The echo of "acquaintance" still hung in the air, charged with an ambiguity that Lysandra found almost palpable, when Agnes's practical, warm voice broke the spell.
"Please sit down, don't stand there like pillars of salt!" said the nanny, approaching with a smile that encompassed the newcomers. With surprising agility for her age, she took charge of Fernando's backpack and the elegant travel bag that Ruby had discreetly left aside. "Young Fernando, your usual room is ready and aired, as if you knew you were coming. However," her gaze rested on Ruby with inquisitive kindness, "I have not yet prepared one for the young lady. Would you like me to prepare a guest room for you, or…?" Agnes's pause was subtle, but laden with the unspoken implication of a more intimate alternative.
Lysandra watched intently. She saw how Fernando, before answering, glanced quickly at Ruby, a look that seemed to contain a silent question, an instant inquiry. Ruby returned the look with a slight, almost imperceptible nod, her green eyes maintaining that enigmatic serenity. It was a split second, a wordless communication that left Lysandra even more perplexed.
"Yes, Nana, thank you," Fernando replied, his tone casual, but the decision seemed already made between him and Ruby. "We'll each have our own room. We'll be more comfortable that way."
Ruby nodded in confirmation, a faint smile curving her full lips. "It will be perfect, thank you very much, Agnes. That's very kind of you."
Lysandra could barely process it. Separated? After that arrival together, that almost tangible connection that seemed to vibrate between them, were they opting for separate rooms as if they were mere traveling companions? Her mind was in turmoil. The "acquaintance" label was already disconcerting, but this choreography of glances and the decision to maintain a formal distance regarding accommodations left her even more confused. How was it possible that with just a glance, they could speak so intimately, make decisions in an instant, and at the same time maintain that facade of simplicity?
A wave of memories about Fernando washed over her. Her brother had always been a magnet. Since adolescence, girls had fluttered around him like butterflies around a flame. He was handsome, yes, with that natural charm and contagious energy, but also intelligent and fun. Lysandra remembered the whispers of her schoolmates, the phone calls he sometimes answered at home, the occasional visits from young women visibly smitten with him. Fernando had had girlfriends, of course, some more serious than others, but never, as far as she knew, one that had truly driven him "crazy," as Agnes used to say with a knowing smile. He always seemed to keep a part of himself in reserve, an air of independence that, while attractive, also suggested his heart hadn't been completely surrendered.
But this woman, Ruby… there was something different about the way Fernando looked at her, even when he was trying to be casual. There was a spark, a special attention, a kind of underlying pride when he introduced her, despite the odd interruption. And Ruby, with her exotic beauty and unflappable confidence, was unlike any of the girls Fernando had seen before. They had been charming, yes, but Ruby possessed an aura of mystery, a depth in her gaze that suggested unknown worlds.
What was really going on with his brother? And who was this woman who seemed to have entered his life with the force of an exotic wind, able to communicate with him in a silent language while simultaneously maintaining a calculated distance?
Lysandra watched as Agnes, without asking any more questions but with a slight wrinkle of curiosity on her brow, nodded and began giving directions for carrying the luggage. "Very well, then. Young Fernando, your room is at the end of the east corridor, as always. And for you, Miss Ruby, I'll prepare the guest room in the south wing; it has a lovely view of the orchid garden."
While Agnes was getting organized, Fernando turned to Lysandra, his smile wide again. "Well, silly? Aren't you going to tell me you've missed me even a little?"
The question brought her out of her reverie. The joy of having him there, despite the whirlwind of questions Ruby had unleashed, was undeniable. But the intrigue, like a newly planted seed, had already begun to germinate in her mind, promising to grow and entangle with the other mysteries that now populated Thorne Manor.