Quite honestly, I haven't double checked these two chapters that I've put on here.

Let me know if I did something dumb.

PLEASE.

The weather was growing much colder as the week went on. Penny was teaching me how to knit when Ralph didn't have me preoccupied with cooking lessons. I found both lessons intriguing, though Penny's presence was far more enjoyable. Ralph and I kept silent when we were together, not mentioning anything outside the realm of Gwen's kitchen.

"Not too much," he cautioned.

I nodded, pouring the flour into the bowl at a slower rate. I stopped just before I had used all of it. Ralph peered inside the bowl and said nothing, which meant I had done well.

We were making a cake, special for the arrival of a cousin of Gwen's. I was nervous about baking this cake for such a special occasion. Gwen's cousin was very dear to her. Her cousin, Helen, took in orphaned children, just like Gwen. However, Helen had only adopted two children, a boy and a girl, and probably wouldn't take more. I was to share Gwen's room with the girl during their short stay. My room was to be given to Helen and her husband, and Ralph was sharing his room with the boy.

Ralph wiped his hands on a cloth and said, "You're doing fine. I need to go tidy my room before Gwen gets on me. You can finish making the batter. I'll be back shortly."

I wanted to plead and beg for him to stay, but he was out of the kitchen before I got the courage to say anything. I couldn't make it on my own. Ralph hadn't taught me much about baking, so I wasn't sure what would happen if I put in too much of this or too much of that. Sighing, I looked at the recipe, which Ralph had found after an hour of digging. He told me they rarely wrote down recipes, but that Gwen had to write it down so she didn't forget. To make matters even more frightening, the cake was a favorite dessert of Gwen and Helen's from their youth.

I cautiously added all of the ingredients, a task that took me nearly twenty minutes alone. I left it alone and tried to clean up what I could. Five minutes later, Ralph came down to the kitchen to check my progress.

He wiped his hands clean and stuck a finger in the batter, tasting it. He didn't hesitate, only poured the batter into a pan. I felt relief as he did this, realizing I had done well.

He told me that Penny had time to teach me more knitting while he made the icing for the cake. I felt a little put off by this, but realized that this might have been a reward for me instead of a punishment.

I took off my apron and went to find Penny in her room.

She sat on her bed, knitting a sock for Wesley. The other sock was sitting beside her, already complete.

"You recall how to knit socks, yes?" she asked.

I nodded eagerly, for I was getting better at it.

"Ralph needs some. Then you can start on a pair for Holmes, for when he returns."

I took up a pair of needles and began to knit Ralph a pair of socks. I had already made myself a pair, and took to wearing them quite often. Another pair of needles and some yarn sat in my room for any free time that I could knit myself another pair.

We chatted more about Helen and her family while we knitted. I told her how Ralph allowed me to make the batter on my own and how he thought I did well.

"That's wonderful, Sophie. I'm excited for you!" she said.

I blushed. "Thank you," I murmured.

We sat in silence for a moment before she said softly, "May I confide in you?"

I blinked at her, stunned. "Why, of course."

She seemed hesitant to tell me, but before I could encourage her, she said, "I am with child!"

I grinned. "Oh Penny, that's spectacular!"

It was her turn to blush. "I haven't told anyone yet. I've suspected this for the past week or so, but I'm fairly sure now. I want to wait until Helen departs. I don't want to ruin the excitement of their visit to make the focus on me."

I nodded. "I see. Do you hope it is a boy or girl?"

She laughed. "I do not care. I am perfectly happy with a boy or girl." She finished the sock and sighed. "I need to teach you sewing soon. Come spring, I'll be busy with the baby and hopefully we'll be moving into a house of our own."

"I love learning all of these new things!" I exclaimed. "I've done embroidery before, but not actual sewing."

Penny looked startled. "You know embroidery?" She looked wistful. "I wish I knew how to embroider."

"Perhaps I can teach you this winter," I said, suddenly eager to be the teacher.

She looked startled. "Would you really? Oh, Sophie! That would be grand. I hope embroidery thread doesn't cost too much…"

The realization that it would cost money dampened my excitement. "I'm sure we'll figure something out," I said hopefully.

She gave me a smile. "We always do." She stood and picked up a dress from the corner. "I've been making this for you," she informed me. "I'll show you how to start sewing the sleeve."

o.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.o

"Helen!"

Gwen rushed to the side of a wagon that had just pulled into the barnyard. A woman inside cried, "Gwendolyn!"

The wagon came to a halt and the woman jumped out. She was short and very skinny, with graying hair. Gwen embraced the woman and said, "I am so glad you made it safely!"

The woman shook her head. "And I, cousin. However, it was not without its difficulties."

"What sort of difficulties? Were the roads terrible? They generally are this time of year."

Her husband had gotten out of the wagon with the young man and young girl. He laughed, a deep booming laugh. "We only wish it had only been the roads!"

Gwen seemed concerned. "Whatever was it, then?"

Helen replied, "Guards. Royal guards. I figured Ralph would have been excited, but we certainly were not. They were doing checks on all wagons everywhere we went. Nobody knew why."

"It seemed like they were looking for someone, but the Queen said the princess's murderer had already been found. We were there," said Helen's husband.

Gwen paled, but had no hesitation. "Ah yes, we heard about that. Strange that they stopped folks. Perhaps he had accomplices and the Queen doesn't want the public to know."

I felt my mind go numb as I stood by the back door. I was suddenly terrified for Holmes's life. Penny was at my side in an instant, holding my hand tightly. She whispered softly, "Do you need to go somewhere else?"

I debated, then shook my head. "I don't want them to question."

She squeezed my hand again and then let go.

The conversation had turned to Helen's life in the city.

"So if you heard the Queen speak, surely you saw the princess before her death?" Ralph asked nonchalantly.

I did my best to not immediately glare at him.

The girl immediately responded, "Oh no, we never saw the princess. She was supposedly a great beauty, but no one actually knows what she looked like."

"I heard she was a fair blonde," the boy piped in.

Helen shrugged. "Nobody actually knew. They never have public funerals for royalty, so we will never know." She spied me in the back and said, "Gwen, who is this?"

Gwen laughed. "Oh goodness! How rude I've been! I forgot to introduce my newest ward. Her name is Sophie. Sophie, this is Helen, Paul, Maria, and Jesse."

"You didn't tell me you adopted a girl!" Helen exclaimed.

"Oh, I didn't adopt her. Holmes brought her home, actually. He said he found her quite abused."

"Like mother, like son," Helen said fondly. "Where is Holmes?"

Gwen sighed. "Off finding a new job. He so dearly loves to teach, and accounts at the palace aren't of much interest to him."

"Ah. Holmes was always a restless one, wasn't he?" Paul said. "I'm can't say I'm surprised he brought you here, Sophie. He always seemed to be the one who would run off and save a damsel in distress."

Penny and I hid a small giggle as Gwen ushered everyone inside for dinner. The younger boys, who had previously been standing inside at the window, hurried out to grab the cousins' luggage, with the help from Henry and. They went around to the front to take their bags upstairs without running into the hectic environment of the busy kitchen.

Penny and I followed the rest of the family inside, where everyone had gathered around the dinner table. It was a tight squeeze with four extra people, but somehow Gwen made it work. We began to eat as soon as Henry, Fred, and Wesley had returned from taking the cousins' bags up. Ralph had even graced the table with his presence, quiet as ever.

Halfway through dinner, however, we were interrupted with a loud knocking at the front door. Fred looked out and exclaimed, "Ralph! Look! It's the Royal Guard!"

I nearly screamed when he said this. I looked to Gwen immediately, seeking her guidance. She kept calm and said softly, "Penny, please take Sophie to the kitchen immediately."

"They're searching the barn, Mother," Bennett said in a low voice.

The cousins watched us with confusion. "Why on earth are members of the Royal Guard in your barn?" Helen asked.

Gwen didn't answer, only saying sharply, "Penny!"

Penny, who had seemed in a trance, snapped to attention. "Come, Sophie. Quickly."

Ralph grabbed my place setting at the table and followed us to the kitchen. "Hide her in the pantry," he advised as he dumped my plate and scraps into the wash basin.

As Penny shut the pantry door on me, I heard more pounding at the front of the house. I felt my heart beat similarly against my ribcage as I heard Gwen's small feet leave the dining room. I could hear nothing else but nervous chatter in the dining room. Soon the stomping feet of several Guardsmen were above me, in the younger boys' rooms.

"Please, good sirs, we're eating dinner. Surely you must understand. I assure you, I haven't seen my brother since he left to work for the princess ages ago," I heard Bennett say. "How long ago was that? It's been months. We haven't heard from him in weeks."

Paul's booming voice was next to be heard. "What has the lad done?"

A strange voice said, "He's been accused of murdering the princess."

"We heard the Queen ourselves, though. Her Majesty said he was in custody."

"And he's escaped. We suspect he had friends within the palace."

My first thought went to my maid, though I knew the guard's statement was probably a white lie along with everything else Cosette had said. Still I worried for her. Was she alright?

I heard Gwen sobbing. "Holmes? My Holmes? A murderer? I cannot believe this! He was always such a good boy… Never any trouble… How can he dishonor me like this?" Her act was perfect.

Bennett said, "Continue your search and leave us. You've put my mother in enough pain."

The Guards said nothing as the stomped into the kitchen. I tried my best to keep quiet as I began to cry, though I knew it would be a matter of seconds before I was found. I had put Holmes's family through so much danger, I couldn't stand how terrible I was to have done this to them.

Suddenly, to my surprise, the room was quiet. I sat in the pantry for a long while, shivering with fear and worry. When the door opened I had to blink against the light. Ralph stood there, his expression blank. He startled me by offering his hand.

"Come," he said, "we have to get moving."

He helped me up and I followed him to the barn, where Bennett had a horse waiting.

"What's going on?" I asked. "Where are we going?"

Ralph didn't answer, only assisted me in getting on the saddle. Ralph then got up behind me and took the reins. "Good luck," Bennett told us.

I shook from the chilly air as Ralph urged the horse forward. The sky was almost dark, I couldn't imagine where he was taking me. It wasn't safe to travel at night.

Ralph didn't speak as we rode through the forest on trails barely visible in the dim light. He kept the horse going at a fast pace as we rode on.

After I had thought he would kill the horse from overworking it, we came upon a main road. He pulled the horse to a stop and looked around curiously. He brought us out on the road, keeping an eye on everything around us. He kept the horse at a walk, slow and steady. We managed to reach another hidden forest trail and we were off the road once more. This time, he kept the horse going a slower pace than before, but faster now that we were out of eyesight. He seemed insistent on getting somewhere, and though my questions were persistent, he said nothing.

"Ralph, I just need to know where we're going," I pleaded. When he said nothing once again, I sighed. It was useless to keep asking, so I stopped.

We rode for another hour without stopping. Ralph slowed the horse's pace so that he wouldn't hurt it, but sped up after he was sure the horse would be fine.

We came upon a small stone cottage, its windows with pretty white shutters and flower boxes. I was startled to see this small house in the middle of the forest after seeing no humans for so long.

He dismounted the horse and helped me down as we approached the house. He knocked at the back door and stepped back. The door opened after a moment to a beautiful woman.

"May I help you?" she asked, her thick, dark eyelashes blinking. The woman's deep brown eyes flickered back and forth between us, expressing uncertainty.

Ralph stepped forward. "Do you not recognize me?"

Her eyes squinted at him, looking skeptical. "I suppose you look familiar." She didn't seem to want him to answer. Tapping her foot, she said, "I might say I knew you quite well." She then gasped, her foot no longer tapping and whispered, "You're supposed to be dead."

He shrugged, held his arms out, saying, "I feel pretty alive."

This exchange shocked me. Ralph never acted so… silly like this.

The woman ran into his arms, giving him a strong hug. "Peter, where have you been? What happened to you?"

Ralph hugged her tightly saying, "It's quite a long story, Dora. However, right now, Sophie and I need a place to rest. Could you help us out?"

She grinned and held him at arm's length. "Of course I'd be able to help you." She faced me as well, in an attempt to make me feel welcome. I held my arms tightly against my chest, smiling at her uncertainly. She let go of Ralph and extended a hand to me. "Come in, I'll make some tea for us all while Peter can put your horse away."

I nodded and followed her inside to her kitchen. It was small, with a fireplace and cabinets. A tiny wooden table with several chairs sat against a wall. "Your name is Sophie, yes?"

"Oh," I said, realizing she had spoken to me. "Yes, that's correct."

While she placed a tea kettle over the fire, she said kindly, "You may sit if you like." I did so and watched her pull some tea leaves from a cabinet. "So are you promised to Peter? Married?"

I coughed, startled the question. "Me? No, no, no. He's just helping me get somewhere."

She understood the vague response and asked nothing else. By the time she was pouring tea into three cups, Ralph came in.

"Thank you so much for taking such good care of us," he said. "I'm sorry to come in and take you by surprise like this."

"I'm not put out, you don't worry. It was a nice surprise." She sat down once he had seated himself next to me. "Now tell me what happened."

He launched early into the story of how Gwen took him in. He explained that he had been staying with her and her "family" until he could join the Royal Guard, which caught me off-guard. I hadn't known he had wanted to do such but explained why his cousins assumed he'd be so excited to see them.

"Some were in the village yesterday," Dora said. "They were looking for the princess's murderer. Can you imagine? That's frightening to know he's out there."

Ralph looked down at his hands. "They're looking for my brother."

This statement made me gape at him. I had never heard him refer to any of the boys as brothers before.

"Your brother's the murderer?" she asked, her voice filled with fear.

He shook his head. "I didn't say that," he corrected her. "No, he didn't kill her. Holmes saved her life and brought her to the farm where we live. The Royal Guardsmen came earlier today to search for Holmes, and the princess, too. I have no doubt they were looking for her as well. Holmes went to search for relatives of the Royal family while we took care of her, so they wouldn't have been able to find him, but we had to hide the princess."

"Did they find her?"

He looked at me, his face displaying an expression I wasn't sure how to interpret. "Dora, may I introduce you to Her Highness Marjolaine Sophia?"

Dora's eyes grew wide. "You brought the princess… here?"

He nodded, still looking at me. I felt uncomfortable and looked down at my hands, then up at Dora. She was wringing her hands together nervously, looking back and forth from Ralph to me.

When I looked over at Ralph again, I was startled to see him wringing his own hands. "I couldn't think of what else to do," he said quietly, looking at his hands.

She didn't say anything right away. "Do they know who you really are?"

Ralph laughed, breaking the tense atmosphere for a second. "No, my identity is well-kept. Everyone thinks I'm dead."

"As did I, until now. Why didn't you find me? Why couldn't you have let me know you were fine?"

"It's not been very long," he reminded her.

There was a silence and then, "Where are you going?"

He frowned. "I'm not sure. My brother went to find relatives of Sophie's, but I don't know where he'd be looking."

Suddenly, it dawned on me. The dream made sense.

"He's looking for you," I said softly.

Ralph's head turned sharply towards me. If it had been under any other circumstances, it'd be comical. "He's what?"

"Holmes told me the place where he's going, or the general area. I didn't think of it until now. He's looking for you, or for your family. Your family would have been the only ones to have been related to my own. He doesn't know your true identity, and he must have been looking in old record books."

His face paled. "That means he must be returning, and soon. He'll be caught."

I hadn't thought past where Holmes would have been going. Of course he would return as soon as he realized he was not in the right place.

"Dora, how long is it again? The ride from here to the grounds?"

She thought for a moment before she answered. "I don't know how long the ride is. A walk is a day's journey on the main roads."

"And the back roads?"

She hesitated. "It takes several days."

He nodded, biting his lip. I was startled to see him in such the state that he was in. "We will rest, but depart promptly in the morning. I cannot let anything happen to him."

Dora's eyes let on that she just as startled by this emotion in Ralph as I was. "Will you take the main roads?"

Ralph looked in pain. "I want to, but we simply can't take that risk, and Holmes would agree." He looked up at me, his eyes full of his own sorrow. Deep down, however, I saw that there was more amongst his sadness. I had yet to feel the need to cry over the thought of Holmes's life ending, but suddenly Ralph's sympathy made me choke up. Somehow, the It took every bit of willpower I had not to break down.

Somehow, Dora knew. She stood and said, "I think it's time you both rest. Come, Sophie. I'll get you settled in for the night."

Let me know if I did something dumb.

Really.

aka: REVIEW.