Upon a Time by R L Stedman

Author:R L Stedman [Stedman, R L]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Waverley Productions
Published: 2016-10-15T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Happy Ever After?

Ebony

“What do you think?” Jamie peered at the rose bush.

“Looks hardy.” Ebony lifted the leaves. The undersides were dark green, with no speckling or mottling. A good sign. “The scent is pleasant, too.”

“Old-fashioned?”

“Not to me.” Ebony half-smiled at the older man.

“I suppose not.” Jamie picked up his notebook. “This place must seem terribly strange. All the changes: technology and so on.”

“Sometimes I feel as if I’m in a dream.”

“As though you’re still asleep?”

“As if my earlier life was never really real.”

Jamie paused by the row of new hybrids. The rich red blooms had opened and the deep color was all they had hoped for. “These are looking good.”

Ebony touched a petal. “Soft. Yes, I think they have potential.”

Jamie snipped off a flower. Eyes closed, he breathed in the scent. “Interesting fragrance. Cinnamon, a hint of apple. Cloves. Very, very nice.” He passed the flower to Ebony.

Ebony bent the stem gently. “Strong necked. This will ship well.” He took a deep breath of the rose. “Oh, yes.”

Jamie inspected the leaves carefully. “Looks healthy.”

“That scent – delicious. Yes. I agree. Tag it.”

Jamie pulled a paper tag from his pocket, wrote “POTENTIAL” and attached the tag to the plant.

Ebony inhaled the flower again. “You were asking about changes? You’re right. Sometimes I feel lost. It’s alright for you; you’re used to this life. You’re used to these ridiculous carriages …”

“Cars.”

“Cars. See, I can’t even remember their name. And your computers. Telephones.” Ebony shook his head. “Electric light.”

“Everything is different?”

“Not quite.” Ebony waved the rose.

Jamie half-smiled at the strange, tall man. Ebony appeared civilized now, but when Aroha had first brought him home Jamie had wondered what on earth she had been thinking of.

“You’re right,” Jamie said. “Flowers haven’t changed.”

The petals at the outer rim had opened slightly, showing the deeper red at their base, but the central bud was still tight-closed.

Ebony ran his finger across a petal’s edge. “Beauty is a constant.”

“There you are.” Aroha waved through the walls of the glasshouse. “I was looking for you.”

“Love is the same, too,” Ebony said softly.

“Romance, flowers and scent,” said Jamie. “You’re right. Some things never change.”

Aroha slid the door open. She eyed the red rose in Ebony’s hand. “That’s from the new breed?”

“It has potential, darling,” Jamie said. “Real potential.”

“Good. I want to send samples out next month.”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit too early?” Ebony asked. “We need to see how it does.”

Aroha shook her head. “Not if we want to hit the awards seasons.” She inhaled the rose. “What will you call it?”

“We never thought of a name,” Ebony said. “Jamie?”

“It’s Cross 008.”

Aroha wrinkled her nose. “That’s not very poetic. Boys, you’d better think of something more … appropriate.”

Ebony looked startled. “Appropriate?” His life had changed so much, how could that possibly be expressed in the name of a rose?

“You’ll think of something.” She sniffed at the flower again. “That scent …”

“Gorgeous, isn’t it?” Jamie asked.

“Stunning.”

Ebony lifted Aroha’s hair from her forehead, smiled into her eyes. He grinned at Jamie.

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