Basking

[astoria greengrass]

Astoria reached into her bag, shifting slightly under his arm to do so, to get her book out. "Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. It's a muggle book, written in the 1800s, and it was very ahead of its time in terms of women's rights and all. I'm really enjoying it, actually." She explained, showing him the copy she had pulled out, in case he wanted to read the back, or look at the cover, or something.

[graham pritchard]

Women's rights, it wasn't something that Graham thought about too often. Nor was it something that he had ever needed to think about. His father was archaic in their beliefs so from a young age Graham's mind set had been drilled into him. Women were meant to be wives, to be mothers, lovers, if you were lucky, friends. Still, Graham nodded looking at the cover as it was shown to him. "I'd like that then."

[astoria greengrass]

Astoria smiled; maybe there was more reason to like Graham than his good looks - maybe he was more respectful than most of the archaically minded purebloods she was set up with regularly. She hoped so. "It's a beautiful day to read" She said as she tucked the book away again, then looked up at him.

[graham pritchard]

"Plenty of natural light, a nice breeze... it does seem ideal." Graham agreed. Reading was something that he did in private. Most people thought him more brawn than brain and he was content with that, but it wasn't completely accurate. Graham just preferred to have people think of him as they would, without him trying to convince them otherwise. Although it was true that he wasn't all the much of an intellect either, he had more common sense than book smarts.

[astoria greengrass]

Astoria smiled, "Are you much of a reader?" She asked, suddenly more comfortable with all of this, when there were books involved - she was always more comfortable when there were books involved.

[graham pritchard]

"Not overly, but I have cracked open a book or two on occasion." Graham actually read almost every night before bed. Lit the candle on his night stand while the other boys were sleeping and got some reading in, but the wasn't something that he advertised.

[astoria greengrass]

Visibly deflated, Astoria nodded. Of course he wasn't a big reader - he couldn't very well be so manly and also an intellectual, it would just be unfair to everyone else. She should have been surprised he even knew how to read, actually. "If you don't want to, we don't have to read." She said after a moment's quiet, "I mean, if you want to just sit and chat, or something, I wouldn't mind. I can read later, or even before bed - maybe even tomorrow, if it's as nice as today."

[graham pritchard]

Graham hadn't thought that one all the way through, but he couldn't back peddle, and it nearly slipped that he read after bed too. Clamping his mouth shut for a moment to get a grip on himself Graham calmly replied, "No, its fine really. I'm interested in knowing what this Jane character is all about."

[astoria greengrass]

Astoria didn't know what to do. She was nearly sure that he didn't want to read; but she had no other way of keeping him around, and he seemed to at least say he wanted her to read to him, so she wasn't going to argue - she knew better. Even if he was a pureblooded man interested in listening to a woman's opinions, she was a pureblooded woman who knew what her societal place was. "Are you sure?" She asked, giving him another chance to get out of it if he wanted to, not sure what else to do.

[graham pritchard]

"Positive." Graham reassured, his hand slipped off her shoulder slightly to gently rub her arm, further encouragement that he didn't have any doubts about his decision. They were nearing the gardens anyway so Astoria didn't have much choice now. She would either go along with it or she wouldn't, no more time to argue, not that Graham thought she would.

[astoria greengrass]

The movement of his hand reminded her that it was there, and she nodded dumbly, gently guiding him towards her favourite spot to sit, just near the daisies that grew along the edge of one of the beds, next to a large tree - whose variety she didn't actually know. She presumed oak, or something of the sort. She smiled up at him, then spoke quietly, "This is where I usually sit, unless you've got another preference?"

[graham pritchard]

The place Astoria led him to was a pretty cushy spot. "This is great." Graham informed, his way of telling her there wasn't any where else he would prefer. Shrugging out of the light jacket he wore he spread it out on the ground for Astoria to sit on, then sat him.

[astoria greengrass]

Astoria sat as he had expected her to, stretching out her legs in front of her, so as to not be obscene. The skirt she had on wasn't short by any means, but had she folded her legs she'd have given half the lawns a free show. "Thank you," She said after a moment of settling in, referring to his jacket; it was a gentlemanly thing to do, and while she had known he was a gentleman she still thought it polite to thank him, despite her blush while she did. To hide it, she dug out her book again, taking off her bag and setting it on the side of herself that he wasn't sat on. "I'm about three chapters in, but we can start from the beginning if you'd like."

[graham pritchard]

"You're welcome." While Astoria was getting settled in, which had taken him all of three seconds to do himself, Graham looked over all the flowers that surrounded them. Spotting the perfect daisy he gently pinched the stem between his finger and plucked it out of the ground. "I don't want to put you out, chapter three is fine." With that said Graham reached over and tucked the stem behind Astoria's ear, smiling at the result.

[astoria greengrass]

She blushed again as he smiled at her, then reached up and gently ran her fingers along the stem of the flower, smiling all the while. Maybe her crush on him wasn't completely unfounded. Of course, he wasn't exactly an intellectual, which would have been her preference, but still, he was being very sweet...

Rather than thank him again, Astoria opened the book, taking out her bookmark (a letter from her mother that she had yet to respond to) and began at the top of chapter three, reading slowly enough that he would be able to hear every word (and hopefully understand them, because now she was unsure of his intelligence) but quickly enough that the autobiographical style wouldn't be boring. "The next thing I remember is, waking up with a feeling as if I had had a frightful nightmare, and seeing before me a terrible red glare, crossed with thick black bars." She began, "I heard voices, too, speaking with a hollow sound, and as if muffled by a rush of wind or water: agitation, uncertainty, and an all-predominating sense of terror confused my faculties. Ere long, I became aware that some one was handling me; lifting me up and supporting me in a sitting posture, and that more tenderly than I had ever been raised or upheld before. I rested my head against a pillow or an arm, and felt easy..."