Ravenwood(59)

Elinore,

Please forgive me for being away so long from Ravenwood and allow me to express my hope that this letter finds you well. I have been delayed for a few days longer than expected in and around Haleton, visiting friends of my parents and seeking their council on a matter close to my heart. When I saw young Theo from the stables in town, I bade him wait long enough for me to write you a short letter. I know the staff at Ravenwood takes great care of all its inhabitants, but I’m sorry to be so long away from you.

Elinore wondered if she would suffer any long-term effects from her heart continually beating madly in fits and starts, as had been the case since her arrival at Ravenwood. She traced the cursive edges of Caleb’s script with her fingertip. His penmanship was not so fine as to be all swirls and whorls, nor so stark to be like that of a chicken scratching at the ground. She rather thought it was quite like the man himself - somewhat understated, but quite handsome.

I trust Mrs. Davenport has been seeing to your bandages and that Mrs. Thistlewaite is keeping you well fed. I hope you have been able to meet the remainder of the household. I’m sure you have charmed them well with your kindness and bright smile. I find myself quite bereft of it for having known it such a short time.

Although it may sound strange, please try not to wander too far from the manor. Jonah and the other men are still on the hunt for the feral wolf, even in my absence. And I’m sure my uncle is as well. I’m sure you will find more than enough books to keep you busy in the library, but if not, I’ve sent one along with Theo that I thought you’d rather enjoy.

Warmest regards, Caleb.

Elinore pressed the letter against her chest, feeling the wideness of her smile and the warmth of a blush staining across her cheeks. Biting her lip slightly, she set the letter down and carefully unwrapped the book from its plain brown packaging, taking care not to tear or rip any of the paper.

The book had a lovely dark red cloth cover with a title embossed down the spine. ‘The Whisper of Candles.’ Intrigued, Elinore opened it up and flipped through the pages languidly. She realized quite quickly, and delightedly, that it was a gothic novel. She caught the words spirit and haunting and read a quick passage on a young lady walking down a long, dark hallway. A perfect gift - a book to keep her company and thrill her. Giving into her bookish whim, she held the book to her nose and inhaled, imagining she could almost catch the lingering scent of Caleb on the cover and the pages, as though he’d perhaps run his own fingers over the book as she did now.

“What have you got there, clutched so deliciously close to your bosom?”

Elinore froze at Hayter’s voice. She’d not heard him approach the dining room and certainly hadn’t expected him up so early.

“Just a book.”

“A fortunate book to be held so close to one so lovely.” He sat down at the head of the table, flapping his napkin with a whip-crack through the air that caused her to flinch slightly. “What has you so enamored of it?”

Elinore set the book down in her lap. “I’ve a great love of all books.”

Hayter smiled at her, lips mostly closed, just a hint of white teeth peering out from between his lips. His nostrils flared slightly and his eyes immediately darted down to Caleb’s letter, which Elinore had left on the table. Unthinking, she snatched it up, beating his quick fingers a moment before they closed on the paper themselves.

“My nephew must not be nearly as busy as I thought if he has time to pen letters home.”

Hayter had barely glanced at the letter, but knew it was from Caleb. Elinore could see no point in denying it. That didn’t mean, however, that she had to tell the entire truth. “Just a short note, sending me a book I asked for.”

Hayter’s eyes narrowed slightly and Elinore wondered if he would challenge her on the lie, and what she would do if he did. A staff member came out nearly silently from the serving door, bearing a serving tray of coffee and Hayter went through the motions of fixing his morning cup, waving the man away with annoyance written all over his face.

“I must say, I never understood the need for young ladies to read. Surely, you could be more productive and make something pretty, practice the piano, learn to run the household.”

“Ravenwood runs like a fine Swiss watch, without interference from anyone.”

“Sometimes it’s best for everyone to remember his or her place,” Hayter said, sipping his coffee.

“Perhaps I’ll speak to Caleb about it when he returns,” Elinore replied, folding Caleb’s letter in thirds and tucking it into her sleeve. “I’m sure he is a wealth of information, having grown up here. How long have you been here again?” She hoped her face conveyed the right mixture of blank indifference and ingenuity she wished it to.

“Since my dear brother met his maker in a rather untimely fashion, his wife following him not long after.”

Hayter’s words ran over Elinore like a prickly-toothed comb causing gooseflesh to rise on her skin. His eyes caught Elinore’s and she feared if she looked away, he would take that as permission to pounce. She finally had to look away - a fine sheen of moisture rising to her upper lip, her heart pounding. Out of the corner of her eyesight, she saw Hayter smile.

“It’s hard to say when my nephew will return,” Hayter continued and Elinore’s heart sank further. “So young and vigorous. Perhaps he’ll find an inn somewhere and stay for the local delights.”