OOM: for Cosette

[idareyou]

The next time Mary sees Cosette in Milliways, she jumps up and claps her hands. "Cosette! Oh, Cosette, don't go anywhere, stay right where you are! Well, no, do come somewhere, but don't run off, I want to invite you to Stirling, like we talked about. And I brought an extra set of clothing, it's up in a room, of course if anyone gets a good look at you they'll wonder who you are, so we will want to stay hidden, but I think I can get a room all to myself, it is Sunday and they'll all go to Mass, but I can say I have a headache and want to stay in bed. It is not a very big lie, because I did have a headache."

She pauses--not just for breath, but to see if Cosette is looking at all inclined to come along. If not, Mary can be persuasive! "You must come and see, you said you wanted to see a proper Scottish castle on a crag, and Stirling is very Scottish and very much on a crag."

Comments

[lark_in_flight]

Cosette clasps her hands at this story of James' father: "Oh, how lovely! What a beautiful story."

And doubtless they were happy together all their days, or still are! James' father is still alive, but it sounds like his mother isn't? Which is very sad, but, well, it's certainly something that happens to plenty of people. At least they had a lovely romance like that, and sweet memories.

But oh! The bell is ringing, and Mary is jumping up, right before Cosette can answer the question about children. (The answer is: yes certainly, if God wills it and blesses them; she wants to have children, and she's always assumed that she will, and now that she's married it's certainly an assumption. But it hasn't happened just yet, so this is a lovely future dream to contemplate.)

She tucks her funny medieval(!!) skirts around herself and waits very quietly, like a mouse or like a schoolgirl hiding from the nuns, fighting an urge to giggle. It's not long at all that Mary's gone, but long enough for Cosette to turn her attention to studying the room and everything in it. It's just a storeroom, of course, but in a castle, in another century, and without Mary to chatter with she can stare as long as she likes at every little detail without embarrassment.

When Mary knocks three times -- their secret knock, there, it's her! -- she beams.

"How thrilling! This is the very best adventure, Mary, thank you so much for inviting me."

[idareyou]

"And thank you so much for coming!" She hugs Cosette quickly. "You really are here. I didn't tell James about it at all. Was that naughty? Well, I don't see why he should mind."

She can see why he should mind, actually, if she tries, but it's not something Mary chooses to dwell on, so she flurries herself and Cosette out through the door. It opens almost immediately onto a staircase, with very little landing. "Be careful," she whispers to Cosette. "The steps aren't bad but it's a little dark to see your footing. You can keep your hand on the wall here--just like that--and if we go down this way--I'll lead--we'll come out just--here!"

It's a room, a smallish chamber with a curtained bed and a few chests. Mary leads the way through it into another larger bedroom: this one with a proper good window. It looks out down a short steep slope, with walled grounds below, and fields and mountains beyond that.

[lark_in_flight]

"Oh -- I'm sure it's fine! If you don't see why he should mind, then I'm sure it's perfectly all right, and after all we're friends."

Okay, well, she's not perfectly sure it's all right, but Cosette is no stranger to tactfully neglecting to mention things to the men in your life if you think it would only cause difficulties and worry to do so. The secret is not to think too hard about any of it! Accordingly, she puts the question entirely out of her mind, and hurries out the door with Mary into the thrilling world of sneaking around a Scottish castle.

The staircase is dark and narrow and unfamiliar, and she does have to keep her hand on her wall and feel with her feet for each step, careful of the hem of the unfamiliar gown. But Mary's leading -- it's Mary's home, after all! -- and the wall is helpful, and soon enough they're out into rooms. Bedrooms of centuries ago, in an exotic castle in Stirling! And then -- oh, and then the window, and the view!

Cosette clasps her hands to her chest with a quick delighted gasp. "Oh, Mary!" she breathes, only just remembering to keep her voice to a whisper. "Oh, how lovely!"

Look at that. Scotland!