Ch 4

Howl didn't speak on the car ride back, even though Sophie kept trying to get his attention to her board, with "WHO?" still written upon it. Once at his sister's house, they quickly shuffled into the castle door without being detected. Though Sophie suspected it was a near miss by a movement at the large window of the yellow house.

Feelings of relief spread through Sophie's chest as she was greeted with the familiar and comforting sights and smells of the castle room. She didn't mind the brief yet eventful time in Howl's home country, but her heart felt much more peaceful at the sight of Calcifer in the fire and the sounds of Michael scribbling away at the workbench.

Michael eagerly greeted them by jumping directly in front of them. He proclaimed, in such a way that Howl couldn't avoid listening, "The spell! It's for an addition to the castle!" Michael looked expectantly to Sophie, hoping it would be good news to her. Sophie, instead, became confused. She turned to Howl, hoping he would clarify, but he seemed fairly exasperated from their recent journey. Michael started towards the flower shop entrance. All Howl could do was wordlessly escort Sophie to follow Michael. Howl was so distracted by his own feelings that he never transformed his other-worldly outfit back to the white and gold suit until the next morning.

Sophie was unsure of what this was all leading to, especially as they came out to the yard to stand and look at the house and the shop. Howl edged uneasily close to her. She wasn't sure if he wanted to hold her or something else, but neither of them seemed in a good mood for it. Michael, however, was brimming with excitement and enthusiasm. "Alright, I'm going to go for it!" he said eagerly. In front of him was a paper written with the incantation, which he said with vigor. After he finished reading the oddly phrased spell, he turned the paper upside-down and then folded it together so that the edges of the paper was pushed together, forming new phrases.

Howl made a positive sounding, "hmph," indicating that Michael must have solved the puzzle of the spell. Michael continued the final part of his spell. As he spoke Sophie saw the roof of the shop swell and stretch until it settled into a higher roof and small window above the shop. It was unmistakably Sophie's old room above the hat shop. Sophie took a deep breath, immersed in thought.

"I did it!" Michael exclaimed. "It doesn't look bad, does it?" he asked as he spun to see Howl and Sophie's expressions.

"Well done, Michael. Now you can start moving your things over there," Howl said flatly.

"My things?" Michael questioned.

Howl replied irritated, "Obviously Sophie is going to take the room next to mine. This is for you. Now you can be the one running around town."

Michael gave a small frown, "Howl, I'm not you. I have no reason to run around town – "

"Go! Move! Now!" Howl shouted, flinging his hands out as he spoke.

Sophie eyed Howl. He was more upset than she expected, dangerously close to a real catastrophe. Was it because now he couldn't go runabout? He certainly had more of a past than Sophie previously comprehended, that much was abundantly clear from today's events. Even in his own world, he was known for breaking hearts. She shook her head. She couldn't think about that just this moment. Howl had just given Sophie her own room next to his.

It was this morning Howl had given Michael the spell, before she discovered what Howl's ridiculous goal had been in regards to the day of courting. That meant she had gotten upset over nothing. And she had cursed silent herself over nothing. The angry tears were trying to resurface, which surprised her as she believed she had none left.

Howl lightly touchd her shoulder to turn her back to the house. He caught sight of her mood, but his was not much better. Rather than trying to cheer her up, as she secretly wished, he only sighed at her and said, "No need for that now. We'd best put on a good face and eat some dinner."

It was a slap in the face, yet she had needed it. The time for feeling sorry for herself was over. She had managed to make it through being cursed once, she would make it through again. Being old was an enormous burden, and not something she really wished to experience any time soon. Yet she had been able to talk and communicate quite fine. She couldn't judge whether this curse was worse, but it was not better.

The three of them ate leftover food from this morning's picnic along with some cheese and dried meat that was in the cupboard. They ate silently, but not necessarily in respect to Sophie. Howl's mood grew more foul throughout the evening, which was confusing. What could he possibly be upset about? And what right did he have to be upset when Sophie was the one in an unsolvable predicament?

Evening came, and Michael said goodbye awkwardly to everyone as he headed to the shop, though Calcifer was the only one that called out a reply. "Enjoy the solitude," he crackled.

Sophie felt it was time to see what was eating Howl. "Upset?" she wrote on her board and showed it to him.

He wouldn't look her in the eye and stared out at the descending twilight through the window. "No. Merely disappointed that poor decisions have a way of biting you when you least expect it."

Sophie wrote on the board, "What?"

Howl huffed, and Sophie saw anger growing in his eyes. "Today. Today was the day I wanted to turn things around, turn my life around. I haven't been myself, fully, for quite some time – due to a very selfless action, mind you - and I thought, today I am going to be the man I want to be, the man I want to be for you, Sophie. But then everyone, from all angles for God's sake, reminded me that I was, in fact, a dishonest, good-for-nothing bit of rubbish," Howl spat. He clenched his jaw, then grumbled, "They could have at least taken turns or spaced it out a few days." Howl mumbled a few more undecipherable words.

Despite the longwinded and pitying explanation, Sophie wasn't in a mood to cheer him up. "Actions have consequences," she wrote.

Howl gave a scoff, "Really? You, in this predicament, are telling me this?"

Sophie frowned as she used her fist to wipe away the ink. She could tell Howl squirmed a bit, as he had stressed that the back of pen, or "marker" as he said it, would erase the ink. Supposedly the ink could stain, but Sophie couldn't care less. "My life – clean," she wrote then erased again with her fist. "Your life - ?"

Howl stood up from his chair. He pointed his finger into the table, "I am not a bad person. I do not deserve the criticism spewed at me."

Sophie paused, half agreeing with him. Just as Lettie had categorized him all based on certain events, others close to him had done the same. She wanted to be his ally and support him, but how could he be having such an outburst when she herself was in the middle of a very large problem? On top of it, today was quite a day of accusations against Howl, and the quantity did put a sway on Sophie. Could Howl be trusted completely? A thought in her head sprung up, so deep from her subconscious that she was surprised by it. Remember what he had said earlier, at the cafe, it asked. "It doesn't have to be married, does it?"

Why does he run away from commitment? Can he simply not handle any type of responsibility? Or does he want to continue his gadding ways behind her back? Sophie couldn't get all of this out on the board, and she didn't want to. Howl could just fume for all she cared. He could even slime the whole castle if he wanted. Calcifer can escape this time. He can try cleaning it up himself. And if he didn't, which was more likely, she could go through the mansion door and stay with Fanny.

The possibility of leaving the castle made her heart heavy. This wasn't the happily ever after she had imagined with Howl, but it seemed the very realistic one. Howl had his fair share of faults and wore them as well as he wore his suits.

Sophie stood up from the table as well and gathered her board. She had nothing else to say or write. It was time to rest from this most turbulent of a day. She turned towards the stairs, but to her surprise Howl reached for her hand. She didn't pull away, but turned around waiting for an explanation.

Howl heaved a sigh and wrangled out his words, "Let me, at least, walk you to your room. It's not good to go to bed angry at each other."

Sophie nodded in relief. Regardless of his past or future actions, he had worked hard today to show her that he loved her. She gave him a soft smile and held his hand. She could see in his eye he hoped for something a bit more than that. Sophie mouthed the words, "I'm tired," clearly enough to shut down any fantasies he might have harbored.

The inside of her room was simple with only a bed and with a small oil lamp lighting up the room atop a nightstand. The pillows were fluffed and fresh, and the bed was turned down. The bedsheets and cover seemed brand new. Sophie was happy with it and eager to fall into bed.

Before she left Howl in the hallway, she wrapped her arms around him to give him a hug. Howl promptly embraced her, and they hugged for a while. During the day's turbulence, they had had their first kiss. Sophie was sure she wouldn't forget it. She took a deep breath, inhaling his scent which still had lingering jasmine smell. A desire in the pit of her stomach wanted her to go into his bedroom with him, but her head firmly stopped those kind of thoughts.

Sophie untangled herself from Howl and quickly bid him goodnight. She was cautious to avoid kissing him again, knowing if that happened, she wouldn't be able to sleep in her bed. Tomorrow, she hoped, would turn out better.

In the morning, she had fallen back into the routine that she and Michael had acquired before her curse had been broken. As soon as the sun's light began to shine, they went to pick flowers from the fields next to the Waste. Sophie found it refreshingly familiar and calming. Flowers was such a good idea for a shop, she thought to herself as she cut peach-colored roses from its bush. The heavy, floral smells cheered her up, and she felt confident to open the shop that morning, even if she was going to be mute.

Howl did not rise early. Sophie felt a sting of frustration by his predicable lack of selflessness. She knew she shouldn't expect him to transform into someone responsible overnight, but she had foolishly hoped he might. He could wake up early for a day of courting, but not for a day of work. What else could she have expected from Horrible Howl?

Michael was able to navigate the first rush of customers, explaining that Sophie was Aunt Jenkin's granddaughter. Aunt Jenkins had, unfortunately, left the flower shop seeing it was in good hands. Sophie wasn't sure about Michael's categorization of her as Old Sophie's granddaughter. That would make her Howl's cousin, which might make things a bit awkward if customers saw them together romantically. Either way, Sophie ended up smiling politely, whether she agreed or not.

By late in the morning, Michael confessed he had to leave Sophie as he had some work to do for Howl. Michael did gather on that she was speechless, but he encouraged her to use her board as they had communicated fairly well that morning with it. After the first few customers Sophie dealt with on her own, she wizened up to the true usefulness of her board. On the topmost part, she had written in small lettering, "I'm new and lost my voice. I hear fine. How can I help?" Whenever a customer entered, she would point to her board and smile.

Inside, she was burning with curiosity on where Howl could be. There was no witch to run away from this time, so why did he leave Sophie and Michael to deal with the flower business? By the time the last wave of customers left, she turned to go up to the stairs into the house to drag him out. Howl's presence blocked the doorway, dressed in the white suit with golden embroidery from yesterday. He smelled like gardenias, which brought back an intense amount of feelings within Sophie. He was tying a white apron around his back and gave a charming smile to Sophie as their eyes met.

Sophie grinned and glared at him simultaneously. It was not fair how he could change her mood with one look. She was supposed to be upset with him, not enraptured.

"How did your morning go, Sophie dear?" Howl asked, as if they had never disagreed in their life.

Sophie scribbled on her board, "Where were you?"

Howl tried to wave away her question, but Sophie prevented him from entering the rest of the shop. They stood fairly close together next to the steps. Howl put his hands on her shoulders and slid them down to hold her elbows. "I've been busy with other matters, but getting you back to normal has been my utmost priority."

Sophie didn't want to break away from his touch, so she threw her hands in the air and looked around, emphasizing the shop. She needed his help in here this morning, not to rethink failed cures for her lost voice.

Howl stared blankly and said, "You had Michael. Was there a problem?"

Sophie huffed silently and rolled her eyes. Not being able to explain precisely how he was wrong was frustrating. Yet in this silent state, she could focus on how close they stood together and how nice it was to be held by him. But she couldn't help to pick a fight.

"You're lazy," she mouthed clearly.

Howl pulled her closer to himself and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I am not!" he cried indignantly. "I had a lot of things to attend to this morning. First, I set up a meeting with the King tomorrow to get my money and to end this silly Royal Wizard title. And we're also meeting Suliman, who is sure to be able to help you. Also, I've been thinking, now that the Witch of the Waste is gone, perhaps we should re-open my old Pendragon operation in Kingsbury and maybe in Porthaven too. Or even open up one here. That leads to the question of what alias should I choose. And look anyhow, I'm here now, aren't I?"

Sophie frowned at him. It sounded like he spent the morning in bed spinning thoughts round his head.

Howl changed the subject, seeing Sophie's expression. He spoke pleasantly, "You're looking lovely this morning, despite your dress. I need to pick up those new ones after we get the king's gold tomorrow. Then we can burn this old grey mess."

Sophie found it exhausting not being able to quip back to his ridiculousness. She tried to push him away, tired of listening to his silly distractions, but there was no way she could hide her smile.

"You didn't even have to open up the shop," Howl said, easily reading Sophie. "I can just make Michael do it every morning or we could be proper and hire an employee. That way, we can spend our mornings together." At this, Howl moved his head close to Sophie's ear to whisper, "In our bed."

Sophie gave an annoyed laugh but stopped trying to push away from him. Howl caught her stare and leaned in close. Sophie wrapped her hands around his neck and closed her eyes, ready to be kissed. She could feel the warmth from his face as she heard the front door's bell jingle.

Sophie whipped her head around to see who had entered and felt her stomach drop to see Fanny and Mrs. Fairfax make their way in. Fanny was wearing a fashionable dress in pink, and Mrs. Fairfax's yellow curls bounced as she entered the threshold. Howl, to her irritation, did not immediately let her go from their intimate position. As soon as the older women caught sight of them, their eyebrows raised with surprise. Mrs. Fairfax seemed the least offended and had a playful look on her face.

Howl casually untangled himself from Sophie and stood close behind her with his hands upon her shoulders. He welcomed the women brightly, which Sophie appreciated as she was still in a state of embarrassment.

"Is this a good time dear?" Fanny asked in a way that suggested whatever response Sophie gave would be ignored.

Mrs. Fairfax spoke immediately after. "We're glad we caught you two here. We tried to visit you yesterday, but it appeared you were out. Fanny and I have been going over your engagement, and we're quite excited about it. I hope you don't mind if we give you a few suggestions –"

Fanny nodded and quickly cut in while Mrs. Fairfax took a breath. "And recommendations in regards to venues and musicians. Mr. Smith and I had a delightful little ceremony, and I feel terrible you missed it. We want to help anyway we can."

Mrs. Fairfax considering the remaining flowers lined sparsely along the shelves and continued to talk without skipping a beat. "It seems as if you have the flowers covered – this must be your doing Wizard Howl. What a lovely collection you have grown, even in this time of year. Which reminds us," Mrs. Fairfax said catching Sophie's eyes, "When exactly is the date? I know it's only been a few days, but we assumed you have some idea."

"The month, at least," Fanny added, inspecting some purple irises, "So we can plan around it."

Sophie turned around to Howl, giving him a sarcastic expression that was also asking, "Yes, when exactly are we getting married?"

Howl's previously charismatic smile melted into a horrified grin. "I…excellent question. However, I believe I hear Michael calling for me. Yes, Michael! I'm coming right now!"

Like a lizard on a hot rock, Howl deftly climbed back up the stairs into the house, leaving Sophie to stare blankly the empty corridor. She turned back to her guests. The other women eyed his escape with a surprise upon their faces. They looked back to Sophie once he had disappeared. Fanny appeared upset and worried, whereas Mrs. Fairfax was bewildered.

Sophie held up her hands to signal them to wait in the shop. She almost tried to say, "Just one moment," but caught herself before she did. It wasn't time just yet to unload them with another dilemma. She scurried up the stairs, ready to show Howl some consequences to his actions.

Sophie grabbed a broom from the cubby as she entered the castle. Her head swiveled around, searching for Howl, but he was nowhere. Michael, wide-eyed, silently pointed towards the bathroom. The door was closed. Sophie marched towards the bathroom and banged on the door in a fury. A voice muffled by the door said, rather pathetically, "In use!"

Sophie would have growled if she could have. She furiously looked to the hearth and saw that Calcifer was sitting upon fresh logs, quite enjoying the show by the looks of him. Sophie caught his orange flaming eyes and pointed emphatically to the bathroom door.

"Would you like me to open it, Sophie?" Calcifer crackled, in an amused manner.

Sophie nodded curtly. Michael couldn't help but squirm seeing the intensity of her glare.

Calcifer smiled wickedly, and a gust of wind blew through the castle and slammed the bathroom door wide open. Howl was sitting on the edge of the claw-footed tub and stood with a jolt of surprise when the door opened. "Calcifer! How could you?" he whined.

Sophie didn't give him a chance to say much else as she began to swat him with her broom. Howl yelped and tried to grab the broom from her, but her indignation gave her surprising strength. "Ouch! Sophie – please!" Howl pleaded in between hits.

Sophie took ragged breath and paused. She stabbed her finger towards the flower shop. Howl needed to march back there with her and explain to her step-mother why there was no date for their marriage.

"Sophie," Howl implored, "Sophie don't be mad. Let's send them away and talk about this later – oof." She swiftly wacked his side with her broom, then lifted it up again, aiming towards his head. "Ah, not the hair!" Howl yelped as he put his hands up to cover his head. "Okay, okay, I'm going." He shot Sophie a resentful stare.

Sophie made Howl exit first. Her broom was still held in the offensive stance as she stood behind him. Howl looked like a prisoner being taken to the execution block. Sophie eyed Michael, who looked a bit bemused and awed at Sophie's power. Calcifer was sizzling and chortling in the hearth. Howl muttered, "That broom is disgusting. Why would you use it to hit someone?"

Sophie poked him in the back with the stiff bristles, mildly enjoying herself. She placed the broom back in it's place as they came to the broom cubby, but she came to a halt behind Howl. He didn't cross through the threshold to the shop in a very speedy pace. She pushed him through, aggravated by how childish he was.

Fanny did not look happy in the slightest, and Mrs. Fairfax seemed more concerned than she had before.

As soon as they were back in their original position next to the front counter, Fanny spoke rather icily. "You are getting married, aren't you?" Sophie was secretly glad Fanny came right out with it.

Howl made no response until Sophie kicked his foot. "Marriage," he began slowly looking as noble as possible, "is an enormous…commitment. It's not something to be taken lightly."

Mrs. Fairfax cut in, "Are you saying, Howl, that you and Sophie Hatter are not to be wed? That doesn't make much sense. After all, we all witnessed you and Sophie declare yourselves to one another only a few days ago. Did something happen yesterday?"

"So interesting you say that," Howl replied, eagerly grabbing onto the opportunity to change the subject. "Yes, something did happen yesterday." Sophie gave Howl an even deeper glare. "Our dearest, and quite magically endowed, Sophie accidently cursed herself in a strong bout of emotion. She has, temporarily, lost the ability to speak." Fanny and Mrs. Fairfax both became quite shocked at this news. One audibly gasped while the other mentioned, "My good heavens."

"Sophie!" Fanny cried, "is this true? What are you going to do?" Fanny rushed over to Sophie to hold her hands.

Sophie held onto one of Fanny's hands while she reached to grab her board off the counter. She showed it to Fanny, whose furrowed eyebrows didn't release their tension at this explanation. Sophie let go of her step-mother and wrote quickly, "I can write."

Fanny didn't seem at all calmed by this. In a slightly wavering voice, Fanny declared, "My dearest Sophie, I must confess, I can't approve of you staying here any longer."

"What?" Howl bellowed, mimicking Sophie's own internal feelings. Howl put his hands on Sophie's shoulder's protectively, even while Fanny again grabbed ahold of Sophie's hand.

Fanny continued, not backing down. "Lettie has told us everything about you, Heartless Howl. Sophie tried to convince me that you were not the man the rumors claimed you are. However Lettie was sure to inform us of your misdeeds. It seems to me that you went to one sister and failed, then went to prey onto the next!" Fanny tried to pull Sophie closer to her as she held her hand. "I know my Sophie, and she is too kind and too selfless to be with someone like you, who will only take advantage of her. She will not live here any longer, as you don't seem to be a husband type anyhow!"

"Now, now Fanny," Mrs. Fairfax interjected with the greatest sense of calm of the group. "I know young Howl. And I know what Lettie and others have claimed, but rumors can just be rumors."

"Oh Elizabeth! Can't you see? He is playing us, just as he played with Lettie. How can you explain that? How can one man go from sister to sister?"

Mrs. Fairfax did seem perturbed at the situation. "My old tutor Mrs. Penstemmon wouldn't have taken him on if he was truly wicked. She had a sixth sense for that type of thing. He is a bright man with a wonderful future ahead of him. I know when a man and a woman are in love, and it wasn't there with Lettie. For Sophie and Howl, I see it as clear as day."

"Oh love. Bother love!" Fanny retorted. "Look at her, she needs all the help she can get right now! The poor dear can't even talk! Sophie needs a real man to take care of her, not some notorious wizard who plays with women's hearts and allows her to be cursed over and over again."

"I feel I must interject on behalf of my own integrity –" Howl said smoothly. He was met with the magnified scowls of three women. Howl sighed and kept quiet, dully looking out the shop window.

Fanny continued, "Elizabeth, she's only eighteen. That's not the age where the best decisions are made."

"It is the age where the greatest risks are taken, and Sophie is a smart girl who knows what she's doing. They simply need to sort this out among themselves. It will work out, you'll see," Mrs. Fairfax said knowingly.

Right then the shop bell jingled again, and a pair of middle-aged women entered. As soon as their eyes settled on Howl, they immediately turned around and left.

Fanny eyed the interaction and felt it provided evidence for her side of the argument. Mrs. Fairfax didn't pay it much mind.

Fanny grabbed onto Sophie's arm and began to drag her away from Howl. "Sophie, I think you should leave with me at once. You're not thinking right, living here with him."

If Sophie could have spoken, she would have said something a while ago. As it was, she could only write down her thoughts as small and quickly as she could on her board.

She showed it to Fanny. "Not leaving. Am grown woman. Howl and I together, better or worse. Marriage or not." She had hesitated for a few moments to write the last sentence, but it was what her heart told her was the truth. And probably what she would have said if she could have spoken.

Howl had also been reading what was written, and his hands on her shoulders squeezed her with affection. Fanny only continued to try to pull Sophie away from him. Sophie felt like a rope in a tug-of-war game.

"Sophie! This is not the way a young woman is to behave. I might expect it from your sisters, but not from you. You can't possibly be thinking of staying with Howl unmarried for the rest of your life!"

Mrs. Fairfax interjected, "Fanny, it is the way with the youth these days. I wouldn't take it too much to heart. They will eventually see the advantages in marriage, and we can be there to help them when that day comes."

Fanny ignored her friend's words. She looked at Sophie with a hurt expression. "Sophie, I've been so terribly worried for you these past few months, but you consoled me the other day. At that time, you two looked so terribly happy. But now! I'm even more worried than before because I feel as if I know the danger you're in but you won't listen to me. You've always been the one to listen to me," she said as she wiped a piece of red hair out of Sophie's face in a motherly way.

Howl shuffled back and forth on his feet, rubbing Sophie's shoulders stiffly while Fanny and Mrs. Fairfax debated Sophie's future. Eventually he spoke up. "I understand no one wants to hear from me at the moment, but I assure you all, Sophie is the love of my life, and I would never hurt her. I would risk my own life for her. She is my one and only." Sophie was quite touched by his words and looked up to him lovingly. He looked down to catch her eye and grin, but Fanny's voice broke through like acid.

"Then why aren't you marrying her?" Fanny asked.

Howl faltered and couldn't answer quick enough. Fanny gave a burst of frustration, and Sophie understood the feeling well. "Sophie, you can't possible find this acceptable. Wizard Howl, do you understand that you are degrading my Sophie by not making her your proper wife? The only reason you would find this acceptable is you want all the benefits of a wife without the responsibility of one."

Sophie's heart panged at Fanny's words, as that was what she had felt about Howl's lack of commitment. Sophie looked back to Howl, wondering what his response to that would be.

Another pair of women customers entered the shop at that moment, sparing Howl from having to answer on the spot. They too noticed Howl next to the counter in the back, whispered to one another, and quickly made their way out.

Fanny couldn't contain herself and said heatedly to Howl, "Why do your customers keep looking at you and leaving? Doesn't this indicate the truth of this man to you, Sophie?"

The conversation had been so tense and expectant that this question from Fanny caused Sophie to burst into laughter. Fanny and Mrs. Fairfax watched her curiously, as this was the first time they saw the curse in effect. Sophie wiped away her eyes as she calmed down and wrote quickly on her board. "Women always overbuy when Howl is around."

This explanation didn't soften Fanny's face. "Sophie, I think he's given you some sort of love potion. This isn't the type of man I expected you to fall for my dear."

Suddenly, the three women noticed that Howl had escaped back into the castle, and Sophie groaned. "He's gone!" Fanny cried. "Oh Sophie, why can't you see he's no good for you."

"His worst trait is slithering out," Sophie wrote on her board. She quickly erased and wrote, "He is a good man and loves me." In tiny writing underneath she scribbled, "I love him."

Mrs. Fairfax put a tender hand on Fanny's arm. "Fanny, my friend, they will be fine. Most men need a bit of a push, and I can trust Sophie to do that for him. I'm telling you, they will make a wonderful couple. My old tutor imagined great things for Howl, and I can see Sophie guiding him along the right path. Let's not be too hasty to stomp on something that has only begun to blossom. We need to give it some time and tenderness, don't you agree Sophie?"

Sophie nodded in relief. Hearing Fanny express so vividly Sophie's worst thoughts made her realize that these what-ifs and possibilities were not as realistic as they had felt inside of her head. Howl did love her very much, and although he had not changed very much from when he had no heart, it was very obvious to her that Sophie had become the love of his life. He won her love, yet he didn't run away from her. In fact, he kept coming back again and again.

Now Sophie was the one who wanted to run away to Howl. She cleared her board and wrote, "Got to close shop. Meet king tomorrow." She erased and wrote again, "Tea day after?" She smiled hoping they would understand her meaning.

Mrs. Fairfax nodded and pulled Fanny gently away from Sophie. "That sounds wonderful. Come to Upper Folding and you can have some of my honey. And that seems to be our cue to be on our way then, Fanny. Let's have lunch back at your place. Mr. Smith's home has such a lovely prim garden. Mr. Fairfax and I had looked at the neighborhood, years ago when we were newlyweds. We had a mind to find something in the area, but to be honest it just didn't suit our lifestyle."

Mrs. Fairfax rambled on as she led Fanny out the door of the shop. Fanny went along, though she kept glancing back at Sophie worriedly. As the exited, Fanny waved back to Sophie and spoke over Mrs. Fairfax's rambling, "Goodbye Sophie, and do please think about what I've said. You're always welcome at the mansion. Please think wisely my dear. Goodbye!"

Sophie sighed in deep relief and had to hold herself up against the counter. That had been exhausting. She gathered herself and went to the front door to put up a closed sign.

Michael was finishing packaging a few spell powders for Howl, and Calcifer was asleep by the time Sophie made it back into the castle. Howl was nowhere to be seen, but the bathroom door was closed again. Sophie gently knocked this time, and Howl called out, "Are they gone now?"

Sophie gave an annoyed shrug. How was she to answer something like that? Howl opened the door right away, giving her a playful smile. "No need to answer. I already know they've gone." Sophie gave him a light swat with her hand, and he gathered her up in his arms as he exited the bathroom. She felt her tension melt as she hugged him tightly.

Michael cleared his throat. It was quite obvious he was less than thrilled about their new public displays of affection, but Howl never seemed to care what Michael thought. It was Howl's house anyway, and he should be able to do what he wanted.

"The spells are completed now Howl," Michael said, trying to sound casual.

With Sophie still within his embrace, he shooed Michael to the castle door. "Then go deliver it like I instructed you. One of the page boys will meet you at the doorstep. The address is written down on the paper I gave you. Go on."

Sophie looked at Howl curiously. When did he get a client for spells during this whole time? It was fascinating to her that Howl seemed to be in more places than once, just like the castle was. He would have to teach her that trick one day.

As soon as Michael left through the door to Market Chipping, Howl asked Sophie, "Would you like another picnic? That seemed to be the only thing that worked out yesterday, so we might as well try again."

Sophie beamed back a "Yes!"

In the flower field a few miles away from the Waste, next to the small body of water, Howl had set up a picnic. As the ground was marshy, he conjured up a platform for the blanket and parasol to lie upon. All of Sophie's worries faded away as they enjoyed their mid-day picnic with beautiful scenery. After they finished eating, Howl rambled a bit, and Sophie found her communication confined by the board. She was very appreciative of the usefulness of the writing board, but it could only convey short ideas. There was so much more she wanted to say, and for that a notebook would work much better.

"I'd like a journal," Sophie wrote, interrupting Howl's complaining about how tricky it was to get the marshes walkable yet saturated enough for the tropical plants.

Howl considered it, then clapped his hands together as he spoke a few strange words. As he pulled his hands apart, a beautifully decorated diary lied in his hands, encrusted with finery and shimmering in the light. Sophie chuckled and quickly wrote, "Too fancy. Simple journal please."

Howl nodded, "I see, something boring for you. Well, you can't say I didn't try." He clapped again and a leather-bound journal appeared. Sophie grabbed it out of his hands and patted his leg in appreciation. There was even a self-filling quill attached to the journal by a braided leather cord.

Immediately Sophie began writing sentence upon sentence of what had been stuck inside her head. Howl watched her silently, slightly worried about what it was that engrossed her so deeply. After a few minutes, Sophie finally showed him.

Howl, thank you for this gift. It is perfect. I know you've done so much for me. Sitting here in this magical place reminds me of your love for me. Lettie told me Suliman told her that you made this place into what it is today. You did that for the flower shop, but really you did that for me. I believe you when you say I am your one and only – yet you have a penchant for eyeing beautiful things. I meant what I said – or wrote – today. I will stay with you whether we are married or not, but I cannot understand why not if there will never be another! Marriage isn't just for you to prove to me. It's for you to prove to the world that you are committed to me, and that you've changed your ways. If you could only tell me what's holding you back, maybe we could solve it together? You don't have to respond right now. But I wanted you to know this was how I felt.

As soon as Howl finished reading, he gave a deep sigh. "It's something that important to you?" he finally managed to say after staying silent.

Sophie nodded slowly, unable to look at him. To bear your soul is one thing, but to have it on paper to be read and reread was intimidating. She didn't want to hurt Howl's feelings, but it had to be said.

"I suppose it's possible within reason to want and expect that. You have to understand Sophie, I am not the type of man that commits to things. I hate to be confined. Just look at what good my last contract did me! I almost got killed if it wasn't for you." Howl sighed again. He stretched his arms out and casually held Sophie's hand. He scoffed lightly. "I'm just that dishonest bit of rubbish, right? But… if it is such a big deal for you, I'll try to consider it."

He'll consider it, Sophie thought. That's better than what she'd gotten previously. Perhaps this was a breakthrough.

There was a space between them until Howl moved himself closer to Sophie. He wrapped his hand around her waist and gently pulled her toward him so that she was leaning against him. She closed her eyes and smiled. Howl cupped her face and kissed her gently. He was an expert at distracting her. If they continued this way, Sophie thought, they probably would never end up married. But, currently, Sophie didn't seem to mind.

A/N – Thank you again to those of you who have favorited and followed and reviewed. If you enjoyed it, please considering favoriting, following or reviewing. Even one word reviews are very much appreciated by me. You can also review it even if you didn't like it!

Next chapter should be fun with the king and Suliman. Stay tuned and happy readings – mrs.k