The terrace buzzed with activity and quickly Craig and Athena were split apart by various interested parties asking about work. Both struggled to give truly enthusiastic responses as their hearts were inextricably tied to persons within Fairfax Manor now. Both felt their eyes drawn against their will to their soul mates across the room. Lily was working and busily carrying drinks in her prim black dress whilst Felix stubbornly remained facing the grounds and not the crowd.       As the sun started going down people started to move into the ballroom to enjoy food, card games and dancing. Craig stayed back and enjoyed the sunset setting over the lake. He wished he had Lily by his side. He also wondered what she would look like in one-off those beautiful evening gowns, with that fiery red hair and blue eyes she would turn every single head. She was a true natural beauty.       Lost in his thou

The ballroom was bustling with activity. Elegant women in dazzling gowns milled around the ballroom, their jewels and hair pins sparkling in the evening light. The wooden card tables filled a corner of the ballroom and were full of Oliver's friends laughing, joking and sipping claret.   Milo stood watching the gambling action, leaning against an ornate statue, almost as if he knew of nothing else to do with himself. His dark brown eyes followed the highs and lows excitedly despite the low stakes. Milo was under his own pressures, by lining up Oliver to furnish the Gilded Falcon’s pockets he was now due to produce the goods. If Oliver did something foolish such as kill himself the club would be the losers. It was a balancing act of pressure, threat, and reassurance that he enjoyed walking. The thought that Oliver was on a knife edge towards ruin made his eyes gleam in a similarly cruel light.

Halfway through the ballers, in-between trays of drinks, Mrs Clarke had finally cornered Sophie. Her prim little black bonnet bouncing as she spoke would have been comical had the news not been so devastating.   “My dear, you know you cannot stay here much longer.”   “What is the matter?”   “Do not make me spell it out, your bump is starting to protrude and your apron will no longer hide it in a few weeks. You need to leave. Soon.”   Unable to find Lily to ask her advice Sophie had instead hidden herself away on the fourth floor, the servants' sleeping quarters for a few hours. The period of nausea and lack of appetite had now finished but now she craved food and milk to feed her growing child. When she could forget

The entire room, including Sophie were easily able to decipher the unsubtle reference. A Baron with Live and Fair in the name, there was no doubt it was Oliver Fairfax. The veiled reference to Gilded Falcon. Henry paled in shock at Octavia who merely played the meek fool.    Both Felix and Oliver flushed red in anger, for once united in outrage at such an indelicate public shaming. Lord’s Dacre and McDonald looked at their wives with concern on their greying, tired faces. The only person who did not appear shocked was Milo, who cheerfully waved a half-eaten bit of toast back towards Oliver in mockery.   Octavia gracefully stood up from her armchair and walked towards a livid Oliver,  delicately she produced a small white envelope.     "Apologies, this is

Athena ventured downstairs after breakfast had finished, seeking to avoid the chattering guests. Dressed in a light blue gown she rarely wore, it gave her a paler, less healthy appearance than normal. She soon spotted Lady Louisa talking urgently with Lord McDonald in a quiet corner.    His hard face visibly softened as he listened to her speaking, at one point giving her hand a gentle press of reassurance. They appeared completely unaware of the rest of the world and she felt a pang of both happiness and envy for the situation. Letting out a quiet sigh Athena, Athena diverted her walk away from the couple and headed to the gardens, looking out onto the lake.   Everywhere Athena turned people seemed to be in furtive discussion. Pockets of intrigue were dotted about the grounds, Lady Octavia seemed to be holding a full audience,