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Post by Kelathi on Jul 15, 2015 23:18:39 GMT
"Only once." She echoed, but with a grin. She took his hand without thinking, letting him help her up the hill. When they mastered it and continued walking, it took her a few moments before she realised that both of them had yet to withdraw... At the thought, she blushed deeply, hoping he did not notice. It did not take them long to get back, but evening seemed determined to settle as quickly as possible, so by the time they saw the shadow of the great mansion, the lights from the windows like static fireflies, the moon was it's backdrop. Only then did Kiet pull away... And her hand felt suddenly very cold without the company of his. At his goodbye, she smiled. And then he was racing away. Her smile faded away slowly, but not before she had blown a mock kiss in his direction, sure that no-one could have seen. Then, with her smile growing again, she stepped towards the manor.
***
The butler had let her in the night before. She had waited quite a while after trying the front door, which was, as expected, locked. A soft knock did not rouse anyone to her rescue. She did not want to wake Nelly, who would undoubtedly be in the front room, fretting, waiting for Lucille's return, and she was not quite willing to face the scolding just yet. Not when she had been in such a good mood... Thankfully after going to the servants entrance, a footman had let her in, and after being sworn to secrecy, had left Lucille to ascend the stairs alone. Nelly would find out tomorrow, or perhaps tonight, but she would not wake Lucille if she appeared asleep. So she had slipped out of her clothes into her night clothes, and crswled into bed. But before resting her head... She had read the letter.
The sun filtered through the crack between the curtains, falling straight on her face, which must have been what had awoken her. It must be quite early, because the maid had yet to open them. She sat up in the bed, propped on her pillow, flaxen curls falling about her face and shoulders in disarray. Kiet... Had last night really happened? A glance at the familiar letter on the table confirmed this. Suddenly struck by urgency, she grabbed it, and slipped it back into the envelope. After a moment's thought, mind and heart racing, she dragged her chair from the dresser table, leaning it against the wardrobe. Stepping up, balancing, she reached up high, only just being able to reach enough to place the letter on top. Then she jumped down, wincing as she heard the sound, having forgotten for a moment how early it was. She listened for approaching footsteps as she dragged the chair back. She was sure Nelly would come racing into the room any second...
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Jul 16, 2015 1:36:32 GMT
Kiet had suffered little ill effect upon his return, only getting some odd looks from some snickering stableboys who apparently kept the news to themselves. It didn’t exactly help that they began sniggering again when Kiet passed them the following morning, shooting them an I-owe-you glance before anyone could comment on the laugh. The boys quieted – a little – and returned to their chores. Meanwhile, Kiet began his own chore – hunting down something, as he began to examine every little inch of the grounds.
Where was it?! Somehow, not having the damn letter was an even heavier weight than carrying around a fully official, pompous letter explaining how Lord Artair Evander Buchanan, eldest son of Lord Gilroy Buchanan, the Earl of Dunmore, was to be sheltered and taken care of like a royal, fragile egg. Hiding it was his chance at surviving on his own merits, but who knew the repercussions of his real identity being discovered? Not only could it ruin his chances of being able to make it on his own, but it would break any trust he’d managed to develop from the others. If they found out he had been lying to them…
Where is that damn letter?! Where could he have lost it? He’d realized it was missing when he had tried to get his clothes cleaned, realizing there was nothing to hide and protect from the maids. At the moment, he was scouring the stairs. Perhaps it had fallen between the floorboards?
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Post by Kelathi on Jul 16, 2015 20:29:15 GMT
Lucille had a plan. She had been trying to work out the significance of the letter when she cooked it up. In her eyes, there were 3 options. 1, Kiet had somehow come across the letter and had yet to give it to the owner of the household, whom, with her father away, was herself. This did not make sense, why would he feel the need to hide it from her? If this lord Artair was to come, she would find out anyhow, so why the secrecy?
2, was the idea that it was meant to be a surprise, an idea she discarded as soon as she thought it. The letter spoke of looking after this lord, and showing him around the manor, teaching him how things worked. No, the household owner had meant to see it.
3, the plans had changed and so the letter was irrelevant, which did not explain why it was still in Kiet's possession.
And 4... And this idea was the most unlikely... Kiet was a lord in disguise. She almost laughed out loud at the thought. Surely not! He was not lord material, not by any means. Then again, the same may be said about herself in terms of being a lady...
So she had a plan to find out which was the answer, or at least eliminate some of the possible options. But before she could go about setting the wheels in motion... First she had to take her scolding from Nelly. By the time she descended the stairs, Kiet had moved on, they had missed each other by minutes.
Lucille endured said telling off over breakfast, as she was sat at the very end of the long table, Nelly scolding her in the only way a nanny could. Needless to say, Lucille was much too old for a governess, and it was not actually Nelly's place to scold the lady of the household, however 'naughty' she had been. But Lucille found it helped the woman to blow of steam, so she simply waited patiently for her to finish.
When she had indeed come to a standstill, Lucille placed her silver spoon down, pausing halfway through her bowl of fruit, and spoke like a lady as if the last 10 minutes had not occurred. "I'm arranging a party. I want the servants to be glued to the phone, meaning that everyone must keep an eye on it as they go about their daily rounds as I will be expecting calls. It will be this weekend. I want flowers everywhere, please ask Mr Cleph if he would allow us some of his splendid roses for the occasion. I want a band of musicians. I will travel into the market today for a suitable dress." Then she lifted her spoon again, and continued to eat.
Nelly's mouth opened and closed soundlessly.
***
Lucille loved the telephone, but had seldom found use for it, so she relished the opportunity. It was the first model of it's kind, and as such, an object of fascination and fear to the servants. A few phone calls later, Lucille had announced to the world her 'coming out' ball. She had not intended to phrase it as such, but most of the lord and ladies she had called had made their own assumptions as soon as they heard what she had planned, and had started their replies with 'well dear, you know Lord Gillingham! He is around your age and a very respectable man. I shall make sure he attends...' Shamelessly putting forward their sons and nephews and cousins. Lucille charmed and flattered, she was most accepting and agreeable, but she was also sure to make them know that their whole families were welcome, not just the men... She was not worried about people's expectations, it was understandable. In fact, many would be relieved, she was a late fish in the pool of girls of age to be presented, so it worked with their schedules, putting their aristocratic minds and hearts at rest.
Meanwhile, the household had become as busy as the telephone. The weekend was two days away, so she had thrown the staff into disarray, rushing around to clean the already spotless rooms, polish the brass and wooden stairs. He knew below stairs the cook would be fretting, working the kitchen maids and setting the plans in motion for the dinner over the weekend, because of course there had to be a dinner beforehand. Nelly would call the musicians, so now all Lucille had to do was find Kiet. The stage was set, she just had to put the last piece into place...
Lucille stepped into the back gardens, heading round the side of the building. She readied her acting skills... And went running towards the stables, a flurry of excitement. "Kiet, are you there?"
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Jul 17, 2015 4:52:45 GMT
From bad to worse. First his letter had gone missing, now they were inviting the local lordlings. At least, that was the version Kiet had heard from the busy, excited housemaids. Lady Lucille had finally decided to do her coming out party, and now it was time to prepare. The fact that she would be having a party was not a problem, it’d be entertaining to watch the stuffed shirts and men bedecked in possibly more lace than the ladies. It was that he had heard a few names he was actually familiar with, families and undoubtedly servants who had hosted Lord Artair in the past. He was going to have to keep himself scarce, or risk being found out.
This was one reason that, as the preparations grew frenzied, he was busy hiding in the stables. He was rather good at hiding from servants, willing to throw himself into a hay stack to avoid detection. Reading a book he had managed to snag from the library, Kiet sat back in his pile of hay that had also acted as his hiding place, several pieces still sticking out of his hair that he hadn’t noticed the last time he’d brushed himself off. Usually he was happy to show himself as being useful, but if they were preparing for some of these pampered nobles, their servants might well arrive to ensure that everything was just so in advance. And they probably saw more of Kiet than the nobles themselves in previous visits.
Upon hearing Lucille’s voice, he scrambled up to dive into his haystack again, pausing when he realized he recognized the voice. One he wasn't used to hearing being friendly, until the night before. Peering around his hiding spot, he showed relief at seeing it was Lucille, trying to compose himself a little. “Um, yes, hi,” he managed, trying to look casual, unaware of two prominent pieces of hay in his hair. At least he had gotten all the ones from his clothes…
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Post by Kelathi on Sept 30, 2015 21:25:35 GMT
“Kiet! You’ll never believe what…" She paused.
"What were you doing in the hay?” She looked him up and down, from the scruffiness of his clothes to the two twigs of hay in his hair… And shook her head, having momentarily lost her trail of thought. She returned to her own bubbly self only moments after. She acclimatised to situations quickly, only when it suited her purpose, of course. “It doesn’t matter. You’ll never guess what I’ve done!” She clasped her hands together, her whole demeanor a picture of excitement, like a child who had planned a surprise birthday party. But just as he looked about to reply, she rattled on like a train at full speed.
“I’ve arranged a party! It’s going to be fabulous! Silk dresses, white tie dinner jackets! I’m going to have flowers everywhere; I want it to look almost wild but also ever so classic and sophisticated! Will you help me? There’s so much to do, and it’s but two days away!” she was giddy with excitement. She put all her energy into being the innocent, excited young lady, just eager for him to be there because she liked him and not because she had a plan to set in motion… "And don't worry, I won't need your help picking out a dress, this time." She winked at him childishly.
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Oct 27, 2015 17:10:37 GMT
“What hay?” came the all too quick reply, Kiet managing to find the two pieces when he went to smooth his hair. With a momentary scowl, he pitched them aside as he did one last check, shrugging. “Hiding,” he mumbled very softly and quickly, uncaught it seemed as Lucille immediately resumed her energy.
It was almost comical, the way his upbeat expression faltered as Lucille described her idea, half leaning away. “White tie…?” he began to ask, eyes dancing with memories of bows and ribbons and silks and wigs and lace… drowning in lace… Before he could start twitching, he tried to compose himself. It helped that she joked about the dress; a different memory helped to refocus him, away from all of those nightmarish times his father had insisted upon.
“A-ah… I’d be happy to help, but as a-a-a-a horse trainer, I’m afraid I don’t have much experience with… well, with parties such as that… maybe I can help find the… the flowers?”
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Post by Kelathi on Nov 20, 2015 1:55:45 GMT
She paused, gazing up at him with her wide, innocent eyes. All an act, of course. It was a scheme, much like any other she might pull on Nelly or the kitchen-maids. But this was definitely the most flamboyant and long-winded of the schemes she had tried to pull off as of yet...
She laughed at his floundering, the laugh like tinkering bells, endearing and with the cunning purpose to put him at ease. In one fluid movement she had laced her arm through his, leading him into a walk as she marched them out of the stables. She, too insistent in her movements, and he, seemingly too flustered to argue. "Don't panic! There will be plenty for you to help with." She chimed sweetly. "But I have yet to tell you the best part!" Suddenly she grabbed his hand, lifting it above her head as she performed a quick twirl, manipulating his body easily as she weaved her plan. Loosing his hand, she spun a little more, before halting suddenly, and performing a quick curtsy. "I have yet to tell you the theme of the event! But you mustn't guess, you'll spoil it if you guess! Come with me, I want to show you!" She took a step back towards the manor, then paused, ushering him with a smile and an impatient wave of her hand.
((Slight manipulation, please let me know if this is not okay and I'll take it out ))
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Jan 17, 2016 21:35:16 GMT
Given their past, Lucille's laugh was not quite as disarming as she had intended. Kiet remained properly wary, but fought harder to hide it.
"The... best part?" Kiet's voice accidentally suggested his lack of belief in anything about such fussy balls being anything but worst, but he let himself be towed along in her enthusiasm as she twirled. It wasn't like he had much choice in the first place, given her bubbly attitude and the fact that he was trying to hide the fact that they were more equals than lady and servant.
At the overly excited command, he let out a smile, bowing. "Then I shall not attempt to guess the theme, my lady," he said, moving to follow her.
(short but I've been stuck on this for a while so yeah lol)
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Post by Kelathi on Jan 18, 2016 0:33:05 GMT
His lack of enthusiasm only made this all the sweeter. She liked that he was floundering, liked that he had no idea what she had planned. She ran ahead, waiting occasionally for him to catch up, and then disappeared for a moment up the stairs. As he reached the top and stood in the hallway, she was nowhere to be seen, and not a sound could be heard.
Suddenly, the painted face of a fox peered round the corner of the doorway from Lucille's room... before disappearing out of sight. Then Lucille pirouetted steadily out into the middle of the hallway. Her feet were now bare, her arms raised above her head as she spun, years of honing her skills creating a dazzlingly intoxicating display. Her skirts opened and closed like petals and her blonde ringlets caught the sun from the window, tinting them gold. She spun to a stop, lowering her arms slowly, aquamarine eyes fixed on his.
The mask was beautiful, an array of reds and oranges, the eyes dramatic and upturned slightly with sly humour, framing her eyes startlingly with the contrast. Slowly, she took a step forward, before melting into another twirl this time, slowing to a stop right before him, looking up into his eyes. It was evident from the curve of them that she was smiling beneath the mask. “What do you think?” she breathed cheekily, lifting her skirts slightly as she performed a smart curtsy. Then she became alive again, the spell broken. “Oh, isn’t it wonderful! I’ve arranged a masquerade, no-one will know who is who! And the best part?” Her fingers laced together, but she exploded again before he could offer a guess. “Absolutely everyone is invited to attend, even the servants! Nelly may put up a little bit of a fight, but once she sees some of the dresses I’ve picked out for her, how could she refuse? Isn’t it brilliant? The lords and ladies will be dancing with servants, as equals, and they won’t even know!”
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Jan 18, 2016 17:51:23 GMT
Kiet tried to keep pace, but was admittedly slower as he reached the top of the stairs. She was gone… a potentially good or bad thing when she was in such moods. Suddenly she was before him, dancing and approaching him in a way that simply left him breathless. For once, the layers of fabric and glitter didn’t repel him. But then she was excitable and bubbly again, as if his blank look of surprise hadn’t revealed the unexpected impact she had had.
“A masquerade?” he echoed softly, but Lucille spoke over him in her enthusiasm. Her idea was less than thrill-inducing, however, as Kiet suddenly began to see what was going on. If the nobility were to be invited, they had the potential to recognize him as he was. If he was in the same dress, they were quite likely to. Lucille couldn’t know how problematic that would be for him…
“Absolutely everyone? Does that mean just those of us on the estate…?” he asked, hesitant to suggest for fear of giving her the idea. But “lords and ladies”? That suggested that it was her intention originally.
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Post by Kelathi on Jan 19, 2016 23:14:58 GMT
She paused, and looked confused for a moment, as if not quite catching his drift. “I mean everyone, as in… everyone. The servants, the cooks, the… “ She paused for emphasis, and smiled with the twinkle in her eye returning. “The stable-hands. And the lords and ladies! As I said, everyone must be in costume!” She twirled away from him again. “It’s going to be magnificent!” she announced, stopping suddenly, and taking off her mask. She turned it over in her hands, regarded it thoughtfully, and then approached him again.
She held the mask up, far enough away from his face to not be too imposing, but a look of concentration had crept over her face. Then she smiled slowly. “It suits you.” She spoke quietly, honestly.
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Jan 23, 2016 18:32:23 GMT
There! – she repeated it… she was going to invite the local aristocracy. Kiet was again missing some of Lucille’s excitement with the feeling of dread coming over him. He didn’t notice the energy flow subsiding until the lady held the mask up to his face.
Kiet was startled enough to move back for a mere moment, but returned in order to let her see him in the mask. Her gaze had become quite odd, the slow smile somehow as bewitching as her attempt earlier. This made him hesitate in replying, offering a quick, if uncertain smile back. Too many spinning thoughts to give his usual masked grin. “A-ah… you are most kind…”
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Post by Kelathi on Feb 24, 2016 22:53:11 GMT
His reaction seemed to please her. "Do you want it?" She asked suddenly, pulling the mask away slowly. "Do you want to be the fox? I was going to be it, but I think it suits you more than myself. I can pick something else." In true form, before he could reply, she took his hand, using his confusion to quickly press the mask into his waiting palm, before dancing back a few steps. "No give backs!" She announced childishly, hands behind her back, her blonde curls bouncing with the movement. "Now all you need to do is get a suit. Don't worry about the expense, the household, that is, my father, is paying for all the costumes." Evidently, she had thought of everything. She turned on her heel with a twirl, and began to walk away. But not before she had thrown over her shoulder... "I'll notice if you're not there... Kiet." Spinning to offer him quick playful wink, she turned away again and skipped down the stairs happily.
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Mar 15, 2016 18:14:54 GMT
“Eh…” Do I have to go at all? “I would think-“
And the decision was made. Not that he really thought he’d have any say in that decision. But he had hoped.
Oh well. Might as well have some fun with it…
“That almost sounds like a challenge, my lady,” he noted as she began to skip away, finally slipping back into his usual sly self. The smile he sent her was playful, reminiscent of their earlier evening together, even as he bowed with mask held up to his face again.
---
Thank God for Nelly.
Despite what Lucille may have intended, Nelly couldn’t see putting stable hands and butlers into full lordly dress, and so in turn Kiet had managed to avoid the suffocating, heavy weight of bearing ten pounds of lace and frills. In fact, he was rather happy with his suit, enough to look noble but simple enough to not feel like a stuffed peacock put out on display.
Nelly had been made well aware of Kiet’s appreciation, even if she didn’t understand the reasons why. He had thanked her as if she were a queen, flustering while pleasing her with his words of admiration and gratitude. Always a fun event, Kiet had decided some time ago, as Nelly was truly a sweet lady, unlike the so-called ones that tended to call themselves aristocracy.
Now that the dress was out of the way, Kiet safe from sporting the frills he was certain to see on many of his peers, it was time to prep for the party itself. There was still a sore place in his heart when he worked in the stable that had once held Beastly, but a quick promise to stir up some mischief in the stallion’s honor helped Kiet feel better.
Besides, Lucille loved mischief. She might even join in once she got wind of what Kiet was planning…
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Post by Kelathi on Jun 4, 2016 15:44:07 GMT
She was very pleased. Kiet seemed to be playing along, and the whole household had been overturned with excitement and preparations. She was excited to get dressed up and swan around her guests, much in the way a cat is pleased to show off their glossy fur. The day of judgement arrived quickly, and all morning she had preened and primped, smoothing down her dress to stop it from wrinkling, and fixing her flaxen curls in such a way that they gathered at the back of her head, and cascaded down her back, with a few strands falling at the sides of her face. Dotted about amongst her curls were shimmering diamonds, so that her hair sparkled pleasingly whenever she turned her head. Nelly had been present to help with her hair, but she had not been allowed to see Lucille's real outfit for the evening. She had to keep some mystery, after all, and she could not pass up such an opportunity to turn heads. All the lords and ladies! She smiled when she thought of the outfit she had had made specially for this evening, and how it might be received...
For now, she pranced around in a dark-green dress, which Nelly thought magnificent but Lucille knew paled in comparison to her real outfit... She was 'ready' way before, but she knew some guests would be arriving early, so it paid to be such. For now, she skipped down the stairs, hands gathering fistfuls of the dress so that she wouldn't trip on the hem, barefoot even now. She sought for Kiet, and she decided to try the stables first, much to Nelly's condemnation. "Mistress, you'll ruin your dress!" She called after her, knowing that her objections would be in vain. "I'll be careful!" Lucille merely called back, and for the first time, she actually meant it. It would not do to have her guests regard her in a mud-stained dress. So she twirled out the door, but was careful to gather her skirts up before they touched the ground, and ran to the stable.
In the doorway, she halted abruptly.
A thought had suddenly come to her mind... and her eyes drifted over to the place where Beastly would normally be...
She hadn't thought about him properly for a while, although he was always there at the edge of her mind. She tried to distract herself from day-to-day... and usually, it worked. But as she stood there...
She shook her head, and tried to concentrate on the evening's plans. It gave her something to focus on, and enthusiasm renewed, she set into the stables. "Kiet?" She called jovially.
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