Hypatia nodded, breathing mindfully, because if not she would stop, as he drew closer, until they were toe-to-toe, and she wanted to cry, and wanted to chain him here, but perhaps this was best for them all.
He says so, so I must trust him.
‘Safe travels, my lord,’ Henry said from behind her, and Thorn threw him a smile.
‘Remember, ye’re best off at the western bridges today,’ Langton added.
‘Thank you, I’ll remember that.’
‘Bye, lord!’ Niamh cried.
‘Goodbye, poppet.’
‘You’ll be missed, my lord,’ Mary said softly, and he bowed his head.
‘Until we meet again, my friend,’ Malek chimed in.
‘Well, there’s nothing for it,’ Thorn sighed after a long look at them all, and nod to Malek. ‘I must be going if I’m to get there at a decent hour, and enjoy the road. You all look after yourselves, and I’ll look forward to seeing you when I can.’ Another smile, sad, though Thorn tried to make it seem otherwise, and his gaze turned back to her. ‘Hypatia… Dash it.’
Sliding his arm around her waist as he had that first time, he pulled her in, and kissed her with as much passion and ceremony as the moment deserved, and she’d not known how to muster, while she clung to him, long as she could.
But all too soon, he broke the kiss, leaning his forehead on hers, his sad, dark grey eyes sparkless and heart-wrenching today.
‘Goodbye, Thorn,’ she breathed.
‘Goodbye, Hypatia.’
With that, he turned away, jaw clenched, shoulders tight, and threw himself up on his horse. Only then did he, and the rest of them notice the gathered band of workers a few paces away on the path to the farm, and she saw him fight as much emotion as she did, before he waved, and was off, trotting down the drive.
A mournful silence fell over them all as they stood there, watching him go, until there was nothing more to watch. Still, Hypatia remained, as the others left, hands gently falling on her shoulder, or upper arm in comfort.
‘We’re all fools,’ Henry said, startling her, having believed everyone long gone. ‘When it comes to love, at least. It’s a pity there’s so much written about it.’
‘Why so?’ she dared to ask, ever so quietly, still staring at the empty drive, bathed in light hazy pastels.
‘Gives us too many grand things to live up to. Like being noble, and selfless, and thinking what we feel can’t surely be it. Rather than just being swept away by something incredible.’
Hypatia nodded absent-mindedly, and heard Henry’s footsteps, along with the creak of the door.
The bloody broken door they’d fixed, and painted, so that it would be whole again.
Pink and lavender turned to orange and bright blue, as the sun rose, and so did the haze before her. There was so much to do, and she should be doing it, yet she couldn’t find the will to do it. This all felt too much. She’d known she would miss him, of course she would, especially given the abrupt nature of this departure, though she’d known one day he might, and of course she still felt too much, fromeverything, really—these past months, this leaving business, the future she’d dared to let herself imagine and was now not even in ruins, but in ashes, there, in the wake of Thorn’s trail on the drive which still needed repairs—and…
She was startled again, this time when a rather large object collided with her side, and by object, she meant snout.
‘That hurt, and will leave a mark, Truffél,’ she chided, looking down at the offending party.
She didn’t know where Lamb was, but she was glad she hadn’t been assaulted by the two of them. Truffél looked up at her forlornly, then down the drive, as if even he knew what had passed.
‘He’s gone,’ she told him. ‘I don’t know when and if he’ll be back, or if he’ll ever see you again. I hope he took the time to say goodbye, for if not that would be very poor form.’
Snort.Truffél looked back at her, then at the drive.
‘He’s gone, Truffél. Gone. Not coming back.’
Snort.Truffél repeated the exercise of looking up at her, then down the drive.
‘What? I’m not going after him. I have to trust him. He says it’s best.’
