--

"There is nothing like employment, active indispensable employment, for relieving sorrow."

Mansfield Park

--

Because Samantha could not abide the idea of misleading her friends, both Daniel and Janet were fully informed of the plan Cameron had concocted. Janet seemed a bit skeptical, but her concern seemed to stem more from her general concern over Samantha's state of mind than the actual design of the plan itself, which she seemed to have no real feelings about other than to admit that if Vala settled in Gateshire even only part-time, it would certainly increase the entertainment the small town had to offer. For his part, Daniel whole-heartedly approved of their machinations, but Samantha suspected that his approval had little to do with the validity of the plan itself and more to do with the fact that if Cameron succeeded in marrying Vala, she would once and for all be out of his hair.

Having Daniel as an ally was helpful because he was one of the few people who had a way to contact their traveling mark, being in possession of a rough sort of map of her typical route around the country and the addresses of several post office boxes she checked semi-regularly. As his part of the deception, he agreed to send her news of their impending engagement.

All of this left only the task of convincing the public at large of their increasing fondness for one another. With gossip as rampant as it was in Gateshire, this was a laughably simple component of the plan to achieve. Being seen together in town and at a few precisely chosen local affairs soon had the gossips in quite the tizzy, convinced that their engagement was on the verge of being announced at any moment. After all, he was a fine choice for someone with such a checkered past, and certainly Jacob was likely to approve of the match. General consensus even agreed that they made a rather handsome pair, a compliment that both found particularly entertaining.

She had even gotten used to catching the snippets of conversations whispered about them as they made their way about town. While people in Gateshire were avid gossips, they were blessedly unsubtle about it.

"I hear that they'll be married shortly, as Mitchell is being transferred to Acapulco."

"…Where's Acapulco?"

"India somewhere, I think. Anyway, she's to have three bridesmaids—all distant cousins, of course, because who else would do it?"

"Not the midwife? I thought they were close."

"Don't be ridiculous. If Janet Fraiser entered a church, God would strike her down. Don't you know that there's a law that midwives can't go to church?"

"…There is?"

"Of course. Everyone knows that. Too much direct contact with…well, it just wouldn't be appropriate."

Glancing at Cameron and trying desperately not to laugh, Samantha continued walking down the street away from Mr. Felger and his wife, Chloe. If nothing else, you had to admire his complete lack of information—part of Samantha uncharitably wondered if it took effort to be that dim-witted. To be fair, though, Chloe was really quite sweet—she just made the mistake of following her husband's lead.

"Do you think they realize that everyone in the vicinity could make out their conversation?" Cameron asked once they were in the clear.

"The beauty of Mr. Felger is that he would never think to notice," she assured him, laughing.

Right then, she caught a glimpse of what she thought to be Colonel O'Neill across the way—but when she turned in that direction, it was gone.

"Something wrong?"

Scanning the streets quickly before resolving to put O'Neill out of her mind entirely, she lied. "No. Nothing."

--

Not a week after Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell's arrival at Vorash Hall, O'Neill's deepest concerns had been solidified. Worried that perhaps the entire Carter family had been conned by the younger man, he had immediately written a letter to Jacob expressing his concern over the blossoming situation. By focusing on Jacob's possible concerns, he somewhat successfully managed to avoid mulling too long over his own—that being the final loss of any chance he had once had with Miss Carter himself.

Still, he saw no reason to purposely subject himself to the painful scenario of interacting with Miss Carter, especially now that her attentions were so clearly bestowed on Mitchell. The near run-in early that week had already been too bittersweet for his liking. If he missed her company a bit more than he might like, well, there was no recourse for it.

However, even Jack O'Neill could not avoid catastrophe forever, and it was on a walk along his far property line that he found himself face to face with the situation he had been concentrating so very carefully on avoiding, for there in his direct line of sight was Samantha, walking arm in arm with her new beau. To make matters worse, she actually looked…contented, smiling up at the man without reservation or hesitation in a manner Jack recalled all too well from weeks past.

There was no way to avoid at least a passing conversation, and so Jack steeled himself for the inevitable, bowing in greeting when it became clear that they had noticed his presence. "I do apologize," he managed. "I did not intend to intrude."

"And so you did not," Mitchell assured him. "We were just enjoying the summer air."

"Yes…we've been experiencing very fine weather," was O'Neill's somewhat lackluster observation.

"Indeed, we have…I fear that I have not the pleasure of your acquaintance, though I can certainly guess as to your identity."

Finally, Miss Carter spoke, having the grace to look embarrassed at her slight. "Forgive me. Cameron, this is Colonel Jack O'Neill. Colonel, this is Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell, my…an old friend of the family."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," Jack choked out, head spinning over the implications of her nearly-spoken words.

"Likewise. I've heard nothing but the best of you since my arrival."

Somewhat skeptical, Jack could not help the smirk that crossed his features. "Really? I was under the impression that my reputation was somewhat more…varied…than that."

"Perhaps," Mitchell allowed. "But not from those sources which really concern me."

It was a generous thing to say, full of the fine civility that indicated a good education, and to make matters worse in O'Neill's opinion, he could detect no trace of insincerity in Mitchell's tone. Indeed, it was hard to resent a man such as this, who seemed so genuine in his earnestness. "Well, I am sorry to disappoint you then, as I believe they have been too generous with their praise."

"I very sincerely doubt it," was Mitchell's fine reply. "Would you care to join us? We were thinking of proceeding to that bit of fine wood ahead before turning back."

That wood was, in fact, where he had first stumbled across Samantha, and thus the idea of accompanying them held even less joy than it might otherwise. "No. Thank you, but I should be returning. Good day, Mitchell. Miss Carter."

He turned and fled the way he had come, realizing at some point that other than the somewhat stilted introduction, Miss Carter had not uttered one word during the entire course of the conversation.

Still puzzling over this fact, he returned to his home only to find a letter had arrived in his absence from Jacob Carter. Eagerly, he scanned its contents, only to despair at them.

My friend,

Cameron Mitchell is an acquaintance of many years, one whom I trust beyond measure. I do not believe that she is in any danger from him. Your concerns, however, are appreciated as the true measure of a friend.

Sincerely,

Jacob Carter

This, combined with the engagement announcement Walter had discovered in the paper on Sunday, signaled the end of all hope for Jack O'Neill. He could only wish now for Samantha's full and complete happiness in her upcoming nuptials. It was, perhaps, a stroke of luck that had brought Cameron Mitchell back into her life at such an opportune moment—but whether it was luck of the good or bad variety, O'Neill could not discern.

--

With the engagement announcement printed in the paper (and thus, cut out and sent to Vala through the post), Samantha and Cameron could fall a bit lax on their efforts to convince everyone in Gateshire of their mutual affection. Perhaps they had rushed it somewhat, but Cameron felt confident that they had been convincing enough to persuade most of Gateshire, and the finality of putting an announcement in the paper would certainly sway the rest. The freedom from activity allowed Cameron to more thoroughly prepare himself for the eventual outcome of his little charade, whether it be good or ill. However, as a result, it also left Samantha to her own devices.

While normally, this might not have been a problem, Cameron could not help but notice that since the awkward scene with O'Neill a few days past, she had been unusually busy. Three times now he had found her asleep in her lab, burying herself in vials and journals and scientific theories for so many hours that she had exhausted herself beyond measure. He suspected that at least one night, she went entirely without sleep, occupying herself with doing mundane chores around the estate—chores that she paid other people more than generous sums to do.

Cameron was not simple-minded, and had long since deduced that O'Neill must be the man over whom Samantha now found herself in knots. But he knew his friend well enough to know that she would not appreciate any interference on his part, even if it was to express his concern over her behavior. Her frenetic activity was a distraction, something with which to occupy herself while she came to terms with whatever grief it was that weighed on her.

Watching from across the room as she bustled about getting tea ready (and Cameron was quite certain that she had never bothered to prepare tea herself before in her life), he turned to Daniel and Janet. "Is it just me or…?"

"No," Daniel interrupted, pushing up his spectacles and frowning. "It is definitely not."

"Right. Good. So she's definitely….off?"

"If the definition for 'off' is trying to work herself to death, then yes," Janet said dryly.

"Should we try and stop her?" Cameron asked tentatively.

The scathing looks the other two immediately sent his direction were more than enough of an answer. Still, Daniel felt the need to elaborate.

"By all means," he said with more than a trace of humor in his voice. "Be our guest."

Cameron wisely decided to abstain. Still, he watched as discreetly as he could over the next few days, growing increasingly worried when the level of frenetic activity showed no signs of cessation.

When she developed a persistent cough after a night spent in the barn baling hay, his concern began to evolve into downright alarm.