Heron was way too busy. So far he was doing fine, but Elswyth worried if this pace continued, he'd end up running himself ragged.
He might no longer be as weak as he was when she had met him a year and a half ago, but if he kept going like this she was afraid he would start destroying the health he had so painstakingly worked to fortify.
So, she took it upon herself to start forcing him to take breaks. To actually sit down to take meals, for instance. To start letting more people take on certain tasks. Heron of course didn't fight her on it. She felt rather sweet inside at how easily he listened to her on matters of his health.
There was another matter that pleased her. Though it seemed Heron himself was as of yet unaware of it, something had changed between them. The way Heron looked at her was different than it had been. He was aware of her as a female almost constantly now. She was pretty sure he had feelings for her, though he was in denial still.
How cute.
She was currently watching him do some paperwork – a task he took to in a way she admired as she would have found it absolutely boring.
But she liked watching him do it. He had this way of nibbling on the feathery strands of his quill when he wasn't sure whether to sign off or not on a proposal or when he was figuring out how to word something. And it was entrancing the way his brow would furrow when he was thinking hard.
She could easily watch him all day. She knew she had it quite bad for this young man. Just being near him was enough to make her this happy.
"Elswyth…" He glanced up at her, "Why are you staring at me like that? I promise I'm not working too hard."
His ears were a bit red, and she hid a smile at the realization she was making him feel very self-conscious. Yep, he was definitely more aware of her now.
She wanted to tease him so bad. But she decided to refrain. Instead she said, "I must have been zoning out. Sorry."
"Ah." He looked back down at the papers. "Anyway, it must be boring sitting in here when I'm busy. You don't have to…"
"I like it." Elswyth shrugged, "It's very peaceful. Besides I get to keep my adorable future husband company."
He sighed, "Again with that huh…seriously hasn't that joke gone on long enough?"
"Just because I'm teasing doesn't mean I'm joking."
Heron's hand actually stilled mid writing and he looked up at her confused, "Huh?"
She smiled at him, "You've got six months to find another girl if you don't like the idea."
He was quite obviously stunned, and she figured he needed some time to process this so she stood up and left the room.
She had not been planning on saying it yet. On declaring her intentions towards him. But, it probably wasn't a bad thing. Now he had some warning and would have to face it. And it was enough time for him to decide whether he liked the idea or not.
She did feel like her chances were fairly good. Heron did like her after all, and well, she was sure there was something there – even if he didn't realize it for what it was. But, now he would be forced to figure that out.