There is a gentle tap at the door. Molly casts a final look into the mirror over the fireplace, purposefully widening her eyes and making her face innocent. She smiles a little to herself. 'As soon as things are calmer, it'll be time to finally set my hat at my husband and resume the carefree intimacy we had on honeymoon' She watches her pupils dilate at her lusty thoughts before rolling her eyes. 'Not today, little rabbit' 

"Be good for Marta, Mauschen, I won't be long". The boy's response of acceptance is heard above noisy splashing. 
Molly opens the door, seeing their host smiling warmly. He looks her over, taking in all the little adaptations she's made to look vulnerable, the things her husband liked unexpectedly. 
"My dear veisgrafin,  you look enchanting today". She blushes and giggles "Your Grace is most kind. This is a treasured dress,  simple as it may be, because I was wearing it the night I realised I had fallen in love with my husband". It wasn't really flirting if one mentioned one's husband, surely? She thought.  She takes his offered arm, and with a brief nod to the two guards left to defend the child, Claudia follows along behind them, vigilant. 
The Eisenfurst looks at the redhead at his elbow "The Sword belt does not show off the attire to its best advantage"
She smiles, slightly sadly "Oh, I know, your Grace,  and usually I would not wear it, but under such threat I would sacrifice elegance for my husband and son's safety". She notes that she has only referred to Varick as her son once before, whilst sat in Cafe Kaffee in Freiburg after they had finalised the adoption. But that is certainly what he is, her herzkind, the child of her heart if not her body. 
They progress down the stairs and further into the house as they talk. Aside from the guards on patrol and the odd servant, it is very quiet. 
"You do not lack elegance, Veisgrafin. Far from it. Your bearing and manners are all the elegance you need. Even in rags, you would be clearly marked as a Lady". She smiles warmly at him "I thank your Grace for his kind words, I am touched, truly". 
They walk quietly. Molly's thoughts, as always, are anything but quiet. 'What you need to achieve here,  Moll, is clear. Paternal protection, perhaps a hint of admiration. You need to gain his trust so that Alarice cannot shed any further doubt on you or Morgan. Ideally, prepare the way for if Edward is going to cause issues over your common birth, regardless of how it is time to stop mentioning it, even to Morgan. Let's not let people like Mina  be referring to you like she did Dietlinde. You may be common born, but you are a gentleman's daughter and an Eisen veisgrafin. That is the be all and end all. And as an Eisen veisgrafin,  you fight for what is yours, determinedly, with every weapon you can."

Whilst she's preparing herself, they enter the silence of his Grace's private chapel. It's far prettier than she expected,  even though generally she prefers the simplicity of the Objectionist churches. She looks around. 
"Your Grace, this is stunning. It must give you many hours of peaceful contemplation "
"It does. My late wife designed it when the house was first built. Her-... her body lay in state here to allow the viewings." He looks at the marble work around the chapel. She watches him with a tender expression. 
"I am so sorry for your loss, your Grace"
He smiles sadly "It has been almost thirty years, and the pain is still strong"
She bows her head, her chest suddenly aching with emotion, for him, for her own husband, for herself. She looks at him, not concealing the tears in her eyes. 
"I can not even begin to imagine how much it would hurt" She bites her lower lip "Even watching Morgan progress through his grieving, I could only empathise, rather than truly feel the depths of his pain. I-..." She looks away from him, and decides that allowing a few tears to fall will not harm her cause. He looks at her with a frown of concern. "Oh my dear veisgrafin, I have upset you"
She shakes her head. "You have not, your Grace. I am not upset so much as scared" she watches him closely as her retakes her arm. 
"What scares you so much as to weep before an almost-stranger?" His concern deepens, and he hands her his own monogrammed handkerchief. 
She bows her head once more. There'll be no manipulation in this, she thinks, just raw, messy honesty. Her voice is quiet, hesitant.
"I am terrified that my husband will lose me and will have to grieve another wife. I am terrified we will lose our  son, just as he lost his daughter. I-... I am terrified of how strong and powerful my adversary is" Genuine tears fall, and she wipes them away with the fabric. Faulk is clearly very worried, and squeezes her arm.
"My dear veisgrafin, I can understand those fears. Love puts each of us at risk of extreme heartache. But I will do what I can, as both an Eisenfurst and a gentleman, to keep you from harm's way"
"I appreciate that more than I can possibly say, your Grace."
"I know Alarice is a very devious and smart woman, but now that we have all seen that side of her, we are more prepared"
She bites her lip again, eyes on the altar, and he watches her.
"I can only pray that it is enough to save my family in our hour of need." She looks to him a moment with all the affection of one addressing a treasured grandfather. "I know it is highly unconventional,  your Grace, but would you pray with me, for my family and my husband?" Her eyes fill with a slightly calculated look of vulnerability and need, which he is easily taken in by.  He leads her to the altar, and kneels opposite her, taking both her hands. The floor is cold and hard, but in some ways soothing. It is a Sunday, and chapel of the incorrect denomination or not, Molly would be praying today. Her brief foray into the pagan faith was short-lived, her devotion returned. Very briefly, she wonders if her husband has prayed today, and if so, precisely what he prayed for. But she sweeps those thoughts away to concentrate on the task in hand. Faulk begins the prayer, speaking Thean, a language she doesn't understand. She makes her own prayer silently
"Theus in heaven, I come before you as your most humble daughter. I ask today for your protection,  as I ask the protection of the men around me. Protect me from the dangers I face. Shield my son closely,  allow him the long, happy life he deserves. And my husband…" her tears fall into the floor "please, please do not take me from him and force him to grieve again. I know he has found it hard to return back to you, and I, as always, will aid him in that as every good wife should. He needs you now, to save Varick and I for him, and to watch over him with the paternal love and wisdom you have for us all. I beg of you, heavenly father, watch over my family, now and forever, amen."
She opens her eyes to see Faulk staring at her silent tears with a wealth of sadness.
"Do you often weep whilst praying, Molly?"
She smiles slightly "Sometimes,  your Grace. I am a very blessed woman to have a husband and child who I adore above all others. I am honoured to have risen in life from my most humble origins, as you did, to become nobility in our most precious country. Theus has given me so much, and at times I weep with gratitude, and for the future I hope he has in store for me" She smiles gently, squeezing his hands. He helps her up from the floor, sword clanking against the tile. He watches her.
"What is this future you hope for?"
She sighs wistfully "Happiness, your Grace. A full, long, happy life at my husband's side. I hope to love, honour, help and bring pride to him."
He nods, eyes becoming misty "I am certain you already bring him pride. He is a most lucky man to have such a devoted wife"
She smiles softly "I am utterly devoted to him. He is the world to me. I hope that he never comes to regret remarrying. I hope I can fulfil his life as he has fulfilled mine, and bring him the happiness he deserves"
"I am sure you will. And many children, I don't doubt" he smiles, but she sees the sadness there
"Oh yes, I dream of that, your Grace" she smiles thoughtfully, her voice yearning, fervent "I dream of the moment I show him his third child, the first we have within our union. I dream of the way his eyes will fill with awe and love. I dream of how he will feel a sense of pride in me, in our son, and all the ones that follow. I dream of how we will fill our home with love, and laughter, and still adore each other, for decades to come." She looks at him watching her.
"That is a most beautiful, heartfelt dream. It is a dream I had for myself and my wife also" he bows his head, and she lays a hand on his arm. 
"Now it is I concerned of paining you. I apologise deeply, your Grace" He pats her hand.
"I will see her again in heaven. I miss her desperately, of course. But one day, we will be reunited". Molly nods, smiling softly 
"Yes you will, your Grace. Life is fleeting, but beautiful. I would rather have a moment of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special. And if that is Theus' will, that all I am to have is a short life but seven glorious weeks married to the man that completes my heart, then I would take that over seventy years with any other." Her heart hurts at these words, realising how fundamentally true they are. 'But please, heavenly father, grant us many more years than this' she prays.

Faulk watches her. "You are a natural romantic, my dear veisgrafin. You remind me a little of my wife. She had a spirit like yours."
Molly bows her head, humbled "Your Grace is too kind. My spirit is strong. I am afraid of Alarice and all the hurt and trouble she wishes to cause for my husband, myself and our son. But I _am_ brave, and I am strong, and I will fight her with every last ounce of me to protect my family." She tilts her chin upwards a little, blue eyes becoming more determined. She hands back his handkerchief. He watches her with admiration.
"You do honour to your title with your strength. It is not an easy path, ascending to the ranks of the upper echelons. It took me years to overthrow the derision and gossip. They used to call me the Weizenfurst, for many years."
She nods solemnly, secretly slightly impressed with the cleverness of the cruel pun. "That must have been difficult, your Grace"
He nods "It was. But the secret to it was to never let them see they hurt me. Sometimes I would joke about how an army needed wheat more than it needed iron, but often I just rose above it. This is what you will do, I think. People will comment on your station at birth, but remember always, you are a Veisgrafin, and you have the respect and protection of your Eisenfurst."
She watches him, blushing "I do?"
He smiles "You most certainly do. Morgan has found a treasure in you" she manages not to flinch at the word her husband used as a pet name for his first wife "You bring credit to the Koertig name and our Konigsreich with your fortitude and eloquence"
She flushes harder "Your Grace, I am overwhelmed by the honour you do me"
He looks, and feels pleased with himself. He offers his arm, which she takes. 
"You have my protection, Molly.  You and your family". She smiles warmly, thanking him whilst squeezing his arm. He leads her from the chapel like this, and Claudia falls into step after they get into the corridor. They are silent through the halls, and quickly he drops her back to the nursery. 
He takes and  squeezes her hand, bowing over it as if he were a mere common man. "My lady". She curtsies "Your Grace". He nods, smiling affectionately. "If you see your husband, please advise him I'd like to see him before lunch" She nods "Of course your Grace. Thank you for this morning, it was an honour"
He lets go of her hand. "It was my pleasure, my dear veisgrafin". With a nod to Claudia, he heads off. Molly waits til he's gone, then looks to the blonde woman. 
"Thank you. Do you want some tea? Or perhaps a break whilst we have the extra guard?" 
Claudia looks thoughtful "A cat nap whilst it's quiet. Then tea"
Molly smiles warmly, showing her in. She makes a brief nod at Oren and Lars. Once inside, she locks the door,  just in time to get hugged by the son she would kill for. As she squeezes him, she thinks "Koertig. He should be Varick Karsten Koertig, not Eldreich. He deserves better than the scorn that will go with that name once his stepmother is put to death". Rather than voicing this, she sinks to her knees and hugs the boy tight. "I love you Mauschen. I love you so much." She kisses his forehead, before remembering his earlier objection and apologising. He kisses her cheek, little arms around her neck "Kisses are for boys too, except when men are watching". She giggles. "I love you too, Molly". She squeezes before letting go and he studies her with wide blue eyes. "Why were you crying?". She looks surprised "Is my make up mussed?" He nods. "I was crying because I am so happy I have you and Morgan in my life". He looks thoughtful. "Ok, can we make my costume now?". She nods, calling Marta to organise things. She goes into the bedroom and redoes her make up. She exhales slowly, allowing the tension to flow out. "I'm missing you desperately,  Liebling. I wonder what you're doing right now"
The clock chimes 9:15