A Perilous Escape: After the Tea Party

[Charity Delice no Lefebvre]

I nodded. "I think you are right. Come then," I said to the women as I approached the side door first, just in case, it would give them the time to run if need be. I knocked, loudly enough that someone inside would hear if they were near it and be roused to answer, and hopefully not be upset at the time of the evening we were calling upon them.

[Liselle de Montblanc-Bonnel]

Everything seemed pretty sedate at this point and I still had my knife hidden behind my skirts as Charity went to make her greetings. The side door really was the best idea, especially since going to the front one would probably create even more of a scene, and I had a feeling that for now this would all need to be kept quiet. Even so I had to wonder what Castiel was doing right now, and whether or not he was even home. From what I knew of him thus far he did tend to stay at home at least a good bit of the time- so what would he think of this situation that he was going to be presented with? Did Andy even realize the sort of ally she had next door to her? It was an interesting question, but for now it would have to wait. No use getting ahead of ourselves.

[Castiel de Bonnel]

I had been up and about, finding it rather difficult to sleep nowadays. There was much on my mind, and often when my household was a sleep, I found myself roaming the halls, keeping my mind preoccupied with anything else - work, whether the paintings wer hung properly, the hallways cleaned, wooden floors gleamed. I still had on my mind my visit to Gentian - even if terribly uneventful an dnot very helpful - it weighed heavily on my head and heart. I had been walking down a corridor, when I swear I heard a rapping come at teh side door. Most eliveries were made at the other side, where the kitchen was, and besides, no deliveries would be made at this hour. I furrowed my brows and with quick light steps I made my way to a nearby room with a fireplace, grabbing teh poker to arm it at my side. I had been trained in fencing, which of course s different really from swordfighting, if that it was more artistic and flowing, but nonetheles, I would be able to defend if the need arose. I walked back to the door, and opened it slowly, waiting before I put my foot outside them my head, only to see... a blonde girl in a pretty dress, surrounded by other women in pretty dresses, and two which I knew - Liselle and Rosalie. i smiled, though I did not doubt that my visage looked a little perplexed.

"Good evening ladies, to what do I owe the pleasure?" I asked, confused.

[Princess Azabel de Somerville]

There was a wild, terrifying thrill in me, muted and silent, and I shivered as we slid from one townhome and to another. Castiel de Bonnel, Duc de Bonnel; I'd never met him before, had heard little of him. By the time we reached his doors, I was more than ready to pass through and go home, but I couldn't -- my men were next door with my carriage, and I wanted them out for their own safety more than anything else.

For now though, I was silent, standing at the back of the group, both hands clutching the rolling pin. A tremble lit through me, but I remained quiet, my eyes swiveling back to the gate we'd passed through, half expecting wild men to come pouring out of it at any moment.

[Charity Delice no Lefebvre]

"My lord," i said hurriedly, licking my lips as I glanced over my shoulder at the ladies and back at teh gate, praying we were indeed safe as I began to felt. It was a lucky thing to have had the door answered and on teh first try too, "we seek asylum, safety and your assistance if you will lend it to us," I said hurriedly again. "Please, might we enter?" I asked. "There has been something terrible at the LeFebvre home just next door where we come from. I am the lady's maid. She has been kidnapped and we need to call for the City Guard to search teh premises and find my benefactress," I explained all that had happened in a nutshell as I stepped closer, hoping he would make way for us to enter.

[Victoire de Trevalion]

At this point, I had decided that discretion was the better part of valor, so I was keeping my mouth shut and letting Charity handle the talking. Which was actually a bit odd, since she was a maid and we were a group of highborn nobles, all of us accustomed to taking charge, as evidenced by the butting heads that had happened when we were deciding what to do. However, I'd decided that my first priority was getting Noemi and I out of here as soon as possible and taking this information to my brother, so he could personally look into the matter.

[Rosalie de Merteuil]

I sighed audibly with relief when Castiel appeared. "Thank the gods," I whispered. Charity gave her little speech, and I found I was growing quite tired of her timidity. I'd been in Castiel's home before, and I shifted anxiously from one foot to the other, waiting for his reply.

[Liselle de Montblanc-Bonnel]

Poor Charity wasn't used to all of this, and really none of us were, but when you put things into perspective the way I did it all became much easier to bear. None of us were dead or attacked, and hopefully Andy was the same. Right now though the danger was obviously past unless Castiel had somehow been an infiltrator all along and I'd missed it- not that I really thought so. My visit here previously had certainly turned up nothing of the sort and when you were as attentive to details as I was there wasn't much a person could miss. Including the way Rosalie seemed more than a little eager to see Castiel. Given the way her manner had changed in the house on hearing who we'd be seeing it didn't take a scholar to figure it all out.

I'd always been competitive but for now I tried to stifle that urge in the light of what was going on, the presence of royalty and the general mood of all of this. "Good evening, my lord Castiel," I said with a look of my own that showed how collected I was trying to keep myself. Hopefully it at least put up a good enough face that no one would see how angry I really was at all of this, including Andy's disappearance and the stupid argument inside earlier. "Charity's pretty much told the whole of it. It seems that this time we're all counting on your hospitality."

[Victoire de Trevalion]

Our 'host' showed himself at last, and I couldn't help but regard him with interest. However, it seemed that some of the other ladies already knew him and I decided that now was no time to let my claws out. Besides, there was always someone else at the edge of my vision ... someone that I had to get back to, before it was too late.

"Do we really all need to be here to talk to the guards?" I asked, pushing myself to the front of the little crowd of women. "My brother is the second in command, I can give him a statement later. I'm expected at the Palace soon." Well, not exactly expected but who would quibble over my choice of words?