Chapter 78: The Scaffold-I

Despite being rejected, Edward didn't back down. Instead, his liking to her became stronger. "May I ask if you live in the White Mansion, Miss Scott?"

"Yes I do," she trailed, "is something of the matter?"

"None," Edward smile, his hand reached out toward her and took her hand which was resting at the side by surprise. Leaning forward, Edward took her hand and pressed his lips to the back of her hand. "I wish you the best of health until we could meet again."

Elise was too surprise by the sudden kiss on the back of her hand. To nobleman it was often to see the man greeting the woman by a kiss on the back of their palm but Elise who had never gotten use to the kiss felt surprised and too sudden that her blues eyes were not able to hide her stunned expression. She remembered Ian's words of not letting people to kiss her hand in worry of germ and retracted her hand quickly. But Edward didn't mind her surprised expression, some times when one would to court a woman they have to move fast and he did.

"Well then," the man bent his neck subtly to leave the thread shop where Elise stayed rooted at her place with her eyes wide.

Carmen and Vella who had been looking around the shop came to stumble by the scene accidentally. Seeing how Edward had kissed Elise, they also looked surprised with the scene.

"Elise!" Carmen called, walking toward her. "Did that man from earlier bothered you?" she narrowed her eyes as she questioned.

"N-No." replied Elise. He didn't bother her but there was the feeling that she shouldn't get too close toward Edward because the man seemed to hold a romantic feeling toward her which she wouldn't be able to reply with the same feeling because there was already a person in her heart.

"No?" Carmen heard Vella asked and she nudged her elbow.

"So you like that man? Or possibly he was the one who had given you the kerchief?"

"No I don't! And the kerchief doesn't belong to him." Elise said but Carmen believe what she had seen with her eyes.

"You say that but, he seems to be also smitten with you." Replied Carmen when Vella gave her a look that told Carmen not to speak any longer as from what Vella could see, Elise seemed to be very uncomfortable with the talk about the vampire from earlier.

"Anyways did you find the golden these, Elly?" Seeing Elise shaking her head, she then added, "Let's go somewhere else then. We still have things we have to buy before the curfew." Elise nodded where Carmen was still mulling over the vampire from earlier. The man may looked a little frivolous but he also seemed to be serious about Elise which was good. Though Elise may have said no, it made sense to her as the kerchief seemed to be very expensive that normal person wouldn't be able to afford but seeing the clothes Edward wore, it wasn't impossible.

The three girls sauntered along the market and Elise went into a different thread store to find golden threads which she found after her third store. The next shop the three decided to go was toward the yarn store. It was noon when they finished buying the bundles of wool yarn and left the stall.

"What should we buy now? Do you still have anything to buy?" asked Carmen as soon as they left the yarn store. Vella shook her head when Carmen loon and her and when she turned Elise say,

"I still have something to buy, the last one to the fabric stall." she replied and Carmen hummed in approval.

"The stall should be around... there!" Carmen pointed her finger to the shop and the three went toward the open stall. Different colors of rolled fabric and texture filled the table outside the store. Elise looked around finding the fabric to be much more varied than she thought, leaving her with more choices to make.

"Beauties, what will you be buying here?" asked the man who was the shopkeeper of the fabric store who was bald and old in age, smiling as he praised the three girls.

"We came to buy a fabric." replied Elise and the man hummed with a grin.

"Of course everyone who comes here come for fabrics unless they come for alcohol that would be weird." He laughed, "Do you have any fabric in mind? The texture, colors, or perhaps how much?" the man asked again.

Elise took time to think. When she had bought the golden thread, she recalled of the kerchief that Master Ian gave which unfortunately was torn to pieces by Nancy and Lena. "A white color fabric with a texture that is soft to skin, do you perhaps have that, sir?"

"Soft to skin? I take that you are going to make something like pillow or dress?"

Elise shook her head, "I would like to make a kerchief."

"Oh, then I will recommend this, wait a moment." the man left the place to the back of the store which was divided with a black curtain.

Carmen tried to take something from her pocket to panic in alarm. "Oh no!"

Vella and Elise both turned their head in a hurry when she exclaim, "What happened?" it was Elise who had asked first.

"I think I left my money on the store where we goes just now." Carmen patted her pocket which was sewn on the side of her dress.

"We should hurry go and take it! Else we would lose them!" Vella said pushing Carmen.

"I will come too," Elise said, feeling worried but Vella shook her head.

"It's just around the corner Elly you could just wait here until we come back!" her voice disappeared along the crowd as she left the place.

Once the shopkeeper came back and found Elise alone, he asked, "Your friends left? Anyways this is the fabric I mentioned." He placed the tall rolled fabric to the table that reached up to his waist.

"This is a silk we got from Marshfort, the place is known for their best fabric and the soft touch. Most women in the capital search for this fabric when they are about to make a handkerchief." Elise felt the fabric as the shopkeeper explained. Like his words, the fabric was very smooth to touch like a surface of water and felt good between her fingers. Although the color was white it had the slight shadow of ivory and blue which made the white color not to look dull but bright.