Alyson Way (closed)

[DeeperWater]

Daniel Raymond Redmond the IV looked out across his estate, from the balcony of his aging mansion. The once tended green lawns and topiary were now a bit overgrown. To his left he could see his hedge maze, which had once been his pride and joy. It was now almost closed in and abandoned. He knew that the stables were now empty, except for a few serviceable buggy horses. He felt that he should care, but he felt nothing. He had not felt anything since his dear Katherine had abandoned him by dying. She would never again ride with their friends over the grounds, or compliment the groundskeepers, or allow him to chase and catch her through their magical maze.

He was a tall, broad shouldered man in his late thirties with just a touch of gray at his temples. His brown hair was still thick and wavy and his figure was still trim. Still, there was an oldness to his manner and his eyes which belied his true age. As he always had, since she had passed on, he wore a black suit with a dark gray vest and a silver pocket watch. He absently brushed his thick mustache which sat above firm lips and a cleft chin. His wife had never tolerated facial hair, saying that his wiry beard hurt her when they kissed, but he no longer cared. It was one less thing to have to shave.

Down the long driveway he spotted his own coach approaching. So, she had come, his responsibility. He frowned, wishing there was a way out of his familial obligations. He tolerated the cook, the last of the maids and his man servant Dickinson, but mostly he did not have to deal with people.

The work of running the family interests now fell to his nephew Matthew, a promising young man with a good head on his shoulders. He blessed the lad for stepping in. He could not imagine dealing with the mundane management of his businesses, when his world lay dead and buried, along with his once beating heart.

Cook and the maid would be out front waiting on the coach. The fool girl was family, of a sort, and must be shown the courtesies. Still, she had made a damnably stupid and immature decision and he knew that her mother, the beautiful harpy herself, intended sending her to him as some sort of punishment. In his mind, a run down country estate was preferable to London society, but then so was a bullet in one's brain. With a long sigh, he straightened his black tie and headed downstairs to the entry hall.

 

[Sweet_Secrets]

She had never been to this place before. The Redmond Mansion, that One Place her parents avoided the entire year. The one they kept making excuse after excuse to avoid going even if her mother's own sister lived there. Now, she was heading there as a punishment by her parents. All her things packed for a long stay there, to make her think what she had done back home after that disastrous dinner party.

It wasn't her fault the blasted fool couldn't take her rejection in front of a public place. Did he really think she would say yes to him, and to the arranged marriage her parents made without her consent, in front of so many people when she said no in private? She made it clear to him that was not interested, her words harsh and bitter but not enough to warrant this. Her mother was so dramatic at times.

Maybe it'll be a good thing. With the closest village an hour's ride away, communications with her family would be sparse and she would have time to think and ponder many things. Like the sorry state of vegetation of the manner, for example.

The only time she had seen it was in her mind, from the beautiful descriptions her Auntie Katherine wrote to her while she was still alive and could communicate through writing letters to each other. In every letter, her beloved aunt spoke of the 'emerald green leaves' that 'sparkled in the illuminating sun' on a summer day. The flowers 'blooming with life and love' in the 'spry springtime'. It was so beautiful and breathtaking in her mind, as everything that her beloved Auntie Katherine did, that when she slept, those would be her dreams. Of emerald leaves shining in the summer sun.

But as she looked at the manor, she was dismayed to see it so... lifeless. It was once a beauty, no doubt, but it seems like the maintenance for this mansion had simply stopped or slowed down to a grinding, reluctant halt. Was Auntie Katherine truly the gardener in this manor? She looked at the unkempt lawns and decided that was either the case or she was the one who hired the gardeners that helped keep this place neat.

The coach stopped in front of the entrance of the manor, finally having reached their destination , and the maid bustled out of the manor to greet the young lady that would live with them for the next few days/weeks/months. The door swung open and a pretty girl appeared, a shy smile on her lips as she waved hello. The maid stopped, looking at her with wide eyes.

Mrs. McDougall was a bit surprised to see the young woman dressed in the sober, plain gray dress and black stockings. If it weren't for her eyes and hair, she was all but the spitting image of Katherine Way-Desmond. She even braided her hair with flowers, wild daises it seems, like how the Mistress did! The maid wondered if the girl's presence was a good thing or not of this little manor, since the Master was still in his dark moods even after so much time has passed since the Mistress' death. She hoped it would be a good thing, the girl had a look of sweetness to her face, with that shy smile dancing on her ruby lips that reminded the old maid of sunshine.

"Don't worry, child," the maid said as she helped Alyson off the coach. "You'll be taken care of here, no doubt. The Master is waiting for you in the Entry Hall now. Be polite and don't be rude."

Alyson nodded, seeing no other choice. Being rude was the reason why she was here in the first place. She would hate to see how she could make this worse for herself. The maid was nice enough at least. She helped take the larger bags from her person and she carried the smaller bag, following the maid to the Entry Hall to see her uncle. She hoped he would like how Auntie Katherine described him in the letters but look at how the gardens here turned out.

 

[DeeperWater]

The entry hall was wide room with thirty foot ceilings. The floor was made of imported marble square, but had not been polished in some years. The walls were painted pearl white, but had yellowed a bit with time. Around the edge of the room were tall windows looking out on to the estate.

In a fit of whimsy, Daniel had commissioned a rebuilding of the front hall, so that it's front wall was rounded and stuck out from the house. The twenty foot tall windows had offered his bride a panoramic view of her estate, even on the most gloomy days. Now standing in this room made Daniel's heart ache. He almost wished to break all the windows with rocks, like a spiteful school boy. They were dirty anyway, like the tarnish joyful memories he held of his dear Kat.

He stood stiffly at the bottom of a marble staircase. It was wide enough for four men to walk abreast and extended up to a landing, which surrounded the room. Behind him, along the inside ways, somber faces trapped in wooden frames stared out at nothing with him, as devoid of hope and emotion as the current master of the house.

Katherine Fournier had been the daughter of the local vicar, and well below his station. He had first seen her, and fallen in love with her, when she was only fifteen and he was eighteen and leaving for university. The new minister and his only child had moved into the rectory of Saint Timothy's three weeks before the beginning of term. From the moment he spotted her, sitting in the front row, watching her father preach, he knew that he would never be satisfied with a lesser woman.

She had dark, chestnut curls, falling across her slender shoulder. Her face was slender and pale, with large lips and big green eyes. She had glanced shyly over at him a few times, as he had sat on the same row, with his parents between him and her. Her dress had been humble and plain, but because of this her beauty shown even more.

For four years, at Oxford, he had studied philosophy and dreamed of her. Every holiday he had ran home, and started attending church with a regularity that warmed his mother's heart. She had given all but given up on his immortal soul, seeing as how he had been chasing around the maids and village lasses for most of his life. Like father like son.

Finally, when his degree was placed in his hand, he was free to go after the goal which really would mean something. He returned home and courted the lovely Katherine in earnest. At first, she had spurned him, but withing days she was willingly accepting his visits as her due.

His father had been stern during his daily lectures on propriety and the will of the Lord God. The girl was not of the right stock. She was bit the daughter of a common laborer, but her father was a man of learning at least. The minister might be of humble origins, but he had shown himself capable of intelligent conversation and hard work. Of course, a real gentleman never worked, but at least he was not a ditch digger.

After six month of fighting with his parents, Daniel finally won his parents approval. He had proposed to his love, wed her in short notice, and started to live a life as happy as that of any man in antiquity. It had been a perfect life, until the first time she started to cough up blood. Now her cough haunted his soul.

When his niece walked through the door, he felt like he might vomit, or pass out, but controlled his emotions and straightened his back bone. "Ah, Katherine's niece, I presume? Welcome to Redmond house girl." For the life of him, he could not remember her name.

 

[Sweet_Secrets]

Auntie Katherine described her husband in the letters she wrote to her favorite niece as a 'real fairytale hero’. The words, memorized in her head for they were all that was left of her kind aunt, surfaced into her mind as she stared at the man in front of him with inquisitive eyes.

Dan is so kind! wrote her aunt, in the elegant scrawl she always had. It was a year after Auntie left to live in the Redmond Mansion. Years before she fell sick. You love him, little Ally Cat, if you met him. My knight in splendid attire, my reckless Romeo to my wooed Juliet. He is rare in this world, Ally Cat. A man who will respect you for not only you are equal but because you have potential.

Daring Dan is with both charms of a poet and a heart of a romantic and the brain of a naturalist. He is a dream come life to me - with twinkling stars for eyes and radiant ray of sunshine for a smile. His kindness and openness is noticeable upon first glance, mixed with the intimidating tallness of his figure.

She looked at him again, tilting her head in a way that reminded Mrs. McDougall of Mistress Katherine all too well. If she only had the Mistress' green eyes and brown hair -- Instead of the sharp, inky colors -- she would be the younger version of the woman.

The young woman stared at her uncle, a thoughtful but guarded expression on her face as she took in his features and his clothing, both dark and sombre. …Well, Auntie Katherine got 'intimidating' and 'tall' down. The rest of her praise was hard to tell. Alyson couldn't really see the twinkle in his eyes or the kindness to him. He seemed so withdrawn, so tired of life. She then thought of the gloomy, ill-kempt vegetation here and it reminded her of a ditty Auntie Katherine once told her:

I shall copy them! cried the flowers,
For they take care of me by the hour.

If that was the case, it seems the plants here were copying Mr. Redmond for his lack of care for them. She had this urge to ask him if she could be the one to take care of it but she didn't want to be rash on their first, ever, meeting. That will be for later if she felt like an injustice had happened.

Mrs. McDougall touched her wrist, brining her back to reality. “The Lady,” the maid said.

"Ah, Katherine's niece, I presume?" Alyson nodded, tugging on her black braid with some apprehensiveness. "Welcome to Redmond House, girl."

Girl. Girl. He didn't know her name. Well, typical of adults to not know children's name. At least he didn't attempt to hide it in 'sweetness' by calling her 'darling' or 'cupcake' or any of those sickening pet names she loathed so much. She liked him a bit already.

“Hello,” she said, with her voice deeper than Katherine’s ever was. It temporarily broke the rather haunting looks she had to her. Long as she kept talking, of course. “My name is Alyson Way. I thank you for letting me stay with you for the time being. It’s a pleasure to meet you at last, Uncle Daniel. Auntie Katherine said so much about you before.”

Mrs. McDougall hissed when Alyson said that last sentence since there was no sure way on how to guess how the Master would react to Mistress' name being used in front of him these days. One of the butlers said Mistress Katherine’s name once and he was fired on the spot, having to all but flee from the manor from the Master when the unfortunate soul saw the fire, the intensity, which lurked underneath those eyes. She hoped he wouldn’t do anything too rash.

 

[DeeperWater]

Daniel felt like someone had punched him in the gut. Good Lord! She was... Her mention of her aunt made him realize what a beauty the girl was. She was almost the spiting image of her Aunt Katherine, his Katherine. Not only was her appearance painful, but she had to mention.... Why had not the damned maid warned her? The maid's old, accusing eyes stared up at him, pleading with him to be a man for once. Damn them both! He choked out something appropriate and forgettable and then walked back up the stairs, to his study in the east wing, before he did something inrepairable.

------------------------

Mrs. McDougall watch the master struggling to keep his temper. She knew all to well how his once quiet, happy disposition had changed. In her opinion he had invested to much of himself in his relationship with his wife. The good Lord never intended anyone to get everything they needed from one person. This was what came of such a passion. She remembered when her own mama died, when she was just twelve years old, how sad, but calm her father was about the whole matter. He had held her and comforted her, even when his owner heart must have been breaking.

The master was still the master, but he had fallen a little in her eyes since his wife's death. She only hoped that having his niece around would pull him out of his despondency, and not push him further over the edge. Loyalty, or no, she would not allow him to destroy this poor girl.

"Well, yes, quite. Again.... Welcome. Mrs. McDougall will see after your needs. If you will excuse me." He turned and walked back up the stairs, with rather stiff movements. Mrs. McDougall let out a breath she did not realize that she had been holding.

"Let's get you sorted then Miss. Your room is in the west wing. I'll just take you there then?" She tried to put a smile in her voice, but it was not in her heart. She hefted a few of Miss Way's bags and started up the staircase. "Come along then Miss." Mrs. McDougall huffed a bit ascending the staircase. She was a rather large woman, with a large bosom and wide hips. By the time she and Miss Way had made the landing, her face was rather red.

She stopped and sat on a bench, at the top of the stairs. Pushing stray bits of salt and pepper hair back under her white cap, she looked up at the young woman apologetically. I do hope you will excuse me Miss, but I need to sit for a moment. My knees aren't what they used to be."

Mrs. McDougall felt rather foolish. It really did not do for a servant to show weakness or stress to a member of the family. Their lot was to serve thoroughly and without complaint. Still, she knew herself well enough to know when she was about to pass out, and sitting seemed the lesser of two evils. Besides, she knew that the young Miss might be family, but she was certainly unwanted, unasked for family. She did not pat the seat beside her, knowing it would never do to be so familiar.

 

[Sweet_Secrets]

“Take your time, Ma’am,” Alyson replied with a cheerful smile. “Please let me know when you feel better. If you’re having a hard time carrying the items, please let me know.”

The young woman put the rest of her things next to the bench where Mrs. McDougall as well and sat next to the older woman without any embarrassment or stiffness for being so close to the maid. If anything, she was showings hints that she was more relaxed now that was with the maid. She liked the woman a lot since it seemed her uncle was about to tell her off for saying something she had said back there but the presence of the maid had stopped him from doing so.

The last thing she wanted was to have a grudge against Auntie Katherine’s husband so soon and Mrs. McDougall had helped prevented that. From what she can tell, she had done something to miff the man off. Hmm… She’ll have to talk to the man later and ask what she had done so she won’t do it again. It was best to get the bad things out to let the good things in, as her Auntie would say at the end of all her letters.

Speaking of her Auntie… While she waited for the kind woman to catch her breath, she watched her with her curious bright blue eyes. She pondered about how long she had worked here. Mrs. McDougall most likely worked here her entire career as a maid which meant she knew a lot. Did that mean she knew where the ‘Jardin de la Joie’ was? Hopefully. Because even her Auntie needed help intending that place.

She asked, “Mrs. McDougall… Erm, I was wondering… Oh! Oh, of course. Silly me. This would make more sense if I showed you the letters. Hang on. It should be in one of the bags I have here. Let’s see here…”

Pulling one of the smaller bags to her lap, her personal travelling bag where she kept her more important and intimate things, she rummaged through the mess that she had just tossed in there. Another sign that she wasn’t Katherine. The woman was so organized, so neat in her items and Alyson here took forever in searching for a missing stocking. She finally pulled out a bundle of well-kept, tied letters out and selected one of them.

“My Auntie wrote me these,” Alyson explained as she put the bag away and set the letters on her lap. With the one she had selected, she opened it and pointed to a phrase that was written in Katherine’s clear, beautiful script. “Listen:

It took me forever and a day to convince Daring Dan about this project of mine but he finally agreed! We shall begin the construction of ‘Jardin de la Joie’ when I officially move into his manor but we are already discussing the plans. He is so sweet. I plan to have most of the flowers be our favourites, as a way to say thank you for letting me do these silly follies…”

Alyson lowered the letter and looked at Mrs. McDougall in the eyes. “My Auntie Katherine kept speaking of this in all of her letters, though she never really explained what this whole Jardin was,” Alyson said. “I have to admit, I am to blame for some parts. I never bothered to learn my French besides the colorful cursing they have and I never got around to ask her before she…”

The brunette trailed off after that, looking away before snapping out of her moods. “So! I was wondering: Do you know what this whole Jardin de la Joie is? Because it would be nice to see more of my Auntie than just these letters. My parents got rid of everything that was of hers at home, you see. She was the black sheep of the family for marrying above her position and they never really forgave her for that. So can you please tell me what you know about this? It would mean so much to me.”

 

[DeeperWater]

Mrs. McDougall looked at the girl sadly. She had heard to mistress talk of her former life, and her regrets over the strained affairs of her family. The mistress had never been comfortable with being in charge of servants, but had played the role when company came. Many nights they had sat together by the fire, knitting and talking about this and that.

Her father had been a worker in one of the master's London factories. He had also been a trouble maker and stirred up socialist sympathies amongst the workers. When his own daughter had become engaged to the very man he was fighting, her father had flow into to a rage and threw her out of the house. Katherine had gone to stay with her own Aunt Silvia, who detested her stubborn brother.

The strained relations had weighed heavy on the mistress. Still, when she walked in the woods, or sat watching ducks in the lake, or simply turn a tiny plot of soil to plant flowers, she seemed to calm down. She always said that God spoke to her in those moments and told her not to worry. In those moments she found her joy, but it was always a temporary joy.

Her dream had been to have a private, secret garden built, where she could escape to be alone with her thoughts. She would share it with her love, of course, and one day their children. Still, it would be a place of solitude and refreshment, when the world grew to difficult. It would be her Garden of Joy.

The older woman shook her head. She was sure the lass knew some of the story, but she did not want to bring up the affairs of the dead, especially when that dearly departed one had been such a dear friend.

"It was her Garden of Joy Miss." She spoke this solemnly and then stood stiffly. "Let's finish getting you settled, shall we?" She started mounting the stairs with surprising energy, after her momentary weakness.

She lead her down a white washed hall, to one of the last doors on the left. Open it, she showed Olivia into her new room. It was a large square room, with vaulted ceiling and light blue wallpaper with tiny flowers. There was a white canopy bed with ornate carved legs, a tall wardrobe, a neat but somewhat overly full dressing table and a window seat, looking out over the grounds. Above them was a chandelier made with cute glass, which flickered to light as the maid depressed the electrical switch by the door. She never failed to marvel at the electricity in her master's house.

 

[Sweet_Secrets]

Alyson was surprised by how stiff Mrs. McDougall was in reply to her questions? Had she said something wrong again? Why, oh why, couldn’t adults just say you shouldn’t say that and explain? Why must they pretend it was never said or act all stiff and awkward but never fully explain what was the matter with what was said/done/etc? Couldn’t they just be honest with their feelings for once?

That would be silly of them to so. If they did that, then they wouldn’t be adults, a voice in her head whispered. We might as well finish this day over with.

Well, her voice (her conscious?) had a point. Though confused by the lack of information she had gotten from the name, besides the possible translation for the name itself, Alyson sighed and picked up her bags and followed the maid to her designated rooms. She slipped the letters into her dress’ pocket, vowing to read them later for comfort. They’ve been her only line to Auntie Katherine for the past few years. Being here, the place where she lived and died… Perhaps the letters would reveal or show something to her that she didn’t see back in her home.

The world works in a mysterious ways after all. A motto Auntie Katherine loved with all her heart.

As they neared the rooms, she felt more anxious to know where she would be living during her stay here in the Redmond Manor. She hoped the rooms were nice. What if Uncle Dan had gotten mad at what she had said and suddenly changed her rooms to something less than bearable for her times here? What if he made her sleep in the Servants’ Room?

(Actually, she wouldn’t mind that but she was here to learn to be like a normal person so staying with them might not help sway her parents into taking her back should they find that out.)

Nervous and rather scared, she held her breath as Mrs. McDougall opened her rooms and showed a lovely room that had light blue stylized fleur de lis wallpaper and a large, nice-looking bed that looked so heavenly to sleep upon. That was what she liked the best about rooms. If the furniture actually were comfy, not just nice to look at, and if they had some sort of flower pattern into them. She entered the room, carefully putting her bags away, to explore the room with her natural curiosity.

Everything was perfect for her; the rooms even had a window to the backyard of the house even if the backyard was just as illkept as the front yard. But there was one thing that was bugging her: The dressing table. It felt out of place for the girl. Not because it didn’t match the furniture or was unpleasant to look at but something about its mere presence that made her frown and wonder. Looking at the dressing table full of items she never used in her life – Perfume, makeup, jewellery, poweders – and she inspected it closely until she saw there was a faded, old letter taped underneath the surface of the table.

She tugged it off and opened it, reading the following:

To my Ally Cat,

I hope you like this gift of mine! Your mother always complained of you not being lady enough so I had this made for you so you could pretend to be one when you came here.

Love, Auntie Katherine!

Oh… Yes. She and Auntie Katherine, they were planning to have her visit the Manor back in those days. She hadn’t seen her Aunt in such a long time and begged for a visit. Auntie Katherine promised to make ‘arrangements’ for her to come visit them one day but her mother always blocked it, saying Auntie Katherine didn’t have this or that that Alyson needed for her stay there. One of them was ‘Proper items for a young lady!’ It looked like Auntie Katherine planned all of it though.

Upon closer inspection, she saw the items were aged. Some of the perfume bottles were dusty or half fully, the jewellery aged or tinted an odd color since not taken care of properly. This must be the ‘items’ Auntie Katherine gathered in order for Alyson to come here.

What a pity those plans never came to be, Alyson thought. Once again in her life, Alyson hated her mother.

She continued to look at the items when she spotted something again. Mounted on the dressing table’s mirror’s moulding was half a key. Alyson almost didn’t even see it, since it was the same, light, tarnished gold color like the actual moulding and the bow of the key was patterned to fit with the flower-shaped mouldings perfectly.

“Mrs. McDougall,” she called out to the maid. She was about to point to the key, ask what it was and stopped herself. There was a reason the key was put like this. To be hidden from the sight of others. “Umm… Mrs. McDougall… Is this perfume still safe to use?”

 

[DeeperWater]

Daniel had spent afternoon in his study, trying to calm down. After he had driven away most of the staff, almost all of his friends and family, and basically made himself into a hermit in a very well appointed cave, he had grown used to the solitude. The cook, the maid and his man servant all knew not to talk to him, to remain as invisible as possible, and simply let him exist. The solitude dulled his pain and anger. His anger with a God that had stolen his wife, his anger with a wife that had left him and his anger with himself for not being a stronger man.

Now this niece of hers was here, and she had simply ignored the rules. She had pushed into his quiet, dead world and force him to feel something again. It wasn't a good something either, for she certainly had the look of his late beloved.

For the first time, in a long time, Daniel found himself leaving the house. He slipped out a side door, avoiding everyone, and onto the grounds. The late afternoon was in the last throws of sunny glory and shadows were forming. He walked across the untended lawn, past the over grown hedge maze and stared out across his domain dispassionately.

Once he would have felt shame to see the grounds like this. He and Katherine were constantly entertaining and always presented their best face for their guests. Even if there was no one down from London, the local vicar and doctor were likely to show up a few times a week, looking for a game of cards over some tea and sandwiches. He had not seen either of them for months, and the last time he saw the vicar, he had told the old man that if he ever set foot in his house again, he would beat him soundly.

Daniel was wearing a long, black coat, buttoned up a chill in the air. Under one arm he carried a shotgun, opened in half. In his pocket were a few shells. The girl had upset him, and he needed to get her out of his mind. His intentions had not really formed fully, in his mind, but there was a picture lodged there of shooting off the top of a gravestone or three. He could feel the presence of his man servant, hovering somewhere, just out of site. The meddlesome prat was probably worried that he might cause himself some harm. Daniel was not suicidal though. He fully expected that his wife was in paradise, and that he was headed towards hades. He had not intentions of rushing into his eternal torment.

To his left, through a stand of trees which has become overgrown, he spotted a crumbling stone wall. For a moment, his steps faltered and he stopped. In his mind, a woman stood against that wall waiting. A coy smile played beneath her teasing green eyes. She had slowly removed her overcoat, and was unbuttoning her dress. He found himself walking toward her, letting the fun fall. He pulled his own coat off, still staring and her dress slide off of her white shoulders.

Suddenly, Daniel came to himself and screamed, before falling to his knees. He beat the ground with his fists, letting the damaged done to his hands drive her ghost from his mind. He should never had left the house, and he wouldn't have, if the presence of that bloody girl, somewhere within his walls, had not driven him out.

-------------------

In London, at the Law Offices of Anderson, Anderson and White, barrister Roland White grasped the telegraph in his hands and smiled unpleasantly. His darkly handsome face was topped with curly black hair and black sideburns. His face was well formed, with high cheek bones, a cleft chin, a slightly aquiline nose and piercing dark eyes. His frame was slender, but strong, and had caught more than one you lady's attention. His suit was dark, and rich, and perfectly tailored. Despite this, the malicious look on his face made his quite ugly, for the moment.

"She thought that she could humiliate me!" He read the telegram again greedily. His spies had discovered that the little bitch who had humiliated him had been sent to live at her uncle's house. They had also let him know that it was not a well defended place for her to dwell. The bitch would accept him, and be subjected to public abuse to make up for her actions, or she would be used and abused in private, before he slit her bloody little throat.

It would all be so easy. He had defended enough murderers in his day. He knew the law and the loopholes. There was not fear for him, but there certainly was for her. He would give her one more chance to change her mind, but after than, she would be responsible for the consequences.

 

[Sweet_Secrets]

After learning that no, that perfume wasn’t safe to use or at least directly sniff from its bottle the hard way even after the maid’s warnings, she shooed Mrs. McDougall away from her temporary rooms so she could her things out by herself. The maid had a lot of things to do, Alyson bet since she saw little servants here in this Manor, and she could use that time better than helping her get her bloomers out of their bags. It isn’t that hard and Alyson made quick work of the chores, feeling pleased as punch that she was finished within a few minutes of doing this.

She looked out one of the windows, the one that showed her the grounds, to give herself a good pat on the bat when she saw her Uncle Dan walk into view. He was wearing a long black coat that belonged more at a funeral than a walk around his manor and totted a gun with him as he walked off somewhere. Alyson paled. She never saw a gun before in her life, besides that model one her father kept in his and mother’s room, and the gun Uncle Dan had was simply huge. What was he planning to do with that anyways?

Then, much to her fascination, he stopped when he looked at someone and simply froze in that position. He dropped the gun to the ground, it didn’t go off much to her relief, and simply stared at some spot for a minute or two. He was then taking off his coat, staring at something in the distance. She followed the direction of where he was looking and saw nothing much to her disturbance. What was he doing?

“Uncle Dan?” She said softly, worried for the man.

Perhaps she should open the window and ask what was wrong. He seemed… What was that word? Surprised? Haunted? As she was about to open the window, her hand on the latch and just turning it, the older man suddenly screamed as if someone had just shot him and threw himself to the ground, beating the soft earth below him with his large fists as hard as he could. She saw a servant, an elderly one but with a surprisingly straight back, rush towards to her Uncle as he continued to beat up the ground as if trying to drive something out of it.

What could she say? What could she think? What could she do?

Besides pull herself away from the window before her uncle noticed her staring at him when he got back up at his feet, of course.

----------------------------------------------------------​

Evening fell across the Redmond Manor and Alyson stayed in her rooms the entire day in order to not cross her Uncle’s path. She had a feeling she’ll just end up blurting what she saw and what she thought.

In her rooms, she sat at the dressing table and was writing on a piece of paper with a quill she had brought along with her. Finishing her signature on it, making it tidy as she could even with the wet easily smudged ink, Alyson looked carefully at her letter that was to be sent to her parents. Since that episode she saw out at the grounds, she wanted to write this down and send it to them quick as she could. She was quite frank in the letter and she hoped it wouldn’t be enough grounds to ignore her pleas. It read the following:

Dear Mum and Dad,

Sorry for writing so soon after being disgraced from society and all but I needed to write this to you soon as I could. I learned my lesson of not being rude, not disobeying you and all that nonsense you were screaming at me in the parlour.

Now that I said that - Please let me come back home. I think Uncle Dan is insane because he started beating up his own grounds while screaming. If you don’t, he might see me as a new target practice for him to use.

Sincerely,
Your Really Worried and Scared Daughter Alyson Way.

Alyson looked at the letter and crumpled it when the ink dried, sighing. Yes, as if that would work. If anything, her parents would punish her by making her stay longer in this Manor and with her uncle. Tossing the letter away in the bin, she turned her attentions back to the Half a Key she found earlier today. She picked it up and inspected it, wondering what it was. Where was the other Half? Could she talk to her Uncle about this? Probably not because he might end up beating it, or worse her, up too.

That was when she noticed something in the light. On the bow of it, the outer circle was the words—

“Lady Way,” Mrs. McDougall said, knocking on the door. “Supper is—”

CRASH. Alyson, shocked by the sounds of the knocking and the maid’s voice, fell over her chair and hit the carpeted floor hard. She cried out, desperately trying to hide the key and sit up at the same time. Oh…! Of all the time for her to come in.

“Lady Way!” Mrs. McDougall cried, trying to unlock the door with the ring of keys she had on her. “Lady Way, are you alright?”

“Fine, fine!” Alyson said, trying to sound chipper as ever. “Just surprised, I’ll be down in a sec!”

It took some more convincing but Mrs. McDougall compromised that she’ll let Alyson have fifteen minutes to get herself downstairs or she’ll get the girl by her ear. After hastily putting on a plain blue dress, Alyson hurried back to the lights and looked at the Half a Key with more scrutiny. There it was. The thing she had noticed.

On the bow of the Half a Key, on the outer circle of it, read, “Le Chemin de Ma Joie.”

The Way to My Joy.

So many questions she had in her mind now! So many ideas and thoughts and plans but so little time at the same time as well. Realizing she had only five minutes to get to the dining hall, wherever that was, she quickly put on her patent leather heeled boots, combed her hair hurriedly and rushed out of the rooms to head downstairs. “I’m coming, I’m coming!” she called out loudly, breaking the usual heavy silence that evaded the manor as she noisily clumped down the stairwell.

 

[DeeperWater]

Mrs. McDougall met Miss Way at the bottom of the stairs, and actually put a hand on her arm. "Hold a second Miss, if you don't mind. I.... I need to speak to you about something. It isn't my place to speak about the master, but you need to be careful. He took the death of the mistress hard. He took it harder than anyone I ever seen take a death. I'm afraid it's.... it's made him." She paused for a second and a look over resolve came over her face. "He's a bit touch in the head, he is. He's driven all but three of us servants off, and two of us stay out of loyalty to the family and the other out of pure cussed stubbornness. Just try not to mention her name, or.... act like her.... or maybe if you did not speak at all it would be best."

She knew that this was the first meal he'd had in the dining room for over two months, and he was only doing now because it was proper to greet his niece. There was still a decent and proper man under there, somewhere, but she didn't see how anyone could tame the beast.

--------------------------------

Daniel sat in the formal dining room, at the head of the long table. The room had chandeliers, walls of rich red with mahogany wainscoting, a vaulted wooden ceiling and polished wooden floors. The table could seat twenty and was made up with a dark burgundy table cloth and the best china. There were only two place setting. His niece had been placed at the opposite end of the table.

The three servants had worked together, for a few hours, getting the room back into shape, so that unlike the rest of the house, it was in presentable shape. There was to much work for only three servants to keep up the entire house, much less the estate, but they did what they could, without incurring the Master's wrath.

Daniel had white bandages around his hand, which he had covered somewhat with frilled sleeves. Though such a shirt was very outmoded for 1889, he had wished to hide his shameful injuries. He wore a black vest over the shirt and a black evening jacket over that. His expression was tired and resigned. He felt himself quite put upon. His servants had conspired against him, to do the right thing. Only these three had seen that his violent rages were only skin deep, and that he was not actually a danger to himself or others. Oh how he wished he had the courage to be a danger to himself, but long years of duty and propriety, drilled into him by nannies, would not let this happen.

He glanced to the center of the table, where three covered dishes set, and realized that his stomach was in knots.

 

[Sweet_Secrets]

“Hold a second Miss…”

Alyson blinked her eyes in surprise when Mrs. McDougall, who she personally thought followed the order of being a servant very much to the T, touched her arm and stopped her from moving on when she had reached the bottom of the staircase. Nevertheless, she looked at her and tilted her head to show she was listening. She didn’t mind people touching her long as they kept it at her arms and Mrs. McDougall was nice enough to her so far.

The information she had gotten from the maid was… surprising, to say the least. Was her Uncle really that affected by Auntie Katherine’s death? Alyson felt embarrassed by who she was acting a bit now, realizing that she wasn’t the only one who mourned for her Aunt’s death from whatever killed her. Just because her parents didn’t mourn her death, and actually looked so damn pleased at the news when it arrived at their home, didn’t mean everyone else was the same way. Not everyone else was like her parents.

She now also felt awkward that she was being instructed to not ‘act’ like her Auntie. It just reminded her that she looked a lot like her, though she was her mother’s child. She certainly wouldn’t act like her Auntie on purpose, her Auntie had the best self-restraint she had ever seen on anyone, but promised the maid that she will try during their dinner. She then hurried inside the dining room, not wanting to keep her Uncle waiting for long. He might have that gun on his person and he could be still twitchy from the earlier events.

Out of the corner of her dark eyes, as she entered the room, Alyson could have sworn she thought she saw a flash of a beautiful white dress.

---------------------------------------------------------​

Entering the dining room, trying to walk in a dignified manner but only managed to clump her heels noisily on the panel floor, she was approached by a man in a neat, black butler’s outfit who didn’t try to cover the sound of his footsteps like the others seem to be doing in the manor.

“Missus Way,” the man said, smiling at her kindly. “I’m Jarvis Abram. Allow me to escort you to your chair.”

The man smiled at her in comfort, to tell her he wouldn’t bite and she needed that right now. He was very friendly and would be frank with her if she asked him things, she could tell and it was refreshing that the man seemed so honest compared to the creeper Ronald White and the quietness of everyone here in the Redmond Manor.

She smiled back and saw, underneath the pressed uniform and combed back red hair and large, beak like nose, that he was really a boy. He was just a few years older than hers, he must be 27 or 28 at best, and had a certain light in his bright blue eyes that made her realize that this was the one who stayed out of ‘pure cussed stubbornness’. He led her to her chair and helped arrange her dining set just a bit while the meal was being served by the older, more distinguished looking man that was with her Uncle at the grounds.

“Evening, Uncle Dan,” she said, ignoring the first piece of advice she was given to by Mrs. McDougall as she sat down in her chair. She noticed the shirt he was wearing and visibly frowned, wondering why he would wear something like that when she saw the bandages that the frills were trying to hide. Oh. “How are you today? I must apologize for my behavior earlier when we first met each other. I didn’t mean to upset you like that. It was an honest accident.”

 

[DeeperWater]

Daniel forced himself to remain calm. Deep inside of him, he knew that it wasn't the girl's fault. She had not wanted to come here, any more than he wanted her to come. The situation had been forced upon they both. He was also feeling a bit ashamed of himself. He had driven his friends, family and servants away, but he had done so with a righteous feeling of anger and depression. Somehow he felt he deserved the chance to be harsh and spiteful, because the universe had wronged him.

Now here Miss Way sat, a victim herself, though not to the extend that he was. He had heard his wife speak of her niece often and of her desire to bring the girl to visit them. Before her illness, she had often written letters to her, and read the letters Miss Way sent back, to him. At the time he had enjoyed the joyful, youthful tone of the letters. In a way, he had grown to care for this girl he had never met, but who meant so much to the woman he loved.

Now he could hear Catherine's voice in his heart, chiding him for his rudeness. For the first time, since her death, he almost felt ashamed of his own behavior. Her presence served to remind him that he was, in point of fact, not the only one who had lost his beloved and who had suffered. Though it tore him up inside, he needed to be polite to this girl. He might have to spend some meals with her, but otherwise he knew that avoiding her would be his best option. To much time in her company was sure to bring up unwanted feelings and memories.

"Do not trouble yourself my dear..... You did nothing wrong. It is just that no one really speaks of your aunt, in this house, these days. She is sorely." He busied himself carving the roast which Jarvis had just brought to the table. The simple task of cutting the meat into thin slices, gave him and excuse not to look at his niece. She was a lovely creature, but looking at her pained his heart.

"I do hope that you have been made comfortable. If there is anything which you desire, and it is within my power to grant it, it will be provided. It has not escaped my notice that the terms of our meeting are not those which would have been most desirable."

His sister-in-law had informed him, by cable, a week ago, that his niece was to visit him. He had immediately cabled her back that it was quite impossible, but had been informed that the girl was already on her way and was traveling cross country, rather than by train, so contacting her would be quite impossible. The bitch had actually called him then, on the new-fangled phone which his wife had long for, but never really gotten to use before her death. The bitch's had ranted at him, accusing him of causing her sister's death through cruelty and neglect. She had said that his only atonement was to treat her niece better than he had Catherine. He had been about to tell her to go bugger herself, when she hung up on him.

Now the girl was here. There wasn't a train which would stop in the nearest village for another three days. That was how long he had to endure Mia, before he could ship her back to her harpy of a mother.

OCC: I know that he is not personable, and this is not a quick, easy story to write, but if I open him up to much, it spoils the effect.

 

[Sweet_Secrets]

Alyson wanted to ask why her Aunt was not spoken of among the people who still lived here. Why would they do that? Why would they ignore her like she was some sort of ghost that could leave them alone if it was ignored enough? It stung her a bit, for she loved her Aunt, and it showed when a vicious scowl crossed her pretty face and her dark eyes seem to darken even more in irritation. When her stake was given to her by Jarvis, accompanied with an apologetic look as if he knew how she felt, she said nothing and just ate her meat in obvious sullen silence. Not that he would notice, of course, for he was already digging into his food and trying his hardest to not look at her.

Really. Adults.

Jarvis poured her some wine to drink -- "Sweet," he added when he saw her open her mouth that was half full of chewed food in an attempt to say she didn't like that strong stuff they had -- and gave her a quick pat on the hand when he could. The older man, who was serving the wine to Uncle Dan, shot him a look like Jarvis was a naughty boy but the younger butler just gave a bright smile and moved away from Alyson to let her eat in peace.

She was thankful he had done that. She poked at her meat and chewed on it half-heartedly, not much of an eater in all honesty. She was too busy thinking in any case.

The girl tried not to be too sullen and reminded herself that she couldn't just judge him right off the bat. That would mean she would be taking up her mother and that was the last thing she was hoping for. Uncle Dan cared for her Auntie Katherine, he had fought and argued for her hand in marriage and withstood the scandal that came when people found out he was marrying a troublemaker's daughter. He loved her, judging from all those letters she had been given from her Aunt that all but glowed with praise for him, and perhaps this explained it. Love makes people act in dumb, mysterious and, judging from those books she read, evil ways if they were transfixed in it long enough. Uncle Dan and Auntie Katherine were married for some time, a relationship that was forged through the many trials they had faced in the name of Love.

Maybe he did not want to let it go yet for in order to move on, he had to leave Auntie Katherine behind? Did he think that if he pretended she did not die, by not speaking her name outloud and shun away any reminders that she was dedad, that he could delude himself into thinking that Auntie Katherine was just hiding somewhere in the Manor? Just a step ahead of him, a turn of a corner? That could be actually be a possible answer since she was a big fan of Hide-and-Seek, especially in the outdoors for she loved the earth.

Speaking of the earth... She felt the Half a Key in her pocket, feeling for the words that were written on its' white, beautiful surface. Le Chemin de Ma Joie. Did her Uncle know about this? He had to. He was the husband of her Auntie Katherine.

"I'm quite happy with what I have, Uncle Dan, do not worry. Though... May I ask you something? Are you happening to be missing a key by any chance?" she asked him, not looking up at him when she pretened to try and cut a praticulary meaty part of her steak to avoid his gaze if he happened to be displeased with her question. "I mean, you have a lot of doors here and everything and keys happen to get lost all the time in such a place like this. I can find things easily! I could perhaps look for one for you. Are there any that has been missing as of late?"

 

[DeeperWater]

Daniel looked at his niece strangely... Surely not. The only key he did not know the location of had belonged to his wife, but she had told him that it had vanished a year or more ago. He had made another copy for her, and for himself, but both copies had been buried with her. Surely not....

"I do not believe so. What a peculiar thing to ask child. Did you find a key by chance?" He held his breath. If she had found that particular key, he wanted to know. He certainly did not wish to have her poking her nose into Katherine's garden, though he did not mind if she wandered the rest of the grounds. If she did not, he would be forced to, to avoid her.

Daniel found himself picking at his food as they talked. The roast was particularly tasteless tonight, despite cook's best efforts. He really did not notice flavors anymore. Sometimes if felt like the entire world had faded to a sepia tone. Miss Way was in full, living color though, like Katherine had been once upon a time.

As he waited for her answer, he considered, just for a moment, if she rode. If she did, then maybe hiring a new stable boy and getting her a horse would keep her occupied. He had no idea what young ladies got up to, when they were on their own. He did know that there were secrets in his house which he wished to remain secret, and this niece was remarkably persistent and nosy. Despite himself, he almost smiled. Katherine had been the same way. For just a moment, looking down the table at Miss Way, his heart did not shudder at the memory of his wife, but just for a moment.

(OOC; I couldn't write much else up, since he had to answer her question and he decided to answer the question with a question.)

 

[Sweet_Secrets]

He was now looking at her oddly, for she looked over her lashes though in her mind she was telling herself to now look at the man, and Alyson wondered if he would throw his carving knife at her or something for daring to ask that question. She wouldn’t put it pass him, to be honest, after he beat up the poor ground for some reason. Maybe it was because the grass looked so dreary and lifeless? It was hardly the ground’s fault; it was just neglected like everything else in this Manor. She wanted to ask about that but knew better, deciding that perhaps Jarvis could be of help in that later when she got to be alone with him.

In any case… He didn’t throw the carving knife of his at her though, much to her indescribable belief, and instead answered her questions and said there was no keys to be missing at the moment and if she had found a key by any chance. She had, the whole reason she had asked that question, but she shook her head instead and fingered the Half a Key in her secret pocket of her dress while pretending she was just fixing her skirts.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jarvis quirk his brows up but hid them expertly with a pretend yawn which earned him another sharp look from the man who seemed none the wiser.

“Of course not, Uncle Dan, I had not found a key during my time here. If I had, I would have alerted you or the servants soon as possible. No, not at all,” Alyson lied; lying came to her like breathing with how she was raised with her parents and she didn’t know this man so it didn’t nag her in the back of her mind like it did when she with those she was familiar with. “I just thought it might be hard to keep track of all of these doors you have here. And I was hoping to do something that will let me do an activity that let me move around. I love to go outside and play, even ride a horse if Mum allowed me, but…”

She trailed it off with a shrug and was grateful she was being handed another dish by Jarvis when she finished her meat, a lighter meal, a salad with vegetables that must have been bought at the village since it seems nothing had grown here for a while, which was good for her picky stomach. As she dug in, the gears in her head were slowly clinking away as she took in the information she had discovered. So… He either didn’t know about the Gardens her Auntie made, very unlikely, or her Auntie deliberately hid this Key from him. But why did she hide from it then if they were so in love? Did she do it out of a prank? Probably not, even her Aunt was above such silliness.

Was it really a gift for her, her Ally Cat, in hopes that she could use the Garden herself when she finally came here? If so, why hide the other half of this Key? Alyson admitted to herself this was quite mind-boggling. It was like Hide-and-Seek with her Aunt all over again, only this time she was chasing after her memories and her secrets and it made Alyson shiver a bit at the thought of chasing her Auntie’s ghost. … Auntie Katherine was in peace, right? She hoped her Auntie died peacefully even with hat blasted illness of hers. She deserved a peaceful death. But the memory of the flash of white came to her mind and Alyson suppressed another shiver that she felt so she didn’t look odd.

Half a Key, a Way to My Joy, an angry Uncle, a possible spirit, a secret garden and a butler who could be an ally. It reminded her of another couplet her Auntie made.

Questions, questions everywhere
Without a single answer much to your despair.

 

[DeeperWater]

Jarvis had been serving in the household for many years and was not so much loyal to his master, as he was stubborn. He paid little attention the older man's mutterings and curses. He had been like that as a child as well. The barbed words and deeds of children toward each other had passed by him, ignored. It wasn't that he did not see conflict around him, or that it did not register when wrong was done to him, but that he had realized from a young age that the actions and attitudes of others were not his fault or responsibility. He could not control how others treated him, but he could control his own responses. During the horrible year in which the mistress lay dying, especially after the butler abruptly left, without giving notice, Jarvis had been a steadfast and calming influence in the manor house.

As the butler, he was in charge of the servants on paper, but with so few servants left, and they all older than him by at least a few decades, it was more of a team effort. The butler, maid, cook and man servant did what they could to humor the master and keep their positions. The manor house was a dark and mournful place, but so was the world. Many who had once held positions in houses, sold themselves on the street for a few coins, or stole bread to feed their starving bellies. A job was a rare and precious gift which must be cherished.

As he served the table, he thought it quite a shame that this beautiful and light hearted child was trapped in a house with a stubborn, tired man, grown old before his time. He gave the girl a wink and a kind word or two, as he served, knowing it was overstepping his bounds a bit, but not having the heart not to.

----------------------------------------

Mr. Redmond had stopped saying much at all to his niece, choosing to eat in silence. Once he would have been offended by her presence, and roar in anger at her, or stormed off. All that was left how was a weary indifference. Her presence was like someone breathing over cold coals, hoping to find a hidden spark. He wasn't sure that there was still a spark, but she made him almost wish there was, or fear there was.

The dinner went on for much to long, and his monosyllabic responses did not keep the girl from talking. Finally, after the final course, he stood, determined to find some silence where he could return to contemplating his belly button. In the morning, he would send the butler to town, to hire some likely lads to start cleaning up the grounds. Maybe if he allowed the estate to be restored, on the outside, the girl would stay outside, and leave him to his memories.

He ended the day as he began it, sitting on the edge of his canopy bed with a bottle of Scotch, promising himself that he would just have enough to help him get through the next few days, or hours, or at least minutes. His service revolver sat beside him. It had killed Zulu warrior, a poacher and a drunken serviceman who was assaulting a woman in an alley. It was an honorable instrument, and some day, he might have the courage to allow it to return him to his dear wife.

 

[Sweet_Secrets]

“Is Uncle Dan always like that whenever he had people?” Alyson complained to Jarvis as he laced up her sleeping gown as she stood in front of the vanity table she had in her temporary bedrooms, pouting in annoyance. Of course, she was referring to supper time with him and his complete shut down to the world around him.

Even when she intentionally flicked a couple of peas at the older butler, Edmund Pennyworth was his name; he didn’t look up and scold her. She certainly got a scolding from Mrs. McDougall and Edmund himself but that wasn’t what she intended! “I have to say, it was like dining with a sad ghost! He was quiet the whole time! It was just rude, if you asked me. How can anyone dine with him?”

“They don’t,” Jarvis replied, straightening out her silk skirts well as he could. Mrs. McDougall was absolutely scandalized when, after Uncle Dan left the dining room, Alyson asked for Jarvis’ help to get her into nightgowns. She wanted to do it herself but, as Alyson and Jarvis pointed out, she still had a lot of work to do and someone needed to attend to the Lady soon as they could. “We haven’t had visitors here since Mistress Katherine, God bless that kind soul, passed away. We used to have the local vicar and doctor from the town come by but after he cursed the local vicar to all of the High Heavens…”

Alyson covered her mouth, turning to face him with her brush ensnared in her dark, tumbling locks. “He cursed at a vicar? I don’t know if I should be impressed by his bravery or…” She noticed the frowning on Jarvis’ face and realized it. “Ah… This was when he was in one of those moods of his, no?”

Jarvis nodded and Alyson placed her hands on her hips. “I see… Well, judging from the state of everything here in the Manor… It must have been a while since anyone has visited him,” she said, tutting her tongue.

“Very much so, Alyson,” Jarvis said, standing behind her while combing her hair now since she was too busy thinking to do something about that comb stuck in her midnight locks. “Everyone, frankly, is afraid of Master Redmond since he’s… changed. I’m sure Old Lady McDougall told you that by now. She’s worried about any lass that gets within ten feet of him. There’s nothing to worry about, though. He was always stuck on dear Mistress Katherine, God bless her, and always will.”

“You’re quite talkative for a servant here,” she said with a cheeky grin on her face when she turned to face him, quirking her brows up in interest. He was definitely an ally to her, no doubt. It was nice to be able to talk to someone who wouldn’t just clam up and tell her nothing. “No wonder Edmund looks so peeved whenever you went near me! He must have been afraid you’ll tell me all the secrets or something.”

“Time for bed, Alyson,” he said with a cheeky grin on his face that mirrored the younger’s own. “I have a surprise for you tomorrow.”

----------------------------------------------------------​

The surprise from Jarvis, it turns out when he told her after he served her breakfast in her bed, was a trip to the town near the Redmond Manor to find stable boys to help restore the old stables to their former glory. She didn’t know if Uncle Dan did genuinely because he wanted to make her feel comfortable or to keep her out of his head. Possibly the latter but she liked to think he cared enough to make it a mixture of the two.

With Edmund and Mrs. McDougall busy to keep the rest of the house tidy, she and Jarvis quickly hatched a plan to get her to come with him. If Uncle Dan found out she had slipped out of the Manor without his permission and with Jarvis' aid, they'll both be in trouble.

Borrowing Jarvis’ clothes that no longer fit him, she slipped into them and had a battered, brown cloak cover her frame to hide her curves. With a large cap to cover her long hair and some dirt from the grounds to dirty up her clean complexion, Jarvis looked at her as they hid behind the cart that would take them both to the town. Silver, the horse attached to it, looked at them and ninnied with horsey wisdom that this was a foolish plan.

"Quiet, Silver," Jarvis said as he added more dirt across her nose and pecked here and there to stimulate freckles. "This is going to work! When was the last time I went wrong with a plan? ... Know what? Don't answer me, Silver."

"Do I look okay?" Alyson asked after Jarvis pulled back again and inspected her. Her form was undetectable, her hair tucked underneath the large cap which shadowed her pretty face and the dirt aided in hiding her delicate features. "Don't tell me we need more mud on my face."

“No mud, Alyson! You're a lad like any lad,” he teased as he helped her into the cart and boarded himself to steer the horse. He looked around to see if anyone had noticed his little stowaway and breathed a sigh of relief that no one had. “To the village, Silver, and make it snappy!”

 

[DeeperWater]

Roland White knocked on the door of the manor house. He was disgusted by the upkeep of the grounds. This rich idiot didn't even want to take care of what he did have. His father had worked hard to achieve his position in society, and his knighthood had been won through service to the crown. Roland had followed his father's example and applied himself. He never lost his distaste for the idle rich, who allowed others to do all their work for them, while riding their polo ponies or having drinks at the club. Still, he had wanted the legitimacy that marrying into the bitches family would have provided him and she had not only stole that from him, but humiliated him in public. The laughter of the social elite of London still echoed in his head. He had asked her for her hand publicly, at a charity ball, and she had rejected him publicly and loudly.

The door was opened by an old butler in a out of date suit. Pennyworth was apparently his name. Roland had introduced himself, and shook the man's hand. It wasn't done in high society circles, but he knew a working man when he saw one, and it never hurt to get in good with the servants. Of course, he would not have do it in front of witnesses. That was the little bitch's style. He was lead through the front hall to a parlor, and asked to wait.

The parlor was shabby, to say the least. The dust had been recently cleaned, and the furnishing were expensive enough, but everything had faded and not had proper care taken of it. It really was a shame. The nobility really didn't know a damn thing about the worth of their possessions, and he was still after one of those prized possession, even if it was only to throw in the rubbish bin.

The butler returned with a tea service with two cups and told him the master would be with him presently. He hadn't been sure that the famous recluse would actually receive him. Rumors of his wild imaginings and mood swings had echoed throughout London society. He said waiting, patiently. Revenge was worth the time, and he would have his.

After a few minutes, Mr. Redmond joined him, wearing a slightly rumpled suit and with a few days of beard growth. He did not even greet him, but simply sat and pulled a small silver flask from his pocket. After pouring two cups of tea, all with out talking, he poured some of the flask into each tea cup. The rest of the flask, he poured down his throat.

Finally, he turned to Roland and nodded at the other tea cup. "Damnit man, drink, so I don't feel like such a bloody fool for receiving you. My dear niece's love mother wrote me a letter explaining the whole affair. It was bad form, to be sure, but I am not sure why you've turned up here now! Truth be told, I think you dodged a bullet, old boy. I've only had her under my roof for one night, and I am already thinking of shipping her of to a convent in Turkey, or possibly Australia." He had already been drinking a bit, and his mood had swung from gloom to numb amusement.

Roland took up his tea cup, because it was good form, and took a tiny sip. He did not believe in allowing anything to rule his body, including strong drink. It was a weakness, but weaknesses could be exploited. "My dear chap! I really do feel for you, and I assure you, that I would love to facilitate the girl leaving your care. She really is quite a burden to be sure, but here's the rub of it. I'm smitten. If she does not reconsider and marry me, I am afraid I will die alone, longing for her. I am here to ask your permission to court her, away from the petty eyes of the useless folk in London society. I am sure that away from their debauchery and influence, she will come to see reason." He quite expected to see the man smile in relief, but instead a frown had crossed Sir Redmond's face.

----------------------

The local village was comprised of about forty houses, clustered around a central street. In the center of town was a village green, fenced in by a low stone wall. As they drove past it, Jarvis could see children watching a small flock of sheep, who were grazing. It was allowed to keep the green in shape. He waved to them cheerfully and they waved back. A few of the boys ran after the wagon, screaming his name.

"Not now lads! Can't ya see I'm on business and I've me mate to show around?" He grinned at Alyson and continued around the edge of the green. "Right nice lads they are too, but we're looking for some a bit older, I figure. I gave a though to going 'round to Mrs. Anderson. She's got a couple of lads about grown, who've been hiring out for what work they can get. Their old man up and left them, and moved to America, so times have been tough." With Alyson dressed like a boy, he had quit forgotten to treat her with the deference she was owed. Still, he found himself glancing over at her pretty eyes, peeking out from her grubby face, and thinking she was quite fetching, even dressed like she was.

The houses they passed were solid brick affairs, with tile roofs. The Redmond family owned the houses of course, and rented them to their tenants. They had prided themselves on taking care of their people and their accommodations, so all of the houses had been built to last. Some even had new fangled indoor toilets, such as the mayor's house.

One building was larger and set back a bit. A sign hung over the door, showing a man swinging from a noose, with a mug of beer clutched in his dead hand. "Fancy a drink then Fred, before we get ta work?" He winked at Alyson and pulled the cart up to the building

 

[Sweet_Secrets]

Having never been to a village before in her life, or even out of the city besides this trip as a punishment by her parents, the sight of the almost scenic village was a sight for sore eyes for young Alyson Way. She was glad now that she was sent here, for she might have never seen this type of place anywhere else soon or maybe even ever.

Compared to the loud, noisy city, the village was quiet but had a certain air of liveliness to itself. People walked by, ran, cajoled at stands and chatted with everyone. Names were called out, shouted, mentioned since it was a small village and everyone knew everyone. It was a place of peaceful loveliness to her and she was absolutely charmed by it. Of course, she knew how hard people in the countryside work compared those at the city and seeing them in action had entranced her. Her blue eyes widened noticeably under the cap as she observed, letting everyone know who looked at her at that time that she was new to this type of life.

She took in all the details of the houses, the children, the noises that sounded out as they went by this busy, world through their wagon. Peeking over the edge of the transportation she was on, she watched several boys, younger than her but one or two just as old if not older, chase after the wagon and call out for Jarvis’ name.

Oh, he must live here then. Well, that makes a lot of sense, if she thought about it. The houses, when she looked at them closer, were of good quality and she knew that the materials for them to be built were hard to get by in such a remote area. Was this village taken care of by her Uncle Dan then? Maybe before, while he still cared and Auntie Katherine was helping for she loved to help people to the best of her abilities. Her thoughts were interrupted by another chorus of shouting from the boys, making her look at them.

"Not now lads!” Jarvis laughed in response to the boys who were chasing after them. Alyson looked at them and he and Jarvis checked behind him to look at her in her hidden eyes and give a bright, cheerful smile. “Can't ya see I'm on business and I've me mate to show around?"

The boys, either understanding or too tired from all the running they had done, slowed down and left the wagon around as they turned the green and disappeared from the lads’ eyes. Alyson looked behind her for a second, fixing her cap that let a few strands of her hair out before looking back at Jarvis. Her face, though grubby and dirty, was clearly curious on who on earth those boys were. As if reading her mind, he said, "Right nice lads they are too, but we're looking for some a bit older, I figure. I gave a though to going 'round to Mrs. Anderson. She's got a couple of lads about grown, who've been hiring out for what work they can get. Their old man up and left them, and moved to America, so times have been tough."

The information, and the fact he was being to frank and honest to her, pleased Alyson. There were only so little times someone was telling her something honestly as they could. If she counted on one hand, she would have fingers left over still. Jarvis was a good man, she was sure, though his constant looking at her when he thought she wasn’t paying attention was rather odd. Finally, after a few more minutes of riding, they stopped in front of on particular building. One building was larger and set back a bit, as if trying to hide between the buildings it was with. A sign hung over the door, showing a man swinging from a noose, with a mug of beer clutched in his dead hand. Alyson wrinkled her nose a bit, finding that rather… morbid.

"Fancy a drink then Fred, before we get ta work?" he said to her as he got off the wagon.

Alyson tilted her head and gave slow, careful blinks; confused and about to ask “Who was Fred?” when she realized that was probably her name since she was running about as a boy. Of course. How could she forget that? She was even more grateful that Jarvis was her ally since he had remembered that crucial detail. What would have she called herself if someone asked for her name, as she was new to her and her status was an obvious one at that. Alan? Oh God, she would rather shot herself than go by her father’s name.

Smiling a toothy smile, the young woman nodded while she hopped off the wagon, keeping a hand over her cap to keep it from falling, clearing her voice to deepen it and roughen it up to make her sound like a lad. “Sure, Jarvis,” she said, trying to sound desperately like a boy. It didn’t sound so good, so Alyson opted to stay quiet much as she could if she could get away with it. “A col’ drink soun’s mighty fine ta me.”

 

[DeeperWater]

The interior of the pub was mostly taken up with one large great room. The floors and ceilings were all wood. The walls were white washed, though smoke from the candles at each long table and on the walls in brackets, left a bit of a dark stain. The bar sat against the back wall and had a door behind it leading to the kitchen. A door beside the bar lead to a stairwell, which headed to the second floor where there were rooms for rent.

Jarvis pulled Alyson through the swinging doors. There were twenty out of work laborers sitting around, nursing their mugs of ale. They all stared at the new comer. Behind the bar a fat man with an acne problem and a clean apron was pouring drinks. Jarvis waved at him, as they entered, and the man waved back. He leaned toward his companion. "That's my uncle John. John Brewster. He a right good barkeep and a better friend. If you wanna keep on his good side, then don't drink nothing if yer every in here as a girl. He thinks it ain't ladylike to drink. Probably has to do with him being a Presbyterian. Don't get to many of them 'round here."

A few of the men at the tables greeted Jarvis and joked with him as he passed. He slapped back and shook hands. At the bar, he took a stool and nodded for Alyson to sit down with him. "Hi ya Uncle John. Got a couple of pints for me and Fred here?"

The big man nodded. "Sure Jarvis, but that's all your getting. Your mum wouldn't appreciate me letting you get drunk during the day, and that's a fact." He set a pint of beer in front of Jarvis and then set a glass of milk in front of Alyson. He spoke quietly, letting his words stay below the general noise level of the pub. "You must think I'm an idiot, 'cause this ain't no lad. I don't want to know what your up to this time Jarvis, but you watch yourself, or I'll tell your mum!" John winked at Alyson and said louder "Sorry lad, but I ain't serving you nothing stronger until your of age." He leaned across the bar toward Alyson. "No offense miss, but ain't never seen a boy with eyes like that, and I ain't no fool. Don't serve women in here. T'ain't proper like."

Jarvis looked apologetically at Alyson. "Sorry Fred. Can't fool Uncle John. He's got eyes like a hawk, even if he is built like a bull." John frowned at him from behind the bar, but there was a twinkle in his eye. "Anyway, I figure we have our drinks and maybe Uncle John brings us a bowl of my Aunt's good stew, then we head down to look over those lads. Got two in mind will suit the bill, unless your thinking of joining the crew yourself. We can always use a strong lad about the place, eh Fred?" He patted her arm as if feeling her muscle's, before taking a deep drink from is pint.

Soon two bowls of stew did appear. They didn't look like much, with bits of brown floating in a brown sauce, but their smell was heavenly. Jarvis tucked into his bowl with gusto, but with manners that seemed out of place in the pub. His time at the manor house had a lasting effect on him. While he was still accepted at the village of his birth, he was different from the other men. He put on the speech patterns of his youth, but they no longer felt natural to him. Still, these were his people and they were a damned sit more valuable than a house full of pampered minor nobles. At least there was only the Master to deal with now.... And the young Miss, not that he minded dealing with her, mind you.

-------------------------

Sir Redmond did not smile. He was not please, but he wasn't sure why. Somehow the thought of his niece in the arms of another man bothered him. The girl needed to be married off, but he somehow hoped that he would not have to be involved, or set eyes on the fellow. If this fellow were visiting regularly, then word would get around also. That meant that the damned doctor and vicar would probably show up on his doorstep as well. They had both failed his wife miserable, and him, when they needed them the most. They were stubborn old fools though, and he worried that a sign of weakness on his part might seemed to them a spark of life in the pile of cold coals which were his heart.

There was nothing for it. He did not have the right to stand in her way, much as he wanted to. "You have my permission. Let me have my niece sent for now, and you may ask her yourself, for a chance to reacquaint yourselves." He walked out of the parlor, and told Mrs. McDougall to summon Alyson immediately. The old woman gave him a nervous look, but nodded. Something was stirring in his house that he did not like, but he did not understand it yet. It seemed that events were trying to draw him back into a world which he had considered leaving forever, if he could ever work up the courage to do the deed.

 

[Sweet_Secrets]

The young woman visibly deflated when Uncle John realized she was really a she and he wasn’t going to serve her drinks. Instead, he gave her a glass of milk. Milk. Like she was a child, which was the apparent excuse when he said outloud she wasn’t ‘of age’. She huffed some more, unhappy he had pointed out the fact she looked younger than she really was. People always mistook her for a few years younger thanks to her clear skin and pretty face and it disgusted her at times. Because people thought she looked young, she could be treated as young. She gave him her best scowl and manliest gruff but it wasn’t going to work now. Alyson sighed in disappointment. She had been hoping to go and try that beer and alcohol stuff her parents forbade her to try.

Jarvis told her with an apologetic look on his face after Uncle John gave them their drinks, “Sorry Fred. Can't fool Uncle John. He's got eyes like a hawk, even if he is built like a bull.”

“I’m alright with it,” Alyson, ‘Fred’, said with a sigh as she quickly fixed her cap when strands of her hair fell out and framed her face. “I’m used to people knowing that I’m a girl even if I tried to hide it. Do you think I should stuff my pants or something…”

Almost instantly, soon as the words passed her lips, she regretted saying that. But she couldn’t unsay it, could she? Trailing off, Alyson reached over and drank the milk to cover the fact she had no idea what to say. It was pure cow milk, not refined like the one she had back at home. It was…. Different, that was all she could say without thinking of certain images and throwing up. Yet, at the same time, it was surprisingly delicious for her. She winced at how strong the flavour and smell was but continued to drink till the last drop to prove her.

"Anyway, I figure we have our drinks and maybe Uncle John brings us a bowl of my Aunt's good stew, then we head down to look over those lads,” Jarvis said to her as the soup was being made for them. “Got two in mind will suit the bill, unless you’re thinking of joining the crew yourself. We can always use a strong lad about the place, eh Fred?"

The girl nodded and tried to flex her muscles when he patted her arms, in order to try and prove her strength. “It would be nice to have two of them and joining them to help out,” she said when the food was brought to them. “I really miss being around other people my age for once since my parents made it a point I only saw adult people. Well, you’re here and you’re close to my age but a lot more are nice as well.”

The soup smelled delicious when it was given to the both of them and the conversation between them abruptly ended so the duo could tackle the food. Alyson at first poked the floating brown items in her food, was it meat?, and stirred it but didn’t actually eat it. Her manners would have shown and made her stand out. Though she was considered ‘sloppy’ by her family, she knew her manners would have made her stand out. She looked at Jarvis as he dug in to his own soup, his own table manners like hers. Only neater. It comforted her to know she wasn’t the only know who probably felt out of place. She found herself liking Jarvis even more. He was so nice to her so far and he had let her go out here with him!

Well, of course, they would get in trouble for this if they were caught by Mr. Redmond, seeing that the reason she was here was to miss the city and beg her parents to bring her back, but she was confident that they would do all their chores, and has some fun of course; before anyone would notice they were missing. What could get wrong?

-------------------------

Mrs. McDougall suspected something had happened in the Redmond Manor when Jarvis had left for the village. For one thing, he was actually compliant about his chore and did not bemoan about it like usually. When asked to do so, he said with such gusto that Edmund, who had accompanied her in case he was going to put up a fight, frowned once more with disapproval. There was also the fact that Alyson had not come out of her room the entire time and had not made a peep since. The young Miss had said she wasn’t feeling well and was going to stay in the bedroom for the rest of the day and she had accepted that but something was off… But was it?

She found out soon but it would also be too late as she was asked to go get Alyson to meet Mr. White, who wished to meet and court her again. Something about the man had bugged her, for wasn’t he the whole reason why Alyson was here in the first place?, but commands and commands and she went upstairs to fetch the young lady, help her look decent and shuffle her along to where the two men were waiting.

Opening the door, she looked inside and saw… a room. There were items scattered, clothing, books and etcetera that proved someone was living there but there was no one to prove it. Mrs. McDougall hurried to the closet, throwing it open in case she was hiding there. She stopped low to check under the bed and checked the rooms, quietly as possible, upstairs to find the missing girl. By the time she had checked all the rooms and possible hiding places, she was missing for a while to make Master Redmond grow impatient.

She paled after closing the final door, realizing Alyson wasn’t in her rooms or in any rooms at all. She hadn’t seen the girl run about the mansion. The young lady was very noisy with those heels of hers, so she was absolutely certain she would have known where the other girl. Jarvis… Alyson saying she was feeling odd though she was so active yesterday… The wagon leaving earlier than Jarvis usually did so… Her brain clicked it all together and she scolded herself viciously as she hurried down, quietly as she could again, and went back to Master Redmon to let him know what had happened. Entering inside, she went to his side, barely acknowledging Mr. White because of it, and bent low so only her could hear her words.

“Master Redmond,” Mrs. McDougall said, braving herself for the explosion that would happen. “Miss Way seems to be missing. I suspect that she snuck off with Jarvis to the village…”

 

[DeeperWater]

As Jarvis sat at the bar, he couldn't get the image of Fred stuffing something down his... er her pants out of his mind. The young Miss was quite attractive, but well above someone of his station. Still, when she was dressed in common clothing, and hanging out in a bar, she seemed more approachable. He glanced over at her a lot, when she wasn't looking, noticing the smooth line of her neck, above her collar, or the flash of her eyes, if she glanced at him. He could feel a tightness in his stomach, and new it wasn't a good idea to be harboring these feelings for someone who was his better. Still, she was such a lovely young thing. If anything, her masculine attire made her seem even more alluring. In his mind he was with her in a hayloft, taking the cap off of her head and slowly undoing her buttons, from the very bottom. Her lovely stomach appeared and....

There was a crash as the door to the pub was pushed open by force. Jarvis whipped around and suddenly turned white.

-------------------------------------------

Uncle Redmond, for the first time in a very long time, had left his estate. When he discovered that his servant had apparently kidnapped, or at least aided the escape of, his niece, something in side him snapped. He did not analyze his feelings, at all, but someone he felt betrayed, as if she had been his, even if he did not want her, and someone had poached on his territory. The feeling was made worse, upon learning of her vanishing act, when he looked across the parlor to his guest.

He had quickly gotten rid the city fellow, sending him packing with promises of a visit in the future, and lies that his niece was sick in bed. Within ten minutes of learning of her disappearance, he had thrown on his coat, grabbed his cane and started to stride off toward town. As it so happened, Jarvis had taken the two remaining horses, which left Daniel on foot.

He cut across his estate at almost a jog, and crossed the stone bridge into the village. As he strode down the main street, everyone stopped and stared, as if they had seen a ghost. Indeed his complexion was pallid, from all of his time indoors, and his clothing was ragged, because he rarely care what he was wearing or if he even changed. Many were sure that he had finally gone around the bend, and would end up in Bedlam.

He past the church, knocking the tips of the flower beds off with the crock of his cane. He past the doctor's office and use his cane to shoot a rock at it. The rock bounced off the window pane, missing the glass by an inch. When dogs, or children got in his way, he growled and they scattered.

Finally, he approached the tavern. Daniel stopped for a moment, and removed his coat. He threw it across the hitching post and then rolled back is shirt sleeves. Despite his long period of mourning, corded muscles stood out on his arms. A twitch had started in his face and threatened to send tremors through his whole body.

Grabbing his cane again, he pushed through the door. All activity stopped. Those throwing darts simply dropped their hands to their sides and stared. The bartender was so startled that he dropped a bottle, sending it to its doom on the tile floor. The busy pub had grown as still as the grave.

OOC: Here ya go.... Something completely different.

 

[Sweet_Secrets]

All good things must come to an end. It was a fact of life that was drilled into her head when she was with her family so she better be damned appreciative of her lifestyle they provided for her, coldness and neglect and lack of options aside. Apparently, they also have to go down in a blaze of tragic, messy fire. Look at her life in London. Look at her Auntie Katherine. Now, look at this situation. She was with Jarvis, enjoying his company and feeling almost like a normal girl for once in her life when someone slammed the door open and someone said/gasped, ‘Redmond’ before everything fell into a deadly, scared silence.

Oh God. No.

“No…” she whispered out loud, not liking this one new situation second.

Her Uncle certainly knew how to make an entrance; she had to give him that. At first, she was irritated but pushed those awful, selfish feelings aside and realized how she should really feel: She was worried, anxious and afraid. The young woman knew it was her Uncle with how the door was slammed with such force it made her bowl of soup tremble and how pale Jarvis had suddenly become as everyone in the room fell silent.

Alyson winced at how utterly tense the whole pub, a pub that was once full of life and excitement and laughter between friends, was now so quiet like a tomb when her Uncle had appeared like a thief in the night. He was also likely going to stab someone and it certainly wasn’t going to be her. She looked at poor Jarvis, mouthing ‘Sorry’ over and over again until he got the message. This wasn’t supposed to happen; it just wasn’t supposed to happen. Not like this at least.

If someone was going to get in trouble, it had to be her since she had been the one who was the whole reason why it had happened. Jarvis didn’t have to take her to the village but she wanted to. He shouldn’t get in trouble because of her stupidity. She would go to him, explain what had happened and plead for him to let Jarvis keep his job. It wasn’t fair that he loses it because of her dumb actions.

After that, deciding that, she turned around to see why everyone was so quiet to a man they haven’t seen for such a long time and soon could see why. He looked like a madman. Trembling with anger, his muscles defined and tight as if in a stance where he’ll pounce on the nearest person, dressed in a slightly tattered shirt and pants, his face ravaged with unbridled rage and… hurt? The last emotion, maybe she was wrong but she was very certain about the first emotion.

This was not the type of person she wanted to be alone in an alleyway with.

But she was going to be talking to him. Really soon. Well, someone had to before someone ended up fighting him or him fighting someone. The latter was much more likely than the former. Everyone looked just scared stiff right now it wasn’t funny to the girl.

“Good Gods…” One of the men who had been playing darts said, crossing himself. “It’s Mr. Redmond…”

That was her cue. She slid off her stool, ignoring the looks Uncle John was sending to her as she hurried to where her Uncle was and stood in front of him. She took off her cap there, letting her long, dark her tumble down her face and back in messy, wavy lengths and looked at him with her bright blue, pleading eyes. She felt everyone’s eyes on her when they realized she was a… she and not a he like she had intended. This felt a lot like the public proposal that nansy pansy Ronald White had given to her. Though she supposed he wouldn’t go stabbing her in the face or beating her when she had brutally turned him down.

“Please, please don’t hurt Jarvis,” she whispered, reaching out and touching his hand. It was trembling so much and she squeezed it, trying to draw all of his attention to her so he at least didn’t lash out on the others if this didn’t work. “It’s my fault, Uncle Dan. Don’t hate Jarvis, please! I wanted to go out; I forced him to take him with me. If you have to be mad with anyone, please let it be with me.”

 

[DeeperWater]

Daniel had come with every intention of thrashing Jarvis within an inch of his life, for taking such liberties with his niece, and endangering her. He had expected to find him filling her head with fantasies and trying to seduce and innocent girl. Instead he had found his niece dressed like a boy, in the public house. Surely these cloths hadn't been Jarvis's idea. He had always been a level headed and loyal servant before this, even when, as Daniel knew, he had vented his anger on him. Still, he had to be fired. There was nothing for but to have the young man leave his employment.

The girl's mother had never liked him, but had entrusted him with the care of her daughter. He knew that the bitch did so out of spite. She was upset with the scandal her daughter had caused, and how it reflected upon herself, so she had sent the disagreeable girl to live with her disagreeable uncle. It was that uncle who had failed her now. Here was a fresh new scandal for the gossip mongers, as if there wasn't already enough gossip about their family, with the way he himself had been behaving the past few years.

Suddenly Daniel saw himself, and he did not like who he was. He was not the man that Katherine had loved. He was not that boy who had sat on his father's knee, listening to stories of his military career in India. He wasn't sure, exactly, who he was. Without Katherine, what could he be? He had lived every day for her, with all of his soul, and when she was gone, she had taken all of that soul with her into the after life.

Daniel lowered his cane and gazed down at his niece. "That's not for you to worry about.... Alyson. Wait outside while I talk with Jarvis." At the look of alarm on her face, he realized that she saw him as some sort of monster. "Do not worry yourself. I won't, I won't strike him." He handed her his cane and frowned until she had stepped outside the doors.

He walked over to the bar and sat down next to Jarvis, who was finishing off his brew with shaky hands. For a few minutes they just sat.

"Did you do the task I set for you, before you brought my niece into a public house." Daniel's voice was resigned and weary.

"No sir." Jarvis's voice was subdued.

"It this your afternoon off then?"

"No sir."

Daniel sat quietly for a few more moments. "This is a damnably bothersome business Jarvis. You've been a loyal servant and put up with a lot from me, but I can not ignore the part you played in this. At the very least, you should have refused to drive her into town, and come in to tell me what she intended. Bringing her here though exposes her to an environment with is not at all suitable for a well breed lady."

Jarvis simply nodded.

"I will expect you to return the cart and horses, before you collect your belongings." Daniel said this sternly, but without the anger that was often in his voice. "Your a good man Jarvis, and I will..... miss you. You will still receive an excellent letter of recommendation."

"Thank you sir, and I do apologize." Jarvis looked slightly green, but gamely stood and shook hands with Sir Redmond.

Daniel nodded sadly and walked to the door. When he was outside he offered his arm to his niece. "We are going to now girl."