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 Posted: Sun Oct 01, 2006 10:02 pm
Dimitri Simply by the way everything seemed to focus in on them and how hesitant she was with giving him her hand he knew there had to be much more to this than he initially thought. Well his reputation was not really one to have a woman hesitant. She usually wished to learn if he really was as they said, of course there would be another tale added to his reputation by the end of the night. That never really stopped him from taking advantage of any willing woman, this however was different. This was a woman in need of his help and he would see if he could help her any way he could.
Taking her hand in his; he turned and began to lead her towards the gardens outside. The moon was not a full one but it was bright enough to give them light as they strolled through the gardens. He was looking for a spot, a familiar spot in one of the many gardens his grandmother owned. Finally he found the secluded spot that he had been looking for. It was an dead end so to speak. The only way in was the way they had come in. That was one thing he liked about mazes and in the dark they would be able to spot anyone before they were spotted. Dimtri removed her hand from the rest on his arm and motioned to the stone bench so that she could take a seat. Before she could even begin he did, he was just that assertive.
“You seem to be afraid of your cousin. I have come to the realization that you are the young woman I had been told about by a mutual friend. I have no time for games of up and down so if there is something you need my assistance with then I would that you tell me it know so that I may know how to conduct myself, especially if I am to gain any enemies simply because I called you darling tonight.” Dimtri looked over at the woman. She really was too appealing for her own good. Clearing his throat he clasped his hands behind his back to keep them from their own deeds. “ I would also have to state, if it is your cousin you fear, then why do you wish to return home now where he can taunt you with that fear? If you like I can arrange for an invitation to be issued where you would be invited to stay at my grand mother’s lodging until I can find a way to put your fear at rest.” His voice held much of a threat but not for the woman before him. If there was one thing he was not one to condone it was men taking advantage of women.
Dimtri turned towards Ariana and waited some response from her. She would have to give him the okay before he did anything. He was not going to act without her consent, once he dealt with her cousin then he would get on to the matter that was really worrying her. He didn’t think of her cousin as much of a threat, more so of a man that was trying to put fear in women because he was so weak when it came to other men. There were many out there like that and he didn’t pay much heed to them as they were not worthy of his notice or the notice of anyone as far as he was concerned.
He stood before her holding his hands behind his back still. His hair was pulled back with the black thong and not a strand was loose surprisingly, more than likely because his hair was still wet from his bath earlier that day. He was not one of those men that did not enjoy a bath. In fact he had been taught by an elderly lady at a very young age the finer points of bathing, and that did not only include the clean skin. He stood looking down at her with the moonlight as his backdrop and the scent of the flowers in the gardened seemed to float on the light breeze of the night.
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Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 6:17 pm
OOC: Rhichi? D'you want me to post as Marcus or...what?
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Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 6:31 pm
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Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 8:53 pm
Ariana looked around at the garden they were in, taking in its wonderful fragrance. It relaxed her, and it was quite a sight to behold. Instead of sitting down, she walked by a small rose bush growing out of the ground. There were all kinds of flowers everywhere, and she stopped by the yellow and red rose bushes. After she heard him out, she hesitated to speak. She could trust him, her heart told her so, but some habits were hard to break.
“A garden is such a wonderful thing, don’t you think?” Ariana said softly. Her current comment had nothing to do with the situation, but she had a point she was going to make. She reached down, and touched a small bit of the soil, not caring if she soiled her fingers. She walked slowly around their area, surveying the other flowers. There were sunflowers, daises, and violets all around. Everything played a part in making this garden, beautiful.
“And yet, and garden can’t be grown if there is no one to care for it, no one to water it, to weed it, and to prune it,” Ariana continued. She couldn’t leave, and the reason why was fairly simple. If she left, her father’s business would be ruined. His fruit orchards, his entire cider company would be ruined. Duke Reich was not a regular noble. Yes, he had lands, but unlike most nobles who only had wealth in lands, he made sure he was wealthy in money as well. He grew orchards of apples and made cider with it. In fact, Reich Cider was quite famous among the lands.
In addition to apples, Reich also owned some of the finest farmland plantations. Their soil was rich and made growing easy. Land wealth, and business wealth, the Reich family had nobles and mercenaries.
There was even more at stake than that. She would never abandon her servants, her friends to the cruelty of that monster. “If I left, there would be nothing to stop him from suddenly seizing control. My cousin might be smart, and cunning, but he would ruin this business, because he expects everything to be handed to him. We would be bankrupt within a year,” Ariana said quietly at first, but her voice grew stronger.
“I also cannot leave my servants with him. I will not let any of them be subjected to his cruelty. I have worked far too hard and long to manage my father’s business on my own, I have seen that land grow from when I was a little girl. Many of my maids are treasured friends of mine, and the children on the lands, I cannot leave him there with them, alone. I won’t do it. It would be similar to running away for me,” Ariana said firmly now looking the Earl in the eye.
“I ask for help, yes, but not dependence,” she said once again in that strong voice. She couldn’t go with him, but maybe, no, it was a foolish idea. He had only met her once tonight, why would he, a perfect stranger want to live with her in her lodgings for while. Or at least long enough to throw her cousin out.
Back at the ball, Taylor was rather enjoying himself, dancing with the ladies. Indeed, it was a wonderful night. He managed to scare his cousin, a bonus, and he had met a few of the infamous cousins. He chuckled as he danced with a brunette lady, thinking only of how close his prize was. He knew Ariana had sought out help, but never did he dream Earl Bradford would come to her aid. Yes, things were going to be interesting, and he had plans of his own. Earl Bradford would be matched in the game of the hunt yes, and with her last protection gone, Ariana would have no choice but to quit and submit to him.
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Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 5:15 pm
Marcus looked wearily around and sank down on a large stone. He hoped fervently that Terryn would show up. She'd seemed reluctant to see him again, and the possibility that she'd decided to forget about their appointment had struck him.
His grandmother, too, was anxious. "You're quite sure she should be here? Now?" She'd insisted on speaking to the Earl. She seemed to think it would be helpful to form some sort of relationship with him, even though Marcus hardly felt it was necessary.
"Quite sure," answered Marcus crossly, still looking for Terryn and her father.
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Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 5:24 pm
Eventually, Terryn and her father exited their carriage and entered the courtyard, where they found Marcus and his grandmother waiting. Terryn looked rather neutral the whole time, not showing pleasure but not acting particularly excited. This seemed to be enough for the old earl though, because he was walking jauntily along side his daughter, his arm hooked with hers as he whispered last minute instructions to her, which she of course took no notice of.
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 4:28 pm
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 5:50 pm
OOC: Sorry I've been gone for so long, Rhi.
The duchess nearly squealed as she saw the earl enter the courtyard. "My dear Earl. And Terryn. So nice to see you again."
Marcus smiled with a sort of hollow warmth at the Earl. "It's a pleasure," he said, smile flickering for a moment before walking up to her and waiting for Terryn to extend her hand.
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 5:53 pm
((is ok))
Terryn forced a, well, not a smile, but a look other than pure repulsion, which was a start. She detached herself from her father, who went off to mingle with the duchess and let the two children "get reacquianted". With a slight, half hearted curtsy, she extended her hand to him and looked over his shoulder, to give the impression to the elders that they were making eye contact.
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 6:15 pm
Once the elders had rounded the bend, Marcus straightened and a more business like attitude came over him. "Grandmother ate it up," he reported. "If we could continue this for another three weeks, perhaps, they'd be fully convinced, and we'd be able to walk away free."
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 6:25 pm
"Three weeks?" Terryn crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. "I am hoping my father won't become suspicious after three days. I have never kept a suitor around long enough to even write me a letter. By the time the courier arrived, I would have already been forced to endure four more men I could not stand." She took a deep breath and exhaled. "But I suppose we must try our best. If all else fails, I shall have one of our horses kick me in the stomach and make me barren so that I shall never have to endure the strains of courtship ever again." Actually...that thought was rather appealing...why had she not considered it before?
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 6:29 pm
Marcus felt himself actually smile. "If it comes to that, I wish you the best of luck," he told her, glancing over his shoulder to make sure that the elders weren't spying on them.
"Terryn...has not attracted much attention before, has she? She rarely attends banquets. I was quite pleasantly surprised to see her when I did," remarked the Duchess, whose feet rather hurt.
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 6:37 pm
"Thank you very much, kind sir." Terryn gave a sarcastic grin and sighed, looking around the court. "So what are we to do now? I rarely come to court unless my father forces me to, I do not know where we are to go or what we are to do." She glanced at all the people and frowned. "They are so superficial..." The comment was under her breath, muttered to herself.
The earl nodded sadly. "Yes, it is true. Strangely enough, it is this reclusion of hers that seems to attract so many suitors, though she finds fault in each and rejects them almost instantly." He sighed and dabbed at his forehead with his kerchief. "I fear she will never marry, if all for spite of her stepmother."
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 6:49 pm
"They are, but it would be impossible to change all of them, or even one, and it proves to be much easier to pretend that you are as superficial as they are," answered Marcus with a shrug. "Courtship--as I've seen it, at least--begins with speech. Long, drawn out, boring speech, in which I smile a great deal, and you flutter your lashes and smile," said Marcus simply. There was nothing truly appealing about it, on the surface, but occasionally Marcus met a girl that did spark his interest (at least for the time being), and seized (often literally) the opportunity.
"Well. Youths are so unpredictable. Perhaps Terryn will come to her senses and marry sooner than you think," said the Duchess, with a well practiced touch of optimism.
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 6:52 pm
Terryn rolled her eyes. "Well forgive me, but I shall not be fluttering my eyelids anytime soon, and if you even attempt a long winded conversation about something as meaningless as the weather, or migratory patterns of the swallow, or anything of that nature, I shall cut your tongue out and serve it to you for dinner." Terryn gave him a cheeky smile, one of those that says "Beware".
"Aye, we can only hope." The earl frowned. "I just wish to live long enough to see my grandchildren."
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