Love & Second Chances

Chapter Eight - Garrett's POV

I anxiously paced back and forth across the floor of the music room as I anticipated Elizabeth's arrival, knowing that I would have her to myself for the rest of what remained of today. To be completely honest, I did not truly know why I was so anxious. Nor did I know why I was pacing the way I was. It had begun a few hours ago while I had been waiting downstairs, and after having been teased by my uncle, who had unfortunately noticed it, I retreated to the music room in an attempt to calm myself.

Her face just kept swimming around in my head, as it had been since the day we happened to meet at the train station. She was just so amazing. She made me feel happy. I had not experienced such happiness since ... well, since we had been children. Yet somehow it was an entirely different type of happiness. I realized that my uncle was correct in suggesting that she might be partially responsible for how easy I had found it to come to terms with my past.

Elizabeth would probably deny that she had done anything intentionally, but her companionship had helped me tremendously. This was actually why I had requested that she join me for dinner. It was time that I told her the truth of what happened to my family and why we had left so suddenly. If there was anyone who would understand and not think worse of me as a result, it was her. She was one of the only ones who respected me enough to keep her curiosity silenced.

Coming to stand beside the chaise lounge in front of the window, I gazed out the window, waiting to catch a glimpse of the Stanford's carriage. Soon enough, I saw the open carriage come driving around the corner. However, to my immense surprise, Elizabeth was nowhere to be seen. The only one present was Alice.

My anticipation was quickly replaced by a terrible sense of dread when I saw her without her sister. Something was most certainly amiss. Elizabeth had never been absent from a single lesson before. Was something wrong? Had she become ill? Perhaps she had hurt herself climbing a tree and was unable to come. I stopped myself there. That was not possible. Elizabeth had never been one for climbing trees. Even as a child when I had tried to coax her into climbing up with me, she had adamantly refused, stating that it was too dangerous and would only get her in trouble.

The fact that Alice had come without a proper escort sent off warning bells in the back of my mind. Her parents would never have let her go alone without a good reason. Although, I supposed that they could have felt that it would be appropriate while my uncle was staying with me. That still would not have stopped Elizabeth from coming with her, being as close to her sister as she was. Whatever had happened, I had a suspicion that it was not at all good.

I swiftly turned my back to the window as soon as she had disappeared from my sight, meaning that she was officially inside the house. Being the energetic girl that she was, I knew that it would not take her long to get here. For that reason, I found myself praying that time would somehow rewind itself and prevent Alice from coming at all. Sitting down at the piano, I tried to calm myself down, assuring myself that everything would be fine. Perhaps she would come for dinner after all.

After a few minutes, there came a knock on the door. "Come in," I called reluctantly.

The door swung open and in came Alice, smiling as she strode towards me. She nodded her head to me in greeting and sat down next to me in front of the piano. I was not sure if it was just my imagination, but it seemed as though she were sitting closer to me than usual. This immediately made a shiver run down my spine. Had I not been already seated at the very edge of the bench, I might have tried to shift myself further away. Alas, it appeared that I was stuck in the discomforting position.

The lesson carried on without too much struggle. My student did not seem to be focusing on the lesson very much. She was often asking me to repeat myself, which began to get annoying after a while, and would every so often glance over at me with a smug look on her face. It became obvious to me at that moment that she had not given up on trying to gain my attention. How I wished that the lesson would end early so that I could leave the room.