PART III
Eleanor was true to her word and Max did see her the day after their conversation on her terrace. When Max arrived at Eleanor's warehouse in the late morning, Eleanor was already there with her seamstress, Mrs. Le Feuvre, helping to prepare bolts of fabric for Max's perusal. When Eleanor spotted Max, a bright smile touched her lips and she quickly made her way over to Max before gallantly offering Max her arm. Max accepted the offer, and with their arms linked, Eleanor led Max over to the display of fabrics.
Inside of the warehouse they were hidden from public view, but Mrs. Le Feuvre's presence forced them to keep their conversation relatively casual. Eleanor had been commissioning dresses for Max for some time, and Eleanor was not under the impression that Mrs. Le Feuvre was ignorant to the nature of her relationship with Max. In front of her was no place to discuss the heavy issues that remained between however, so as Max and Eleanor walked amongst the fabrics, they spent their time talking about Max's plans and frivolous things, their time together passed quickly as they bantered back and forth, and laughed like neither of them had in a long time.
At one point during their perusal of the fabrics, while Mrs. Le Feuvre was occupied cutting one of the silks Max had selected, Eleanor slipped behind Max and wrapped her arms around the brunette's waist before whispering, "Which one's your favourite?" into her ear.
"Why?" Max asked suspiciously, angling her head back so that she could lift a questioning eyebrow at Eleanor.
"Because I promised you a dress, and I always keep my promises," Eleanor pronounced, pressing a kiss to Max's cheek.
Max didn't want to make winning her back too easy for Eleanor, but she could not stop herself from being charmed by Eleanor.
A smile spread across Max's lips as she gazed up at Eleanor.
"You do not 'ave to make a dress for Max," she said softly a few seconds later, looking away from Eleanor to watch her fingers as they ran over the swath of silk laid out before her.
"I know I don't have to. I want to," Eleanor stated sincerely, drawing her hand down Max's arm until she could take Max's hand into her own.
"Max thought you were 'aristocratically poor'. Can you even afford to dazzle Max with gifts?" Max asked playfully, arching a dark eyebrow as she grinned at Eleanor.
"First of all, 'ha-ha'," Eleanor said sarcastically in response to Max's jibe, her tone and words bringing a smile to Max's face. "Second of all," she continued as a sly, pleased smile stretched across her lips. "I've actually discovered a way to top up my income in these temporarily lean times."
Max waited for Eleanor to continue, but she did not and Max huffed and then poked Eleanor in the ribs.
"You know Max wants to know," Max said turning around her Eleanor's arms so that she could see her face. "Go on, you," she continued, reluctantly taking a step back when she noticed Mrs. Le Feuvre moving around again. The woman's back was still to them, but only for a moment or two more.
Eleanor smiled brightly, looking incredibly pleased with herself.
"I'm going to sell all of my father's favourite things," she declared happily. "He left quite a lot behind before 'retiring'," she sneered the word, "to Harbour Island. I would one day like to make the man rue his very existence, but for now I'll settle for the small joy to be found in making him rue leaving behind those antique weapons and that rack of aged liquors."
Max laughed at that and shook her finger at Eleanor playfully. "Vous êtes un peu la merde."
Eleanor shrugged, unperturbed. It was true. She could definitely be quite the little shit when she put her mind to it.
"You still haven't told me which one's your favourite," Eleanor reminded Max a few seconds later.
"And I am not going to," Max replied, wandering amongst the fabrics again. "If you want to impress Max," she continued, pausing for a moment as she looked over her shoulder at Eleanor. "Pay attention and learn which one I favour."
"Very well," Eleanor responded, nodding her head solemnly. "I will."
xxx
Business, business partners, pirates, pirate captains, employees, consortium members, and a myriad of life's other daily irritants conspired to keep Max and Eleanor away from each other for the next few days, but eventually they again found themselves with time and the desire to spend it with each other.
Eleanor hardly spent any time at the Guthrie property north of the town, but she kept the house and grounds maintained, and that night she arranged for herself and Max to take a leisurely carriage ride along the scenic coastline, up to the Guthrie property where they would have dinner.
Eleanor had brought along a basket of wine and fruit for the ride to her family home, and the early part of the journey was spent in conversation as they drank and ate. Then, as the sun began to set, the basket was set aside and Max tucked herself against Eleanor's side, happily allowing Eleanor to hold her as the carriage wound its way up the coast.
Dinner was a simple but intimate affair set up on Eleanor's back porch. The small table was perfectly set on crisp, clean linen, and lit by candles. A pleasant breeze kept them cool in the humid night air and they leisurely enjoyed three courses of some of the best food Max had ever tasted.
"Max 'as some information you may be interested in?" Max began as they partook in some after dinner brandy.
"Oh?" Eleanor asked looking up, surprised by Max's words but trying not to let it show.
"Oui," Max breathed out, smiling a little. "About the foreign gentlemen Mr. Brimble is 'oping to woo at 'is party. From what Max 'as 'eard, I think these might be men you would be interested in as well."
"Why are you telling me this?" Eleanor asked curiously. "I thought I was only to get information on a need to know basis."
Max was quiet for a moment, her eyes focused past Eleanor on the dark, churning waters lapping at the sand at the edge of the property.
"Max 'as no interest in these men," she murmured eventually, allowing her eyes to drift back over to Eleanor. "There is no reason for you not to know."
"I see," Eleanor breathed out. "In that case, please continue."
After dinner, Eleanor took Max on a tour of the house. Some areas she breezed through with nary of word, but others they lingered in as Eleanor recounted fond memories.
The library was a place they meandered in for a while. The library had been a pet project of Eleanor's mother and Eleanor had spent a lot of time there when she was younger. She had learned to love books on her mother's lap, sitting on pillows in patches of sunlight on the library's wooden floor.
The garden was another area they tarried in. Eleanor confessed to not knowing very much about the subject and praised the skill of the gardener, Mr. Hughes, for keeping her mother's beloved plants alive and thriving. She did like to walk through the gardens on occasion though, as it reminded her laying around in grass when she was young, staring up at the sky as her mother worked the earth, defying the conventions of her social status and dirtying her very own hands. Eleanor had loved that about her mother, her assuredness, her dignity, the way she would not let other people's expectations define how she lived her life.
They ended the tour in Eleanor's childhood room, on Eleanor's childhood bed, with Eleanor on her back, and there they spent a long time sharing deep, leisurely kisses as their hands gently explored familiar plains and curves.
At one point Eleanor had started to laugh, and Max had pulled back and asked what was so amusing. Eleanor reassured her with a series and kisses that it wasn't anything Max had done that was making her laugh, it was just that she couldn't believe she finally had a girl in this bedroom, in this bed, after all of the nights she'd spent in that bed imagining sharing it with another girl romantically.
"And what were you doing when imagining these things?" Max purred into Eleanor's ear knowingly, rolling her hips seductively into Eleanor as she spoke.
"You know what I was doing," Eleanor breathed out as she leaned up, searching out Max's mouth and drawing her into a heated kiss.
"Tell me anyway," Max whispered.
Eleanor stared up at her for a few seconds, her pupils dilated and her lips parted, and for a second Max thought that Eleanor was going to resist. But almost as soon as the thought had occurred to Max, Eleanor released a shuddering breath and whispered, "I was touching myself."
"Did it feel good?" Max asked, drawing her hands up Eleanor's thighs.
"Yes," Eleanor panted. "It felt very good. Too good. I used to think I did it too often," she admitted.
"Such an overachiever," Max murmured as smile touched her lips.
Eleanor's eyes narrowed in displeasure as her cheeks coloured.
"Aww," Max cooed.
This riled Eleanor up and her lips parted to verbally respond to Max, however before she could speak a word, Max leaned down and kissed her.
The last time they had found themselves sharing a heated embrace, Eleanor had been the one to put a stop to it. This time however, it was Max who drew things to a close, and Eleanor collapsed against her, her chest rising and falling deeply as she laid her head over Max's heart.
"Will you spend the night?" Eleanor asked softly, searching out Max's hand and then taking hold of it. "To sleep. Only. I swear," she continued when Max hesitated to respond. "I miss the feel of your body against mine. I want to hold you again."
"Max wants that too," Max breathed out softly, and then, as a sweet smile stretched across Eleanor's lips, Max kissed her again.
xxx
Max and Eleanor saw each other for at least an hour or so over the next few days, but in the last three days leading up to Brimble's party and Max's event, they were lucky if they were able to share a quick drink together before someone came searching for Max to drag her back to La Maison de Renard.
The night before Max's extravaganza however, Eleanor showed up at Max's door, intent on sharing a few tender moments with Max on the eve of her big night.
"I won't keep you long," Eleanor promised as she slipped into the room.
"Max wouldn't mind if you did," Max replied, a sweet smile touching her lips as Eleanor pressed a kiss to her cheek in greeting.
"It warms my heart to hear you say that," Eleanor breathed out, waiting for Max to lock the door and turn to face her again before she continued. "But I would not dream of robbing you of your sleep on the eve of such an important event."
"You just want your money back," Max teased as she took Eleanor's hand and began to lead her towards the bed.
"Well, yes," Eleanor breathed out, and Max laughed as they took a seat on the bed. "I thought," Eleanor began in a more serious tone of voice, "What I mean to say is that, as entrepreneurs, when we enter a new venture it is, in a way, like marching into battle. Our lives can be put at risk, as well as our safety, and our futures. And so, before you march into combat tomorrow, I wanted to give you a token … for luck."
"I think most knights were taller than Max," Max breathed out.
"They may have been taller but they were not nearly as tough," Eleanor replied dotingly, smiling at Max. "This is for you," she continued, reaching into a small pouch she had clipped to her belt. A few moments later she held out her hand to Max, offering her a square box.
"What is it?" Max whispered.
Eleanor smiled.
"Take it and find out."
Max reached out and took the box from Eleanor's hand. What Max found inside was a beautifully crafted ivory ornamental comb.
"Eleanor," Max gasped. She didn't know how much a comb like that would have cost, but she knew that it was expensive and she had already helped to spread Eleanor's finances too thin. "It is beautiful, but it is too expensive. You should not 'ave -"
"Max," Eleanor interjected lightly, a small smile tugging up the corners of her lips. "It's fine. I promise you I haven't spent more money that I do not have," she continued lightly. "The comb belonged to my mother," she explained. "A token must hold value to the giver to bring luck to the recipient. This was left to me by the person I loved most in the world, and now I give it to the person I love most in the world."
If Eleanor planned on saying more, she never got the chance to, for Max leaned over and pressed their lips together, kissing her deeply.
"Stay awhile," Max whispered against Eleanor's lips, in between kisses.
"Okay," Eleanor breathed out immediately, and Max laughed into her mouth as she tugged Eleanor down with her as she lay back on the bed.
To be continued...
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