*Chapter Three Remastered*
Hello everyone! From now on, this novel is undergoing edits. At the top of every chapter, if you see the little stars that means that this part of the novel has been remastered. It will NOT always be faithful to the original. In addition to grammatical edits, there will also be revisions regarding plots, characters, and locations to make this a neater and more coherent story to follow. The blurb has also been remastered. All original chapters will be LOCATED AT THE VERY BOTTOM in case you want to compare changes or reread anything! Thank you so much for your love and support and I hope you enjoy What Remains Unsaid Remastered!
***
Tomas's hearty laughter filled her small cottage early on Tuesday morning.
He greeted her with a hug and kiss on her forehead and even though he'd just emerged from the blistering cold his callused hands were warm as he touched her cheek. Gentle brown eyes framed by wavy dark hair the same color as his skin, Tomas looked like a typical southern Novenan man. He walked into her kitchen and put a basket down on the table. She spotted two jars of milk, a box of eggs, and a few other things hidden under the thick brown cloth he'd thrown over the top.
As he situated himself in the kitchen she kept peaking up at the loft, hoping that Tomas would not have the sudden desire to visit the second floor. She'd slipped something into Luc's tea earlier so that he would sleep right through Tomas's visit.
Hopefully.
"Vivia."
She spun around. "Hm—?" Tomas extended his hands to her and she gasped. "Pomegranates?"
He chuckled deeply.
"How on earth did you get these?"
Tomas pinched her cheek before going into one of the cabinets for an empty glass to pour himself water. "One of the merchants I work with owed me a favor. He had those imported."
Pomegranates were her favorite and such a rare treat, especially in Canta. They had to be imported and the nearest seaport was days away. She grabbed a knife from the drawer and started to cut into it. The juice stained her fingertips pink.
"Have you been checking on the winter crops?"
"Of course."
"The garlic?" he inquired. "Onions? Carrots?"
"Yes, Papa—"
"Because last year when you forgot to pay attention to the spring onions we took a financial loss. We can't afford that again this year."
She nodded firmly. "Yes, Papa I know. I promise I'm keeping an eye on everything. I have to start pulling out dead weeds in a few weeks to make room for the spring crops."
"And what about—?" He paused. Looked up at the ceiling. "Is there someone here?"
Her heart stopped. "What?"
Tomas squinted as he stared at something across the room. She followed his line of sight. "Whose boots are those?"
"No one's," she declared quickly. "They're mine."
There was a thump upstairs.
They both looked up.
"Is someone in your room?"
"No."
Tomas raised a brow at her before sliding off his stool and making his way toward the stairs. Vivia ran and beat him to it. "It's no one it's Agna."
"Agna?" he replied. "I don't recognize those boots."
"She got new ones. She has an awful hangover and so she came over for a tonic that would make her feel better. Agna will be humiliated if you saw her like this, Papa. I think you should go—"
There was another thump and a grunt and Vivia squeezed her eyes shut. Oh no, she thought. She must not have put enough oil in his tea. He was probably trying to walk again. Bloody Luc, couldn't stay asleep for just a few minutes longer.
Tomas pushed past her and stormed up the stairs—at least as best as a man his age could. Luc was scarcely dressed, wearing only his pants, and he was leaning against his cane for support. She jumped in front of him.
"Don't kill him!" she blurted out.
Luc startled at her. "Don't what?"
"Vivia!" Tomas fumed. His finger shook with poorly contained fury as he pointed at the boy behind her. "Were you out by the woods again?"
"I was only passing through—"
"What did we say about bringing strangers home?" he demanded. "First the gypsies, then the circus freaks, and now a man almost twice as old as you!"
Luc looked offended. "I'll have you know that I'm nowhere near—"
"He was dying!" Vivia pleaded. "Can't you see, he's hurt?"
"Vivia you are too noble and benevolent for your own good. He is a stranger; he could have hurt you."
"But he didn't."
Tomas shook his head fiercely. "I'll not hear another word. I want him out."
"Papa—"
"Now, Vivia! That is not a request."
"If I could interject," Luc said from behind her. "I'm not a lowly beggar she picked up from the streets. And believe me, I've been trying very hard to get out of this bloody cottage."
Tomas clenched his jaw. "That could be arranged."
"Don't be hasty," Vivia shook her head wildly. "Look at him, he can barely walk. He has nothing. He won't make it a day out there in this weather or in his condition. I can't just leave him to fend for himself."
"He is none of your concern, Vivia." Tomas retorted.
"Give me a month," she said. "One month. Let him heal and we'll send him on his way. I know how you feel about outsiders coming into our home but I'm a physician. It is my duty to help people."
"A day. He gets a day and that is it."
"Two weeks and I'll not negotiate further."
Tomas looked over her shoulder. "Let me speak to the boy."
***
It felt like a staring contest between Lukas and Tomas Ellspire. A part of him feared that the old man would see right through his lies like a glass window. As they sat across from each other at a small table in Vivia's room, he wondered why the girl fought so hard to keep him here. And why he suddenly realized he wanted to be here. He needed to be. Vivia was right. He had no money, no resources, and his soldiers must've thought he was dead.
He was destitute. His best chance at making it back to Calais was to heal and arrive there in person. If he didn't get back to the Novenan capital immediately...who knew what kind of chaos would ensue. He needed Vivia, despite not wanting to.
"My name is Sir Luc Fernbrooke, I'm a knight—"
"So my daughter tells me," Tomas said.
Lukas clenched his jaw and tried to conceal his frustration. He wasn't sure what angle to play with this man. The frightened passerby or the fearless warrior desperate to go home?
"This is a very deserted area. You can understand my...suspicions surrounding your arrival."
"Your daughter found me."
"On the south end of the woods where bandits, rebels, and Perlatana soldiers like to wander. So, unless you'd like to do the honorable thing and be scrupulous about the tale you're weaving—"
He exhaled slowly. "I only wish to get better and leave. Believe me, that time cannot come fast enough. I have no idea where my soldiers are, only that they will end up at Calais in the next few months. I'd write them a letter but I fear it might be intercepted or mistaken as a fraud. The only way I can prove I'm still alive is to appear in person."
"There are many holes in your story, Sir Fernbrooke."
"A soldier's business is a soldier's business."
"Not when he's being cared for by my sixteen-year-old daughter."
Luc was scarcely that much older than Vivia. He was about to say as much when the man got up from his chair and stormed out of the room. He happened to pass by Vivia who was on her way upstairs with a tea tray and she stared at her Papa as he left. She looked at Lukas helplessly.
"Well, what did you say?"
"What do you mean what did I say?" he demanded.
She pursed her lips and put the tray down on the floor before rushing to follow him.
"Papa!" he heard her call out.
There were muffled shouts and a very brief argument before the slamming of a door and footsteps ascending the stairs once more. Vivia picked up the tray and walked over to him.
"Well, he certainly isn't pleased. He's coming back in a few days to check up on me."
Lukas stared at her intently. "I will be sure to return to repay you for your kindness. I'm not taking advantage of you or your father—"
"Papa is just by frightened by newcomers," Vivia sat down across from him and poured him a cup of tea. "He always has been. And after what happened to Agna's family he's even more on edge."
"Agna?"
She nodded. "My best friend. A few years ago her father and brother stumbled across beggars on the road. They were in nothing more than loincloths and injured. They claimed to have been robbed by bandits in the woods on their way to Morenta. That's the closest city to here. In the middle of the night they robbed them, killed her brother and father and..." she swallowed. "Would've, well....if Papa hadn't shown up..." Vivia shook her head. "Anyway, Agna's mother died in childbirth so she was left all alone. She's seventeen now and lives on her own. So you can see why Tomas doesn't like strangers. I suppose he thinks that by keeping me in this cottage far away from people it'll keep me safe."
"He refers to you as his daughter yet you call him by name. Why is that?"
"Tomas is like a father to me. He and his wife Elda found me right off the side of a deserted road." She put her tea down. "Elda passed and...well he's the only thing I have in this world. Tomas and Agna. That's it."
Vivia offered him a kind smile before lifting her cup to her lips. He noticed that her fingertips were stained red and wondered why. Lukas couldn't at all relate to her situation but he understood the loss of a parent and the pain she must've carried in her heart. His mother died many years ago. He didn't like to talk about it.
"I'm—"
"Don't," her voice was firm. "I don't need your condolences."
Lukas hadn't noticed before but today her raven locks were woven into braids and twirled into a bun that sat lopsidedly on her head. Her eyelashes fluttered as they swept across her high cheekbones. For the second time, it struck him just how pretty she was.
"Reimbursement is unwarranted. You'll be back in shape in no time. Now...if you'll excuse me."
Vivia got up and left. Lukas spent the rest of the day unable to shake the feeling that something was left unsaid between the two of them. He had been in her care for almost a week already.
He hadn't even said thank you.
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That's the end of chapter three! Below you can find the original version.
QOTC: Do you go to book signings often?
AOTC: I do! In fact, I saw Cassie Clare again on Tuesday. It was magical
XOXO Lilly
***********************
Vivia had been dreading the moment Tomas arrived. But now that he was here and she could see him outside the first floor window she needed to resort to plan b. Keep Luc upstairs for as long as she possibly could and figure out a way to break the news lightly. Tomas did not take well to strangers, if at all, especially when they were grown men living alone in a deserted cottage with his only adoptive child.
Convincing him was not a task for the weak of heart.
She put a bit of concentrated oil taken from the root of a valerian into Luc's tea so he should be fast asleep for the next couple of hours. It would give her—
"Vivi?"
Vivia yelped and almost dropped the mortar and pistol in her hands. There was a hard knock on her front door and she remembered that it was locked. She usually left it open for Tomas.
"Coming Papa!"
She heard him chuckle. "I'm not getting any younger out here."
Vivia put down the herbs she was working with for Luc's leg wound and wiped her hands on her apron. She unlocked the front door and she was welcomed by a rush of cold air, Tomas's smiling face, and a gift basket.
"I'm sorry," she said as he walked in. "I forgot to unlock the door for you."
"That's alright sweetheart. I only lost one of my toes to frostbite."
Tomas's hearty laughter filled her small cottage. He walked into her kitchen and it occurred to her that he might get curious as to what she was doing. He didn't pay much mind to what was on the table anyway. He pushed everything aside and put the basket he brought for her on the table. He'd brought her everything she needed—flour, eggs, milk, dried fruits and meats she could put away for later.
Vivia raised her brows. "Pomegranates? How on earth did you get these?"
Tomas went into her cabinets for an empty glass to pour himself water. "One of the merchants I work with owed me a favor. He had those imported."
Tomas was a man of average height and build with snow white hair he kept tied back and a deeply tanned complexion. They didn't really look alike but no one in town every thought to ask if they were related or not. She surprisingly resembled Elda a bit.
"So, what is it that you're mixing here, sweetheart?"
Vivia glanced at the herbs on the table. "Oh, just testing out some new medicines with new plants Agna brought for me."
He nodded his approval.
"Papa—"
"Have you been checking on the winter crops?"
"What?" she shook her head. "I mean, yes, but that's not—"
"The garlic? Onions? Carrots?"
"Yes Papa—"
"Because last year when you forgot to pay attention to the spring onions we took a financial loss. We can't afford that again this year."
She nodded firmly. "Yes, Papa I know. I promise I'm keeping an eye on everything. I have to start pulling out dead weeds in a few weeks to make room for spring crops."
His eyes glittered with approval as he smiled and slid onto one of the stools. "I'm very proud of you."
Vivia exhaled. "Thank you." She stood on the other side of the table and looked at him. "Papa, I have something very serious to talk to you about—"
"Is there someone here?"
Her heart stopped. "What?"
Tomas squinted as he stared at something across the room. She followed his line of sight. "Whose boots are those?"
"No one's," she declared quickly. "They're mine."
There was a thump upstairs.
They both looked up.
"Is someone in your room?"
"No."
Tomas raised a brow at her before sliding off his stool and making his way to the stairs. Vivia ran and beat him to it. "It's no one it's Agna."
"Agna?" he replied. "I don't recognize those boots."
"She got new ones. She's feeling simply terrible about an awful hangover and so she came over for a tonic that would make her feel better. She'll be humiliated if you saw her in this position, Papa. I think you should go—"
There was another thump and a grunt and Vivia squeezed her eyes shut. Oh no, she thought. She must not have put enough oil in his tea. He was probably trying to walk again. Bloody Luc, couldn't stay asleep just a few minutes longer.
Tomas pushed past her and stormed up the stairs—at least as best as a man his age could. Luc was scarcely dressed, wearing only his pants, and he was leaning against his cane for dear life. She jumped in front of him.
"Please don't be displeased!" she begged.
"Displeased?" Tomas sputtered. His finger was shaking with poorly contained fury as he pointed it at the boy behind her. "Who is this? How did he find this cottage?"
"He was dying!" Vivia pleaded. "Can't you see, he's hurt?"
"Vivia you are too noble and benevolent for your own good. He is a stranger! He could have hurt you!"
"But he didn't—!"
Tomas shook his head fiercely. "I'll not hear another word. I want him out."
"Papa—"
"Now, Vivia! That is not a request!"
"If I could interject," Luc said from behind her. "I'm not a lowly beggar she picked up from the streets. And believe me, I've been trying very hard to get out of this bloody cottage."
Tomas clenched his jaw. "That could be arranged."
"Don't be hasty," Vivia shook her head wildly. "Look at him, he can barely walk. He has nothing. He won't make it a day out there in this weather or in his condition. I cannot just leave him to fend for himself!"
"He is none of your concern, Vivia." Tomas retorted.
"Give me a month," Vivia said. "One month. Let him heal and we'll send him on his way. I know how you feel about outsiders coming into our home but I'm a physician. It is my duty to help people."
"A day. He gets a day and that is it."
"Two weeks and I'll not negotiate further."
Tomas looked over her shoulder. "Let me speak to the boy."
***
It felt like a staring contest between Lukas and Tomas Ellspire. A part of him feared that this old man would see right through his lies like a glass window. As they sat across from each other at a small table in Vivia's room, he wondered why the girl fought so hard to keep him here. And why he suddenly realized he wanted to be here. He needed to be. Vivia was right. He had no money, no resources, and his soldiers must've thought he was dead and were bringing the news to the King in secret right this moment.
He was destitute. His best chance at making it back to Calais was to heal and arrive there in person. If he didn't back to the Novena capital immediately...who knew what kind of chaos could ensue. He needed Vivia, despite not wanting to. Whatever she was doing to his wounds were working because they were closing up, slowly but surely.
"My name is Sir Luc Fernbrooke, I'm a knight—"
"So my daughter tells me," Tomas sat back in his chair with ease.
Lukas clenched his jaw and tried not to allow his emotions to show. He wasn't sure what angle to play with this man. The frightened passerby or the fearless warrior desperate to go home?
"This is a very deserted area. You can understand my...suspicions surrounding your arrival."
"Your daughter found me—"
"On the south end of the woods where bandits, rebels, and Imperian soldiers like to wander. So, unless you'd like to do the honorable thing and be scrupulous about the tale you're weaving then..."
He exhaled slowly. "I only wish to get better and leave. Believe me, that time cannot come fast enough. I have no idea where my soldiers are at the moment only that they will end up at Calais in the next few months. I'd write them a letter but I fear it might be intercepted or mistaken as a fraud. The only way I can prove I'm still alive is to appear in person."
"There are many holes in your story, Sir Fernbrooke."
"A soldier's business is a soldier's business."
"Not when he's being cared for by my seventeen-year-old daughter."
Luc was scarcely that much older than Vivia. He was about to say as much when the man got up from his chair and stormed out of the room. He happened to pass by Vivia who was on her way upstairs with a tea tray and she stared at her Papa as he left. She looked at Lukas helplessly.
"Well, what did you say?"
"What do you mean what did I say?" he demanded.
She pursed her lips and put the tray down on the floor before rushing to follow him.
"Papa!" he heard her call out.
There were muffled shouts and a very brief argument before the slamming of a door and footsteps ascending the stairs once more. Vivia picked up the tray and walked over to him.
"Well, he certainly isn't pleased. He's coming back in a few days to check up on me."
Lukas stared at her intently. "I will be sure to return to repay you for your kindness. I am not taking advantage of you or your father—"
"Papa is just by frightened by newcomers," Vivia sat down across from him and poured them both tea. "He always has been. And after what happened to Agna's family he's even more on stage."
"Agna?"
She nodded. "My best friend. A few years ago her father and brother stumbled across beggars on the road. They were in nothing more than loincloths and injured. They claimed to have been robbed by bandits on the road. They were on their way to Morenta. That's the closest city to here. In the middle of the night they robbed them, killed her brother and father and..." she swallowed. "Would've, well....if Papa hadn't shown up..." Vivia shook her head. "Anyway, Agna's mother died in childbirth so she was left all alone. She's nineteen now and lives on her own. So you can see why Tomas doesn't like strangers. I suppose he thinks that by keeping me in this cottage far away from people it'll keep me safe."
"He refers to you as his daughter yet you call him by name. Why is that?"
"Tomas is like a father to me. He and his wife Elda found me when I was just three years old somewhere in the woods, right off the side of a deserted road." She put her tea down. "Elda passed and...well he's the only thing I have in this world. Tomas and Agna. That's it."
Vivia offered the best smile she could muster up before taking up her cup and staring at the tea inside. Lukas didn't know her well and he never dealt well with personal information. He felt the sudden urge to reach out and touch her hand—something that would offer her comfort. He couldn't exactly relate to his story, having two brothers and a father of his own, but he could understand her feeling of loss.
His mother passed years ago. He never liked talking about it much.
"I'm—"
"Don't," she dropped her head. "I don't need your condolences."
Lukas hadn't noticed before but today her raven locks were woven into braids and twirled into a bun that sat lopsidedly on her head. Her eyelashes fluttered, causing hurricanes all over the world, and she rose from her seat abruptly.
"Reimbursement is... unwarranted. You'll be back in shape in no time. Now, if you'll...excuse me."
Vivia got up and left. Lukas spent the rest of the day unable to shake the feeling that something was left unsaid between the two of them. He had been in her care for a week already.
He hadn't even said thank you.
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Hey guys! Thank you so much for coming back and joining me for a chapter three! I hope you're all enjoying the story! Please vote for this chapter and if you're kind enough to drop a comment that would be lovely <3 Doing so let's me know that people are reading and care about this story. I hope that everyone shares it with their friends and everyone they know!
XOXO Lilly