01-04-2022, 09:14 PM
Gwen smiled prettily as he leaned down to kiss her hand in farewell. She felt a flush of heat in her cheeks, though that sort of reaction was baffling. Men had kissed her hand similarly yet she never blushed like this whenever they had done so. Why was Merrick so different?
When he agreed to stay, she turned away and hurried back into the castle. Then, as thought, she picked up her bright red skirts and ran for the staff quarters. In her bedroom, she found her wand on the table where she had dressed Lora. The paper was on the little table that was likely meant to be used for meals but she had been using to plan her lessons. As she had none of those brilliant, self-inking quills that Lady Ravenclaw possessed (though she really did want one!), she could write with her wand. Two less things to carry around with her (ink and the quill, obviously.) Tucking her wand up the sleeve of her dress, sliding in next to the small dirk she always carried and carrying the roll of parchment in the same hand, she had to move a bit slower on her return.
She'd had her hand kissed before! Why was she so nervous to go back then - go back and face him after blushing from a simple show of good manners? Maybe there was something wrong with her - a fever or something.
Even as she thought it, she knew that it was nonsense. The reaction was simply that a very handsome young man was paying her some attention and it was nice, after a year of being kept apart from society, to be paid attention to. Was it so wrong to want to be pretty and happy and have a very handsome young man paying court, even as just a friend? Yeah, just friends. Obviously men and women could be friends - the founders of Hogwarts were surely proof of that. No romantic feeling between any of them and they got on well enough to organize the school.
Yes, just friends.
Oh for goodness sake! This was ridiculous. She was an adult enough to admit that she wanted more than just friendship from him. Now whether she could admit it aloud? That was another matter.
"Here I am," she said cheerfully, returning to take his arm once more before heading down the path towards the gates. "Hard to believe I was so forgetful this morning. You won't tell anyone, will you?" She asked hopefully, not wanting to give her employers reasons to doubt her capabilities. It had been a mistake that she would not make again!
When he agreed to stay, she turned away and hurried back into the castle. Then, as thought, she picked up her bright red skirts and ran for the staff quarters. In her bedroom, she found her wand on the table where she had dressed Lora. The paper was on the little table that was likely meant to be used for meals but she had been using to plan her lessons. As she had none of those brilliant, self-inking quills that Lady Ravenclaw possessed (though she really did want one!), she could write with her wand. Two less things to carry around with her (ink and the quill, obviously.) Tucking her wand up the sleeve of her dress, sliding in next to the small dirk she always carried and carrying the roll of parchment in the same hand, she had to move a bit slower on her return.
She'd had her hand kissed before! Why was she so nervous to go back then - go back and face him after blushing from a simple show of good manners? Maybe there was something wrong with her - a fever or something.
Even as she thought it, she knew that it was nonsense. The reaction was simply that a very handsome young man was paying her some attention and it was nice, after a year of being kept apart from society, to be paid attention to. Was it so wrong to want to be pretty and happy and have a very handsome young man paying court, even as just a friend? Yeah, just friends. Obviously men and women could be friends - the founders of Hogwarts were surely proof of that. No romantic feeling between any of them and they got on well enough to organize the school.
Yes, just friends.
Oh for goodness sake! This was ridiculous. She was an adult enough to admit that she wanted more than just friendship from him. Now whether she could admit it aloud? That was another matter.
"Here I am," she said cheerfully, returning to take his arm once more before heading down the path towards the gates. "Hard to believe I was so forgetful this morning. You won't tell anyone, will you?" She asked hopefully, not wanting to give her employers reasons to doubt her capabilities. It had been a mistake that she would not make again!
