Blood or Water

Chapter 23: Hold On

Blood or Water

Chapter 23

Holding on

4 Years Later

The carriage rounded the corner at a speed that was uncommon for him to use unless in Paris running away from those Republican rebels. But Percy was going to be late, and he didn't like being late, specially for this one reason. His little girl was coming home from a trip to Tibet. She had been gone for six months and he had missed her greatly. The little boy next to him now almost five was laughing as his father drove on.

"Hang on Robbie we're almost there." He said and his son clung to his waste coat but only for a few more moments before his arms were once again thrown in the air and cheering for his father to go faster.

Soon enough...well more soon then normal his carriage made it to Dover. The Day Dream was ankered and waiting for his arrival. He picked his son up and put him on his shoulders as he walked toward the boat. He stopped almost in front of it, he had meant to go onto the boat, but at the top there was a young woman he hardly recognized. She was talking to a young boy, Peter who had becoming her man servant four years ago in an agreement to pay back a debt for saving his and his fathers life. Eve didn't argue with the point, and said it would mean he would have a warm place to sleep, and a warm meal for life. Something she only dreamed of when she was a stable boy and slept within a cold stable.

The boy nodded and went to pick up a bag nearby. When Eve turned around she looked down to see her father. Her arms outstretched and she reached up and picked her brother off her fathers shoulders. "You shouldn't let that evil man we call father throw you around like that. Your not a sack of potatoes." She said, of course kidding.

"But I like being up there." He said pointing to his father who picked her up and started to walk toward the carriage.

"I can walk Papa!" she giggled and looked around to make sure Peter was following. Robert always kept up by holding onto his fathers belt loop. He had his fathers body, would probably end up as tall as he. Eve looked at her brother upside down. "Hey there little one." She giggled as her father put her down. Eve picked her brother up and hugged him close.

"I'm not that little anymore Evey." He said and kissed her cheek.

"Oh no your not...look your always up to my hip." She said and looked up at her father. "If he's taller then you they're going to have to use two spools at the tailors." She joked, Percy chuckled and watched Peter who put her bags on the back of the coach. Percy climbed up onto the front while Peter helped his daughter and son into the carriage before joining him up front.

"Her journey was a comfortable one I trust?" He asked Peter who sighed.

"Yes and no. I'd ask you if you knew what its like to travel with a woman who thinks she needs to do everything herself, but then again she is your daughter." He said and watched as Percy pushed the pure bred Asian Quarter Horses forward. They did as instructed and raced home.

Off in a darkened alleyway there was a woman with blond hair and bright blue eyes watching them. There every move, there every word was heard. Every thing Eve did was seen by this young woman.

She walked forward and climbed onto a horse who may or may not have belonged to her in the first place. Yet she acted like she owned in anyways. She followed behind them very slowly.

Blakeney Manor

The doors were thrown open and Robert ran into the room. "Mama! Evey is home!" Evey was a name Robert took to calling her and it stuck. She only ever really let him call her that. It was something special between the two of them, and she liked it better that way. Her relationship with her brother was so close. They were inseparable once he began to walk. The only time Eve ever asked to be alone is when she was doing homework or taking a bath. When she rode Demon he rode too, when they were at parties she would dance with him, and only him. Even if he didn't know how. They just made up there own little dance. It became common knowledge among the nobles and smiled upon by most...the only one who didn't seem to happy with the pair was an old woman who said nothing would become of such a livelihood.

Marguerite walked into the room and threw her arms out wide. "My baby girls home." She said and hugged the girl tightly.

"Mama I'm 16 I'm not a baby." She said and giggled at the kissings and huggings her mother gave to her. Percy chuckled as he walked in with Peter who had her bags within his hands. "Looks like someones been missed." Peter said as he walked toward the rooms.

"Oh wait!" Eve called and ran over to one of the bags and opened it up. Within the confines were a few trinkets. Eve ran over and put a small pearl choke necklace around her mothers neck. Marguerite looked in the mirror for a moment and giggled jumping up and down for a second before throwing her arms around her daughters neck.

"Its perfect."

"They're also blue pearls...very rare and only found in the fresh water clams in Tibet. So take care of them." Eve said. She pulled out a long piece of silk blue fabric and ran over to her father. She looked up at him and tried to reach up for his cravat. He stepped back and chuckled. "I'm afraid...your the little one to me darling." He said. Eve gasped at what was said in reference to what she called her brother earlier.

"Yes well I still have two more years of growth... while your stuck. Now get down here before I fetch a latter." She said which got Percy laughing hard. He sat down on the couch as she pulled his other Cravat off and tied this one expertly.

Percy stood up and looked at the silk in the mirror. He nodded his head and ran his fingers over it.

"It feels rather pleasant to the touch child. I would have liked to order a few more."

"I'm afraid this was the only one in the shop I visited. I saw it and thought of your eyes." She said and Percy looked at the cravat and his eyes. The same shade looked back at him.

"What do you think?" He asked his wife who walked over to him and nodded her head.

"I should like to hold judgement. If it survives the whole day without needing tying then it can stay." she said jokingly.

"What about me!" Robert said peaking into the bag. Eve walked over to the back and pulled out a large stuffed tiger.

"Tibet is known for there tigers. I saw two while I was there, one stole our food from the back of the carriage while half of the people coward within. "

"She cracked the window open and told him to shoo as it was chewing on the sausages. Not sure why the tiger didn't eat the horses." Peter announced

"So one of the guards shot the tiger and made this out of its pelt." She said. Robert looked at the stuffed tiger with a little more aww then before.

"And Peter." Eve pulled something else that was a green silk. "Here you are...that vest you were looking at. I figured it would be a little lighter on you then the one you always where. Specially when summer comes." Eve said handing it to him. Peter sighed looking at the cloth, he pulled off the black one he was wearing and put on the forest green silk vest and smiled.