Blood or Water

Chapter 24: True Love Lies

Blood or Water

Chapter 24

True Love Lies

Peter wasn't that tall, but he was tall enough. His eyes seemed glued to the vest he was wearing in the mirror. How did she notice? How did she know he was looking at the vest while there. He knew she was there, but she was doing something completely different. How could have she known it? She looked at him and straightened the vest a bit and stepped back to look at him wearing it.

"Doesn't look to bad don't you think Papa? I'm not a man so I'm sure really sure what they should be wearing, perhaps a nice cravat?" She asked pulling a cravat made of the same material from the bag.

"Eve...please you shouldn't I'm your man servant." He said to her trying to push her hand away.

"And the state of my man servant reflects what kind of person I am." She said and smiled as she tied it.

"She is right Peter. A man must look his best." Percy said straightening the cravat, and pulled on the vest. "Now go ahead to the kitchens your father is waiting for you I figure." He said and pointed him onwards.

"Yes sir, thank you." Peter said and looked at himself once more in the mirror and tried to hide a smile.

"I think he liked it." Percy said and looked at his daughter who nodded her head before walking over to sit next to her mother.

"Well now will you please tell me why you were in Tibet in the first place?" Percy asked and looked his daughter squarely.

"Well aside from sight seeing and trying to grow up a little...I went to one of the colleges there. Remember when we first met I told you I would live my life for my mother, and sister too. I wanted to travel and see the world, well my sister wanted to go to a good college. While my mother wanted to study history. I can do all that in Tibet." Eve said and took her fathers hands and smiled up at him. "May I go to the college in Tibet and study to be an Archeologist?" Eve asked. Percy laughed and patted her hand lightly.

"How do you expect me to argue with such a calling?" He asked and kissed her hand. "As long as you send boxes of letters telling us frequently that you are alright. Understood?" Percy asked pulling her close. Her head was still low enough to rest against his chest. She wasn't the tallest in her class actually she was still very very short. She was about five foot if Percy could figure right. Even short next to a young 10 year old man servant that wasn't very tall to begin with. Percy figured the poor boy would shoot up like a weed soon enough.

"Sir Percy? A letter from Sir Andrew." The butler said as he walked into the room. Percy nodded seeing that it was official business. So he excuse himself from the room for a moment while he read the letter within his study.

Eve was playing with her brother on the floor when Percy returned.

"It would seem someone else was in Tibet while you were there." Percy announced. This kind of scared Eve as she looked up at her fathers eyes. Eve stood up and slowly walked over to her father as he handed her the letter. Eve read over it.

Sir Percy,

It would seem while we had your daughter tailed all through her journey's throughout Tibet that she had been followed. While inside an inn Chauvelin and a few of his men with a young lady. While disguised I was able to see that they spoke to one another. Eve left soon after. I do not know what happened, or what transpired between them, but Eve smiled as she left and told Peter there job was done and they could go home. I know not what that meant, I just hope that she hadn't become a traitor."

Sir Andrew Ffoulkes.

"Would you care to explain this meeting?" Percy asked. Marguerite knew those eyes. She was forced to look at those eyes for quite some time.

"I noticed them at the Inn I was in. I refused to become another hostage to him, so I confronted him." She said and leaned forward and looked her father in the eyes. "That girl called him Bibi...would you think it Papa...Chauvelin is a father to a beautiful young lady." Eve giggled and sat back on the couch. "And with that girl there, I couldn't do anything to him, I fully intended on killing him." She said looking up at the fixtures on the ceiling.

"You wanted to kill him?" Percy asked and Eve nodded. "Why?"

"Because he said he would still kill you when he had the chance. It angered me Papa. I didn't want him killing my hero." Eve said and looked around at her brother who was still playing on the floor. "I know how it feels to loose someone special."

"I see...so they were there to take you hostage?" He asked.

"Actually...no. He was taking her across Tibet to a relatives place because he was now a wanted man, and he had someone there to take care of her." She said and looked up when Peter put a tray of tea down on the table. His father brought in a cookie cart.

"And your story will add up with Peters if we ask him then?" Percy asked. Peter looked up and at Percy who glared at the boy. He cast his eyes away from him and hid behind his father.

Eve had to admit, she didn't like this side of her father, she felt like she was going to die if he didn't believe her.

"Papa..." Eve looked up at her father who stood up and walked from the room. "Papa!?" She called after him, but he didn't return.

Later On that Night

Eve sat down on the grass outside the manor looking out over the koi pond under a weeping willow tree. When she first moved into the manor this tree was small, now it was large enough to climb on. But ladies don't climb, so she left that stuff up to her brother who did so frequently.

"I'm sorry..." The words weren't her fathers it was Peters. "I didn't know much to tell your father to help your case. I stayed outside." He said and sat down next to her.

"Please...its best if you just leave me alone Peter...the less time you spend with me...the more likely you'll be hired on as my brothers man servant...if...if he." Eves eyes watered up and she looked down at the pond. "Why does my father have to be so important. Why can't he just...stop being the Pimpernel? The war is over, it doesn't matter anymore. I don't understand..."

"What don't you understand?" Peter asked. Eve hugged her knees and ran her fingers through the water.

"I don't understand...why he doesn't trust me. He's never trusted me. Maybe thats a good thing." Eve said and she pushed her hand to her forehead.

"Come...lets get you inside now. Your freezing." He said. Eve put her head on her knees.

"What does it matter...He doesn't care anyways...he's never cared...he was just..."

"Eve what..."

"He was using me." She started crying. "But now that he has Robert he doesn't need me right?" She said and stood up walking toward the manor. "I'll just leave and let him be. " Eve said and walked instead toward the stables.

"Eve you can't leave. Why don't you try to talk with him?" Peter asked.

"Why? So I can hear him call me a traitor out loud? I can hear him fine in my mind thank you." Eve said and walked into the stables shutting the door in Peters face.

"Oh Eve...why?" He said and ran back toward the manor.

"Sir Percy!" He called. Percy came running when he heard Peters voice.

"Whats wrong? Wheres Eve?" Percy asked looking around the room.

"She's running away. I told her she needs to come talk to you about things, smooth them out...she says she doesn't want to be called traitor out loud when she can hear it in her mind fine. She's in the stables..." He said. Percy was already half way out the door when Eve rode by with Demon.