(A/N: Leader of the George Cult (a.k.a.- Dana) i went over this one a bunch so there shouldn't be so many ooppsies this time ok.)

Chapter Five: Festivities

Oh, I get to start next Monday, and I got to dance, and everyone is so nice, especially- Listen to me going on when you don't even know what I'm talking about. Let me tell you what happened last night.
Well, it wasn't George at the door. I stood at the end of the hallway, just peaking my head out from the wall so I didn't get a look at the man who spoke to Mistress Cooper (didn't want to be rude by standing right next to her while she was in a conversation). The person who spoke sounded like a young man, but older then I am. He spoke so smoothly, though, that I can't quite be sure of his age. What I did hear was something about wanting to know where George was. But because Elenni has such a soft, musical voice, I couldn't make out anything she said. Then, quite clearly, the man said, "Thank you, Mother Cooper," and was gone. I pondered as to why he had called Elenni that, but kept it to myself.
Obviously, I had pondered for to long, because Elenni saw me. Fortunately for me, the conversation hadn't been that secret, because she didn't look angry with me. But she did frown, in a thoughtful way. Then she said, "Well, George should be here soon." She paused for a moment, than it almost looked like she jumped because she had finally figured out what she was so thoughtfully thinking of about me.
"That's what I need to do! Now that you've been properly dressed, I need to do your hair. You can't go anywhere without your hair done right, now can you? Follow me."
She walked through the living room and to the hall. She turned into her room, and I followed. When I entered, she motioned for me to sit down at her vanity mirror. She immediately started to drag a brush through my hair.

When she was finished, my hair was braided to look like the moon in its crescent form on its back almost touching at my part on the top of my head. (I hope she can teach me how to do that.)
However, she hadn't released me yet. She told me to stay put, and walked out of the room into her bathroom. ( It's not really a bathroom. It's a place where she has a large tub and cleaning things. To do our business, we use a chamber pot. Ewww.) When she came back, she had cosmetics in her hand. She had foundation, blush, a thick black paint that was actually eye liner (!), lip rouge that was a brownish-red color. (I'm so happy for that, I don't look good in red lipstick.) All of this she used on my face. When she was done, I looked so beautiful.(!) I felt like a beautiful porcelain doll, minus the really white face.

When George knocked, we were sitting on the chairs in the living room drinking tea and talking about her old dog, Rocky, a sheep dog, and how George would always chase him through the house when he was a small child trying to put a blanket on his back so he could ride him like a horse.
George looked overjoyed to hear the story again, but somewhat embarrassed, too. When we all recovered from laughing, George said, "Sorry I'm late, but some people just don't understand the meaning of the word "no"." He kissed his mother on the cheek and sat down to poured himself a small glass of tea.
"It's quite alright with me." Elenni said. "I was able to clean up our young mistress Gweniver, here. But I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

He looked up at me when she said this, I think to apologize, but instead said, "Wow, she really does look better when she's cleaned up. Where did she get her cloths?" I guess he hadn't looked at me closely or even at all when he came in. (I'm not sure if I should have taken offence to his statement or not.)
"From me. They were mine when I was younger." Elenni stated.
"I see." He drained his cup of tea then stood up and walked over to me. He offered his arm to me and said, "It's getting late, and everyone will need to sleep eventually. Shall we go?"
I set my cup down and put my arm through his. I guess I didn't need to say anything because he started to walk away with me in his arm.
Elenni walked us out, and we said our faire-well.
"So where are we going?" I asked.
"Well, originally, I was going to walk you through a part of the town, but since it's to late for you, we are going to go to a little pub I like to visit"
"The Dancing Dove?" I asked, almost sure that was where we where going.
"Yea, that's where were going. How did you—never mind, I remember. You know everything."
"Well, not everything, but a lot." I was smiling now. I had to look at him to see if he was smiling to. He was, slightly.
When we reached the DD, (it was kinda far away. A mile or two maybe.) It was dark. It was lit up inside, and I could see shadows of people walking around inside.
Inside, it was quite loud. I guess, for a Saturday night, it should have been. There was even people with instruments getting ready to play. (Yes, Elenni told me it was Saturday.)
When we walked in, everyone, including the bar tender, gave George a warm welcome. Some of them stared at me, but most went back to what they were doing. I guess they were used to George bringing strange people in. We walked all the way to the back of the DD where there was an unlit hearth. George sat in a very large chair, and a woman brought me another chair to sit in.
He asked me if I wanted some lemonade. When I said yes, he gave the woman who had brought my chair the order, and she brought back a mug of ale for him, and a cup of lemonade for me.
After he had taken a few sips, he introduced me to the woman. She was Rispha. (Go figure. She's so pretty.) Then, the band that was in the corner began to play.
It was a fast song, and many of the men got up with women and started to dance. I sat there, soaking up the scene, and before I knew it, three songs had passed and my lemonade was gone. It was then that George stood up and called everyone's attention.
They got very quiet, very quick. They must have all known he had a very high reputation in the bar (or should I call it a pub?). Then he spoke.
"Good people in the Dancing Dove. There is a guest among us, and yet not one of you has the decency to welcome her." I had to smile. He seemed so serious, but I knew he must have been joking with them. He continued, "While all you dance, she sits here alone watching the rest of you have fun. I will not stand for this." (Maybe he was serious. )" Master Musician, play "Maddens Kiss". Then to me he said, "This is a changing partners dance."
HE WANTED ME TO DANCE! I looked at him in surprise and said, "I don't know how to dance to this song. It's okay, really, I'll sit the dances out."
"You're not getting out of this. You're the guest of honor. You can't just 'sit it out'. Besides, it's easy. Here, I'll start you out. All you have to do is link arms and turn. When the music gets soft, who ever you are with, curtsy, and then the music will get fast again. That's when you link arms with the man and spin in circles. When the music slows down again, he'll pick you up your waist and twirl you around. When he puts you down, Curtsy again. The music will get faster and you'll start all over again." As he told me that, we were walking down to the start of the line. When he finished we had reached the beginning.
"It'll start at the part where we dance together. Just follow along. You can't mess this song up. Trust me." What could I do, I was already in the line and I couldn't walk out now. The music started and I was in the care of George now.
The song went on and on and I had so much fun! I met so many people after the dance. One man was an old man; maybe about sixty years old. He was so sweet. His name was Jeffery. He has been married for thirty-eight years to a woman named Patricia and he has two boys and a girl, all of who are happily married and plenty of grandchildren. He comes here often to play chess. I promised him I would play with him some time, but that he had to teach me the game better. He said he would.
I also met a boy. He was about twelve, I think. I think he said his name was Michael. He came here with his grandfather, who is one of the men who plays chess with Jeffery.
After I had talked to some of the men there and most of the women, George, whom I think had been caught up with the festivities, announced, " Now that we have danced to this girl, who can offer her a job." Before the men had a chance to speak out he added, "And it can't be a job that she doesn't deserve. I won't settle for her working with the smithy or in the horse stables."
One voice stood out above the others. It was the owner of the DD, Solom, who said, "George, she's such a nice girl (did I mention that I talked to him for a while getting a lot of the background information and everyone?) and I'm always in need of help with my girls."
George didn't need to think about this long because, without asking me, he agreed. I didn't argue though. I shouldn't complain because I haven't been here a day and I already have a JOB.
George came over to me, (he must have notice I was getting tired) and said, "Come with me lass."
I followed him through a doorway and up a flight of stairs. He opened a door, to revile a room. It was his room. He said to me, "You can sleep in my room tonight. You don't have enough energy to get back home." (More like he didn't, or he just wanted to stay and party.) He went to a dresser and pulled out a large white cotton t-shirt. I put it on and hoped into the bed. I was instantly asleep.

When I woke this morning, my dress was hanging by the open window, and George was sleeping in a rocking chair with his feet propped up on a table. I got up ever so quietly and lightly on my feet. I didn't want to wake him. (He's a very light sleeper, being the rouge and all...)
The room was fairly big and I thought I might as well get my dress on. I was halfway there and had just passed George, when someone grabbed me from behind and held a knife to my throat.
"Who are you, and speak fast or I'll cut you so your smillin' for the rest of eternity." It was George.
I didn't panic. That would only lead me to my own death, by my own stupidity. I held still in his grasp while I spoke, "George, don't. It's me, Gwen, Gweniver Collins. Remember, you met me yesterday at your mothers' house. I was the one who-"
He turned me around fast, but rather clumsily. He looked at my face, but he kept blinking. I suspected that he drank so much last night that now he has a hang over and can't see very well. He probably didn't get much sleep either and probably had a headache.
Thank God an old maid woman came in with a bowl and some water in a pitcher. When she saw that George was having a hard time figuring out if I was friend or foe, she scolded George like a child saying things like, " George stop that now. Can't you treat your guest and my future girl a little bit better then that?" And another thing I thought was funny was she said, "And look at you! She is wearing your shammy to sleep in (so that's what it's called—a shammy). There are two things wrong with this:" Before she started what the two things were, she started to shoo him out of the room. She continued, (George looking a little confused, rubbing his eyes trying to see, no doubt) "First thing is that it's your shammy. If you can't see that it's your own, we wont be givin' you that much ail anymore. And the other thing is... What do you think your doin' looking at a girl when she's not even properly dressed!" She slammed the door in his face. (Never thought anyone would do that, especially in here (!) )
"That boy 'as a lot guts to do that to ya derrie." She went over to the bowl and poured a pitcher of water in it. When she finished, she put a washcloth in it and came to me. She asked me to give her my legs. I did.
She spoke to me as she washed me, "So, your what all the hub bub was about last night. Your name is Gweniver then, am I correct?" I nodded and she continued to wash me.
"Well, I'm Eleanor Tyler. You may call me Mistress Tyler. In fact, I'd prefer if you did. When you come to work, I'll be the one you look to when something goes wrong, got it?" She spoke to me with so much authority. It was almost overpowering. I, too, had just woken up and was trying to gather everything that happened in this strange world that I have (literally) fallen in to.
She finished washing me and started to put my dress on me. It was still damp but it felt good because the day was already warm.

" What time is it?" I asked. She said it was already six hours past dawn. That meant that it was almost noon or past it! I have never slept past noon.
When I was dressed, we walked down stairs. There wasn't much commotion in the pub, just a few people eating. George was one of those people. I walked to him slowly. I asked, "So, do you remember who I am now?"
He answered, "Yes. I'm sorry for givin' you a scare like that. I didn't realize it was you. I have quite the headache from last night." He rubbed his head. I went over to him and rubbed his temples and neck. It seemed to help because he got up and said, "I know what will help. My mother has a tea that will help me. Shall we ride there?"
"I've never ridden anything. No pun intended." I said. He looked at me like I was crazy. Maybe I am. I mean...cooooome ooonn.
He said to me, "That's fine, you'll just ride side-saddle in front of me. You don't mind do you?"
I shook my head but wondered if it would make his headache worse. But then we would get there much quicker on horseback.
He gave me the rest of what was on his plate, claiming he wasn't hungry. When I finished, we went outside and mounted his horse that was waiting for him. It wasn't a very difficult ride there, because George held on to me tight. Or was it the other way around?
When we got there his mother made him his tea and he went off saying he had "business" to attend to. And that leaves me to where I am now. Writing to you. Well that's my update so until next time something happens. Maybe tomorrow I'll tell you how work went.

(A/N: Yes, I know that that one was loong, sorry. There was no real way to break it into two chapters ya know. )