* Molly leaves her room, going down the stairs to the dining room. It is about 5 minutes since Evie left, and 10 since Morgan's brief appearance. Her hair is half up half down, and shines in the light of the candle she carries in her left hand. In the other, she has the empty cup that he brought her. Her red skirt sweeps the stairs behind her, almost the same colour as her hair, and a change from the cornflower blue she wore to sew in. The evening has drawn in, the sky deep gray now, rain still thudding on the Torrington estate, a sure sign that autumn has arrived
* @Morgan can be heard clattering about in the dining room, followed by brief bouts of laughter
* Molly walks to the dining room, putiing the empty cup in her apron pocket to make sure she can pull the door open
* @Morgan lies on the floor breathing heavily, the cook stood to one side laughing
* Molly immediately feels on edge, never trusting anyone who remains standing whilst Morgan is laying down. She takes a mental inventory of the bandages she has, and chides herself for not begining sword fighting lessons, just in case the lurch she feels in her stomach bears out.
< 04Molly >  13What on earth is gong on in here?
* Cook looks over at Molly, a grin still on his face
< 14Cook > Morgan was just demonstrating the finer points of swordsmanship...
* Molly looks at him, her voice is firm
< 04Molly >  13And do you both remain unharmed?
< 14Cook > I think Morgans pride is injured
* Molly comes closer to them, intent on ensuring Morgan's health herself
< 04Molly >  13Is that the case, Morgan?
* @Morgan sits up slowly, still panting and speaks
< 08@Morgan > I'm almost certain... that table wasn't there when we started
* Molly kneels beside him, looking him over
< 04Molly >  13In this house, that would not be unheard of... but you are well?
< 08@Morgan > as he said, just my pride is injured
* Molly smiles at him
* Cook smiles
< 14Cook > if the master at arms has no more lessons for me? I'll return to the cellar
< 04Molly >  13Perhaps, Cook, you could fetch Morgan a drink, I would hazard that he might need one
< 14Cook > certainly Molly
* Cook bows slightly and retreats through the kitchen door
* Molly look back to Morgan
< 04Molly >  13Are you certain you are well?
< 08@Morgan > I'm fine
< 04Molly >  13Good. I have finished my work with Evie, though I can see you have found Cook with ease
< 08@Morgan > he was in the wine cellar looking smug
* Molly smiles, and stands up again
< 04Molly >  13what had kept him from his duties?
< 08@Morgan > a flagon of ale
< 04Molly >  13Better than the alternative...
< 08@Morgan > indeed
< 08@Morgan > mind you, he touches my ale again and he may wish he'd had the alternative
* Molly uses her candle to light some of those in the dining room
< 04Molly >  13I can see that his decision was very unwise
< 08@Morgan > I've seen worse if I'm honest
* @Morgan gets off the floor
* Molly watches him out of the corner of her eye, in case he is actually injured. She pulls the cup from her pocket, accidentally pulling her new navy handkerchief with it, which slips soundlessly to the floor. She does not notice.
< 04Molly >  13Thank you for the tea, it was very kind of you to bring it to me
< 08@Morgan > My pleasure
< 04Molly >  13I believe that the work to complete Evie's dress will have to be continued by her, because I would still like to go to Carleon before Castile, if you are still of a mind to allow me to accompany you
* Molly looks at the empty cup as she places it on the table, her voice soft
< 08@Morgan > Indeed, I've arranged for a carriage from the village to take us
* Molly looks back at him, suprised.
< 04Molly >  13Do you know when we might leave?
< 08@Morgan > In a few days
* Molly smiles, and her excitement is plain to read
< 04Molly >  13I ought to think about packing the things I might need
< 08@Morgan > Yes, the last thing we want is for you to end up in Carleon, dishevilled and or naked
* Molly blushes, putting her candle on the table next to the cup. She pauses slightly before speaking
< 04Molly >  13Quite...
< 04Molly >  13I will be going in to Lower Tawstock tomorrow, have you any errands for me?
< 08@Morgan > no blossom, I've nothing I need doing
< 04Molly >  13I might go to the milliners, for I think I might need a bag, both for Carleon and Castile. It seems strange to think I shall be going to Castile, for I have had to stay behind on previous excursions.
< 08@Morgan > A fact for which you should be thankful my girl
< 04Molly >  13Perhaps, but this house gets lonely without good company
* Molly looks around for the Cook, but spots the hankie on the floor
< 08@Morgan > I expect you'll stay here a while after your wedding while you find a new home?
* Molly bends down, retrieving it, the navy fabric dark against her pale skin
< 04Molly >  13I believe Curtis has plans to arrange the house before the marriage takes place
< 08@Morgan > really? He doesn't have long
* Molly 's shoulders drop, almost barely noticeable
< 04Molly >  13No, only a few turns of the moon.
< 08@Morgan > nervous yet?
* Molly looks at him
< 04Molly >  13I'm not nervous about the ceremony, no
< 08@Morgan > then you're nervous about?
< 04Molly >  13I am just nervous that it is thr wrong thing to do I suppose
< 08@Morgan > I'm sure once you've settled into it, it'll be fine
< 04Molly >  13Yes, I'm sure you are right. I now believe that Evie intends to stay on once I'm married and gone, for she already makes plans to visit me
* @Morgan 's eyes harden
< 08@Morgan > whether she stays or not is not her decision
* Molly looks puzzled
< 04Molly >  13I did not mean anything by it... She seems to despair of me taking leave of the house
< 08@Morgan > she seems to think she is essential here
* Molly smiles wryly
< 04Molly >  13She definately thinks _I_ am essential here.
< 08@Morgan > I'm inclined to agree
< 04Molly >  13You shall see, by the time autumn comes round again, no-one will miss my skills, for another girl will as easily take my place
* @Morgan snorts derisively
* Molly looks at him
< 08@Morgan > though we may have another housekeeper, there's not a chance anyone will replace you
< 04Molly >  13Have I made so much of a nuisance of myself that I have gained notoriety here?
* Molly grins at him playfully
< 08@Morgan > there is but one nuisance here, and his trial should sort that out
< 04Molly >  13If he ever gets one, for it is taking a great deal of time. At this pace, you shall lose me before him... Oh goodness, Charles Warwick as your new housekeeper!
* Molly laughs
< 08@Morgan > oh yes, I can see that going down a treat
* Molly sits down, putting the hankie on the table
< 08@Morgan > what've you got there Molly?
< 04Molly >  13Oh, it is that handkerchief I was working on, I finished it this morning before taking up needle again to help Evie
< 04Molly >  13I think she believes she may find a husband on the trip to Castile...
< 08@Morgan > oh really?
< 04Molly >  13I think it does her no harm to hope for a future, though I wonder if perhaps her expectations are far too high
* Molly smiles softly
< 08@Morgan > am I to surmise she has someone in mind?
< 04Molly >  13For the most part, I believe she just wishes to find a man who will want her hand, regardless of who it may be... but yes, she has spoken to me of an interest in someone in particular
* Molly feels a twinge of guilt at betraying a confidence
< 08@Morgan > I just hope she's using some sense this time
< 04Molly >  13No, I think her head is much too high in the clouds for sense... I think she believes that she will also marry a Lord and live happily ever after... it is almost that she does not see that a life of security can come in many forms, not just out of a wedding...
< 08@Morgan > for someone so world weary, she is very naive of it
< 04Molly >  13I think she understands the concept, but believes herself to be above it... But surely, for a poor girl with no place in this world, the life of a kept mistress is hardly so shameful?
* Molly looks defiant, obviously still slightly annoyed at the way Evie spoke to her
< 08@Morgan > The life of a mistress isn't shameful in my humble opinion. Granted, I wouldn't have taken Dietlinde as a mistress, but the reasons for that are my own and not socially driven
< 04Molly >  13I agree. If I had been propositioned by a Lord to be his mistress, and have a home provided til the end of my days, I should have jumped at the chance. To me, it is a case of knowing one's worth, and poor girls with no fotune are worth little in this life...
* Molly looks away, hoping that he didn't notice that she didn't mention jaeger
< 08@Morgan > I think people's worth shouldn't be counted by their wealth
< 04Molly >  13It should not, yet it is
< 04Molly >  13Evie believes that it would shame her to be anyone's mistress rather than their wife
< 08@Morgan > Eiblinn believes herself unwarned where I'm concerned, despite my warnings to her being plain of language
* Molly 's expression turns hard
< 04Molly >  13Evie was a fool in that respect, for she should not have even NEEDED to be told something that is so obvious
< 08@Morgan > again, naive
< 04Molly >  13She is a nice girl, if not a little wild, but she does not know the hardships of the world, nor the hearts and minds of others, like she would have anyone believe
* Molly smiles at him
< 08@Morgan > I'm not of the opinion that she's wild, I think she's frivelous and flighty
< 04Molly >  13She actually asked me how one would discover whether a man had an interest in them... I told her she would be better to ask anyone but me!
* @Morgan wonders who this man might be
< 08@Morgan > I would imagine its fairly obvious when a man's interested
< 04Molly >  13I sometimes wonder if Curtis would have been better advised to settle his attentions on Evie, for initially upon meeting he was certainly drawn to her
< 08@Morgan > As was I for a time, yet your charms are more enduring
* Molly smiles, touching the fabric idly
< 04Molly >  13She would certainly have spotted his attentions regardless of her naivety
< 08@Morgan > Jaeger is rather unconcerned about being forward
< 04Molly >  13Perhaps that is the way of all men displaying affection? In the books, they are much more subtle, but I believe that perhaps literature might be geared much more towards appealling to the heart of the reader, and not the mind of a person living in the real world
< 08@Morgan > I wouldn't know really... though when I was courting Dietlinde, I was never so plain about my feelings
< 04Molly >  13That suprises me not at all. I would have believed you to be much closer to the characters I read of
* Molly smoothes the hankie out with her fingers, blushing slightly
< 08@Morgan > I think perhaps I am just more reserved than Master Jaeger
< 04Molly >  13Perhaps it was such a subtle display that allowed Evie to delude herself in thinking you could ever give her what she needed?
< 08@Morgan > perhaps.
* Molly critically looks at the stitching, afraid that she has said something untactful
< 08@Morgan > though I suspect anything other than undying love and eternal high running passion would be the only things to satisfy her...
* Molly sighs
< 04Molly >  13I fear you may be right. A little love and passion would surely be enough to satisfy most people?
< 08@Morgan > I dont think she realises that after a time the passion dims... its not always the high drama she wishes for
< 04Molly >  13I think she will never be truly happy, and will have to settle far below her dreams. She might have only increased her misery by setting her hat at you, for it must be harder to fall the higher you are.
< 08@Morgan > I'm not entirely sure I grasp your meaning
* Molly blushes, realising she's already broken Evie's confidence when she did not intend to. Her voice is quiet, and she leans closer to him to prevent anyone overhearing
< 04Molly >  13Evie mentioned to me, in the strictest confidence, that the passion between you was incredible... I simply meant that to lose so much must have been worse than losing something which inspired less passion...
* Molly blushes hard, looking away from him, annoyed with herself
< 08@Morgan > I think she perhaps remembers things differently than I
* Molly turns back, picking up the fabric in her hand. She weaves it between her fingers without thinking
< 04Molly >  13Really? Oh, I believe Evie may have overexaggerated it then
* Molly kicks herself mentally
< 08@Morgan > Perhaps. Or what she feels in her own mind is interpreted differently to my own
* Molly smiles at him, hoping to gather whether he is angry that Evie has spoken to Molly about something so intimate
< 04Molly >  13I wasn't prying, we were just talking...
* Molly 's fingers inadvertantly go to her lower lip, gently touching her mouth. She looks down at the table
< 08@Morgan > I dont doubt it
< 08@Morgan > But you're not particularly well travelled in this world, and curiosity is nothing to be ashamed of
< 04Molly >  13You can rest assured that I would never betray your confidance to her
< 08@Morgan > The thought had never crossed my mind
* Molly looks to him, and goes to smile, at which she notices her finger on her lip, and drops it, embarassed
< 04Molly >  13I am glad, for I know that she would take whatever information she could get through her questioning, and use it for her own ends
< 08@Morgan > Oh, I'm sure. Naive as she is, she's not stupid
< 04Molly >  13I think she believes that I know how she could win your heart
< 08@Morgan > I'm afraid my heart is not for winning... its a lost cause to think otherwise
< 04Molly >  13I am well aware of that, but to explain to Evie that this is so clearly the case, I would have had to betray the confidance in which you have told me such things, which I would not do
* Molly looks at the flickering candle in front of her
< 08@Morgan > I doubt she'd listen to you anyway, since you would be contradicting her own belief
< 04Molly >  13I wonder if her interest in Inigo isn't perhaps designed in part to make you jealous?
* Molly closes her eyes and shakes her head, chiding herself
* @Morgan shrugs
< 08@Morgan > I wouldn't know if she were able to think that in depth, if I'm truthful
< 04Molly >  13A desperate woman will always have such tricks in mind
< 08@Morgan > I think perhaps you're wrong and she has just switched her attentions elsewhere
< 04Molly >  13Perhaps... I think she will find him just as unwilling to take her as his wife as you... though perhaps with less desire to keep her from his bed
< 08@Morgan > I tell you now, Molly, if she beds that man, she'll remove herself from this house. I dont trust him as far as I can through captain singhen ((trevor))
* Molly giggles
< 04Molly >  13And he can surely be in no position to take her as a mistress, I believe he lacks the required title... And I do not for a moment think he could take her as a Companion and keep just to her embrace and kiss alone
< 08@Morgan > there is something not right about that man
< 08@Morgan > he does very little writing for a scholar
< 08@Morgan > whereas mister black was always writing
* Molly smiles
< 04Molly >  13Not always, for he would talk a great deal as well
< 08@Morgan > but I ask, have you seen mister Inigo write anything?
< 04Molly >  13I have seen him write whilst deciphering puzzles, but not letters, nor books, no
< 04Molly >  13I wonder sometimes, had I been born a man, that I might have become a writer myself...
* @Morgan pauses
< 08@Morgan > I was about to protest at the futility of it, but I confess I keep and send quite a number of missives
< 04Molly >  13It is an incredible gift, and no doubt if I had anyone to write to, I would no doubt do so with frequency. In my life, I have received but one letter
< 08@Morgan > Just one? From Captain Tsaylur?
< 04Molly >  13Yes
< 04Molly >  13I do not know what happened to it, nor do I really remember what it said
< 08@Morgan > she has sent me some few
< 04Molly >  13I never replied, for I did not know where to write to
< 08@Morgan > If I recall correctly, it said that she was sorry for the things she said at your previous meeting and to assure you that boy was healthy and with her
* Molly smiles
< 04Molly >  13I am glad you remember
< 04Molly >  13I would write to Horatio, if I had even the slightest idea where he might be
* Molly thinks of the letter, burnt in the grate of the schoolhouse months ago
< 08@Morgan > I've no doubt he'll return at some point and you can pry an address from him
* Molly speaks quietly, lost in thought
< 04Molly >  13He would have been an easy man to be Companion to...
< 08@Morgan > I would imagine so if he were not so preoccupied... and quite so vague
* Molly blushes, having not intended to say it aloud
< 04Molly >  13I actually think the biggest hurdle, more than preoccupation and vagueness was his lack of interest in taking me as a Companion at all
* Molly laughs softly
* @Morgan looks solemnly at the floor
< 08@Morgan > I think noone could've tempted the man... he has a terrible burden in trying to find his daughter
< 04Molly >  13I would willingly trade any happiness I could have found by being in his company for the fufilment of his goal. Perhaps that is where Evie and I differ, she sees her own wants and needs as being more important than that of others, and I am not so
< 08@Morgan > Again, Eiblinn sees the world as somewhere to get what she wants...
< 04Molly >  13Morgan, in Carleon, might there be maps?
< 08@Morgan > oh I should imagine so
* Molly smiles
< 04Molly >  13I should like to see one, if we might, for I would like to know what the world is like
< 08@Morgan > I think I've got one in my room. I may be wrong, since its been a long time since I saw it
< 08@Morgan > it may well have been taken
* Molly 's eyes light up
< 04Molly >  13Really? I should love to see it, if you still have it
< 08@Morgan > I'll have a look for it
< 04Molly >  13Will they have the theater in Carleon?
< 08@Morgan > Oh yes, there's a rather impressive on there
< 04Molly >  13You must have been to many plays, I'm sure
< 08@Morgan > one or two
< 04Molly >  13Would you allow me to go to one, whilst we are in Carleon?
< 08@Morgan > if you wish to
< 04Molly >  13I would dearly want to. I know I might see many in my life as a Lady, but I long to discover it myself before that time
* @Morgan nods
< 08@Morgan > then we'll find you a theatre
< 04Molly >  13If it is not appealing to you, I do not mind going alone
< 08@Morgan > we'll have to see whats showing
< 04Molly >  13Oh I will watch anything, I care to see any play at all
* Molly grins broadly, her excitement bubbling
< 04Molly >  13I might also visit the gown-makers and jewelers, if time allows, for I would see all the beautiful and expensive things that people buy
< 08@Morgan > I'm sure we can set some time aside for window shopping
< 04Molly >  13Do you have many commitments for those days?
< 08@Morgan > I've but one commitment
* Molly smiles
< 04Molly >  13Then we shall have plenty of time
* Molly notices that the night has started to draw in, and she rises to pull the curtains across the large windows. Looking outside she shivers, a fear reaction to all the horrible things that have happened in that house once dark came
* @Morgan notices
< 08@Morgan > are you alright?
* Molly turns back to him, picking up a candle to light a few more
< 04Molly >  13Yes, I find that I do not like to see these windows uncovered in the dark... silly really
< 08@Morgan > I dont think its silly... I still wont walk around the centre of the great hall
< 04Molly >  13I must confess, I have cleaned that room once myself since then... that was the day you fell from the tree, and I thought... well, it was the day you fell from the tree.
* Molly looks away, folding the hankie and unfolding it idly
* @Morgan looks over
< 08@Morgan > You're thinking its perhaps cursed?
< 04Molly >  13But not everything that has happened here has happened in there... I sometimes think maybe the whole house is possessed of some bad beacon that draws things here
< 08@Morgan > I'm starting to think its me
< 04Molly >  13It is not you. I do not believe that you draw such things, though you do seem to draw people around you like moths to a burning flame