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Lady Pembrooke gives a description where to find the house and what it looks like. She also gives two names and locations of families as reference. "Those are business contacts, but you can ask them, I guess. I have no legal council. I can't do anything, and no one cared to ask before you appeared. It is really nice of you, to look into this."
"My name is Lady Agatha Pembrooke. My murdered son was named Michel. You have to find who did this to me! I'm an esteemed member of the upper society. It is a blatant injustice that I'm in prison!" Her confident and angry introduction turns into a whiny tone when it comes to describing the act. "I was on the market place shopping for groceries when suddenly this power took me over and forced my hand. It reached into my purse, where it found the dagger. I didn't put that dagger into my purse. And holding that dagger my hand stabbed my beloved son Michael in his neck and he fell, and bled to death."[/b] At the end she is sobbing and tears.
Persephone's stepmother opens her purse without looking. She finds her way around it blindly. But this time she flinches, as she reaches into the purse. Her gaze turns into the purse by reflex and her hand lifts the item out of it. A dagger, not a simple knife, but a fine dagger, with an engraved blade and a decorated cross guard.
Persephone's stepmother walks with an upright proud posture through the streets. She knows she if a fraud, but the facade of it is still standing. For those outside she is still the wealthy widow that was once married to a respectable business man. The only ones to know, is the clerk who manages her bank account and the man she sells the silverware to. "Three pounds of your sweet apples please." she says with her sweetest smile to the man behind the table.
"It's about time." the stepmother barks. "When I come abck the floor is clean and the toilet is scrubbed. Just because I'm out of the house doesn't mean you get to dawdle." "Come Lionel, darling. We go now." she tells, takes the boy's hand and walks to the door with him. As she takes the door handle, she stares back at Persephone with all the disgust that is in her cold heart. Lionel sticks his tongue out at Persephone. Then they leave the manor house in direction of the market.
"Bring me my purse, dammit. Do I have to spell everything out for you? Hurry." Persephone's stepmother shouts. She is preparing to go to the market together with Persephone's ten year old step brother. "You are useless. I wonder why I still feed you. I should throw you out to live on the street."
"Like I wouldn't know that for an hour already." Agasta welcomes him with open arms and a wide smile. By the look of it she is either always dressed up, or she used that hour to get ready to meet Lito.
"Get some carpenters and a shipload of wood. We'll plan what we put into the buildings until you get that." Agasta replies.
"I would appreciate to get more people here. There might even grow something like a social life here." Agasta comments.
"We need to talk about what counts as entertainment later my dear." Agasta replies. She reloads her crossbow and moves to the battlement and shoots down at the mob.
Lady Smythee reaches the roof and shoots a bolt.
"In that order please. Just without letting the crew loose." she replies with a smile.
"Uneventful - if you want to take a positive look at it." Agatha replies. "Or boring. But As you're back I have hope for immediate betterment." she adds with a smile.
On top of the tower stands Lady Smythee looking forward to the return of her husband.
"Make us both rich. I like the sound of that. I can tell from experience that it is much nicer to be rich than to sit on your last few coins." Agasta replies.
Agasta gets up and opens the window. "What's this awful smell?" Walking over to the armor stand she strokes over the armor. "That was my last husbands armor. If he would have worn it on his last jouney maybe he'd be still alive. I'd prefer you not finding such an end, so if it's of use to you please use it." Moving to the chest she gets out a spyglass and holds it out to Lito. "That is a magical spyglass that can be used to a great advantage from the top of the rock."
Agasta leads Lito to her room which is next to the dining room. Her room is the most spacious one in the castle and holds the only true fireplace, a peatburning affair that is rarely lit in these tropical climes. A comfortable but sagging couch stands before the fireplace, along with a small writing table and pair of chairs. An old sea chest stands before an elegant bed, next to an antique armor stand. The armor stand holds Iron Bert Smythee’s famed "iron shirt". "Welcome to our room" she invites him in and closes the door behind him. "Make yourself comfortable." she offers and takes a seat on the bed herself.
"That's a good start." Agasta replies with a wide smile. Leaning towards Lito she whispers. "How about we leave our wedding party and I show you my private room."
"That problem is solved simply by money." she replies laying her arms around Lito's neck folding the hands behind his head looking him into the eyes. "Did I marry rich?" she asks with a wry smile.
"YOU are the solution to that situation. I'm fine sitting here on my nice little castle. I've been here for decades. It's the fact that I had no means to reach out from here." she replies. She takes her glass of wine from the sideboard wher eshe put it for the fight and takes a sip. "You'll get a list of things we need and can't make ourself every time you anchor here and I'll tell you what ails me when we're in private. And then you decide what to do about that."
"Sorry Darlin, we're stuck here in the Rock. I got no idea where to find them." Agasta replies.
"Tis but a scratch." Agasta replies. She sheathes her cutlass and picks up the crossbow to put it away.
Lady Smythee draws her cutlass to defend herself and the rock against this intruder.
As the last sahuagin opens the door to the dining room he is greeted with a bolt. And before it can reach Lady Smythee she shoots another one.
"Yes please. Go and save our guard." Agasta replies.
"We almost never get visitors." Agasta replies.
The music and dancing comes to a sudden stop Lady Smythee replies "There is only Mardus outside and one of the guards I sent to fetch him for the festivities."
Agatha look indeed thrilled about what's to come "Your enthusiasm seems to know no bounds. I can't compete with that. But I'm looking forward to this beneficial connection. Do you have some specific ceremonial in mind or do we simply close the deal be handshake?"
"Then come in to seal it!" she replies and disappears as she goes in.
Lady Smythee appears on the battlement again. "So what is your decision?" she asks.
"It was a nice to have guests for a change. McCleagh will see you out." Lady Smythee replies.
Lady Smythee raises a brow but doesn't comment on that. She is aware that in this marriage under Shackles law she'll be taken for the dowry and not for herself. Still there is no need to proclaim it as 'I'll take one for the team'. That guy looked so charming at first.
Lady Smythee coughs several times as she chokes on her drink over this bluntness. Looking first at Royster McCleagh then at Lito and finally at Besmara she answers "That is none of your business!"
"Of course. Let's have a joyful evening and decide tomorrow." Lady Smythee replies lifting her glass. "Call me Agasta."
"A year for sure and then we'll see." Lady Smythee replies.
"You know what? I've never heard of you and by what I've seen and heard you are wet behind the ears. Your options to 'crack' Tidewater Rock are negligible and it's not like you really have to offer something for a bargain. But you look promising and this here has seen better days." she points to the surroundings. "So I offer you a marriage under Shackles law." she says looking Lito deep into the eyes.
"Please don't forget our hostage. Bring her some food too." Lady Smythee reminds the cook.
Lady Smythee smiles to herself about this little quarrel. "We don't have too much entertainment so I'd be pleased to hear your stories."
"Not too bad. But who you are that you think you can be more than an annoyance to Harrigan." Lady Smythee inquires.
Lady Smythee chuckles. "And who are you that this bears any significance to me?"
"Please take a seat. It will take a while until dinner is ready. But we can talk already over a glass of wine." she offers.
"I can offer that. So leave her on the stairs and move back." Lady Smythee replies.
Lady Smythee replies "You can come in for dinner under one condition: To ensure safe conduct, you must present one of your number as a hostage. I promis the hostage will be well treated as long as your intentions remain peaceful. The hostage must be left on the doorstep of the keep, unarmed and unarmored, and everyone else must move back at least 100 feet." "Do you accept these conditions?"
"What are your intentions here?" Lady Agasta Smythee asks. |
