thoughts…
Battle for Danton: Isla one, Daria zero.
"I'm so glad to have found you," she said, those malignant eyes coming to rest upon my face. "Did you receive my note?"
"I did."
There was a moment's pause, and then she smiled broadly. "May I sit?" She waved at the empty space on the bench beside me.
Before I could say a word, she was already wedging herself beside me. Isla adjusted her skirts then began tugging at the fingers of one of her gloves before pulling it free. "I was hoping to speak with you in the drawing room, and when you didn't show, I thought, perhaps, I was wrong to suggest a place so foreign to one of your upbringing"—she tugged off the other glove—"and I found myself thinking, if I were her highness, where would I be? Naturally, I recalled you preferred to be out of doors, and it seems my memory serves me right." She laid both gloves across her lap before smiling up at me.
How she managed to thread insults into every saccharine word, I had no idea. It was a talent, no doubt, and I found myself staring at her.
"How do you like the Pontefract estate?" she asked, all innocence.
I had to guard every response with my life. Not something I was good at. "I like what I've seen of it so far."
She smiled at nothing in front of us. "I know it isn't the grand Castle Regius you've grown accustomed to—no doubt both are far better than the bucolic setting I've heard you grew up in on Earth. For myself, I can't imagine living in such simple quarters without servants or cooks or a lady's maid or proper company. It's a wonder you've acquired a sense of decorum in such a short span of time, though you are a wonder…" She laughed to herself, brushing a stray red curl from her face. "But the Pontefract estate does have its charms, doesn't it? Personally, I like the sense of security I find here that doesn't exist in any of the other great houses."
"Security?" It was a weak response, but it was all I could do not to throttle her on the spot.
"Surely you've noticed how protective Lord Pontefract is with his home—the guards and garlands of rope." When she saw me nod (a very marginal nod, I might add), she continued. "And since he's granted me passage into any particular room I like, I find I may enter without concern of intruders. I do so love that about this place. It's difficult finding privacy when one is so admired. Though I figured due to the…abruptness of your arrival late last night, you have yet to be granted such privileges, which is why I thought to wait for you in the drawing room. It's rarely off-limits, even to the lower classes."
Oh, why hadn't I just stayed in my room? "How long have you been a guest here?" I asked.
"A few weeks. Father and I arrived not long after the games ended," she replied, seeming happy to discuss this topic. "My uncle, Lord Vega, had business with Lord Pontefract—they're always doing business together, you see. Lord Vega had other matters to attend, so he asked my father to come in his stead. It's not the first time, nor is it the first time Lord Danton has asked me to accompany him." The smile that followed was distant and pleasured, begging me to ask her for further clarification.
Which I did not. "It's a good thing you and your father left when you did," I said. "This world isn't safe for travelers right now."
"So I hear," she continued, losing the smile. "It's a wonder you made it all the way to Pendel in one piece, but then again, you did have your aegis with you. How is Aegis Alexander Del Conte, anyway? I so missed seeing his beautiful face around the castle. He was always so friendly with me…" She let her voice trail, and her smile returned.
I resisted the urge to punch her in the face and dislocate her jaw so that she would stop talking. "Aegis Alexander Del Conte has always been a perfect gentleman—whether ladies have deserved it or not."
Of course, Isla snatched at once like a starved bird being tossed a crumb. "I've no idea how you stand
Battle for Danton: Isla one, Daria zero.
"I'm so glad to have found you," she said, those malignant eyes coming to rest upon my face. "Did you receive my note?"
"I did."
There was a moment's pause, and then she smiled broadly. "May I sit?" She waved at the empty space on the bench beside me.
Before I could say a word, she was already wedging herself beside me. Isla adjusted her skirts then began tugging at the fingers of one of her gloves before pulling it free. "I was hoping to speak with you in the drawing room, and when you didn't show, I thought, perhaps, I was wrong to suggest a place so foreign to one of your upbringing"—she tugged off the other glove—"and I found myself thinking, if I were her highness, where would I be? Naturally, I recalled you preferred to be out of doors, and it seems my memory serves me right." She laid both gloves across her lap before smiling up at me.
How she managed to thread insults into every saccharine word, I had no idea. It was a talent, no doubt, and I found myself staring at her.
"How do you like the Pontefract estate?" she asked, all innocence.
I had to guard every response with my life. Not something I was good at. "I like what I've seen of it so far."
She smiled at nothing in front of us. "I know it isn't the grand Castle Regius you've grown accustomed to—no doubt both are far better than the bucolic setting I've heard you grew up in on Earth. For myself, I can't imagine living in such simple quarters without servants or cooks or a lady's maid or proper company. It's a wonder you've acquired a sense of decorum in such a short span of time, though you are a wonder…" She laughed to herself, brushing a stray red curl from her face. "But the Pontefract estate does have its charms, doesn't it? Personally, I like the sense of security I find here that doesn't exist in any of the other great houses."
"Security?" It was a weak response, but it was all I could do not to throttle her on the spot.
"Surely you've noticed how protective Lord Pontefract is with his home—the guards and garlands of rope." When she saw me nod (a very marginal nod, I might add), she continued. "And since he's granted me passage into any particular room I like, I find I may enter without concern of intruders. I do so love that about this place. It's difficult finding privacy when one is so admired. Though I figured due to the…abruptness of your arrival late last night, you have yet to be granted such privileges, which is why I thought to wait for you in the drawing room. It's rarely off-limits, even to the lower classes."
Oh, why hadn't I just stayed in my room? "How long have you been a guest here?" I asked.
"A few weeks. Father and I arrived not long after the games ended," she replied, seeming happy to discuss this topic. "My uncle, Lord Vega, had business with Lord Pontefract—they're always doing business together, you see. Lord Vega had other matters to attend, so he asked my father to come in his stead. It's not the first time, nor is it the first time Lord Danton has asked me to accompany him." The smile that followed was distant and pleasured, begging me to ask her for further clarification.
Which I did not. "It's a good thing you and your father left when you did," I said. "This world isn't safe for travelers right now."
"So I hear," she continued, losing the smile. "It's a wonder you made it all the way to Pendel in one piece, but then again, you did have your aegis with you. How is Aegis Alexander Del Conte, anyway? I so missed seeing his beautiful face around the castle. He was always so friendly with me…" She let her voice trail, and her smile returned.
I resisted the urge to punch her in the face and dislocate her jaw so that she would stop talking. "Aegis Alexander Del Conte has always been a perfect gentleman—whether ladies have deserved it or not."
Of course, Isla snatched at once like a starved bird being tossed a crumb. "I've no idea how you stand
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