Chapter 36

Watching as Elain turned fresh earth over in the garden bed, Lucien leaned back against the stone bench. With his legs stretched out before him, he smiled as he listened while she hummed to herself, creating space for new seeds. He had not expected Tamlin to gift her with seeds from the Spring Court, and it had surprised him. Everybody liked Elain, however. He should have anticipated that Tamlin would as well.

When Lucien had come outside to find her earlier, he had discovered her pruning a flowering vine growing up a nearby trellis. The vine had been just about choking in purple flowers, and Elain had been hacking away at it far more vigorously than he ever would have expected her to be treating anything flowering. She had smiled when she had spotted him and he had asked her if he could have the cuttings. Although she had given him a questioning look she had agreed and, since then, he had been sitting on the grass with the pile of flowers beside himself.

Elain had been glancing at him every so often, clearly wondering what he was doing, but Lucien just smiled charmingly at her as he worked. He had seen the moment she had realised that he was making a flower crown because her eyes had widened and she had smiled broadly before looking quickly back to what she had been doing as if trying to pretend she wasn't excited. Chuckling to himself, Lucien picked up the next flower to weave into his masterpiece creation.

As he continued to work, he watched Elain carefully planting the seeds from the small packet she had tucked into her pocket. He wondered if she was aware of the almost sensual way that she stroked the earth after covering the seeds, and he would have given almost anything to be able to hear what she was softly whispering to the seeds before she moved on to the next one. By the Cauldron, even the way she gardened turned him on.

When Elain had finished planting, she had come to sit with him, her dark eyes watching what he was doing with curiosity. "Where did you learn how to do that?" she asked him, head tilted to one side.

"This" he said, giving her a winning smile, "is a skill that I picked up living in the Spring Court."

"Oh?" Elain asked, a smirk forming on her pretty face, "Did you and Tamlin used to sit out among the wild flowers braiding one another's hair and making flower crowns?"

The image of that made Lucien laugh. "Not exactly." Her smile was amused for a moment before it faltered.

"Ah… something you used to do with other Spring Court females…" he could actually hear the jealousy in her voice and he fought a wide smile of his own.

"Never one like this…" he told her, weaving another flower into the crown in his lap. "This… is my masterpiece." He grinned at her, "There's not been another like it."

She looked at him and he fastened the final stem, knotting it to keep everything in place. "It is quite impressive." She murmured and he lifted it slightly, rotating it to get a better look at all angles.

"Not quite finished yet…"

"Oh?" She asked and he leaned toward her, carefully setting it atop her head, sliding onto her hair.

"There." He announced. "Finished." Lowering his hands, Lucien allowed one hand to trace his fingers down Elain's cheek. "It's perfect."

Elain lifted one of her own hands, touching the crown at her forehead before bringing her hand down to trace the back of his own hand at her cheek. "Thank you." She said gently, lacing her fingers with his. "It is the most impressive crown I've seen…"

"You should see it now." He murmured. She smiled at him, bringing his hand down into her lap, and Lucien had to work hard to keep his hand where she held it. His eyes moved over her sitting there smiling at him looking like the quintessential flower faerie with his crown sitting prettily atop her hair, and Lucien's heart soared.

"I'm sorry." He told her, "For how I was in the Autumn Court."

Elain frowned, "What do you mean for how you were?"

"They get under my skin…"

"No, Lucien." She said gently, "I liked the way you handled yourself. I was proud of you for the restraint you displayed."

He squeezed her hand gently. "Thanks."

"I think we should maybe go in and clean up before dinner." She told him, "It is getting late…"

He would have preferred to stay out here with her, but he got to his feet, pulling her up with him as he went. Since they had been back, Lucien had found it difficult to have to share her with the others. While they had been away she had been only his, but now he had to wait to spend time alone with her, and he always felt like if he so much as touched her Nesta would come barging in and punch him or something. Elain smiled at him as they headed inside.

"What's with that face?" he asked, amused.

"Most of the others are up at the House of Wind."

"Are they, just?" he felt a wide smile spread across his face.

"Not all of them."

With one last glance behind her at her garden, Elain stepped inside with Lucien. She could feel how pleased he was that most of the others would not be around tonight. To be fair, she felt the same way. She knew that he kept trying to find time alone with her, and was getting frustrated every time someone else would appear. She felt it too. While they had been away, she had enjoyed the freedom she had had in getting to explore her developing thoughts and feelings regarding him. Since being back, it felt as if someone was always watching her, ready to step in if they got too close, or question her regarding every little thing she did.

As they headed through the sitting room, Elain paused hearing Nesta's whispered voice and she moved to look around one of the bookshelves. She felt Lucien behind her and both froze when they spotted Nesta leaning back against the wall, looking up at Cassian who was grinning at her, his face mere inches from hers. Elain watched in shock as her sister grinned up at the Illyrian before apparently noticing her and Lucien nearby. Nesta's grin faded, causing Cassian to also glance around at them.

Lucien cleared his throat, wrapping an arm around Elain's shoulders and she moved closer to him, "Well, we're late for something incredibly important." He said, turning her and moving her quickly for the door. Elain just went with him, shock still coursing through her. When they got out into the hallway she felt Lucien let out a small laugh. "Did you know that…?"

"No…" she breathed, shaking her head. "She always acts like…"

"Maybe it's new."

"I don't know." Elain replied, laughing as they moved for the stairs. "Did you see their faces?"

"Certainly did."

Elain smiled when she felt Lucien press a kiss to the top of her head before she headed into her room to wash the remnants of her gardening off of her and change her dress before dinner. She wondered vaguely if Nesta and Cassian would be present for dinner with them, because she had figured Nesta would stay, but she had assumed that Cassian would join the others at the House of Wind.

Pulling her brush through her hair, Elain smiled at her reflection before replacing the crown Lucien had made for her atop her honey brown hair. She hadn't been lying. It was rather magnificent, and she completely intended to have him teach her how he had done it. She had been making flower crowns her entire life, and she had never managed one even remotely as impressive as this one.

Bending to her vanity, Elain picked up the small bottle of perfume she had purchased in Velaris a month or so ago. She hadn't had reason to use it as of yet, but now she tipped it up, anointing her fingertip before pressing it to her throat. Her eyes moved over her reflection once again and, upon deciding that she was presentable enough, she turned and headed for the door. She would make sure she got some time alone with Lucien tonight, even if she had to drag him off to some dark corner of the house after dinner. She was sure she could manage it.