A Taste of Candor

Chapter 19

~Tahlia.

Surely nobody with an ounce of sense would blame me for remaining in a flustered state after hearing Keene's sudden revelation. After all, for all the years we'd known each other, I found it hard to believe that he could have developed an attraction so suddenly. He had to have been withholding something from me for months, if not years. Had our entire friendship been a massive scheme the whole time just so he could fly under my parents' radar to get to know me without jumping through the same hurdles any other suitor would have needed to? Perhaps Keene was keener than I'd given him credit for.

With so many thoughts boiling inside my head, I knew very well I couldn't engage socially as would be expected of me as a lady. So I did the sensible thing and found my way outside to the garden on the east side of the house. The sun had almost finished setting by that time, casting a golden glow over the rainbow of flowers in their beds. Ordinarily, I would have found such an aesthetic lovely, but now, I could only offer it a flitting thought before diving back into my predicament.

Besides the simple matter of Keene's treachery, which would be predicament enough, I could only wonder what hand my father had played in all this. After all, what could that possibly have meant, when Keene claimed to be "unable" to speak on whether he'd received paternal approval or not? That almost made it sound as if my father were a schemer, too. Perhaps he had orchestrated my very meeting Keene for the purpose of gradually introducing me to the man he'd expect me to marry. If so, I found the deviousness appalling.

A creaking sound over my shoulder tore me from my troubled reflection. Dreading the possibility Keene had followed me outside, I turned to look at the door, only to see someone entirely different instead. Declan slowly approached me with his saxophone in his hands and a nervous glimmer in his eyes. I sucked in a deep breath. Frankly, I was in no mood to speak to anyone, so I would have to guard my tongue closely in order to ensure I said nothing amiss.

"Hey." Declan greeted with a hesitant smile, "It's been a while ... really sorry you got in trouble for our—"

"It's fine." I said in a snippier tone than I'd intended, "You couldn't have known."

"I guess so, but I still kinda feel bad. Is there anything I can—"

"I'm fine, Declan. You don't need to do anything."

"Alright." he resigned, "Hope you're having a good evening, anyway. I've never seen such a big party."

The corners of my mouth jumped a little, and a slight laugh escaped me. "Welcome to the life of an upperclassman."

"Must be easier in a lot of ways, but just as hard in others."

"Believe me, you're certainly correct in that. Everything is more complicated when you have a good deal of money and everyone you meet knows it. It can be near impossible to tell if someone truly wants to be your friend, or whether they're secretly seeking a donation."

Declan's eyes widened as he nodded in agreement. "I'll bet. It's gotta be hard to kick back and be yourself too often, too."

"Absolutely. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to live a simpler life."

"Yeah. We have our hardships, but there's a humble beauty in it, I think."

"That sounds lovely. I assure you there's nothing humble nor beautiful about my life." I remarked with bitter sarcasm. Though to be fair, where the sarcasm ended and bitterness began, I couldn't determine.

"You can't mean that; just look at all the neat things around here! It's—"

"That's just it. I have no lack of good things. But anyone I can trust, anyone I can truly confide in with no doubt of their intent? I have none of that! I am like the lady stranded on an island of gold."

Declan stepped a little closer and casually took a seat on the edge of one of the flowerbeds. "Never heard of her. Who's that?"

"It's an old Lymar ... fable, I believe. Fable or parable, I forget which. But in it, a lord's daughter constantly decries the things she lacks instead of appreciating the immense wealth she's privy to simply for being born. She makes life miserable for her family until her father takes her to an island covered in gold, silver, and every gem. And then he sails away, teaching her a crucial lesson."

Declan's eyes narrowed slightly in thought. "Doesn't matter what things you have if you're lonely?"

"Precisely."

"Well, I'm sure you've heard this a lot said falsely, but ... if you want me around, you can trust me, Miss—I mean Tahlia. I mean it."

I probed his eyes with my own; if eyes were the window to the soul, then I was a burglar scoping out his spiritual goods. And sure enough, I could only come to one conclusion conveyed in those ice blue eyes. He meant it.

"I ... I appreciate it, Declan. You are the most genuine man I have ever met."

Declan shrugged. "Got nothing to hide, I guess. Now, can I ask you something real quick before I have to go back in?"

"Of course."

"So ... not sure if you're open to this, and if not, that's fine. After all, last time we—"

"Just cut to the chase, you idiot." I teased, "You're like a rambling uncle."

After laughing at both my remarks and seemingly himself, he rubbed the back of his neck and continued. "I enjoyed the last time we spent some time together, and you said you did too, so I'd like to take you on another date. But I also heard that in your culture, you're supposed to ask the dad's permission? So I feel bad I neglected that before. Is there any way to remedy that?"

The turmoil within me suddenly made itself known anew. My disquiet had recently begun to taper off due to Declan's calming presence, but now it returned with a vengeance upon hearing his proposal. Two men vying for my attention at once, likely engaging in some sort of competition to impress my father and earn his favor? This was too much!

"He will be indignant, no doubt." I said slowly and carefully, "After all, you went behind his back once. However, knowing my father's character, the worst he'll do is tell you he'll consider it, but give no definite answer. You should be safe, if you only make sure you apologize for sneaking out before."

"Got it. Well, I guess I should ask, do you want me to ask him?"

Either Declan possessed psychic powers, or God was cruel. How come every question he asked had to poke me where I least wished it? I had always found it an incredibly unlikely experience in my novels, when two, three, or four men would propose to one lady in a night simply for the sake of drama. And yet now, I was that lady.

To be fair, I had seen no fault in Declan, and his grounded outlook on things did make him attractive to me. It wasn't his asking that bothered me, so much as its proximity to Keene's outlandish proposal from earlier. He had done no wrong, just simply stumbled into a conflict he wouldn't understand.

I realized I had kept Declan waiting for quite a while as I contemplated. With an apologetic smile, I nodded. "I would like that ... for you to ask my father, that is."

Declan stared at me a moment, clearly wrestling over whether to believe my tardy reply. "Alright, well, I'll try to find a time. I'll let you know what he says."

"Beautiful. Well, I'll be back in shortly, so save some notes for me."

"I will." Declan said with a laugh, turning to reenter the mansion.

I watched him leave with conflicting thoughts still swirling behind my eyes. Every lady wanted love and happiness to come her way, but by such vexing means? My current circumstances almost made the whole endeavor appear more trouble than it was worth.

And then my gaze alit on a window not far from the door Declan had just walked through. My mother's face peeked through the pane of glass, sheer indignation written all over her features. My heart dropped. Though she disappeared immediately upon seeing I'd noticed her, the afterburn of her steel gaze stuck with me. Of course I would have to endure my mother's wrath about some thing or another as well.