Enola and Tewksbury

Chapter 20

Enola walked down the stairs, in a simple dress and sat at the table, next to Tewksbury.

"Good morning."

"Good morning Enola. Glad to see you're back." Whimbrel said.

She smiled, biting a French toast.

"Thank you. I'm happy too."

Tewksbury smiled and took her hand under the table.

"So... when is the wedding ?"

Enola almost spat out the toast she was chewing and Tewksbury's eyes widened.

"Excuse me ?" they both asked.

"Whimbrel it's too soon, you are going to scare her." Lady Tewksbury said.

"Why are you talking about marriage ?" the boy asked.

Enola drank her tea, trying to hide her blush while the woman gave him the newspaper. But the drink went down the wrong way when she read the title of the article. The girl started coughing and Tewksbury's eyes widened even more.

"What the bloody hell ?!" he said.

"How do they even know my name ?" Enola asked, once she stopped coughing, reading the entire page.

"That's not important right now kids, don't let them influence you and decide what you want to do with your future together."

"Why would they think we're getting married ? We're not even courting !"

As much as she didn't want to, Enola felt some kind of painful sadness burning her chest when he said that.

"Um... If you'll excuse me I have to go in my room. I am not so hungry after all."

...

She lay down on her bed and closed her eyes. It felt like... home. She sighed. Enola understood that he didn't want to get married, she didn't either. So why was she upset ? She knew that he liked her, and... she happened to like him back. But they were obviously too young.

After debating with herself for half an hour, she decided to get out of her room. She was walking in the corridors, not really knowing where she was going. She pushed a door and discovered a room she never saw. There was a huge piano in the center and paintings all over the walls.

'Probably where he keeps his masterpieces.'

She looked at them. There were a lot of paintings of the garden, flowers, some of his family, and some of... her ? Well, it looked like her.

Enola was still staring when she heard a voice behind her.

"So you found my secret place huh ?"

She turned around and saw Tewksbury standing against the door.

"Not so secret. I didn't know you played piano."

"Just a little."

"Play something."

"I'm not very good at it-"

"I don't care. Please ?"

He sighed and sat on the seat. He started playing a melody that Enola had never heard before.

"You are really good. What is it ?"

"Oh, um, I composed it."

"Wow. I see the nincompoop has many talents after all."

"Would you just stop with this word ?"

"No."