Ghosts of the Past [ RDR2 - Arthur Morgan ]

Chapter 34 - Just Listen

WORD COUNT - 1947

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CHAPTER 34 - Just listen

Returning the Shady Belle, hair still slightly damp from the impromptu swim in the ocean, Arthur didn't even have to question where Rose might be. Her refusal to give Arthur a straight answer about where she planned to sleep tonight, told him that at this late hour, Rose would certainly be in her wagon. And given the low warm orange glow of the lantern that shone dully through the canvas roof, his assumptions were perfectly correct.

The wagon seemed to stand alone, despite being surrounded by the others. Some drawers where pushed in the way, some out with vined flowers hanging down the outside wallfrom other open drawers. It was rather pretty, in a certain ethereal way. Arthur walked slowly over, tugging at his jacket's sleeves and playing potential conversations in his mind in increasing degrees of unlikeliness.

Arthur's boots crunched softly against the dirt as he neared the wagon, his pace slow. The lantern glow spilled out through the thin canvas, painting the ground in shifting orange hues. It looked warm inside. Quiet.

He reached into his pocket, fingers brushing over the cool metal of the necklace.

He had no clue how she'd react. Rose wasn't the kind of woman to be won over by shiny things-but it wasn't about the necklace, was it? It was about him trying. Banging the door with the side of his fist before he could double guess himself, he spoke through the wood "Ya decent?"

A soft sound of the latch unlocking gave Arthur his go ahead to step onto the dicky, then inside "Evening." He spoke. The sight of those brown cascading waves framing her soft face caused him to quickly loosen the red necktie that suddenly felt far too restricting around him. "You ain't been holed up in here all day. Ain't ya?"

She shook her head, returning to the wooden chair where she had a journal open, scribbled with an array of mixture amounts and directions for ingredients. Along with a number of fresh picked flowers laying over the table and part of the bed. "No. Went foraging." She explained "With Sadie and Charles. They're good company."

The bed sank slightly under Arthur's weight as he sat at the foot of it with a heavy motion. Blue eyes locked to Roses for a moment as he fidgeted with his satchel "I got you something." He had a certain degree of uncertainty as he produced the dainty gold necklace, adorned at the end with a sapphire. "Or stole ya something. I s'pose."

It dangled from the end of Arthur's finger, spinning slowly back and forth between them like an olive branch towards her. It seemed abnormally quiet. All Arthur could do was hope she didn't take this as a gesture of placating her.

After a moment, Rosemary's hand reached to hold the gem in her palm, the chain still dangling from Arthur's outstretched finger. The gem's blue hue was tainted somewhat by the glow of the red lantern flickering above them, causing it to appear almost purple at first. But its beauty shone through nonetheless.

"It's real pretty." She whispered, her eyes seemed to soften at the sight of it.

"Well since the riverboat was your lead. Figured you were owed a little something from it." Arthur tried to disregard, as he grabbed the leg of the chair below her and gave it a tug, pivoting the chair, and by extension Rosemary, until they faced away from him. He weighed the necklace in one hand for a thought, then brushed her locks off her neck.

Leaning forward, the necklace was looped around the front of her so the gem rested on her sternum, and pulled it up, working the clasp at the back until it was fixed. All the while his breath cascaded over her shoulder. The heat of his body warmed her more than even the lantern did.