*On Hiatus* A Midnight Dance

Business Venture

I wasn't the only one unable to deter Charles from creating an expedition. Elaine was on a warpath. She stalked the hallways, going up and down the staircase at odd hours. From my room, I could hear Charles's and Elaine's voices rising in a heated argument. Dinners were quiet. Most of the time, Vivian took the twins with her on errands. In the evenings, I took the twins with me to spend time with Delilah.

The first evening I took them, all three of them sat in awkward silence. The only sound was the scribbling in their respective paper. Delilah had been excited when I told her I could bring Anna and Brian. She even prepared colors for them to use. Now sitting in the same room, neither a peep nor a sound could be heard.

Sitting on the couch, I worked on the latest commission piece. Margie contacted me urgently. Many customers wanted to give their loved ones handkerchiefs - a custom used to send men off to war. I only had to do a simple border with initials on the corner.

"H-how did you draw the horse?" Brian suddenly asked.

Delilah shrunk in size.

"It looks nice," he continued, "I can never draw them right."

"Show us," Anna demanded.

I gave her a stern look.

"Please," she added.

Meekly, Delilah nodded.

The room filled with their voices and excitement. One of the maids, Tori, walked in with a tray of snacks without either of the children noticing her. She placed the treats down and stepped away.

"Lady Avaline," she said, politely. "Lord Nightingale asks if you have some time. I'll stay with the children."

I placed my tools in the basket and smoothed out my skirt as I stood.

"He's in his office."

"Thank you."

His office was quite close to the drawing room. This one, however, was much smaller than even the one back home. There were two bookshelves, a desk, with extra sitting, and a decorative table. To my surprise, I saw Charles and Lord Ross waiting with Lord Nightingale.

I greeted both of them.

"Brother, you could have sent a message to return home."

"We had business in the area," he said.

Looking at Charles and Lord Ross, I could already guess what the business they wanted to discuss. It was none of my business considering Charles was the head of the house. And yet, it didn't feel right for him to be sneaking behind Elaine's back. But I held my tongue. I'd wait until we were at home.

"The twins are drawing with Miss Delilah," I told him. "I'd hate to interrupt their fun."

Charles smiled but even I could tell it was strained. "They'll ask to return tomorrow, I'm sure."

"They're always welcome to come back. Delilah is grateful for the company."

"It's getting late," Charles said. "It's best we went home."

"I'll go get the twins."

Back in the playroom, neither one of them wanted to leave. Tori watched from a distance.

"We'll come back tomorrow," I promised. "You can practice drawing at home and show Delilah your improvement."

"I want to practice here," Brian insisted.

"I know but Charles is waiting."

Huffing, Brian stood and marched out of the room. "We never get to do what we want."