Marcus shook his head slowly, a tiny smile hanging off his lips as he pulled the shirt over his head and leaned back. He didn't get much rest, however, because a moment later someone knocked politely on his door. "Come in.", he called.
"You called?" His eyes flew open, landing on the servant that had just entered. Angeline.
Winifred heard another voice as she placed the book back in the trunk, closing it slowly. She crept over to the door and cracked it open. It was the blonde maid she had seen earlier. A smile appeared on her face as she watched, unknown to the two in the room. Let us find out how valuable she really is information wise, shall we Winifred?
Barry sat up in bed. "Angeline." Angeline stared at him unflinchingly. "You called?", she repeated, keeping her chin up. "Er.. yes, Miss Darcy requested a small meal." Angeline nodded, mouth set in a straight line. "Anything else, my Lord?"
Marcus swallowed, beckoning her closer. "Angeline…. about earlier…" She just shook her head. "I understand, my Lord, you do not have to–" He cut her off. "I'll do it. I am currently.. indisposed, according to my doctor, so you do not have to spend the next few nights here."
Angeline's facial expression morphed into one of surprise, but only momentarily. "I– I can't thank you enough, Marcus…" She dipped down into a curtsy, relief evident on her face, then did something that completely surprised him. She leaned forward to press a quick kiss to his cheek and was gone.
Winifred slid the door shut as the maid left. She bit her nail and thought for a moment., leaning against the door. He was doing something for her, and it required staying in his room. A smile curled on her lips as a possibility came to mind. "So…" she whispered. "Lord Marcus is playing the hero?" She giggled softly. How cute…
Wiping the smile from her lips, she slipped back into the room, locking the door behind her. "Don't want you snooping anymore…" she muttered under her breath. Looking over at Lord Marcus, a look of mere tolerance on her face, she asked. "That was the maid? At the door?"
((I couldn't help but show a little of Winifred's own mindset. She does have a little bit of crazy in her veins, since both her mother and aunt were insane. It has manifested into something intelligent and deadly since she's been reading those books. I can only imagine it'll get worse in her time with Marcus))
Marcus looked her over warily. “You were hungry, I called for food. But, if you’d rather eavesdrop than eat that’s fine too.” He shifted back on the bed, glad he was fully clothed again. His mind turned with the decision he’d just made, but there was no going back now.
((I couldn't help but show a little of Winifred's own mindset. She does have a little bit of crazy in her veins, since both her mother and aunt were insane. It has manifested into something intelligent and deadly since she's been reading those books. I can only imagine it'll get worse in her time with Marcus))
rubs hands together plus Marcus is going imsane sooooo
Fun fun
((Mmmm, yes indeed))
Winnie shrugged, waving her hand in the air dismissively. "Oh please, I could say the same for you. You split yourself open while snooping through my things." She pointed to his now covered chest. "So please, hold your scolding for another time, brat." She moved a chair. Story time was over so she would not be sitting on that bed any longer. She sat a little ways off and crossed her legs.
Marcus sighed, leaning back against the pillows again. They stayed in silence for the next few minutes were spent in silence, until Angeline came back with a cart of food. She was careful not to make any eye contact with him, leaving as quickly as possible. After she had left, Marcus spoke up again. “I mean, you pretended to be asleep and watched my while I read a book, shirtless, so…”
"Because I had every right to, you were going through my things, after all." she stood and inspected the food. Simple enough for a small meal. And she brought tea… she smiled and brought the food over to a small table. Pouring herself a cup, she looked over at Marcus. "You being shirtless has nothing to do with the situation at all, unless you count it as a factor to… something…"
Marcus was exhausted and in pain, but he still managed to raise an eyebrow. “Like what?” He kept his dark eyes on hers, running a bloodied hand through his hair. I need to get a pair of gloves. He wasn’t sure what he was hoping for her to answer.
She smiled. "I don't know, you consider to mean something. I do not." She sipped her tea. "Anywho, do you refuse to eat yet again?" she quipped with a raised brow.
Marcus rubbed his eyes. “I am refusing.”, he said firmly, setting his jaw. “Doctor. I have matters to attend to.” Moving to get up, he ignored the burst of pain in his chest.
"I insist against leaving." she droned. How bull-headed could he be? "Don't be stupid, after all you've but yourself through, your body needs rest to say in the least." She put her tea down with a sharp clink. "Please. Lay. Back. Down." she she said, though it hardly sounded like a suggestion.
Marcus’s steely gaze clashed with hers. “I have things to do.” An uncle to kill. “You May be my doctor but you have no control over my personal life.”
"No, I don't…." she she growled, her lips thinning, turning pale with the force she used to clench her jaw. "I control your entire life. If you continue to move about, you will tear those stitches yet again, you will bleed out, and you will die." she clasped her hands over her navel. "You obviously don't seem to be well in mind since you can't see this yourself. Your uncle warned me of such."
Marcus bit back his initial response, watering it down. “My uncle, knows nothing.”, he half-snarled. “And I am quite aware that I am not well of mind, I do not need you as a reminder. I’m not stupid, I won’t exert myself, but I need to finish my papers.” He strode ovsr tp his desk, clenching his teeth against the pain, removed a stack of encoded papers and a pen from the drawers and returned to the bed.
"You don't have to over-exert yourself, you've already accomplished that!" she shouted. She stalked over to the desk and braced her hands on it, her nails digging into the wood. "All I ask is that you rest for one day."
Marcus gritted his teeth. “Fine. Fine. Just let me do these, in bed. I won’t get up, I’ll eat, fine.”
Winnie smiled with satisfaction. "Thank you." she gave him a small, slightly mocking curtsy. She wore that smile as she retrieve her tea and perched herself on top of the desk.
Marcus turned away from her, grabbing a scone and a napkin from the cart and sitting back on his bed. Ignore her. She’s not important. Killing Luc is. Unfortunately, he’d left his dagger in the bathroom, and there was no was Winnifred would let him anywhere near it. She wouldn’t let him anywhere near his cache of mood-altering substances either, which put him off.
She swung her legs like a schoolgirl as she sipped her tea, her brown eyes locked on Marcus for a moment longer. What is occupying that mind of yours, Lord Marcus? she thought with a tilt of her head. You aren't as mentally unstable as I was told. Might I even say, the complete opposite. The is something eating at you….what is it?
(Ha, Just you wait, he’s plenty mentally unstable)
Marcus’s eyes flicked up, clashing with hers for a moment before he turned his attention back to his papers. She was studying him, trying to figure him out. Let her try. Not even he could figure himself out, how would she, his nurse wh he’d met mere days ago? Forget her goddammit. You have work to do. All of his previous attempts at murder had been stopped, and it was grating on his nerves. And besides that, he needed evidence that it was Luc who’d killed his parents, how on earth could he get that? Shuffling the papers in his hand, he went over the encoded notes on his uncles behaviours and routines for the millionth time.
He spends a lot of time with those papers. I've hardly seen him write anything. She noticed with a sigh. This was boring work, but sadly, not everything was exciting. She had to be alert and watchful at all times. "You haven't taken a bite of that scone." she stated, staring directly at him. Very boring work indeed.
Marcus threw here a glare and took a bite, flipping the page over I'd need a written confession… maybe I could kill him and fake his suicide note? Now that was a good idea. Relieved to finally be getting somewhere, he dipped his quill in his inkwell and began to write. How would I get near enough to him with a weapon without causing suspicion?
"Thank you." She replied in a sing-song voice. She placed her empty cup down with a smile. She watched him, the eager way her wrote. Well, he's got an idea, I suppose "How could a man who isn't trusted with his family's estate have such work?"
Marcus's hands clenched around the edges of his papers, wrinkling them slightly. With immense effort, he locked his jaw and kept his eyes on the lines of scrawled code. "Ask my uncle.", was all he said, inhaling slowly. The nerve. If he hadn't been so exhausted, he might've spoken more sharply, but his words came off more dejected than he'd intended.
"I think I'll pass. Especially when I can find out on my own." She slid smoothly off the table returning the tea cup to the cart. She took a scone for herself.
Marcus scoffed. "I seriously doubt it." Rubbing at his eyes again, he began re-reading all eleven pages of notes. You can't fail this time. This time, he'll kill you, you moronic excuse for a Crenshaw. Father would've wanted you to be stronger. Mother would have been ashamed of you. Get your act together, goddammit.
She bit th scone and watched him. "Well I know one thing js for sure. The look on your face looks like your plotting a murder. But you wouldn't do that, you wouldn't write out your plans for someone else to find." She laughed. This was hilarious to her.
