Sylvia's Conversations

Sylvia finds herself on the go as she catches up on the news in town since she left. She now takes up the mission to restore Trelawney's spirits.

Sylvia Figalilly was grateful for the blatant, not too mention excessive, show of wealth by Phoebe's brothers-in-law. All she had to do was sweetly ask Ben where she might rent a car and he was driving her over to the rental agency and paying for a luxury auto. Amused, she looked forward to driving back to the hotel and seeing how long it took Liam to request a similar one.

But her primary purpose was to go and visit Pastor Jason, also known as the Angel, to see what was up with little Trelawney. Knowing exactly where his office in the rectory was, she found him at his desk with the door open, waiting for her.

"Good of you to come so quickly," he said.

"Well," she said. "I know that tomorrow you'll be keeping things very low key. Ducking out early, I presume?"

"Exactly," he said. "I have another commitment lined up with the family out of town. I'll stay long enough to satisfy social obligation and then take off. With so many of you around, it is very difficult to maintain my disguise for any length of time. Fortunately, everyone will be so busy looking at the baby that they are not likely to notice me."

"Good," she said. "So what can I do for you?"

"Well," he said. "It's Trelawney."

"And when is it not Trelawney?" she inquired dryly.

"Fair enough," he said. "We have an unforeseen complication. She seems to have developed a crush on her knight in shining armor."

"Topher?" she asked. "Knowing Trelawney, it's probably more of a fixation. But she's at that age. And it's not surprising that he's the object of her affection. Would you like me to provide a sympathetic ear and cheer her up?"

"She needs more than that," he said seriously. "And I misspoke. This really is more than a crush. If you can get her to talk about it, then you'll see what I mean."

"Oh dear," said Sylvia in dismay. "Warn me ahead of time. What fantasy has her little brain cooked up now?"

He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Drat, thought Sylvia, his mind is impenetrable. I'm going to have to rely on what he's wiling to tell me.

"Do you want me to sugarcoat it or do you want it straight?" he asked.

"Give it to me straight up," she said. "That's the way I take my whiskey."

"She wants them to become betrothed," he said plainly.

"She what?" Sylvia was astounded.

"She wants them to become betrothed," he calmly repeated. "She is convinced that she and Topher are destined to be together. It wouldn't be so bad except that he has a girlfriend and she is convinced that they are in love and will get married."

"I'm guessing that they are not in love," she said.

"It's more like they are in lust," he said.

Sylvia sighed.

"Poor baby," she said. "And she doesn't understand a bit of that. How did this come about?"

"Well, on Trelawney's end, it seems to have started after Maisie's birth," he explained. "He seems to have made the same realization at that time as well."

"Oh, dear," she replied. "More fallout from the unicorn."

"As for the girl, the young lady, if you want to call her that, she for some inexplicable reason has caught his fancy," he answered. "She is the new lead singer for his band. The 'sexual tension' is apparently a big draw and he's making money hand over fist, which he needs for college."

"Any chance that it's all for show?" she asked.

"I actually think that that is a very strong possibility," he replied. "But money aside, he's ruining his own reputation, destroying his parents, and breaking young Trelawney's heart. And I'm not convinced that it's necessary. While it may appear that he is using her, I think that he is the one who is being used by the girl. She's a piece of work."

"A real floozy, huh?"

"To put it mildly," he said. "She takes pride in deflowering every good-looking guy that she runs into. I have a feeling that Topher is presenting a challenge. That may explain her unusual interest in him for this length of time. At least I hope that he still is."

"Hmm," replied Sylvia. "I know the type. She's the wicked enchantress, then isn't she? And the little one can't see it. I suppose that it's out of the question to explain to her that she's the negative transformative to Trelawney's positive?"

"And what would you see as the end result of that?"

"Okay, bad idea," she admitted. "The little one would go off on a crusade of her own to save him and cause a world of problems for everyone."

"Except for herself, most likely," he replied. "That convent school we have her locked up in insulates her from the harsh realities of male-female relationships as well as most of the other realities of living out her in the larger world. However there is something that we must consider."

"What is that?"

"That she's right," he replied calmly. "And if that's so, then maybe he's right as well. Remember, it's not just about her."

Sylvia was silent. There was definitely something to that theory. She thought of Phoebe and the Professor, the romantic and the scientist. The same paradigm applied to Trelawney and Topher. And the age difference? Considering that it was a mere five years versus fifteen for Phoebe and her Professor, it certainly didn't seem like much. However, Trelawney was a little girl. He couldn't touch her. In fact, he wouldn't touch her. And she knew that.

"Well, tell me," she asked. "What makes you think that he may have . . . reciprocal feelings?"

"The evidence," he replied. "Phoebe came to me about a week ago and told me that he had asked her three months ago if Trelawney was already betrothed to anyone, and if she wasn't, how could he go about doing it?"

"He's a brave lad," she commented.

"More like ignorant," he said. "From what she told me, Phoebe made mincemeat out of him and sent him on his way. And it was not once, but twice. She went to see him a second time, this time more recently. She came to me because she was afraid that he was hurting himself."

"I don't know Topher well," said Sylvia. "Liam is the one who really knows him. He told me that he was a child of light. It's very unusual, but not impossible, as you know. It could be that the other girl is meant to destroy him. And it sounds like he's vulnerable."

"He is a child of light," confirmed Pastor Jason. "I've known him all his life. If there were anyone who was outside of your race who would be a candidate, it would be him. He is one of the most idealistic young people that I have ever met. He sees Trelawney for what she is, pure light and goodness. He can't help but be attracted to her. That his love of her would shift from gallant knight to courtly lover is definitely within the realm of possibility."

"And of course the courtly lover worships the fair maiden from afar. However, within the medieval context, he never looks upon her as a potential bride," she replied thinking aloud. "But this no longer about medieval contexts. This is a young man whose tender heart had been broken. In modern parlance, he's on the rebound. The young vixen probably pounced the minute that Phoebe turned him down."

"She could very well destroy him," he said seriously.

"And that would destroy Trelawney," she finished. "Have you tried talking to him?"

"I approached him once and he blew me off," he replied. "I cannot force him to sit and listen. He is the one who must come to me for guidance. I am not his guardian angel. I am his pastor. There is a very large difference."

"Yes, I know that," she said. "But if you are here to protect the little one, then couldn't you do something for that reason?"

"Would that I could," he replied. "But it is not allowed. Remember that I couldn't protect her from Cholmndeley. Others, Liam and then Topher and Mike did, even you and Emmeline to a certain extent and certainly Hal Everett. Many people played their part in order to protect her and by extension Phoebe and Maisie from all the dark forces that were using him, not to mention Henrietta, to get at them."

"Not to change the subject," she interrupted. "But what's up with the old bird?"

"Oh, she's still in town, but whatever Liam and Johnny said to her was effective," he replied. "She's still making a pretty penny off of the gullible, but she hasn't gone near the girls since Maisie was born. She has been neutralized, you might say."

"Good, she would only complicate matters," said Sylvia. "But what about Trelawney? How do you think that I can help her?"

"I think that it would be useful for you to engage her in a little girl talk about her unrequited love," he suggested. "And keep Emmeline out of it. She's much too cynical, not to mention bossy. She is also Phoebe's closest friend. Because of that, she would likely take Phoebe's side. There is little doubt that she would make things worse."

"Oh, yes," Sylvia agreed. "I can hear her now."

He looked at her and nodded.

"But what should I tell her?" she asked. "I surely shouldn't give her hope."

"Why not?" he asked. "I did. I told her that I thought that it was all a big act on his part to draw more fans to the show. It's a pity that I haven't seen him. Then I would know for sure."

"Well, if I saw him," she said. "I would certainly know. Know where I could find him?"

"That, I could not tell you," he said. "But he has a local diner where he likes to hang out with his friends. If they are not practicing, then they're probably there."

"Where is it?" she asked. "There is no way that I'm giving her any hope, unless I know that he's still worthy. And if he's not then I will do my best to keep her away from him. She would know right away."

"Yes, she would," he agreed.

After getting the directions, Sylvia immediately drove over to the diner. Like all Figalillys, she wasted no time when something needed doing. She saw a van in the parking lot that she immediately recognized. Feeling lucky, she went in and looked around. There he was at a corner table with a group of kids and a bleached blonde hanging on him. She was pretty enough, but would have been prettier if the clothing she was wearing concealed more than it revealed.

The other teenage boys surrounding them had their heads filled with impure thoughts about her. In fact, a few of them had even "known her" in the Biblical sense. But from her present vantage point she could not get a read on Topher. Choosing an inconspicuous spot at the counter, she ordered a cup of tea and sat down to watch.

She saw the girl nuzzling his neck and then draw him into a firm lip lock. He responded fairly mechanically. Her aura was glowing a deep red, not so much with passion but with a destructive heat. His aura, which had previously always been a clear turquoise, was now a milky white. He seemed sickly in spirit. She instantly realized who the girl was and that she was trying to drain him of his goodness. She was failing, but he was being weakened by his own guilt.

When he pulled away, she, even at her present distance, could see that he was full of self-loathing. He clearly hated her, but he hated himself more. He was punishing himself. And who could even know why? She resisted the urge to go over and pull him away. She knew that she couldn't do that without creating a scene of magnificent proportions with the girl.

Paying her bill and leaving a tip, she left with her tea untouched. The sight of that beautiful young man caught in the clutches of the young witch made her sick. But she knew that they needed to keep Trelawney away from him. If she saw this, she would rush in and try to drag him away. The older girl would no doubt mock her. And if Topher rebuffed her attempts, then who knew what she would do?

It was clear that Pastor Jason was right. If one were destroyed, then so would the other. This appeared to be some kind of a preemptive strike against the two. Trelawney was well protected, so the forces of darkness had chosen to attack the more vulnerable one. They must have some very powerful reasons for keeping them apart. That meant that the young people were most probably right. They were fated to be together. But they were still too young. The timing was wrong. Still, if some kind of intervention did not happen, then who knew what would happen?

Mulling all over this over she returned to the hotel. Before she went inside, she knew that she had to clear this from her mind. She couldn't do what she needed to do alone, but she realized that Mum might be able to help. She got out and saw Liam walking up. He whistled.

"Nice wheels, sis," he said. "Courtesy of one of the money bags?"

"Ben," she said quickly. "Why don't you look him up and get some for yourself?"

Well, that was neatly done, she thought as he ran off. No doubt, he and Mary would want to go off for a little spin and some privacy. She was a piece of work herself. The rather spoiled youngest child of the same Chenoweths that Christy had married into, she was a bit of a wild one. However, compared with the little number that Topher had hooked up with, she was quite innocent. She had a saucy tongue but a lively sense of humor.

Upon entering the lobby, she discovered her siblings discussing the vehicle situation. Lewis, thrifty one, was arguing that since Ben and Bob both had cars there was no need for a fourth one. The others, naturally, didn't see it his way.

"Oh, Lew," said Emmeline. "Stop being such a stick in the mud. You know that you're just upset because you've misplaced your precious briefcase."

Mary choked a bit and Sylvia wanted to strangle her. Of course it was well hidden in their suite and unfortunately she knew it. Fortunately, Lew was so intent on making his case that he didn't notice. Emmeline gave her a sharp pinch.

Finally, Ben announced that since he had taken the girls to rent a car he would take Liam. Once they were gone, Sylvia noticed that Bob seemed a little restless. Emmeline gave her a wink and walked over to sit beside him.

"You know what the problem is with being on the road for so long and living out of suitcase?" she asked sweetly.

"No," he said absentmindedly.

"Well, I guess being a man and all, you wouldn't realize it," she said. "But it is difficult for a woman to pack for all occasions, isn't it Syl?"

"Oh, yes," agreed Sylvia quickly. "Very difficult. I just barely have something appropriate for the christening."

"Well that's too . . ." Bob started. "Perhaps we could do a little shopping. You know, there's a Bergdorf's here in town."

"A what?" asked Mary, who was sometimes a little thick.

"It's a store," explained Emmeline. "Nice clothes and the like. What do you think Syl, should we have a look see?"

"Hmm," said Sylvia. "That's a bit too rich for my blood. I'm not really a one for the high street shops."

"True," said Emmeline. "What else do we have around here?"

"Now girls," said Bob patiently. "You just put your wallets away. If I'm going to bring you to a store then it's my treat. What do you say? You do need to be properly outfitted for tomorrow, don't you?"

"I don't know if we can accept that, do you, Em?" asked Sylvia cautiously.

"Well," said Emmeline. "Now that he's made the kind offer, I don't think that it would be polite to turn it down now, do you?"

"Of course not!" interjected Mary. "Oh, I'm sorry . . . I just assumed."

"Well, you assumed right, little Mary," said Bob, his high spirits returning. "I'll get my car and meet the three of you at the front door."

After he left, Emmeline turned to her.

"Had to cheer up the old boy, then didn't we?"

"Oh, quite definitely," agreed Sylvia. "And I could use a new outfit."

Mary was quiet.

"You don't suppose that Liam will be bothered if I accept his generosity, do you?" she asked, now anxious.

Sylvia and Emmeline burst out laughing.

"No, love," said Emmeline. "No doubt he'll get a good laugh out of it too."

In fact they all did. Young Mary ended up with more clothes than she had probably ever owned before in her life. Sylvia would never have accepted so much for herself, but since Mary was spoken for, there would be no quid pro quo about it. And the boys had a good laugh about it themselves, when they found out about it, even Lew. It would be interesting to see how the rest of the family responded.

When they arrived at Phoebe's however, her main concern was the little one, who was keeping a very low profile. For a few minutes she seemed like her old self, teasing young Mary about being so young. They had been at school together, in fact. But then she seemed to close up again.

While she and Em had their little catch up with Mum, she noticed that she kept looking over at her. She had wandered off to a corner and curled up in a chair. When Mum was done with them, she gave her a tip of the head to indicate that she needed to talk to her little cousin. Mum knew that she was making a fuss about a lad who wasn't noticing her.

"So little one," she said as she knelt beside the chair. "How are things really with you?"

Trelawney looked back at her solemnly. Sylvia could see that she wanted to talk to her, but it had to be a private conversation. Looking around, Sylvia realized that with all of the hustle and bustle if they disappeared for a bit no one would be the wiser. Taking the girl's hand, she led her outside so that they could take a walk around the block.

Once they were away from the house, Trelawney seemed to relax. It then occurred to Sylvia that she had been out here in the larger world for so long than she had forgotten what was like to be surrounded by those of their own kind. She had to be much more on guard than she had in a while. And now she had something to hide. She realized that Mum had already dragged it out of her.

"Well, love," said Sylvia kindly. "Shall you tell me or shall I put two and two together?"

Trelawney looked troubled.

"I am really no good at concealing my thoughts anymore, am I?" she asked sadly.

"Well, little one," replied Sylvia carefully. "When one is as troubled as you are now, it is difficult to shield them. Now I can see that Mum has figured out a bit of it. But I also knew that from her. So don't be too hard on yourself. I know you better than she does right now. Why don't you let me have a go at it? Maybe I can really help."

"Perhaps you can," she said thoughtfully. "After all, you know him too."

"Know who, little one?"

"Topher," she said. "My dear, dear Topher has fallen in love with another girl, an older girl, a beautiful singer. And he has forgotten all about me."

"Are you quite sure about all of this, then?" she asked, clearing her mind of everything that she already knew.

"Yes, well, I don't know," she admitted. "Pastor Jason doesn't think so."

"So you've talked to him?" she asked carefully.

"Pastor Jason is my spiritual advisor, remember?" she said. "I go and talk to him so that Aunt Justine won't be mad because I might be seeing a counselor."

"Yes, of course," she said. "I had forgotten. What did Pastor Jason actually say?"

"He said that they could be playacting," she answered. "Because Topher needs money for school. So now I am quite confused. Auntie Agatha thinks that it's a crush that I've got, just like your Mum. Everyone thinks that it's a crush."

"But it's not," she said definitively.

"No, it's not," she said and looked up at her. "Does that mean that you believe me?"

"Yes, love, I do," Sylva replied seriously. "But I am not sure if that is better or worse. What is it that makes you think that he is worthy of your love? And don't hide anything from me now. This is Sylvia, here."

"I know," she replied with a shy smile. "I'm ever so glad that you believe me. Perhaps you will understand. You see, Topher is a child of light, just like me. No matter what anyone says, he is a good and honorable man. And I am meant for him and he is meant for me. I don't know how I know it, I just know it."

"That's the way it is when it's like that, I hear," said Sylvia. "I've never been in love like that myself, so I really don't know."

"Auntie Anna knows," said Trelawney. "She looked into my eyes and said that she saw the same love there as she had seen in Mum's eyes for Papa. But if Topher has fallen in love with someone else then I am lost."

Swiftly closing her own mind off to the child, Sylvia contemplated her words. She believed that Pastor Jason was right. She had seen for herself what the true nature of Topher's relationship with the other girl was. Trelawney must be given hope or she would begin to fade away. But how could she do so without letting on that not only had she talked to Pastor Jason, but that she had also seen Topher? The idea that Topher would marry such a girl was ridiculous, but Trelawney had no idea of what she was really all about.

But beyond that, there was a large age difference between the two that made it illegal for him to be anything more than a friend. And after her experience with the unicorn, everyone would be twice as careful about letting her anywhere near a man, even one who was really very little more than a boy himself, who was older. And if Topher were able extricate himself from his present situation, unless he knew of Trelawney's past, he might unwittingly walk into a situation that was potentially very dangerous to himself.

"Trelawney, love," she began gently. "Please remember where you are. Topher would not even consider looking at you. Do you understand why?"

She shook her head. Oh dear, thought Sylvia, she really doesn't understand this at all. How can I explain it to her so that she doesn't completely lose all hope in the rightness of things?

"Let me put it another way," she said. "You told Mum that he doesn't see you. Now I am quite sure that Topher does see you. But I am equally sure that he does not see you as a woman. Darling, you are still a little girl. He is a most good, kind, and honorable man. He would never do anything to hurt you. That is why he would never dream of seeing you as a woman."

"Oh," she said.

"Sweetheart," she continued. "Topher has always been your knight in shining armor, ever since he has known you. And I doubt very much that he sees himself in any other way with regards to you. But he cannot look at you that way."

"Oh," she repeated.

"Do you understand what I am saying?" she asked.

"Yes," she said sadly. "But why won't he even speak to me? It would be alright for him to still be my friend, wouldn't it?"

"Trelawney, the only person who can answer that question is Topher himself," she replied kindly. "Now you must shake yourself out of this little mood that you've gotten yourself into. Everyone is very happy and they want you to be happy too."

"Yes, I know," she said with a sigh. "I'm trying. Really and truly, I am trying. But every time that I think that I am feeling happy, I feel sad again. I just don't know what is wrong with me."

"There, there," said Sylvia, taking the girl in her arms. "We have almost walked around the block. When we go back, I would like to see you cheer up. You may be quiet of course, but let's see a few more smiles, okay?"

"Yes, Sylvia," she replied obediently. "I will try."

When they returned to the yard, she walked over to where Aunt Agatha was and sat beside her. She could see her auntie asking her questions and she was giving responses. She was even trying to smile. She looked up and saw Mum calling her over.

"Sylvia, lovey, did you get anything out of her?" she asked.

"She's taken a fancy to some boy who doesn't notice her," she said. "Of course he's seventeen, so he better not be noticing her, like that anyway."

"Well, I've uncovered that much myself," she replied. "Did she say anything else? You know. Did she give you any clues?"

"Well," said Sylvia. "She did say that she understood about the lad being too old. And she said that she's been trying to cheer up. You know, keep a stiff, upper lip and all that. But she also said that she just can't shake the gloomy mood."

Mum was silent for a minute. Sylvia knew that she was thinking but she wasn't about to let her know what. Finally, she spoke.

"Well, keep an eye on her lovey," she said. "It could be that this mood will pass and none of us will have to say a word."

Sylvia looked back at her Mum, but her mind was a blank slate to her. However considering that she had raised three daughters, she was probably better equipped than any of the rest of them to understand and help the poor child. Then she looked around and saw Mary talking to Phoebe, who was looking rather agitated. Oh, now what? She thought. She quickly went over.

"Sylvia," said Phoebe, as she approached. "What is it that I hear about a shopping trip that Bob Everett took you girls on."

"Had to open your mouth, love, didn't you?" said Emmeline coming up behind Sylvia.

"Well, it was your idea, Miss High and Mighty!" said Mary defensively.

"Well, don't think that you didn't take full advantage of it, and then some," replied Emmeline.

"Now, Phoebe," said Sylvia. "It was no big deal really. Emmeline did mention that we both travel light and that, well, we didn't have anything, shall we say, properly festive for the event. Well, you know Bob. He just wanted to play the hero, like he always does."

"More like the sugar daddy," commented Phoebe.

"Huh?" asked Mary.

"You know," said Emmeline. "He was looking to throw a little money around to impress us. He didn't mean any harm by it, Phoebe. But you know every once in a while you like to see those like him get made a fool of."

"What's going on over here?" asked Rob. "It looks like you four are having some kind of an intense little pow wow."

"It's no big deal," said Emmeline with a brush of the hand. "It's just about Bob being a little generous again."

"Oh?" he said, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes, well, a little too generous from what I gather," said Phoebe in annoyance. "It seems that he brought the girls here on a little shopping spree and cleaned out Bergdorf's."

"Really?" said Rob, clearly amused. "How much did you sucker him for?"

Now Mary looked very puzzled and a bit ill at ease. Emmeline looked at her, her eyes alight with mischief. Phoebe glowered.

"Well, whatever it was he'll never miss it," said Rob with a shrug.

"But Rob . . ."

"Cool it, daughter-in-law," said Rob. "If I'm to be labelled paterfamilias for the weekend, I believe that means that you actually have to listen to me for once."

Sylvia saw the surprise and hurt in Phoebe's eyes and felt bad. She also knew that Phoebe had been more than a dutiful daughter to both him and Catherine. Rob must have sensed that he had come on a little too strongly.

"I'm sorry, Phoebe," he said more gently. "I know that this is really harder for you than you're letting on. Try and forget about all of the hoopla and think about the really important thing, the baptism tomorrow."

"Of course, Rob," she answered meekly.

Fortunately, they could hear the baby crying from inside the house. She hurried off to take care of her.

"You know," he said to them. "It is possible to carry a joke too far. Lighten up on Phoebe. There was no need to say anything about my son making a fool of himself. And don't forget that she and Trelawney will also be missing their parents this weekend. They could both use a little TLC."

"TLC?" asked Mary.

"Tender loving care, you little dolt," said Em impatiently. "Try to forget that you two used to dislike each other so much."

Rob looked at them all curiously.

"No need to worry," said Emmeline. "It was all kid stuff."

Sylvia nodded and looked over at Em. After Rob walked away, they each grabbed Mary by the elbow to take her off for a little private conversation. If they weren't careful, she was going to get them all in trouble. No doubt, Mum and Dad would only have so much patience with the foolish behavior. It would be better for all of them to cool it before any real problems were stirred up.

As they were saying their piece to Mary, Liam came up.

"Picking on my bride-to-be now, are you?" he asked with a distinct edge in his voice.

"We're just having a little discussion here about diplomacy," replied Emmeline. "And about what we say to Cousin Phoebe and what we don't about her two brothers-in-law."

"Oh, that," replied Liam. "Girl, you need to keep your mouth shut about that rot. You stick to the wedding plans and saying nice things about me, I picked you over your two sisters because you were the one with a bit of spirit. Don't make me regret my choice, then."

She swallowed hard and looked around at them all.

"I am very sorry, Liam," she said. "I will try to hold my tongue. I don't mean to make problems for the family."

"Yes, well, that's a good girl," he said, pleased that she had acquiesced so easily.

Before he could walk away, Sylvia grabbed his arm.

"Can I speak to you for a minute?" she asked.

"Of course, love," he said. "Is this to be a private conversation?"

She nodded and led him off to the side of the house.

"Okay, what is it, Syl?" he asked seriously. "I recognize that 'I'm out to save the world' look on your face, but I can also see that it's more than that."

"It's much more than that," she replied with equal gravity. "It's the little one. She has fallen quite hard for Topher and he isn't giving her the time of day. In fact, he's got himself a girlfriend his own age. He won't even look at her and it's got her heartbroken."

"Well," answered Liam. "I really don't see the problem other than Trelawney Rose has got to get over this. Of course, he'll not look twice at her. She's just a little girl."

"Yes, that's the way that everyone sees it but her," she replied. "This girl that he's taken up with is a real tramp from what I've seen."

"You've seen her?" he asked in surprise.

"Well," she admitted. "I had a little visit with the Angel, and no, I won't tell you who it is. That one is quite worried about the two of them. Now you told me that Topher is a child of light. But this girl is bound on destroying all the good that's in him. And if she destroys him, then she destroys the little one without lifting a finger."

"You would think that the bloody forces of darkness would have more important things to bother with than a schoolgirl crush," he said. "But I don't see what I can do. It's none of my business."

"I don't really think that there is anything that you can do," she replied. "But tell me. Did you tell him all about her and Cholmondeley?"

"I may have let it slip," he said uncomfortably.

"Slip?"

"Okay," he admitted. "When I sensed that he and Mike were starting to lose their nerve as the storm got worse last summer, I mentioned how he had harmed the girl. That surely got them fired up. Come to think of it, young Topher had murder in his heart for a while, not much different from me. But he was different from me. Still is, as far as I know."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"It's in the aura," he explained. "I've never seen the like. Pure turquoise it is. You know, the deep blue with the gold shining through. When I first realized it, I thought that he was the Angel. But the Angel's would be the pure, rich gold then, wouldn't it?"

"Yes it would and yes it is," she said. "But don't think that you'll be seeing that one any time soon."

"Won't even tell me if it's woman or man, will you?"

She shook her head.

"Okay," he said. "So then, she loves him and I have no doubt that he loves her. And because of that, he won't go near her. He's out to protect her, I suspect. You know how impulsive she is. He's a good lad and knows it too. Maybe the older girl is a cover."

"I think that she is in more ways than one," confirmed Sylvia. "I believe that they're playing some kind of a game to draw fans to his band, by the way she's the lead singer, by pretending to have this romance. Maybe it's a John and Yoko thing, who knows? But the little one doesn't understand it at all."

"No," he said. "Well, there is very little that I can do. I've told you what I know of the lad. Everything that I know points to the fact that he's trying to protect her, most probably from herself. It's better if he stays away from her, even if it does break her heart a little."

"But what if we start to lose her?" she asked.

She followed his gaze as Liam looked over at Trelawney who was now sitting and talking quietly with Dad. Dad patted her on the head and she smiled up at him.

"I don't think that that will happen," he replied slowly. "I don't know what will happen, but I believe that everything is going to work out in accordance with fate. I don't know how I know, I just know."

Sylvia looked at him sharply. Liam never talked like that. He didn't even seem to notice that he had said it. She decided to let the matter drop for now. Trelawney seemed to have cheered up so there was no reason to bring it up again.

"It's really about the little one then, isn't it?" he asked, now his voice full of concern. "Something is troubling her that's more than a schoolgirl crush. We can all sense it."

"Yes, and none of us, even Mum knows what to do about it," she replied. "I was hoping that you could help."

"I wish I could do more," he said, shaking his head. "You know, I wish sometimes that we could just bring her home to the village and keep her safe. She would really love living with Mum and Dad."

"And she would be pining away for her Phoebe something fierce," replied Sylvia. "And that could also destroy her."

Liam looked as though he was going to burst. He was now clearly struggling to contain himself. But he failed. Finally, he exploded in fury.

"Why can't the bloody darkness just leave her alone?" he exclaimed. "If it's not after her then it's after the ones she loves. There can't be another child of light out there that's had to live with so much sorrow."

"No, there can't," she agreed. "But your temper will only feed it. And don't forget that. The only way to fight the evil is with goodness. I thought that it was Topher who taught you that."

"Yes, it was him," said Liam more quietly. "And our little Trelawney Rose. I have to wonder how he really feels about her. All of this speculating is getting us nowhere. If I ever met anyone who was a match for her in goodness it was him. Pity, that he's an outsider."

"Yes, indeed," replied Sylvia. "It's a very great pity."

As her brother walked away, she realized that he loved the child as deeply as any of them. And his love was not born of the duty that he had to care for and protect her one day when he was paterfamilias. Just as with all of them, Trelawney had wrapped herself around his heart. And while there was no way that she could know for sure, she thought that it was very likely that she was wrapped around Topher's heart as well. And she knew quite well that when young Trelawney did that, it was impossible to break free.

To be continued . . .

In future chapters, the antics of the family continue. Families do have a way of acting out when they all get together for big events. But in the end, all's well that ends well.