Pomegranate Seeds ➸ Alistair

ii

None of Eloise's family seemed to notice that any sort of life had been drained out of her in one fell swoop. It was two dreadful days filled with candied words and thinly veiled threats before the baron left with the promise of returning in two weeks for the wedding.

Eloise had seen nothing of Alistair since the night of their kiss and felt his absence acutely; she had grown so accustomed to his presence that she felt off-balance without him, as if she was missing a part of herself.

A week passed and with it many sleepless nights. Eloise missed her bedroom, the light of the moon filtering through her curtains, and her midnight talks with Alistair.

When Henry knocked on her door one morning after breakfast, Eloise had been sitting on the bed staring blankly at the windowless wall. When she didn't answer the door, he let himself in.

"What's bothering you?" he asked, sitting down beside her. "It cannot just be your impending marriage. You would normally handle such a thing with grace, yet I have never seen you so despondent."

"Alistair," she said, the very name filling her with warmth and sadness.

"Alistair." Henry repeated slowly, sounding deep in thought. "He's special to you, isn't he?"

"Yes," she said.

There was a stretch of silence before Henry tentatively broke it. "El, what- what happened?"

"Mother and Father have forbid me from seeing him. They believe he cares for me, more than he should, and they're scared he'll do something to stop the wedding."

"You care for him, too. More than you should." It wasn't a question.

Her eyes were cast to the floor. "Yes."

"I knew you were sneaking out," Henry said unexpectedly, and her head whipped towards him. He smiled slightly. "Do not look so surprised. You were not overly subtle. It was not hard to guess."

"Does anyone else know?" she asked.

"No." Henry shook his head. "And I won't tell anyone. You deserve to be happy, El."

"The last time I saw him, the night after the baron arrived, Alistair offered to take me away with him."

"And you said no."

"The marriage is important for you and everyone else. But that was before I knew what you discovered," Eloise said.

"If it hadn't been for us, you would have said yes?" Henry asked.

She nodded briefly. "Yes."

"You're making a mistake," he said. "You always give, El. You never think about yourself. It's your life, and you get to choose how you spend it."

"It's too late now, anyway," Eloise mumbled. "Mother and Father are keeping Alistair away from me, and I don't have a window to sneak out of anymore."

"Maybe you don't," Henry said, grinning, "but I do."

For the first time in over a week, a flicker of hope sparked in her chest. "What are you suggesting?"

"Tonight at dinner, fake sick. You already look deathly. Shouldn't be too hard."

"Thank you," she said drily.

"Nothing but the truth. Mother and Father will let you retire early, you've been looking unwell for days. Make your bed look like you're sleeping, and leave through the window in your old room. I'll make sure no one checks up on you," he said.

"What if this doesn't work?"

"You care for him, Eloise. You owe it to him and yourself to at least try," Henry said. "I have a good feeling about this. It will work."

Eloise followed Henry's instructions. Midway through dinner, after picking at her food just as she had been for the past several days, she said, "Mother, Father, may I be excused? I do not feel well."

Her parents shared a concerned look. Her mother smiled sympathetically at her. "Of course, dear. Some rest would do you good, you've looked so tired these past few days."

"Thank you," Eloise said. "Goodnight, everyone."

A chorus of goodnights followed her as she made her way upstairs, careful to keep her steps tired and sluggish. When she reached her new bedroom, the one without the window, she quickly changed into her single pair of pants and a loose shirt. It took some careful arranging to make her bed look as if it was occupied, and she felt as if she had lost much valuable time when she finally crept out of the bedroom.

The wooden floor creaked slightly under her light footsteps, but Henry seemed to be keeping his end of the bargain; she could dimly hear her family dining downstairs.

Eloise shut the door to her old bedroom, now Henry's, with a quiet click. The window was slightly open, letting in the cool evening air, the last traces of the sunset still visible in the sky.

She whispered Alistair's name outside the window, but he did not come, so she climbed out herself.

She walked to the only place that she could think to look; the tree, their tree, where they had spent so many hours in the company of one another.

But he was not there.

"Alistair," she whispered to the air. There was no reply.

She was alone.

~~❀~~

Can I just say how much I love Henry? He's a good brother. Eloise has finally decided to do what's best for her instead of her family. But Alistair is nowhere to be found... I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know what you think!