Iliana made supper, anxiously checking the clock repeatedly. How long did it take to unhook Kestral from the carriage and put her away in a stall? Iliana didn’t know, but she wished she did so that if he was taking longer, she could keep the hot food hot until he returned. There was a knock at the door just as she was putting three plates on the table. Rose jumped up surprisingly fast, put her knitting away, then went to answer the door.

“Come in, come in,” she said, ushering Dray inside. “You can put your coat on the rack.”

“Thanks for inviting me,” he said. Rose ushered him into the kitchen and had him sit at the table. Dray inhaled deeply and smiled at Iliana, who was just placing a pot of soup onto the table. “It smells divine.”

During the meal Rose asked Dray all about himself, and Iliana listened carefully to the answers he gave. She hadn’t had the courage to ask him anything during their rides together, and she was grateful that her mother had no qualms about being a bit nosy.

“Are you just visiting Abelton then?”

“I’m not sure yet. I came for work, but the city is growing on me.” Dray glanced at Iliana as he said this.

“It is a beautiful little place, isn’t it?”

“Indeed.”

“What do you do for work?”

“I’ve been hired to provide entertainment for the upcoming ball at the Summer Palace.” Iliana remembered Madame Yuri mentioning him being hired for the ball. 

“Oh? What kind of entertainment?”

“It’s a magic show, but a bit more extravagant.”

“You’re a magician?” Iliana asked.

“Of sorts,” Dray replied modestly.

“I don’t suppose you’d honor us with a demonstration?”

“I’m deeply sorry, but I am under strict obligation to only perform at the ball. You see, the more times you perform a trick, the greater the chance that someone will find out how you do it. And a performer is nothing without his secrets.”

“Perhaps after the ball then," Rose suggested. "I promise not to scrutinize you too much.”

“Perhaps. I am wondering how it would work for a smaller audience though. I’m used to performing for quite a large crowd.”

“I have no doubt you could come up with something." There was pause in conversation as they all took another bite of food, but Rose wasn't quite done getting more information. "Do you have any family?”

“No. I’ve been on my own for quite a while, actually.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Rose said, glancing at Iliana. Iliana knew exactly who her mother was thinking of. Peter, and his little family they had yet to meet. Iliana often wondered if her brother was lonely or if his family provided all the company he needed.

“It’s alright," Dray said with a smile. "I am very grateful for the home cooked meal. I haven’t had anything so delicious in years!”

“Iliana made everything today,” Rose said, shifting the focus to her daughter.

“But everything I made is from your recipes, Mother,” Iliana pointed out.

“Stop being so modest, Iliana. You’re a wonderful cook.”

“I have to agree with Rose, you’re very talented,” Dray affirmed.

“Thank you,” Iliana said with a blush.

After supper Dray helped Iliana wash all of the dishes, and then he announced that it was time for him to leave.

“Thank you for sharing a meal with us, Dray,” Rose said, clasping his hand. “It was lovely meeting you, and I hope I’ll be seeing more of you.”

“Thank you for inviting me! I had a lovely time, and I would be delighted to share a meal with you again sometime.” Dray bent down and kissed the top of Roses hand, then Iliana walked him to the door. After putting on his coat, Dray also took Iliana’s hand, and planted a soft kiss on it before straightening and gazing into her eyes.

“I won’t be seeing you tomorrow, but I hope you will allow me to escort you again on Monday.”

“Oh... yes, I’d like that.”

Dray grinned, then bounced down the steps and strolled down the sidewalk amidst the glow of the lit lamps along the streets of Abelton. Iliana closed the door, then rubbed her hand where his lips brushed her skin. Is this for real?

The next day felt strangely empty for Iliana. Somehow she’d become so used to seeing Dray in such a short time. Sundays were the quietest of all the days of the week in their household. This Sunday Rose and Iliana went to the little church down the road to hear a rather dry sermon on sin and redemption, then they returned home and did some sewing or knitting, and they both took naps in the afternoon. Iliana was a bit more tired than usual, probably from being scared awake by those nightmares, but her nap was uninterrupted and she felt extremely well-rested when she woke up. The hours seemed to drag on until it was time for bed, and Iliana was more than ready to go to sleep, so she could wake up and see Dray in the morning.

That night she didn’t have a nightmare again, only woke up with a vague memory of the Dray-but-not Dray person’s face, and again did not feel very afraid… only uneasy.

Hmm… perhaps I was too hasty… this girl could prove to be useful to me…

Over the next couple of weeks Dray continued to give her rides to and from the meadow, and he continued to give her a single Blue Jewel every day at the shop and on Saturdays. The shop became busier and busier as the ball drew closer, and Iliana found it harder and harder to find the time to work on the large arrangement that Madame Suri had assigned her to make.

But Iliana found a rhythm, with the help of Celsey, who took over the register duties in the morning. Iliana made sure that she was on the register still in the afternoon for Dray’s visits.

One morning when Iliana woke up surprisingly early, a fuzzy image of the twisted face in her mind, she decided to count all the dried up flowers on her nightstand. She was amazed when she counted twenty flowers.

Has it really been that long since that first day?

Actually, it was even longer, because she didn’t get a flower on Sundays. When she added those, it came to twenty-three days, plus the day ahead of her, since she had first met him. Dray had become such a permanent feature in her life in such a short time, she couldn’t imagine a time when he wouldn’t be there anymore.

That morning when they were walking in the meadow, Iliana brought it up to him. She secretly wanted to know if she was as important to him now as he was to her.

“You know what?”

“What?” he asked, glancing over at her as he swung her flower basket in time with his steps.

“We’ve known each other for twenty-four days, but it feels like I’ve known you forever.”

“Twenty-four?” Dray asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I counted the flowers you gave me.”

“You kept them?”

“Yes. They’re in a pile on my nightstand, and I counted them this morning.” Iliana couldn’t believe she was telling him this with a straight face. Had she ever talked to someone like this before? She didn’t think so.

"Well, I hope to be able to give you many more flowers, Iliana." She ducked her head as her cheeks blushed again.

At the shop business was booming. People came wanting corsages with shiny ribbons, accents to go on top of overly-large hats, boutonnieres to match a specifically colored cloth, the list went on and on. The bell on the door continually rang with customers coming and going. The ball at the Summer Palace was happening that Saturday, and the shop had work up to its rafters with the attending guests claiming their discounts. It was busy all day long, and Iliana didn’t have any time to work on the special order.

Iliana looked at the clock and realized it was past the time that Dray usually came. He was either late, or he was somewhere in the long line for the register. But she couldn’t worry about that right now. People were shoving bouquets and money into her hands. She had barely enough time to say, “Please come again,” before the next person would shove their way to the front. The other girls were running around helping the customers as best they could. It was a madhouse!

A new bouquet was put into her hands and she glanced down at it to determine how much the customer should pay, then stopped. It was the bouquet that Dray always made, the perfect replica of the meadow that always made her catch her breath. Iliana looked up and there he was, deep blue eyes, smiling. He handed her some money and a deep red envelope.

“You can keep the flowers,” he said. Then he turned around and disappeared into the crowd.

“Dray,” Iliana called after him, but it was too late. She caught a glimpse of Kestral and the carriage through the window as they went by. Putting the flowers and the envelope on a shelf behind the counter, she went back to work. Finally, the crowd thinned and the store closed. Celsey helped Iliana sweep up all the fallen petals that littered the floor. When they left the store Iliana tried to hide the bouquet and the envelope in her basket, but Celsey saw them anyway.

“What are those?” Celsey asked.

“Dray gave me a whole bouquet today,” Iliana explained. “And a card.”

“Ooooo, what does it say?”

“I don’t know.”

“You haven’t opened it?” Celsey asked incredulously.

“No…” Iliana had been afraid to. What if it said he loved her and asked her to marry him? Or worse, that he was going away?

No, it can’t be either of those things. He would have told me in person if it was something like that. But then what could it be? She fingered the red flap of the envelope. Should she open it now and get it over with? But then Celsey would be there to see her reaction. I could open it at home and tell Celsey tomorrow morning. Yes, that seems like a good idea.

“I’ll tell you what it says tomorrow,” Iliana said when they got to Celsey’s house.

“You better,” her friend huffed, obviously not elated at the prospect of practicing her patience. “If you don’t you’ll owe me three.”

When Iliana got home she ran up to her room to hide the bouquet and the card. If her mother knew she probably wouldn’t pressure her into opening it, but still, Iliana didn’t want another person waiting for an explanation. As a last minute thought she took the Blue Jewel from the center of the bouquet and stuck it behind her ear. Then she went downstairs to supper.

“It was very busy today at the shop,” Iliana said as she ate.

“Probably because of the ball,” Rose commented.

“Yes. It’s crazy, but even with all of the discounts we’re giving we’re making a ton of money. Getting that sponsorship from the ball has been great for business.”

“Wouldn’t that be fun, to go to a ball,” her mother said wistfully. Iliana remembered that her mother had met Ralf, Iliana’s father, at a ball. The story of their meeting was one she’d heard many times. Rose sighed. “But you would need an invitation to go, and only well-to-dos get those now-a-days.” They ate in silence, then they went to bed. Iliana eyed the red envelope that she had left on the nightstand beside the pile of wilted Blue Jewels.

What could it be?