Page 19 of Curse of Immortality
Walking through the forest her thoughts kept wandering back to the couple until something else caught her attention.
Maeve’s gaze flew up to the sound of a soft melody. It would be easy to miss for anyone, but Maeve was a trained Earthen and knew the song of a healing rootling when she heard it. She stepped carefully on the ground, to keep her footsteps quiet so that she could hear the melody and track down the flower protecting the rootling. When she found the little purple flower, she knelt before it and thanked it. Gently humming the same melody back, she informed the flower that she meant no harm. She had only just dug the plant up and pulled the roots apart to get to the rootling when a voice startled her.
“Pardon.”
Maeve turned her head to see a man on a large stallion watching her. He was far enough gone that she could run, but with him having a horse, he could catch up to her in no time.
“Are you alright, miss?” he asked and moved closer.
Maeve quickly extracted the blue healing rootling from the roots of the flower and stuffed it into a pocket on the side of her skirt. Her heart was galloping in her chest, but as she rose to her feet and faced him, she tried to look as if talking to strangers was an everyday occurrence to her.
“I’m fine, sir,” she answered and mustered a polite smile while watching him with both fascination and trepidation.
He was handsome and confident in his movements as he got off his horse and made his way toward her. Taking in Maeve, he was struck by her innocence and loveliness. Her high cheekbones and full lips made her a classic beauty and her bright orange hair reminded him of shining gold. But the thing that fascinated him the most about this surprising jewel of a young woman was her pretty, large eyes, which added such softness to her.
Maeve herself was unaware of her beauty. Up until now, she hadn’t been close to a human since she was fourteen. And so, the only other girl she had to compare herself to growing up was Althea, who was also a natural beauty. “Are you lost?” the man asked.
“No. I’m just out for a walk.” Maeve shook her head with shyness. Bowing his head, the handsome man gave her a charming smile and introduced himself. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m James Lanchester.”
Maeve wasn’t used to the sensation of excitement making butterflies swirl in her stomach. She had often imagined what she would ask if she met a human again. She’d even rehearsed the conversation in her head. But being so close to James made her mouth go dry and it felt like she had forgotten how to respond.
“What is your name?” James asked.
“Maeve,” she answered softly as if trusting him with a precious gift that she should keep to herself.
His lips split into a smile that showed his teeth. “I should have known that such a beautiful girl would have a beautiful name.”
Maeve’s cheeks flushed red, and a shy smile spread on her face.
Tilting his head, James narrowed his eyes as he looked at Maeve’s dirty hands and the flower that had been dug out of the ground. His puzzled expression finally made the words she’d struggled to find fly out of her mouth. “I found it like this. Poor thing. I was just replanting it when you came along.” Maeve got down to her knees and looked up at James, who took the opportunity to get closer to her and squatted down next to her.
He didn’t think too much about Maeve’s strange behavior but assumed that she was well aware of who he was and like many other women, she was shy to be conversing with a man of his wealth and status.
Offering his help, James’s hand brushed against Maeve’s as they planted the flower. Their brief skin contact made her cheeks heat up and with each kind smile he gave her, she eased up a little more.
“Do you live in town?” Maeve asked James.
He stared at her, surprised she didn’t know. “No, I live up at the Felton Hill Estate.”
Tilting her head, Maeve asked. “Where is that?”
“Oh, it’s about two miles from here. It’s a manor, idyllic really, with a gorgeous park and the most breathtaking view of the ocean.”
“Is it your parents’ house?”
James chuckled before answering softly. “It was but when my father passed away some years ago, I inherited his title and took over the management of the estate, as well as the responsibility for my mother and two younger brothers.”
Tilting her head to one side, Maeve watched James and asked. “Do you have children?”
His tone turned a bit playful as he gave a charming smile. “Not yet. But I do intend to marry and have a family if I can find the perfect woman.”
Maeve asked many questions. Most he found strange and obvious. But that was because James didn’t understand how little she knew about humans. Maeve made him laugh several times with her naïve questions, but it only made him like her more.
When a crow flew over their heads and cawed, Maeve feared her aunt was looking for her. “I’m sorry, I must be heading home.”
“Please allow me to escort you?” he offered and got to his feet.
Maeve hesitated for no more than a second before she took his outstretched hand and let him help her up from the ground. “No thank you. It’s quite far away, and my aunt and sister don’t like company.”
