He stood up, warily looking around. As he stared at her in disbelief, she
led the horse in a slow circle through the clearing. "So, do you need a
ride?" she asked again. He was torn. He didn't want to be on the same horse
as this woman, but then again, he had no other way of getting back. And he
most certainly did not trust her at his home without him there.
He nodded after a moment, and she gestured to the space behind her on the horse. He grimaced. "Take it or leave it. Last chance" she said, prepared to spur the horse away. He looked around, as if he could be any more humiliated at the hands of this girl, and finally hopped on behind her. She grinned, and spurred the horse away at a breakneck speed.
She could feel him tensing up behind her, and she quickly directed the horse towards a stone wall, and she could hear him gasp. The horse easily cleared the wall, and he let out a sigh of relief. She laughed, as he realized that he had involuntarily wrapped his arms around her waist for support.
As he quickly removed his arms, she gently slowed down the horse as he realized that they were approaching his estate. He hopped off the first chance he got, and walked up to the large oaken doors. She made short work of tethering up the horse, and followed him inside.
"Now, I suppose the Estate Du Ghent can use some redecorating." She said, wandering around, checking out all the various things that he had. "My my, this place is rather empty, isn't it?" He could feel his blood beginning to boil.
"I don't need fancy decorations."
"Don't entertain much, eh? Well then.." She let her sentence trail off as she looked a few paintings that hung on a wall. There were a few that interested her, and she examined them with a skilled eye. He recognized the glint in her eye as one that he had gotten before, the look of someone who saw something that they coveted.
"I'll take that one." She said, pointing to the one in the middle. Of all the ones that she had to chose from, she picked that one.
"That one," he all but snarled, "Is not available for your taking." It was the only one that he had inherited from his parents, and he'd be damned before he gave it up. She turned and glared at him.
"Fine then." She said, stalking away from the area. She quickly picked out a few more things as she made her way through the dining room, him close in tow, making sure that she didn't wreck his house. It didn't take long for her to find his quarters.
He made a vain attempt to stop her from going inside, but she did anyway, brandishing his sword when he made to stop her using brute force. There wasn't much inside, but what she saw, she liked. The one thing that caught her eye was a large wooden chest in a back corner of the room. She looked at him before she opened it, and found a look of slight apprehension on his face.
She flung open the trunk anyway, and found an assortment of various odds and ends inside. Some jewelry, a few candlesticks, and what appeared to be very fine silver. She smiled broadly. She inspected the jewelry very carefully, scrutinizing every bit of it. The one that she looked at the longest was a beautiful broach.
It was a sapphire, with an intricate golden design around it. She looked at him, and watched as a pained expression flickered across his face briefly. She couldn't help but pity him. He needed someone to feel sorry for him, the cold, heartless bastard he was.
"I'll take this as well." He opened his mouth as if to say something, but as her hand drifted to the scabbard, he closed it promptly. But as she traipsed back through the hallways like she owned the place, he quickly felt his temper rising, and finally wheeled around on her, blocking her from entering back into the dining room.
"Might I ask as to what you're doing?"
"I'm telling you to get out of my house. I never said you could take my horse, I never said you could take half of my possessions, and I certainly did NOT give you permission to go rifling through my personal bedchamber and certainly not to take that!" her eyebrows raised up quickly, then fell back down.
She gently drew the sword from the scabbard and ran the flat of the blade across his bald head. "Yes, but you're not the one who won that sword fight, now are you?" he twitched slightly, but other than that, did not move.
"No, but you are not the one who is the owner of this house. You cannot just barge in here. I could call one of my servants over and have you shipped off to the Americas in an instant." She laughed at this.
"Do you really think that that would be a punishment for me?" She laughed again.
"It's a punishment to most everyone else."
"Ah, but my fair sire, you're forgetting to whom you're talking to. Marie Suzan de Champagne."
"Yes, what about you?"
"I'm not exactly French nobility, au contraire."
"So what are you?"
"A woman of many talents sir."
"And what else"
"A woman with a long history.
"Would you care to tell that history?" he asked trying to get more time, and to stop her from taking half of his possessions.
"If you tell me why this brooch means so much to you." He thought for a moment, contemplating it. If he told her the story behind the brooch, he'd be giving up a large portion of the past he'd tried to keep hidden. But yet, he wanted to know even more about this raucous girl.
"Fine." He finally said, and she launched into her tale.
He nodded after a moment, and she gestured to the space behind her on the horse. He grimaced. "Take it or leave it. Last chance" she said, prepared to spur the horse away. He looked around, as if he could be any more humiliated at the hands of this girl, and finally hopped on behind her. She grinned, and spurred the horse away at a breakneck speed.
She could feel him tensing up behind her, and she quickly directed the horse towards a stone wall, and she could hear him gasp. The horse easily cleared the wall, and he let out a sigh of relief. She laughed, as he realized that he had involuntarily wrapped his arms around her waist for support.
As he quickly removed his arms, she gently slowed down the horse as he realized that they were approaching his estate. He hopped off the first chance he got, and walked up to the large oaken doors. She made short work of tethering up the horse, and followed him inside.
"Now, I suppose the Estate Du Ghent can use some redecorating." She said, wandering around, checking out all the various things that he had. "My my, this place is rather empty, isn't it?" He could feel his blood beginning to boil.
"I don't need fancy decorations."
"Don't entertain much, eh? Well then.." She let her sentence trail off as she looked a few paintings that hung on a wall. There were a few that interested her, and she examined them with a skilled eye. He recognized the glint in her eye as one that he had gotten before, the look of someone who saw something that they coveted.
"I'll take that one." She said, pointing to the one in the middle. Of all the ones that she had to chose from, she picked that one.
"That one," he all but snarled, "Is not available for your taking." It was the only one that he had inherited from his parents, and he'd be damned before he gave it up. She turned and glared at him.
"Fine then." She said, stalking away from the area. She quickly picked out a few more things as she made her way through the dining room, him close in tow, making sure that she didn't wreck his house. It didn't take long for her to find his quarters.
He made a vain attempt to stop her from going inside, but she did anyway, brandishing his sword when he made to stop her using brute force. There wasn't much inside, but what she saw, she liked. The one thing that caught her eye was a large wooden chest in a back corner of the room. She looked at him before she opened it, and found a look of slight apprehension on his face.
She flung open the trunk anyway, and found an assortment of various odds and ends inside. Some jewelry, a few candlesticks, and what appeared to be very fine silver. She smiled broadly. She inspected the jewelry very carefully, scrutinizing every bit of it. The one that she looked at the longest was a beautiful broach.
It was a sapphire, with an intricate golden design around it. She looked at him, and watched as a pained expression flickered across his face briefly. She couldn't help but pity him. He needed someone to feel sorry for him, the cold, heartless bastard he was.
"I'll take this as well." He opened his mouth as if to say something, but as her hand drifted to the scabbard, he closed it promptly. But as she traipsed back through the hallways like she owned the place, he quickly felt his temper rising, and finally wheeled around on her, blocking her from entering back into the dining room.
"Might I ask as to what you're doing?"
"I'm telling you to get out of my house. I never said you could take my horse, I never said you could take half of my possessions, and I certainly did NOT give you permission to go rifling through my personal bedchamber and certainly not to take that!" her eyebrows raised up quickly, then fell back down.
She gently drew the sword from the scabbard and ran the flat of the blade across his bald head. "Yes, but you're not the one who won that sword fight, now are you?" he twitched slightly, but other than that, did not move.
"No, but you are not the one who is the owner of this house. You cannot just barge in here. I could call one of my servants over and have you shipped off to the Americas in an instant." She laughed at this.
"Do you really think that that would be a punishment for me?" She laughed again.
"It's a punishment to most everyone else."
"Ah, but my fair sire, you're forgetting to whom you're talking to. Marie Suzan de Champagne."
"Yes, what about you?"
"I'm not exactly French nobility, au contraire."
"So what are you?"
"A woman of many talents sir."
"And what else"
"A woman with a long history.
"Would you care to tell that history?" he asked trying to get more time, and to stop her from taking half of his possessions.
"If you tell me why this brooch means so much to you." He thought for a moment, contemplating it. If he told her the story behind the brooch, he'd be giving up a large portion of the past he'd tried to keep hidden. But yet, he wanted to know even more about this raucous girl.
"Fine." He finally said, and she launched into her tale.