Story: A Touch of Color in the Grey
Book 1: Shading the black.
Date : October 25, 2021
Beta : Lucky's-Dice
Fandom: D Gray Man
Disclaimer : No, I do not own D Gray Man and I am not making any profit from this story.
Summary : After waking up in the 19th century, Ennaël takes the name Eve and becomes Tricia Kamelott's companion. She realizes the social difference of women at this time and begins to fear for the future, especially when Road, the twins, Allen, Tyki, The Earl, Lulubell and Skin Bolic arrive.
Following some ordeals (playing it, deadly sikness, murder, homeworks… the usual), Eve really seems to have integrated into the family dynamic... so much so that a few months later, she learns the same day that she has been adopted by Duke Campbell (the Earl) and that she is going to marry Tyki. Eve really wants to magically immolate herself. A yes because she discovered that she could do magic in the meantime. Meh.
And in the last chapter : Tyki and Eve return from their honeymoon mansion in time for Road's birthday and try to get used to their new role as Campbell heirs. The routine resumes little by little until Tricia asks Eve if she is pregnant and our protagonist, surprised, falls off the horse and breaks her leg.
Alalah... I had a hard time letting go of that one... I wanted to show all the characters and add a lot of stuff!
But hey, I have to put an end to this fic one day :')
Though, I'm currently rewriting the french-fic so I'll have to re-translate it in english X') Would anyone be interested in betaing?
Good reading!
So yeah, I really didn't want to talk about hypothetical offspring with Tricia and breaking a leg was a terribly effective way to reorient your priorities but frankly, it wasn't worth it. Taking a branch in the head from the shock of Tricia's request, then falling off the horse and finally breaking the left leg on a misplaced stone wasn't funny. The pain had been so sharp that I had screamed like I never had in my life, before turning into a mess of trembling moans. I had never broken anything of what I could remember and considering the result, I would have done well without the experience. In this state, unable to do anything other than choke on my own tears, Tricia had to make the terrible choice of leaving me and going for help or staying with me and prolonging my sufferings.
After threatening her to crawl to the mansion myself if she didn't leave right away (but with a lot of colorful words in French… hard to keep the insult filter and English in an ocean of pain) Tricia Rode all bridles down towards the stable, leaving me alone lying in the dirt track, my horse nibbling at my hair to add insult to injury. I didn't even dare to look at my leg, I was too afraid to see it at an unnatural angle or the bone sticking out. So I kept my gaze fixed on the sky… or at least in the direction, my eyes were too wet to see anything. In a time that seemed like an eternity to me but was probably a lot faster than humanly possible, Tyki had returned without Tricia.
"Tyki, I swear, if you say anything…" I hissed through clenched teeth when I saw him come out from a tree with no sound at all to prove his presence.
"Hey, I didn't say anything." He said quietly as he crouched down next to me, his hand hovering over my leg, hesitating. He and I remembered too well what happened the last time I hurt myself and he tried to help me… I could do without another attempted murder. In addition, it was once again in the forest! What a lack of originality, seriously...
"You thought so… Ho fuc-... Merlin… demonic shit…! Tyki!" I grumbled as he lifted my skirt slightly to get a better view of the damage. Luckily he was a Noah because I immediately put my fingers in his forearm and it couldn't be pleasant. Still more than he had just done, however.
"Ouch, that looks painful." He hissed and I gave him a disbelieving look. If I had been able to move, I would have slapped him. Assholes of Noahs and their superhuman bodies. Of course he could laugh as much as he wanted, he will never have this problem.
"What are you doing?!" I asked in panic when he began to slip an arm under my back as if to carry me.
"I'll take you back to the mansion. Please tell me you don't think you're going to walk like this." He asked, his brow furrowed and I rolled my eyes.
"Of course I'm not going to walk, I can't even sit up! But I'm pretty sure I broke my leg, heard a 'crack', you have to immobilize it." I responded confidently before hesitating at his puzzled look. "...I think."
Tyki shrugged, totally out of his area of expertise and two branches and my shawl tightly wrapped around my leg later (with a litany of insults at the same time, of course. Even Tyki was impressed. I think all of the language I've heard before got a turn...), he lifted me carefully, sighing when I let out a painful moan all the same.
"I should have knocked you out." He mumbled as he began to trudge in a straight line through the trees to the mansion. He hadn't even made a move to bring the horse back with us and I was infinitely relieved. His cautious steps were alredy torture, I did not even want to imagine the pain that the jolting of the horse would cause. Muttering assent, I vainly tried to focus on my breathing until… nothing. He had really knocked me out, that idiot.
I guess I was still grateful to him. The headache when I woke up was far from pleasant but I already had a lot less pain in my leg so it was that. And since I was in my bed with my leg neatly immobilized and it was dark outside, he must have saved me from a painful return to the mansion, a doctor's visit, and even Tricia's frantic worries. To be honest, I owed him more than one on this one. Whatever, with the whole story of the wedding… Arf, better stop counting favors, we are more or less a team now anyway.
The next few days were terrible. The pain was throbbing and returned with vengeance the moment I started to think I was better. But I have to admit… maybe I had made a big deal out of it for not much. In less than a week, I was walking without pain. "But I was so sure it was broken!" I mumbled as Christine helped me remove the bandages for good. Wiggling my leg like it would suddenly decide to crash again, I opened my eyes wide when I didn't even feel numbness. The skin was scar-free, it was as if nothing had happened.
"Of course not." Road replied, rolling her eyes and I guess she was right. I was so sure I had heard a "crack"... But if it had really been the case, I would have had it for at least a month or two but now it had taken less time than the sprained ankle of last year.
At least the whole thing had a good side: Tricia had never spoken to me about a baby again. Not mine anyway, but she had taken a bad habit of subtly talking about this or that friend who had just given birth or ooooh! Look at this store! Their birth clothes are so cute! Surprisingly, for once Road was on my side and redirected Tricia with ease. No idea why the little monster wasn't reveling in my pain as usual but I certainly wasn't going to complain.
But Road often had tutors or was on the loose and wasn't always there to save me. In counterattack, I had therefore adopted my preferred strategy… flight.
I had used everything as an excuse. From my very limited circle of friends (consisting of Eeze and Arthur whom I had never seen as much as this month) to my heiress duties (even the heavy volumes of never-ending rules were more bearable than Tricia when she talked about babies) to "romantic outings" (where Tyki went to play at the bar while I worked on my magic in the woods) to parental visits (where Adam and I had started painting in the wilderness, strangely soothing moments considering the company) and I was seriously running out of ideas.
It was like all her attempts to marry me off all over again. Except that somehow Tricia had managed to get me married. While I was very, very against it at the core. Perhaps that explained why I took her new attempts to put a bun in the oven so badly, I was afraid she would succeed again. It's not that I didn't want babies… but not now, not here and certainly not at 21(?). I didn't say no to an adoption later, much later, but not when I still considered myself a child three-quarters of the time (the last quarter being when it didn't suit me to be one).
Unfortunately, there was one place I couldn't avoid no matter how hard I tried: dinner.
Wedged between the Earl and Road, across from Tricia, there was really nowhere to hide. My only consolation was that Tyki was in more pain than I was. If I had to constantly type up the conversation on high society gossip, he, next to Sheryl and across from the Earl, could not escape a formal questioning about the politics of the day. Sheryl wanted to make his little brother a minister now that he was officially the next Duke by marriage. The only thing that saved Tyki was that Sheryl was already more or less in control of England and Portugal (yes, no, I was trying not to think about it...) and that he didn't need his brother here. It would be more interesting to send him to the colonies but for that to happen, Sheryl would have to cut the umbilical cord and, at least for now, that was outside of his purview. As usual, Adam let us do whatever we wanted and Tyki wasn't stupid enough to run away from his brother to India so… the status quo held.
I was there at yet another dinner listening to Tricia tell me about the adorable twins of the Countess of Alberton's sister while playing Chinese arm wrestling with Road under the table when Jean interrupted us. It was a shame, Road was actively refraining from spraying my thumb so with my longer reach I did indeed have a chance to win for once.
"The phone?" I begged surprise once he was done whispering in my ear what was going on.
"Who is it?" Adam asked and Jean replied that it was a certain Allen.
It only took a glance with Tyki to throw our napkins on the table and take off out of the room at full speed with barely an excuse. It was only Sheryl's disapproving look that kept me from running down the halls but that didn't stop me from walking as fast as possible. Arriving at the small room near the entrance where the phone was (aside from the one in Sheryl's office) I rushed to the handset on the table, barely managing to grab it before Tyki. "Hello...?" I was asking just in case but...
"Eve?"
"Allen!" I exclaimed happily as I pushed the phone aside to stop Tyki from stealing it from me. "Tyki! He asked for me… Hey!"
Rolling his eyes, the Noah had passed his hand through my arm and grabbed the receiver without even giving me time to react. "Hey, kid." He greeted Allen with a smile as he lifted the phone out of my reach. Annoyed, I nudged him but it had as much effect as blowing on a burning house.
"Hi Tyki." the device's crackling voice answered and I froze immediately, trying to hear. "I won't be long, did you get my letter?"
"Not for at least a month." I answered and Tyki obligingly lowered the receiver to put it between the two of us.
"I did well to call then. I'm back in London."
"Already?!" I exclaimed in surprise. Well yes, not having the same funds as us to travel, Allen had to do it by the long way which took well a month, even with almost no stop. He must have left just after his last letter so that he was already there, less than two months since we had seen him in India. I know he told me that Cross seemed to be considering sending him to the Order and that the Miranda Arc was happening in early November so of course he was going to arrive soon but… Already? I wasn't ready for the cannon at all. Nop, nop, nop.
"How's that 'already'? My master wasn't precise at all with his directions, I had a hard time finding the, um, company." Allen sighed, hesitating slightly on the last word. I was glad he was taking my advice into account, I didn't even want to think about the disaster it would have been if Allen had unpacked his exorcist status on the phone in front of Tyki. Besides… could other people listen to the conversation? Whether it's Sheryl's office phone or a microphone? With this absurd difference in technology, I had no idea if the Noahs could have access to this...
"Are you sure it's not your bad sense of direction that is still gaining ground?" Teased Tyki.
"Stop with that, I don't have a bad sense of direction!" Allen laughed before his voice got a little hesitant. "Well, if that's any reassurance, Narein is with me. We're at the port, I know it's a bit short but we're taking the boat the day after tomorrow, do you want us to…?"
"Yes!" I cut it. "Who knows when we'll be able to meet again, I certainly won't miss the opportunity. We can meet up tomorrow morning around… hmmm, ten o'clock at the bar?"
Allen agreed and after a quick goodbye I hung up the phone with a smile. Well, what a nice surprise! It brightened my day.
"Eve…" Tyki suddenly said as we walked back to the dining room. "We were to go to the Comtesse of Alberton's tea, tomorrow."
I stopped immediately with a grimace. She was one of Tricia's friends, even Sheryl was going, they were never going to let us skip it… But Allen… like I said, with him in the Order, who knows when I was going to hear from him again?
"... what are the chances that your brother will let us skip tea with the Countess to go see our poor commoner friend without useful connections?"
"As high as your sister-in-law suddenly deciding that we don't need to have kids." Tyki replied and a big silence settled in. I could almost hear the crows croaking above our heads. I really, really didn't want to do this... but Allen...
"... excuse rather than permission?" I asked with a grimace.
"Excuse rather than permission." Nodded Tyki in agreement and with one movement we turned towards the staircase leading to the bedrooms. It would be difficult to escape tomorrow morning with Sheryl's obsession with controlling everything at a social occasion so best to leave right away while the family was still at dinner.
And that's what we did.
Except, as we separated outside our bedrooms to get ready, I ran into Lulu the cat licking her paw on my desk. Did she also suit the dinner? Or was it already finished? She was making one of those faces… even as a cat, I had the impression that she was judging me and I wanted to bow down to the ground and apologize. Well, it's true that I was about to do something that none of the adults in this house would appreciate but still….
Using the technique of 'of course it's a cat, there is no need to worry about it.' I searched the closet for my unsavory broke student clothes rolled up into a ball in one of the twins' hats. I was pretty sure it was the hat Devit said he lost when Tricia asked him to put it on last weekend… They really had to stop hiding anything and everything in this wardrobe, one day it would end badly… for me.
Feeling Lulubell's gaze burn my back, I turned slowly to her, hesitant. "I'm just… going to see a friend." I mumbled to the cat as I hugged my clothes. The cat stared at my clothes and tilted its head. Swallowing, I immediately put them back in the closet and grabbed one of my simpler brown dresses, one I had chosen, not one from Road. The one that shouted "I'm a young girl from a good family" rather than "I'm practically royalty, bow down." Showing the dress to Lulu, the cat gave it one last look, stretched before jumping nimbly to the floor and then back onto my bed where she curled up and closed her eyes.
OK. I took that for permission.
Just enough time to get dressed and Tyki knocked on the door. He was not too poorly dressed either, in a basic costume that did not attract attention. Waving my hand nervously to say goodbye to Lulu the cat as Tyki watched suspiciously, he made us walk through the window. It was still terrifying but I had practice with the French chateau and we made it to the stables without problems. With a note pinned to the door to warn Philippe that we were borrowing a horse, I let Tyki drive through the night as I rest my head on his back, tired from the day.
We got to town faster than in a horse-drawn carriage and Tyki took us to his 'friends' to spend the night. Friends in quotation marks because despite our simple clothes and their clearly easy social situation, they greeted us in much too respectful silence and showed us our rooms before leaving immediately. No asking or questioning, no social niceties either and suspiciously empty eyes. They strongly resembled the Earl's servants. Hm, hm...
The next day, at ten to ten, we were already in the bar playing cards. In the morning on weekdays, there were not many people, barely two drunks who must have had a bad night and a woman knitting in a corner. I always wondered how this little neighborhood bar could afford to stay open most of the day and accommodate such a diverse clientele. It was more of a small village bistro than a big city bar, really.
"Tyki! Eve!" Allen called as he walked in and I stood up to pull him into a hug. The shock was not as great as the first time I saw him after two years but still…
"Don't tell me you've grown up again?" I was amazed by vaguely comparing our sizes with my hand. "You almost passed me!"
"Enjoy it, Eve, the next time you see him, it will be done." Tyki teased and I sighed dramatically as Allen grinned broadly. "Is Narein not with you?"
"No, he preferred to stay at the inn." Allen replied and I had to refrain from showing my relief. The first visit with him had been really weird and I was relieved to be able to see Allen quietly without him breathing down our neck.
"So, what do you want to do? It's your day, you choose." I quickly changed the subject and Allen looked shy. I suddenly had the impression of seeing him again when he was thirteen when he hesitated over a word when I was teaching him to read.
"Just… a normal day. I just want to hang out with you." He smiled and it was way too emotional for me, I had to refrain from giving him another hug.
"This is doable." Tyki smiles. "We can go for a walk, eat in an inn, break into places where we really shouldn't be… Hey, we could even take a photo! They have improved their color even further since the one we took together, and… Oh! We need to show you the wedding portrait… Damn, I don't think I have it, Eve?" Tyki asked me, emptying his pockets on the table. I shook my head negatively in response. Which was… a lie in fact. I did have the photo in my wallet, neatly placed next to the one of the three of us, but… I didn't know if it was a good idea to show Allen the entire Noah family. I had already messed up the canon, sure, but not that much… I mean, it wasn't just my presence that could change so much, right? But showing Road and especially the Earl to Allen now… yeah… I didn't mean to tempt the devil. Literally.
And with that, we went on an adventure. For two minutes. Just the time to go out into the alley. Barely a foot out and Allen clapped a hand to his left eye with a panicked look. I admit it took me a shamefully long time to figure out why he didn't want to take his hand away so I could see what was wrong. It must be said, when I first saw him over two years ago, his eye was often hidden under his hair or even bandages and I had never seen him activate. And it had been at least three years since I had read the manga so… yeah, I was a little surprised to see his black and red eyes.
It was only a second and he immediately replaced his hand that I had let go in surprise. Luckily because Tyki was staring blankly across the alley and therefore didn't see Allen's weird reaction. As quickly as it happened, it was over and Allen let go of his hand as Tyki blinked and turned to us. Something had happened, that was for sure, but like many others, I don't think I would have an answer anytime soon if any.
This was the only incident however, otherwise the day went wonderfully well. We roamed all over town, hanging out at a few shimmering shops, not stopping at the low lanes now that Allen knew we were from the high. We ate in a small family bistro and it was always damn impressive to see Allen absorbing his weight in food. We then went to take a new photo (which we paid for, this time) being careful to take exactly the same positions, just to see the evolution since the last one. Obviously the biggest difference was that Allen had taken three heads but the fact that Tyki was much better dressed and that I was in a dress this time added a weird dimension to the picture. Finally, we strolled through the streets before ending the day in style: Tyki made us climb on the roofs of London and we watched the sun go down. It was the most peaceful and fun day I had had in quite a while and it was with a heavy heart that I said goodbye to Allen that night. Not only because I had no idea when I might see him again, but also because I dreaded returning to the mansion terribly.
But just before leaving, as Tyki was about to retrieve our horse, Allen pulled me aside and gave me a letter. "My master said that I might not be able to keep sending you letters to the Order. Well, I could send them to you when I was on a mission but you couldn't answer me directly. I have set up a post office box in London and will try to collect the mail as often as possible." He promised and I thanked him warmly, carefully not pointing out that it was a little worrying that his employers were preventing him from sending and receiving mail. "You can give it to Tyki. However… I also put a number in the letter. If ever there is an emergency, I want you to call me, okay?"
"A number? But if I can't even send you a letter, how…?" I begged surprise and Allen hesitated for a second before looking around suspiciously and finally pulling Timcampy out of his pocket.
"I was a little worried when My master said that exorcists cannot receive letters… We can go on a mission anytime and anywhere in the world, if anything happens to you..." He said squeezing my hand a little too tight. "And if you really believe that Tyki can be a danger to you, then your connections as a noble will be of no use to you." And yes, he was right. I was totally isolated if anything happened with the Noahs and I somehow managed to escape. "My master modified Timcampy so that he could receive normal calls but he told me there were cameras all over the Order so it's only in case of emergency, okay? For usual news, we'll stick to the letters or I'll call you myself."
Nodding, I hugged him tight one last time, knowing all the hardships that awaited him once he arrived at the Order but having no idea what to do for him. It was I who was supposed to help him, it was I who had the answers to questions he did not even ask himself yet... And yet, it was he who gave me a way out, a way to help myself get out if I ever… Guilt squeezed my heart. If I wanted to tell him, it was now or never. Pulling myself away from the hug, I looked him in the eyes, opened my lips and...
"Come on Eve, time to go…" Tyki called out from behind me, horse in hand. Startled, I hold Allen's hand one last time and let the boys say goodbye. Soon Allen was gone through the maze of alleys and Tyki was reaching out to help me up. Well, direction Kamelott manor… Urgh.
"How about we go to France? Or even to Adam's Mansion?" I asked with hope.
"Do not tempt me." He grimaced.
"You were the one who said that even if you went away three days or three months, Sheryl reacted the same." I pointed out, hoping to be able to enjoy a few days without heiress duties and the surely very long sermon that awaited us.
"Sheryl, yes. Tricia on the other hand…" Tyki pointed out and a panicked sound escaped my throat. In my fear of Sheryl, I had completely forgotten about his wife.
May Merlin help us.
Merlin mustn't have listened to my prayer because not only had Sheryl yelled at us until half past three in the morning (and I would never forget the desperation in his voice when he told me that "You were supposed to hold him back in his ridiculous outbursts with this marriage, not accompany him!") and had only stopped because Adam had taken pity on us and let us stumble in our rooms to collapse in our beds, but in addition Tricia had forbidden us to go out and covered up with homework until further notice.
And the release was slow in coming because even two weeks later I was still cursing paperwork at my desk. I hadn't seen the sun for three days and the library for even longer. The only thing that kept me up to the hellish pace of what seemed to be the entirety of Duchy Campbell's duties (and what was Adam doing during that time, eh?!... akumas?) Was, astonishingly, Mahulda who was bringing tea, papers, blankets or cakes before I could even think of asking for them. She was still so terrifying though, or even more terrifying as she seemed to know what I wanted or needed before I could even conceive it.
The only good news in those dark days of paperwork was that I had already sent and received two letters to Allen. It was amazing not to wait a month and a few for a response now that there was the London PO Box. The content of our letters had changed, however. It was difficult to speak on four double-sided pages in small print when my life was currently one of endless work flow and Allen could not tell me about his missions. Instead, I was talking about all the things I had learned from my duties as an heiress. I didn't think it would interest him the first time I had described to him in detail how to manage the pay of employees as well as their salary rights in a moment of intense fatigue but I guess yes since he had asked me many questions in his next letter. I even had to do more research on the subject to be able to answer him.
As for him, Allen mostly spoke of the people around him. He never named them, instead describing them by their roles and I was amazed to realize that I knew who he was talking about. The cook who made the best dishes in the world and served them in record time was undoubtedly Jerry and his disorganized boss who swam even more than I in his papers had to be Komui. He even told me about the sweet, long-haired girl who showed him around and the self-righteous jerk who ate nothing but noodles.
Tyki asked me why I laughed so much at this passage. It made me laugh even harder and the poor man stared at me lost for a good minute before blaming it on my many quirks and reading on.
It's funny though, just reading Allen's letters I felt like I had seen what had happened. Of course, the manga helped a lot, but I still wondered what they could look like in real life...
Either way, Allen wasn't the only one who had sent me letters. Eeze wrote us one after we asked Jean to go tell him we couldn't see him anytime soon. It had been barely a few months since the boss of the bakery and I had started teaching him to read and write, but he was already managing to make more or less correct sentences, I was impressed! But hey, his writing was atrocious and we still had to get all together with Tyki and Road to be able to decipher the gist of it. And even then, a few passages had remained stubbornly obscure and we had to ask the Duke to help us. Surprisingly, Adam was very good at reading children's writings and it only took a glance for him to be able to decipher it.
The other, of course, was Arthur who wanted to invite us over for tea, just to introduce his wife to us. And I must admit, I was terribly curious. In the almost year that we had exchanged letters, we had barely talked about anything but Sherlock Holmes and barely had we mentioned a word about our respective spouses. We had also met a few times and he was there with his wife at our wedding but there had been so many people that we hadn't really gotten to know each other.
Problem: Almost three weeks after taking the key to the fields to see Allen, Tyki and I were still banned from going out. Maybe it was because I had been with him this time or we had deliberately skipped a planned visit to someone important but our punishments seemed endless this time. Fortunately, our workload had drastically reduced with the arrival of the third week but despite my subtle indication that I was thinking of going out to see Arthur I immediately received a definitive 'no' from Tricia.
"Come on Tricia, I think they've paid quite a bit for their little getaway now, and we'll know where they are this time, right?" Adam said and I nodded vigorously in hope. Tricia looked hesitant, not knowing exactly where we were had been the main problem for her. She had been dead worried all day. And it is sure that we had not really played the adults on this one, we could at least have left a note for them… but still, they exaggerate, we were both adults, married and we even had a house! This lack of freedom was driving me crazy… Even more so now, I admit, that my duties were more painful than as an employee. A few more arguments, a promise to bring a servant with us and ensure that we then join Road and the twins to spend the afternoon together and I happily sent Arthur a positive response letter.
Freed! Well under condition, but it was already better than nothing… I would still have to think about negotiating better conditions, you never knew when I might need to go out urgently and I didn't want an Akuma army chasing me, the Kamelott couple in the lead, if that happened.
"Lord and Lady Campbell, may I introduce my wife, Louisa? Louisa, this is my dear friend Lady Evelyne Campbell and her husband Lord Thibert Campbell"
"Nice to meet you, Lord Campbell." Said Louisa Doyles, looking a little nervous, before turning to me. "Lady Campbell, it's a pleasure to meet you, my Husband has told me a lot about you, please call me Touie."
"I am very happy to meet you as well, thank you for inviting us to your lovely home, Touie, and please call me Eve." I smiled in my turn, filthy happy when Tyki made his own greetings and asked to be called "Thibert" with an impassive air. Sheryl would have slaughtered him alive if he had asked to be called 'Tyki' outside of the family. Luckily, I didn't have this problem, with Eve being an existing first name and Adam not giving a damn about what I wanted to be called, I could laugh at him as much as I wanted.
Exchanging all the necessary niceties, we moved into the living room to chat. Tyki was on his best demeanor, attentive and considerate, it warmed my heart that he was so careful to give my friend a good impression. Arthur was as excited as I was, it was nice to be able to communicate orally rather than in writing. He had so much to say and I just wanted to bounce back from it. Even though I often had a hard time opening my lips, afraid to say something stupid in front of someone so smart. Louisa on the other hand, didn't say much. She looked quite nervous and it was only thanks to Tyki's calm words that she joined the conversation a bit. It was nice though and we went over everything, from Arthur's short story starting to sell out to the draft of the second novel, through a bit of politics and new scientific discoveries. Obviously, we end up drifting all the same on more personal subjects and our marriage, being the great societal event of the last few months (take note! The sick and invisible second daughter of the wealthy Duke married the mysterious brother of the Marquis Minister Kamelott!) came to the table.
"I was surprised when you sent me the invitation, you had never talked about marriage before, I was caught off guard!" Arthur exclaimed, ignoring the fact that I hadn't even told him I was the Duke's heiress daughter (because I wasn't) before that.
"Especially since you are so young! We got married two years ago, a little late at 28, yes, but still." Touie suddenly exclaimed, her curiosity seeming to take precedence over her nervousness.
I blinked. Of course 21 was very young to get married… but that was my 21st century girl mentality speaking, right? I thought getting married very young in the 19th century was the norm, especially in the nobility… Guess not, given the head of the other three, this may not be the case in the end. I would have to ask Tyki in private later. But if it was really abnormal, Sheryl and Tricia had really abused this one… It had ended well in a way but still… I would have to find a way to get revenge.
"It was an arranged marriage for a long time and we were thankfully good friends so we didn't bother to wait any longer." Tyki explained with a smile before gracefully redirecting the conversation to a less pesky topic. And fortunately, because seeing as Touie had put her hand on her stomach, I had the impression that the fateful question of the children would soon be asked. Speaking of which, I couldn't remember the writer's personal life too much… were the Doyles going to have a child soon?
We managed to re-engage on his book when I showed him the other drawings I had done of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, including some sketches of the next story he had told me about. I loved talking to people about their stories in my old world so it was really hard not to come up with a bunch of survey ideas (whether those that he would/should have done or that I had seen in other works in the future). Already, A Study in Scarlet had a few details quite different from what I remembered with a female character as Doctor Watson's secretary and Inspector Lestrade being much nicer (which was clearly my fault, I had I liked the BBC version too much to put up with the book version again) that I remembered (Gregson was still an idiot though). The next book looked even more divergent, and I couldn't help but wonder what was going to come out of our discussions.
But soon, we had to leave and it was by leaving my drawings there and with a promise to be written soon that we left the quiet little apartment in the direction of Big Ben with a view to joining Road and the twins. Jasdero absolutely wanted to go see the circus, having heard about it from classmates and somehow managed to enlist Road with him. I was really, really not motivated… There were animals and if I already found the zoo horrible in the 21st century I'm sure I would not like the circus here very much. Also, I had seen so much incredible stuff in youtube videos or on TV that, well, a little circus in town… Well, Devit always agreed when Jasdero bothered to speak for himself and Tyki didn't care so the fight was over.
Jean (who had waited for us downstairs with Mahulda as promised to Tricia) took us in a carriage on the outskirts of London and dropped us off not far from the Circus where we found Road, the twins and Eliott (Urgh, Mahulda AND Eliott, the horror...) at a candy stand. Even if it was clearly a circus for the bourgeoisie or even the nobility and therefore much more neat and clean than it could have been, the smell of animals and garbage cans were particularly strong and I did not know how Road could think of eating like that.
"Eve!" Jasdero called and I walked over with a smile to give him a hug. It's okay, he and his brother had grown taller than me to my great sadness but I couldn't quite say when it had happened. They weren't even coming home once a month now and with my stay at Campbell Mansion and our trips with Tyki I could count our encounters this year on the fingers of my hands. Seeing them more rarely had highlighted their evolution, however. They were clearly no longer the emaciated and dumb little boys I had first met but neither were they the curious but cautious children I had said goodbye to when they went to school. No, I had in front of me two frankly idiotic teenagers who liked to talk about everything and nothing, make jokes, drive Sheryl crazy with their scruffy clothes and who, to make matters worse, loved school and had made a bunch of friends among the noble boys at the boarding school. Frankly, even knowing them in the manga, I never could have believed it. And yet, they had become very different from the original story or at least from what I could see with the little that we saw them in it. Whatever… Well, there were still months to go before the canon and if they could have changed that much in less than three years, who knows what could happen next?
But anyway… "That color looks great on you, Jasdero and the cut is nice too, looks even better on you than the red wig from last time." I complimented the boy who responded with a shy little smile as his brother gently laughed at him. If the twins had already proudly adopted leather jackets, they had not yet thought of stitching their mouths and I was infinitely grateful, I did not want to see it for real. On the other hand, Devit had finally liked the makeup set I gave them a lot and was training him and his brother every day and, I would admit it no problem, he was good at it. Jasdero, on the other hand, loved wigs and had a new one every time I saw him. He had, in fact, already tried on a long blonde wig like in the manga but he had changed it the next time I saw it so I guess he was still looking for himself or just liked a change.
"Eeeevyyy" Road moaned pulling my hand and I blinked to see the others already well in front of us. Apologizing to Road for getting lost in my bubble, I let her pull me over to the others and take our seats inside.
As I feared, the show was not that interesting for me. I knew there was no way I could ever do what trapeze artists used to do, for example, but I had seen this style of act a hundred times on the internet before so it was hard to feel impressed again. Seeing the animals circling the trail was as unpleasant as I thought it would be and I couldn't even be impressed like the twins because I had seen elephants or lions before. But the worst was clearly the clowns. If I was indifferent to physical numbers and uncomfortable with those with animals, the clowns made me want to run out of the tent as their jokes and attitudes made my hair stand on end. The feeling was even worse with the shift created by the hilarious audience around me. I'm sure I must have made a horrible face because Tyki nudged me during the show, raising an eyebrow as if to wonder what was wrong when I looked at him. Not quite sure how to respond to that, I shrugged sadly and tried not to be huffy so others could enjoy the moment. Nevertheless, I was relieved when we were finally able to get out of the tent, it was an unpleasant moment reminding me too much of visiting the colonial exhibition in Paris with Tyki for my comfort...
I didn't have the courage to say no to Devit when he wanted to go see the beasts after the show but luckily Road wasn't interested so we went our separate ways. The boys went to see the animals while we went to try out the wooden games that the circus had set up outside so that the customers could enjoy it a little longer. Road played the games with disconcerting ease, winning lots of small prizes which she gave to the children around her without thinking about it. Paying a few coins, I in turn tried to throw a wooden hoop at a stake while Road gave me some really helpful advice like "Seriously Eve, can't you aim better than that? I know Tyki taught you how to throw knives…" when someone suddenly shouted next to me.
"Eleanore!" The man yelled before reaching out to me, but Mahulda, quick as light, grabbed his wrist, preventing him from touching me. "Eleanore, is that really you!?"
Ho. He wasn't screaming next to me, he was screaming at me. Looking at him better, I frowned in confusion. I knew this man… Or in any case I had the impression of knowing him, like an old classmate whom one sees again years later and whose name one does not remember.
"You are mistaken sir, you are talking to Lady Evelyne Campbell, the daughter of Mister Duke Campbell." Road replied suddenly, taking my hand. She seemed strangely defensive, I noted absently, frowning and puckered lips. Blinking, I slowly returned my gaze to the man. He wore a hopeful look and was slightly disheveled. He had gray eyes, like me, and even paler hair than mine. Not far behind him, A woman was looking at us, a hand over her mouth, shocked, a little girl younger than Eeze in her hand. It was his wife and daughter. The thought came to me without knowing quite where, it could have been anyone, a simple passerby or his sister but no, my mind was categorical, it was his wife and my niece.
...
My niece?
"Aunt Evy" called Road, shaking my hand but I felt like I could hear her from far, far away, as if my head was filled with cotton.
"Eve?" Tyki called then and I turned my head, my eyes blurry to see his shadow not far from us. They must have come back from the zoo.
"Tyki, she's bleeding!" Jasdero called and I mechanically lifted my hand to my face before removing it, my white gloves stained with blood. Uh. I was bleeding from the nose. How rare.
"What is happening?" Devit growled and a hand rested on my shoulder. Tyki?
"Eleanore! Eleanore can you hear me?"
"Shut up!"
"Eve, come this way…"
"I know it's her! Eleanore, why don't you answer?"
"Jean, go get the carriage."
"It's me, your brother, Jo…"
"Johan." Suddenly I was whispering and at that moment everything seemed exceedingly clear to me.
I wasn't Eve, I wasn't even Ennael… I was Eleanore Ashwood.
Okay, so who is Eleanore Ashwood? The continuation in the next episode, ta-ta-daaaaa!
Also, this fic is four years old today! Happy birthday : D It should also have been the day of its end but I screwed up the planning with the wedding last February so weeeell... Another time for the round number ^^ '
Anyway, I'm currently rewriting the french fic and will have to re-translate it in English. Lucky will help me with that but he dosn't have a lot of time and I would like to do a weekly scheldue for it because, franckly, I really want to put a REAL final end to this fic X') So would anyone be interested in Betaing for the rewrited first chapters? There is a lot of new sweet contempt in it, I promise :3
Think about leaving a review and see yah next 25th!