Toying with the simple silver band beneath her glove—somehow a perfect fit, and decorated inside with ivy, a touching detail she wondered if Thorn had even noticed when he’d purchased it, likely at some pawnbroker’s, not that she minded—she glanced outside the dusky window as the road easedslightly. She wondered, for a moment, if like so much else of her character, people would think her odd for so quickly thinking of herself as a wife, but giving no second thought to herself as abride. For not truly feeling anything but calm and settled this morning; excited and hopeful for her marriage, just not for her wedding. While some brides were nervous she knew, she hadn’t felt anything such.
Perhaps it was that the marriage had been her choice, and she had no fear of any potential time spent in the marital bed, not being so unknowledgeable as others. Or perhaps it was that it had merely felt soright. Simple. Seeing Thorn there, waiting outside the church at the appointed hour, it had settled the only nerves she’d had; that he wouldn’t be there. After that, it had all been eminently lovely, and without fuss, just as she might’ve hoped had she ever truly dreamt of a wedding day for herself. And it wasn’t that she hadn’t cared about it at all, she took the vows she made seriously even if she didn’t believe in God, and therefore made such vows without the fear of Him and His retribution and judgement, only of her own. Really, it was just that to her, the wedding day held no great importance in her heart; the vows, the journey which followed, the years, those were the things of great importance.
As the miles continued to blur past hastily, Hypatia tried to guess how far Thorn had gotten by now, and curiosity besting her, she wondered what awaited him whenever he finally arrived; what his old home was like. Some part of her wished she might’ve gone with him, to see the sea, to learn more about him, but she knew it was better this way. And it couldn’t be discounted in the least, that this parting demonstrated the trust he held in her—sending her to begin their work alone. Inherently accepting, asking for her help. She didn’t feel as though he’d abandoned her, or cast her off now that he’d gotten what he wanted, but again, time would tell.
Just as time would tell what kind of life they might have, what they could build. Together, and yes, perhaps eventually, apart. For no matter that their fates were entwined now, this was a business agreement, and no promises beyond a certain level of partnership had been agreed to. They might be husband and wife; time alone again would tell what that might look like two, five, ten, or even twenty years from now.
If we shall be friends, or partners still, or perhaps nothing more than civil strangers.
After all, nothing lasts forever.
In the meantime, Hypatia couldn’t but be rather excited again at the prospect of building something together, just as she couldn’t help but be excited at the prospect of discovering what would be her new home, soon.
If the surrounding countryside is as lush, and full of dips, hills, meadows and trees as these vistas, I think I shall rather like it.
The sun emerged from behind a rather fluffy bunch of white clouds, dancing shadows upon the colourful landscape beyond, as if to thank her for her compliments, and promise that it would in fact be so.
Now you are in fact being a hopeful romantic.
But as I have never been one, I think, I should rather like to try it.
Dreaming, too. That has always sounded rather pleasant.
‘Oh dear,’ Hypatia mumbled as the carriage jerked to a stop before the Tudor erection, which was more or less erect.Mostly thanks to the swathes of ivy that appear to hold it together.She grimaced slightly, her eyes travelling over what she could see of it, as she waited for Ian to come open the door. ‘Well, as promised, derelict it is, so at least it will keep you busy,’she sighed, preparing herself as she heard him leap down, and crunch on the gravel.
The carriage’s door opened with a now familiarthud,bump,screechandcreak, and Hypatia took a deep breath as Ian’s bony arm, swathed in his worn coat, appeared in the empty space before her.
This is a challenge, not a disappointment; regardless, you must show neither.
Descending the carriage, she reminded herself that she was no longer Hypatia Quincy, but Lady Hypatia Ackerman, mistress of this house, Countess of Gadmin, and that ladies such as her smiled, and were kind and respectful of those around them—at least so she believed ladies of such standing should be, there were always plenty to disprove the rule.
‘Welcome to Gadmin Hall, my lady,’ Ian said, as a light, welcoming summer breeze drifted through the courtyard, shuffling the leaves of the surrounding oaks, and the ivy holding the place together with verve and determination.
‘Thank you, Ian,’ she smiled, her eyes darting across the edifice, cataloguing the state of it a bit clearer—roof in disrepair, chimneys unmentionable, windows…unmentionable—just as a ruckus sounded beyond the portico-sheltered great oak and iron door before her. ‘It is charming,’ she said, frowning slightly at the continued banging and bickering.
Ian didn’t move, so neither did she, merely waiting; for what, now that was the question.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity of anticipation, the great door burst open—and when she said burst, she meant it. With a cacophony of sounds—including a mighty ‘I said pull, damn you lad!’, and a boom that resounded through the gravel to her feet, sending quite a few previously chirping birds flying—half the door split open and back, Hypatia spying bodies tumbling into darkness with it.
She made a move to go assist, but Ian gently held her back, mindful of her position even when she wasn’t, though his eyes were as big as hers as he stared at the half-open door.
‘I may be a lady now, Ian, however I shall not be the sort to sit by without lending a hand merely because it may be uncomely.’
He hesitated, but finally nodded, and they rushed over together to the door—or rather what remained of it.
Beyond the splintered half, hanging from impossibly rusted tight hinges, two bickering bodies were twisting and slipping as they cast off the half they’d taken with them.
‘Told you we should’ve gotten Lawrence to come sort it, butnoooo, a bit of oil and twill be right as rain you swore!’ said the lighter of the two voices, the first to manage a return to upstanding from what Hypatia could tell in the barely illuminated and dusty gloom within.
‘And who was to pay for the expense?’ boomed the second, huffing and puffing on the floor, as it tried to heave off the half door upon itself. ‘D’ye think the master’d be happy comin’ home to discover we couldn’t even get the door open without payin’? We shoulda been workin’ on it since dawn, that’s the problem—’
‘He might’ve preferred that to discovering this!’
‘Just help me up you fool b’fore he—’
‘Are you both unhurt?’ Hypatia asked, gently as she could, her amusement growing by the second though she didn’t dare smile or laugh until she knew they were both safe.
Stillness and silence immediately followed her words, and had Hypatia been able to see clearer into the dimness, she might’ve spied, she was sure, two persons attempting to work out how best to next proceed, having been caught out thus.
