To Have & To Hold

Chapter 22 - Best Laid Plans

The dinner passed without incident, which was amazing as Moira seemed to be in an especially foul mood. Any reference to Stella's new hobby, needles, thread or colors made her balk at the very thought of her daughter bringing her silly creations on stage. Stella was taking it in stride, at least on the outside, but Jaiden could see why she had been so reluctant to do as he had suggested back in the car.

On the other hand it did also serve as proof that Moira could be tempted in to attacking her daughter in public leading to more positive attention for Stella and much less positive attention for her mother. If she was willing to behave like this in front of the Hub's most important man then what would she do in front of thousands of people she deemed unworthy strangers? If only he could get Stella to be just a little bit braver.

Not that she wasn't brave already as she had developed quite the solid backbone over the years, it seemed. He did wonder how the conversation had gone had Mr Garvey not been there.

The Hub's president sat on a comfortable chair to Moira's right and watched the scene as it unfolded, occasionally protesting something she was saying or attempting to soften the blow for Stella. Stella sat and let it all happen, sometimes adding a bit of fuel to the fire and other things giving her mother ample space to rant.

When Mr Garvey was ready to go home, shortly after they had had their coffee, he bade Stella a good night and gave her a tight hug. He seemed almost reluctant to let go but behaved despite his instincts. Jaiden wondered if there wasn't some way the president could get Stella out of this house somehow. Perhaps there was some kind of role he could ask her to play? Some job that she was well suited for that had her leaving the house on a regular basis.

Something that took her far away from the controlling, nervous wreck that was her mother.

Surely the president had thought of such possibilities before? After all he wanted her to regain her sight and knew that Moira was keeping her daughter's medication from her. What better way to fix this than to take Stella away from all this?

He guessed it had something to do with certain political ties that had to be maintained and there was the bond he had with Moira which undoubtedly ran deeper than was apparent at first glance. Jaiden would have to think on the matter and maybe make some suggestions later.

Once Mr Garvey was out the door Stella turned to Jaiden and smiled.

"Gather the things, Jaiden; it's bird song time!" She said cheerfully as she got up from her seat and headed for the door. Jaiden grabbed the bags and followed closely behind. Aside from being a good test for her to practice her needle work it would also give him another opportunity to talk to her about his thoughts and ideas.

The garden behind the house looked very similar to that at the front. It was one huge lawn surrounded by tall trees. The only difference was a large fountain sat square in the middle with a circle of stone benches surrounding it. The nearest tree was quite a ways off from where they would be sitting so Jaiden wondered if he would hear any birds at all.

Stella would with her improved sense of hearing. That was; if he could keep quiet long enough for her to hear it.

They walked to the fountain in silence and sat themselves down on a bench that was facing the house which suited Jaiden just fine. It would save him the trouble of looking over his shoulder to see if anyone was spying on them.

Stella sat down with a sigh, grabbed the frame from the bag and continued her experiment with the needle and thread.

"They're going to be quiet for a little while longer. They usually get a little shy when they spot people. If you sit here long enough without moving too much they come close enough to feed from your hand, though." She said as she located the spot where she had stuck the needle, removing it carefully from its hiding place. Jaiden looked around at the trees. How would any bird be intimidated by them at this distance?