Chapter 13 Him
Him
Two days after Phillip had smashed his violin in the library, he was still walking around with the disposition of a bear. And though Norah had tried to be kind and empathetic, they were running out of time. This new loss had proved that.
“Okay, I need this to stop,” she said that evening when Phillip refused to move from his seat in the larger library. He was glaring down at a map he was sketching of the latest locations that the pirate clans had been reported to be. And it had been a thoughtful gesture.
Two days ago.
When he’d begun.
“You need to get up and do something else,” Norah said.
She had been seated across from him for most of the day, and while she loved reading, she had memorized the location of nearly every book in the room.
“And if you mope for one more minute,” she added, “I’m going to lose my mind and start scribbling on the walls. ”
Still, he ignored her.
“Fine,” Norah said, strutting over to the walls, holding a pencil. And though she never would have done so in her right mind, she was no longer feeling in her right mind. Because if she had to spend one more minute in this ridiculous room–
She had his attention, she realized with glee. He hadn’t moved a muscle, but he was glaring at her now instead of at the map.
She also had an idea.
“You know what?” she said, putting the pencil down.
“If you’re not even going to try to talk to me, two can play that game.
” She swept back over to the book she’d been reading by the hearth and picked it up.
Leafing through the pages, she searched for a few moments before finding what she was looking for.
When she returned to the table, she sat down beside him and pointed triumphantly at a word in the book.
Outside.
He glowered at her, and she could almost hear him saying that going out was what had gotten them into trouble in the first place.
But Norah wasn’t about to be defeated. She flipped back a few pages. Then she held the book out, and when he looked at her again, she pointed to her desired words in order.
Weary.
Of.
Inside.
Go.
Out.
Phillip just huffed before looking back down at his map.
Norah rolled her eyes and groaned before going back to her pile and picking up another book. When she found it, he tried to ignore her, so she shoved it in his face and pointed almost violently at the next word.
Stupid.
The look he gave her was unimpressed. But when she started to flip through the pages yet again, he huffed and stood.
Then he strode over to another shelf and searched its contents.
A moment later, he returned with a book of his own.
After flipping through it for a moment, he stuck it in Norah’s face and pointed.
Brat.
Despite the tone of the word, Norah couldn’t help but grin. It was nearly as good as if he had spoken the word out loud.
An hour later, they were sitting on one of the sofas in the smaller library, a growing pile of books beside each. Lady Freya and Sir Oliver watched them with amusement from the other side of the room as Norah and Phillip had their first true conversation… in silence.
They talked that way long into the night. And though it was impossible to share complex thoughts in such a stilted manner, by nightfall, Norah had learned more about Phillip than she had since the beginning of her stay.
His favorite sport was horseback riding. He missed visiting the beach. His favorite fruit was apricots, and while he loved the color red, his favorite color on her was green.
This last thought made Norah blush every time she remembered it, and by the time Lady Freya insisted that everyone go to bed, Norah was flying higher than she had in years.
As the servant was helping her change into a nightdress, however, Norah had a startling thought that nearly chased away all the others.
For the first time since arriving, Norah realized that she felt at home.
And not only at home in a familiar sense, but in a way that she could happily continue in.
The kind of familiar where she could look forward to the next evening after their work was done, when they could share books and plan the next day, and then the next, and the day after that. Falling into such a life would be easy.
It would be sweet.
Because in a way that was nearly frightening in its sudden pulsing intensity, Norah realized that she wanted it. Not just because she wanted to break Phillip’s silence and heal him, but because she wanted him.
And after a lifetime of yearning to escape, that revelation was frightening indeed.