A bit of a cliff-hanger, oh, and congrats to Erin on her new story! Very good! VEEEEEEERRRRRRRYYYYYY GOOOOOOOOODDDDD! Gawd, well, it's not midnight! Here we go, new chapter…

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Aletté and Will gazed at the stately ceiling of the vast entrance hall to the Countyhouse. It's rafters were high, puissant, and lofty, draped in banners of white and green, fluttering slightly with the draft that slipped past the cracks in the stained glass windows. The walls were set with brackets holding brass oil lamps that burned brightly, even thought it was daytime and the windows let in more than enough light. Will whistled, dazed by the baroque styling of the metalwork.

"Something, isn't it?" He murmured to Aletté.

She smiled. "The ballroom should be even nicer- my mother used to tell me that it was her favourite room."

Will glanced at her curiously. "I don't think we have much time to slink around. Where would they be keeping their prisoners in a Countyhouse?"

"The white tower." Aletté replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Mama was kept there by my grandfather when he was trying to force her into marrying a count from another province- he thought that would save face. There's a passageway in through one of the carvings on the wall- mother used that passage to escape with… my father." She spoke these last words with slow, dignified resolve. He was her father. In blood. That was all.

"You know a lot of useful information." Will remarked as he followed her beautiful, blue-clad figure through a gilded hallway.

"Bedtime stories." She mumbled, her fingers tracing the carvings on the walls with great concentration. "I needed something to lull me asleep when drunken men were breaking bottles on our door and catcalling mama."

Will felt a surge of pity and compassion. He felt almost guilty when Aletté would tell him about her past- like he should have been there to protect her or something. He felt so guilty, that a change in subject became necessary. "Why are there passageways in the walls?"

"Servants." She remarked, studying a floral carving scrutinizingly. "They are to be out of sight as much as possible. They don't even walk the same hallways as their masters." Her nails dug there way into the centre of a daisy and turned it clockwise slowly. The wooden panel popped open to reveal a dank, narrow passage that looked as if it could barely fit one person abreast. Aletté turned to Will and smiled. "After you."

He peered into the dark hallway tentatively. "Ladies first."

Aletté rolled her eyes and started down the hallway. "Men are such babies." She muttered to herself, then turned around with some difficulty to be sure Will closed over the entranceway. This achieved, they began a tedious, tricky journey of navigating the wood-panelled halls. As both had already deciphered, the route they should take to get to the white tower was painfully obvious- up. Aletté, whose outdated skirts were underlain with two moderately sized panniers, scratched irritatingly against the walls. By the time they reached the end of the passage, the panniers were more squared off by the walls than rounded upturned basket shape they should have been. They stumbled into the tower clumsily and glanced around.

It wasn't much better than the prison. Besides the floor being without the crust of vomit, blood and god-only-knows-what-else, the stone buildings were identical. The round room housed about fifteen people, most of whom were sleeping. Those who had been awake stared in total disbelief at the wall that had just slid open in front of them.

Aletté looked around. "Um, hello…" This was beyond awkward. "I'm looking for Lady Morgan Land- has anyone seen her?" A few people nodded towards the far end of the room, where Aletté spotted a curly, black-haired head lying restfully on an old straw mattress. She made her way over to Morgan's sleeping form, not wanting to wake the resting woman, Will following like a dog at her heels until a little year-old boy toddled over to him cooing "Da da da da da."

Will's face lit up like Aletté had never seen as he scooped his son up in his arms lovingly. "Jacky!" He kissed the boy's forehead lovingly. Aletté sighed, knowing that this loving father would never allow her to bear his children. She puzzled at her thoughts suddenly- since when did Aletté Malycho want children? Since when did she even like children?

I want to carry his children.

She shook off her puzzlement and turned to Morgan, shaking her gently by the shoulder. "Morgan? Morgan?" She stirred a little and opened her eyes.

"Aletté?" She yawned through confusion. "Aletté- how? What?" Her eyes strayed to Will who was cradling his son in his arms. "Will? Is Jack here?"

Aletté smiled. "He's back at the Inn. We're going to get you back home. Who else is here?"

"Amber, Baby Jack." Morgan glanced at Will. "Elizabeth."

At the mention of her name, Will winced slightly and let his eyes travel back to where they had previously rested. The mother of his child- Aletté winced at the thought -was standing in the shadows, watching Will with a cat-like stare. She took a few strides forward and said in a very cold, ceremonial voice, "Good day, Mr. Turner."

Will nodded politely. "Good day, Miss Swann." Baby Jack scampered out of his arms and toddled over to his mother.

Elizabeth scooped him up, her gaze never leaving Will's tawny face. "He missed his daddy." She paused for a moment. "He likes the sea- he always asks to go skiffing with the fishermen. I let him go sometimes." The young boy pawed at his mother's dirty blonde hair. "He has your eyes."

Aletté watched this exchange, more than bewildered. To see Will so distant around Elizabeth was like seeing a scorpion sting itself to death or Jack passing by the whores on the street- it just wasn't natural. Suddenly Elizabeth's enquiring eyes shifted to Aletté, and the latter realized she'd been staring. She dropped her gaze to the floor.

Will quickly took charge. He rounded up all they had come to free- Morgan, Amber, Elizabeth, and Jack, and in a few moments they were all trouping wordlessly through the passageway, Will leading and Aletté bringing up the rear. Very soon the procession reached their destination, and Will suddenly realised that leading a group of scrubby-looking prisoners through an ornate entrance hall would hardly go unnoticed.

Aletté had already been mulling this over. She slipped out of her dress, leaving herself clad in nothing but a sleeveless under dress, then separated the over-bodice from the petticoats, giving one to Morgan, the other to Elizabeth. Amber's dress, though rumpled, was still clean, so Aletté deduced that, if flanked by the latter two recipients of her butchered gown, would go unnoticed with any luck. Baby Jack was to hide himself in one of the panniers of Elizabeth's skirts.

Once everyone was suitably dressed, Will pried open the wooden panel and watched as Morgan, Elizabeth, Baby Jack, and Amber scuttled out. Then it dawned on him.

"Aletté- how are we getting you out?"

She smiled weakly. "I'll manage by my lonesome, don't worry." Will didn't look convinced. Aletté noticed the worry in his eyes, and almost felt elated for it. I've got him worried now. That shows he likes me quite a lot. "I know more about this Countyhouse than King Rico himself, I'll wager. I'll be back before suppertime." And with that, she swung the wooden panel shut and proceeded to thump her head against it in frustration.

Oh, smart move there Aletté. Make a martyr of yourself. And for what? The wife of the man you love? Hah! Yeah, smart. Now he gets to spend a night with Elizabeth and you get to… sit in a stinky passageway until the random impulse comes to run.

She didn't know much about the Countyhouse at all- how much can one really know of a building they've only been told of? Mother's stories could scarcely help her now- she would just have to run.

How do the serving maids get out?

Through the front door.

They're not allowed, though.

They wait until late.

Late is for parties. They don't use the front door. They must have a…

…servant's exit!

She leapt to her feet, new motivation filling her heart. She would be back near Will soon. And then she would ask him just what it was he had been meaning to tell her. She would tell him flat out that she loved him. She would tell him in front of Elizabeth if she had to. The denial was gone.

I'm in love.

And with this in her mind, she started her search for the servants exit. It seemed nothing could dampen her mood. She had figured out a way to escape the Countyhouse. Oh I am clever. She felt as though nothing could stand in her way. Nothing at all…

Except perhaps hand that was now gripping tightly her slender wrist.

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Review Replies:

Erin Richards-

He hasn't told her yet… more suspense, a bit of a cliff hanger too. Oh well, what will be will be. "What's done is done." (Macbeth- no, I don't own Shakespeare either… lousy disclaimers!) Well, yeah. I loved your story, but I wrote you a really long review, so I wont go into all the details here. But I loved the breasts thingy… Oh Jack, he comes in at the best times. *giggles*

blueglass25(who just really dislikes logging in, doesn't she?)-

Hehe, Marius is mine! My love… I want Eponine's part. Yeah, Will saving anyone is particularly sweet. *giggles* Oooooooh boy!

Lizard-

I bet Pineapple will like this. Hmmm… well, cant wait to go to the Mandarin on Tuesday! Dreading vocal exam, though… oh well.