Veiled Whispers

Ch.16 - The Detour

Lily

The encounter with Sir Lucas at the palace gate was unexpected, yet it was a relief to see a friendly face. Theo had given me a brief hour to collect my belongings—an hour to decide what parts of my past I wished to carry into an uncertain future.

Lucas, ever the silent sentinel, deserved an explanation. “I’m staying elsewhere tonight,” I confessed as we walked. His knowing nod told me he had already pieced together the whispers of my departure. “Mama may expect my return by morning, but… I fear it may be much longer than that.”

His rare smile soothed my anxious heart. “No trouble at all, my lady. Just… be careful,” he advised, his voice a soft echo in the empty corridor.

It was only in that moment, with the weight of his gaze upon me, that I realized Lucas had been more kin than guard. More brother than sentinel.

My room felt foreign, as if it belonged to another life—one I was hastily shedding as I filled my satchel with necessities and a few comforts. I realized I had no time to reminisce, as a shadow whirled past my window. A quickly scrawled note to my parents claimed a visit to Wendlyn to my friend Bianca, a half-truth that would buy me time.

But as I turned to leave, the diary called out from the nightstand — It was the one thing I needed before I could flee.

Lucas's absence from the corridor prompted me to look around, fear being my company. My heartbeat slowed down as I spotted him across the courtyard.
He springed across the distance, his figure cutting through the cold air.
“It’s best that you leave now, my lady,” he urged, his voice strained with unspoken urgency.
A movement amongst the bushes led to the sad reality that time was against us.
He pressed a small, wrapped object into my palm—a parting gift, a token of protection.
"I once vowed to safeguard you,” he murmured, his eyes dark with secrets. “I can no longer fulfill that promise, but perhaps this can.”

His final words lingered long after he vanished into the shadows of the courtyard. “So long, Lily. May our paths cross again.”

●●●

Vincent

Responsibility weighed heavily on me as I rushed to pick up Lily. Our shared history was brief, yet I felt a kinship with her—a need to protect and provide. Besides, the world seems to be against that innocent girl.

The carriage was an old-fashioned choice, but discretion was required. The clatter of hooves on cobblestone would not draw the same attention as the purr of motorcar engines.

As I navigated the familiar streets, a figure darted into the road. It was Lily, her expression a mix of determination and fear. “We have to leave right now,” she insisted, her urgency eminent.

With a nod, I set the carriage into motion, leaving behind the gilded cage of Eldar.

●●●

Lily

Exhaustion claimed me the moment I settled into the carriage, and I surrendered to sleep’s embrace.

Awakening to the twilight glow, I recounted the day’s events to Theo. He admitted, "It was sheer luck that you weren't there."

The trinket from Lucas was a mystery—a bracelet adorned with charms, one bearing an engraved moon and the initial ‘L’. Was it a token of his affection or a clue to a deeper truth?
"Do you think the 'L' stands for my name or his name?" I asked innocently. Theo chuckled, "Yeah sure, he seems like a man who wears a charm bracelet."
"I wonder what he meant. I think he has knowledge about what's afoot here. I can't believe they came to my home, whoever it might be."
Theo reassured, "We'll figure it out. Right now we're approaching the abode of a friend of mine, hopefully she would be okay with letting us spend the night there." Vincent said. Interesting. She?
A quaint cottage nestled in a sea of wildflowers stood in a distance.

The simplicity of the scene was a stark contrast to the life I had known. “It’s beautiful,” I mused aloud, “like a painting.”

Vincent’s smile was wistful. “Sometimes, the quiet of the countryside holds more allure than the city’s vibrant pulse.”

A child’s delighted squeal broke the silence, marking our arrival. As Theo tended to the horses, I approached the cottage, my heart aflutter with nerves.
The door stood slightly open, a silent invitation into the unknown. Hesitation gripped me for a moment, but tradition prevailed, and I rapped gently on the wood. A voice, warm and inviting, called out from the heart of the home, “Come in, I’m in the kitchen.”

Crossing the threshold, I shed my uncertainty like a cloak. The kitchen, a tableau of domestic warmth, beckoned to the left. A woman, the very picture of homely grace, stood there, her hands dancing with a whisk over a bowl.

Lost in thought, pondering the right words to say, I was startled by a familiar voice. “Madaleine, good to see you! How have you been?” Theo’s entrance was like a breeze, turning the house into a home with his easy presence.

Her smile, a radiant beam, turned my way, coaxing a shy “Hi” from my lips. Theo went ahead and embraced her, flour and all, her mock protest lost in the laughter that followed. “I’m covered in flour, you idiot,” she chided, the affection in her voice belying her words.

I caught a blur of movement  past me, the little girl from before, now launching herself into Theo’s arms. “Little lady, you’ve gotten so big!” he exclaimed, lifting her into the air that was filled with her laughter.

Feeling suddenly like an outsider at a family gathering, I cleared my throat to ask, “May I use the washroom, please?”

“Of course,” Madaleine replied, her smile unwavering. “Go down the corridor; it’s the first door to your right.”

After freshening up, I went to fetch my satchel from the carriage. I encountered the diary nestled within my satchel. It seemed only right to give Theo and Madaleine a moment longer in their reunion. And so, I decided to spend a few minutes to pen some thoughts.
“Hi again,” I began, “we have much to discuss. I’ve embarked on a peculiar journey, and I believe I’ve discovered how to summon you. But let’s wait until the world sleeps. Madaleine, cozy with your Duke, stirs unfamiliar feelings within me, despite the fact that I do not know anything about his colourful life. Anyways, I will catch up with you later."

It felt absurd, confiding in a ghost within the pages of a book. Yet, as I closed the cover, two words materialized beneath my latest entry, a silent affirmation to my ramblings: “Sure thing.”