I'm back at it! Sorry for the delay in updating—things have been moving along with my original novel, and I haven't had much time for fan fiction. Don't give up on me, though. I will finish Intrigue at Artemesia Manor, I promise!
Lady Park leaned her head against the sofa and fanned herself with her hand. "Cress, dear, could you have Gibbs bring me a glass of wine? I'm positively parched."
The slight woman lay sprawled out in the parlor, already well on her way to being drunk at two in the afternoon. Cress bit her lip and went to fetch the old housekeeper. Gibbs rolled her eyes when Cress told her what Lady Park had requested.
"Might try a glass of water if she were actually thirsty," the woman grumbled, but she went to get a bottle from the wine cellar.
Cress returned to the parlor and sat at a chair by the window. She looked out at the perfectly green lawn, imagining herself playing bowls or croquet instead of being cooped up here with her slightly drunk caretaker. She imagined she'd be quite good at croquet, only she'd never had the chance to play. Lady Park said it wasn't proper.
She allowed herself a small sigh.
"Why don't you play me some music, Cress, dear?" Lady Park called from across the room. "The pianoforte is an excellent skill for a lady to have."
Cress obliged, going over to the instrument and searching through the books for something to play. She finally settled on a Pleyel sonatina that had been given her by Winter the year before.
Playing pianoforte wasn't her favorite pastime, but once she allowed herself to be swept away by the music, she almost forgot the heat and the boredom of the day. She imagined herself a famous musician, performing for dukes and duchesses. Her sweet voice and nimble fingers were spoken of across the country, and she had just been invited to perform for the queen.
Cress smiled to herself.
Her playing was interrupted when Gibbs came into the room.
"Miss Darnel," she said. "You've had a visitor."
Cress's eyes darted around. Could it be Captain Thorne? Had he come to profess his love to her?
Gibbs held out a piece of paper. She accepted it in confusion.
Sorry for the note and the late notice, it said. I sent this with a village boy because I'm too busy getting ready to come tell you in person. We're having a spur of the moment picnic in the meadows behind the castle ruins. Would you join us? We'll go out in an hour's time.
It was signed, Mrs. Kinney.
It was no confession of love from a handsome captain, but Cress's heart leaped at the prospect.
"It's an invitation to a picnic with Mrs. Kinney," she told Lady Park. "Can I go? Please?"
Lady Park waved her hand, gazing up at the ceiling. "Don't be out too late, and bring a shawl in case it gets chilly."
"Oh, thank you!" Cress raced out of the room before she could change her mind.
They rode to the meadow behind the castle ruins in Mr. Kinney's carriage, with a whole host of servants bringing wicker baskets stuffed to the brim with food. When they arrived, everyone got out and helped set up blankets while the servants laid out their repast.
Aside from the Kinneys, the picnic guests included Colonel Kesley and his fiancée, Miss Benoit; Lady Blackburn; and Selene. When Cress asked where Winter was, Lady Backburn shook her head.
"The poor girl has, unfortunately, taken ill. I left her at the manor with her maidservant."
She didn't sound particularly concerned about it, but Cress thought perhaps she was hiding her emotions for the sake of their picnic. After they'd eaten the main course and Lady Blackburn was distracted talking to Mr. Kinney, Selene leaned over to Cress.
"Winter seemed perfectly healthy last time I saw her. I think she's angry at her for what happened at the ball."
"What happened at the ball?" Cress couldn't help but ask. She knew gossip wasn't proper, but she truly was curious about her friend's strange circumstance.
Before Selene could answer, Mrs. Kinney and Miss Benoit made their way over and plopped down on the blanket next to them.
"I've been trying to convince Miss Benoit to come explore the castle ruins with me," Mrs. Kinney said by way of greeting. "I've been positively itching to investigate them, but dear Mr. Kinney is too staid and proper to ever take me."
She shot a haughty look at her husband, who stopped talking with Lady Blackburn long enough to reply with a cheeky wink. Mrs. Kinney's cheeks turned pink as she smiled and waved back, apparently forgetting she had just been complaining about him.
"You were saying…?" Selene said drily.
"Oh!" Mrs. Kinney replied. "Uh…I was saying that we should explore the ruins after the picnic. If you're all up for it."
"I'll go if you two go," Miss Benoit offered. "Something tells me I shouldn't get stuck in the woods alone with this one." She gestured at Mrs. Kinney.
"That sounds like fun," Selene said. "I'm all in."
Cress nodded her agreement as well, and so it was decided.
As the group was eating a dessert of strawberries and scones, the sound of hooves drew their attention west. A group of men on horseback swung bottles around and hooted jovially in the distance. When they noticed the picnickers, they quieted down and headed toward them. Cress shielded her eyes against the setting sun, but she couldn't make out the riders until they stood over them, perched on proud military horses.
"Captain Thorne!" she said, her heart sinking a little. "What a surprise."
She may have been imagining it, but he seemed a little embarrassed to have been caught behaving in such an ungentlemanly manner. He ducked his head and removed his hat. His two companions followed suit, though they seemed considerably less ashamed to be caught in the act.
"Miss Darnel—a pleasure to see you. And Mrs. Kinney, Lady Selene, Miss Benoit, Colonel Kesley, Mr. Kinney…did I miss anyone? Oh yes, charming Lady Blackburn. How do you do?"
"Marvelous," Lady Blackburn intoned.
Colonel Kesley cleared his throat. "Are you enjoying the sights of the countryside, Captain?"
Captain Thorne's already red face just got redder. "Very much so, sir."
"Good."
The group sat looking at each other for a moment, then Captain Thorne said, "Well, it was a pleasure running into you, but I'm afraid we must be going. Have a lovely picnic!"
He turned his horse back the way they came and cantered away. His smug companions followed suit, leaving only a trail of floating dust in their wake.
Lady Blackburn broke the silence. "Well, I never!"
"He's certainly an interesting fellow," Selene said, almost in agreement.
Silently, Cress mulled over the way Captain Thorne had greeted her first out of all of them, but out loud she said, "Yes. Interesting, indeed."
Mrs. Kinney was eager to explore the ruins before nightfall, so they soon set out while the men and Lady Blackburn packed up the picnic. It was only a short walk through some wooded paths, but Cress was glad she was with the others. She would surely have gotten lost on her own.
The former castle was now mostly just bricks and a dilapidated turret, but Cress felt enchanted the instant they stepped into its courtyard. Though they were closed in on all sides by crumbling walls, there was so much space here for imagination. She let herself get swept up in the fantasy of this castle's glory days as the group wandered through its corridors. Mrs. Kinney chatted about knights and princesses the whole time, but Cress barely paid attention. This wasn't a place for chatting—it was a place for dreams to come true.
"We should get going," Miss Benoit finally said, gesturing at the sun as it touched the horizon.
She and the others headed down the path, but Cress lingered.
"I'm just going to take a moment to say goodbye," she told them. There was something special about these ruins, magic even, and she wanted to bask in it for just a little longer.
"Well hurry," Selene said. "It's getting dark."
When she'd finished, the others had disappeared into the woods, and she hurried to catch up. She reached a fork in the path almost immediately. Which way had they come from?
She took off down the right path, which looked more familiar than the other, but after a few minutes, she hadn't caught up to them. The dark trees grabbed at her dress as she went back to where she started and took the other path. If she didn't hurry, the light would be gone before she could find her way back to her friends.
After a few blind turns, she began to panic. Where had they gone?
She called out, "Selene? Mrs. Kinney?"
She thought she heard something in the distance—a reply shout, perhaps—but then her second call was not responded to. The sky through the branches of the trees was almost completely dark, and she continued shouting for her friends as she tried to find the other side of the woods. If she could only get out of the woods, she could find the spot where they'd picnicked.
To make things worse, a light rain had started up, and soon the path was slick with mud. She started crying at some point, and soon she was convinced she was lost forever. The wood hadn't seemed so large when they'd first ventured in, but now she knew she would never find her way out.
Then she heard it—another shout, this time closer.
"Cress!"
"I'm here!" she called, her voice breaking. "Over here!"
"Cress!"
It was a man's voice. She followed the sound, and to her surprise she was only a few meters from a path that exited the woods. She cleared the bushes and looked up to see her knight in shining armor astride a horse, both of them soaked to the bone.
"Cress!" Captain Thorne exclaimed, leaping off his horse. "We've been looking all over for you. Here—let me help you up."
He took her hand and helped her into the stirrup. She had a hard time doing much of anything—her wet dress clung to her legs in a way that was both scandalous and inconvenient—but they eventually managed to get her sitting sidesaddle. Captain Thorne hopped up and looked back at her, his hair dark with water that dripped onto his eyelashes.
"You know, there are easier ways to get a man's attention than getting lost in the woods," he teased as he set the horse to walking.
Cress tensed with embarrassment. "I wasn't trying—I just—I stayed back to say goodbye to the ruins." She cringed as she admitted her silliness.
To her surprise, Captain Thorne didn't seem disgusted at the notion of her bidding farewell to inanimate objects. Instead, the right side of his mouth quirked up in amusement.
"You're a funny girl, Miss Darnel," he said, barely audible over the torrent of rain.
The first person they saw was Mrs. Kinney, who looked absolutely hysterical with her wide eyes and the wet hair plastered to her face.
"Cress! Oh, thank goodness we found you! We were so worried!"
Then the others came running, everyone shouting with relief at the sight of her. The rain had abated, and she smiled weakly as they crowded around Captain Thorne, applauding him for rescuing her. He waved away their praise.
"I was merely doing my duty as a servant of England," he said.
"You must come back to the manor," Lady Blackburn simpered. "It's the closest, and we can get you dried off before you catch cold. Miss Darnel, you can come too."
"Thank you, my lady," Cress said, though she had a feeling it was too late to avoid catching cold. As if on cue, she sneezed.
Colonel Kesley made to help Cress off the horse, but Captain Thorne stopped him.
"I will personally take Miss Darnel to Artemesia Manor. I simply can't let her out of my sight until I know she's safe. You go on ahead with the carriage—I'll follow behind."
"But what if it starts raining again?" Selene asked, always the practical one.
"I'll be okay," Cress said, not exactly eager to try and maneuver her way off this horse without ripping her skirts quite yet.
"The longer we wait around discussing it, the more risk we have of getting caught in a downpour again," the captain said cheerfully. "We will follow you to the manor. Au revoire! And get on with it."
And so they set off, Cress on a horse with Captain Thorne, following behind the carriage. She pinched herself the whole way to be sure it was real.