An Evening Visit

[Valentina Audley]

The colours swirling round the girl seem to be a match for her visible emotions. As far as Valentina can tell, she's human, very excited about skirting the realms of scanadalousness in such a 'safe' way (Valentina makes a mental note to have Jacob and Helen listen out for rumours because she's sure tales of this little visit will spread around the marriageable young ladies of Aquae Sulis) and a fairly run of the mill young lady (albeit a recently poor one). Curious indeed... What should the wretch want with such a one? This close Valentina can hear the girl's heart beating and it's taking a little effort to ignore the pull of the vitae within her. She succeeds, consoling herself that as soon as she's gotten rid of the girl, well, Jacob will be around, won't he?

She smiles at the other girl and laughingly replies "really darling, what would your Mama say if she thought I was encouraging dreadful behaviours with tales of the freedom to run your own business in your own way? Much less the horror if I do not yell you that it can be a truly wondrous time and that the liberations are frightening and yet exhilarating...."

She tilts her head thoughtfully. "Another question... Very well darling. Have you resided in Aquae Sulis all your life?"

[Jacob Swainswick]

It happened in but a moment.

"Here, let's have a look." Swainswick stood, holding the jacket for his companion to try on. "This is very good work, Mr. Alberts. Both'icks?" He'd seen the tailor's monogram embroidered into the jacket lining; nonetheless, a little showmanship didn't hurt: a reputation for having a good eye for the work of another helped add to the Thimble's mystique.

Alberts replaced his teacup, placing the fingers of one hand upon the paper, his other on the back of the chair, as he rose -

The wicked needle he'd examined earlier rolled, a limping accelerating-decelerating motion almost comedic in its drunkenness -

The sound of it, the shine of reflected gaslight along its bladed edge, the unexpected movement drawing both their gazes at once -

It turned as it fell -

"Whoops," wheezed Alberts, the instinctive snatch of his hand born solely of reflex -

Both men jumped as the chair clattered backward.



"Sorry," grumbled Alberts. The men exchanged a glance: the sudden alert pause in conversation from the sitting room was quite palpable. The men shared a mutual wince.

"No harm done."

Alberts stooped to right the chair. "It's been a few years since the sun set on my cricketing days," he snorted, moving to drop the blade back onto the table. "Here - oh."

"My dear sir," Jacob said, alarmed. "Oh dear. Let me help you with that."

The tiny implement refused to be dropped; in his haste to catch it, Alberts had closed his hand around it, driving the razor-sharp tool not more than a quarter of an inch into the fleshy part of his palm.

It was not the inconvenience of the accident that paled Swainswick's face, however - for the incident could hardly be described as an immediate threat to life or limb - but rather the scarlet drop that welled, beaded, and fell to the kitchen table.

[Selena Ash]

The 'mama' comment sobered Selena. Although she'd shot Valentina a sly look of understanding when the Seamstress expanded, it was clear that the girl remained relieved by the change in topic.

"I have, Miss Valentina. In fact, Father was Sulian born and raised. He met Mother in London. I believe that she shared in some French ancestry courtesy of her mother, but was otherwise born in a little village between Bray and Cookham. Father's family are English through and through. I say, were it not for-"

An abrupt sound startled Selene. Her head swung in the direction of the kitchen cubby.

"Miss Valentina...? What was that?"

[Valentina Audley]

Valentina rolls her eyes in amused exasperation.

"That darling, I have no doubt is one of the many reasons men should be under the guidance of a capable wife. I think I should probably go and see what they've done..."

She decided not to make a suggestion that the girl should stay put, seeing the servant quarters would likely add to her adventure but she had the choice to act like a society miss and stay put if she so chose. She disengaged herself from the other girl and lead the way to the kicthen, halting in the doorway with one eyebrow quirked.

"Is everything well Mr Swainswick?"

[Jacob Swainswick]

"Oh!" Jacob jumped, startled, and spun around. "Quite alright, Miss Audley. A minor mishap, nothing more." He stood at attention, his left hand held behind his back, and stepped neatly sideways to obscure the view of Alberts. The tactic was only marginally successful: it did not suffice to completely occlude a glimpse of the silk handkerchief that the latter had wrapped tidily around the palm of his hand.

"I'm terribly sorry for the disturbance," Swainswick went on, "very clumsy of me. I do hope you ladies were not startled. It's no matter; truly: no matter. Pray, is there anything you might need?"

[Selena Ash]

"Oh, I say, is that blood?"

An eternal three seconds of something like mild nausea - then all Selena's lights went out.

[Jacob Swainswick]

In the case of a minor emergency, a young gentleman should take firm charge of the situation, politely attending to the needs of any ladies present. It is important that he should seek to not escalate alarm amongst his distaff companions by importunate exclamations; he should furthermore look to preserve the dignity of all present in all his actions: for there is no need that an accident of fate should be propelled into the realms of infamous impropriety.

"Blimme, Miss Ash -!" exclaimed Alberts, starting forward.

"That's quite alright, Alberts, I have this," said young Swainswick, a note of command in his tone. "Excuse me, Miss Audley. Begging your pardon."

He stepped briskly into the corridor, dropping to one knee carefully by the prone young woman (ensuring, naturally, that he did not risk any further crease to her skirts), and taking her wrist gingerly between the thumb and first two fingers of his right hand. "She's quite overcome," came his keen observation.

He might have begun chafing her wrists immediately, but the risk to her garment from his left hand was not something that the urgency of the moment caused him to overlook; and so, he popped his finger quickly, almost unthinkingly, into his mouth to render it free of any lingering trace of his rapid ministrations to Alberts' punctured palm.

"Stay back, Alberts," he said, calmly, "we don't want to get blood on her dress, eh? Oh. Miss Ash. You poor creature. This is quite terrible. Miss Ash? Miss Ash!"

[Valentina Audley]

Valentina frowns. She's tired, she's hungry, the wretched girl had collapsed (she must have a word with Francis) and now the ghoul was... Being chipper and helpful. Argh. She sighs softly then takes charge as any kind and caring seamstress shop proprietor would.

Letting a note of alarm and concern into her voice she says "Mr Swainswick, the poor girl has fainted. Kindly allow Mr Alberts to help you and carry Miss Ash back to the sitting room. Once there I shall attend to her and the two of you can make yourselves useful procuring tea, the smelling salts and possibly the smallest amount of medicinal brandy."

She considers for a moment and adds "there's some undyed cotton in the second drawer down in the workroom, You might avail both yourself and Mr Alberts to some for bandages before you move her."

All of that said she moves next to Selena and carefully cradles the girls head into her lap. Looking up at the two men shes says 'well? Off you go..."

[Jacob Swainswick]

The flash of her eye; the expectation of obedience; and above all, the pragmatic manner in which she cared for her young guest: none of these were lost on the young tailor.

"At once, Miss Audley. Mr. Alberts -" now that the immediate danger was past, Swainswick was not one to overlook appropriate formalities, "it's just behind you, sir. After you, sir."

The two men found the cotton exactly as the proprietor had directed. Alberts, still grumbling with apology, a worried look over his shoulder, offered the soiled kerchief back to young Swainswick.

"That's quite alright," Jacob shook his head. "You keep it. Now, let me have a proper look at this. It's not deep at all. I'm just going to pinch it a little, let the blood run. Best ensure it's clean, eh? Are you quite alright, Mr. Alberts?"

It took a few minutes of the young man's chatty bedside manner to finish a neat make-shift bandage. Swainswick nodded the man toward a far cupboard, the top drawer of which contained the requisite salts.

As the older man's back was turned, he paused momentarily in the act of wiping his fingers with the remains of his silk handkerchief. A quick flick of his eyes - Alberts was still rummaging, inspecting the small glass phials. A tentative sniff; there was nothing to detect. Swainswick experimentally touched the tip of his tongue to the end of his finger.

"'Ere it is, Mr. Swainswick," Alberts announced. "Let's see to Miss Ash pronto, eh?"

Swainswick balled the handkerchief in his fist, an enigmatic smile on his face; it took a moment to reach his eyes. "Quite so, Mr. Alberts," he said.

[Valentina Audley]

Valentina fusses over the unconscious girl in her lap until the men have gone into the next room. Jacob's chattiness would serve as a warning to her when they were coming back and as the girl didn't appear to be reviving anytime soon she shifted again, laying the girls head carefully onto the floor and rummaging quietly and unceremoniously through the girls pockets, alert to her showing signs of stirring, which, thankfully, she did not.

Valentina smiles as her fingers draw out a dainty cotton square, hemmed with lace. It's not a nice smile, but a very satisfied one nevertheless and she wastes no time secreting the girls handkerchief on her own person. Annoyingly there's nothing else of note in there and so Valentina abandons the search and moves back to cradling the girls head, ready for the men to return. It's not taken more than a minute to accomplish her task and she's murmuring gently to the girl when they reappear, the picture of kindly concern.