It took Sansa a few moments to try and correct her appearance before she nodded toward Jeyne Poole to open the door. She would have liked a few moments more to hide her tear stains and puff up her appearance, but she did not want to make Lord Lucas Lannister wait longer than necessary. It would not have appeared good on her.
Following Sansa's nod, Jeyne moved quickly and unbolted the door. Lucas Lannister was standing just outside, a smile plastered on his face and a wooden box in his hands.
Sansa immediately spotted and recognized the wooden box and made a quick guess regarding the purpose of his visit. A sparkle appeared in her eyes, but she remained calm and composed. She did not want to get too far ahead of herself or behave in an unruly, unladylike manner and cast a bad impression on Lord Lannister.
"Lady Stark," Lucas greeted Sansa with a polite smile as he took a single step into the room.
"Lord Lucas," Sansa greeted him back with equal politeness.
"Lord Lannister," Jeyne, too, greeted with a bow.
Lucas naturally recognized her, but he still looked at Sansa with questioning eyes.
"She is my handmaiden," Sansa responded. "And my dearest friend and confidante. Her name is Jeyne Poole."
"Poole," Lucas looked toward her. "I assume the daughter of Steward Vayon Poole."
"Yes, my lord," Jeyne responded, and Lucas nodded back politely.
He turned back toward Sansa and stared silently at her face for a couple of moments, as if studying her.
"It looks like you have been crying, Lady Stark," Lucas said with mild amusement and mirth in his voice.
"No... it is nothing like that, Lord Lannister," Sansa responded with a stammer and an awkward blush of embarrassment.
Lucas chuckled, his amusement increasing.
"It is quite obvious on your face," he said.
"Next time," he added with a whisper. "You can take some more time before opening the door."
Sansa stood almost frozen, her embarrassment and the blush on her face deepening. Lucas shook his head as he moved his hand forward with the wooden box in it.
"You can have it back," Lucas said. "I have talked to your father and have convinced him to let you keep this gift."
Despite having already guessed the purpose of Lucas's visit, her face brightened and her eyes sparkled as she heard this.
With great anticipation, she took the box from Lucas' hands and immediately opened it. It was not that she did not trust Lucas Lannister, but she was just too happy and excited to have another look at the gift she had fallen in love with at first glance. Seeing the necklace just as she had placed it in the box, a smile of relief and happiness crossed her face. She caressed the necklace with her fingers as she continued looking at it for a few more moments.
"Thank you, Lord Lucas," Sansa finally said, able to tear her eyes from the jewelry. There was genuine gratitude and thankfulness in her voice.
"Even yesterday night, I stated how much I liked this gift," she said. "And even now, I must emphasize again that I really, really like this gift."
"But this time," she continued, "I am more grateful to you for talking to my father and convincing him to let me keep this gift."
"Thank you," she added.
Lucas simply shrugged.
"I did no great thing," he said. "He was really overthinking that this gift is too costly and that it was not appropriate for me to give you something like this."
"But it was quite easy to convince him that this gift is not that costly, especially considering that it is its great fate that a beautiful and stunning lady like you would be wearing it."
Sansa blushed, this time out of shyness. She wanted to invite Lucas further in, as he had been standing just at the entrance, but she knew that it was not the right thing. If rumors flew that she had been with a man inside her room with only Jeyne Poole among them, it would do no good for either of their reputations. And clearly, the way Lucas had positioned himself just at the entrance, it was clear that he too was aware of this. She did not have to worry about offending him by not inviting him in.
A couple of moments of silence permeated the room before Lucas broke it.
"Have a good day, Lady Stark," he said. "See you sometime later."
"You too, Lord Lannister," Sansa replied with a nod.
She did want to spend some more time with Lucas, but now was not the right time. Lucas gave one final nod before he walked away, leaving Sansa and Jeyne alone in the room. As soon as Lucas was out of their view, the mask on Sansa's face broke, and the smile on her lips widened almost to an exaggerated level.
"Jeyne!" she giggled, as she opened the box once again to show the necklace to her friend. "Look!"
Jeyne, also excited, almost jumped to Sansa's side as her eyes took the necklace into view. It was her first time seeing the jewelry from that close, and she was completely mesmerized by it.
"This is so beautiful," she mumbled, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
While the two friends bundled together to admire the necklace, back in Ned's solar, he had called for Maester Luwin and Rodrik Cassel. He then described Lucas's proposal to them and just like him, they too were shocked and surprised by the sheer ambition and claims of Lord Lucas Lannister. And they were finding it almost impossible to believe.
Even so, they dove into a deep and detailed discussion about the proposal and its various advantages and disadvantages. Though still skeptical of the claims made by Lucas Lannister, they were willing to set their doubts aside and, for a moment, believe that Lucas could do what he claimed. Only then did they begin considering how to approach the proposals. But this was not a matter to be settled in a single day. It was going to take time and even more detailed discussion with Lord Lucas or his assistant Tillie.
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