Chapter Two: The Mystery of the Flowers
Two weeks later, at breakfast, Mr. Digweed brought the morning post. He had something special for Maria.
"And flowers," he said with a flourish, presenting a bouquet from behind his back. Miss Heliothrope clasped her hands together in delight before her husband had the intelligence to add, "for Miss Maria."
Maria stood to take the flowers. Maria sniffed the bouquet, smiling as the thought dawned on her that this was the first time anyone had given her flowers. They were lily-of-the-valley and they smelled fresh and pure.
"Who are they from, Maria?" Loveday asked, nearly coming out of her seat. Maria found the card in the bouquet.
"May each revolving year, little friend, With joy begin and goodness end; May heaven its choicest blessings send, Happy Birthday, Maria," Maria read. She stopped there, although at the end there was an elegant handwritten personal message which she read only to herself: "With words alone I cannot express, With deeds alone I cannot impress, but with goodness I hope to charm the princess."
Maria felt a smile spread across her face.
"That's lovely," Loveday said, her hand covering Uncle Benjamin's, "But who is it from, Maria?"
Maria felt her smile fade, "It isn't signed."
"That's typical," Miss Heliothrope told her, "Though it often results in confusion it does save the sender from possible embarrassment."
But only one person calls me "princess," Maria thought.
"Well, that is a reminder for the rest of us, I suppose," Uncle Benjamin said, "Maria's birthday is in only two more weeks." Maria walked away from breakfast, not needing to hear the rest of the conversation. She would only be fourteen; she kept wondering how she wasn't older after all she knew and had been through.
After all I thought knew
After all I'd been through
It's nothing
When compared to you
Maria was not as cautious the next time she went to the woods to see Robin. In fact, she ran straight into him she was running so quickly. Robin had a look of bafflement on his face, but he couldn't help but smile at Maria's exuberance. Her excitement was infectious.
"Robin," Maria said breathlessly, "I love the flowers you sent me."
His smile faded, "I didn't send you flowers."
"What?" Maria was shocked and she protested, "But the note called me a princess. It wasn't signed."
"I'm not the only one that knows that about you," he said, gently, setting her back a little bit. She'd run straight into his arms and had stayed there.
"Oh," Maria said, obviously disappointed.
"You have a secret admirer," Robin said, and his tone had an undercurrent of tension that Maria missed.
"No," she said softly, "They were just for my birthday. It's nothing." Robin wasn't convinced, but he took some comfort from the fact that Maria didn't seem to be taking the flowers seriously now that they weren't from him. That made him smile slightly.
"I gave you flowers two weeks ago," he said, leaping quickly up onto a higher part of the ground so he could look down at her puzzled face. He noticed how her soft red hair fell around her face in waves.
"I gave you a whole meadow full of flowers," Robin prompted her, "And not picking them means we can enjoy the flowers every year in the summertime."
Maria's face lit up, "I put the flower you gave me for my hair into a book to press it. I'll frame it and have it forever that way."
"I like that idea a lot better than the flower wilting and dying," Robin told her.
"I am ever so clever," Maria replied in a sing-song voice, swishing her skirt. Robin rolled his eyes at her and she laughed.
Maria's birthday was a small affair, the Denoir and the Merryweather family came together for a rather subdued dinner. Sir Coeur Denoir came with Robin for dinner and offered Maria flowers upon entering the Manor.
"Lily-of-the-day," Maria murmured, as she took them. She had a knowing smile and said quietly, "I am quite charmed, Sir Denoir." The older man smiled apologetically at her.
"Flowers alone won't be enough, Maria, but I like to think they are a good start," he said so quietly that only she could hear, "I have another present for you, a real gift, but Robin told me your favorite perfume is bergamot and lily-of-the-valley so I thought you might like these." The man who had been so frightening to her before had come a long way and changed very much, Maria realized, when she heard his quiet words.
Loveday's gift had been silver hair combs and jewelry, including earrings, an ornate brooch, a black lace cameo choker, and a matching ring and bracelet with leaves and vines engraved.
"Now you can start wearing jewelry and perfume," Loveday whispered, while Uncle Benjamin tried to keep his displeasure to himself. His expression spoke volumes, though it only made Loveday's smile wider.
Uncle Benjamin had given her a white and blue porcelain tea set of her own and a selection of loose teas. Robin got Maria new ribbons, and she went to replace it with one of the new ones. No one noticed when Robin secretly stole the one she'd been wearing at the beginning of the evening. He had no way to explain to himself why he wanted a ribbon of hers (again) but he did. He tried not to think about it too much.
Sir Denoir's gift was ornately wrapped and revealed a delicate glass bottle. It looked like it had been hand painted; the detailed scrollwork berries, leaves, and vines were done in raised enamel gilt over the white frosted glass. The vines and leaves were painted green and the berries were a dark blue that was nearly purple. The gold lid had a crescent moon engraved and the base of the bottle was covered in gold with an engraving that said simply, "Maria."
"Thank you very much," Maria said, feeling that Robin's father really was trying to make amends with her. She opened the top and sniffed, finding that it was in fact bargamot and lily-of-the-valley perfume. She realized that Robin and his father had to be working together to make amends with her. At least it explained who the flowers had come from two weeks ago.
