When the Hydrangea Flowers Bloom

Chapter Eleven: The Answer

I ran back inside, looking for Richard. He wasn't in the library, and I didn't know where his room was. I was about to head downstairs to check the dining hall when I saw a maid. I asked her where Richard's room was and she pointed to a set of doors in the corner of the corridor. I thanked her and walked to the room.

I knocked on the door, but no one opened it. I tried the handle, and it opened. The room inside was similar to mine, just three times bigger. There were clothes strewn about, books lying open-faced on the floor. Richard was sitting at his desk, looking just like he did that morning. A phonograph was on the floor, playing classical music.

"Richard?" I asked softly.

"Huh?" He turned around quickly. He seemed to have woken up from a nap on his desk. "Oh, Hydrangea."

Though I loved the name, when he said it, it shot a ping of guilt through my whole body. "I need to talk to you. Is now a good time?"

"Of course, dear. Do sit." He got up and swiped a few shirts off of a bench at the end of his bed. We sat down next to each other.

"This morning, I- uh, well I need to- er..." Though I tried my hardest, I couldn't seem to get the words out.

"Are you okay, Hydrangea?" He put his hand on mine.

I was just about to shout "No!" when the door opened. An older maid popped her head in.

"Sorry to disturb you, but Professor Fawcett would like to see Mr. Richard."

"Bollocks," Richard cursed under his breath. He turned to me. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Well, no, but Richard-"

"Thank you! I promise we'll speak later." He kissed my hand and ran out the door.

"Bollocks."

There wasn't any point in staying in Richard's room after he left, and I was feeling hungry, so I walked down to the dining hall. Flora, Gertrude, and Winnifred were all sitting together. Eugene and Martin sat at the other end. Winnifred looked at me for a second but looked down at her plate angrily the next. With my head bowed, I took a seat away from everyone else. A waiter brought me dinner; meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

I ate alone for most of the dinner. Winnifred finished quickly and pulled her new best friends along with her. Martin got up with them and walked with Gertie behind Flora and Winnie. After they all left, Eugene picked up his plate and moved to sit next to me.

"So?"

I shook my head. "I was about to tell him when his father called him into his office."

"If I'd known any better, I might say Professor Fawcett was preventing you two from getting together," Eugene said as he ate some potato.

"Huh," I thought about it. "Yeah... Professor Fawcett..."

Eugene stood up. "Well, good luck! I'll see you around."

"Yes, bye." Could Professor Fawcett be spying on us? How could he? And why wouldn't he want me to be with his son? I had so many questions and no one I could ask them to.

I went back to the third floor and found the older maid who called Richard. "Excuse me, but do you know whether Professor Fawcett is done talking to Richard?"

"I- er- don't think so." She started to walk away.

"Do you know where his study is?" I said as I followed her.

"Yes, but I don't think I should be telling you," she said, emphasizing "you".

I stopped walking and let out a quick snuff. How was I to talk to Richard if I couldn't find him? I walked over to his bedroom and took a look. It was still a complete mess. I walked in, closing the door behind me. Waiting for Richard and having nothing else to do, I started to clean up. I picked up the messy clothes and folded them, placing them on the bed. I tidied up his desk and dresser, making everything neat and organized.

After cleaning for an hour, I got tired. I sat down on the bed, planning to take a five-minute break and getting back to cleaning, but soon, my eyes were closing and I fell into his many comfortable pillows.

...

"Hydrangea," I felt someone touching my shoulder. "Hydrangea. Wake up."

I opened my eyes and saw Richard leaning over me. "Oh," I rubbed my eyes and sat up. "Sorry. I was cleaning and fell asleep."

"Thank you. I was quite embarrassed by the mess in here." Richard sat at the end of the bed. The clothes were all gone and two very full suitcases stood by the door.

"You're really going?" I asked. He nodded.

"I'm sorry. But it's for the best. I'll be getting a wonderful education and... well, you didn't want to be in a relationship anyway." He picked at the blanket.

"Richard... that was never true." He looked up at me. "I only said that to make things easier for you, but someone helped me realize that the best thing I can do is be honest with you."

"Wow. I mean, of course, I want to be with you, but I'm going away," he said sadly.

"We could do long distance. Write letters to each other, visit one another every month." I suggested.

"You don't think that will be too hard?"

"Of course it will. But isn't it worth it? For us?" I leaned over and touched his hand.

"Of course it is." He leaned forward, putting his lips to mine. He ran his hand through my hair, making me feel so loved, so safe. Once our lips separated we touched our foreheads together. "We can do this."

I stayed with Richard that whole night. We didn't get any sleep, we didn't need to. We talked and talked, kissed and kissed. But soon the sun came up, and he had to go. We each took a bag and walked out of the room. As we reached the stairs, two servants came and took them.

"It's early. Go to your room, get some rest. The maids will wake you when it's time for me to leave."

"Okay." He kissed me one last time and walked down the stairs. I walked to my room and looked out on the balcony. Pietro came from the bathroom and rubbed his neck on my legs, purring. It must have been six or seven in the morning, the golden light was starting to fade. I took off my shoes and climbed into bed. I closed my eyes and, what felt like, seconds later a maid was pouring fresh water into a glass next to my bed.

"Good morning, miss," she said.

I sat up. "Good morning. What time is it?"

"Eight o'clock. Everyone is meeting in the foyer at eight forty-five to bid farewell to Sir Richard." She bowed slightly and left.

I got out of bed and washed my face. After brushing my teeth, I got dressed. I wore a draped dress with a creamy white fabric and pink accents. There was a small bustle in the back, nothing too fancy or uncomfortable.

I walked downstairs at eight-thirty, most of the other subjects were already waiting. Eugene stood with Simon and Winnifred stood alone, but when I approached her, she moved to stand next to Flora. Defeated and embarrassed, I stood by myself. Over the next fifteen minutes, Gertrude and Martin joined the rest of the group, leaving the seven of us waiting for Richard.

Not long after Martin, the last one to arrive, joined us, Richard and Professor Fawcett walked down the stairs. They walked around the group and stood in front of us. Richard was wearing a fancy suit, holding a small suitcase. Professor Fawcett looked just as he did the day I met him, suit and top hat.

"Good afternoon, all," he said. "Today is both a sad and happy day. Sad because my dear son, Richard, will be leaving us, but happy because he will be attending college. I know that over the past month, you all have gotten to know each other, and Richard has been acquaintances with some of you." I noticed him glance in my direction for a split second. "Richard has been the key coordinator between you and I, and now that he is gone I will have to do that part myself. I will be communicating instructions with you, but do not expect me to get all 'chummy' with you. Let us bid Richard adieu and continue with our study."

"Thank you, Dad," Richard said. "It has been a pleasure getting to know all of you, and I look forward to seeing you at the end of the study. Thank you all for giving me something to do this summer." We all chuckled. "And with that, I'm off." He turned around and walked out of the house. We all followed him to the steps but didn't go any further. We watched him climb into a car, wave goodbye, and putter out of the long driveway.