Chapter 36: Meetings and Partings
“TODAY’S soup of the day uses dried vegetables. Will that be all right, Your Grace?”
“Of course it’s all right. Marguerite always used plenty of dried vegetables during the winter. I love that it brings back those memories.”
Louise was visiting the restaurant for the first time in a long time. She normally came in alone while her attendants and driver waited in the carriage, but her lady-in-waiting, driver, and guards also came into the restaurant today.
“Eat up, everyone. Have as many servings as you like,” she said to them.
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
They did of course choose a table some distance from Louise, but they showed no hesitation in taking her up on the offer. They even looked with curiosity at all the potted plants set around the restaurant or hanging from the ceiling.
How sad. This will be my last time here.
Those inner words and feelings of pain slipped into Olivia’s heart as she was about to return to the kitchen.
What? Last time? she thought. She nearly turned back towards Louise but forced herself not to. She needed to make food for six people. She didn’t want to make a mistake because she was too busy thinking about other things.
“If this is her last time,” murmured Olivia, “then I’ll just have to make it even better than normal. I’ll ask why once she’s finished eating.”
Today’s soup was dried vegetables with chicken thigh meat. It was a simply seasoned soup with large chunks of chicken thigh and plenty of dried vegetables.
And that’s why Olivia went all out on the side dish. It was trout she’d fished herself which she then pan-fried. She mixed a generous helping of dried basil in breadcrumbs she’d made by roughly grating bread, which she used to bread the trout before frying it in butter.
“This trout brings me back,” said Louise. “The powerful flavor of the basil makes the trout all the more delicious.” She was happy as she finished her food.
Olivia watched for when she was done to bring out some tea. “Is there something special about today, Your Grace?” she asked.
“You’re an observant one. This is the last day I’ll be coming here, Olivia. I’m returning to Arche.” Louise smiled as she said it, though Olivia could sense a firm determination there. “Ever since the duke died and our son took up the title, I’ve been living here however I please, but I cannot let this be where my grave is. I am of Arche, now. I should be going back. I owe that to the people of Arche.”
“You’ll be missed.”
“The royal family will be taking over the land the villas are built on in my stead. They’re sending someone to manage the land. I’m sure they’ll visit your restaurant as well.”
Louise, who had looked out for Olivia in so many ways, had been with Olivia’s grandmother for more than twenty years. There was something so incredibly sad about losing this connection.
“I’m sad to see you go, but I understand you have your position to think of,” said Olivia.
“Yes. My final duty is to give the people the knowledge that the duke and duchess lie together in peace. I don’t face this return with negative emotions. I can live happily wherever I am. That’s my special ability. I’m sure I will enjoy being in Arche. And that’s what’s most important.”
Louise stopped there and looked at Olivia before saying, “I plan to tell Marguerite, when I see her next, all the stories I’ve been witness to of how the granddaughter she loved so much is living happily with such a dependable husband. I’d like to give you this as a parting gift.”
Louise closed Olivia’s hands around something chill to the touch. It was a bracelet, gold studded lavishly with gems of a deep azure.
“But this…”
✦ ✦ ✦
“It’s a bracelet with lapis lazuli gems,” said Louise.
“I can’t possibly accept something this valuable.”
“I want you to. It’s thanks to you that I had such a lovely time living here in Marlowe. Coming here makes me feel like I’m meeting Marguerite again, like I can tell she’s happy.”
Louise was normally so stoic, but Olivia noticed the tears now filling her eyes and that nearly made Olivia shed her own tears.
“It was for my sake that my father refused to allow Marguerite to return to Sandwald. And with Jenkins being refused his request to retire from the knights, I made it so two people in love were forced to live so far apart for twenty-four whole years. I may not have had a say in the matter, but I am truly sorry. But whenever I said so, Marguerite smiled and told me not to worry myself over it. It was still painful, though.”
Olivia listened, unable to say anything because she had seen just how much her grandparents loved each other as they’d raised her.
“This bracelet can in no way make up for the regret and pain I feel, but perhaps it will serve you some purpose sometime. If you happen to need money, you may sell it. If you do, go to this store in the capital.”
Louise handed Olivia an elegant white card.
“I couldn’t sell it. I’ll treasure it for the rest of my life,” said Olivia.
“Olivia, I just want you to live happily with Arthur, a life of smiles and laughter.”
With that, Louise Arche gave a graceful smile and left.
She asked Olivia not to watch her go because, as she said, she never did like that.
Later that evening when Arthur came home, he stared for a while at the bracelet while he listened to Olivia tell him about Louise, then said, “Probably shouldn’t show this to people. I’m not an expert on gems, but I’m sure these are really expensive. The gold seems pure, and the color and finish on the lapis lazulis seems as good as it gets. We should think of somewhere we can store it.”
“That’s a bit of a hassle. The only real place I have for storing things is in a drawer.”
“I’ll think of something. I can even make something.”
“Thank you.”
Sparkly.
“What?” said Olivia.
Sparkly.
It was Snow. “Snow, do you like sparkly things?”
Not like.
Snow’s mind was filled with images of the people in the gambling den, and one of them was a woman in fancy clothing. Her flamboyant outfits always included bracelets, necklaces, and rings.
“Hello, my little princess,” she would always say as she stroked Snow. “Petting her gives me good luck.”
“The person you liked at the gambling den was a woman who always wore bracelets,” said Olivia.
Yeah.
Snow seemed to tire of that conversation after that. She butted her head against Rob, then curled up and went to sleep.
✦ ✦ ✦
🍲🍲🍲
SEVERAL days after Louise left, a pair of customers Olivia didn’t know came to the restaurant for the first time. They were a man and a woman in their late thirties and were surprised at the sheer number of potted plants in the restaurant.
“Hello,” said Olivia. “Feel free to sit anywhere that’s open.”
“Could I have the soup of the day and two slices of bread, as well as the side? And the same for my wife,” said the man as the couple sat at a table by the window to look out it.
The way he ordered made it sound like someone recommended this place to them, Olivia thought.
“Olivia,” said Lara. “They look rich. Do you think they’re from the villa town?”
“Lara, every single customer who comes here is important. You’ll treat them the exact same you treat anyone else, all right?”
“Of course!”
Lara took the food out to them and had a pleasant conversation with them. Olivia focused on cooking while feeling relieved they didn’t seem like difficult people to deal with.
After some time, Lara came back to the kitchen with their empty dishes. “I think they’re definitely from the villas. And they said the food was wonderful.”
“Oh, that’s good.”
I won’t see Louise again, which is sad, but I will meet new people like this. I’ll do what Louise said and live my life filled with smiles and laughter, thought Olivia.
Snow rubbed her face against Olivia’s leg. Dale was by her other leg.
Hurt? asked Snow.
Hurt? asked Dale.
“It hurts a little, but I feel better with you two here. Thank you.”
Love you! Love you! cried Rob.
“Thank you too, Rob. How about I get some goat milk from someone and we all enjoy some goat milk together when spring comes?”
Dale and Snow looked at her blankly, but Rob knew what goat milk tasted like, and his heart soared. Love goat milk!
There was a time when Rob first came to live here when a customer gave Olivia some of their goat’s milk, and she gave some to Rob. He must have really liked it if he still remembered.
It was currently the end of January, and Pepe’s belly was growing larger. Olivia suspected they would have a goat kid in the summer.
“After a parting, there are new meetings,” Olivia said. “I can’t wait to meet this new baby goat.”
“Definitely!” said Lara. “There are new hellos waiting for us!”