Merry Misrule - St. Clair, Ellie Page 0,23

ground, but it shifted and stirred with her, accentuating her every movement.

After he was finally able to focus, he noticed that she was looking at him quite strangely — which made complete sense.

“Can I speak to you for a moment?” he finally managed.

She bit her lip in what he hoped was naught but a moment’s hesitation, before she nodded and he led her through the dining room and into the drawing room. It was still an open room that would ensure they were not ensconced anywhere that might be deemed inappropriate, yet there was a window seat in an alcove that allowed for more private moments, as he hoped this one would be.

“Is everything all right?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Yes,” he said, nodding his head, realizing he was making a mess of all of this. He reached out a hand to the shelf beside him to shift his weight, but encountered pine needles and pulled back his fingers with a wince.

He cursed under his breath and Joanna laughed slightly, lightening the moment and helping him feel much more at ease.

“Joanna…” he began, and she looked at him somewhat questioningly, “I have something for you,” he finally blurted out, and her eyes widened.

“For me?”

“Yes,” he said, reaching into his inner coat pocket. “I know I shouldn’t have and yet… I felt I owed you this.”

She reached out and took the small package he offered, the touch of their fingers, even through her soft gloves, causing his to burn. When she dipped her head to open it, he was afforded a view of her beautiful chocolatey silk strands, caught up in their pins, and he longed to release one and allow that silk to flow through his fingers.

But instead, he had to be comfortable with simply taking in his fill.

She opened the package, taking its contents in her hand, staring at it for a moment.

“Do you like it?” he finally had to ask.

“It’s… a pocket watch,” was all she said, and his heart hurt a bit that she was not overly excited.

“Yes,” he said, “to replace the one I caused you to lose so many years ago.”

“Thank you,” she said, finally looking up to meet his eyes, but he didn’t miss the tear in hers. Was it a tear of happiness? Of sadness?

“Did I do something wrong?” he finally had to ask, and she dipped her head once more.

“Yes. No. Oh, Elijah, I know this is coming from a place of care, and I do so appreciate the sentiment.”

“But…”

“Well, the pocket watch meant something not because it was a pocket watch but because it belonged to my grandmother. It was one of the only things I had of hers.”

“I know, Joanna,” he said, remorse filling him anew. “And I’m sorry again. I don’t know what to do now, but—”

“Is that a pocket watch?”

Elijah closed his eyes for a moment. Cecily. Wonderful. She was the last person he desired to be here at the moment.

“Yes,” Joanna said, setting her chin as she looked up to her. “Lord Elijah is replacing one that I… lost long ago.”

“Oh yes,” Cecily gushed. “He is quite the giver of pocket watches, is he not? Why, he gave me one once as well!”

And with that she reached into her dress and pulled out a pocket watch that, from the look on Joanna’s face, could be none other than the very one that had belonged to her grandmother.

Chapter 9

Joanna could only stare with mouth agape.

Her pocket watch — her grandmother’s pocket watch — was hanging from Cecily’s hand, swinging by its gold chain back-and-forth, back-and-forth, mocking her with its closeness.

It wasn’t anything particularly special. It was gold enamel, featuring a bouquet of flowers in the middle of a four-layered border, each one intimately familiar to Joanna.

The outside border was blue, with red and gold crowns inlaid into it.

And on the back, she knew there would be an inscription.

To my love.

It had not been inscribed for her, but her grandmother had told her that the love that filled it continued on through the gift.

Elijah’s gift was actually much more elaborate. It was gold, with one central flower encrusted in diamonds.

She didn’t want him to think her ungrateful. Truly, she didn’t. He had no need to give her anything, and the fact that he had thought of a pocket watch showed that his intentions to make amends were sincere.

It also proved, however, that he didn’t actually understand what the value of the watch had been to her.

“Yes,”