Arthur startled awake, squinting against the sunlight that flowed into the room. He grunted, taking the unfamiliar surroundings in a daze before remembering the events of the night before, his gaze landing on a sleeping Evelyn beside him. He smiled and stroked her hair, tucking a strand behind her ear and leaving the rest of it to fan out wildly behind her. It'd been a long time since he'd felt so content and he didn't want to leave. However, as a voice called to him he groaned and begrudgingly got himself up.
"Arthur, dear boy!" He heard, in an annoying voice sounding an awful lot like Trelawny's. He could hear Trelawny trudging up the stairs and he scrambled to get dressed. "Arthur?" Trelawny called again, confused when he peeked into Arthur's room to find no one. Behind him a door swung open revealing a haphazardly dressed Arthur in just a pair of pants. Trelawny peeked behind the mans shoulder, seeing a waking Evelyn. He looked at Arthur questioningly, who growled and shut the door.
"What do you want, you goon?" Arthur asked grumpily. Shaking off the confusion, and surprise, Trelawny smiled wide at him.
"Why my dear boy, we have a riverboat to catch! Didn't Hosea tell you?" Arthur lifted an eyebrow at him.
"He did, but I didn't expect you to be here. Though I shoulda guessed you'd weasel your way into it." Trelawny waved him off, turning to leave.
"You wound me, Arthur. Now get dressed, I'll meet you outside." He directed and dramatically took his leave. Arthur ran his hand down his face, muttering. He really didn't feel like doing anything today, let alone dealing with the exhausting antics of his odd friend. He quickly got dressed and met the man outside, who seemed to be gossiping with MaryBeth and Tilly who were gasping and giggling at whatever the fool was telling him. As he approached them the girls looked at him and giggled. He frowned.
"Come on Trelawny, let's go. Where's Hosea?" He asked.
"Oh I'm afraid old boy won't be joining us on this little adventure. You'll be pleased to know he trusted me with the process of helping you poor souls get onto the boat." The man said.
Just wonderful. A trip with Josiah Trelawny? What could go wrong?
Arthur flopped himself down onto the docks, gasping for air. Javier, Strauss, and Trelawny crawled up next to him, all soaked to the bone like drowned rats. They took a few minutes to catch their breath then stumbled to stand.
"Well, that was fun. Jolly good show boys!" Trelawny cheered. Arthur glared at him. "How'd we make out, Arthur?" Arthur pulled out a large stack of wet money and divided it amongst them.
"Not bad. A couple thousand, maybe. And this watch." He handed it to Strauss who admired it. They pocketed the money and Javier and Strauss departed. Trelawny lingered a bit longer before he too prepared to leave.
"Goodbye dear boy, a pleasure as always working with you." He threw a wink over his shoulder. "Say hello to the wife for me." He laughed and walked away. Arthur shook his head, the man had been making jokes and comments about his 'wife' all night and he could only assume the irritating man meant Evelyn. He pulled at the tie Trelawny forced him to wear, ringing water from it and trying to help the process of drying off go by quicker. Once again he had been stuffed into a suit, but this one he didn't mind as much. It was much simpler, a white dress shirt, a fancy royal blue Opulent vest and a matching tie, with a comfortable loose blazer and slacks. He hated the shoes, but otherwise he couldn't complain too much. He liked how the blue vest and tie reminded him of Evelyn. He figured he'd keep it simply for that reason.
With a burst of energy Arthur hurried home figuring it was late enough everyone might already be asleep. He retrieved Midnight who he had to leave in the stables as Trelawny opted to make a dramatic entrance in a coach instead of the much more convenient option of just riding alone.
Annabell refused to be put to sleep, instead she insisted on being outside. Evelyn begrudgingly agreed, following her daughter out of their room and letting the girl lead her to a clearing that was poorly lit by the moonlight and the flickering flames of the campfire. Nearly everyone had fallen asleep already, leaving her, Annabell, Charles, and Sadie awake. Javier and Strauss had returned not too long ago, the duo seemingly exhausted and quickly retired to their bed rolls. Arthur hadn't returned but Javier explained that it would take him a bit longer to get back as he had to retrieve his horse.
Evelyn watched on as Annabell frolicked around, jumping and running around in the grass. The poor girl had been complaining that her arms and legs were hurting, though she hadn't done anything to strain them and Evelyn suspected she was experiencing growing pains. Her daughter seemed to be a bit of a late bloomer, she was much less talkative than most kids her age (that Evelyn had observed) and had hit her growth spurts later than most. Evelyn didn't mind, she dreaded the day the girl outgrew her affectionate personality.
Annabell started laughing and Evelyn had to remind her to be quiet, gesturing to the sleeping camp members. Annabell apologized and quieted back down, opting to chase the lightning bugs, cupping them in her tiny palms before letting them loose and chasing them again. Maybe a bit morbid, Evelyn considered, but at least she wasn't harming the poor things.
Arms snaked around her torso from behind and she gasped, craning her neck to see who could possibly have snuck up on her, let alone hugged her. She was greeted by a mischievously grinning Arthur. She sighed in relief.
"Arthur, you scared me." She scolded. The man chuckled, he was oddly well groomed, his hair cut short, but not too short, and his face clean shaven accentuating the scar on his chin.
"My bad, my lady." He apologized half-heartedly. They stood together and watched Annabell, who had apparently caught a frog and was watching it closely, fascinated. Evelyn giggled fondly at the girl. "Why are you two all the way out here so late?" Arthur asked. Evelyn gestured to Annabell.
"Crazy kid guilted me into taking her outside because she can't sleep. Growing pains." She explained. "Why are you so dressed up?" She asked, taking in his suit vest and tie.
"Trelawny's idea. We robbed a riverboat full of rich folk." He answered. He took off the blazer, laying it down on the grass. He gestured for Evelyn to lay on it, and he joined her, tucking her head onto his chest. They looked up at the sky. Though the city's pollution dampened most of the stars, what little they could see were breath-taking. They stayed there for a while, Evelyn beginning to drift off before being woken back up by Annabell who'd clumsily crawled over her to get between them. The child looked at Arthur in irritation, making him raise an eyebrow at her.
"This is my spot, mister." The child said, her face puffed up in irritation. She gestured to her mother. Evelyn tried hiding her laughter and Arthur chuckled freely.
"Oh, I'm sorry miss." He apologized, smiling. Annabell looked at him expectantly. Evelyn couldn't hide the laugh that escaped her.
"Anna, there's plenty of room for you." She opened her arms for the little girl to tuck herself into, which she did rather grumpily. Evelyn kissed the girls head and tucked her under her chin. Arthur adjusted himself to accommodate the new addition and tightened his grip on them. Soon after the little girl started snoring softly. Evelyn sighed in relief.
"Finally, I wasn't sure she'd go to sleep tonight." She whispered. Arthur hummed, his chest vibrating beneath her. "We should get to sleep, Arthur." She said regretfully. She didn't want this sweet moment to end, but it was cold and they were exposed to the elements. Arthur carefully slid out from under them and took the sleeping Annabell into his arms, then helped Evelyn stand. With Evelyn following behind him he carried the little girl to her and her mothers room, waiting as Evelyn lit a candle so he could make his way around the furniture to softly set her down into the bed. He tucked her in and stood to leave.
"Wait, Arthur. You can... Well, if you want, you can stay here. It's okay if you don't, though." Evelyn stuttered, gesturing shyly to the bed. He smiled and nodded.
"Sure, just let me get changed. I'll be back." He said, exiting to his own room to change out of the damp clothes he'd been wearing. When he returned Evelyn was in her nightgown and tucked into bed with Annabell. She'd left a space for him to slide into, which he did as carefully as he could and wrapped his arms around her. She nestled into him, sighing happily. He fell asleep with his nose buried in her hair.
Arthur woke up, uncomfortable. He looked down, seeing a small foot shoved onto his shoulder, nearly kicking him in the face and another jabbed into his ribs. Annabell had somehow crawled between the two adults and managed to sleep completely sideways, her head resting on Evelyn's chest and her arms spread eagle, one hand curled into a fist and tangled in her mother's hair. He chuckled, it seemed even in her sleep the kid was determined to keep her mothers attention all to herself. He looked out of the window, seeing the purple-orange hues of the sunrise. He moved Annabell's feet off of him and shook Evelyn awake. The woman peered at him sleepily. He gestured his head to Annabell. Evelyn smiled fondly, then quietly apologized to him for her daughter's antics.
Evelyn softly shook Annabell awake, eliciting groans from the young girl.
"Come on Anna, we need to get dressed." Evelyn commanded gently. Annabell sat up, grumpily crossing her arms.
"No." She said. Evelyn rolled her eyes and stood up from the bed. Arthur watched as she stretched, the nightgown she wore slightly see-through and clinging to her curves softly. Evelyn caught him staring and playfully glared at him. She shooed him away so they could get dressed, smiling at his laughter as he too went to dress himself in his own room. They left their rooms at the same time, Evelyn carrying a pouting, and crying, Annabell. She had on her usual blue long-sleeved shirt with a long grey skirt and she hadn't put her hair up like she normally did on account of having too little time and having to deal with a grumpy child. Arthur liked her hair down much more, he decided. She looked at him with exasperation and headed outside to hopefully cheer her daughter up. Arthur shook his head, amused, and followed after.
Anymore Evelyn struggled to carry her daughter around, the little girl was all legs and reminded her of a newborn foal. All legs, and adorably clumsy. She wasn't sure why Annabell was so upset this morning as the girl rarely had tantrums. She set her down at one of the tables, hoping maybe some oatmeal would cheer her up. Arthur decided to sit with the girl, pulling up an extra chair. Evelyn brought back two bowls, offering one to him and setting the other in front of Annabell.
"You not eatin'?" He asked her when she sat down.
"I'm sure she won't eat much." She sighed, nodding to Annabell who still sat with her arms crossed stubbornly. "What's wrong, Anna?" Evelyn pried trying to get past the girl's anger. Annabell refused to answer. Evelyn was lost on what to do.
"Here, I know what'll cheer you up." Arthur piped up. He took a bite of his breakfast. "How 'bout I take you for a ride, huh?" Arthur offered. Annabell pretended to not hear him, before slumping and peeking over to him.
"On your pony?" She asked hopefully. Arthur chuckled.
"Yeah, on my pony. Maybe I'll let you steer." Annabell lit up excitedly. "But, you have to eat. And maybe apologize to your mother before we leave." He said sternly. Annabell sheepishly ate her breakfast and ran over to her mother, who lifted her into her lap. Annabell kissed her cheek and hugged her.
"I'm sorry mama. Can I go with Arthur?" The little girl asked, feeling guilty for acting up. Evelyn smiled, looking over to Arthur.
"Sure sweetie. But you better behave and be good for him, you hear?" Annabell nodded excitedly, ready to go. Evelyn let her down and she rushed over to Arthur, taking his hand and tugging him in the direction of the horses. Evelyn laughed and waved them off, grateful to see the girl finally smiling.
Arthur set Annabell up on his saddle and looked back at Evely, who stood back smiling at the two. "Sure you don't wanna go?" He asked, more than happy for her to tag along. She shook her head and shooed them off.
"I think she needs this time with a male figure." She said. Arthur looked at her closely, raising an eyebrow. He couldn't help but to warm at the words. Her eyes widened and she panicked, waving her hands back and forth and shaking her head. "Not that I mean you're like a father, I didn't mean it like that I know that's a big deal." She stuttered. Arthur shook his head, laughing as he swung himself into the saddle.
"I got ya'." He assured before riding off. He wasn't really sure what he was gonna do with the child. He'd taken Jack fishing but it nearly bored the poor kid to tears.
"Well kid, What you wanna do?" He asked her, feeling silly. Annabell looked around, pondering.
"Well. I like horses, and dolls. And dresses." She said, unhelpfully.
Dolls, dresses, and horses. Huh. He sighed, knowing what he now had to do but mourning the cost. He steered his horse to Sain Denise. Maybe this was a bad idea.
Evelyn strolled leisurely around the property with Sadie. The two women hadn't spent much time together, so she took this day where she had no responsibilities to spend some quality time with her friends. Earlier she had sad with Charles who was crafting different types of arrows. Evelyn requested he teach her, which he did and they spent an hour making idle chat as she helped him with his crafting. She was surprisingly good at it, or at least that's What Charles said, she wasn't sure if he was just being nice, and she enjoyed the mans conversation. Afterwards she sat with Abigail and helped her finish mending the large pile of clothes and blankets that had grown over the past week or so. They idly gossiped, Abigail commenting on the newly budding romance between Kieran and MaryBeth and gushing happily over the change in John who had become much more affectionate and attentive to her and Jack. Evelyn was so happy to hear about the development, she hadn't thought much of John before, but she was growing to respect and like him the more Abigail praised him.
They also discussed Molly and Dutch. Abigail told her that she'd seen the woman at the small dock near the swamp at night, ranting and raving to herself wildly, swinging her arms and pacing around. Evelyn noted that she rarely ever saw Molly anymore, and Abigail guessed the woman hid herself away in her room. Hearing the development of Molly's mental state sent chills down her back. She equally felt afraid of, and terribly sorry for the woman. She'd been sweet enough when they first met, but they never actually talked in the months of Evelyn's stay with the gang. Abigail tried coyly bringing up her and Arthur, and Evelyn feigned ignorance. She herself didn't know what they were, so she certainly wasn't going to tell Abigail something and it be incorrect. Though, her chest tightened painfully to think that maybe she was wrong and he wasn't taking the relationship, or whatever it was, seriously. She laughed at the womans prying and took her leave, joining Sadie who welcomed her to stand guard.
The two women strolled around, making small talk as they went. Sadie wasn't much for talking, but Evelyn enjoyed her quiet company nonetheless and hoped she did too. She'd come to care for her, and Abigail, like sisters that she'd never had before. Sure, she was friends with Karin, Tilly, and MaryBeth, and cared for them as well but there was an understanding between Sadie Abigail and her that just seemed different. Mostly they talked about Annabell. Sadie lamented that she and her late husband, Jake, had been trying for a child before his tragic death. Evelyn tried comforting the woman the best she could, telling her that with the way she helped with Annabell she knew the woman would've been an amazing mother. Sadie thanked her, and inquired if she would ever consider having more children. Evelyn hadn't thought about it before. Maybe if she were ever to be remarried, she decided, and admitted that she often felt guilt over Annabell being an only child.
Feeling happy and fulfilled with her day of catching up Evelyn returned to camp, wondering idly if Arthur and Annabell were going to be back any time soon. It had been three hours since they left, but Evelyn wasn't too worried, she knew Arthur would never let anything happen to any of the children. She decided to busy herself with camp chores in the meantime. Javier was kind enough to help her carry buckets of water to the wash bin and to the horse troughs. That was how Arthur and Annabell found her, lugging around buckets of water with Javier.
She smiled as Annabell happily called out to her. She thanked Javier for his help and left to greet the duo.
"Hey you two! How'd you get along?" She asked, watching as Arthur dismounted then helped Annabell down. She quickly noticed that Annabell was dressed in a new dress, and from the looks of it, a pricey one. She also clutched a stuffed horse, its markings a near copy of her own real horse. She looked at Arthur quizzically. He shrugged, sauntering up to her and smiling.
"We got along just fine. 'cept for my wallet, maybe." He joked. Annabell tugged on Evelyn hand excitably, eager to recount the days events to her. Arthur took his leave, saying he needed to talk to Hosea, and Evelyn lead her daughter over to the campfire where she could sit and talk comfortably.
"Look mama! Arthur got me a new dress," She twirled, the lavender gown flowing beautifully with her movements, and then she lifted up the stuffed horse. "and he took me to the horse stables, where I got this! It looks just like Athena, doesn't it mama?" The girl asked. Evelyn smiled down at her, smoothing down her hair that was braided neatly with integrated ribbons matching her dress. She assumed the shopkeeper selling the dress did it.
"Did you have a good time?" Annabell bobbed her head happily.
"Oh yes, lots! Thank you for letting me go mama." Evelyn hugged her and kissed her forehead.
"Of course."
Evelyn let the girl go, she was excited to show off her new dress to the women and her new toy to Jack. She smiled after the girl, truly happy that the girl seemed so carefree and happy.
She was interrupted from her train of thought as Miss Grimshaw huffed angrily past her, heading toward Arthur who'd just finished his conversation with Hosea.
"Mr. Morgan, you got another letter from that Mary girl. I thought you were done with her?" She said angrily, passing over the letter to Arthur who seemed just as confused, and surprised. Evelyn's heart dropped to her stomach as he read the letter over.
Oh, what a fool she was. To think that Arthur wouldn't still be hung up on his previous lover, that he'd even been engaged to, how could she be so naive? Evelyn swallowed thickly and rushed away, holding back tears. Stupid, foolish, girl.
