13 - Edwina Travels

                                        

                                              
Travelling through Taroton in the middle of May was an astonishingly beautiful, if sometimes rainy, experience. Edwina had travelled with her family before any of the siblings had Debuted, but she'd never expected to be taking in such a frankly romantic scenic view with the man who claimed her heart. It was approximately a 320-kilometer trip and took usually a week of steady travel to cross, but with several pieces of fragile art along for the ride, it was taking two full weeks. Sometimes it felt like she could walk alongside the carriage just to enjoy the exercise. 
Instead, Edwina sat inside the carriage with Lord Daro, and tried not to be so tensely aware of his presence. It was so much easier to endure when she had the focus of learning and practice to help distract her. Lord Daro was ten years her senior, and although he was an artist he still filled space in the carriage in a masculine way. 
As they were travelling, both of them were dressed sensibly; Edwina's dress still cut in a younger style, so she felt almost doll-like. Her travel gowns were muslin for the heat, and sported the trendy VanDyke points such summer dresses called for, while also covering her from collarbone to ankle. And given her statuesque height, Edwina preferred to have the Briggs scarlet reserved for the edges and detailing, leaving the rest a simple white. One day she'd be able to wear the beautiful Event gowns she saw tailored at Abernathy's, but for now Edwina remained garbed in the modestly childlike styles. Though in the growing heat of summer, she doubted the heavy layers and fabrics would help all that much. Even Lord Daro had chosen lighter travel clothes, and she once again marvelled at how the gray of the Korolenko family suited him so well. His brown hair had a golden glint to it in the sun, a wave to the longer styling over his ears and at his forehead, and Edwina fantasized about running her fingers through it to see if it were as silky as it looked. 
And she could let none of it show, not how aware she was of him in a physical sense, nor how foolishly she wished he would view her as a woman. Instead, she should simply cherish the time she had left with him as her mentor, for the end of this trip would hopefully result in her gaining a Master to learn from. There was also a small probability of her being sent back as still lacking, which would be devastating in its own way, but would still let her keep Lord Daro in her life for another year. No matter what, Edwina would gain something and lose something in exchange for it. 
Though she suspected Lord Daro had grown tired of the burden being her mentor presented, why else would he have submitted her name to the university Masters for early enrollment? It'd been almost three years where his own artistry and development were put on hold so he could help hers, so Edwin wouldn't begrudge him a return to his freedom. 
Like her enduring love for him, Edwina wouldn't let her sorrow at his leaving show either. A struggle she hadn't anticipated but inflicted due to the endless proximity their tedious carriage ride provided. On the first day her excitement and nerves kept her too focused on the what ifs that were to come. Then the second day she was calmer, able to focus on Lord Daro's conversation as they discussed the Events they were going to miss while being away; Earl Wignell's surprise Event, Baron Holland's ballet, the Briggs' own Masquerade, the Dolivier archery Event, and the Polumenta Opera; which Edwina knew Lord Daro had to be lamenting because he loved music almost as much as he did art. All their detailed discussions of what the Social Events might be like took them all the way to the end of the first week. An entire day alone was spent trying to predict what Earl Wignell might Host, since he had neither Debutant nor Queen's edict on what to do. 
And although the now Earl Clayton Wignell was a close friend of her eldest brother, he wasn't someone Edwina had dealt with frequently. For one, he'd left on Tour three years ago, and for another; even at fifteen Edwina had been too focused on her art and magic to notice him. She had no actual clue what the Wignell Estate looked like, so her ideas for an Event were more based on popular trends. Lord Daro admitted to attending Lord Wignell's Debut Event but hadn't been back for a more personal visit since, so it could have greatly changed. He recalled a pond that Lord Wignell could work with but didn't know how to feature it in a Social Event. Given the lack of time to prepare, he ruled out more complicated productions and predicted he would likely host an auction; it'd cover an Event and help him clean out his Estate after his brother's passing.