Moonbeam - A Robin De Noir Story (The Secret of Moonacre)

CHAPTER 7

The sweet melodic song of the birds woke Constance that morning. Despite the early hour she still felt extremely refreshed.

She had already dressed in a pale crème dress that had a slightly green hue within the fabric. It was decorated with embroidered flowers in a beautiful lavender colour. The sleeves only went to her elbows and had a small strip of delicate lace sewn onto them. The centre of the gown was different to the main fabric pattern, it was made up of small dots. It was slightly cooler today and she was thankful she had packed her pantaloons which were now snug against her legs, preventing the cool air from chilling her lower body.

Constance had decided to pin half of her hair up in order to relieve some of the weight while allowing the rest to loosely hang in little ringlets. Before she had left the room, she noticed two things. The first was that someone had left another dress in her room. This time it had been folded neatly onto the stool beside her dressing table. When she held it up, she could not stop the disapproving stare she gave it. She imagined the scandals that would arise if she were to wear such a gown out in the city. This time she noticed an L initial embroidered onto the sleeve but like the day prior, she threw it to the side.

The second thing was that she had a plateful of gingerbread biscuits as well as a tall glass of milk on her bedside table. She could not help but pinch one before dashing down the stairs. She did not bother Maria and instead carried on descending to the ground floor.

She wished she had brought the whole plate of biscuits. They were so moreish as the taste lingered in her mouth. As she reached the bottom staircase, she quietly walked into the dining hall noticing that some toast had already been laid out. She quickly buttered herself a slice before heading out to the large front door in the entrance hall making sure to be as silent as possible to not wake anyone in the large manor. Not that they could hear from how far away they were anyway.

She did not need to worry about the clicking of her heels as she made it onto the dirt ground. Miss Heliotrope would have a fit if she saw Constance walking in her fine shoes within the grass and mud. The young lady inhaled deeply taking in the fresh air happily.

She scurried towards her secret garden in the dawn rays. The sleeping roses were tucked comfortably in on themselves slowly awakening for the day ahead. She was looking forward to the sweet scent that would surround her when they did finally open up their petals.

Before sitting on her little bench, she walked to the end where the fenced area finished peeking around. She was hoping to catch Robin off guard. Instead, she saw her Uncle strolling through the walkways past the different flora and fauna. His arms were tucked behind his back with his hands grasping one another making him seem even taller due to his excellent posture. It gave him an even more authoritative appearance.

Having looked around enough and quite honestly a little disappointed she finally sat down on her little bench with her hands placed in her lap as she gazed into the pastel-painted sky from the sunrise. "I wasn't expecting to see you back so soon Princess." She heard the voice but could not place where it came from. Her eyes scanned every direction possible, but to no avail could she spot him. "I am no Princess." She stated with her hands on her hips. "Besides, this is my house Robin. And I thought you would have tidied the place up a bit after I had gone yesterday."

Robin smirked. He enjoyed her sarcasm. "You look like one in your fancy clothes. And anyway, things take time around here." He shook his head at himself. He had no idea how long he could play along with this story; he knew nothing of gardening. A sulky expression made its way to her face and again he teased her. "Stop pouting, it doesn't suit you."

"You sound like my governess." His eyes widened from the horror of being compared to that woman. "I hope not." She laughed at his tone of voice whilst continuing to search the garden. Robin, being a master at tracking, knew how to lay low. "So, I take it you are still going to hide away? Who would have thought a confident boy like you would be so shy around a mere girl." He knew what she was doing, but it wasn't going to work. The guilt trip method did not bother him in any way, shape or form. "You would be correct." She huffed from frustration and the young boy cockily smiled.