After delaying it as long as she could, Isabel Asturias is ready to make her debut onto the marriage market. Like every other mama in town, Lady Asturias hopes to gain an audience for her daughter with the season's most eligible bachelor, the Viscou...
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Benedict was growing to be a great enjoyer of promenades. He had gone out to the park every one of the last three days with Isabel, and he could not help but wonder if it was the fresh air or her company that was so greatly raising his spirits.
The day after their promenade, Benedict went out to see the garden once again. He wished to draw the lovely gardenias, and it seemed Isabel had a similar idea.
"We meet again, Benny," she said as she approached him in the park. Her mother was a ways behind, speaking to another mama.
"It seems you are the one seeking me out this time," he said with a grin.
"And what makes you think I came for you?" she said with a smirk.
"The flowers cannot entertain you the way I do," he said.
"Oh, don't be so sure," she said with a fake pout.
"What could possibly be more invigorating out here than my antics?" he said with a hand to his chest.
She gave him a smile as if ready to accept his challenge.
"I find that reading poetry about nature is much more invigorating when one is in it. The green walls of our drawing room are not as immersive as you might think," she said. "And I rather like the peaceful babble of the brook."
Benedict felt a light smile grace his lips as he immersed himself in her description.
He cleared his throat before speaking again. "And what of your garden?" he asked. "Did you used to read there before, well..."
Isabel nodded. "Now, going in our garden is anything but peaceful. All I can think about is my father. You know, we tried to plant gardenias again, but they never would grow. I can't bear to see the barren parts where his beloved flowers perished."
Benedict's eyes softened upon hearing this.
"I understand that. My father's grave is on the ground of our country estate, and it is always painful to pass it and to be among the scenery where the unthinkable happened," he lamented. "Being at Aubrey Hall holds as many joyful memories as it does painful ones."
"Precisely," she said softly. A moment of silence passed between them where they looked into each other's eyes, each heart understanding the other's pain and choosing to accept it. Benedict chose to break the silence.
"Well, do not let my intrusion keep you from your reading," he said.
"Do not let my intrusion stop you from... whatever it is you came for."
"Did the sketchbook not make it obvious?" he said, gesturing to the book under his arm.
"For all I know, you could be touting that to disguise your true motives."
Benedict tilted his head and slowly nodded, letting her win this time. Isabel could feel the heat rising to her cheeks again from his gaze, so she chose to sit on the stone bench and open her book. Benedict took this as a sign to begin sketching the flora around them.
