"I don't know, I think being Isabella would be a pretty nice deal.
She goes to school Monday through Friday. Monday afternoons she spends
lounging on the Inland Sea beach with Layton and Cobi fawning over her.
Tuesdays she spends riding that horse of hers around the surrounding hills.
Wednesdays are fencing lessons. Thursdays are Nathaniel's days, sometimes
spent in Challenger's lab but always all about Nathan. Fridays she heads
over to the Zanga village and spends the night, coming back Saturday nights
with Cobi for church on Sundays. Cobi stays for the Monday swim and the
cycle repeats. Very little deviation. And she's happy. And no one wants to
mess with that any more."
"Except us," John sighed, taking a seat on the couch next to his wife. He held a drink in his hand and was sipping it slowly as he considered her words carefully.
Lord and Lady Roxton had been discussing their daughter for the last few minutes. It was Wednesday night and Isabella was off at her fencing lesson. All day she had been hiding her anger and sadness about her upcoming displacement beneath smart quips and charming smiles. Worst of all, she paid little attention to any instructions they gave her. Misbehavior had only been a problem when she was younger, but she was regressing to her old ways quickly to mask her betrayal.
"You tried to bribe her, didn't you?" John smiled, laying his hand on top of Marguerite's.
Marguerite broke a small grin. "Old habits die hard. She only pretended to buy it."
"Part of her bought it, I'm sure. Traveling around the world is such an appealing offer, especially with you."
"Sorry, no boys allowed," Marguerite teased, brushing a light kiss across his lips. "Part of the bribe."
"Think she's overdosing on her suitors?" Roxton's grin matched that of Alice's Cheshire Cat.
The overprotective father of a sixteen year old girl had taken awhile to get used to the idea of Layton and Cobi's competition for his beloved daughter's favors. He still was uncomfortable with the idea, but Marguerite had assured him it was innocent.
"No such luck, John. No matter what she ever says, she loves the attention."
"She's her mother's daughter."
"I'm worried about her," Lady Roxton said softly after a few moments of comfortable silence. "What happens when we reach England? At least here we can keep a semblance of control over her. If she's still angry, she has so many opportunities to get into trouble she's not even ready for."
John nodded knowingly. Growing up on the Plateau, Isabella had been exposed to many dangers that most children would never encounter. But the real world was a different place, where things were not quite as innocent as the Lost World.
"Mum! Dads! I'm home!"
Henry greeted her at the door with a smile and a "Good evening, Lady Isabella" as he took her bag from her.
"What are you two up to?"
"Talking about you," her father smiled.
"Nothing too bad, I hope." Her smile matched her father's perfectly and her gray-blue eyes were alight with playfulness.
"No, no, not too bad," her mother assured her.
"I'm going to go see Nathan and then go to bed. Jean-Paul really worked me hard today."
"Why's that?" Roxton asked.
Isabella shrugged. "I guess he wants to cram as much as he can into me before I ship off to England."
"Isabella, about that." John tried.
"I don't want to talk about it right now, Dads. I'm not nearly as upset as, say, Aunt Vee."
"Whatever do you mean by that?"
"She doesn't want to go," Isabella said simply, disappearing from the room as quickly as she'd come.
"Isabella! Come back here right now and explain yourself!" Roxton roared.
~*~*~
It was Thursday, Nathan's day and his alone, and they were visiting Challenger in his lab before setting out to take a walk through the Summerlee Memorial Botanical Gardens to discuss Nathaniel's day.
"How were classes today, Isabella?"
"The same, Professor. You are sorely missed in the science department. Professor Morgan is so boring! More than you were!"
"I'll take that as a compliment," Challenger chuckled. "And your better subjects. History, Composition and Literature? How are they?"
"Literature is the same as usual; we're in the middle of Homer at the moment. Wonderfully written but erring on the side of overly verbose. Composition is easy enough; the rest of the students aren't on my level of writing but I enjoy it all the same. Writing is completely freeing and Malone gives me all the extra help I need. And History, well, history is as interesting as ever. I pity Layton, though. He's in the year when Professor Young loves to ramble for hours about the Greeks and Romans."
"Those ramblings, young lady, are more often called educational lectures." A gentle, affectionate smile crossed the old professor's face. This girl had always been as a granddaughter to him; in fact, he'd delivered her himself.
"Same thing," Isabella grinned, placing a hand on Nathaniel's shoulder. "Professor, I have a question."
Sensing the more serious tone of her voice, Challenger looked up from scribbling the data from experiments.
"Yes, Miss Roxton?"
She took a deep breath. "I was wondering if there might be some extra room for another passenger on the airship."
George grinned. "Indeed there is. In fact, a good amount of room cleared up while you and the others were in school today."
"How so?"
"We lost three passengers. Ned, Veronica, and Jane Malone are going to wait here for the return expedition."
"They're letting Layton go alone?" Nathan asked.
"Yes, they are. 'Entrusting his care to the Lord and Lady Roxton' was how I believe it was said. We now have three empty seats."
"Oh, Professor!" she cried in delight. "May I fill them?"
Challenger sighed. "Who do you have in mind?"
"Edythe, Henry, and Cobi."
Pausing to think for a moment, he replied. "Wise choices. With the proper consultation I believe they will be fine. Let me get back to you about that before you leave for the Zanga."
"Yes, of course, Professor!"
~*~*~
The slamming of her books upon the kitchen table echoed through the entire house. Every one present in the house quickly made his or her presence indistinguishable.
"Isabella," Layton Malone tried to sooth her, his voice as gentle and pacifying as possible.
"Don't 'Isabella' me, Layton! I am not in the mood at the moment."
"It was just a joke, Bella."
"Well, I didn't appreciate it," Isabella huffed.
"It was juvenile and stupid."
"You can say that again," she cut in hotly under her breath.
"But it was just the boys and I messin' around as we kicked the football around. Nobody meant anything by it."
"No matter what you, Cobi or any other boys on this Plateau think, I am not a prize to be won!"
"Bella," he sighed. "No one thinks that."
"Go home, Malone. I'll see you in church on Sunday," was her cold reply as she turned her back to him and stalked to her room to begin packing.
"Fine, Roxton! Maybe you will!" Layton called back to her before grumbling a few things under his breath and stalking in the other direction.
"Pressure's getting to her," Edythe commented to one of the kitchen maids as they all returned to their chores, hearing the young mistress of the house slam her door. "She hasn't yelled at the poor Malone boy like that for a very long time."
"Perhaps she's going to miss this place as much as it will miss her."
Author's Note: This one will be a lot longer than the previous two, so hold on for the ride! Don't forget to press that handy-dandy review button.
"Except us," John sighed, taking a seat on the couch next to his wife. He held a drink in his hand and was sipping it slowly as he considered her words carefully.
Lord and Lady Roxton had been discussing their daughter for the last few minutes. It was Wednesday night and Isabella was off at her fencing lesson. All day she had been hiding her anger and sadness about her upcoming displacement beneath smart quips and charming smiles. Worst of all, she paid little attention to any instructions they gave her. Misbehavior had only been a problem when she was younger, but she was regressing to her old ways quickly to mask her betrayal.
"You tried to bribe her, didn't you?" John smiled, laying his hand on top of Marguerite's.
Marguerite broke a small grin. "Old habits die hard. She only pretended to buy it."
"Part of her bought it, I'm sure. Traveling around the world is such an appealing offer, especially with you."
"Sorry, no boys allowed," Marguerite teased, brushing a light kiss across his lips. "Part of the bribe."
"Think she's overdosing on her suitors?" Roxton's grin matched that of Alice's Cheshire Cat.
The overprotective father of a sixteen year old girl had taken awhile to get used to the idea of Layton and Cobi's competition for his beloved daughter's favors. He still was uncomfortable with the idea, but Marguerite had assured him it was innocent.
"No such luck, John. No matter what she ever says, she loves the attention."
"She's her mother's daughter."
"I'm worried about her," Lady Roxton said softly after a few moments of comfortable silence. "What happens when we reach England? At least here we can keep a semblance of control over her. If she's still angry, she has so many opportunities to get into trouble she's not even ready for."
John nodded knowingly. Growing up on the Plateau, Isabella had been exposed to many dangers that most children would never encounter. But the real world was a different place, where things were not quite as innocent as the Lost World.
"Mum! Dads! I'm home!"
Henry greeted her at the door with a smile and a "Good evening, Lady Isabella" as he took her bag from her.
"What are you two up to?"
"Talking about you," her father smiled.
"Nothing too bad, I hope." Her smile matched her father's perfectly and her gray-blue eyes were alight with playfulness.
"No, no, not too bad," her mother assured her.
"I'm going to go see Nathan and then go to bed. Jean-Paul really worked me hard today."
"Why's that?" Roxton asked.
Isabella shrugged. "I guess he wants to cram as much as he can into me before I ship off to England."
"Isabella, about that." John tried.
"I don't want to talk about it right now, Dads. I'm not nearly as upset as, say, Aunt Vee."
"Whatever do you mean by that?"
"She doesn't want to go," Isabella said simply, disappearing from the room as quickly as she'd come.
"Isabella! Come back here right now and explain yourself!" Roxton roared.
~*~*~
It was Thursday, Nathan's day and his alone, and they were visiting Challenger in his lab before setting out to take a walk through the Summerlee Memorial Botanical Gardens to discuss Nathaniel's day.
"How were classes today, Isabella?"
"The same, Professor. You are sorely missed in the science department. Professor Morgan is so boring! More than you were!"
"I'll take that as a compliment," Challenger chuckled. "And your better subjects. History, Composition and Literature? How are they?"
"Literature is the same as usual; we're in the middle of Homer at the moment. Wonderfully written but erring on the side of overly verbose. Composition is easy enough; the rest of the students aren't on my level of writing but I enjoy it all the same. Writing is completely freeing and Malone gives me all the extra help I need. And History, well, history is as interesting as ever. I pity Layton, though. He's in the year when Professor Young loves to ramble for hours about the Greeks and Romans."
"Those ramblings, young lady, are more often called educational lectures." A gentle, affectionate smile crossed the old professor's face. This girl had always been as a granddaughter to him; in fact, he'd delivered her himself.
"Same thing," Isabella grinned, placing a hand on Nathaniel's shoulder. "Professor, I have a question."
Sensing the more serious tone of her voice, Challenger looked up from scribbling the data from experiments.
"Yes, Miss Roxton?"
She took a deep breath. "I was wondering if there might be some extra room for another passenger on the airship."
George grinned. "Indeed there is. In fact, a good amount of room cleared up while you and the others were in school today."
"How so?"
"We lost three passengers. Ned, Veronica, and Jane Malone are going to wait here for the return expedition."
"They're letting Layton go alone?" Nathan asked.
"Yes, they are. 'Entrusting his care to the Lord and Lady Roxton' was how I believe it was said. We now have three empty seats."
"Oh, Professor!" she cried in delight. "May I fill them?"
Challenger sighed. "Who do you have in mind?"
"Edythe, Henry, and Cobi."
Pausing to think for a moment, he replied. "Wise choices. With the proper consultation I believe they will be fine. Let me get back to you about that before you leave for the Zanga."
"Yes, of course, Professor!"
~*~*~
The slamming of her books upon the kitchen table echoed through the entire house. Every one present in the house quickly made his or her presence indistinguishable.
"Isabella," Layton Malone tried to sooth her, his voice as gentle and pacifying as possible.
"Don't 'Isabella' me, Layton! I am not in the mood at the moment."
"It was just a joke, Bella."
"Well, I didn't appreciate it," Isabella huffed.
"It was juvenile and stupid."
"You can say that again," she cut in hotly under her breath.
"But it was just the boys and I messin' around as we kicked the football around. Nobody meant anything by it."
"No matter what you, Cobi or any other boys on this Plateau think, I am not a prize to be won!"
"Bella," he sighed. "No one thinks that."
"Go home, Malone. I'll see you in church on Sunday," was her cold reply as she turned her back to him and stalked to her room to begin packing.
"Fine, Roxton! Maybe you will!" Layton called back to her before grumbling a few things under his breath and stalking in the other direction.
"Pressure's getting to her," Edythe commented to one of the kitchen maids as they all returned to their chores, hearing the young mistress of the house slam her door. "She hasn't yelled at the poor Malone boy like that for a very long time."
"Perhaps she's going to miss this place as much as it will miss her."
Author's Note: This one will be a lot longer than the previous two, so hold on for the ride! Don't forget to press that handy-dandy review button.