for the first time in her life she was actually thinking of what might have been and what likely would eventually be, though these thoughts didn't overwhelm her until the quiet hours of night and as it was for her, so too did Sabien's and Lisette's thoughts turn to things that may have been but now seemed out of their grasps. Even though their emotions when they were alone were unruly and they had trouble keeping their thoughts from the futures they had planned for themselves, they still managed to remain jovial enough in each other's presence. They hadn't realized it at the time and they would never say they were replacing Ellory, but Genevieve's presence was filling the void that was left by her absence, one that they had been used to since the three of them were children. It was a nice feeling and they looked forward to introducing the two to each other once all of their feelings had settled and they were all prepared to move forward.

"And Sabien was such rubbish when it came to lying that he stood there with the chocolate on his hands and face and told her that he hadn't eaten it!" Even though the cool weather of autumn was upon them and the distinctly gray skies of winter had begun to make their presence known, the weather was still not yet chill enough to force them to remain completely in doors each day and as their rather aimless walk took them about the property, their path not straying too far from the manor in case the chilly weather became too much for any one of them, Lisette regaled Genevieve with tales of mischief that she and her brother had gotten into as children.

During the warm summer Lisette had always been without a cloak while Genevieve had generally worn one when they had made a trip to The Bend but it was always of a light fabric. With the weather as cool as it was now, whether they had chosen to or Sola had insisted, they each wore comfortable woolen cloaks that kept them a suitable temperature. As per usual, Genevieve wore the more subdued colors while Lisette wore the brighter shades. Sabien as well wore warmer clothing for their outing, a hat atop his head and his own woolen coat.

It had become quite common to see Lisette and Genevieve walking arm in arm like the best of friends whenever they had an outing, and Sabien always walked on the other side of Genevieve. At first, Genevieve had found being surrounded thusly a bit intimidating, but she had grown to where she was quite used to it and even preferred having one of the siblings on either side of her because it made her feel secure and even loved.

"Well what was I going to do, Lizzie?! It was the dead of winter and the only other door led outside!" Sabien exclaimed with a laugh in defense of himself as the two girls laughed at his expense.

"Hmm... well, you might have just told the truth considering it was literally all over your face!"

"Ha ha Lizzie. Ha ha." Sabien said pretending like he was completely unamused as Lisette continued to chortle over the embarrassment she had just caused her brother while Genevieve more demurely giggled over the circumstance. Eager to draw their attention from the story Lisette had just told, Sabien stepped nearer to Genevieve, gazing down at her a moment with a slight smile and unintentionally drawing out a light blush across her cheeks as he leaned towards her, the gesture causing Lisette to smile and unintentionally tighten her arm around the other girl's, "how about you Genny? What mischief did you get into when you were a child?"

Outside of the tightening of Lisette's arm around her own and the intimidating proximity of Sabienm, the question had caught her quite off guard and her mind reeled as she considered it for a moment, her gaze dropping to the leaf covered ground just as her smile dropped from her face. Sabien and Lisette had each been looking at her, but now they looked at each other in the silence, sharing a distinct expression of concern over their friend's reaction. Genevieve didn't have a tale of mischief, at least not one which she really deemed one of mischief, nor were any of them ones she was ready to share though she finally managed to weakly utter a response, "apologies... I seem to feel a bit faint."