The Promise of the Dawn

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Astronomy

Over the next week, Cael continued to try and cheer me up in various ways, one of which was a garden tea party, that I was required to dress up for.

"Genevieve?" I ask one day as I'm standing in front of the mirror examining my black dress.

"Yes, ma'am?" she replies, walking over with an arm full of colorful clothing.

"Does this seem fit for a garden tea party?" I ask her.

She sets down her load and walks over to me, briefly examining the gown before responding.

"I believe you should wear what you like, ma'am" She replies.

"So... no?" I ask.

She pauses.

"Yeah, no" She says after a momentary silence.

"Thank you for your honesty" I laugh.

Genevieve begins to walk away, when I stop her.

"Genevieve? Could you fetch me one of those dresses?" I ask her, pointing to the pile whe just set down.

"Certainly, ma'am" she replies, bringing the pile over to me and holding various dresses in front of my body in the mirror so I can see each of them.

"Now, I know you particularly like dresses made of chiffon, but crepe has recently become very popular and it's just so beautiful and lightweight I couldn't help myself" Genevieve explains as she shows off each of the dresses, which are all fashioned from the same material.

"Stop!" I exclaim as she holds one particular one up to me.

"You like this one, ma'am?" She asks.

It had a hazelnut brown, full skirt made of crepe, and the corset, which sat atop a flowy cream blouse, was fashioned with brown and gold patterned silk.

"This is perfect" I reply as I look at the dress in awe.

"Good choice, ma'am. I just made this one yesterday, and I must say, I was quite pleased with the outcome" Genevieve explains.

"I could see why" I reply as I begin to change.

Cael stands up from his chair when he sees me, examining every inch of me in awe.

"What?" I laugh at his fascination.

"You- You're wearing colors" He says in amazement.

"Well certainly I can't stay in black for eternity" I laugh.

"Quite so, I suppose" He replies, taking my hand and walking me over to my chair, where I sit properly.

Cael kept me quite busy, taking me to the lake, wandering with me in one of The Duke's many flower fields, and overtime, I completely forgot about the events that had ensued. Well, less forgot, and more moved on from. I think it was entirely impossible to forget.

One night, Cael pulls me into the field, where a soft blanket has been spread out on top of the recently trimmed grass, candles surrounding it on all sides. I stop in my tracks, taking in the sight.

"Lay with me?" He asks me as I stop. I turn to him with a smile, nodding in response. He smiles in return, pulling me by the hand over the the blanket, where we lie down on our backs, looking up at the dark night sky.

We lay there in silence for a second, taking in the starry surroundings and wallowing in our own thoughts, before I decide to break the silence.

"We should count the stars" I suggest, turning my head to look at him. He continues to look up the the stars as I look at him, and I admire his side profile, taking note of perfect curve of his nose, and the sharp angle of his jawline.

"It's pointless to count stars" He replies as he stares up at the sky.

"It's also pointless to count freckles, yet I know you have twenty-four along the edge of your nose" I reply, finally capturing his attention.

He turns to look at me with a smile on his face.

"Now, how did you manage to find that out" He asks with a playful tone.

I smile, pleased that he asked.

"I've had plenty of time to study" I respond, reaching up to touch his cheekbone softly, my heart racing as I do so.

Cael reaches up, placing his hand on top of mine, and for a second I'm scared he's going to reject my display of affection, but instead he rests his hand on mine, gently stroking it. Shivers ripple through my body as he strokes my hand, and I fixate my gaze on his fingertips as they brush against mine until he suddenly stops, and my heart drops, but is quickly revived when he reaches towards me instead, cupping my chin in both his hands and pulling me towards him to connect our lips together. When he kissed me, it felt like the stars that had been above us were dancing across my skin. When he pulls away, I smile in wonderment and he smiles at me in return, kissing my nose softly. 

"What about Brianna?" I question him suddenly.

I think he'll be mad I asked, but instead he just smiles.

"What do I need to do to convince you Brianna is in my past?" Cael questions.

I shrug and he grabs my waist, spinning me around so he's positioned on top of me. I laugh as he does so. A sound which stops the second he begins kissing me. And as he does, I suddenly remember what it felt like. To be so in love with someone that you can't get enough of them. To love someone so deeply, that they can never be close enough. When even the smallest things, like their breath on your neck, or their hands on your waist, or their kisses on your skin, make you fall for them even harder than you had before. A sudden surge of warmth surrounds me, and it certainly wasn't from the cold wind that surrounded us. It wasn't from the blanket on top of us. It was the remembrance of the feeling I'd forgotten existed.

And there was no doubt, anymore.

There were no others.