Black and White

[Special Guest]

“Thank you for your generous hospitality, but unless you have more to say I should like to return to my brothers side. I find being separated from him in such times unnerving.” Cecelia continued, vague smile on her lips.

"Of course, of course," the vicar assured her with a comforting hand on her hand, rising as she rose. "See to your family. I will not see you again until you return, but Sister Mary will take you to the train."

Billingsley opened the door and offered his hand in goodbye.

"Archie told me about how you met," the holy man held Cecelia's hand as he spoke. "He told me you entered his establishment pursuing an injustice.

"We're not different, Lady Warren," William assured her with a dubious smile. "We just dress shabbier.

"Godspeed, Cecelia Warren," he offered a blessing as she left. When she closed the door behind her, Cecelia saw Sister Mary waiting near the rear door with a heavy carpet bag by her feet.

"He never stops recruiting," the nun smiled as she indicated the way to go. "I had hoped you would come to help us in time.

"But, then I heard Archie's Confession," Mary smiled and sighed. "And now I am hoping you won't.

"There is a better life," she explained enigmatically. "I hope you get to live it."

[Cecelia Warren]

Cecelia nodded politely to the vicar not bothering to point out that she had first entered Archie’s pub pursuing an in justice for her own entertainment. Gossip was always better when first hand. She thought that was perhaps a rather stark difference. She might have donned this habit but it did not make her a good women.

“Again, thank you.” She replied turning to Sister Mary. Cecelia eyed the women with a distant smile wondering where she had ever gotten the impression that she might join them. Being a busy body did not a saint make.

“I do not think I am the sort you would truly want help from anyway.” She said looking down the hall for a sign of Archie. “Do you know where he’s gone off to?” She asked looking back at Sister Mary. Cecelia was growing restless and if she was Aseem was certainly on his way to climbing the walls. The sooner they were prepared to leave the better.

Cecelia hoped to be out of the city at the earliest possible moment. It seemed that the longer they lingered the more likely it was they might be found out. She did not want to get caught up in another skirmish like the one at the newspaper.

[Archibald Stout]

“I do not think I am the sort you would truly want help from anyway.” Cecelia said looking down the hall for a sign of Archie. “Do you know where he’s gone off to?”

"He's just outside, behind the rectory, securing the carriage," Sister Mary told her, a small smile on her lips. "And I suspect you are quite correct in your assertion, Miss Warren. Our stable of Punishers and Executioners could scarcely tolerate the truly virtuous in their midsts.

"Curiosity is not a sin, Miss Warren," Mary moved to open the door that opened onto a small arboretum. Two silver barked slender trees and a variety of flowering shrubs all looked like sentinels in the twilight. Beyond the small crowded garden, Cecelia could see Archie. For a moment, she thought he was talking to the horses that would pull them, but... no. "And neither is gossip. In our work, we count on it."

The nun handed the heavy carpet bag to Archie and he smiled tightly as he took it and stowed it in the rear of the carriage. Cecelia knew he was still suffering pain, but Mary Margaret seemed careless of it. There was little conversation in their preparation to depart. Archie moved forward to help Cecelia into the carriage but Aseem made himself available. Samuel followed immediately and Aseem thereafter, closing the door behind him. Archie stared at the closed door a moment, then slowly climbed up into the driver's bench.

Mary Margaret seemed intent to offer admonishment, but Archie held up a finger.

"Stay here, Mary," Archie advised, his voice intolerant of rebuttal. "Thomas, my man, will return the carriage. He'll already be at King's Cross. Please see to Dory for me."

"Are you going to be alright, Archie?" the nun in white asked in a soft whisper.

"You heard my confession," Archie explained as he snapped the reins onto the rumps of his two horse team. The carriage started forward.

"That was why I asked," Mary replied, knowing that Archie did not hear her.

The route Archie took was direct and he was sure he saw a rider following them at a distance. He was not concerned though. He recognized the white socks on the rider's mount. It was Gus, so he knew the rider was Vicar William. They achieved King's Cross in less than an hour without incident.

Archie saw to the porter and their meager luggage and Aseem saw to the Warrens. As Archie boarded the train, he saw Thomas climb up into the driver's seat and drove the carriage away. And when the carriage pulled away, Archie saw a rider sitting still, his mount had white socks. The vicar waved and Archie merely nodded as he moved into the car.

He found the compartment assignment and easily found Cecelia and Samuel making themselves comfortable with Aseem's help. They had two compartments with bunks on either side. It stood to reason that the Warrens would share one and he and Aseem the other. Archie wanted very much to talk with Cecelia, alone, but there was not going to be another opportunity for a long while. But, what did it matter? What was left to be said? It wasn't simple anymore.

It might never be simple again.

Archie looked in and tried to show Cecelia a reassuring smile, but she was busying herself with her accomodations. He moved on.

"Our compartment is this way," Aseem explained as Archie walked past.

"I need a drink," Archie explained as he kept walking.

"Are you sure alcohol is advisable, considering your condition and our exposure?" Aseem questioned hesitantly.

"Water, Aseem. I need a drink of water." Archie exhaled his irritation, still muttering under his breath as he opened the door to the adjoining car. "Why don't you mind your own damned business?"

It was going to be a long night, Archie sighed.

[Cecelia Warren]

Cecelia settled into their compartment, glancing out the window as the train pulled slowly out of the station. She released a soft sigh, grateful to have made it to the station and onto their next destination without finding themselves in yet another mess.

Still, the heavy weight of guilt was beginning to settle over her shoulders. Sister Mary’s words buzzed in the back of her mind. If the woman Archie confessed to thought her truly virtuous it seemed perhaps Archie was under that same false impression. Cecelia had taken and interviewed references of Archie as was proper, but Archie had not done the same for her. He had only seen a small portion of the wickedness that touched her and her family.

The knowledge of all she was keeping from him made it difficult to look the man in the eye. Which of course, only compounded her guilt, and if the tone Archie was using with Aseem was anything to go by it was not exactly pleasing Archie.

She looked up as Aseem reentered the compartment giving him a slight scowl. “I don’t ever know which of you needs more of a scolding.” She said earning a sheepish smile from Aseem.

“I worry.” He replied with a shrug “No matter how tall you sprout, how high that nose turns up, or how gruff your suitors are. You will always be our little bird, and I reserve the right to worry. Even when it is perhaps unnecessary.” He moved to window watching the surroundings slip by as the train began picking up speed. “Not that any amount of worry is unnecessary under the circumstances.” He added glancing back to the compartment.

Cecelia sighed “Am I going to have to separate the two of you once we get to the manor?” She asked. She saw Aseem’s eyes slid to Samuel, watching them silently from the corner.

“I should think you won’t see much of us. There is much we have not gotten a chance to discuss.” He said. The conversation they had meant to have several days prior had been cut rather short when they realized Cecelia had run off to the newspaper.

Cecelia nodded supposing that if they were capable of discussing all that clouded their band she should be capable of speaking to Archie. There wasn’t much she could think of that she was at liberty to speak about but surely, he should at least know that he was not involving himself with anything resembling a virtuous women.