A/N: All right, so this is going to be the first chapter I've done with footnotes. These footnotes have to do with the various swordfighting terms that I've used within the first three or so pages of this. So just make sure you don't pass over them while reading, lest you become confused about what the characters are doing. I know, kind of irritating, having to scroll up and down the chapter for the terms, so perhaps it'd be best to scroll all the way to the bottom, write the terms down, (there are 11 footnotes) and then begin reading. All terms are taken from this website: http://www.synec-doc.be/escrime/dico/engl.htm
Thanks!
-S.R.
"Shit…" The word had barely fallen from Brant Tavington's lips before he found himself on his belly in one of the more open areas of the gardens on the Tavington estate. "Cheap shot, Aidan." He looked up at his brother out of the corner of his eye who held the cold, sharpened blade of a sabre against the right side of his throat.
"Is it my fault that you turned your back to me?" Aidan asked, pulling away so that Brant could get up and collect himself, while Col. Tavington stood and watched in amused silence, arms crossed in front of him with his own sabre sheathed in its scabbard at his side.
"No, though it's still an undignified shot, going for the back of my legs with the flat of your sword…"
"Undignified, yes," Col. Tavington spoke, walking casually over to them, yet taking in Brant's predicament with sharp eyes, "but Aidan does have a fair response. You left your back exposed, and I myself would have made the same move that your brother just did."
Brant grimaced at the colonel's words. He knew he was correct and it was more than embarrassing to forget such a fundamental aspect of swordsmanship. Still, he managed to press on, glowering at Aidan's proud smirk before stepping forward, thrusting his blade out directly at his brother's middle. Effortlessly blocking Brant's advance with a septimei, Aidan responded with a compound attackii. Still, Brant was able to manuver his way out of being completely beaten by moving in a backward crossiii, keeping his blade up and his eyes unblinking and trained upon Aidan, who stared back with an eager hunger to finish him. Feintingiv right, Brant turned and quickly lungedv at his brother, finishing Aidan off with a hard beatvi to his blade, the jarring sound of metal on metal ringing in the air before Aidan's blade was ripped from him and he was forced against a tree as Brant continued in a forward cross with his blade pointed directly in front of him, bringing the end of his sabre to rest against Aidan's throat.
"You're dead…"
Aidan shrugged, his steel blue eyes still shining with an arrogant glimmer as Brant gave him room to move and gather himself.
"That's only one win for you, compared to the three for me." He spoke smugly. "And I didn't lose because of fundamental errors, either."
"Oh, so you're lord of the sword now, are you?"
Aidan shrugged. "Well I've beaten you… Isn't that what matters at the moment?"
"You're just sore about being humiliated by Jula a couple days ago. And yes, you may have beaten me, but you haven't beaten him." Brant finished with an indignant tone in his voice as he gestured at Col. Tavington, whose amused expression hadn't changed.
"Brant…" Aidan looked at his brother disapprovingly. "I'm not going to ask him to fight."
"But I am armed." Col. Tavington cut in, gesturing at his own sheathed sabre. "Of course, I came here to watch though I brought it in case one of you wanted a challenge."
Aidan paused, considering the colonel's words. True, the man did have skill with a blade. However, considering the time period and current ages of himself and Col. Tavington, it would put the colonel at only ten years to fifteen ahead in skill. But Aidan had been a very fast learner in his youth, progressing much more quickly than the other swordsmen around him. Thus, perhaps, he could still best his ancestor.
"Alright, let's have at it then…" Aidan regained his stance, sabre pointed directly at the colonel while Brant stepped out of the way, going over to lean against the tree that Aidan had been caught up against.
"Very well…" Col. Tavington's expression was calm and cold as he stepped into his own fighting position, allowing Aidan to attack first with a series of lunges, all of which were parried before he counter attacked with a coulévii, keeping his expression neutral though he knew he could have quickly finished Aidan off at that moment if he chose to do so; still, though it was an old habit of his that had oftentimes been the cause of disgruntlement and, indirectly, unnecessary wounds, he enjoyed toying with his opponents. At least, Aidan wasn't a shabby fighter. And it wouldn't amuse him as much if he simply finished him in thirty seconds.
Parrying the colonel's attack, Aidan moved again into a defensive position, holding it while he parried a series of lunges, smirking inwardly to himself. If the fight continued like this, it would be no great feet for him to take a victory. Yet he had to admit, Col. Tavington was a worthy opponent to say the least, with an odd glint in his eye that Aidan couldn't quite read and as the fight progressed, this seemed to frustrate him as it became clear that the colonel was showing no signs of tiring and seemed to be reading his every move, while he was beginning to puff and blow, sides heaving.
Damn you! Aidan held his blade out before him to fend off another series of attacks from Col. Tavington, all of which seemed to be getting more and more brutal in force as if he was building up energy.
Redoublingviii, the colonel let his blade come down on Aidan's with a metallic hiss as he landed a particularly harsh cutix. Then, not waiting for Aidan's defense, he moved quickly to get him in a bindx before forcing him back near the tree where Brant was standing and finally finished him off with a froissementxi, placing the blade of his sabre against the side of Aidan's throat and digging it in just enough so that he could feel how sharp it was yet not enough so that he would bleed.
"Dead again, Aidan."
Aidan pursed his lips, raising his hands in submission as the blade was removed from the side of his throat.
"You've definite skill, that much is obvious." Col. Tavington stated as he sheathed his sabre. "Excellent footwork as well."
"Thank you, sir." Aidan replied if not with a tight edge.
Brant hid a smirk at his brother's subtle irritation before his attention was quickly diverted as he spotted Mary coming up to them while Braden ran ahead of her, wrapping himself fast around his father's leg.
"He's been wanting to see you all morning." Mary gave the colonel a grin as he pried his son from his leg and picked him up. "Where did you go?"
"Just for a morning ride. I was feeling restless." Col. Tavington replied. "And then these two wanted to practice a bit of sabre." He gestured at the twins.
"I see. Well, at least it wasn't Peter whom you were practicing with as you two barely have any manner of morality when you practice."
"And that would be why I use practice swords with him." The colonel responded with a smirk. "Because he would have at least several missing limbs by now."
"Indeed." Mary raised a brow. "Well, I believe I'm going to head over to the stables. Brielle is inside with Jae and I believe Jula is somewhere on the grounds with Prince."
The colonel nodded, as he wrestled a squirming and excited Braden in his arms.
"She likes him then?" He asked.
"Yes, very much so. He's of good temperament and she was telling me earlier that his gait was possibly even smoother than Phantom's. You made a good pick for her." Mary said with a smile. "Anyway, I shall be in the stables or the house if you need anything. Let Braden stay with you for a while."
"Of course." Col. Tavington gave his wife a quick kiss on the cheek, squeezing her side affectionately.
Leaving her husband, son and the twins in the gardens, Mary made her way to the stables, where her mare, Ember, greeted her with a nicker.
"Hello to you too." Mary walked over to her stall and opened the door, patting the mare on her nose.
Ember nudged her, looking at her with expectant brown eyes and Mary gave a soft chuckle, taking out a couple of small treats for her to eat while Asmodeus peeked his head over the wall that separated his stall from Ember's, letting out an impatient neigh as he pawed the ground of his stall.
"Oh hush, you'll get your turn soon enough." She spoke in a tone of exasperation.
Grabbing Ember's lead rope and halter, Mary put them on the mare and proceeded to take her out into the pasture before returning for Asmodeus, giving him his demanded treats.
"Spoiled git you are, and you know it." She murmured to the stallion as she led him out.
Asmodeus nickered, eyes sparkling with a mischievous glow as he was released into the same pasture Ember was in. Prancing up to her, he let out a loud neigh as if to announce his presence to which he received naught but a snort from the mare, who continued to munch on the lush green grass.
Returning to the stables, Mary arrived at the largest stall, which kept one of their two Shires, a large male named Thane, who poked his head out of his stall and greeted Mary with a soft whicker.
"Of course, I'm not going to forget you…" Mary opened his stall door and stepped inside, allowing the large draft to nuzzle her and rest his head lightly on her shoulder.
After a few moments, she pulled away and went to reach for his halter, only to find that her husband had placed it on a higher peg, nearly out of her reach.
"Curse you, William; not everyone in this house is six feet tall..." Mary managed to jump up and grab the halter off the peg while Thane looked down at her with laughing eyes.
"Oh don't even begin with me, you great beast of a horse." She said in a tone of mock anger as she managed to get the halter over his head before fastening the lead rope.
Leading Thane out of his stall, Mary walked with him a small distance further towards the back of the stables until they reached the second shire, a mare by the name of Nara, who would be due to foal within the next three months. Upon approaching her stall, Thane let out a nicker to which Nara replied from inside before sticking her head back down into her bucket of oats. After a few more moments, she poked her head out of the stall as Mary reached for her halter and lead rope, tying Thane to a nearby post before she managed to get Nara's halter and lead rope on. Then, leading both Shires out, she released them into pasture separate from that of Asmodeus and Ember.
Returning to the stables, Mary released one Suffolk Punch, a Percheron, two Clydsdales, two Jutlands, four Welsh Cobs, three Irish Drafts, and a number of Thoroughbreds, along with the new stallion, Raine, Phantom, and the Friesian, Morgana, before retiring to sit next to a little stall in the corner of the stables where a bay coloured Dartmoor pony stood, munching contentedly on oats. Her name was Abbey. She had been born several years earlier, small, weak and blind in her left eye. Her mother had died shortly after the birth from complications and it had been a miracle that Abbey herself had even managed to make it through her first year of life. She had been kept away from the other horses because of a weakened immune system, and when she finally could join them, they had picked on her mercilessly. Even Ember had charged at the poor pony a time or two, delivering a couple of nasty bites that had left scars on her neck. Col. Tavington himself didn't see much use in Abbey and had nearly gotten rid of her, but Mary had insisted on keeping her for Braden, reasoning that just because she was small and blind in one eye didn't mean she couldn't be ridden.
"I thought I might find you here." A voice whispered in Mary's ear and she startled, turning to find the colonel next to her.
Col. Tavington gave an impish smile at her start, glancing over at Abbey and said, "So, how is the little rejected pony?"
"William, you are horrible." Mary swatted the side of his arm and rolled her eyes.
Col. Tavington chuckled, looking over at Abbey, who had finished eating her oats and was now waiting expectantly at her stall door.
"It appears someone wants to go out and stretch her legs." He commented, walking over to the pony and opening her stall door.
Abbey gave an excited whinny and nudged the colonel's hand with her brownish-black nose, peering up at him with an obsidian eye that was nearly obscured from view by her black forelock which covered nearly the rest of her face as he patted her on the neck and reached for her halter and lead rope.
Holding his hand out for Mary to take, Col. Tavington began to lead Abbey out towards pasture behind the estate.
"She needs a companion." Mary spoke as she watched her husband let the pony into the pasture. "She's happy when we're here, but it just isn't enough. She's been away from the other horses for far too long. You know what Ember did to her and even Nara is unwilling to waste a simple glance at Abbey."
"Perhaps… another Dartmoor or Exmoor will do. After that though, I believe we'll be close to filling the stalls, though thankfully, I've already got a deal on Nara's foal, provided it is strong and healthy at birth."
"Yes, well that might as well be a closed deal; she's foaled several times before and all of them have been good sturdy horses." Mary replied. "And both she and Thane come from some of the best stock in the country."
Col. Tavington nodded silently, pulling his wife back against him, wrapping his arms around her as they watched Abbey prance about in the pasture. Still, he couldn't help but notice that Mary looked pale and didn't seem to have quite the glint in her eyes that she usually did.
"Has the baby been keeping you up?" He questioned softly as he began to sway slowly from side to side, moving her gently along with him.
"Not more than what is to be expected." Mary replied, leaning more heavily on the colonel so that she could relax for a minute before she added, "Speaking of which, I should probably go check on her. The horses are out so all you'll have to do is put them back in their stalls later."
"Thank you, love." Col. Tavington replied, kissing her cheek.
"You're welcome." Mary kissed him back before pulling away and starting back towards the house. However, before she got very far, her husband grabbed a hold of her wrist and pulled her back.
"Get some rest after you've made sure Brielle is all right. If need be, I can have the girls and the twins go to Peter's for the day and spend the night there as well if you just need some time."
"I thought Peter was going to be in town today..." Mary countered, not really wanting the colonel to have to disrupt his brother because of her even though she did feel she needed at least a little bit of time to rest and adjust some more to the situation.
"Actually, he said he was going to leave before dawn and to try to be back by midday or before if he could. Thomas and Charlotte were going to be down there as well, later today, before they leave tomorrow for holiday."
Mary sighed as she closed her eyes and shook her head before her gaze returned to her husband.
"You don't need to do this. I'm just tired."
"Just tired, or exhausted?" Col. Tavington turned her to face him, looking down at her with an unconvinced expression. "I had to wake you three times before you actually got up this morning and once during the night because you were sleeping so deeply that you didn't hear Brielle."
Mary clenched her jaw and made to retort, but the colonel cut her off with a finger to her lips.
"Darling, I know it isn't your fault, that the situation isn't favourable, especially when added with Brielle being still only days old, but please, try to rest. It isn't of any cost to myself or Peter to let you have some time and have the girls and the twins stay with him for a day and a night."
"You're sure?" Mary asked with a tone of reluctance.
"Yes. Now go on, tend to the little one and then lie down."
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"Is the lady all right?" Jae asked Col. Tavington two hours later as she, her sister and the twins gathered things for an overnight at Peter's.
"She's all right, Jae." The colonel replied, handing her the history book for her to tuck away into her own duffle. "Mary just needs a bit of time to adjust to things."
Jae nodded but said nothing as Jula and Brant both passed by her room, duffle bags in hand. She didn't like the thought that the situation was adding to Lady Tavington's stress but at the same time, there wasn't much she could do about it. Still, at least she would be getting some reprieve from their guests.
"Jae?" Col. Tavington's voice broke her momentary daze.
"Oh... sorry..." Jae gave him an apologetic smile.
"It's all right." The colonel replied with a smirk, squeezing her shoulder. "Now, you've got everything you need, do you not?"
Jae rolled her eyes but couldn't help a grin.
"Yes, of course. You know, it's only an overnight."
"I understand, but I still would have rather you stayed at Edward's."
"Really, I believe I can handle myself for a single day and night." Jae put a hand on Col. Tavington's arm and looked up at him reassuringly.
He shrugged and gave a small nod in response before handing Jae her duffle bag.
"I trust you were careful in packing your dress?"
"If you mean that it won't come out looking all wrinkled and dishevelled, yes. And of course, I'm going to hang in as soon as I get there. Though I would still rather I wore my jeans and a shirt."
The colonel didn't respond but gave her a firm look instead.
"Hey, you'd like 'em too if you ever tried 'em."
"Thank you, my dear, but I believe I'll stay with my own clothing..."
"Oh come on! Just once, when we get back; pleeeeease?"
"Jae!" Col. Tavington tried to glare at her but only succeeded in a stern glance before shaking his head. "Alright, we'll see. But I make no promises on the issue. Now go outside. I'm sure Morgana is getting impatient waiting for you, all saddled up and waiting in broad sunlight."
"Yeah, yeah, I'll go..."
Turning around, Jae went outside and mounted Morgana, while Jula came trotting up to her on Prince.
"Do you have any idea how dirty he was from being out in the pasture? And he was only out there for about an hour, because I took him out after the lady had released the others."
Jae laughed, reaching over to pat the side of Prince's neck. "Yeah, I know, and he's white too. At least Morgana didn't look that bad. But did you see the look on Aidan's face when he was told that he was going to be riding Phantom? Now there's a horse that likes to get dirty, very dirty. I thought he was going to freak out when he saw him out in the pasture."
Jula snickered. "Yeah, and to top it all off, Brant gets to ride Raine, who is still looking sleek and shiny."
"Yup, and he seems well mannered too. At least, more so than Asmodeus." Jae concluded.
"Jae, Uncle Jason's dogs are more well mannered than Asmodeus because Asmodeus is psychotic."
"Who is psychotic?"
Jula Turned and gave Col. Tavington a weak smile as he and Asmodeus came walking up.
"Your mount, apparently." Jae smirked as Jula's face turned bright red.
"You!" Jula reached over and punched her sister on the arm.
The colonel rolled his eyes and then turned to the twins who came riding up on their given mounts.
"Are we quite ready then?" He asked.
"Well, I guess." Brant replied. "Though I didn't think you would be coming with us."
"I figured I'd just take you four down there and then take Asmodeus out for a ride." Col. Tavington replied, patting his stallion on the neck as Asmodeus snorted before holding his head up in an important manner while glaring at Phantom who seemed to look indifferent at the larger horse's attempt to dominate.
Guiding Asmodeus towards the front of the other horses, the colonel started off at a walk down the entryway but quickly broke into a trot as soon as he reached the road with the others following behind until they came to a house, slightly smaller than his own but of a similar style, about a mile south down the road. Stepping out of the front door, Peter greeted them at the turnoff to his house.
"Well, we've certainly got the group here." Said Peter, walking up to Col. Tavington as he dismounted Asmodeus and took his reins, walking with him towards his stables while the others dismounted and followed suit.
"So, are you here to stay a while too or are you just passing through?" He asked.
"I'll come in, but I'm not staying, so Asmodeus needs no unsaddling." The colonel replied as he and his brother entered the stables where Peter's dark bay coloured stallion, Pan, poked his head out of his stall and nickered at Asmodeus, who only snorted back before being placed in the stall across from his while Peter showed the others where to place their mounts for the stay.
Waiting for his guests to unsaddle their horses and gather their things, Peter then proceeded to lead them away from the stables and into his house. Smaller in proportion but with the same layout as that of the colonel's estate, there was no trouble in directing Jae, Jula and the twins as to where the rooms were. Immediately, Aidan sought the largest of the guest rooms upstairs, while Brant picked one on the other end of the hallway. Jula picked the room that was of the same location as her room back at the estate while Jae chose a secluded corner room.
"Wanting some privacy, are you?" Aidan leaned casually in the doorway with a smirkish half-smile on his face as Jae turned around, momentarily startled before she replied, "It would be nice. I just kind of want to not be the centre of everything, even if it's for a little while. Besides, I think this situation is putting some undue stress on Lady Tavington." She averted her gaze, turning to take her dress out of the duffle so she could hang in an empty closet across from the bed.
"Well I'm not going to try to gloss things over on that one." Aidan consented, stepping further into the room. "And I also understand if you just want to have some time out of the spotlight for a while."
"Thanks." Jae's response was somewhat toneless.
Aidan shrugged before turning to leave just as Col. Tavington stepped into the room, nodding to him on the way out.
"I'm going to go take Asmodeus out for a while, probably on one of the long trails. I'll be expecting you four back around noon tomorrow. That should give you all plenty of time to get up, get ready and relax a bit beforehand as my brother isn't one to follow a strict, fast routine..."
"He's lazy?" Jae asked with a hint of an impish smile.
"Quite. Especially when he has nothing planned for the day." The colonel grinned mischievously. "He'd take his meals in bed every day if he could, and yet somehow, he manages to keep this place very presentable. And it's probably due to the fact that Edward will come around every once in a while to tell him to clean the place up."
"So he doesn't keep any servants then.."
"No, though I've heard him talk of getting one, at least for the meals; Peter loathes anything that involves work in the kitchen."
A contemplative look crossed Jae's features and she inquired, "But isn't this place smaller than yours and Peter the only occupant? You've got two children and a wife, and I've yet to see a single servant in your house."
"I prefer to do my own work, Jae. I don't believe a servant would be able to follow my particulars as there are many and at times, even Mary says they're obscure. Still, I've contemplated hiring one to help with Braden and Brielle, but I've left that decision up to my wife, who has yet to give her say on the issue. So for now, no, we don't have servants."
"Very interesting. Now Peter really does sound lazy." Jae smirked and gave a small chuckle.
Col. Tavington smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to him and kissed the top of her head.
"Well he is the youngest of the four of us; just don't let him hear that you agree with me. He may be lazy, but he's also a bit of an imp and will gladly go out of his way to cause trouble."
"That much is obvious." Jae replied, squeezing the colonel's arm. "Though I hardly believe you're any better."
Pursing his lips Col. Tavington squeezed her shoulders before shaking his head and commented, "My dear, there is a reason why Peter is known to be the fox amongst the four of us, though yes, it is true, I'll play mischief maker if I see an opportune moment."
"Of course..."
The colonel smirked before pulling away, glancing at the clock in the room.
"Alright, you're settled then… I'm going to go before Asmodeus breaks down the stall door in his impatience."
With a final hug, Col. Tavington left the room, his footsteps echoing down the hall while Jae stood motionless for minute before she made her way over to a large window by the bed. Outside, Peter's property sprawled before her, and though it was smaller than his brother's, it still made for a vast and open view as the fog had lifted, leaving the sun to shine down on healthy green pasture and fields.
"Nice view, isn't it?"
Jae whirled around to find Jula in the doorway with a small grin.
"Yeah, it is." She replied idly while turning to stare out the window some more.
"You can see the colonel's house from Brant's room, apparently. The whole place just has a nice view though. Even the road isn't that bad to look at."
Jae laughed.
"That's because there aren't cars whizzing by on a concrete road. In other words, yay for country serenity."
"You're tellin' me." Jula agreed before suggesting that the two leave the room to see what the twins and Peter were up to.
Making their way down the stairs, Jae and Jula paused momentarily at the sound of a loud crash coming from what seemed like one of the back rooms, followed by someone shouting, "GODDAMMIT!!"
"What the…?"
Both girls raised their eyebrows at the sight of Aidan and Brant wrestling around on the floor while Peter sat in a chair watching and snickering in amusement.
"Erm…." Jula looked questioningly at Peter who responded, "Brant took the opportunity once my brother had left to send Aidan crashing to the floor, nearly hitting his pretty little head on the corner of the chair."
"Well he deserved it.." Brant managed to dodge a blow from Aidan but was still caught in his grasp. "Been in a surly mood since we finished swordfighting this morning. Though I can't say I blame him; Col. Tavington- Ooof!!"
The youngest of the four Tavington brothers snickered even more, taking a sip from the whiskey he held while continuing to lounge comfortably in his chair.
"So, my brother taught you a lesson this morning, did he?" Peter asked, looking even more amused than before as he took another sip of whiskey, his clear blue eyes shining with mirth.
Aidan, incited by his host's amusement, proceeded to throw Brant off of him before tackling his laughing twin further.
Peter chuckled, gesturing for the girls to come in and sit down before saying, "They keep carrying on like this and I'll have amusement for the rest of the day."
"Wow, the colonel was right. You're way less…. out and about than he is." Jula spoke before biting her lip, her face flushed in embarrassment.
"Way to go." Jae nudged her but Peter only smirked and laughed.
"Ah, he told you I was lazy, did he? Well of course I'm lazy to him because in his definition, not getting up before dawn isn't pulling your weight. Not that I mind. It just means that I have significantly fewer headaches, no insomnia and am obviously more fun than my poor, poor brother. Though he does have Mary…"
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"Easy now, Asmodeus." Col. Tavington guided his stallion at a walk past the pasture containing Raine and some of the other Thoroughbreds.
Asmodeus made a grunting sound in response before letting out a snort and pinning down his ears at the sight of the other stallion, but was well reined in by his master all the way back to the stables, where he was unsaddled and let back into the pasture with Ember before the colonel returned back up to the house.
"Papa!" Braden greeted him as soon has he had gotten through the door, running straight into his father's arms.
Col. Tavington chuckled, spinning his son above his head before he brought him back down into his arms and started up the stairs. Once at the entrance of the master bedchamber, he and Braden entered quietly to find Mary sitting on the side of the four-poster, rocking Brielle in her arms.
"Did you get lost along the way home?" She asked with a smile while Braden clambered his way up onto the bed and wrapped his arms around her.
"No." The colonel gave a soft laugh. "I took Asmodeus on some trails on the way home. Did you just finish feeding Brielle?" He asked, sitting down on the bed next to her while Braden climbed into his lap.
"About ten minutes ago, actually." Mary replied, kissing her husband's cheek. "So how is Peter?"
"Peter is Peter. The same sprite of a brother he's always been. And yet somehow, he's managed to live this long without getting himself castrated by some poor girl's father or having his head lopped off for his reckless tendencies when drunk in a pub. Don't even begin to ask me how I can trust him with our guests."
"You trust him because you were just as bad as he was not too long ago. Worse in the way of being a libertine, from what I've heard." Mary's voice held a hint of a bite in it while mentioning the colonel's past sexual antics but she continued. "And you had more than your fair share of bad habits and recklessness to go along with it… Not that the latter bits have completely gone away. You're still impossibly particular and get very uptight over the slightest things. God and everyone else knows you've a colourful temper when your patience and rationality get tipped just the right amount." She finished with a sardonic tone, idly tousling Braden's coal-black hair and causing him to squeak indignantly, as he clasped his hands over his head. "Still, you've managed to straighten yourself out enough, just as he is managing now, even if he's still more of an imp."
Col. Tavington felt his cheeks begin to heat at his wife's words. She certainly wasn't playing at anything. It was true, he still had rash tendencies, raising his voice and snapping horribly at the nearest person if his temper got the best of him. He'd even done it to Braden a couple of times, reducing his son to tears as he turned tail and ran to seek the protection of his mother, who wasted no time in fighting the colonel back into his place with words sharper than any blade. As for his dealings with women, he had pursued them for years, with an appetite that was more voracious and insatiable than that of a wanton whore.
"I suppose I could trust him for one night…" Col. Tavington smiled archly.
Mary rolled her eyes though a smirk still twitched at the corners of her mouth as she replied, "Indeed. Besides, Peter is more of a sprite than a libertine. The worst he can do is embarrass you, which, of course, Braden does on a daily basis, so you should be used to it."
The colonel scoffed, trying to keep an indifferent air about him but failed when Mary laughed and tickled their son, eliciting a series of giggles and squirming from him as she said in a teasingly sweet voice, "Do you like to get Papa in trouble, Braden? Do you?"
Braden only giggled and squirmed more as she continued to tickle him, eventually grabbing onto his father's hunter-green waistcoat so he wouldn't tumble off the bed.
Wrapping his arms around Braden to further steady him, Col. Tavington tossed a look of disconcertion at his wife.
"You're a bad influence, do you know that?" He placed a mocking kiss on her cheek.
Mary only shrugged in response as she leaned over and made a face at Braden, who burst into laughter once more.
"Well did you expect a proper lady to wed you?"
"Of course not. Then again, I didn't expect to wed at all."
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"Oh wow…." Jae yawned sleepily as she awoke the next morning in a sunshine-filled room, blinking blearily before turning to look at the large clock in the room next to the door. "Half past nine?! Oh my god…"
Leaping out of bed, she struggled out of her pajama pants and oversized T-shirt, managing to get all the way to the corset in her dressing before calling for help on the confounded article of clothing.
"You need something?" Brant poked his head in the doorway before stepping in, half dressed in a shirt with a navy blue vest and waistcoat but still in pajama pants that had rubber ducks all over them.
"Uh..." Jae looked him up and down with a puzzled expression, the corset hanging limply in her hands.
"Yeah, I was in the middle of getting dressed..."
"Oh... Well nice pants." Jae couldn't help but smirk as she gestured at Brant's remaining nightwear.
"Hey, they're comfortable!" Brant replied indignantly. "And be glad it's me who walked in and not Aidan, lest you want to see him in black silk boxers in the morning."
"Ok, I'll pass on that.." Jae responded quickly, causing her companion to laugh aloud.
"So, need help with the corset?" He asked.
"If you don't mind.." Jae held it up, looking rather sheepish.
"Not in the least." Brant couldn't help but chuckle at her predicament before stepping behind her as she slipped the corset on to begin lacing it up.
"God, I don't see how Lady Tavington even stands these things." Jae spoke as Brant carefully threaded the laces through the offending garment.
"She's used to it, Jae." Brant laughed softly. "Though it helps that she's a petite woman."
"No kidding." Jae let out a small gasp as Brant began to pull the laces of the corset to tighten it.
"Well look at it this way, in the next few months, you won't be wearing one."
"Yeah." Jae's voice was somewhat hollow. "Anyway, thanks again."
"You're welcome. Now that you're dressed and adorable looking in the most conservative undergarments I've ever seen, I'm going to go and leave you to finish the rest." Brant smirked, provoking a laugh from the eldest of the Barrington sisters.
"See ya!"
Fifteen minutes later, Jae was fully presentable; heading downstairs, she said a quick "hello again" to Brant, who also now at a presentable stage of dress, and was making his way to a different room to look over some prop sketches that he had brought with him, before making her way past the front room but paused suddenly at the sound of a loud snore, stepping in to find Peter slumped in a chair, sound asleep.
"Wow, how long has he been sleeping?" Jae turned and smirked as Jula came to stand beside her, looking over at Peter with a perplexed expression.
"Well he didn't fall asleep there last night, and those aren't the same clothes as yesterday." Aidan came walking up silently behind them, startling Jae with the sudden sound of his voice.
"Hmmmm…."
Just then, Peter emitted a loud noise, somewhere between a snort and a wheeze, mumbling in garbled speech, "Will, stop stealing the geese…." The rest was far too slurred to comprehend.
Jula raised an eyebrow, looking thoroughly confounded as she turned to her companions.
"Oh yeah, like I would know." Jae retorted. "But man, that's gotta be one entertaining dream."
"Definitely." Aidan chimed in. "The colonel stealing geese.."
"Are you sure he wasn't trying to say 'keys'?" Jula wondered.
"Nope." Jae responded matter-of-factly. "He clearly said 'geese', though the rest was completely warbled, unintelligible sleep talk."
"Definitely." Aidan agreed. "So, do we leave him there or wake him up?"
Before any of the girls responded, there was a loud and impatient knock at the door. Glancing back at Peter, who showed no signs of waking to the noise, Aidan took the initiative and went to open the door only to find Edward and Leal standing before him, the former looking ruffled as his eyes were slightly narrowed and his hands were fisted at his sides.
"Is Peter in?" Edward asked, his voice hinting irritation.
"He is, however, he's sleeping." Aidan replied as politely as he could.
Edward rolled his eyes, scowling before walking straight in the door, gesturing for Leal to follow.
"Peter!" Edward raised his voice to his sleeping brother, whose only reaction was to turn over in his chair, still fast asleep. "Dammit..."
Striding right up to the chair Peter was in, he grabbed the chair and tipped it until his brother tumbled out, landing on the floor with a thud, eyes snapping open before he sputtered, "What the bleeding hell is going on?"
"Did you not remember that you were supposed to bring me the finance records this morning before I left for town?" Edward growled.
"Well… Erm, I must have forgotten." Peter shrugged and smiled guiltily.
"Good lord, Peter, is that your reasoning for every little thing you neglect?"
"I didn't completely neglect it; I was taking a bit of a rest as I was up late last night…"
"And I'm supposed to accept that as reason enough?" Edward hissed.
"If you're willing, yes." Peter replied cheekily.
Edward bit his lip in a successful attempt to keep from releasing what would have been a stream of curse words and instead asked, "Well did you calculate your part and balance everything out?"
Peter gave an uneasy smile, which earned him a very dark look from his brother.
"Peter…"
Peter snickered before grinning in a childish manner up at Edward.
"Of course I've got everything done and calculated, right down to the last cent."
"And where might I find all of this?" Edward's voice was terribly strained, along with his patience.
Peter glanced up at the ceiling as if it might have had the answer written upon it, tapping his fingertips together before pointing in random directions, muttering to himself all the while, while his brother looked as if he was about to burst.
"Well?" Edward's voice was slightly louder than its normal volume.
"Well…" Peter had moved to twiddling his thumbs before suddenly sitting up, childish smile back in place.
"They're in the washroom across the hall from my bedchamber." He replied with a definite tone.
"Did it honestly take you that long to remember?" Edward looked positively nonplussed. "I should have been gone on my way to town by now!"
"Well, my apologies. And honestly, no, it didn't take me that long to remember, though how could I pass up the chance to see the expression on your face? It was truly one to treasure…"
"Thank you." Edward replied in a flat voice. "I'm so pleased you've gleaned such amusement from my facial expressions. Now, if you'll please excuse me…"
Stalking past his brother and leaving Leal in the front room, Edward went to fetch the records, his huffy muttering echoing softly as he made his way upstairs.
"Well that was interesting…" Brant decided to break the awkward silence that immediately began to form between the group left in the front room as soon as Edward had left.
"Definitely." Jae nodded in agreement. "It might be the most amusing thing that's happened this morning… wait, no, it's tied with Peter's sleep talking."
"Pardon me, but I don't recall ever being told that I talked in my sleep." Peter spoke up indignantly.
"Oh you talk…" Jula said with a smirk. "You talk about geese."
Peter looked completely bewildered and Jae couldn't help but snicker behind her hand at him.
I wonder if he knows that he snores too…
"If it is of any consolation, I walk in my sleep. Or at least, I used to." Leal spoke.
Turning to Leal, Jae was mildly surprised to hear him interject, but covered herself by saying, "You sleepwalk?"
"Well, I'm not sure if I do anymore, though I do know that my mother, when I was a boy, would get herself all in a knot because she'd put me to bed and not several hours later, would find me sound asleep at the bottom of the stairs. She even told me that I'd once tried to open the door and get out of the house. After that, everything was made tightly secure and I took up sleeping quarters in a bedroom downstairs because she was horrified at the prospect that I'd fall down and break my neck if I ended up going down the stairs again." Leal explained.
Just then, Edward came stalking back into the room, flipping through the finance records, looking over them with a critical eye.
"It's all in order, brother." Peter rolled his eyes.
"Yes yes, I know." Edward replied, not looking up from the records. "But it's habit; I've got to check anyway."
A minute later, Edward looked up, apparently satisfied.
"Perfect…again."
"Wow…" Jula remarked. "Apparently, he's not as lazy as he looks."
Peter smirked, looking ever so smug.
"Indeed." Edward sniffed. "I'll admit, Peter is a very efficient record keeper. Even better than Will at times, and almost as good as Mary, who will also do some of the recordkeeping on occasion.."
"And that's saying something." Jae commented.
Peter chuckled.
"That's why I do most of the record keeping. Will will spend nearly thirty minutes on a single page, and rip it completely out and start anew if he gets the tiniest thing wrong. Of course, it all looks nice and neat whenever he does it because of this. Bit disturbing really…almost doesn't look human because of how orderly it is."
"Yup, no surprise there." Jae commented.
"Alright, Peter, enough bragging, lest your head get too large to fit in this room.
Peter pretended to look wounded as he stuck out his lip in a pouting manner, but Edward didn't indulge him. Instead, he made to move to the front door, saying a quick "Good day, Peter" over his shoulder before turning to Leal, who had followed him to the door.
"Well, I've got to go; my apologies for being abrupt about it. I probably won't return until late tonight. In the meantime, you're welcome to do as you please, though Cristabel may need your assistance later tonight with things."
Leal nodded, responding with a soft, "Yes, sir. Of course."
"I thought you had come with him…" Jae stated as soon as Edward had left.
"Well, I was out for a ride, actually, when I happened to see Edward heading over to Peter's and decided to go with him; he didn't mind, even if he was a bit… put out. But now that my host has left, I may just return back to the house and find a good book to spend my day lost in."
"That does sound like a good idea, actually." Jae considered the prospect herself before remembering with disappointment that the only book she had with her was the history book.
Why, oh why, did I have to leave Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at home?
"Well, actually, I left all of my good reading material someplace else that is quite out of reach. So, I guess that option is out for me."
"You do have your history book…" Aidan encouraged.
"Aidan, do you honestly believe the girl wants to read a book that is probably drier than an old Sunday morning preacher for simple amusement?" Peter piped up.
Aidan's eyes narrowed slightly but he kept his cool.
"This one isn't that dry. I've read it, and have found it amusing enough."
"Actually, I'm in agreement with Peter. At least for right now." Jae spoke up.
"Yes, but don't you have some… homework you should be working on?" Aidan gave Jae a meaningful look.
"It can wait." Jae rolled her eyes.
"Well then, if you've nothing better to do, I've got all day, or at least, a good amount of it. Perhaps you would like to join me for a ride?" Leal suggested before adding, "The rest of you are welcome to come as well, of course."
"I don't believe that's a wise idea." Aidan replied before Jula added, "Yes, I'd rather not get into trouble with the colonel."
Jae shrugged.
"I'll go." She said nonchalantly. "Anything to make this day at least somewhat interesting. Thank you for the offer."
"Jae…" Aidan put a hand on her arm, giving her a warning glance. "Do you honestly want to get into trouble with Col. Tavington. Because this would more than do it."
Jae sighed in irritation.
"Well then I'll deal with it. In the meantime, I'd rather do something interesting with my day, so..."
Aidan clenched his jaw, forcing out a strained sounding "Very well".
Jae nodded and said, "Alright, well, if nothing else, I'll meet you all when you get home, though I'll try to make it sooner."
With that, Jae and Leal headed out the door, leaving the twins, Jula and Peter still standing and sitting around in the front room.
i Septime- Parry(A block of the attack, made with the forte of one's own blade); blade down and to the inside, wrist supinated.
ii Compound attack- An attack or riposte incorporating one or more feints to the opposite line that the action finishes in.
iii
Cross- An advance or retreat by crossing one leg over the other.
iv Feint- Attacking in one line with the intention of switching to another line before the attack is completed.
v
Lunge- An attack made by extending the rear leg and landing on the bent front leg.
vi
Beat- An attempt to knock the opponent's blade aside or out of line by using one's foible or middle against the opponent's foible.
vii
Coulé- Also graze, glise, or glissade; an attack or feint that slides along the opponent's blade.
viii
Redoublement- A new action that follows an attack that was missed or parried.
ix
Cut- An attack made with a chopping action of the blade, landing with the edge or point.
x
Bind- An attack in which the opponent's blade is forced into the diagonally opposite line.
xi
Froissement- An attack that displaces the opponent's blade by a strong grazing action.