Mara's Iris (Tom Hiddleston)

Chapter 4

Little by little, Mara's mood improved. The heavy melancholy began to lift and this became of interest to her parents. Usually, she would go back to her room. But today, she wanted to do something different. Her father's study: The tall walls lined floor to ceiling with vintage books. She closed the door behind her and pressed her hands against it. If she pressed her cheek to the glossed wood, she would pretend she could hear everything in the house. The smell of cigars and old books that had lingered in that room since she was a child warmed her heart. She could spend forever in that room.

Mara hadn't been in there since before she left home. Taking her time, she refamiliarised herself with the linings of the shelves, the large green leather chair at the her father's desk. She sat and reclined in the chair and spinned around at a hypnotic pace over and over again. It was something different. It made her stomach swerve. The sensation was purely physical. But if she kept going, it would maybe trick her mind into thinking it was excitement. And all at once, she stopped.

There was a rapping at the door. Assuming them to be one of the maids hoping to clean, she chose to ignore it, and purposely kept staring out the window at the grand oak, shimmering with its leaves in every autumnal shade possible.

In her peripheral vision as the door opened, she saw the dark curls seep through the jar first, followed by a leather gloved hand and coal sleeve after. And so they met again.

He closed the door behind him, and approached to sit on the other side of the desk, facing Mara. A halo of light from the window formed around him, making his mysterious silhouette that much darker.

They were both locked in a gaze. His eyes were an uncommon shade of blue. The people she had seen with glacier eyes such as his usually held an air that was cold and conniving. Because, they knew the allure of them. But His made him seem much more present and content, much like the shining eyes of a child. One could easily get lost in them.

Mara, still reclined in the chair, dragged her eyes across him, studying him. He sat down at the window seat, across the room. Curiously, she observed as he seemed lost in the task, as he began to take books and several sketching tools from his leather case. He took care in placing down each of them. Mara all of a sudden felt a pang of frustration grip her chest. A certain sense of territoriality, as this stranger announced his presence without so much as a word. She leaned forward in the chair.

"Are you in the right place?" She spoke, plainly.

He looked up at her, still preoccupied and simply replied "yes" before going back to his things. Mara rose from the chair.

"No I mean, are you meant to be here? This is a private study"

He chuckled and stood up right as he said "I assure you, I'm exactly where I need to be." His increase in height after he stood up stifled her a little, making it more noticeable, especially now she was standing up, how tall he was. Something about him seemed rather familiar...Still not content, she tested him for more.

"Well if it's Lord Roman you're looking for, I don't know how long he'll be. He's taking his breakfast so he may be some ti-" she was interrupted by the door opening. She realised that she had gravitated towards him, so they were standing only a meter apart. She cleared her throat and went to put space between them again.

Her father, looking unusually chipper, with his paper tucked under his arm and his quaint little pipe chuffing from his mouth.

Lord Roman was unfazed by this stranger planted in his office. It very quickly became clear to Mara that he was the one to invite him. She stood between the two men, feeling a pang of embarrassment after shunning the man, assuming that he was a stranger that had stumbled into the wrong room.