I also write with a quiet worry—that perhaps my previous letters have not reached you. I had hoped to hear from you by now. Still, Elias tells me you have met. I trust he did not frighten you too gravely. He is… difficult at times, I know. But he is good, in his own way.
Do you still play the piano?
I think often of you, and of the town, and of the way it must watch, waiting for some misstep, some hint of scandal. You must try to ignore it. I can only imagine the horrors they have made of my disappearance. I wish I could have told you myself but as you can imagine, the town is not safe for me. Not yet, anyways.
I am married now, can you believe it? Osiris—he is gentle, steadfast, kind beyond measure, and worries even more than you. We have a small farm, and we grow vegetables for the local children. You would delight in it here. The enclave is quiet, mostly. Only a few remain tethered to the old ways.
And still, I find myself missing you. Your worried ramblings, the way you fussed over everyimagined calamity—sometimes, in the quiet of the evening, I almost hear your voice again, sharp with propriety, soft with care.
I hope to hear from you soon, I will await your response.
Give Elias your letters, he will know where to take them.
With love,
Eleanor.
Dark spots blotched the parchment where her tears had fallen, running down her cheeks as she read the letter again. Elias was not spinning falsehoods. Eleanor truly was safe, and in that truth, a bitter relief coiled in her chest.
Penelope held the letter to her chest.
She was not alone.
10
ELIAS
Eleanor’s kitchen was a tangle of herbs and vegetables, the knife in her hand glinting sharply as she chopped. She glanced up at him, her eyes sharp and calculating.
“You’ve come for another letter,” she said, tone accusing, hands poised over the cutting board.
“I—” Elias began, and paused. How to explain? There was no simple reason he felt compelled to watch over Penelope’s fragile heart, no clean excuse to justify the hunger in his chest that stirred whenever her name passed through his mind. “I figured you wished to speak to your friend. Lest you do not care from her as much as you purport.”
Eleanor’s laugh was sharp, brittle. “And what makes you so eager to help now, hm? Have you grown sentimental, or have you decided to play the concerned suitor?” Her knife flicked dangerously near the edge of the table. “Stay away from her, Elias, or—”
“Or what?” he asked, voice low, a curl of amusement brushing his lips despite the tension. He leaned against the doorway, unbothered by the implied threat. “You would harmme with a kitchen knife? I should warn you, Eleanor, killing a vampire would require more than brittle metal.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t tempt me. She is sweet and innocent, Elias. Leave her be.”
“I do not tempt you,” he said softly. “I simply wish to be helpful.”
Eleanor scoffed, halting with knife mid-air, and then something brushed his leg.
The fox padded between them, tail flicking. She glanced down at the creature, then back at Elias. “And the fox?” she asked, suspicion knitting her brow.
Elias shrugged lightly. “It follows me. It is nothing more. I can’t seem to get rid of the little beasty.”
Something not unlike eagerness curled up his back. It had been a few days since Eleanor had written to Penelope. And, without a letter, she would have no reason to entertain him again.
“Leave Penelope be,” she echoed, doubt lacing her voice, as though she sensed that whatever he claimed, there was always more beneath the surface. “She is likely to be wed soon. Heavens knows her father has been busy making arrangements.”
“Married?”
Her eyes flicked to his before focusing on the vegetables again. “Yes,” she started, “all women are married off for coin like cattle. Only difference between Penelope and the other towns women is her standing. Which means she is offered grace for not yet being wed. Her father is likely contemplating suitors.”
There it was again—that same stone-like feeling settling in his gut. “I heard her father mention a name—Henry.”
“Henry was her friend, before he left and she went to finishing school. He comes from a prominent family and they got on fairly well as children. If her father intends to arrange their union, knowing Penelope, she is overwhelmedwith excitement. Penny has always wished to be married. Such a union would likely have her marking down the days on a calendar until the wedding.”
