Full masks at a party were certainly inconvenient. Esme had to tilt hers up every time she ate or drank, balancing the need for anonymity against the need for sight. Eventually, she gave up. The glass was only ornamental; she spent a great deal of time watching Caro flutter about instead.
It was hard to reconcile the stammering man from Harlin’s with the character he played now. She didn’t have quite the trick of it herself, running out of pleasantries to exchange with other ladies in only a few passes of mild conversation. Thankfully, it did not matter in the end.
Messere Fox wasted no time in presenting himself. Esme abandoned her drink and guided him downstairs by the hand. She didn’t need to see the signal past the first shower of dust, smoky grit that clung to her hair.
“Are you a sculptor, Messere?” What the artist did, exactly, had been left in question. His hands were very rough – a surprise, even though she knew he was a noble’s pet and not of rank himself.
“Uhh, something like that, Miss.”
The fires were going by now. She led Messere Fox out a servant’s entrance, struggling not to trip over her skirts as they picked up speed. Alred would be waiting with the wagon, not too far. They would meet Caro there.
And they nearly made it. Armed men boiled forth from the castle, fighting against the tide of the crowd. Shit, some of them had crossbows.
It was hard to reconcile the stammering man from Harlin’s with the character he played now. She didn’t have quite the trick of it herself, running out of pleasantries to exchange with other ladies in only a few passes of mild conversation. Thankfully, it did not matter in the end.
Messere Fox wasted no time in presenting himself. Esme abandoned her drink and guided him downstairs by the hand. She didn’t need to see the signal past the first shower of dust, smoky grit that clung to her hair.
“Are you a sculptor, Messere?” What the artist did, exactly, had been left in question. His hands were very rough – a surprise, even though she knew he was a noble’s pet and not of rank himself.
“Uhh, something like that, Miss.”
The fires were going by now. She led Messere Fox out a servant’s entrance, struggling not to trip over her skirts as they picked up speed. Alred would be waiting with the wagon, not too far. They would meet Caro there.
And they nearly made it. Armed men boiled forth from the castle, fighting against the tide of the crowd. Shit, some of them had crossbows.
07-26-2024, 03:16 PM
