A Mary Hunt Interlude
Mary had brought the farming clothes that her dear Katarina had given her! She had tried to be careful with it, since it was a gift from her dear Katarina, but that was difficult given the purpose it was used for. Despite all the care in the world, it had started to become worn. Mary had been thinking of having a duplicate made to wear instead while she kept the original perfectly preserved at home when her dear Katarina had gifted her with another one, which had neatly solved the problem… before she'd started worrying about the state the second one was in…
She didn't bring it all the time, since her dear Lady Katarina wasn't always working on her farm, but she had brought it now because she knew that after being away from her fields for so long, her dear Lady Katarina would certainly be farming, and of course Mary would be there to assist her!
After a whole morning of being surrounded by Katarina's cousins, however, Mary was starting to understand what Keith had meant by being 'full'. The smiles, the thoughtfulness, the attentive listening and readiness to learn, the exclamations when she taught them how to do something, even if it was something as basic as checking weeds for thorns or sharp edges first before pulling them off, and being careful to not pull the roots of crops while doing so… She found herself starting to blush a little with every sincere thanks and compliment, no matter how minor her assistance was as the cousins went about helping with curiosity and Katarina-derived enthusiasm.
With so many inexperienced people, they could only do basic things, but there were a lot of basic maintenance that could be done by a lot of people. Watering was one of them, and while her dear Katarina didn't have many watering cans, they did have buckets and wooden ladles, and after a little demonstration by Mary as to how much water the different kinds of crops needed, and then a few corrections, everyone was soon water her dear Katarina's crops with cheerful enthusiasm once Keith and the male cousin came back with the hats.
Mary felt this shouldn't be happening. After all, she was Mary Hunt, she should be used to lesser ladies trying to get into her good graces with praise and compliments. And she was. but most of the time, those compliments were malicious, insincere, or at best shallow and fawning. This wasn't. Every words of thanks was sincere and whole-hearted. Many powerful nobles would have trouble being able to tell, having learned to listen for lies instead of truth, and when they didn't hear and deception they assumed the other party was better at hiding it. Mary, however, had a lifetime of experience with her dear Katarina—for her life had only truly begun when they had met, and all before was as the fog before disparity—had taught her how to hear sincerity, for Katarina spoke no other way, and she heard it now.
It was an overwhelming experience, in a way she had once thought only her dear Katarina could be.
The only one who wasn't being perfectly cheerful was her dear Katarina's cousin Olga, who had resolute refused and had gone to sit under the shade of a tree… and then proceeded to watch on with barely hidden envy, like a child who wanted to play but couldn't…
"All right everyone, I think that's all," her dear Katarina announced. "It's almost lunch, so why don't we all go inside and get washed?" Her dear Katarina seemed to recall something. "Oh! Don't forget to wipe the mud from your feet before you go inside, or you'll track it in and mother will scold you." She nodded, looking like she'd just shade something profound. Honestly, her dear Katarina could so childish…
Wait, was Keith crying?
"Sister!" he exclaimed, giving dear Katarina a hug and HEX HIM, HEX HIM, HEX HIM! She wanted to hug Lady Katarina too! "I'm so proud of you! You finally remembered to wipe your feet!"
"I know!" Katarina cheered, hugging him right back, the two siblings spinning around in a weird impromptu dance and hex it she wanted to spin around like that with Lady Katarina too! "Mother finally won't scold me for tracking in mud! I remembered this time!"
"What are you, a child?" her dear Katarina's cousin Olga said, sounding exasperated. She blinked. "Right, forgot who I was talking to…" Mary was starting to imagine how she could punish this madwoman when the woman sighed and started patting Katarina on the back. "Congratulations, cousin," she said, still sounding exasperated but strangely sincere. "You've mastered wiping your feet."
"Thanks Olga!"
"You're wel—Argh! No, don't, don't hug me, there's no need—ugh, you're all sweaty! Let me go, let me go, let me go!"
"Let me go, let me go, can't hold it back any more..!" her dear Katarina started singing for some reason as she continued to hug Keith and Olga.
"No fair!" Marie exclaimed. "I want to hug too!" She suited action to words, diving in.
"Argh! No, no more hugging, no more hugging, we're all sweaty!" Olga cried. "Marie, stop wiping your sweaty face on my hair!"
Mary felt the familiar bemusement as she watched the hugging. Fortunately—or unfortunately—the other cousins didn't join in, just laughing as Marie not-so-subtly got sweat all over her twin sister as Keith and her dear Katarina both laughed and held her in place with hugs from both sides. The feeling surged in her, of wanting to join in, to be held by her dear Katarina like that too… but she didn't act on it. There was no biting her handkerchief to express her frustration, no glare of jealousy…
"Hah ha! Now you're sweaty too!"
"This is so gross!"
This was different. She could feel it was different. This was… it reminded her of when Sophia clutched at Nicol's sleeve. Of when Alan and The ADVERSARY And Enemy Of The Alliance would exchange knowing looks for some reason after a strange comment only they seemed to understand. Of when her sisters sat together, talking and laughing, and she could only watch…
Keith glanced up, and their gazes met. He must be so smug, managing to get close to her dear Katarina like that, just because they were brother and sister. He was even smiling about it, enjoying how he was winning as he whispered something in her dear Katarina's ear—
Her dear Katarina glanced up and looked at Mary.
"Mary!" her dear Katarina exclaimed, reaching out and grabbing Dame Matthew—who was apparently being punished for something by everyone calling her Mashu—them pulling her in to swap places so that he knight held her younger sister trapped while her other sister malicious got sweat all over Olga. Katarina circled around them, and Mary blinked as her dear Katarina was suddenly hugging her, her dear Katarina was hugging her, ah, her heart, Mary felt like she might die…
"You're not going to feel left out!" her dear Katarina laughed as she hugged Mary. "Take your hugs too!"
Ah, this felt so nice, even if it was sweaty and kind of stinky since they'd been working out in the sun, but it was her dear Katarina's stink and sweat so Mary would bear it and enjoy it, even if she had to open herself up to strange fetishes that she thought she had drawn the line on as Katarina pressed against her from behind—
Wait. Her dear Katarina was in front of her. Who was the stinky, sweaty hugger hugging her from behind…?
…
"Keith!" she shrieked. "Get off, get off, you're all sweaty!"
"No," was the laughing reply from behind her. "You're getting hugs too!"
"I don't want sweaty hugs!"
In front of her, her dear Katarina blinked. "You don't?" she started pulling back.
Ah! AH, AH, AH, AH, AH! "On my hair!" she amended quickly. "Please, don't get sweat on my hair!"
Dear Katarina glanced over Mary's shoulder, and she got the feeling dear Katarina and Keith were exchanging glances.
She felt Keith gently gather her hair and pull it over one of her shoulders, and Katarina buried her face on the other side, and ah that felt so nice, and even Keith's presence wasn't so bad, he was a warm backstop…
"Thanks for teaching Shana-sensei," Katarina said happily. "She really taught me a lot!"
Mary felt pride and dignity swell at her cute little student being acknowledged by her dear Katarina. "It was my pleasure."
Through her hair, on the opposite side of her head from Katarina, she heard Keith whisper, "We've been farming. How dirty do you think my hands are?"
…
The impact of her elbow making contact with something and Keith grunting wasn't much, but it was satisfying.
Despite her arriving unexpectedly, Mary found herself being invited over for lunch… with the whole family, visiting and otherwise. That… was probably some sort of subtle rebuke from Duchess Millidiana. Usually, when Mary arrived unexpectedly the Duchess was absent, or at least had nothing planned. This time, she was entertaining guests. No, more than guests. Family. Yes, there was definitely some subtle rebuke there, of the sort that would be conveyed by a level gaze and subtle phrases over the meal, and Mary was meant to feel chagrinned and be more intelligent about showing up unexpectedly for a few weeks. Or at least the next four days of her dear Katarina's free days… and she might even find her invitation to the Duchess' party quietly revoked…
It wouldn't be, but it would be threatened, and—
"Lady Hunt!" her grace greeted Mary, taking her hands in an almost Katarina-like gesture. Wait, what? "Such a pleasure to see you again! I'm glad you received my invitation to visit."
Wait, what?
"The pleasure is all mine, your grace," Mary said, curtsying as expected of her. She was wearing a new dress that was completely identical to the one she'd been wearing before, because it wouldn't do to imply she hadn't managed to maintain an impeccable appearance. Though perhaps it was time to refit this one, it was a bit tight around her pride and dignity. "Thank you for the invitation."
And then Mary understood.
Her spies… were not really her spies.
The Duchess' gaze sharpened ever so slightly as she saw the realization in Mary's eyes. Yes, she seemed to say. This is my house, and I tolerate your childishness.
Mary considered how many souls she'd paid her 'spies' over the years to keep her appraised of her dear Katarina's activities and visitors…
She sighed inside. And the thing was she'd still need to keep paying them, because she still needed them to keep her informed…!
Protocol wasn't being observed during this meal, since her grace was sitting to his grace's right, rather than the opposite end of the table. Katarina was the one the one sitting there, as if she were the hostess, though given how enthusiastically she was talking to everyone, that actually made sense. It was a doubtful if she actually knew this was her role, however. Mary hadn't yet gotten around to teaching Shana about the protocols of planning a formal seating arrangement, only about how to comport one's self during one. Though Mary did note that her dear Katarina wasn't just single-mindedly eating the food in front of her to the exclusion of all else.
Keith was actually trying to keep from crying as he watched Lady Katarina eating like a civilized noble, and Mary felt a little teary-eyed herself, knowing it had been thanks to her cute little student's efforts…!
N-not that Lady Katarina wasn't perfect already! I-it wasn't l-like she could or n-needed to be improved or anything! It was merely out of how good her cute little student had attended to her lessons!
