Promises Unkept

Dews are falling.

Mr. Andreas Edwin?

And truly, out of all breathing on the earth, how come he be the man to discover them? Wasn’t he too reserved a gentleman for such contraventions?

He was wearing his nightshirt and his dark hair was tousled. He looked….boyish with his hand dipped in his pocket, for all the decors were missing and his blue eyes were wonderful in the midnightness of reflections.

Eden clutched the lamp handle harder as she stood up, so did Maggie. Though, where Eden was shocked and perhaps fearful, Maggie was brooding.

“Mr. Edwin Sir.” Maggie raised a brow. “What are you doing here?”

It appeared to Eden that Maggie knew Mr. Edwin quite well which was not so hard to perceive , seeing that Maggie had been a maid since long before Eden and _ Didn’t he just call her ‘Maggie’, her name?

At Maggie’s question, a small smile shadowed his face. A smile that shined golden in the faint lamp glow. “May I not ask the same, Miss Magpie?”

Magpie.

A grin encroached her face, as Maggie nodded. “You may sir, only in case you have not witnessed much yourself.”

He tilted his head in regardence. “Tell me.”

“We were here to_” Maggie had just begun when Eden interrupted her. “_for…we were here for fresh air.”

“Ah…Fresh air.” Mr. Edwin nodded, frowning. “In that compact confine of bushes?”

Eden felt absolutely stupid. Of course he had observed what they were here for. He was only being a tease. Why did she think she knew better?

“Well sir.” Maggie came up with a suppressed smile, for the rescue of a very tantalized Eden. “Beyond doubt, you know our secret now. So, we must be off. We have had our fill of fresh air. Good night. Come, Eden.”

Effortlessly, she jumped off over the hedge and signaled Eden to do the same. Eden froze.

She was, at no expense, going to do that while Mr. Edwin was here.

With Maggie it had been practice that she jumped across so simply but for Eden, she knew she could not do it without appearing so very, very improper. And by Joe, she was wearing a feebly inadequate nightgown for dress, which was masked up only by her moth eaten shawl.

So, there, as a result of this tumultuous mayhem, Eden stood still gaping at Maggie with wide eyes, unsure what to do and what not, when Mr. Edwin came up with his proposal.

“I will escort Miss Henley to her room, Magpie.” He stated. “You may go.”

And what did that mean?

That nastily meant that he wanted Eden to stay with him alone here, out into the night. That meant he was shooing Maggie away and asking Eden to stay. A simply not so simple application.

A distinctly not so decent demand.

Eden took defense because she should have.

“No Sir.” She protested, reading herself for the jump she had been so unready to make. “I’ll rather leave now. I mean no offense.”

“And what?” Mr. Edwin stepped right in front of her, looking too firm for Eden to retort. “Start avoiding me all again?”

“I have not been avoiding you.” Eden lied in a whisper. She was flustered that he had said it so brazenly and that too in the presence of a third ear. Eden however trusted Maggie for discretion but that didn’t mean it made things less evading.