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 Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 9:53 am
The earl nodded. "I plan to leave this afternoon. I just needed to tell Terryn of what has happened." He put down his tea, untouched, and stood up quickly. "Are they still sleeping?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 10:04 am
The Duchess stood up. "I'm not sure. I'll just go and..." She turned to head outside, but Marcus and Terryn were already coming through. She looked back at the earl, feeling almost flustered. "Well. There you are."
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 10:10 am
Terryn smiled at her father as she saw him inside. "Good afternoon, Father." She detached from Marcus momentarily to give him a hug, but stopped when she noticed his expression. "Father? What is wrong?" When he said nothing, she turned to the duchess. "What happened?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 10:12 am
"Serina is..." She looked down at the earl, unsure if it was proper for her to be telling Terryn of this. "Gravely ill. Your father will be leaving this afternoon to care for her."
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 10:20 am
"Oh." Terryn really didn't have much else to say. She had wanted Serina away, but not at the expense of her father. "Well, have a safe journey. I-I hope for her full recovery." Well, perhaps not full, but at least enough that he could return home. She looked to Marcus, feeling that he would understand why she felt so guilty and jarred by all this.
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 10:23 am
Marcus was expressionless, but his eyebrows were furrowed. They'd just been talking about sending her away yesterday. This was almost chilling. "Yes," he said, after a moment. "Take care of yourself, and my best wishes go to Serina."
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 10:31 am
The earl nodded, hobbling out towards the entrance. "Take care of yourself, Terryn, and please stop home every few days to make sure that everything is in order. I told the staff that you would most likely be staying here but to keep the place in order anyway." He sighed, trying his best to form a smile, and kissed his daughter on the cheek. "I hope to return within a fortnight."
Terryn nodded, waving him off as he entered the coach. "Take care of yourself." She gripped Marcus's hand as her father rolled away, suddenly getting very nervous.
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 10:41 am
Marcus squeezed Terryn's hand. "It's not your fault," he told her quietly, as soon as the earl had left, the Duchess following him soberly. "It's just a coincidence, that's all."
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 10:46 am
Terryn shook her head. "It is quite an awful coincidence, is it not?" She sighed, wandering back to the drawing room and sitting herself down, none too gracefully, in one of the armchairs.
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 10:53 am
"But a coincidence, all the same," Marcus answered firmly, taking a seat next to her. "You had nothing to do with it." You shouldn't feel guilty about it.
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 5:43 pm
Terryn sighed. "I suppose not. Besides, it does give us a few days alone together." She mustered up a smile for him, leaning over to give him a light kiss while his grandmother was still away.
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 6:53 pm
Marcus smiled slightly, and he stole another, longer kiss before the Duchess could come in and extract serious discussion from both of them. "I think we'd probably find away to be alone together with or without your father here."
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 7:02 pm
Terryn nodded in agreement. "Well there is that small knoll a little ways off, but that can be out of the way at times."
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 7:04 pm
Marcus grinned. "Not if we were properly motivated." But he quieted then, for the Duchess reentered, looking very grave. "Oh, I do hope she recovers soon. As much for her health as your father's, Terryn."
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 7:12 pm
Terryn glanced up, nodding slowly. "As do I. You know well enough how easily he will sacrifice his own wellbeing to care for another." There had been countless times when Terryn was ill and her father would go a day without eating to stay by her side.
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