AN: I would be making up some things here. But there are things, which are
true.
Chapter 6: Meeting (who she thought was) the Right Person at the Wrong Time
"Catherine, wake up! Breakfast's ready," the singsong voice of Margaret woke her. "Yes Mother, I'm coming down," she replied. She immediately woke up, put on Catherine's robe (Margaret had brought out the real Catherine's dresses and made Tomoyo use them as well as made her stay in Catherine's room), brushed her hair, and went down to the kitchen. She found Albert dressed in working clothes (he works at one of the piers) and was eating his breakfast. "Good morning Catherine!" She smiled and greeted back. She had marmalade on toast and sheep's milk. After a while, Albert packed up, kissed his mother goodbye, waved to Tomoyo, and left. "He seems to be in a rush," Tomoyo commented. "Because he forgot his lunch." Margaret looked at the table and saw a package. "Oh dear. And to think I can't bring it to him at noon. I've got a lot of work at the Duke's Manor," she sighed. "I'll bring it," Tomoyo offered. Margaret looked at her, quite hesitant because Tomoyo was unfamiliar with the town. "Well, Albert would be waiting by noon. Maybe you could bring it to him by then. I'll write out the directions as soon as I finish these." "I'll sweep the floor," Tomoyo offered.
The sun was high up on the sky when Tomoyo set out to the pier. She was feeling quite nervous because of the completely different setting she was in. Luckily, she had her hood up and remained quite inconspicuous among the bustling crowd. She had reached the pier just in time to see Albert waving at her from one of the boats. Albert had received her quite warmly ("I'm sorry I forgot. I thought I was going to be late for work") and introduced her to some of his friends. "This is my seventeen-year old cousin Catherine," he said. "Catherine, these are some of my friends, William, James, Carter, and Andrew. James and William are also both seventeen, Carter is eighteen--he's the eldest, while Andrew is sixteen. I have other friends, actually. But they are working in other places. I can introduce them to you sometime." Albert's friends were looking at her, actually, more like staring at her beautiful face. "It's a pleasure to meet you Catherine." She smiled shyly and acknowledged their greetings. Then she bid them goodbye and went back home. "Wow, she's really a rose Albert," James commented admiringly as they watched Tomoyo disappear into the crowd. "How come you never mentioned a cousin with the same name as your sister's?" "I uh, only discovered it sometime ago," he said. "Why don't you invite her tomorrow? At the lake before noon? The others would really like to meet your cousin," William asked. He was really astounded of her exotic beauty and wished to see her again. "Yes, besides, we don't work tomorrow, it's a Sunday," Carter nodded at the idea. Albert remained silent, pondering on the idea. When another brilliant plan came to his mind. "I think we can give it a go. And let's make her meet, Edward!" A laugh erupted from the four. "Edward! That girl-hater? He'd avoid her like the plague!" Andrew guffawed. The group then talked about their friend but agreed to the idea. "I'd love to see the look on his face when he sees Catherine," James laughed as they went back to work.
That evening, Albert invited her to their picnic. Tomoyo was about to reply, When Margaret shook her head in negative. "It's not safe for Catherine to be with a group of only boys," said she. "But I'll look out for her, I promise," Albert pleaded. "Please?" "No. And that's the last time you'll ever ask." "Oh all right."
The next day, Tomoyo went down and saw Margaret all alone in the kitchen. "Where's Albert?" "He left early for the lake. He's still disappointed that I didn't allow you to go," Margaret chuckled. "Thank you for not allowing me. I was about to agree, because I didn't want to disappoint him. However, I wasn't exactly feeling at ease with the thought of being at the lake with them," Tomoyo replied. "Tell you what. As much as I want to keep you safe, I also don't want Albert to think that I'm in favor of you. So, I'd like you to deliver this basket of food. He forgot to bring it with him for he left in a huff when I told him that you will not go," Margaret said. "He asked you again?" Tomoyo grinned. "He did. He really didn't want to disappoint his friends. Partly because they were really looking forward to meeting you," the older lady said as she handed Tomoyo a huge picnic basket. "I see." "Well then, I'd like you to meet his friends but come back before lunch, understood?" Margaret sternly ordered and handed Tomoyo, Catherine's cloak. "Off you go dear."
Tomoyo easily found the arrow that directed to Garson Forest. She noticed that no one often passed that way because the path was more covered with grass than the road to Loreth. So, she followed the right arrow pointing to Garson Forest and into Rosewood Lake. Pretty soon, the sky was already up in the sky and noon was undoubtedly approaching. It took a while for her to get used to the rough road and the heavy weight she was carrying. Then she heard water splashing and realized that the lake was to her right. She followed the sound and came upon a brightly-lit clearing. The lake was very big and crystal-clear. There were a lot of green trees that surrounded the area and balanced the heat from the hot sun. "CATHERINE! OVER HERE!" Albert called. She turned and saw Albert with his group of friends. She walked around the lake in order to get to the other side where they were fishing and swimming. As she was halfway there, a strong gust of wind blew towards her and lifted off her hood, making her hair fly behind her. A bit of dust got into her eyes and she dropped the basket in pain. Tomoyo wiped the tears that immediately washed the dirt and bent down to pick up the basket when a hand covered hers. She looked up and was greeted by a pair of smiling green eyes. "Here, let me help," the boy said and lifted the basket by one hand. "Thank you," she said, smiling. They walked towards the others who were teasing the red-haired guy whose name was Douglas. "Woohoo! Douglas!" James teased. "Nice going there!" Tomoyo was smiling while Douglas was blushing brightly. Albert came towards her and introduced her to his other friends. Soon, Tomoyo knew Timothy and Sid. Timothy was seventeen; Douglas was sixteen, while Sid was fifteen years old. No wonder he and Albert were the closest and looked up at Catherine like an older sister. "Why don't you join us for lunch, Catherine?" William readily asked. Tomoyo was about to reply when, "Where's Edward?" Douglas had recovered from his blush and was looking around the lake. "Has he found it yet?" "I bet he did, he just doesn't want to see Catherine," Timothy replied. The guys laughed loudly as Tomoyo remained confused. "And why wouldn't he want to see me?" she asked. But the guys chortled again. "And what's he doing down in the lake?" James raised a hand. "Andrew threw a coin into the lake and dared Edward to get it. But when Sid here slipped and mentioned you were coming, we started to think he's trying to stay there as long as he could just as so he wouldn't see you." "Why?" "Because he doesn't like girls," James dropped down to a dramatic whisper. "And speaking of the devil, here's our woman-hater, Edward," William shouted to get their attention. All of them turned to see a head coming out of the water. The boys started clapping as his half-naked body emerged fully with something in his hand. "Welcome back Edward!" Tomoyo was still looking at Edward when he glanced at her. She gasped inwardly as their eyes met and she felt a flip in her stomach. Edward felt the same surge of feeling and quickly averted his gray eyes away from her. Carter moved towards Edward, put his arm around him, and spoke in a fatherly tone. "Edward, my boy, I'd like you to meet Albert's cousin Catherine." The other boys roared with laughter as the oldest boy pushed Edward towards a faintly blushing Tomoyo. She lowered her gaze while Edward looked sideways, running his hand over his short black locks. "Come on Edward, show Catherine the gentleman in you," James said and clapped his shoulder. "It was not my intention of meeting her," he replied stubbornly and crossed his arms. "And I thought it was just us guys. Why is there a girl in our midst?" Tomoyo was irked at the air of this boy. Sure, he had regal bearing, but his attitude was simply off-putting. "For your information Mister Edward, I was just sent here for an errand. And I'm very sorry William, I can't accept your invitation for I'm suddenly not in the mood anymore to enjoy lunch with you fellows," with that, she turned and walked away, her long hair flowing behind her. "Aww man, you just had to ruin everything huh?" Andrew groaned as he threw a stone far into the lake. "Why can't you just give her a chance? She was very nice," Carter said obviously irritated. "Hn." Edward went to sit down on a flat rock. Albert sighed and sat down on a tree root. "Let's just have lunch without her. Here Edward, your towel." They spent the afternoon with less cheerfulness.
Albert came back that evening and apologized to Tomoyo over dinner. But she waved it off. "You're not the one who should apologize. He did it and he's the one responsible for his actions," she said. "But you don't understand. Edward's not the type who'd apologize to anyone, even to a girl," Albert reasoned. Tomoyo was still cross. "And you think you're the one who's supposed to do that for him? What are you anyway? His servant?" Albert looked down at his hands. Tomoyo suddenly felt regret. She approached him. "Look Albert, I know he's your friend and you somehow feel responsible for some of his misgivings. I understand that. However, there are times wherein you shouldn't shoulder his faults. You told me he's been like that for so long. So, all you have to do is help him change instead of accepting his faults. That's what friends do, Albert. They help each other, not cover-up for the other." The boy smiled slightly and that made Tomoyo feel better. "Thanks Catherine, I feel a lot better than a while ago. I was really worried when I thought you'd be angry with me because of what Edward did. The rest of us were really mad at Edward for irritating you." Tomoyo smiled and decided that he should go to bed.
Chapter 6: Meeting (who she thought was) the Right Person at the Wrong Time
"Catherine, wake up! Breakfast's ready," the singsong voice of Margaret woke her. "Yes Mother, I'm coming down," she replied. She immediately woke up, put on Catherine's robe (Margaret had brought out the real Catherine's dresses and made Tomoyo use them as well as made her stay in Catherine's room), brushed her hair, and went down to the kitchen. She found Albert dressed in working clothes (he works at one of the piers) and was eating his breakfast. "Good morning Catherine!" She smiled and greeted back. She had marmalade on toast and sheep's milk. After a while, Albert packed up, kissed his mother goodbye, waved to Tomoyo, and left. "He seems to be in a rush," Tomoyo commented. "Because he forgot his lunch." Margaret looked at the table and saw a package. "Oh dear. And to think I can't bring it to him at noon. I've got a lot of work at the Duke's Manor," she sighed. "I'll bring it," Tomoyo offered. Margaret looked at her, quite hesitant because Tomoyo was unfamiliar with the town. "Well, Albert would be waiting by noon. Maybe you could bring it to him by then. I'll write out the directions as soon as I finish these." "I'll sweep the floor," Tomoyo offered.
The sun was high up on the sky when Tomoyo set out to the pier. She was feeling quite nervous because of the completely different setting she was in. Luckily, she had her hood up and remained quite inconspicuous among the bustling crowd. She had reached the pier just in time to see Albert waving at her from one of the boats. Albert had received her quite warmly ("I'm sorry I forgot. I thought I was going to be late for work") and introduced her to some of his friends. "This is my seventeen-year old cousin Catherine," he said. "Catherine, these are some of my friends, William, James, Carter, and Andrew. James and William are also both seventeen, Carter is eighteen--he's the eldest, while Andrew is sixteen. I have other friends, actually. But they are working in other places. I can introduce them to you sometime." Albert's friends were looking at her, actually, more like staring at her beautiful face. "It's a pleasure to meet you Catherine." She smiled shyly and acknowledged their greetings. Then she bid them goodbye and went back home. "Wow, she's really a rose Albert," James commented admiringly as they watched Tomoyo disappear into the crowd. "How come you never mentioned a cousin with the same name as your sister's?" "I uh, only discovered it sometime ago," he said. "Why don't you invite her tomorrow? At the lake before noon? The others would really like to meet your cousin," William asked. He was really astounded of her exotic beauty and wished to see her again. "Yes, besides, we don't work tomorrow, it's a Sunday," Carter nodded at the idea. Albert remained silent, pondering on the idea. When another brilliant plan came to his mind. "I think we can give it a go. And let's make her meet, Edward!" A laugh erupted from the four. "Edward! That girl-hater? He'd avoid her like the plague!" Andrew guffawed. The group then talked about their friend but agreed to the idea. "I'd love to see the look on his face when he sees Catherine," James laughed as they went back to work.
That evening, Albert invited her to their picnic. Tomoyo was about to reply, When Margaret shook her head in negative. "It's not safe for Catherine to be with a group of only boys," said she. "But I'll look out for her, I promise," Albert pleaded. "Please?" "No. And that's the last time you'll ever ask." "Oh all right."
The next day, Tomoyo went down and saw Margaret all alone in the kitchen. "Where's Albert?" "He left early for the lake. He's still disappointed that I didn't allow you to go," Margaret chuckled. "Thank you for not allowing me. I was about to agree, because I didn't want to disappoint him. However, I wasn't exactly feeling at ease with the thought of being at the lake with them," Tomoyo replied. "Tell you what. As much as I want to keep you safe, I also don't want Albert to think that I'm in favor of you. So, I'd like you to deliver this basket of food. He forgot to bring it with him for he left in a huff when I told him that you will not go," Margaret said. "He asked you again?" Tomoyo grinned. "He did. He really didn't want to disappoint his friends. Partly because they were really looking forward to meeting you," the older lady said as she handed Tomoyo a huge picnic basket. "I see." "Well then, I'd like you to meet his friends but come back before lunch, understood?" Margaret sternly ordered and handed Tomoyo, Catherine's cloak. "Off you go dear."
Tomoyo easily found the arrow that directed to Garson Forest. She noticed that no one often passed that way because the path was more covered with grass than the road to Loreth. So, she followed the right arrow pointing to Garson Forest and into Rosewood Lake. Pretty soon, the sky was already up in the sky and noon was undoubtedly approaching. It took a while for her to get used to the rough road and the heavy weight she was carrying. Then she heard water splashing and realized that the lake was to her right. She followed the sound and came upon a brightly-lit clearing. The lake was very big and crystal-clear. There were a lot of green trees that surrounded the area and balanced the heat from the hot sun. "CATHERINE! OVER HERE!" Albert called. She turned and saw Albert with his group of friends. She walked around the lake in order to get to the other side where they were fishing and swimming. As she was halfway there, a strong gust of wind blew towards her and lifted off her hood, making her hair fly behind her. A bit of dust got into her eyes and she dropped the basket in pain. Tomoyo wiped the tears that immediately washed the dirt and bent down to pick up the basket when a hand covered hers. She looked up and was greeted by a pair of smiling green eyes. "Here, let me help," the boy said and lifted the basket by one hand. "Thank you," she said, smiling. They walked towards the others who were teasing the red-haired guy whose name was Douglas. "Woohoo! Douglas!" James teased. "Nice going there!" Tomoyo was smiling while Douglas was blushing brightly. Albert came towards her and introduced her to his other friends. Soon, Tomoyo knew Timothy and Sid. Timothy was seventeen; Douglas was sixteen, while Sid was fifteen years old. No wonder he and Albert were the closest and looked up at Catherine like an older sister. "Why don't you join us for lunch, Catherine?" William readily asked. Tomoyo was about to reply when, "Where's Edward?" Douglas had recovered from his blush and was looking around the lake. "Has he found it yet?" "I bet he did, he just doesn't want to see Catherine," Timothy replied. The guys laughed loudly as Tomoyo remained confused. "And why wouldn't he want to see me?" she asked. But the guys chortled again. "And what's he doing down in the lake?" James raised a hand. "Andrew threw a coin into the lake and dared Edward to get it. But when Sid here slipped and mentioned you were coming, we started to think he's trying to stay there as long as he could just as so he wouldn't see you." "Why?" "Because he doesn't like girls," James dropped down to a dramatic whisper. "And speaking of the devil, here's our woman-hater, Edward," William shouted to get their attention. All of them turned to see a head coming out of the water. The boys started clapping as his half-naked body emerged fully with something in his hand. "Welcome back Edward!" Tomoyo was still looking at Edward when he glanced at her. She gasped inwardly as their eyes met and she felt a flip in her stomach. Edward felt the same surge of feeling and quickly averted his gray eyes away from her. Carter moved towards Edward, put his arm around him, and spoke in a fatherly tone. "Edward, my boy, I'd like you to meet Albert's cousin Catherine." The other boys roared with laughter as the oldest boy pushed Edward towards a faintly blushing Tomoyo. She lowered her gaze while Edward looked sideways, running his hand over his short black locks. "Come on Edward, show Catherine the gentleman in you," James said and clapped his shoulder. "It was not my intention of meeting her," he replied stubbornly and crossed his arms. "And I thought it was just us guys. Why is there a girl in our midst?" Tomoyo was irked at the air of this boy. Sure, he had regal bearing, but his attitude was simply off-putting. "For your information Mister Edward, I was just sent here for an errand. And I'm very sorry William, I can't accept your invitation for I'm suddenly not in the mood anymore to enjoy lunch with you fellows," with that, she turned and walked away, her long hair flowing behind her. "Aww man, you just had to ruin everything huh?" Andrew groaned as he threw a stone far into the lake. "Why can't you just give her a chance? She was very nice," Carter said obviously irritated. "Hn." Edward went to sit down on a flat rock. Albert sighed and sat down on a tree root. "Let's just have lunch without her. Here Edward, your towel." They spent the afternoon with less cheerfulness.
Albert came back that evening and apologized to Tomoyo over dinner. But she waved it off. "You're not the one who should apologize. He did it and he's the one responsible for his actions," she said. "But you don't understand. Edward's not the type who'd apologize to anyone, even to a girl," Albert reasoned. Tomoyo was still cross. "And you think you're the one who's supposed to do that for him? What are you anyway? His servant?" Albert looked down at his hands. Tomoyo suddenly felt regret. She approached him. "Look Albert, I know he's your friend and you somehow feel responsible for some of his misgivings. I understand that. However, there are times wherein you shouldn't shoulder his faults. You told me he's been like that for so long. So, all you have to do is help him change instead of accepting his faults. That's what friends do, Albert. They help each other, not cover-up for the other." The boy smiled slightly and that made Tomoyo feel better. "Thanks Catherine, I feel a lot better than a while ago. I was really worried when I thought you'd be angry with me because of what Edward did. The rest of us were really mad at Edward for irritating you." Tomoyo smiled and decided that he should go to bed.