When the Hydrangea Flowers Bloom

Chapter Ten: The Question

"Can you believe it?" I squealed. "Me and Richard! Richard and me!" Winnifred and I were gossipping alone in the parlor room the next day.

"Wow! I never imagined you two together." She said, "To be honest, I thought you and Eugene would always get together."

"What? Ew! Winnie!" I gasped.

"Sorry! Anyways, I'm happy for you." She got up and poured herself some tea. "So are you two going to be dating, officially?"

"I don't know..." I sighed and lay down on the couch. "He asked, and I told him I would 'think about it.'"

"Why? You like him, don't you?"

"Of course I do, I just don't know if this is the best idea. What happens if something goes wrong? He's the one always communicating with us, not his father."

"But what if it works out? There's always a thousand reasons not to do something, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try."

"I know. It could be amazing! He's just perfect. He's the easiest to talk to guy I've ever met. And he's so handsome! His gorgeous hair, his perfect nose and his lips! Sure I don't have much to compare it to, but that was an amazing kiss." I sighed and looked at Winnifred. "What should I do?"

"I think you know."

"I need to find Richard. Do you know where he is?" Winnifred shook her head.

"Go find him!"

I said goodbye and left the parlor room. I ran downstairs to look for him. He wasn't in the dining hall, the kitchen, the gardens, the stables, his library, everywhere. I ran into Simon and Martin in the shooting range, but they hadn't seen him since breakfast.

"I think he mentioned he was going to London sometime soon, but I didn't hear anything about today." Martin told me.

"Why do you need to find him?" Simon asked.

"No reason. Thanks!" I said and ran off. Why would Richard suddenly go to London? I went back inside and decided to go to his library to think. I opened the doors and heard a rustling noise inside. "Hello?" I asked hesitantly.

"Huh?" Richard popped out from behind a chair. His hair was astray and he looked like he hadn't slept a wink last night.

"What's this I heard about you going to London?" I asked.

He came out from behind the chair, walked up to me and held my hands. "My father wants to send me off to college."

"What?" I shouted.

"I was going to go, but then we agreed that I could take a year off to participate in the study. For some reason he changed his mind last night."

"Why would he do that?" I asked.

"I don't know." He looked down, sadly. "I'm supposed to leave tomorrow. This may not be the time, but do you have an answer for me?"

I looked into his eyes, his beautiful eyes, and realised what I would have to do. "I- I can't be with you." I dropped his hands and, with tears falling out of my eyes, ran out of the library.

...

"Why did you say no?" Winnifred asked me. I was curled up on my bed with Pietro right next to me.

"I had to. I couldn't make him leaving harder for him. If I told him how I really felt, he would have had to walk away from it." I explained.

"Or he might've stayed." Winnifred suggested.

"How could he have? Professor Fawcett is making him leave."

"I just think-"

"Winnifred! I'm in pain and I don't need your criticism right now!"