Darius looked between the girl and Serena, he was looking for some sort of explanation. He took an unsure step forward as though he had not quite heard what Clara said. His mouth hung open and then he scoffed, he was still astonished. He stuck his hands into his pockets.
"Married?" He finally said, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.
The young girl licked her lips and then she picked at her hands, she looked away from Serena and looked at the sky as though the clouds would give an answer to Darius and not her.
"Er," Clara hummed. "You are getting married, aren’t you?"
Darius looked at the girl with an incredulous expression. Marriage had been something that had always been far from his mind. There was no version of himself that he imagined that got married. Life had always seemed bleak in that area. Even getting married to Serena was something like a dream.
No, it sounded like paradise. His eyes met hers and he could see the same confused shock in her green eyes as well. What had possessed this little girl to say such in his presence and what had possessed his mind to consider the idea?
Darius folded his lips and looked at the trees, he felt so awkward in his body, a rare occurrence.
"No, we are not," Serena said. The words came out more defensive than she intended.
The woman cringed inward, she wondered how she looked when Darius was talking to her. It must have seemed so intimate to the girl that she had no other conclusion than the pair were getting married. Her gaze lowered and she could feel the heat that crept on her neck.
She ruffled Clara’s hair gently, giving herself something to do. Darius had gone still again, as if her words had turned him to stone.
Serena bit the inside of her cheek and exhaled through her nose. "Are we going to be invited inside?" she said, loud enough to stir the girl from her awkward daze.
It was like a springboard was activated, Clara nearly jumped from where she stood. She looked at Darius and then Serena. "Yes, sorry, erm, welcome," the little girl rambled.
Serena chuckled and she turned to Darius, who had finally faced forward and cleared his throat. The man lagged slightly behind Serena and they walked into the house.
Darius had to bend slightly to get past the door, once in he was hit with the strong smell of cinnamon.The house was modest, and that was being generous. An old cushion slouched in the corner, its fabric thinned to threads. It looked like it could barely seat two people. A lone wooden chair stood a little ways off, initials carved into the arm in a child’s uncertain hand.
Past the makeshift sitting area was a narrow bed with slanted legs and a rotting desk nearby, its surface warped from years of use. Darius’s eyes wandered across the small space. A few faded paintings clung to the wall, one of a young couple with a baby, the edges curled with time. Beside it hung another: an elderly man and a child, Clara, no older than six, smiling with two missing teeth and smudged cheeks.
The house groaned with every gust of wind, as though it was begging for its release. The house was what his father would have called an organised mess. There were threadbare clothes hanging every which way but what caught Darius’ attention were the splinters of wood lying haphazardly.
"Sorry, I was not aware I would get visitors today," Clara said in a small voice, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her tunic.
In a blink, she vanished through a narrow door Darius hadn’t noticed before. When she reappeared, she held a broom, clearly handmade, its handle slightly warped and the bristles uneven but tightly bound. Darius stepped aside, his boots brushing dust, while she wordlessly began to sweep the splinters.
The sound of the bristles scratching against the wooden floor filled the room. It echoed in Serena’s ears, she could take it no longer.
"Enough of that," Serena said, bending forward and gently snatching the broom from Clara’s small hands. "Just sit and I will do it for you."
The girl opened her mouth to protest but promptly jammed it shut when Serena shot her a stern look. "Okay," she said in a small voice.
Serena went above and beyond and swept every nook and cranny and put it all outside. She huffed and found the door where Clara had gotten out from.
"There," Serena said once she reappeared. "I got your letter quickly."
The blonde woman took in the scene, Darius had perched on the side of the couch and Clara looked awkward in the cushion. Serena figured that Darius had made her sit in the chair and he opted to stay off to the side, so as to make the girl comfortable.
"You did?" Clara said, her eyes lit up. "Of course, you did. Else how would you have known where I lived? I did not tell you where I lived during your speech."
Serena laughed and shook her head, she crossed the small living room and patted Clara’s head. "I brought things for you."
Clara looked at her with an open mouth and she gasped. "Really?" Thɪs chapter is updated by novel⚑fire.net
Serena pushed the leather satchel and she dug into the bag and pulled out the silver hair pin that she had specially chosen for Clara. Next came the doll, Serena nearly winced when she brought out the inanimate object from her bag. She had used the candlelight to put it together. It would not take long for the women who were taking care of her to soon notice the torn bedsheets and a missing pillow.
A bit of the inner linen of a black dress that Livia had made for her was used as the doll’s hair, in an attempt to mimic Clara’s own hair.
Serena half thought that Clara’s eyes would have popped out from her head, she nearly laughed from the way that she leaned closer.
"These are for you," Serena said, handing the gifts to the girl.
She noticed the little tremors in her hands, and then she clenched the doll and then the hair pin. Serena noticed the way her eyes shone from unshed tears.
"Thank you," Clara murmured.