"Miss Swann, are you quite well?" Tudor asked, coming upon Elizabeth in the garden when she had come to call. Several weeks had passed and Miss Smith was quite often in the company of the Swanns.
Elizabeth sniffled. "Yes, I am quite well." Her eyes were red, and she wiped some stray wetness from her pale cheeks. Her lip started to tremble, but she breathed deeply. "I am just thinking of an old friend."
Tudor looked at the girl sympathetically. Her opinion of Elizabeth had improved slightly in the past few weeks, and felt sorry she was so upset. "I am sorry. When did this friend die?" She asked carefully.
"Who said he was dead?" Elizabeth asked, almost confused.
"One does not weep so copiously for someone who is still alive." Tudor said quietly. "Unless of course, one's heart is breaking." She added sagely.
Elizabeth blinked, then took another shaky breath. "I am sure Miss Smith, that you have heard rumours about me – about me falling in love with a blacksmith."
Tudor nodded. "To be sure I have. Do not fear, I don't think less of you for it." She didn't mention that she had quite possibly met said blacksmith.
"Well, it is true." Elizabeth confided in the older woman. "In fact, it gets even worse. He isn't just a blacksmith, but recently, he has become involved in piracy."
"And you are crying because he left you?" Tudor said, unaffected by this 'revelation'.
Elizabeth shook her head sadly. "No. I am crying because I called off our wedding, and I'm afraid it was the wrong thing to do, even though I know it was right. And now I know I can never get him back, even if I wanted to and the thought of living without him . . ." She faltered.
"You really do love him?" Elizabeth nodded in response. "Why did you believe that it was the right thing to do?"
"It could never have worked." She almost seemed to laugh, as if remembering some past joke made. "You see, his father had been a pirate, and his mother raised him alone. He would feel guilty all the time he was at sea if he left me at home. . . And don't think that he wouldn't stay here for me, he would. He would do anything for me. It's just that I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I thought I had kept him from something he wanted to do."
Tudor almost sat gape-faced. This showed more thought and depth then she had ever accredited to Miss Swann. "Does he know this?" Elizabeth shook her head. "Why not? He at least deserves to know how you feel!" Tudor insisted.
"I can't. I can't talk to him. If I even look at him . . . I know I will just forget it all and go back to him." Elizabeth said behind tears.
"What is so wrong with that?" Tudor grasped for understanding.
Elizabeth shook her head. "It just can't be. I'll love him forever, but it just can't be." She sighed, then glanced surreptitiously at Tudor with embarrassment. "I am sorry Miss Smith, I've seemed to divulged my every problem to you."
Tudor shook her head. "No Miss Swann, I am glad you did so. It has improved my opinion of you immensely." She said seriously. "I must admit," She continued. "That when I first met you that I thought you callow and petty, and a bit of a snob, but now I see how wrong I was. You show great profundity, even if I don't agree with your decision." She smiled warmly at Elizabeth. "I won't shower you in my judgements of the situation, but please do take this one piece of advice from someone who is older and has seen the world; True love is incredibly hard to find and should not be given up lightly. There I'm done lecturing you."
Elizabeth smiled, wiping the last of her tears away. "Please don't tell anyone all my secrets."
"Of course I won't. I have hundreds of secrets of my own." She added alluringly. Then a thought erupted on her. "I know it is forward of me, but may I call you Elizabeth? Miss Swann sounds too much like the pretentious brat I mistakenly assumed you were."
"Please do!" She insisted, then added shyly, "Tudor."