Welcome to Gaia! ::

Terryn realized at that moment that she and the Duchess actually had a bit in common. This revelation both terrified and elated her at the same time, and she ended up chuckling quietly to herself because of it. "Men need to have their egos trimmed sometimes. It keeps them humble." She leaned over the Duchess's work, rereading the guest list once more. Still a bit long, but perhaps it could be wittled. "Now, I suppose we should plan on the fare for the evening? Not too much, remember. I fear that if we keep feeding them, they will never leave."

"And please, this time make sure that there are benches in case my portly cousin Archibald comes. We would not like a repeat of what happened at my and Lilliana's wedding, do we?" The earl finished making arrangements before shooing the man off to start working, finally turning to Marcus. "Now, Marcus, we have a few items to discuss."

Terryn hadn't quite thought of that. She hadn't realized that there was nobody else in her family until that moment. Her father's only nephew had died in infancy and his sister was past childbearing age. Besides that, there were only some very far off cousins, but they were already removed by so many generations that it was difficult to say whether or not they were even related anymore. "I...I never really considered that. But it should not present a large problem, should it? I mean, there are plenty of Winters boys to get married, and my family is so small after all so there will not be too many guests from there..." She didn't like that thought, though, because it reminded her how vital it was that she and Marcus had children, which might present more than just a passing problem. Her father had been so proud of having his two sons to carry on the bloodline, especially after her aunt's son died. Now it was all on her.

The earl reached into his pocket, pulling out a small wooden box carved with a rose on the top. "Now, do you have any idea what might be in this container?" He set it on the table, between the two of them, and took a careful sip of his wine as he watched the young man.

After the wedding... To Terryn, it ended up meaning a good deal more than simply playing the cordial lady, the demure wife during the reception. It involved quite a bit more than some politeness and respect to the tradition-loving relatives. After the wedding meant the rest of their lives, and whatever expectations that came along with it. It didn't hit her when they were in Greece, but now...

She shoved it to the back of her mind, taking a deep breath as she nodded her compliance. "Of course. My father and I both love goose, so perhaps we could make that the main dish." She wasn't one for planning feasts, so she figured the Duchess could handle it.

"Then there's only one way to know." The earl sat back in his seat and took a piece of bread, waiting. "Open it." If Marcus looked inside, he would find a stunning silver band, thin with ivy filigree and set with a single emerald in the center that barely protruded from the band itself.

"Yes...vegetables...pardon?" Terryn glanced up from where she was practically boring her eyes into the guest list. "Oh, perhaps. I must just be hungry or tired or something." She did her best to keep a passive or at best a slightly interested expression on her face. It was difficult to keep out the apprehension, though.

The earl nodded slowly, turning the box around to pluck the ring from it and hold it in his palm. "It took me three years to make this. Of course, my family had more than enough to have it created by the best silversmith in the area, but I insisted on apprenticing for him until I could make it myself. I started on it before we were even officially betrothed, which my parents saw as pure folly, especially considering that we were courting out of love and not because of any prior arrangement. If we had decided to break off the betrothal it would have been three wasted years, but I think it was well wroth it." He smiled sadly, doing his best to keep his composure around the boy. "She said on our wedding night that she hoped to one day see her daughter wearing this same ring. She said it was something that deserved to live on through the family. Well..." He took Marcus by the hand and pressed the silver band into his palm. "She can't be there for it, so it's on us now, isn't it?"

Terryn had been just as confused and hadn't looked to the steward until noticing that the Duchess...the elder Duchess...that she realized the statement was aimed at her. "Oh yes, thank you." She took the water and held it pensively in her hands. "I would be glad to stay with a simple milady, I assure you." In all honesty, an even simpler Terryn would have sufficed, but she had people to appease now. She nearly sighed in exasperation but knew it would catch the woman's attention.

"Terryn never knew." The earl shut the box and set it in his lap; it was one of the few things of Lilliana's that he planned on keeping for the rest of his life. "It was always meant to be a surprise. As far as I know, Terryn still thinks that it was buried with her mother. And you shall not be telling her anything to contrary until the wedding." It was a very quiet order, but serious none the less.

"Four hours?" Terryn did not want to think about having to stand around for four hours being laced up into her dress. That brought another question. What dress could she wear? She didn't want to have to get a new one, so she decided it would be best to not bring it up and just wear the cloth-of-silver gown her mother had given to her, the one she wore when she met Marcus. "Must all Duchesses test their endurance in such manners?"

"Good lad." The earl drained his glass and poured a new one, glancing at the trellis arch with a wistful little stare. "So, now that you and Terryn are to be the sole heirs to my estate, I suggest that you get acquainted with all your entitlements. There will be time to go more in-depth later, of course, but for now I believe it will suffice to just give you a brief overview." He leaned forward, popping an olive into his mouth as he thought on his assets. "Besides the manor there is a vineyard estate in Italy. The man I have in charge is a goodly old lord named Frederico; I believe your grandmother met him a few times. Besides that, I have mostly monetary and physical assets, some of which I'm sure Serina's family will try to lay claim to, but I already plan to return the dowry to hopefully quiet them."