Episode THIRTEEN
Upon hearing his name, just as he thought, she stands abruptly up and takes a few steps away from him, “You’re…” Ellie mumbles
“The one that pulled you from the North Sea, yes.” William states finishing her sentence for her, “It would seem you returned the kindness tenfold. I just wish you never would have left, I really wanted to speak with…”
Elouise interrupts him snappishly, “Left?! I didn’t leave willingly. I was thrown out!”
Furrowing his brows, he tries to clear the misunderstanding he is presuming that is happening, “No, no that’s not right, my wife stated you thanked her for hosting you, you couldn’t say much due to it being classified, and left without another word.”
Laughing sarcastically, she retorts, “That’s nowhere close to the truth. If it wasn’t for Doctor Nicholas, I wouldn’t have had shoes nor a cloak. She threw me out without anything in the middle of March! I even still have Peter, his horse, that he willingly just gave me along with a pound of his own coin!”
“Peter, the stallion that he raised, with a…” he starts motioning towards his head.
Ellie completes the same sentence in unison as he is just finishing, “…half white face…” he goes silent as Ellie says, “…yes. That Peter.”
They stand in silence for a moment before Elouise breaks the silence, “How could you marry someone so heartless?”
He stands in silence for a minute before dodging the question, William asks in response, “I haven’t the slightest clue where we’re at, do you have a map?”
Quietly sighing, knowing she wasn’t going to get an answer, she responds, “Yes, in my study.” She leads him out of the guest bedroom across the floor and into her study.
He follows her lead while saying, “How was your ride into town?”
“It was long, busy…Oh I talked with the coroner about retrieving your stage coach driver and two patrol officers. They ought to be heading back by now.” Ellie replies.
Nodding his head, William remarks, “Ah Thank you…yes, Lilly mentioned they did not make it through the ambush, I must write a letter to my Stewart, do you also have a piece of parchment and quill I could use?”
“Yes, on my desk.” She points.
Walking into her study he is enamored by all the art work. He slowly works up a conversation, “I want to also…apologize for my calling you a peasant earlier. It was rather rude of me. Your home is actually quite large and accommodating for your status. Furniture I’ve never seen before, nor appliances that are even…how did your son put it earlier… ‘invented yet’? And not to mention your children are literate. They couldn’t stop showing me books from your library. And this art work. It’s magnificent, who’s the artist?”
“Thank you, it’s my own work.” Elouise unlocks a cabinet and pulls out a large folder and lays it on her large desk, several sheets of paper fall out to the side.
William is on the other side of the room looking at an oil painting he continues talking, “You’re quite talented, as are your children…they are a curious bunch, talked my ear off before you showed up.”
She unties the leather-bound straps and lays open the folder to which she pulls out the correct map indicating where they are at, “We’re right here Lord Maynard.” Pointing to an area of the map, “We’re located between the Aire River and the Wharfe River, just north of Leeds, a little near our Lord of the Manor Maurice Paynel. It’s about an hour-ride by…”
“I’m sorry.” William bluntly says, interrupting her.
Confused, she looks up from the map, Elouise responds, “What?”
Repeating himself but giving a more thorough response he walks towards the desk, “I’m sorry, for how my wife treated you. That was not the appropriate action she should have taken. I was suspicious of how she described the event that took place and never went into detail. Nor did any of my servants speak up in the lie she was telling me.”
“Would you have believed them even if they did?” Ellie bluntly asks.
Taking some time to think his answer through, “I would hope…I would at least take into consideration their…”
Interrupting him and once again being as blunt as possible, “Stop lying to yourself Will. You wouldn’t have. She probably has you so damn fooled by everything she does, has you wrapped around her little finger.” Crossing her arms and raising her one eye brow with a straightforward attitude.
He presses his hands against the desk, looks at the map, then at Ellie. Silently staring at her with a cold hard gaze. Elouise doesn’t budge and holds her ground without even thinking a second thought. A few more moments go by, them locking their gaze. Elouise is the first to break the stare off, not in backing down, but to go over to the window and whistles while holding her arm up. Only a moment goes by before a raven, glides in through the open window and perches on her arm.
“This is Edgar, would you like to send a message to the Sheriff to flog me for my insolence, as you put it earlier, or would you prefer to do it yourself?” She says walking over to William, confirming her confidence without backing down.
Lifting his large hand to her face tenderly, he strokes her cheek and runs a finger down the side of her neck. He slowly encircles her throat within his firm grasp, and holds it there. His thumb stroking her skin, her heart beat in a regular rhythm. Having no fear it seems to him, slightly arouses him, but he suppresses the desire. Lifting her chin with his finger for their faces to meet, he says in a breath away from her lips, “Rosie, I would take great care…and such delightful pleasure in flogging you myself.” He pauses for a second to let it sink in to her mind, “…but not today. Today I would rather hire you onto my domestic staff and have you and your family come live on my estate.”
She tilts her head to the side in a questioning manner, “Why would I agree to do that, what use would my children and I be to you?”
“It would seem my daughter is in need of a new tutor…” He runs his thumb over her lips and gently tucks back her loose hair behind her ear, “…and you’re just the woman I’ve been looking for…”
Enquiring further she asks “And my children?”
“Well Henry can become a squire…” He pauses and regains his composure taking his hands off of Elouise folding them behind his back, “…the rest, we’ll figure out in due time.” Clearing his throat, “Do you accept?”
Before she has a chance to answer, bursting through the door, all the children come pouring in. Lilly exclaims, “Look father, I found a turtle and picked it up!” Upon seeing Edgar her eyes light up in amazement, “BIRD!”
Ellie let’s out a giggle, “This is Edgar, say ‘Hi’ Edgar”
Edgar imitates Ellie’s voice and responds with a quick ‘Hi’ sound. Lilly also giggles and reaches to pet him, “We only have pigeons and doves to send messages at home.”
Upon hearing that William responds, “Message…yes, I must write a letter home.” He walks around to the back of Ellie’s desk chair and sits in it, picks up the quill as Ellie places a piece of parchment down for him, proceeding for him to write the letter.
“Father I already wrote a letter to mother.” Lilly responds while petting Edgar.
Chuckling to himself and dipping the quill into the ink well again, “Yes my Butterfly, you’ve told me already, this is for Mister Charles though.”
Elouise then opens a drawer, lifts up the book from earlier to pull out a small backpack, fit for a Raven to wear, and places Edgar on her desk. “Edgar, pose.” She commands and he obeys by extending his wings away from his body. She wraps the pack around his wings and body until it’s nice and snug. Opening a flap she places a coin, a nut, and the letter that William just finished into the bottom of the bag.
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