This is my third update today. Cool! Hopefully I can make it four? :D

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Guileless Love

When Gill pictured the place Julius lived, he did not imagine a cottage by the river. He had concocted an image of a large, eccentric mansion with strange lawn decorations and many rooms to explore for various moods. This house was the last thing he expected to see. It was very small. White brick with flowers in the window pots and only one story. It looked… perfectly normal. Except for the purple roof anyways.

The smoke stack in the chimney told that someone was inside, so Gill stepped up to the door and rapped with the back of his knuckles. He waited a few moments, looking at the neatly trimmed lawn and pots of flowers that surrounded the house. The water wheel was rather a view-blocker. It groaned on its wooden axis, churning the water with a constant sloshing noise.

Confused, Gill turned back to the door to knock again. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a woman was standing in the open doorway, just staring at him. He didn't hear her.

She spoke first. "W-who are you?"

"My name is Gill Gray," Gill cleared his throat. "I am here to—"

"I-I know," She interrupted in a quiet, mousy voice. She looked up at him with big, bashful blue eyes that were impossible to miss. "Come in, p-please."

"Thank you," He nodded. The woman cleared the way, holding the door for him. Passing the threshold, Gill tried not to drop his jaw. Everything in the house was neat and orderly, but Julius' untold fortunes were not present in the ordinary items and furnishings. There was nothing extravagant or elegant or even artsy. It was boring. Julius Wotton couldn't possibly live here.

The door behind him gently clicked shut. The nervous, stuttering woman came up around him, avoiding him like the plague as she made her way to the kitchen. "Please have a seat. Would you… l-like some tea?"

"Yes, thank you," Gill hung up his coat and wandered to the first chair he saw. It was high-backed and wooden and once he was settled in it – extremely uncomfortable. He eyed the menial pictures on the wall and cleared his throat again. "Is Lord Wotton in?"

"N-not yet," The woman's tiny voice answered from the stove. She picked up a steaming kettle, having already prepared a pot before he came. She filled two ceramic tea cups and placed them carefully on a tray. "He's out visiting, I think. Pr-probably Mr. Hallward."

Gill thought it was curious she didn't know where he was, but he didn't think much on it. The little woman set the tea tray on the table and pulled out a chair for herself. Her mesmeric blue eyes moved from Gill to the chair and she changed her mind, pushing the chair in. She stood, staring down at her wringing hands.

Though he thought her behavior strange, Gill Gray remained ever polite and took one of the flower print cups. Tasting the sweet herb tea, he decided it was very good and took another sip.

"M-my husband talks about you a-a lot, Mr. Gray… It's very nice to meet you."

He almost spit out his tea. Lord Julius was married!? The man certainly didn't act like it… Then again, how was one supposed to act when married? Gill set the cup in the saucer, unable to decide whether or not to put it down. He wound up holding it awkwardly with both hands. "Oh? It's very nice to meet you…?"

"C-Candace!" She quickly provided, flustered. "I-I'm sorry – I never introduced myself…"

Gill actually looked at this woman for the first time. She was frumpily dressed in a baggy blue sweater that hid whatever figure she had. It was over-sized, and her hands tugged at the fraying sleeves. It was obviously a habit of hers. She wore a long, plaid tweed skirt that went down to her ankles. Her eyes matched her sad periwinkle braids that hung on either side of her face, and she had fluffy bangs that hung in her eyes like a shield. Still, Gill wanted to call her pretty – in a dainty sort of way. And she seemed very sweet behind her clear shyness. Why had Julius never mentioned her?

Keeping the fact to himself, Gill smiled in his most gentlemanly manner. "Well, it's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Wotton. This tea is very good – why don't you sit down?"

Her face going red from the attention, Wotton's wife hurriedly pulled back a chair and sat herself in it. She continued to stare at her hands, unable to look up. "W-would you like more tea? I've a whole k-kettle…"

"That's fine, thank you," Gill refused politely. "Do you know when Lord—er—your husband will be home?"

She shook her head. "I… I don't really know where he goes… I'm sorry."

"Don't trouble yourself," Mr. Gray insisted, though he found it even stranger now that he knew she was his wife. Curious and bold enough to ask (as Gill was quickly finding himself to dislike beating around the bush as of late), he said: "So do you ever go out with him?"

"Wh-what?" She looked up timidly.

He didn't know if he was rude, if the question was stupid, or if she simply didn't understand. He preferred the latter and continued: "I was just wondering why I've never seen you before."

"Oh… oh, I-I don't go out…" Candace shook her head again. She reached for her cup of tea and held it in her lap. "I'm busy… here with the house, you know…"

It was a tiny house. She wasn't fooling anybody – especially not Gill Gray. He gave her an appraising look. "I'm sure he'd be happy to have you along! You ought to join him when he comes to dinner."

After taking a long sip, Candace set down the china without a clatter. She was a master of silence and blending in. Gill was still baffled that Julius married a girl like this – or that she would marry a man like Julius! She looked awfully young, too.

Breaking him from his thoughts, Candace spoke up in a stronger voice: "You know my husband, Mr. Gray. You know what he's… like."

Gill wasn't sure where this was going, but the way her eyes were concentrated on her discarded tea cup unnerved him. He could plainly see she was pained.

"Always… well… he doesn't have time for me…" She admitted. "Places to go and things to… to do… He spends his money as he chooses… And I'm happy here."

He finally understood. Lord Julius lived for himself. Because of it, his poor wife was quite forgotten. Left behind to tend a house he's almost never in. Without money of her own, she couldn't do the things that pleased her – unlike her husband who had all the money and all the fun. Of course, she could live comfortably here, but she was caged. Like a pretty, little blue bird… It was a sour thought.

Gill found himself fingering the rose he picked up that morning. The smooth petals were still fresh, but the ends had started to curl inwards from the lack of water.

"I'm s-sorry, Mr. Gray – I shouldn't be saying such things… My… My apologies!" Candace suddenly said. She sprung up faster than Gill could have imagined, and she had swiped up the tea things like she was being timed. The blue girl hurried back to the kitchen, and the front door opened.

It was like she could hear him coming. Lord Julius stood in the doorway, cane clicking against the hard wood as he stepped inside. He threw his coat upon the rack and turned to Gill like he wasn't surprised to see him even though the visit was unexpected.

"Lord Wotton," Gill greeted; standing and bowing slightly. "Your forgiveness for my untimely visit—"

"Mr. Gray, what a surprise!" Julius smiled, spreading his arms. His cane made a resounding clang as he brought it down before himself. The lord sank languidly into one of the high-backed chairs, making them look comfortable. "Sit, sit – I see Candace brought you tea?"

Gill sat back down. "Yes, it's very good."

"Lovely girl," Julius nodded as if she was the hired help. "Candace, darling, don't worry about tea for me – I've just been around from the Inn. Just some water – walking is so taxing."

"Y-yes, of course," Candace answered, already carrying the glass.

She set it down on the table next to him and attempted to scurry away. Julius caught her, tapping her fondly on the chin. "Perk up, darling; Mr. Gray won't bite."

Mrs. Wotton gave a small smile and quickly left. The door to the only other room closed soundlessly behind her. Though Gill pitied her somewhat and felt she looked distressed, Julius Wotton made no note of this and drank his water.

"So what brings a lad like you around a home like mine?" Julius asked, already knowing Gill's opinion of the cottage.

Smiling slightly, Gill said: "I admit I was surprised to see the great Lord Wotton lived in a cottage."

"I think it's quaint, don't you? And it serves its purpose," Julius mused, looking around like he was in a doll's house. Julius' eyes shined like a cat's as he turned his attentions back to his guest. "Now enough of these trivialities! Your face tells me something exciting has happened!"

Completely forgetting the troubles of Mrs. Wotton, Gill smiled guiltily. "I really must thank you, Lord Wotton. If you had never convinced me… to live, I might have never… met her."

Julius smirked and leaned back into the chair. "Please tell me it isn't the Duchess of Monmouth!"

"Who?" Gill asked.

"Good boy," he chuckled. "Think nothing of her. Now tell me about this butterfly you have pinned to the wall."

Grinning like a goofy schoolboy (and partially laughing at Julius' analogy), Gill said: "Her name is Selena."

"Mm, exotic," Julius purred. "Where did you happen to find her?"

"I was at the playhouse – you remember when you took me to see The Two Noble Kinsmen?" Gill asked.

Julius stared at his nails. "Yes, of course I remember. Culture rarely comes to town, so it's a big show to see it. Is she an actress then?"

"No, I didn't meet her at the playhouse," He rambled. "No, it was the night after the playhouse. I went back, hoping to see another skit of some kind. The theatre is so interesting. The beauty that lies in a story lives forever as long as it's retold."

"Yes, yes. Selena?"

"Well, the night after, I didn't find the performers as I hoped. So I decided to take a stroll down the lane and see what I would find."

"And you found Selena, I presume?" Julius prompted.

"No, not yet," Gill shook his head. He was so enthralled with his own build-up he didn't realize how mundane it sounded. "I happened upon a man down the steps of Second Street, and I asked him about the performers. He told me they all but packed up and went home – there wouldn't be a play for an age."

"Oh, boo," Lord Julius provided.

"But he told me that one of the performers was still willing to play," Gill nearly burst. No one could possibly see the excitement in this but him. "And the man told me I could find her sometime after eight.

"Disappointed, I continued my walk and found myself happening upon the beach. And that's when I saw her, Julius!" Gill was awe-struck, like he was reliving the moment. "She is a goddess, Julius. A goddess!"

"What could she have been doing to make you think her a goddess? Turning the ocean water to wine?" Julius teased.

Gill easily ignored him. "She performs, but she doesn't need words. She speaks with her body – the way her feet carry her, how her arms move, the expression on her face—"

"Oh, so she's a dancer?" Julius perked up considerably. "How riveting!"

"Yes," Gill nodded, finding he was standing. "She's fluid and pure and altogether beauty incarnate!"

"Big words," Lord Julius mused playfully. "What does your little dancing minx look like?"

This was the easiest question for Gill to answer. "Her skin is a rich olive and her eyes – her eyes, Julius! – are an impossible shade… like a hibiscus flower. And her hair is a fiery red that cascades like honey—"

"Is this a person or a pantry?"

"—and her voice is smooth like silk—" Gill went on and on. And he would have continued forever if Julius had not intervened again.

"Oh, so you've actually spoken to her?" Julius asked.

Gill looked insulted. "Of course I've spoken to her!"

"And here I was left on the beach where you were describing some refrigerator of infinite beauty," Lord Wotton teased again. Gill looked so distraught and offended that Julius had to laugh and apologize. "My apologies! I must remember what it's like to be in love."

"You don't understand, Julius," Gill paced about. "She is the most fascinating person I have ever met. She is… so beautiful and different and exquisite and intriguing."

"I know," Julius smoothed his feathers. He leant his cane against the table so he wouldn't have to hold it any longer, putting his feet up on Gill's vacated chair. "So how well do you know her?"

Flustered and blushing red as a tomato, Gill stomped his foot, ending his pacing. "Selena is sacred! It's completely unheard of—"

"Dear goodness, Mr. Gray, if you were so in love, it's only a matter of time before she belongs to you. Completely innocent question," Julius shrugged, putting his fingertips together. "When are you seeing her again?"

Gill's eyes lit up. "Tonight. She's promised to dance the story of Romeo and Juliet. Just for me!"

Julius Wotton knew Gill was completely out of his mind with love, so he wasn't about to warn him to take things slow with someone he knew truly nothing of. Instead, he just smiled. "So what have you come here for? Would you like me to meet the girl?"

"Would you?" Gill almost pleaded. "It would mean the world to me if she had your approval."

"My approval shouldn't mean a thing if you're in love," Julius tested.

"Oh, but please, Lord Wotton?"

Julius sighed and smiled. "I suppose I could stop by to have a look. Will Mr. Hallward be there?"

"Toby?" Gill asked. "By all means, I would have his approval as well if he will give it."

"He'll be glad to hear that," Julius nodded. He shooed him away with a wave of his hand. "Now off with you! To your mysterious dance goddess, Mr. Gray!"

Gill Gray almost forgot his coat he was so excited. Smiling and waving and wishing him well, the door was finally closed behind him. Julius finished off his water, imagining the enchantress that swept the innocent Gill Gray so violently off his feet so quick.

Three days later, a letter arrived for Lord Wotton. Gill Gray was engaged to Miss Selena Vane.