No Confessions

Ch17

    "Jayne, someone is here to see you!" her butler called up the stairs. "A Miss...Westenra?"
    Lady Jayne's voice rang out upon hearing the person's surname. "Lucy? Lucy Westenra?"
    "Yes miss."
    "Send her up!" Jayne called down. Jayne knew that her butler would protest as Lucy didn't come with a time and often just showed up mid-day. Instead, Jayne calls down personally to have Lucy sent up.
    The butler looked at Lucy in a strange way. A knowing way. "Right then. Go up, Miss Westenra." Lucy nodded in thanks and made her way up the stairs. At the landing, Lucy took a glance back. The butler still looked at her with a sort of malice in his eyes.
    "Right." Lucy muttered before walking up and down the hall to Jaynes' tea room.
    Jayne was sitting in her usual chair, beige, by the window. She had on a magnificent emerald green dress. "Lucy! Hello my dear, what brings you in today?"
    "Daffodils." Lucy said with urgency.
    Jayne looked at Lucy, completely confused. "I'm sorry?"
    Lucy took a deep breath. Jayne gestured for her to sit and she did so. "Mina." Jayne made an 'ah' sound in understanding. "She–she had a dream. I was in the dream. She said something about me holding daffodils in her dream. Are you aware of that?"
    "N–no?" Jayne's voice was small and had a waiver to it. "Symbolism?" Lucy nodded. Jayne hummed.
    "Daffodils, when used in the context of a relationship, symbolize broken love. Like her and Jonathan. In my studies, they are to be given as a form of condolence or a farewell to someone that you once loved." Lucy rambled on. "They are also a symbol of unrequited love and can be given from one person to another in order to communicate those feelings. I was holding the flowers. Do you think Mina is aware of my feelings?"
    "I wouldn't doubt it."  Jayne said in a loving way. "You are increasingly obvious. The only thing is that you seem to be acutely aware of your feelings towards Mina but she seems to be in turmoil about her feelings towards you."
    Lucy sat up. Jayne had her attention. "What do you mean by that?"
    "Is it not clear?"
    "No."
    Jayne shifted in her seat. Mentally, she cringed at the blindness of the woman in front of her. "You seem to be a fan of flower games. Here's one. You hold daffodils out to Mina, but Mina holds red roses behind her back. What then?"
    Lucy went quiet in thought. Her eyes flitted around the room trying to connect Jayne's riddle to something, anything. "Jayne, I don't know."
    "Think about it. Call a carriage to my place when you figure it out." Jayne hummed.
    Lucy stood up. "Why can you not just tell me outright?"
    "Oh Lucy..." Jayne cooed, standing to meet Lucy's stance. She towered over her. Wearing heels compared to flats didn't help. Mina's teasing about Lucy's height came flooding into her mind. "Lucy, you're wonderfully intelligent. Yet you cannot solve such a simple riddle? Ask Mina, perhaps she'll have the answers. Perhaps she'll bring the roses forward and you can drop your daffodils."
    Again, Lucy was confused. She left the estate in a state of thought and called for the carriage to bring her to Mina's home.

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    "Lucy?" Mina was met with her friend as she opened the door. Lucy was the last person she expected to be knocking in at this hour. Lucy said she'd be at Lady Jayne's until around noon. It was only mid morrow.
    "Mina darling. I have something to ask you." Lucy stated as she walked into Mina's place. She stopped only in the front room, turning back to see Mina. She wore an emerald dress that looked lovely when paired against her pale skin. It was decorated with gold floral designs and it looked absolutely stunning.
    Mina followed after her friend in a hurry, stepping back in alarm as she whipped around. "Lucy, whatever is the matter? Did something happen with Lady Jayne? You went to her place this early morrow, correct?"
    "Yes—no—I don't know!" Lucy stammered in a panic. "I did go to her place. Answer me a riddle, Mina." Lucy's topics were all over, something that happened if she was upset or stressed or nervous. "It's a simple riddle dealing with the language of flowers yet I cannot figure it out. The answer seems to always stay out of my grasp.
    "A riddle?"
    "I hold daffodils out to you, but you hold red roses behind your back. What does it mean?" Lucy cried. "I'm not stupid I simply just don't understand! I know flower symbolism and meaning but I cannot get my mind to comprehend this! Mina, help me, darling!"
    Mina stepped back in disbelief. A look of shock and worry overtook her features. "She—she knows..." she muttered. "Bullocks."
    "Who knows what, Mina? Is everything alright? You don't usually cuss aloud." Lucy said, voice dropping to a hush. Mina just about never outwardly swore. She would often find variations of curses to say but never true curses. Mina had a strange habit of abstaining from cussing. Just twice had Lucy heard her audibly swear without a filter. Third time now. "Mina darling, have I upset you? Mina, what's wrong."
    "No, no. It's just, I suppose my roses were obvious, hm?" The back of Mina's eyes burned. Tears threatened to spill out. She turned away from Lucy, hiding her face in the crook of her elbow. She didn't care if her tears got onto her dress.
    She rushed to hold her friend, even if the hug was from behind. "What roses? Mina, what does the riddle mean?"
    "It means she knows. And it means it's that obvious." Mina mumbled. "He probably knows too." Mina said beneath her breath, referring to Alexander.
    Mina knew about observant both Alexander and Lady Jayne were. If Lady Jayne, who'd met Mina once, could see her feelings towards Lucy, and Alexander who's been working with her through all of his, Jonathan must also know. The thought caused more tears to well in her eyes. Worry about what Jonathan would do if he knew consumed Mina.
    Lucy squeezed her friend's arms, turning her to face herself and breaking Mina from her thoughts. "What's obvious? Mina you aren't making any sense!"
    Mina's eyes were surely losing tears at this point. A drop rolling down her cheek as she muttered, "The roses." Her eyes were down and she refused to meet Lucy's eyes. Green eyes searched into Mina's blue ones. Lucy was both highly concerned and highly confused.
    "I still don't know what that means!"