Heart's Content

Part Fifty-Nine

{'La Petite Ville au Matin, Quimperlé' by Henry Le Sidaner from Wikimedia Commons}

After Nathaniel's offer and subsequent attempt at persuasion had been rejected, he returned to ignoring Genevieve's presence altogether which did little to ease her anxiety because she was constantly plagued by the idea that he would make another attempt at convincing her to leave Esece, likely through less diplomatic means. Mary did her best to keep Genevieve occupied and through her efforts Genevieve's confidence grew and her thoughts were mostly distracted from her fears but that didn't diminish the peace she felt after Nathaniel's departure the following month.

He departed with little fanfare, only Warrick and Mary rising early that morning to see him off even before the pale hues of the morning sun could be seen over the horizon. The day was equally uneventful with Genevieve taking on the usual tasks as Mary assigned them. She had steadily been learning how to cook, clean, and take care of the laundry, all with Mary and Laura at her side. She excelled when it came to mending, which she attributed to her talent with embroidery and Mary admired the aptitude with which she was able to quickly and efficiently repair all manner of cloth articles.

It was approaching evening when Laura stepped into the kitchen with the day's wash. The weather was quite similar to that of Seldoné and as winter began edging out the last remnants of fall it became practical to wear a cloak during the day and especially when stepping outside after the sun had begun to set. She set the large basket of fresh laundry on a stool beside the door and carefully closed the two halves, securely locking them before she removed her cloak and hung it on a nearby rack. Her cheeks were rosy and framed by unruly curls of the softest sort that absolutely refused to be pinned back into the rest of her golden tinted, soft brown hair. The kitchen was warm from the cooking fire that burned brightly in the stone hearth in one corner of the room with a pot of stew already over it and the heat in the room was enough to sting her cheeks slightly as they adjusted to the temperature. Mary was busily preparing some bread for the next day with her hair, not unlike her daughter's except for a generous sprinkling of silver amongst the gold, was pulled back in a white linen cap though stray wisps still peeked out from beneath the cap's ruffles. Warrick had already sent Danny home for the night and he sat at the table with Genevieve, whittling while she embroidered a floral pattern on an apron belonging to Laura who shortly joined them and began to fold the laundry.

She stood back from the table slightly as she began folding a sheet into a small square, moving closer to the table as the fabric became smaller and easier to manage and peering over at the craft Genevieve held before she gasped slightly and shook her head, laughing softly, "I'll be hesitant to wear that if you make it any prettier!"

"Nonsense! It'll make you want to wear it more!" Mary laughed and folded the dough she was kneading before turning around briefly and with her hands covered in flour she spread her own floral embroidered apron out for them to see. It was significantly stained from that day and there were fainter stains elsewhere that were more difficult to spot but along one of the bottom corners there were large flowers in varying shades of red to help discern one bloom from the next and dark green thread in the shape of vines and leaves was intertwined between them. On the opposite corner where the apron covered her breast, there was a second, smaller set of the same flowers, but in both corners any stains were difficult to see, only gentle sprinkles of the flour she was currently working with, "if I were you, I'd consider turning that talent into a business."

Warrick paused in his woodworking, his hands having steadily been crafting a figurine of a mermaid, though now his gray eyes previously occupied, turned to rest directly on Genevieve where she sat with a soft smile on her lips, fingers working diligently at one of the blue flowers now adorning Laura's apron. His brow was raised slightly, causing his forehead to wrinkle where it previously only had light creases though his gaze only remained on her briefly before he turned it towards his wife who had also been watching Genevieve after the casual suggestion she made and a look passed between them that called Laura's attention as the air in the room changed.