Flutter

Flutter: Vingt - Deux (1/2)

"Aw. That's so sad."

"Sir Reeves had a hand in that. When Elisa died, he did not allow them to do more than attend the funeral. Quinton's grandparents never did get much chance to get acquainted with Quinton."

"If Sir Reeves is from South America, what is he doing up here?"

"Well, the story go that there were two brothers. One brother was already a beta in Bolivia I believe. However, this region was without a beta. And so, the available brother volunteered his services and its been in the Reeves hands ever since. Its switched hands time and time again, but its always been kept in the family. It was actually on one of his trips back from Boliva where Sir Reeves met Elisa. He happened to stop by the alpha's estate in Mexico. He went to the gardens to get some fresh air and there she was, trimming the hedges. Fancy that!"

"Was she related to the alpha?"

"No. She was the gardener. Fate works in mysterious ways."

Quinton's words came back to her: "Most of the shrubbery and vegetation that Gillans has is a result of her hard work and dedication." It made sense now.

"You can say that again."

"So it seemed almost fated that Quinton found you by happenstance, in a meadow. Like father, like son."

"I suppose."

Nora ran her hands over the desk, taking in what Mary said. The more she learned about Quinton's past, the more her heart pitied him. Even though she knew that she could not condone his behavior, she started to see how his upbringing did not seem to foster a warm character. And Nora did not want that for her children's future.

" I knew what Elisa wished for her Quinton, and I made sure that he was raised up to her standards. Or at least I tried."

"If I were Elisa, I couldn't be any more satisfied."

"That's kind of you to say darling."

Nora turned to the bookcase and looked out the books that Quinton used to peruse as a youngster. She ran her hands over the spines of classics like The Wizard of Oz, and the Peter Rabbit Collection. She pulled out a particularly worn novel, The Little Prince. She opened the cover flap and something fell out. Nora bent to take it off the floor. Nora saw that it was an old worn photo of a beautiful woman, with dark hair. The edges were stained, and the palm sized photo was wrinkled and worn.

"Ah. The Little Prince. That was one of his favorites. He would beg his mother to read that to him so often." Mary reminisced.

"Is this her? Elisa?"

Nora held the picture up for Mary to see.

"Ah. My oh my." Mary reached into her pouch and grabbed her spectacles, which she perched on the edge of her nose. She took the photo out of Nora's hand and brought it closer to her face.

"That's her alright. Elisa Grace Castillo Ravishing, isn't she? Oh, not a face like that for miles. Beauty inwards and outwards."

"What was she like?"

"Kind. Caring. Considerate. Much like yourself."

"Aw. Shucks." Nora said, blushing.

"Though, not nearly as outspoken. Terribly meek. Elisa was the kind of woman where you would not know if she had a broken arm unless you took her in for an x-ray. It was a trait that did not do her any good."

She gave Nora back the photo.

"Can I have it?" Nora asked.

"Well, I suppose you can. It's not doing anyone else any good cooped up here, stuck in a book. May I ask why?"