The morning dawned dark and gray. Despite this, and the early hour, many people had gotten up to see them off. The children were still in their sleep clothes, some having dragged their blankets down with them, but they all seemed to see it their duty to see her off with a hug and request that she promise she come back safe. Maria duly made the required promises, before sending the children up to get dressed or sleep more.
She took a moment to inspect the blackpowder manufactory and storage for leaks, and was glad to find the place holding firm. They would need to close the doors though, meaning less light. Prism stones just weren't enough, and she'd forbidden them torchlight. Not that she needed to after all the experience they'd had of blackpowder. She gave them permission to cease production if it grew too dark to work, and to try and think of a solution to the lighting problem that wouldn't involve fire. Hopefully they'd think of something, otherwise they'd have to risk it with covered lanterns…
The carriage shone brightly with polish and paint. At least, it would have if it hadn't been raining. Now it just glistened wetly. They had packed lightly, with only a few clothes and a small cache of food if they couldn't buy from a town. Maria had them add a bit more, since the rain would likely slow them.
Abyss consume the rain. It had been the bane of her existence when she'd walked to and from Noir, and it still was now.
Eventually they left, heading towards the ministry for the other members of their party. Miss Shelley sat across from her, quiet in the gloom of the carriage interior. Last night some of her clothes had been delivered from the Claes estate, some of which had gone into the carriage luggage. Maria was thankful for Katarina's offer to have her personal maid stay with Maria to take care of her mother, even as it made her wince guiltily at how she had once though so badly of the duke's daughter. How had she missed this kindness?
Still, the offer was a great relief to Maria, especially since she still hadn't managed to find to interview someone for the post of her personal maid. At least someone who knew what they were doing would be able to care for her mother. And someone she knew at that! That would make things so much easier.
Yes, it was much better to think of all this than whatever was likely to happen to her when the Third Prince finally took action regarding her blackmail, treason and threats.
Tense, awkward, but eventually comfortable silence ensued until them made their way to the Ministry.
The rain was already having an effect, as it had taken them a quarter of an hour longer to reach the Ministry than usual. Sometimes she thought carriages should have skids or skies when it rained, instead of wheels that could get bogged down.
Rafael and Larna Smith were waiting for her at the covered entrance of the Ministry, with their luggage. They both had a strange look on their face as Maria opened the door. For some reason, the magic tool was on Larna Smith's head, as if she was too lazy to carry it properly.
"Please be careful of the wet," Maria said. "I apologize for the crowding, but because of the rain, we cannot put luggage on the rack."
"Yeah, rain sucks," Larna Smith agreed faintly, seemingly preoccupied as she kept glancing forward towards the horses. They were wearing leather rain coats to protect them from the rain and help keep them warm, with some kind of thick lining underneath. Their heads were still exposed, but for all that they seemed fairly comfortable despite the rain.
Rafael, thankfully, blinked and shook his head, then picked up his suitcase and lifted it up towards the door. Maria took it, adding it to the other luggage inside with them, which included a small barrel of black powder, the wooden case carrying the two kinds of prototype six-shot, among other things. Then he picked up Larna Smith's surprisingly compact bag, handing it up, and Maria found a space for it.
"Come on," Rafael said, nudging the former-director, who finally looked at him and seemed to realize she was holding everyone up. She climbed up into the carriage and took the seat across from Maria, one side shoved up against Miss Shelley's own luggage. Rafael reluctantly sat next to her as Maria settled down in her seat. The door closed, for some reason making both of them jump. With a shudder, the carriage started to move. The sound of the rain intensified as they left the sheltered overhang of the ministry entrance.
For a moment, they sat there, Maria and Miss Shelley on one side facing towards the front of the carriage, Rafael and Larna Smith opposite them, the luggage blocking the door to one side. Rain drummed on the glass windows, letting in a gloomy gray light.
Maria reached out and plucked the magic tool from Larna Smith's head. "Has this been attuned?"
"Uh, yeah," Larna Smith said, seemingly surprised at the question, even as she started looking over her shoulder. Why? There was nothing behind her but the interior wood. "Alexander should be a bit more sensitive now, but for best results you and Miss Shelley should probably still use him together."
Maria nodded as she drew a map from the leather envelope at her side. It was a copy of the larger map they'd marked yesterday than she'd drawn last night with some difficulty, complete with most of the marked roads and towns. Forests, swamps and mountains had been simplified as shading, as the roads had been the important bit. "We are still some distance away," Maria said, marking their current estimated location with a charcoal stick, "but it is best to ensure mother is still in the general area of our destination and hasn't been moved."
She reached into her pocket and drew out the ship's compass. "Would you assist me, Miss Shelley?" Maria asked, holding the magic tool in her other hand.
Together, they took a quick reading. It took longer, as because of the bumps on the road caused by parts of it turning into mud faster than others the compass was hard to read, and eventually Maria had the carriage stop so they could take a reading. Fortunately, the magic tool was still pointing in the same general direction, so they resumed travel,
"Maria…" Rafael eventually said as Maria put away the compass, map, and the ruler she's used to draw accurate lines on the miniature map, "I have to ask… where's your driver?"
"I had him remain back at the estate," Maria said. "With the rain, I did not wish him to risk illness, and all my grooms would be needed to nurse Ludwig back to health after my ill treatment."
"Then… who's driving the carriage?" Rafael asked.
Maria gave him a strange look. "No one is driving the carriage, Rafael. You saw it yourself."
Really, while having a carriage driver was nice, they weren't really necessary most of the time in Maria's opinion.
"How do the horses know where they're going?" Larna Smith asked.
Maria tried to hide her pitying look. Ah there, it was. Academia and knowledge was finally starting to drive her mad. "Horses don't know where they're going," she explained, hoping to stem this tide of madness at least long enough for them to rescue her mother. "They're horses. They're not smart enough to know. They just pull the carriage."
From the look that came over Larna Smith's face, she didn't seem to understand this obvious fact. Still, she didn't become violent and start cutting up people's skulls. That was a good sign.
"Are you using Dark Magic on the horses or something?" Rafael asked.
Maria shook her head. "No, not yet. They don't need to be made to ignore their fatigue yet, and with two of them it won't be needed."
"All right… then…" Rafael said. For some reason, he looked over his shoulder too, than just shrugged and settled back into his chair.
Larna smith frowned and opened her mouth again, but Rafael elbowed her– gently– and gave her a look, and she fell silent. Despite this, she kept looking over her shoulder, then started peering around, as if looking for something inside the carriage.
Maria sighed. She couldn't keep being angry at Larna Smith, given she was helping rescue Maria's mother. That just made it difficult to watch her mind clearly slipping into madness, since she couldn't even take petty satisfaction at it, only watch in pity.
Sighing, realizing she was stuck in a small room with Rafael and couldn't even be intimate with him because there were two others present, she settled back in her seat and willed the horses to go faster. There was a slight increase in speed, but it didn't last long. Even the horses seemed lethargic in the rain, though Maria knew they were making decent time given the deteriorating conditions of the roads.
Eventually, Miss Shelley said, "Lady Campbell, do you have some sort of plan for when we reach our destination?"
That stirred Maria, who had been lewdly considering sliding her foot out of her boot and using it to stroke Rafael's ankles under his Ministry uniform, to thought. "I go in first," she said. "Kill anyone in our way. Get to my mother. The three of you take her back to the carriage while I kill the ones responsible. Bring her home."
"Good plan," Larna Smith said. "Simple, easy to remember."
Oedon curse it. Well, there went that idea. If the madwoman approved, then the plan must be complete and utter lunacy. Pity. She liked the simplicity.
"However, I will admit that was a plan I conceived without much thought just now," Maria continued smoothly. "I would value your input for a more sensible plan."
Discussion of such a plan consumed them as the carriage continued on, the rain falling on the empty driver's seat where the reins were tied as the horses continued pulling the carriage behind them in the rain.
A Katarina Interlude
Katarina managed to wake up early all by herself, even though Anne wasn't there and she didn't have an alarm clock.
She'd tried to dress by herself too, but as usual her servants were extra strict about getting her dressed, even if they were much more gentle about it these days.
Breakfast was a quick affair, just herself and her mother. Keith wouldn't wake up until later, since he wasn't coming along on this trip. She wished he could come, but her mother had said he'd be staying behind with father so he could continue learning how to duke, and besides, they weren't his relatives, so there was no need for him to go.
Katarina supposed that was true. She often had to be reminded Keith was adopted, since he'd been with her practically since the very start of her life on this world.
Still, sitting in the carriage and having her mother teach her– gently– the correct way for a lady to brush and comb her own hair when her personal maid wasn't around was kind of nice.
"I wish we'd done this when I was younger," Katarina said as her mother brushed Katarina's hair to demonstrate how it must feel like. "Then I could sit on your lap! I suppose I'm too big for that now…"
"Yes," her mother said, but there was a wistful look on her face. "I suppose that would probably have been the best time to teach you how to do this."
"Eh, don't worry mother, we have a long carriage ride ahead, just the two of us," Katarina said. "We have plenty of time for me to learn!"
"I suppose that's true." Her mother said. "All right, now that you know how it should feel, you should be able to judge if you're doing it right. Hold the brush like this…"
