When the Hydrangea Flowers Bloom

Chapter Seven: The Locket

As soon as she could, Flora ditched us and walked over to shop with Gertie. Winnie and Simon had already walked off together, so Eugene and I went on our own.

We looked at lots of tents, filled with all sorts of things. Eugene found an antique sword that he really liked, so he bought it. As soon as he paid the seller, a man in a tuxedo walked up to us.

"I could take that back to the car if you'd like, Mr. Fulton," he said.

"Oh, sure. Here you go," He handed the servant his sword.

As the man left, Eugene asked, "Find anything yet?"

"You've been with me the whole time. Does it look like that to you?" I said.

"Goodness. You're snappy, aren't you?"

"Sorry. I don't think I slept very well last night." I apologized as we walked out of the market.

"Yeah, me neither." We sat down on a bench behind some tents. "I broke it off with Flora."

"Yeah, I kind of knew about that..."

"How?" He asked.

"Well, I was looking for wrapping paper, for the painting you did of me, when Pietro and I overheard you and Flora fighting in her room. It sounded intense. Plus, she was staring daggers at you the whole car ride."

He chuckled. "I can't believe you spied on us!"

"It was only for a minute or two," I said.

"Oh alright." He sighed. "She really is a ratbag*."

I nodded. We sat there for a little while, unknowing our pinkies were touching.

"Come on," I said. "Let's get some food."

We went back into the market and got some sausage on a stick. We ate it while looking for something for me. We passed a stand with around a hundred clocks. They all said 2:00, meaning we had two hours left.

We walked up to a stand that had a lovely painting of a small family in front of a white house. There were two daughters and a young boy, as well as a cook and a maid. Flowers bloomed in the background, framing the people. It reminded me of my family.

I stood and looked at the painting for a while Eugene looked at the watches on the table. I thought that I might want to buy it, but when I looked at the price tag, it said £10, much too expensive for me. Defeated, I turned around. Suddenly, something bright was hitting my eye. I squinted and walked towards the light.

I came to a small tent with a heavy woman sleeping softly behind it. On the table in front of her were lots of small pieces of jewelry. I noticed a necklace with a thin chain and gold locket on the end. I gasped softly and picked it up. It was a small oval with a buckle framing a small flower. I felt Eugene walk up behind me.

"How much for the necklace?" He asked the woman. She blinked and opened her eyes.

"Uh, six pounds." She nodded. "It's very well made, as you can see. Fifteen carats."

"All I have is five. Is that okay?" I asked, hopefully.

"No, sorry. I've already marked down the price enough. It started out at ten pounds."

I sighed and started to walk away.

"Wait," Eugene grabbed my wrist and pulled me back to the table. "Give me your money," he said. I did. "Here." He gave the woman the money and gave me the necklace.

"How..?" I asked.

"I had five crowns** left." He said.

"Thank you, Eugene!" I cried, pulling him into a hug. I put the locket around my neck.

"There. And just in time, too." He pointed to the clock tower. It read 3:56.

"We have to go!" We ran back to the center of the market. Richard, Winnifred, and Simon were waiting.

"Hey, guys!" Winnie said. I walked over to stand next to her. "What did you get?" She asked.

I held up my new locket. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"Wow. It really is."

"What did you get?" I asked her.

"A beautiful, handcrafted dresser. It's so elegant. I'll show you when we arrive back at the manor." She squealed.

"Alright, everyone!" Richard said. "Let's get ready to- where is the rest of the group?" He looked around.

"We're here!" Martin and Gertie ran up to us, holding hands. Flora wasn't very far behind. She didn't look too happy.

"Wonderful! Now go with your groups back to the cars. I'll see you back at home."

We all made our way back through the market. People were taking down their tents, packing up all their things. The children that used to run around were now sitting on the ground, talking. The food stands turned off their grills and ovens and started to pack up the leftovers they had.

The car was waiting for us on the edge of the market. Flora had convinced Richard to let her sit with Martin and Gertrude. They walked into the first car, Simon and Winnie following. Eugene and I climbed into the back of the last car. The driver cleared his throat.

"Good evening, miss," he said.

"Arthur! How are you?" I exclaimed.

"Can't complain." He said as he started to drive.

"Eugene, this is Arthur. He drove me from home to Clyvedon." I explained.

"Nice to meet you," Eugene said with a head nod. Arthur nodded back.

"You may want to settle in, I heard there was terrible traffic on the main road. It might take us two or three hours."

"Oh dear," I sighed. The sun was still bright, but I was tired anyway. I rested my head on Eugene's shoulder and sighed. I felt Eugene dig around in his satchel that he left in the car, and pull something out. I lifted my head. "What are you doing?"

"Just writing in my journal," he said. He pulled out a pen and started to scribble something down. Despite being an amazing artist, he had terrible handwriting. I giggled quietly.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing," I said. "I'll write in my journal, too." I'd been bringing it everywhere I went. I pulled it out of my bag and started to write. Soon, Eugene and I were both scribbling away in the backseat. I tried to be as detailed as I could, but I was never the most gifted writer.

I put my pen down after a page and a half, but Eugene kept writing. Without conversation, I started to drift off. I was falling asleep when the car came to a swift halt.

"What's going on? Are we there yet?" Eugene asked Arthur.

"No, we seem to have hit the traffic. Oh, dear. It seems there was a nasty accident up ahead. It might take all night to clear." Arthur examined.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"It seems the best option is to find an inn and stay there for the night," Arthur said. "There's one about one mile from here. I'll get off the next chance I can get."

We were stuck in a sea of vehicles. Some were cars, most were carriages. The people in all of them were looking around, annoyed. We stayed on the busy road for 20 minutes before getting off. Arthur drove us to a small inn. It was an adorable cottage-style house. There was a white picket fence and lots of trees and all kinds of flowers. Arthur pulled over and we stepped out. 

*A rogue or eccentric person

**4 crowns = 1 pound