With his sleeves already rolled up, Alvery sat waiting at the same Cups and Cakes, the very same cafe that Eliza had cussed out the summer tourists nearly a fortnight ago. He’d already ordered himself a cup of coffee that he had drunk mindlessly until he reached the bottom, his thoughts stirring to life as his hands grew idle and his energy unspent.

Oh, how he had missed the luxury of free time while enjoying bean brew…

He barely succeeded in defeating the urge to order another cup of coffee and take it over to The Bookworm’s Kitchen to sit amongst the quiet books and enjoy himself properly.

I just need to find out where Georgie went after the term wrapped up. A year from now– no, maybe even sooner, I will be able to drink coffee and live amongst books again, and once all the necessary paperwork is processed… then I can do it for as long as I please.

“Sorry to keep you waiting!”

Alvery had been mindlessly rubbing his thumb across the porcelain cup in his hand, when Fiona’s voice made him turn to look over to his right.

He blinked, completely caught off guard.

The previous times he had seen the young woman, Fiona had worn simple summery skirts and blouses; her look tending toward a clean and efficient image.

However, for their date, she wore a rich, deep purple skirt, a half sized cream colored corset, and a silk white blouse that was tugged down her shoulders. A style choice Alvery was relatively certain her mother had not had any say in.

With her brown hair piled atop her head, she had made herself seem both more relaxed and mature.

Alvery felt guilt twist in his gut. She had obviously put effort into looking nice for their date, and he was only there to get information.

“I haven’t been waiting long.” He finally remembered to respond while standing from his seat and moving over to pull out her chair for her.

The move brought a blush to her cheeks. “Well, aren't you galant.”

Barely fighting off a wince, Alvery returned to his own seat.

“Have you tried the banana bread here? It’s to die for– oh. Wait. You live here… You’ve probably tried everything already,” Fiona gently tapped her forehead with her hand as though knocking sense back into herself.

“It’s fine. I actually haven’t tried it. I don’t get out much,” Alvery replied awkwardly.

Fiona nodded in understanding. “So what is it you teach?”

Dropping his gaze to his empty coffee mug, Alvery reached for the lie he had prepared in advance for the meeting as a fluffy bumble bee hovered over the white flowers that hung off the wrought iron fence to his left. “I teach history of religion.”

A humanities subject. A subject he had only ever been interested in when he related to the anthropological aspects of learning…

“Oh,” Fiona smiled politely, but Alvery could tell she was disappointed. “Given that you knew about Professors Billings and Vale, I thought you would’ve been in the sciences.”

“It’s important to be well rounded with your interests,” Alvery gave a half sincere shrug.

The pair were then interrupted by the arrival of the cafe owner, Louise Orville.

“Another coffee for you, Mr. Robin?” she asked with a stunning smile. The woman was in her seventies, and yet her beauty was timeless. Even Alvery when he’d peer into her warm brown eyes would feel his cheeks grow warm.

“Yes, please, and… what would you like?” he addressed Fiona.

“Ah, two slices of your banana loaf please, and a cup of tea with cream.”

Louise smiled and turned to make her way back into her cafe that had fallen into a peaceful quiet as many of the tourists in the town had gone to visit the small lake that lay an hour’s horse ride to the northeast.

Given that the body of water fell closer to the viscount of the domain’s personal estate, there were set days that the general public were permitted to attend, and today was one of such days.

This suited Alvery perfectly, as he didn’t want a plethora of prying eyes watching him with Fiona.

“Odd that you take cream with your tea,” he noted conversationally.

“I know. It’s how my father takes it, and I guess that’s just how I got used to drinking it myself.”

“Makes sense.”

The conversation died.

“What was your favorite thing about Professor Vale’s class?” Alvery hoped he sounded cavalier.

Luckily, the topic was one that brought a smile to Fiona’s face.

“Oh, Diolla… It’s hard to say! When she explained about the properties of the metals used in swords through the ages was probably the best lecture. Ranging from iron, to bronze, to steel, she brought a sword made of each of them, then had anyone who volunteered to come up and duel with her,” Fiona explained excitedly.

Alvery smiled.

That definitely sounded like Georgie.

“I wonder what kind of upbringing she had. It’s not every day you meet a woman professor who knows how to wield swords,” Alvery baited.

“Oh, she’s the daughter of a baron. I think his domain is northwest of here along the coast… Somewhere near Esteva?”

“Her father’s a baron and she wasn’t disowned?” Alvery feigned surprise. He already knew this about his friend, but he was relieved to at the very least confirm where her family originated. It meant that she was somewhere nearby for the holidays…

“Professor Vale mentioned that they’re on tenuous terms. Though her father still purchased her a summer home outside of Esteva to keep her close but not too close… I think she said it was in Bronting? Bronting or Torth. Anyway, she says she couldn’t have asked for a better outcome. She has her own home, her dream job, and enough scandal surrounding her to ward off her mother and high society.” Fiona sighed wistfully, unaware that Alvery’s heart was hammering excitedly as he learned precisely what he had set out to discover during the date.

“I wish I was as strong as she is.” FIona’s concluding thought however, distracted Alvery.

“You’re already stronger than she was at your age.”

Fiona raised an eyebrow, and Alvery realized in his haste to try and make the young woman feel better, he was on the cusp of betraying the fact that he was a horrible liar, and was actually close friends with Georgia Vale. It was thanks to the excitement over narrowing down where she was staying for the summer season… Damn.

Alvery scrambled to explain himself. “I-I mean… wasn’t she hiding her entire identity for years like you said? People hide when you lack strength, and you don’t seem like you are hiding.”

Understanding flooded Fiona’s face as she then realized he’d complimented her. She smiled.

“If you… Um… If you don’t mind my asking… How old are you?”

Alvery hadn’t been expecting that question.

“I turn thirty-two in the autumn.”

Kir! I hadn’t meant to tell her anything true. Why do I struggle so much with lying?!

“Diolla, I thought you were still in your twenties!” Fiona reacted with a laugh.

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Alvery gave a closed lip smile in response and averted his eyes.

“I’m twenty… Or I will be in two more Diolla’s moons,” she explained bashfully.

Alvery felt even more uncomfortable hearing that.

He knew it was not uncommon for men his age to marry younger women, but he’d always found such age gaps had alarming maturity differences.

“Do you have any plans for your birthday?” he heard himself ask as Louise returned with Fiona’s tea and the two slices of banana bread on small white porcelain plates.

They both nodded their thanks.

“Oh, I’m hoping for a lemon cake and a book haul that’ll put Scarlem’s library to shame,” Fiona recanted while plucking up her fork to start partaking in the dessert in front of her.

“A worthwhile birthday plan,” Alvery nodded approvingly while taking his first bite of food. “You weren’t kidding, this is fantastic banana bread.”

Fiona bobbed her head, but refused to delay eating for a lone breath to respond.

With her attention captured elsewhere, she missed Alvery’s genuine apologetic smile as he then continued eating his own food.

She was a kind and bright young woman that he had only spent time with to glean information. He felt bad, but… now that he knew where Georgie was staying, his time in Aniselle was coming to a definite end.

***

Alvery drained the water in his cup gratefully, and could taste the salt from his upper lip as he did so, but didn’t care.

The afternoon walk back to the farm had been horribly hot and had made Alvery regret drinking two cups of hot coffee.

Even Eugene had said by mid afternoon there was no use killing themselves. The corn was coming up nicely, and they had received the perfect amount of rain thus far in the season.

Eugene and Eliza sat in their rocking chairs in the blissful shade of the front of their house with a bottle of strawberry wine and chilled tea sat between the couple. Eliza had a small floral paper fan she waved in front of her flushed cheeks, making a loose wisp of her strawberry blond hair that was tinged with gray flutter about her face.

Alvery had taken one of the chairs out of the kitchen and had joined them, as the interior of the house baked thanks to their dinner simmering on the stove.

“You know, Alvery, dear, there is a river in the woods you can cool off in. Eugene and I used to go there all the time, but with the rocks and Eugene’s hip being as poor as it is, it isn’t the safest for us. Why don’t you refresh yourself?”

Letting out a thoughtful breath, Alvery teetered on refusing. He was not feeling all that motivated to do even more walking, but he’d had a small glass of strawberry wine, and his pants were feeling itchy thanks to his sweaty legs.

There was also another small matter…

He looked at Eliza and Eugene.

Eugene had his eyes closed and his arms crossed, and even though Alvery had assumed several times that the man was fast asleep, he could always answer any question directed to him, and followed any conversation the rose up between Alvery and his wife.

Eliza, rocked a little more avidly than her husband, but she had a peaceful smile on her face as she surveyed the land and sipped her wine…

The life they led and the hospitality they had shared with Alvery had given him a measure of peace he had never known before.

He had known from a young age, that by himself, surrounded by books and maybe with a tasty treat, or cup of coffee or tea, he could find happiness and contentment.

With Eliza and Eugene though?

He had found what it felt like to live with good people. Loving people…

He felt emotion start to seize his throat and it both alarmed and unnerved him, and so he rose to his feet with a stretch.

“If you don’t mind, it doesn’t sound like a terrible idea to maybe smell a bit better,.”

Eugene snorted while keeping his eyes closed. “Finally noticed that did you?”

Eliza gently smacked her husband’s chest. “Don’t listen to him, dear. He’s joking.”

“If you want to keep the pretense of being nice that’s up to you, but I rather like not having a man that reeks like onions hanging around.”

Alvery gave a half smile in Eugene’s direction as his wife scowled.

He had grown used to the occasional barb’s from the farmer. It usually meant he was in a good mood as opposed to when he was quiet and grunting.

“I’ll go rinse off then, so that Eliza only has to put up with the smell of cud then.”

“Oh, the two of you!” she huffed, but Alvery saw the smile on her face as she began rocking back and forth more quickly.

Bobbing his head to the couple, the younger man turned his woods toward the trees where Eliza had gestured the river to be earlier.

“Just keep walking straight through the trees, and when you reach the high edge of the bank, follow the hill down. Like I said, there are a few rocks you’ll have to climb over, but it will go up to a man’s waist out there.” Eugene called out as though reading Alvery’s mind as he had begun to look over his shoulder to ask if there was any particular direction he should be taking to find the river.

Eugene cracked open an eye and squinted up at Alvery who gave a single jerk of his chin to signify he’d heard him just fine. “Don’t be late for dinner,” the farmer added, closing his eyes again.

Alvery smiled at Eliza. “Wouldn’t dream of it. I’ll be back soon.”

Then, setting off, the younger man made his way around the house toward the line of lush green trees that barely rustled in the flat heat of the day.

Despite the heat, Alvery found himself grateful for the walk.

He had already crafted his new plan to leave Aniselle and get to Bronting, and even if Georgia wasn’t in Bronting and instead was in Torth? The two towns were only an hour and a half horse ride apart.

This meant that in seven days, after he purchased some supplies for his journey, and maybe at the very least helped Eugene finish fertilizing the crops, and perhaps helped Eliza clean the house for the next Diolla’s moon…

Alvery’s pace slowed to a near stop.

It was hard to leave one of the few places he felt wanted, and useful.

He felt his shoulders sag forward.

I’m a danger to them. I need to leave and deal with my problems… I did not think this town would grow on me so much.

Resuming his former walking speed, Alvery’s mind idly rifled through his experiences since arriving in Aniselle, and found that at the very least, he understood why people returned every summer to the town that had made him feel human again for the first time in a long time.

The only issue with such a wondrous thing being he couldn’t afford to settle down and enjoy his life again.

Not yet.

Steeling his resolve once more, Alvery stared at the treeline that drew closer as he moved.

He pushed himself to think about his work, his journey, and his plans…

Though every now and then when his focus dulled, he thought about the Cremont’s, Aniselle, and oddly enough, Tiaznia, and he found himself wavering more than he would’ve liked.