Gregory made his way up the stairs and into the noise and bustle of the main foyer, the sound of so many people almost made him want to rush back downstairs again. But he didn't move, he just stood there frowning at the whole scene knowing that there really was nothing that he could do at this point beside get in the way of people who actually knew what they doing. But it was a frustrating situation for him to be in. The thought of so many people in his dorm was making the blood rush to his head from the stress, but he had to console himself with the knowledge that it wouldn't take long for them to finish. In fact they were making record time. Just since this morning a new large glass window and frame had been installed, even though it was not stained glass it would suffice; the original window had been custom made and it would take time for a new one to be commissioned and put into place.
So for now, once again, there was nothing else to be done so he walked back out of the dorm and stood indecisively at the steps to the building before finally setting off in the direction of the gazebo. In truth there was no other direction for him to take. He could go upstairs to his little room in the attic but with so many people around it didn't seem as private as it once had. So for now he went to the only other place where he thought he might have some privacy which was the gazebo; as he approached he saw the rest of P4 was already there but he didn't mind as they were the only people he could tolerate for an extended amount of time.
Even from a distance he could see that everyone was already gathered there. He saw them look over his way and waved at him, but he did not wave back; there was no point since they knew he was coming to them. Instead walking across that open field made him feel exposed and put on display and he pulled his hood further down over his face to conceal himself. Once he reached the gazebo he quickly found a chair that was not occupied and sat down, letting out an involuntary sigh of relief. Bluer heard it and raised his eyebrow at him as he set his book down.
"Is that business with the dorm getting you down Gregory? I know that you especially detest there being anyone inside your house." Bluer said thoughtfully.
Violet looked out from under his hood before answering. "Sadly it is necessary, at least they are making good progress and I think they'll be done soon anyway."
And with that he settled back down into his chair and tried his best to disappear into his hood. The other were used to his behavior and no one questioned it or bothered him, if they really needed his opinion on something they would of course ask. Until then he was surrounded by the relative silence of the courtyard, even with the sound of people walking past it was nothing compared to the noise that was going on in the Violet house. He really hoped that they would not be working at night on the damage since the noise would disrupt the sleep and study of everyone who lived there. However, they were making excellent time and even rudimentary repairs would be done in no time. But with the more intricate work, like replacing the stained glass window, would be done once the term ended and students were sent home; giving the repairmen ample time to set everything as it had once been.
It was then that Gregory noticed that a tray of tea and cakes and other desserts had already been set out on the table. Someone must have brought it and his stomach grumbled again, he frowned at that since it was not that long since he had eaten. But the tea sounded delightful and he busied himself with making a cup when he realized the others were talking about Josie; he sat back in his chair with his fresh cup of earl grey and pretended like he had only a passing interest in what was being said.
But it was actually Redmond who seemed to be relishing talking about his estranged cousin. The blond was sitting in the high backed chair perfectly balancing a plate on one hand and taking dainty bites, looking just as elegant as ever. He was shaking his head forlornly as he talked about Josie. "It really was dreadful business that happened with the poor girls' father," he crooned taking another dainty bite of Crème Brule before setting the plate down and sighing.
"What exactly do you mean by that Edgar?" The person asking was Greenhill. The boy had even stopped swinging his cricket bat around and sat down with a genuine interest. If the Green House prefect was not aware that he had a crush on Josie it was almost painfully aware to everyone present. Even to Gregory it felt uncomfortable though he was not sure why he would feel this way for his friends' feelings towards the girl. Meanwhile, the school boy crush Greenhill had on Josie seemed to do nothing except amuse Edgar; which might be in fact what kept him talking about her just to see how the young man would react.
Edgar pushed his hair dramatically behind his ears as he gave a tiny sigh. "Well, as you can imagine, once I met my poor estranged cousin I was entirely intrigued! So I wrote my family asking if they knew of anything else about her past that might shed light on her current predicament. I just received the letter this morning and it seems the poor Miss Josephine was cheated out of her inheritance!"
At this time he paused again and made himself a cup of tea, everyone knew better than to hurry Edgar when he was telling a story. He enjoyed making people wait almost as much as he enjoyed telling the tale. Of course he was taking his time and sat back in the chair and demurely crossed his legs. "Well, it seems that the poor girl was set to inherit some money, but a dirty business partner of his ran off with money that was initially meant to go to his daughter! I am not sure of the sum total of this mind you; but it apparently would have been enough to secure the girls welfare for the rest of her life. She would not even need to marry if she did not wish to do so." The last sentence brought a smile to his face as if the idea of a girl not marrying was something unusual and not at all normal. Gregory personally did not know what the problem would be with it. He himself had several aunts and great aunts that never married; but then again his family was strange when compared to others and did not follow normal social customs.
Meanwhile Greenhill gritted his teeth and swung his bat in enough of a menacing way that Gregory subconsciously winced at it as it whistled through the air. "If I had a chance at that thief of a man I would make sure that she got her inheritance back!" Greenhill said with venom, and at that moment Violet agreed with him wholeheartedly. Thus far Josie had seemed like a kind and honest girl who did not deserve to be cheated from the money her father had strived so hard to leave for her. It was a travesty to be sure. But then again such things happened to people even if they were good at heart; the nature of the world did not favor the good at heart.
Edgar sighed softly as he looked at Greenhill with an amused expression. "Or if you feel that strongly about the girls' welfare then perhaps you should just marry her?" At that suggestion Greenhill turned a deep shade of red and turned away.
"That wouldn't be possible, my parents wouldn't allow it. I am supposed to marry some kind of society girl that my family approves of." The boy said with a kind of sad resignation. In many ways Violet could agree with him; the same was true for all of them. Even Violet might one day be forced to marry someone that his family liked even if he did not. He was the eldest and only male child and he would have to marry regardless of his own feelings and desires. If he was even the second or third son he could stay single forever and no one would care; it was a depressing thought.
He shook his head clearing the thoughts from his mind. There was no use worrying about the future when he did not have control over most of it anyway. Though he did envy Josie in a way; she was not a noblewoman and if she ever so choose she would be able to marry for love and to pick her husband instead of having him chosen for her. People envied the rich but no one seemed to understand how much of a cage privilege and money could be to those born into it.
A sudden thought came to him, that if Josie had been a noblewoman, that he might have been able to marry her. It was a strange thought and it left him feeling uncomfortable for some reason. He should not care one way or another but it did worry him a little. Perhaps he was getting a little too attached to the girl for whatever reason. He burrowed down deeper into his chair as he tried to process what he was feeling; but his thoughts kept veering off track. For now it might be better to steer clear of the girl as much as possible; despite the fact that he was supposed to "look after her" as Edgar wanted. He would have to use the fact that he was too busy with the dorm repairs to look after her properly. If he did not see her, he hoped, perhaps he would not think about her in such unsettling ways.