Chapter Text
Eliza had the cards shuffled and sat listening at her kitchen table for the familiar jingle of the key in the back door. Ivy had been out for hours with Mr. Potts and Eliza was anxious for her return as she had much to discuss with her dear friend. On the surface, Ivy was an employee of the Scarlet household but, in reality, she was so much more than that. Eliza, Nash, Moses and William had had a busy few days solving the train robbery case and Eliza had hoped to come home and fill Ivy in on the details…now that the danger was over…only to find the house empty when she got home.
With all that emptiness, Eliza had plenty of time to think and something about her day was nagging at the corners of her mind. Her thoughts kept going back to having to walk away from William on the steps of Scotland Yard…unable to accept his invitation to dinner. Oh how she wished she could have just said yes. Dining with William would have been much better than coming home to her empty house and being all alone. In those few seconds when the invitation hung in the air between them, Eliza almost eagerly accepted…just like she would have in old times. But then, Arabella’s face came to her mind unbidden, quickly followed by the image of William’s lips on hers and Eliza realized that she had no right to dine with this man. She had no claim to him other than an old friend and that it was Arabella who should join him out. The feeling as she walked away from him was a mixture of many things that Eliza wasn’t sure she had felt before.
So, now she waited, eager for the advice of a kind listening ear. Of course, at the exact moment that Eliza felt the need to shift and stretch in the hard wooden chair, Ivy’s key was in the lock and she was hoisting the familiar old door open in seconds flat. Eliza quickly stifled her yawn and pulled her arms down and into her lap whilst trying to appear causal and nonchalant.
The older woman’s eyes cut straight to her and narrowed with suspicion at the façade of prim and proper sat before her.
“Hello, Ivy.” Eliza began with a genuine and sweet smile.
“Hello, Eliza…what are you doing? Waitin’ up for me like I’m some sort of school girl sneaking in late?” Ivy grinned at Eliza as she went about setting her things down and resting her hands onto the back of the chair opposite from her dear girl.
“I was thinking we could play cards….” Eliza began hesitantly, gesturing to the deck before her, but almost as if she was embarrassed by her own suggestion. Before Ivy arrived, Eliza was confident the woman would want to stay up and talk, but now that Ivy had appeared she was worried it might be too late, or Ivy would have some other plan in mind. “Or” Eliza began again…”we could have some tea…which I forgot to get started” she mumbled “Or…I don’t know…just talk”. She ended the whole jumbled invitation with a shoulder shrug and her signature grin.
“What’s all this about?” Ivy questioned not unkindly. It was just that she was unused to this side of Eliza. The girl had always moved like a tornado with Ivy being the one to try and corral her into sitting down. This reversal of roles was suspicious, Ivy knew something must be going on.
Again, Eliza simply shrugged and, after a moment’s thought stated “I miss your company, that’s all”. She looked up into Ivy’s eyes, surprised to see them glossing over with some extra moisture.
Letting go of the chair before her, Ivy walked around the table and embraced the seated Eliza in a sideways hug. Eliza relished the love and affection of her adopted family and as Ivy pulled away Eliza laughed “Well, what was that for?”
Grinning Ivy said, “That was an awfully nice thing to say, Eliza. It is the best way to be loved when someone just wants to be in your company.”
Instead of returning Ivy’s warm gaze, Eliza’s face scrunched up with a quizzical look, her brow furrowed. Turning her head to one side, she said slowly,“It was a very nice thing to say, wasn’t it?”
“That’s what I said.” Ivy was confused with Eliza’s questions, as usual.
Now it was Eliza’s turn to stand up and, meandering around the table, she spoke, mostly to herself….”So what you are saying is that telling someone you miss their company is basically a way to say ‘I love you’ ? I mean, that sort of makes sense, if you think about it…why would someone want to spend time with someone if they didn’t enjoy their company? They wouldn’t, would they?”
Eliza was looking at Ivy with her hands thrust into the air in a questioning rant with a gentle grin on her lips and an energized glint in her eyes.
“Yes” Ivy simply stated.
Eliza’s grin got a tad bit wider as she approached Ivy and gave her one more quick squeeze.
“Oh, Ivy…I do love you and your company, and I am glad you have Mr. Potts to share your company with as well.” She smiled and said,
“If it is ok with you, I think I might be too tired for cards after all, could I have the pleasure of your COMPANY another time?”
Ivy was confused by Eliza, but as usual totally enamored by her charms. The girl could rarely stay in trouble in Ivy’s book…and Ivy was tired from her day as well.
“Of course, Eliza….you get your rest, we will play another time.”
“Brilliant!” Eliza beamed as she turned to head up to her room “I look forward to your company.” She said on a sigh as she flitted from the room…seemingly happier than Ivy had seen her in some time. Ivy hoped it was a lightheartedness that would last a while for her girl.
Eliza hit the stairs humming a song she hadn’t heard in some time, but one she believed was playing the first evening she and William dinned out at Gilbert’s…back when they shared each other’s company…something he missed.
If the pit in her stomach from earlier was any indication, than Eliza indeed missed him too…but she was going to make it her goal to let him know that they didn’t need to miss each other’s company anymore.