Chapter 9: Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

The next morning brought good news for Augustus: Sarah's mother had sent word they'd be on holiday for the rest of March. This could be a chance to pursue Will, but he was still nervous and didn't really have any kind of plan. It wasn't easy like with Claire; Will might be uncomfortable if he tried actually flirting, so how could he express his feelings covertly?

"She'll be gone for some time." he mentioned to Will as they lounged in the Solarium that afternoon. The sun

had finally appeared from behind the thick gray clouds, and he felt the warmth radiate through the room.

"Will you miss her?" he asked, slowly touching the delicate fringe that lined the chaise lounge.

"I..." Will thought as his brow furrowed, uncertain as to why Augustus wanted to know. "I don't know her well enough to miss her yet."

Augustus nodded. He had a lot to think about. Will probably wasn't attracted to Sarah, and even if that never changed, he may very well go along with his parents' plans regardless of his real feelings. So Augustus had to act fast, before his parents made up his mind for him. How could he pursue Will? He didn't want to make him uncomfortable, but he was downright enamored with him at this point.

Augustus was never one to hide his feelings, but this was different, this was extremely unusual--it made no sense that he liked a boy. But he had been mulling it over for a few days and realised he honestly didn't care if he liked a boy or a girl; he wanted someone who had a personality that fit his.

He said nothing and looked on as Will returned to the new book he was reading. His long hair fell over his face and caught in the sunlight, bright blonde with his pretty brown eyes shifting across the page.

Augustus frowned. Flirting would be an obvious start, but it felt so much harder than flirting with Claire.

Girls expected it from him; Will certainly wouldn't.

How do you flirt with a boy anyway? he thought.

Maybe a compliment would work; people like being complimented. It was innocuous.

So as Will dressed the next morning, Augustus approached him, chest strained with anxiety.

"Is...that a new vest?" he asked, as Will pulled on a dark green vest.

"Um, yes. I ordered it last week." he replied, too nervous to look back at Augustus. He stared down at the gold buttons as he fastened them.

"Well, I like it. The colour looks...nice on you." he smiled, but was internally panicking.

"Thank you." Will replied, still too shy to look at him. Wait...was Augustus just being nice, or did it mean something more? His eyelids fluttered up, but unfortunately, he'd turned to leave.

As Augustus walked off, his mind was reeling. He didn't even know if that worked! He was too nervous to see how Will might react. He wished he could just skip all the insecurity and go straight for an actual relationship. A newfound fear of rejection was holding him back.

He eventually came to the conclusion that he'd wait until he saw a sign that Will was interested. Then he'd pursue him. And if Will never showed interest, he'd leave it alone. He couldn't bear to make a move without a guarantee.

~*~

That night, Sarah looked out her window and paid no mind to the gentle rain that was swirling outside. She was almost done packing for her birthday trip!

For her sixteenth birthday, she and her parents were spending the rest of March in Italy.

Her eyes scanned the layers of clothes on her bed, and she neatly laid her favourite new dress in her trunk, and she rummaged through her smaller items again: double-checking her jewellery was all accounted for and her sketchbook with all her new pencils. Now satisfied, she locked it up and set it by her wardrobe.

The next morning, they left. She was excited. At last, she could escape the dreary English weather. The next time she'd be home, she would be sixteen. The future laid before her, full of potential!

The next morning she exited the house and felt ready for a change of scenery. The sky was still grey and she still had to wear her good winter cloak to keep warm, a heavy velvet in dark green. But she imagined Italy to be sunny and clear. She looked back as the carriage pulled away from her home and watched it fade into the distance. She'd never traveled abroad before and Italy was the perfect change she wanted.

It took a few days to arrive at the English coast and they spent another four to sail from England and trek through France and the upper portion of Italy to reach Naples.

As Sarah and her parents arrived at the Villa they'd rented for their trip, she was almost overwhelmed by the beauty around her.

"This is brilliant!" she marveled as they walked in. The sandstone Villa had two stories and a row of crocuses lining the front walkway.

The first thing she noticed in the lower floor was the courtyard: a large, open space in the center of the room, letting in the afternoon sunlight from high above. There was a garden surrounded by couches to lounge on.

She could hear gulls on the sea, and a light breeze fluttered through long, white curtains on the open windows. The mosaic tile made a light click with each step of her pink shoes.

They headed upstairs and opened the door to the large bedroom which had two beds with soft white linens.

One bed was near a window seat with a satin cushion. The bedside table held an empty vase, candles and a small card with her name on it. A rectangular mirror glimmered on the opposite wall, with a gold border. The walls were white, with gauzy dark blue tapestries.

"What's all this?" She asked, grinning curiously.

"Well, we thought that you would enjoy getting a good view if you wanted to draw. There's a window seat and you can even see right down to the market on the bay. Isn't it lovely?!" Her mother gushed.

"I adore it! Thank you so much!" She bounded over to her parents and hugged both of them gratefully.

~*~

Two days later, she had an afternoon of free time before their evening cruise. She sat in her window seat with her sketchbook in hand, drawing the view of the bay, with the sunlight sparkling above it.

In the far corner of the Market she saw a boy selling flowers, and he reminded her of James. She set down her book for the moment and left to go buy from him. Although they weren't together, she missed James.

The bright Italian sunlight burst forth, illuminating the market, bustling with activity. Sarah smelled the spray of salt on the sea, heard the laughter of small children as they dashed about, weaving between the stands. She finally reached the small flower stand the cute boy had been working at.

"Boun giorno," he greeted with a smile, holding a bunch of violets.

"Boun giorno,," she replied, then paused, too nervous to remember the Italian she'd been practicing. She was so distracted! The boy had olive skin, dark brown hair and alluring hazel eyes.

"Parli inglese?" she asked, hoping he was able to speak to her easily.

He smiled good-naturedly. "A little. My English some good, some not."

"My Italian isn't good. I keep thinking French." she hoped that was easy enough to understand.

"I love your flowers." she said, gesturing to the bundles. Bluebells, violets, jasmine and crocus all stood in a stunning array. "I've never been here before, but I love it! Is there anything I can bring back home to England?"

"Here," he said, handing her a small burlap bag tied with a green ribbon. "Flower seeds. You plant in garden, they grow. Very beautiful."

"Oh, thank you!" she gushed as she reached for her coin purse, and produced three Scudi.

"You've been so lovely." she wanted to talk to him more but wasn't sure what else to say, so she nodded and began to leave.

"Wait." he called as she was walking off.

She turned, and saw him holding a large sunflower.

"Pretty girl needs pretty flower." he added with a smile.

She opened her coin purse again, but he shook his head. "A gift."

She blushed as she accepted the flower.

"Grazie mille."

He nodded in reply, grinning as she walked off, happily clutching the flower and her seeds. She bought fresh olives to snack on as she made her way back to her room. She put the flower in the vase and added fresh water.

~*~

The next day, she and her parents were walking the shores of the Sea.

"How do you like Italy so far, my dove?" Natalie asked, a hand on her shoulder.

"It's beautiful!" she gushed, carrying her shoes and stockings in hand to feel the wet sand squish beneath her.

"Wasn't that art collection stunning?"

"Yes. Your aunt was quite a talented painter for many years. I'd love to show you her work. I really do think your artistic nature comes from my side."

Sarah beamed happily. "Did you see a fabric shop yesterday? I could've sworn there was one next to the bakery. I'd love to see what they have different from home."

"I saw it! They had that silk hanging right in the window and I'd be happy to go tomorrow, it's your special day. Now, I don't want to pressure you, things are still early, but do you think Italy would be suitable for a honeymoon?" Natalie asked her daughter. "You don't have to decide now, of course, but we'd be happy to keep it in mind for you."

"Perhaps." she replied, walking along.

She would've said yes, but when the image came to mind she didn't picture being here with Will. All she could think of was James.

~*~

That night as Sarah fell asleep the image of the beach she'd walked along that afternoon returned to her mind.

Suddenly, she was lying on the sand in a scarlet-coloured silk dress but with fewer layers than usual. Her shoes and stockings were off and her petticoats were pushed aside so she could feel the cool, wet sand squish between her toes. James was curled up next to her as the sun sparkled above them. She felt unrestrained.

"Well, aren't you perfect." James cooed, a hand on her waistline.

Sarah blushed and moved closer to him, not caring about the coarse sand ravaging her delicate dress. The tide was coming in and she felt a cool rush as her feet got soaked by the water.

"I'm just glad we finally made it here." she said, looking at his gorgeous grey eyes. "We're together..."

She looked past James and saw no one else on the beach.

"...and alone." she murmured. She leaned in and kissed him. He kissed her slowly, savouring every moment.

His hands were in her hair now, his body was warm from the bright Italian sun. As they went on, the waves pulled closer and closer. Her bare legs felt the water stream over them. She wasn't used to the sensation. It shot through every vein.

"I'm--all wet." she fussed as she pulled her skirts back.

"I don't mind." he teased, blazing with confidence. His hand lingered on her thigh, gently helping push her dress aside.

As they leaned into each other again, the water crashed, and splashed up to her waist. The cold shock invigorated her. She kissed James harder as the water flooded, surrounding them.

She gripped him, certain she had to or the water would pull her away. The soaked dress clung to her body as she crawled over him, arms and legs now tight around him in a wet jumble as he kissed her again, knotting his hands through her tangled hair. The water rushed between them and she knew this was a tide that couldn't be stopped.

~*~

Sarah awoke with a start, trembling and light-headed. This hadn't ever really happened to her before...although she'd never liked anyone as much as she liked James. Was her mind playing tricks on her, or trying to tell her something?

She slowly sat up and as she looked around, she temporarily forgot where she was. She heard the gulls in the bay, ships slowly moving in and then she recalled: they were still in Naples and it was her birthday!

"Happy birthday!"

She looked to her right and there were her parents, bouquet in hand. They added the flowers to the vase and hugged her.

"Oh, they're so pretty!"

She bounded out of bed and grinned.

"So what shall we do today?" She asked as she excitedly got dressed. She pulled on her stockings, hopping about, full of energy.

"Well, we've made reservations for a late breakfast and I thought later we could go back to that fabric shop you saw. Anything you want."

"That sounds amazing! I'm loving Italy so far." Sarah faced the mirror, brushing her hair smooth as her mother laced up her dress for her. It was bright pink with ruffles on the low neckline, lace accents on the sleeves and matching ribbons on the bodice. Once she was laced in, she set her hair and by the time she was done with her makeup, she looked again and truly felt sixteen.

As she walked out into the Italian sunlight with her parents both hand in hand for birthday breakfast, Sarah felt like the world was hers for the taking. She felt confident and ready for her future.