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 Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 1:31 pm
THE THINGS OUTSIDE season early winter
occasion race day
location palisade, on the way to the race track
summary andrus sees chloe for the first time while accompanying several women to a race
Andrus had all but stopped listening to the conversation several streets ago in favor of losing himself to the gentle rocking of the carriage as it took them down the cluttered roads, and to the sound of metal-shod hooves clapping against the ground in unison. It was a better alternative, he thought, to being present in the conversation.
The three women sitting beside and across from him in the carriage were heavily made up and just as heavily corseted, each sporting fancily sewn gowns and elaborately decorated hats - only the best for entering into a place as public as the races. Saturday morning, bright and early, they had come for a spectacle and, as was expected, they had found themselves a gentleman to accompany them in Andrus. Of course, it was mostly his mother's doing, but perhaps if she had chosen companions who were less inclined to chatter as these were...
"Oh, but wouldn't you know, Lord Kinross, there's the lady to whom we were referring! You and she would make a delightful couple. Your mother, in particular, agrees."
The mention of his name drew Andrus abruptly back into the present. The Countess of Alderin, sitting directly across of him, was looking at him expectantly, as if expecting him to agree to propose right then and there to the lady climbing into her own carriage across the road. Which one she was specifically, Andrus wasn't sure, and neither did the Countess offer a name.
"You flatter, madame," he said with a polite smile, one that came to his face as naturally as any true emotion. He had been brought up to this, after all. It was, to him as to any of these women, as natural as anything else. "But I have yet to have anything of value to offer her while my father remains head of our house."
But the Countess had found something new to focus her attention on. "Her sister, on the other hand... You would not believe what is being said of her..."
Andrus stifled a sigh of relief as the other two women latched onto the piece of gossip, leaving him to lean back in his seat and turn his attention outside of the carriage once again, watching as the houses and buildings trundled slowly by.
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Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 2:07 pm
Chloe stood at the edge of the street, her arms outstretched on either side as she guarded no less than seven children from the bustle of the city. It was not the pedestrians that worried her, nor was the street itself especially threatening, but carriages passed by every now and again and her wards were too excited to be especially cautious. Young ones were lost under the hooves of horses and wooden wheels far too often for her to allow them to cross, even if the carriage still had a decent distance to travel.
The children ranged in age from three to perhaps twelve and were all donned in the poor's winter gear. Some wore hats or scarves, others only a pair of gloves or mittens which were generally from two different sets. Some had been handed down or purchased while most were hand-knit, and nobody's clothes seemed to have well survived the summer. Wear and use were obvious, although everything was clearly well-washed. Chloe herself wore her hair in a loose bun, a bit frazzled on the inside but certainly not allowing it to show. Her stockings were all that protected her from the chill, but she found she didn't mind much; it was better for the children to keep their ears warm. Nobody enjoyed a boogery toddler.
"Matthew, hold Catherine's hand, please," she said gently as the carriage closed in. The little beasts were standing behind her arms like caged animals, just waiting to burst free of their pens and get to the park. It was her job, though, to see that they all made it there and back in one piece, as well as to help them avoid the negativity spewed forth from nearly everyone they would encounter. The children were still innocent when it came to the world, and well they should stay until absolutely necessary, the young woman thought.
Although she was not scrutinizing those within, Chloe watched the carriage pass as if it could possibly double back and harm them anyway. She noted that the people inside were dressed rather gaily... perhaps to the races today? Ah, she's entirely forgotten about that. Perhaps the park would be clearer after all! Only when the carriage had passed by eighty feet did she begin into the street, grasping the hand of a young boy just beside her.
"Alright, keep in line, everyone. Stick together!"
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Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 2:22 pm
The horses clattered down the crowded streets, and through the windows, Andrus could hear vaguely the bustle and shouts from the people on foot, some milling about aimless on the street and others watching and waiting to cross. Every once in a while, the carriage driver threw a string of profanity down at pedestrians who dared to throw themselves in front of the horses and cross. And still they trundled along with the women gossiping and complaining, on occasion, when an offending smell reached their noses from the street.
Every once in a while, they addressed a comment to him, and Andrus could only smile politely and nod along, as he had done for the last twenty-odd years and would no doubt for for another twenty more at the least. That was simply the way life went, and he had known no other save for the military, where social standing seemed every bit as important as it was here, so there was no part of him that understood the need to complain or to break away from tradition. After all, failure to comply with society's demands could easily end in his being shipped out of Palisade just like his brother Jordun, and much as Andrus loved his brother, he had no desire to be him.
Then he felt his gaze being drawn to another sight. The goings-on of the pedestrians below in the street had just rolled along as he faced the back of the carriage, seeing but not quite registering the people's lives as he passed them and they him. But this time, it was different. The sound of children's laughter and shouts caught his ear, and his stark gray eyes focused to see the veritable herd of youngsters crowding along the roadside behind the outstretched arms of a girl, not much older than them, Andrus guessed. There was an energy behind those children, dressed all in ratty old clothes, with skin dark from dirt and soot. He hadn't considered that before.
And then the girl. He could see her watching the carriage, as if somehow it might harm her and the children, even though it all but trundled past the group. She wasn't wearing much, but neither were her young charges. Andrus couldn't help but think that perhaps they would be cold.
But it was too late then. The carriage had gone past, and all that was left to do was watch as she rounded up the children to cross the street, and grew smaller and smaller with distance.
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Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 3:01 pm
Upon reaching the other side, Chloe turned to be sure that everyone had made it across. It had become habit with her, especially since it was rare to get all of the children herded into one spot. One of the younger girls was still standing in the street, a finger to her lips as she watched an apple vendor wander down the street. Chloe huffed and rushed to her, scooping her up and heading back to the pedestrians' usual thoroughfare.
"We'll have lunch when we get back, Lorna," she assured the child, "You'll forget all about your tummy when we get there." For a moment it seemed as if Lorna's face was twisting to cry, but she quickly reconciled as she was handed down to an older boy and finally plopped onto her own two feet again. Chloe felt the wind crisp against her face, filling her lungs with the essence of the season. Winter was one of her favorites, although asking the redhead her favorite season was like asking an artist their favorite color; they all had their pleasantries and failings, offering different things to the world. Still, her heart swelled with the thought of snow, of ladies in tightly-wound bonnets and mufflers chatting and laughing as they walked the frozen lane.
For a moment, her eyes drifted back toward the carriage she had been avoiding. It seemed, fleetingly, like someone within was watching her, but the feeling quickly vanished. She had other things to do than mind the strangers that found her little gaggle interesting.
"Come now, everyone! We're nearly there!"
The children of the orphanage had dreadfully little room to just go out and play and be children. It was dangerous to let them wander by the street alone at any time of day, and with the strict schedule they kept there was rarely a moment's peace. These outings to the park were good for them, as stressful as they were to the chaperone. Children needed time to breathe fresh air and play with toys like all of the other children. Now the group rushed ahead, the eldest of them remembering full well how to get to their destination. She watched them go like a mama bird, a basket of the day's supplies danging from an arm.
Now her mind felt free to wander again, weaving back toward the carriage and those within it. She imagined for a moment that she had been one of the well-dressed ladies, festooned with frippery for the sole purpose of going to watch a group of horses run around a track. All of a sudden she was laughing with them, chatting about nonsense while shrouded from the cold and the lower class by thick planks of wood. She would watch out of tiny binoculars, cheer and fan herself flirtatiously before returning to the estate for tea. She had always wondered what it would be like to ride a horse as well, although she wasn't certain that ladies did it all that often. To have something so large and powerful muscling its way around at her whims, to have a mutual respect between man and beast allowing a courtship of the most innocent kind. Ah, but a child's yelp and a bout of tears called her to hurry forward and forget her fantasies for now.
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