Earl Grey: a novella

By Rowan J Paige

In the summer of 2005, Paige Whitman boldly left her comfortable life in America to be in London with her girlfriend Danny and pursue her childhood dream of becoming a screenwriter. However, her plans are put on hold six months later when an old friend falls ill and Danny spends the winter digging in Timbuktu. Paige returns to her Alabama roots

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rowan J. Paige
• Release date: Nov 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088192337

Book preview

Earl Grey

Earl Grey

Earl Grey

a novella

Rowan J. Paige

Walker

Contents

Dedication

Excerpt from Jane Eyre

One EARL GREY

Two LONDON & LETTERS

Three REUNIONS & RAINSTORMS

Four HONEYMOON

Five CHERRY SHERRY PIE & BITTER SWEET SYMPHONY

Six WAITING ROOMS & WAFFLE HOUSE

Seven NOVEMBER WINDS

Eight MAKING THE VEILLÉE

Nine AREN

Ten INTERVENTION

Eleven HOME

Twelve AMERICANOS & EXES

Thirteen MARDI GRAS + GRIEF

Fourteen NICOTINE GUM & GOODBYES

Fifteen GUSS

Sixteen POETRY

Seventeen THE NEXT STANZA

Eighteen THE RED DRESS RETURNS

Nineteen SUMMER SOLSTICE

About The Author

Other Works

Copyright © 2023 by Rowan Paige

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First Printing, 2023

For Sarah,

for the never-failing love.

For Charla,

for being a fan from the start.

For Chris and Sierra,

for being my real-life Gregg and Carolina.

For all the women who light the way

for me to keep going when I get a little lost.

Excerpt from Jane Eyre

I remembered that the real world was wide, and that a varied field of hopes and fears, of sensations and excitements, awaited those who had the courage to go forth into its expanse, to seek real knowledge of life amidst its perils.

— Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre  

One

EARL GREY

Hey. Danny nudges my arm as we sit peacefully side by side. Do you smell that? She sniffs the night air, tightly squeezing her eyes shut as she points her nose to the stars. I pretend to smell the air around us, but my senses have numbed since the derealization set in.

The moss? I lay my back down on the soft pad of grass. Or is that the fog?

No. She smiles softly, pushing her growing hair back off her shoulders. "No, it’s autumn."

Oh. I inhale the London air. It almost does smell like a warm cuppa tea, I lie.

She giggles. Yeah. Like an Earl Grey, innit? Danny wipes her hands back and forth against the evergreen sod. This is my favorite little garden, she sighs happily. Bergamot trees, these are.

Yeah, like Earl Grey mixed with damp moss, cool misty air, and… I can sort of smell a faint scent of creosote. "Chimney smoke? I look up at the stars. It’s quiet here. I like it."

Danny rolls over to kiss me, the iris of her eyes green and bright with golden flecks.

What’s that for? I zip her jacket to make sure she’s warm on this nippy November night.

I’m so glad you’re here. With me. She runs a finger along the bridge of my nose.

I’m happy to hear that. I was thinking of staying for a while. I stretch my hands back to prop my head.

I’d sure hope so! She rolls back to the ground. How long do you suppose?

I’ve been here for the past five months on a work visa. The question of me moving back to the States at the end of the year has been a pressing one. Now, it’s become an elephant in the room.

Well. I was thinking maybe forever. I take hold of her warm hand. Danny always has toasty hands and I enjoy the constant comfort they provide.

"Isn’t it still kind of… early? Danny sighs. To be talking like that?" She closes her eyes as if she’s avoiding the sad scene in a movie.

Why can’t she see this is the part when the couple is supposed to be falling in love? This sky and a lonely patch of grass is the perfect setting for romance. She wanted a literal answer. A measurement of time. I haven’t thought that far.

Wasn’t it super early when I said I loved you and decided to follow you to England? I pull at the strings of my hood, tightening the fabric around my face. But we did it, Dan. Silence. And I thought it was going well. For me at least…

I guess it was rushed now that I think about it.

Oh come on, Danny! Fools rush in, they say. I pluck tiny pieces of grass root. Do you think I was wrong? I brace for impact, my stomach fluttering.

Danny purses her lips like she’s carefully contemplating her next sentence. Maybe, but… She smiles. "I can’t help falling in love with you," she sings gently.

Nice, I whisper. I don’t think time matters when it comes to love, you know? I think if it’s meant to be… then it just is. I sigh, somewhat relieved.

I think maybe you’re right, Danny says. But it gets scary, doesn’t it? She looks me in the eyes. Directly in the eyes, and I swear to God time stops when she does that.

Shhh. Let’s not put a time stamp on this quite yet. Just smell the Earl Grey. We lay under the starlit sky, pretending we aren’t both panicking over whether or not we made a mistake.

As my senses slowly return, I realize that Danny is wearing my perfume and my right shoulder is pressed against a rock.

Two

LONDON & LETTERS

As I sip on Earl Grey and cream, I eye the pretty pastry case tempting me at the front of the café. It's over-filled with delicate tea cakes iced with lavender and lemon. Everything about London has been so damn tempting. The wood-burning stove roars and hisses, filling the room with toasty heat on this harsh January morning. I spend most mornings writing here.

My work in progress is Sap - a romantic comedy. My agent has been pushing me to write something more romantic. I'm having a really difficult time getting things flowing. Spending time in Danny's personal library has inspired me - the poetry books, vintage maps, and our heated kisses shared in the stacks. This season has been one of perfection and that makes me nervous.

Earlier this morning, I woke well-rested in a white bed of goose feather down pillows, watching Danny pour steaming water from her kettle into two tiny, periwinkle teacups. She is milk and tea lingering on my tongue as the fire hums. Dusty pages, flickering candles and a warm blanket to wrap around me. Her room smells of lavender and gardenia flowers. She is so comforting and warm even in the darkest of months. She’s a hug when I need it most, and she’s more than that when I need it, too. There is no one else I’d want