“Say thank you to Sir Caleb, Jane. And then go put them in a vase somewhere.” Elinor tried not to laugh.
“Yes, Miss Elinor. All right. I will.” She turned to Caleb. “And thank you, sir. Ever so thoughtful of you, this is.”
“My pleasure, Miss Jane.” He held the door open as she hurried through, leaving a few petals and a strong scent of roses behind her.”
For a few seconds, the only sound in the room was Carrádog panting.
“Hallo, Caleb.”
“Hallo, Elinor.”
“We should probably talk…”
“Yes, I think we should.”
“Wuff”, Carrádog agreed.
Chapter Nine
She looked well, he was happy to observe as they strolled in the garden.
In fact, she looked better than just well, she was smiling at him with warmth. He hoped it was perhaps a little more than mere delight at receiving a visitor.
“I’m glad to see you on your feet, Elinor. You scared the devil out of me, really you did.”
She sighed at his gentle scold. “I scared myself as well.” They walked slowly over soft green grass. “Nothing like that has ever happened to me before.”
“Did you see something? Feel anything? D’you have any idea at all what made you faint?”
Hesitating a little, she frowned. “I…I don’t know…”
Carrádog nudged her with his nose, almost herding her toward a bench that had been arranged beneath a large oak tree. The shade it offered would be most welcome on a hot summer day, Caleb realised, and it was the perfect place for them to sit and talk without a chance of being overheard.
“Clever boy,” she patted his head as he walked beside her. “Yes, we’ll sit here, and you can run if you wish.”
“He’s missed you,” observed Caleb. “Most distressed he was, checking the hallway every hour to see if by chance you had arrived when he wasn’t looking.”
“He is so sweet,” she answered.
“I will confess that there were times I accompanied him to the hall,” he sighed.
“Caleb, I’m so sorry…”
“Hush, it wasn’t your fault.” He gazed at the house for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts. “What happened, Elinor? Please, if you can, tell me what happened?”
He casually rested his arm along the back of the bench, and she leant back against it, appreciating the comfort it brought her.
“I’ve been trying to remember,” she said. “I was in your library, we were talking, and I remember finding what looked like a truly ancient book, aged and well used. It was quite large…do you know the one I mean?”
He shook his head. “No, I can’t place it. And I thoroughly investigated that entire area after your experience to make sure you hadn’t tripped over anything.”
“How strange,” she frowned. “Anyway, I picked up this volume, and it was lighter than I expected…and…”
“And what, my dear?”
She turned to face him. “Caleb, it was glowing. Glowing in my hands as I held it.” She shivered a little. “I swear I saw a golden kind of aura surrounding it. And then I felt Carrádog’s nose touch my hand…and everything went dark.”
“Hmm.” He pulled her a little closer, keeping his arm around her shoulder. “I find myself at a bit of a loss, Elinor. Since there is no evidence to support what you’re telling me, nothing we can examine together, I don’t quite know what to say.”
