syncopation.
Two knocks. The second just a bit lighter than the first. It was something of her call sign. A wordless way for him to know that it was her without having to ask. There were far more important things for him to save his breath for. Elizabeth could see her breath in the air as she waited. She hoped that he would come to the door quickly. It was too dark and too cold for a woman to be out alone. She would gather attention, and attention was the last thing she wanted. She had managed to hide her growing baby bump for this long. She just needed to hide it for a few moments longer- nothing much mattered after Joseph found out. Her fate was set. He just ought to know he was a father, or at least, going to be one, assuming Elizabeth lived long enough for Joseph's child to be born.
The door opened and Elizabeth wordlessly stepped in. His home was more familiar to her than it should be. Was the warmth she felt with the familiarity, or did it lie with him? Regardless, it comforted her and shielded her from the prying eyes that laid outside. When she met his eyes Elizabeth lost all sense of what she had come there to say. The urgency of it, the rehearsals, all of it was gone with the stolen glance. "Good evening." She started, coaching herself through the process. Step one, greet him. "I'm sorry to bother you tonight." She loathed how formal she felt she had to be with him, even behind closed doors, where no one could see them. "I... have something important to confess to you."













