Gossip (Rossana, Enya, open)

[Elizabeth Bell]

23^rd of Undecimber
Year LV
15.05

It was a usual, quiet day in the Bell home.

Meaning, of course, that there was a stillness that oozed of unreleased mayhem waiting to break loose; all felt it, but were not phased, for it was usual. Usual and quiet.

The family had just eaten dinner, and John had retreated to who knows where. Probably the stable. Olivia, Elizabeth and Mary were in a line, scouring the dinnerware. Rossana was expected any moment, to bring more of the compress that had been helping Enya to sleep at night (and to visit, of course). Mercy was upstairs in the room she now shared with the patient -- it had become a makeshift infirmary. Luckily, gentle and diligent care was something that the Bell family was used to giving. While Mercy had been helping with Enya, she herself often needed rest.

Beatrice swung open the door suddenly, and closed it behind her gently; she was too exhausted from the day's work to be loud. Yet. She fell without much grace into one of the wooden chairs that adorned the area around the cookfire, picking up the mending that lay in the basket to her right and quickly setting to work.

With a smirk, Mary cast a sly gaze to Bess. Ignoring her sister, Elizabeth concluded her work on the dishes and neatly arranged her skirts as she stood straight once more. Not to be deterred, Mary whispered, "Did you hear that?"

Elizabeth, knowing the futility of ignoring Mary Lynn, turned a speculative gaze on the young woman. She was anxious for Rossana to arrive; she had much to tell her. "No," She stated simply, neglecting to ask. After a goodly number of seconds, Mary decided that the inquiry would not come and pressed on anyway.

"The door slamming!" She hissed, in the same low, conspiratorial tone. Elizabeth turned away, feeling the fierceness of her sister's ire radiating out to singe her apron strings. Doing away with the garment quickly, she folded it into a neat square and set it on a shelf. "No," she said again, toneless.

Mary lifted a brow. "Exactly."

Bess finally paid Mary some heed, dancing closer a step to give more use to her whisper. Her eyes had become somewhat more alert, less distracted by the list of things of which she wanted to discuss with Rossana. She asked, "Do you think that she is ill?"

Mary straightened, her golden locks shimmering as they tumbled over her shoulder. She lifted her chin, her face becoming serious even as the smirk survived to glint in her eyes. "I think she wants to be a Sick Girl. So much attention lathered on those two!"

Realising that Mary was simply seeking to make a jab, Bess lost her former interest and drifted toward the fireplace, taking a seat beside Beatrice and gesturing for more mending to be passed her way.

[Enya Ayre]

Enya awoke with a start, covered in a nervous sweat. She sensed someone else in the room, and so pressed her face into the pillow to stop herself from screaming and alarming whoever it was. After a few moments of breathing deeply to calm herself down, she sat up. Casting her eyes around the room, she spotted the figure of Mercy Bell resting with her eyes closed in a chair. Not wanting to disturb her, Enya stood up carefully, head still spinning a little, and made her way over to the window. It was evening time, and the light was just starting to dim slightly. Judging by the lingering smell of food, the Bell family had more than likely just eaten dinner. Enya felt the strain in her stomach, and felt suddenly ravenous. She hadn’t eaten properly in days. Not since…well, not since she’d arrived in Benevolence. She could just see her reflection in the window – she looked so pale and weak, and her scars still stood out very vividly against her white skin. Looking out, she could see the dark mass which was the forest, and she shivered.

Closing her eyes, Enya to push away the horrible pictures which played in her head over and over again, particularly at night and in her nightmares. Try as she might, whenever she was alone, or it was dark, memories of that night in the forest came flooding back to her, and she had no way of stopping them. She shivered and reached for the shawl which should have been resting on the end of her bed, but was now on the floor. Her covers were a mess too, she noted. She must have thrashed around a lot during the night, because of her nightmare. She closed her eyes for a brief moment. She hoped none of the Bells had seen. She was beginning to trust them, slowly, but didn’t want any of them to see the state she was in whilst having a nightmare. She quietly rearranged her covers neatly back onto the bed, despite her spinning head.

Deciding to go downstairs to see if there was any food left, she carefully crossed the room in order not to wake Mercy. She headed softly down the stairs, and hesitated outside the door leading to the kitchen. It was fairly quiet inside, but she could hear the sound of someone washing up. And a knock at the front door. She jumped a little, but gently pushed the kitchen door open and stepped inside.

[Elizabeth Bell]

Bea had just passed Elizabeth a pair of her brother's breeches that needed mending around the hem when a knock sounded at the door, and the breeches were immediately shoved back into the unready hands of Beatrice. Not too tired from the day's work to refrain from complaining, Bea let out a noisy yell of wordless protest just as poor Enya emerged onto the scene. Mary, for all of her stinging words earlier, was immediately over to Bea to hush her up. They all knew by now that Enya was sensitive to sudden movement and loud noises, like a young cat come home wounded for the first time.

Elizabeth shot a look of pure exasperation toward Mary -- who was paying attention only to Enya now, her eyes wide with honest concern -- before again making her way to the door, just as Olivia shouted from upstairs inquiring as to who was shouting, and telling them that shouting was not permitted in her household. She opened the door cautiously, and then sighed with a wry smile at the sight of her friend. Beautiful and exotic, Rossana was. Bess had had her fair share of jealousy when they were younger, and then it had burned out as their friendship had blossomed.

"Oh, do come in. The racket has just started, I fear." She whispered, sending a sympathetic glance toward the patient, who stood looking pale as ever in the arch of another doorway. "Miss Ayre, you may not recall Miss Doyle. You were in a faint the last time that she was here. She has come with more of the compress, to help you sleep." No one ever mentioned the nightmares. No one wanted to ask, and no one blamed the girl; and she never mentioned them herself, so all had silently agreed to leave the subject alone.

Somebody to Love - Queen

[Rossana Doyle]

"I was serious about the valerian, Bess."
Rossana shot her friend one of her trademark crooked smiles, ducking her head in thanks and stepping over the threshold into the warmth of the Bell house. As Bess had said, the place had exploded into minor chaos...she hoped she hadn't been the cause of that. The slight young woman bit her lip and rummaged through her large satchel, hoping that she could avoid the scrutiny of both Bea and Mary whilst being useful. It wasn't that she disliked the Bell family, it was just that she was so much more comfortable around Bess. The two of them were alike in many ways and had been friends since childhood. Even now, as she had years before, Rosie would sometimes wistfully wish she possessed more of the pale Anglican beauty Bess did. Though she knew she was very pretty with her ocean blue eyes and auburn locks, she knew there were other things about her - like her olive skin and Mediterranean features that were just too exotic. She doubted any of the town's young men would find her approachable or ever want to marry her. Despite having been born in Benevolence, she felt that the Italian features and accent she had inherited from her mother made her too much the outsider. Lucky Bess - she was one of the most marriagable young women in town - had been such a good friend to her. She was in many ways the sister Rossana had never had.

"Miss Ayre, you may not recall Miss Doyle. You were in a faint the last time that she was here. She has come with more of the compress, to help you sleep."

Rossana shut the door quietly behind her, not wanting to add to the din and disturb the frail looking young girl further. She cast a soft glance at the outsider, meeting her gaze for a few seconds before looking down again and sorting through her bag until she found the second package she had brought. Little satchels of valerian and chamomile tea. Bess had said that although the willow bark compresses were working well for the girl's wounds, the poor thing suffered from terrible dreams and barely slept at night.

"I've brought more of the willow bark and some tea. Valerian and chamomile." She addressed young Miss Ayre quietly, holding the cloth wrapped packages in her slender hands. "It will help you sleep. I know sometimes...pain from wounds like yours can keep you up at night." Bess had advised her to avoid mentioning the young woman's dreams and Rosie wasn't about to stir the pot.

[Enya Ayre]

Enya jumped slightly as the typical noise began. She was a little more used to it now than she had been, but was still feeling undeniable delicate, so it still startled her. Trying to ignore the chaos unfolding around her, she took a few steps towards Elizabeth, who was speaking to her. She smiled weakly at the girl whom she had just been introduced to, who, she noticed, despite her weakened state, had a very exotic beauty about her – quite unlike her own pale, ethereal appearance.

“It’s nice to meet you,” she said quietly. “And very kind of you to come over with these,” she continued, indicating the parcels in her slim hands. “You’re right…my…wounds…do make it quite difficult to sleep sometimes.”

Enya realised then that the two girls, and possibly everyone in the Bell home were quite aware that she suffered terrible nightmares. She had suspected it, but this confirmed it. A faint flush rose in her cheeks, and she dropped her gaze. She hated the fact that strangers saw her at her most vulnerable, but also she felt bad for the inconvenience she was causing the Bells when she screamed out night after night. The twinges of hunger in her stomach brought her back to the present moment.

“It would appear that I’m too late for dinner,” she said with a rueful smile, glancing towards the other Bell girls, who had apparently been clearing away after the family had eaten. It was no matter – her hunger could wait if there wasn’t any food left. She didn’t feel right anyway, eating the Bells food, so avoided it if she could. They had been so kind to her, and yet she still couldn’t completely trust them. At least, she couldn’t talk about her experiences in the forest – not yet anyway. She shuddered to think of that night, and pushed the painful memory away.

[Rossana Doyle]

So this post got deleted by accident because Lexi had a brain fart. An epic brain fart......
*sigh*
Carry on.

[Elizabeth Bell]

Bess smiled wryly at Rosie's murmured comment, giving her a look. Truth was, she had actually given the offer some thought. What harried older sister wouldn't, eventually, consider just drugging the poor female underlings and putting everyone out of their misery? But surely, then, the natural world would be imbalanced and all would see its end... and Mary's suitors just might have her head. They always seemed to think that she was right on the verge of accepting them... but Bess knew better. Mary's failure to commit was more deeply seated than being the younger sister of a highly marriageable spinster.

"Oh, Miss Ayre, think nothing of it. Your plate is still warm. We were going to bring it to you." She said this while rushing to the hearth, and grabbed up a cloth to pull Enya's dish from the shelf near the coals. She set it down on the table with a kind smile in the girl's direction. Poor dear tried, Bess could tell, but so far an honest smile hadn't been seen from her. She then pulled out a chair for Rosie and gestured for her to sit, sitting in the seat next to it, which was by Enya.

"You aren't a recluse, Rosie," Bess said, all prim. She smirked once Mrs. Bell left the kitchen for the fireside once more, whispering in a teasing tone, "You're a plant!" and giggling.

Mrs. Bell then popped her head in and said, "Why, actually, Miss Doyle -- quite the news! You must have heard of, eh, Elizabeth's impending employment?" She peered at the exotic girl (quite strange looking, in her opinion) smilingly. "A handsome, and very rich young man is her employer. She is to be lodged with him following Samhain." Bess gave a withered look, having heard this conversation too many times in the last day or so.

"If she marries him, good riddance!" Called Mary, earning a sharp (but secretly quite pleased) admonition from the lady of the house. Not to be outdone, Beatrice piped in, "Bess won't marry him." In as matter of fact a tone as she could manage.

Mrs. Bell wasn't happy with this. She turned from the fire to place claw-like hands on the back of her daughter's wooden chair. "And why not, Beatrice?" She asked, feigning indifference. Bea stood, placing down her sowing and sauntering to the table. "Oh, well, because she's already in love with someone else."

At this precise moment, Bea's mother and both of her sisters had their jaws hanging open. Finally, blustering, Mrs. Bell near-shouted, "Who?!"

Beatrice smiled, enjoying the attention too much to relinquish it quite yet. "Yes, who?" Bess urged, her eyes dark. Beatrice assumed an air of seriousness characteristic of her most foolish moments. "Oh, you know who, Bess."

[Rossana Doyle]

[Errol Eldridge]

The day had been moving fast, already half the day was gone. Half a day wasted on playing hide-and-seek and chase with the children. Wasted? No, thoroughly enjoying it without a bit of worry that he was currently unemployed. You know, everyone should take a day off and spend it with the children. It lightened the soul. To bad we all had to grow up and have to deal with the worries of life. But alas it was the course of nature, and those worries were the reason that he currently wasn’t still romping with them. One couldn’t live off of hide-and-seek and chase after all.

A job…a job…winter was the hardest time finding one. Errol wandered the village asking door-to-door for employment. Private households didn’t have anything at the moment for him and places of business were weary of hiring him knowing he’d be gone in the spring…if he lasted that long. Maybe he should finally settle down with a job…nope not until he was old and lost the vigor to wander. Hopefully he’ll have a son taking care of him before that ever happens.

Errol now found himself among the farms. Surely there is some work to be done here! No luck at the smaller ones, but maybe the larger ones. His best bet was the Bells. He had worked with them a few times before and they knew that even though he’d leave at some point he always got the job done and could be called on if they ever needed an extra pair of hands. Doing the ‘shave and a haircut’ knock he leaned against the door frame and called out, “Melodious Bells?”

[Enya Ayre]

(Sorry for the delay guys !)



Enya managed a small smile as Elizabeth brought her a plate of food.

“Thank you,” she said, managing to meet the girl’s eyes, thinking how kind she was.

Settling into the chair nearest to where Bess had set the plate, Enya tentatively blew on her food to cool it and began to eat it, very slowly – she hadn’t eaten much at all over the past few days, and didn’t want to make herself sick by eating too much too quickly.

Of course, it didn’t take long for the peace to be shattered somewhat. Mrs Bell seemed to be very proud of Bess’ employment, something which Enya had been unaware of, due to the large amounts of time she had spent sleeping. Idly listening to the conversation, she found herself interested. And as she ate, she felt some of her strength returning, and she pondered about how strange it was that food and a sense of returning normality could make a person feel so much better. She found herself smiling slightly to herself on more than one occasion. The feeling was completely freeing. But it was not in the girl’s nature to feel immediately safe when surrounded by people who were more or less strangers. As they gossiped casually, she because to slip into her old routine of analysing everyone. Mary made her pale eyes narrow a touch, which went unnoticed, with her jibe about Bess marrying her employer. Whether it was meant spitefully or not, Enya didn’t like to assume, but she felt that perhaps Mary could let her tongue run away with her…as could Beatrice, it seemed, with her revelation about Bess being in love. Enya wondered if it was true, and hoped that if it were, Bess loved a man worthy of someone as kind and lovely as she.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, and she jumped slightly, blushing. Ever since her experience in the woods, unexpected sounds and movements often startled her, and she hated how foolish it made her feel.

[Elizabeth Bell]

Bess lifted a hand to her right temple, rubbing there. She cast a sideways glance at Miss Ayre, trying to be inconspicuous in her checking up of the girl. The nervous young lady was not keen on being watched -- nor much of anything, really, at the moment. Her eyes shifted back to her friend and she sighed, closing her eyes as Bea's voice rang out with the all-too-predictable answer.

"Mr. Cleaver's apprentice," She exclaimed, giggling. Mary narrowed her eyes at Bess, gouging her reaction; she turned away eventually, finding nothing that pleased her. Elizabeth's face was a mask of passivity. Olivia Bell lifted her nose, as icy as a winter breeze, and gazed down at her eldest. Such a match would be entirely unacceptable in her eyes, and doubtless in the eyes of Mr. Bell, as well. Bess placed her elbow back onto the table and leaned her head against it, still calm, though her jaw was imperceptibly clenched and her lips were pale.

"It is entirely untrue, Mamma. I hardly know the man." Olivia placed one hand on her hip, her expression still stony, and reached out with the other hand to grab a broom rather violently and beginning to sweep. Beatrice seemed satisfied enough in the interest generated by her outburst to be settled, but not before one more comment; however, she was distracted by a handsome head popping into the doorway. With a girlish giggle she danced forward a few steps, grasping Mr. Eldridge on the arm.

"Oh, you're the sweetest thing, Errol!" Bess smiled warily in his direction and stood, along with Mary, to curtsy. She gave Bea a warning glance, which was absolutely ignored. "Do come in, Mr. Eldridge." She said, going to the door so that she might close it behind him.

"Miss Doyle is here delivering some medicine for -- oh, have you met Miss Ayre?"

[Rossana Doyle]

Rossana's mind had wandered off, as it often did when the Bells began their usual battles. She knew from experience that it was usually best to take cover and remain as unobtrusive as possible or one might easily become cannon fodder. While the girls squabbled in their various ways for supremacy (poor Bess caught in the middle of it all), Rosie made her way quietly over to the hearth where she hefted a heavy kettle to see if it still contained water. It did and she set it over the fire, turning her quiet smile upon Miss Ayre.

I'll put some water on for your tea, Miss Enya.

She said, her attention jerked ever so slightly away from the pale girl as a knock sounded at the door and the unmistakable bounce and drawl of Mr. Errol Eldridge's voice sounded outside. What was the young man doing out so close to sunset? She wondered, then shook her head. Errol had always been a daring young lad, footloose and fancy free for the most part. Of course he wouldn't play it safe as she did. She didn't say a thing as Bea pulled him into the house, which was quite shameless of her, Rossana thought. But then, Bea was always shameless and while Rossana thought that independence was a fine thing in a woman the way Beatrice behaved was more impudent than independent. She glanced at Errol over her shoulder as he came in the door, meeting his eyes with her big ocean blue ones and flashing him a little smile before going back to work. While they were not good friends, she was well enough acquainted with the charming young man: he had been a part of Benevolence since he showed up unannounced and alone on a cart one day. He'd been a curious boy then (in every sense of the word) and was a curious young man now. She wondered, as she checked the tea water, if he was working for the Bells at the moment or just stopping by.

[Errol Eldridge]

It seemed like he had perfect timing, the tension was thick enough to cut it with a knife! Another argument? He probably didn’t even want to know what it is about this time. Well actually yeah he did, but he was sure he could pry it out of one of them later without having everyone else around for the argument to continue. Even with all the disagreements that they had though the Bell family had to be his favorite family in the village. He considered them almost like an extended family, and if anything he loved their different personalities interacting.

Errol chuckled as Beatrice practically dragged him into the house. The girl was positively silly and a bit…well slow, but he couldn’t help but like her for it. “You bring it out in me Miss. Beatrice. Can’t help but to be that way when I’m surrounded by woman as sweet as you all.” He glanced over at Bess and gave her a wink. His dear friend looked exhausted, had it been about her? He smiled at her before glancing around and noticing two extra women; Miss. Doyle and a woman he had never seen before. He tipped his hat and returned Miss. Doyle’s smile.

“No I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure!” Errol swept off his hat and gave a very grand bow to the pale looking girl, “It is quite an honor to meet you Miss. Ayre, the names Errol Eldridge.” he said giving his normal wide grin. Actually now that he thinks about he had heard of a girl staying at the Bell’s that had been attacked. Poor child. But he figured that the girl needed a smiling face rather then sympathy. “You’re lucky to have such a lively family as a host.” If lively was the word you could use.

[Enya Ayre]

As the giggling, teasing gossip continued, Enya subconsciously found herself listening in. A name stuck out, and she suddenly realised who they were speaking of.

“Mr Cleaver’s apprentice? He’s the man who…who found me, isn’t he?” she asked in her quiet voice, blushing as all eyes turned to her. But it was unsurprising – it was probably the most she’d said since coming to the village.

Distracted by Rossana, she smiled and murmured her thanks to the older girl as she offered to go and put some water on for her tea. The others were momentarily diverted by the arrival of a smiling man, who had just entered on Beatrice’s arm. The kitchen suddenly seemed to become even busier, in the girl’s mind – the man brought with him a smile and a manner which lit up the whole room. Oddly larger than life, but instantly likeable, she decided. His greeting to her was grander than she deserved, she felt, but, for the first time in what felt like forever, it brought out a genuine smile.

“It’s nice to meet you, sir,” she said quietly, attempting to get up and greet him properly, but giving up halfway through and sitting back down. She found it so hard to summon up the strength for the simpler tasks of life, and she hated it. “Please call me Enya,” she said as she settled back into the seat, blushing slightly. She smiled again at his tactful description of the Bell family. “Indeed – there is certainly never a dull moment.” She glanced at Elizabeth, smiling slightly, feeling better than she had in days.

[Elizabeth Bell]

Bea giggled at the compliment, bouncing up and down. "Oh, Errol!" She exclaimed, unaware of the picture she made. Mary took Rossana's newly vacated seat, watching the goings-on. She sent a smile in Enya's direction, nodding her head in answer to the question and mouthing 'the very same' before introductions began to be made. Elizabeth crossed her arms, cradling her elbows in the palm of each hand, as she watched Miss Ayre's face break into a true smile. It was quite a pretty sight. Once she recovered, this girl would likely make a popular dance partner come Yule.

"It seems as if you have a nourishing effect on Miss Ayre, Mr. Eldridge," She said. Enya deserved a little brightness after what she'd been through, and all she'd lost; and Errol could shine like the sun when he put his mind (or charm) to it. With her smile bordering on a smirk, Bess followed Rossana to the hearth and leaned against the wall. With everyone occupied, she thought it safe to whisper, "I'm not in love with him," her lips were pursed and her eyes fixed on her best friend's face. "Despite what everyone says." At this she blushed, quite against her will.