The months following his father and his brothers death a lot had changed. He was to take over his fathers estates, attend to the families shipping business and settle any debt his father and brother left behind. Now that he had taken over those responsibilities sadly he would be away from Fairhaven for quite sometime.
The decision weighed on his heart, it was a difficult one that he made but it needed to be done at this precise moment.

He searched for her and found her in the garden sitting on a stone seat lost in her thoughts.

He slowly approached and joined her. He straddled the seat to face her. He playfully tugged a shiny brown curl and watched her snap to attention at his presence.

He marveled at the beautiful girl before him as she turned to face him with a radiant smile.

"The flowers are in bloom, Adrian look," she pointed to a patch of beautiful flowers near a tree.

Inwardly he chuckled and nodded looking at the patch of flowers, then suddenly the smile was replaced with a serious stare.

He turned to look at her and sighed. He was silent for a while, he held her hands and clasped them tightly in his, then he lifted his eyes to look at her.

"Evangeline, I must tell you something," he told her.

Her eyes grew concerned as she impatiently waited for him to continue.

"I must leave Fairhaven for a while," he said..

She gasped.

"But why must you leave?" She asked softly.

His heart swelled at the sight of her saddened gaze.
He gently raised his hand to caress her cheek and sooth her now panicked response.

"I must leave little one to attend to all of my father's affairs," he whispered.

Her eyes, tumultuous as the sea, looked down trying effortlessly to hide the look of sadness and fear in them.

"When will you return?" she looked up into his eyes trying to hold back the burning tears.

He searched for the words to explain to her.

"I......," his mouth froze with his words. He swallowed hard at the lump forming in his throat.
"I don't know, weeks.....mayhap...months," he whispered.

The eerie silence that followed worried him.

"Take me with you," she pleaded, her voice barely audible.

His fingers gently tilted her chin up and their eyes met.
Her tears fell free down her cheek onto his finger. He wanted nothing more than just that. He felt uneasy leaving her for so long. But, he had to. Besides, he trusted that Rosie , Madam Phelps and Penniford will take good care of her. They always did.

He took in her pleading stare and his heart sank.

"Please...," she wept closing her eyes tightly.

"There is nothing I want more..Evangeline, you know that. But, You can not come with me peach," he frowned shaking his head.

She tried to keep her emotions in check but failed miserably. She sat before him distraught and at lost for words. The dull ache in her heart made her pale a bit. She did not want him to go. He would leave and she would not see him for months maybe within a year. The horror of that thought settled over her and she shivered.

She felt his finger reach up to hold her chin.
"Eva look at me," he begged.

Her heart fluttered at his way of shortening her name as an endearment.

How was she going to endure his absence?

"Eva, please...understand," he reached for her, but she refused to look at him and pulled away. Her tears fell in trails on her cheek and her heart felt as if it was going to pop. She could not control the urge anymore.

Soft hands touched her arm. And immediately she recoiled, stood from her chair and ran inside.

He sat silent and alone. He would give her time to sulk. He truly wanted to avoid this but he had no choice. With a sigh he combed his fingers through his hair then leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands.

He groaned in frustration.

~·~·~·~·~·
She ran to her room and slammed the door. Sobbing she slumped to the floor near her bed. Resting her head on her arms she covered her face and wept. She wept until her lungs ached and her throat began to tighten.

She would miss him tremendously and she honestly did not know why. She didn't want him to leave for so long.
For some odd reason when he leaves, it is as if a piece of her were leaving with him. She grew accustomed to him being around, she awoke every day anxious to see him and spend time with him. Her heart fluttered every time he smiled at her or hugged her.
And now that he had to leave she felt an immense wave of fear.
She slowly stood and brushed away her tears. Slowly she undressed, put on her night shift and sat by the window seat layered with plush pillows.

She never budged or answered the strong tap at her door. She turned as it opened and she watched Adrian enter. His strong built was mesmerizing at best. Her heart did funny things in her chest she noticed when she looked at him.

A brief moment of silence, created a thick tension in the room. She turned away to look out the window trying to focus her attention on the view before her.

"Eva, we need to talk," the deep voice spoke.

He let out a frustrated breath when she did not answer.

He walked closer and sat next to her. She made no effort to move but she sadly averted her eyes.

"You need to speak to me," he ordered.

She did not budge.

angry now he stared at her with a heated glare.

"You're acting like a child," he boomed.

And immediately he got her attention.

"Thats right a child," he nodded at her angrily.

"I'm not a child," she faced him immediately with a retort.

With an amused look, he scoffed.
"Oh! No? Then why this sudden behavior Eva? The Ill temper?"

She looked away.

"Tell me," he insisted.

Not wanting to answer, she gave him a scowl and stood up to walk away.
But, immediately he held her in place.
"Speak to me, don't walk away,"

Angrily she pulled out of his grasp with burning tears that fell down her cheek. With a heart wrenching cry she faced him.

"Because I don't want you to leave, every time you do, you stay longer. I'm afraid that if you stay away this time you will forget about me." She cried.

He seemed surprised by her admission and pulled back a little. "That will never happen. You know that."
He inched closer to grab her hand but she inched back.

"No...I do not," she shook her head.

"I have no choice, I have to go"

"Then go!" She sobbed.

He looked at her and his jaw clenched. his eyes were flat and emotionless. He had never looked at her like that before. "I guess I will,"

A sharp, fierce pain stabbed her chest.

"Fine," she snapped. "But don't expect me to be here when you return.," her voice shook.

She swallowed hard as his glare turned furious. Her trembling legs barely held her up as he closed the distance and towered over her. A Strong hand gripped her chin in a vice grip. Not too tight to leave a mark but harsh enough to tilt her head back, hold her frightened gaze in place to his furious glare and  understand. His warning.

"Let's get one thing clear, minx. I am your guardian, you are in my care and will remain so until I see fit to let you go. You do not.leave.this.house. Eva am I clear."

His gaze darkened with emotion and his jaw clenched when she did not answer.

"Am. I. Clear" he repeated.

She nodded. Pulling her chin away and stepping out of his loosened grip on her chin. She didn't say anything. She didn't think she could, Her breath fell rapidly in silent sobs, waiting as he silently left the room, and then she collapsed onto her bed and cried.

~·~·~·
After eating supper alone, he retreated to the library and stood by the mantel above the cool fireplace and watched the clock tick away. The soft knock pulled his gaze from it to meet the gaze of Penniford.

"I came to see if you needed anything else, milord,"

Shaking his head Adrian turned slightly to the butler.

"No Penniford, Thank you . You may retire for the evening.

With a curt nod and bow, Penniford stepped out into the foyer and closed the door to the library leaving him alone again.

Exhausted and bristled abit about his argument with Evangeline unsettled him.
When did the little chit become so temperamental? Such raw emotion crossed her features as she argued with him. Were all young girls like her in their bouts of discord?

With a sigh he raked his fingers through his hair and wiped his face. His mind toyed with so many questions. Was it that she lacked a feminine role model? He breathed.

Exhaustion depleted his rule for thought and he needed to get up early to leave.

He trudged down the corridor towards his room and entered. He undressed and sat for a while on the edge of his bed in the dark room. He sighed rubbing his face with a frustrated grown at the heavy heart that brat left in his chest. The little imps behavior in the opposite end of the house worried him. His leaving was deeply affecting her.

She had to understand that this was difficult for him as well. He bent to remove his boots and with relief he leaned back in his bed and looked up at the ceiling.

The heaviness of his eyes slowly weighted his eyelids down into a restful sleep.

~·~·~·~·

She finally calmed in her restless sleep. Slowly she fell into the dark abyss of her mind. It was until the wee hours of the morning when soft warm hands gently caressed her cheek and the deep familiar voice called to her.

Her eyes slowly opened and she looked up into Adrian's eyes as he sat next to her looking down into her eyes. Panicked she slowly sat up and noticed he had on his travel clothes. The reality sank in and she knelt on her bed and sadly looked up at him.

He stood before her refusing to leave until their heated argument was squared away in the recesses of a forgotten memory.

He pulled her hand into his and she followed kneeling up so that with the tall poster bed she was eye to eye with him.

Silently he stood before her and their gazes locked. There was not a glint of anger in either stare. Relief of that surged through him but slowly fell as beautiful brown orbs twinkled with tears threatening to fall like over flowing pools of water.

"I am so sorry I was mean to you," her lips trembled.

"Oh Eva! Don't." , he whispered pulling her close. He rubbed her back vigorously to get the pent up air of her sobs out.

He pulled back and quickly held face in his hands. Wiping away her tears he hushed her softly.

"Listen to me, peach. I will write and I want a letter in return. I want you to be on your best behavior for everyone."

She nodded.

"And know this, never forget that you mean the world to me poppet. I will never leave you or forget you. Understand?" His eyes darkened with emotion.

She nodded again letting him pull her close resting her head against his chest. The hard part of all of this was now saying good bye.

He looked to her then, simultaneously frowning and smiling. "You will see in no time I will be back,"

His lips gently pressed to her forehead before kissing her cheek and giving her his tightest embrace. He could not understand why he felt this way and neither could she.
He closed his eyes tight and inhaled her scent.

With that he pulled away and strode out of her room.

She slumped in her bed beneath her comforters, her last glance to her window were the sky slowly brightened. Not wanting to meet the imposing ray of light head on, she burrowed deep in the sheets and wept.