Alice's idea of a good day was not sitting in a carriage with some woman who's sole duty was to "escort" her. The woman had been slightly outlandishwhich was slightly refreshing after 4 years at finishing school but her haughty, talkative and pompus manner had made Alice slightly uncomfortable. The woman had talked of nothing but her son who was attending medical and supposedly quite the catch. Alice could do nothing but look interested and smile with the occasional "Oh yes, I'm sure,".

The thought of seeing her dear aunt had made a slightly sick feeling grow somewhere in her midsection. The only thing she could really remember about her was that she'd given her quite a dissapproving look when, as a ten year old, Alice had pet another person's dog on the street. That withering look was still fresh in Alice's mind and she hoped that perhaps all that time being poked, prodded and groomed by teachers would pay off.

Madam," said Alice's escort nodding to the hill outside the carriage.

It was all Alice could do to keep her pink lips from parting. Her family home had been a finely decorated brownstone in the city. It was a fine place to grow up, that much was true, but nothing like the palace before her.

"That's home?" Alice uttered under her breath.

"Well, we'll see if they even like you," said the woman, adjusting her mink stole and looking condescendingly at Alice.

Well that was unnecessary, Alice thought to herself but didn't dare say anyhthing. She pressed her forehead against the window for a moment and looked out at the castle, taking a deep breath. When she returned to a more proper position, her back straightened and hands folded delicately on her lap she gave the woman a sweet, relaxed smile.

"Well, It's quite nice isn't it," she commented in a voice devoid of much emotion.

"Yes," Alice's companion said in a similar voice.

When the carriage finally came jostling to a stop Alice took another breath and straightened her black satin traveling suit. It really didn't suit her but she was supposed to be in mourning for her father and she still had 2 weeks left.

A footman ran out and opened the door. Alice stepped out, adjusting her dress. It was remarkable how she still felt like a child even wearing that dress. Black satin and pearls ought to be enough to make a girl feel like a woman but apparently not. She stood on the lawn waiting for her escort to get out of the carriage, a process which was taking an exceptionally long time. She did her best to not like all around or admire things too obviously.

"Hello miss,", said a severe looking woman with a maid's uniform on, "Please come inside. I will retreive the Countess so that she might receive you,"

"Thank you very much," replied Alice as she was lead into the grand foyer.

Rupert had gotten word that his wife’s niece – which made her his niece as well – had arrived and was waiting in the grand foyer. He ordered her to be taken to the drawing room before putting away his papers and extinguishing his pipe. Rebecca was evidently busy with something else – a trait that was really quite typical of her – and needed him to welcome the girl and entertain her until she had occasion (or saw it fit) to show up. He sighed. He remembered Alice as a mere youngster, a pretty little thing who had inherited the same reddish hair that her aunt had gotten from her mother’s side of the family. He wondered if she was as willful as her aunt as well.

Entering the drawing room, Rupert was surprised to see that she had grown into a young lady, and he caught himself deeming her a quite attractive one at that. Granted, she lacked a bit of roundness to her figure, but so did his wife; Rupert had always had a thing for the lean ladies. Wait! What was he thinking? Get out of it, you’re her uncle for crying out loud…

Rupert nevertheless winked and smiled at their new young ward. She looked a tad overcome with this whole ordeal, her large, blue eyes searching both him and the room inquisitively. And who could blame her? Honestly, she had just lost her father a few months ago. She must be crushed, the poor little thing.
“Miss Alice!” He felt strange, addressing her by her first name in spite the fact that they had not seen each other in years. They hardly knew each other at all, and Rupert had never had any sort of fondness for Rebecca’s brother, although of course it was a tragedy that he had died. Rebecca herself had not shown much reaction to it at all, really, and thus Rupert had merely presumed that they were never very close either. But now that this girl would be staying with them they would be better off breaking the ice at once and getting better acquainted. Besides, Rupert was better with the womenfolk when he got to address them informally. It helped him relax, and it helped him get them to do the same thing. “How lovely to see you. - And if I may say so; you do look marvelous.” He took her hand and impressed upon it the conventional kiss. “The Countess will be down in a minute – she had some unfinished business that needed to be dealt with. How are you doing? I trust your journey has not been too fatiguing?”

When Alice was informed that she would be taken to her 'Uncle' rather than her Aunt she was fairly surprised but not necessarily dissappointed. She remembered him to have smiled a good deal more than her aunt and she'd gotten the slight feeling that he wasn't quite so disgusted with children as Alice's aunt was.

As she was led down the large halls of the manor she glanced at the austere paintings mounted on the walls. She smiled a bit at a portrait of a large woman surrounded by dogs. For some reason it comforted her a bit. The whole absurdity of the woman's situation made Alice's circumstances quite a bit lighter. As she was led further and further down the hall she took care not to step to heavily. She regreted wearing the heeled shoes that she did and regretted wearing that honeysuckle perfume that clashed so badly with the houses dark, musky smell.

The maid finally stopped and turned to knock quietly on one of the hugely ominous doors. Without waiting for a response she entered.

“Miss Alice!”

Along with a tidal wave of releif came a sunny smile onto Alice's face. She'd been taught for the past four years to be coy and mysterious but she felt that this certainly wasn't the moment to be those things. He wasn't quite as she remembered him; Perhaps a bit greyer and older but he had a warm presence reminded her a bit of her father. She reinforced the smile that was trying to faulter and kept herself together, reminding herself that seeing as how her mourning period was nearly done with she had to stop letting her eyes well up at the very thought of her father.

"Hello Count Lindeman!" she said in a quietly happy voice. She suspected he'd ask her to call her whatever he prefered but, of course, she had to address him by his official title for the time being.

“How lovely to see you. - And if I may say so; you do look marvelous.”

A whisper of pink flooded onto Alice's pale cheeks.

"It's lovely to see you again as well but you really are too kind," she said bashfully, a smile still lingering on her face.

“The Countess will be down in a minute – she had some unfinished business that needed to be dealt with,”

"Oh," she said with a little nod.

It seemed a bit odd that the countess was not there to receive her. She wasn't necessarily offended but if her mother was correct it had been the Countess who had offered for Alice to stay at her home.

"How are you doing? I trust your journey has not been too fatiguing?

"Excellently and it was only as fatiguing as would be expected," she said cryptically, "But being brought into superior company has certainly improved things," added Alice, this time in a more understated voice.

She was very glad that her escort had left. The woman certainly hadn't been as kind as this new "Uncle" and the setting was far more comfortable. She felt as if she was finally able to breath now that she was out of the carriage. She'd practically been smothered by the warm hair and too-soft velvet cushions.

"And how are you this afternoon?" she asked

”Busy,” he replied. “But very grateful for the excuse to break off from my otherwise tedious schedule. And it is you who are too kind, my dear, referring to my company as superior. I am not too kind – you can ask my beloved wife about that and she will gladly confirm it for you.” He winked as he said this, and gestured towards a small sitting-group by the hearth. “Would you like to sit down for a rest while we wait for her, or would you rather I take you to your quarters at once?”

Alice’s accommodations had been made ready for her in the west wing, he knew. He had not been there to see it for himself, but Rebecca had, and she said she thought it very fitting for a girl Alice’s age – probably because the girls who had readied it were also that age, and the job gave them a chance to prepare the sort of space in which they themselves would never be able to live. It seemed to Rupert that young girls would always be incessantly dreaming, however much pain it might cause them.

“I’m sure she won’t be long. If I’m not mistaken I believe her delay was caused by some sort of calamity involving a tea-pot and a dress. I do hope the dress was someone else’s and not your aunt’s, or I daresay we shall all suffer from the consequences.” Again his manner was playful and cheery, but he nevertheless meant what he said. Rebecca being in a foul mood was not something anyone would want. She was already sceptical enough of poor Alice and inclined to give the child a hard time if she wasn’t by some glorious miracle spared from annoyance and could be kept close to happy – though Rebecca was never happy. She was never really mad either, only annoyed, something that had always puzzled the Earl greatly. For a woman – because Rupert was of the understanding that women in general were very emotional creatures – she was feelingless according to his own observations. She had likes and dislikes, even a few things she loathed, but mostly – to him – she seemed… bored.

Having to take care of her niece – or take care of anyone for that matter – certainly was one of her dislikes, he knew. Granted, she was the one who had invited the girl, but it had not been a voluntary act of charity. Her mother had sent her a letter urging her to help out the family’s youngest member. The countess would not normally have paid this much heed, as her relationship with her mother seemed to be nothing more than exchanging handshakes on the street now and then. But, wisely, the old woman had not kept the contents of the letter a secret. She had talked to several people about her poor grandchild who had lost her father. ”But I sent a letter to my daughter – the countess of Lindeboshire, you know - and I told her about the situation and asked her if she mightn’t look into it. I am sure she will be able to offer some help. Both mother and daughter are crushed, you can imagine, they need to recuperate and then surely they could also use some assistance to get back on their feet.”

Things like that quickly turn into rumours. It would have been disastrous for Rebecca’s reputation not to follow up on it. So the letter was written, the girl sent for. The people of Lindebo – or the ones that believed gossip anyway – probably knew she was coming before Alice knew it herself.

“But it’s all the same to me – perhaps you are eager to wash up and get changed?”

Alice was rather conflicted by this questionn of what she would do next. She wasn't particularly accustomed to determining what she, let alone another person would do next. For some reason it almost made her want to smile.

"Well, I suppose perhaps we should wait for her a bit longer," she replied.

This whole situationw as rather unclear to Alice. She'd been sent for by her Aunt but was starting to get the impression that her Aunt felt no joy in having her there. She'd been having trouble imagining it before but upon her arrival she'd had even more reason to think it.

Her aunt's husbund certainly was a kindly man. At least there was that but there was absolutely no telling what would happen with Alice in the next few months.

“But it’s all the same to me – perhaps you are eager to wash up and get changed?”

His question made Alice think that perhaps, she was now considered somewhat of an adult instead of a child. People were starting to ask what pleased her instead of simply orderin gher about. It was a strange feeling to have such influence on her own life but was quite pleasant.

"Well, I would like to see the town," she explained in a quite unsure voice, "Perhaps...once my Aunt is done...attending to her business we could go. I would like to see it very much," she said, hoping she hadn't been too pushy.

"Of course, if you'd like to stay home I hva no objections," she said.

The day was still very young and after being in that carriage for so many hours she was becoming a bit stir-crazy.

She wanted to see the town. Well, she was young. It was quite natural, thought Rupert, that she was curious and not as easily drained as he himself would have been. Her impatience surprised him none the less. He had been expecting a broken down and tired wretch of a girl. Yet now before him was this beautiful and charming young woman, seemingly possessing the keen hunger for life that often follows such youth. Rupert suddenly viewed the nearest future with a newfound exhilarated interest. He only hoped Rebecca would like her niece. Really, it all depended on that – like usual. Why was he unable to stop continually leaving his happiness in her hands? What was it about that woman that made her hold such a queer sort of power over him?

But Rebecca liked to walk around town. It seemed to entertain her. And she certainly loved showing it to people, introducing them to all the sights, the little bakeries, the theatre that she was so proud of. Maybe she could take Alice.

“That sounds like a lovely idea,” Rupert replied. “And one that should be possible to arrange quite presently I should think.” And oh! If the women both went out, he would not have to worry about finding excuses for disappearing on Alice’s first evening there. His rendezvous with gorgeous young Libby would not be interrupted, and the two Alexander-girls could get better acquainted and hopefully find that they had something in common. It was perfect. Rupert unwittingly rubbed his hands together as he sat down and nodded for Alice to do the same. “Please,” he smiled. “Can I offer you anything? I believe Reb – eh…” He was unsure whether to use Rebecca’s Christian name just yet. “…my wife has ordered tea to be ready in an hour or so. But are you terribly hungry?”

“That sounds like a lovely idea, And one that should be possible to arrange quite presently I should think.”

Alice's face softened into a small smile at the notion that he found her idea to be pleasing. She wanted very much to see the rolling hills she'd pased. The golden fields of wheat had looked so inviting, however, she knew it would not be likely that her Aunt and Uncle would allow her to go to any crude place no matter how pretty it might be.

None the less it would be very nice to go into town. She'd spent such a long time cooped up in that prison they liked to call a school that she'd almost forgotten the way the greater part of the population lived in.

"Thank you very much," she said sweetly.

“Please,” he smiled. “Can I offer you anything? I believe Reb – eh…my wife has ordered tea to be ready in an hour or so. But are you terribly hungry?”

She ought to say no. To make him beleivethat she had a small, dainty appetite. The truth however, was that she was famished.

"Well...If you are going to have something then I would not obect. She said meekly.

Rupert had not planned to eat anything yet, but he nevertheless seized the little silver bell on the mantlepiece and gave it a good shake to call on a maid. He figured he might as well have a bite since Alice was hungry. The door to the drawing room slid open shortly after, revealing the shape of the countess in the hallway outside.
”The Lady Lindeboshire for you, mil-” said the maid, but she was interrupted and shooed away by Rebecca’s decisive hand.
“Do quit that, he knows who I am,” he heard his wife’s voice mutter before she entered. He caught himself thinking that she often looked like she was floating across a floor rather than walking. Her self-assured deportment, the dignified way in which she carried herself, never seized to astonish him. He stood up.

((OOC: Rebecca's last post was in "Ordinary Lives" - Also: I write both the Earl and countess, so the modding is perfectly legal. ;)))

Rebecca nodded curtly at Rupert before turning towards her niece.
“Alice,” she greeted the girl, not at all hesitating to use her Christian name, like her husband had previously done. “Good to see you. You look well. I hope you are?” She smiled at her niece. It was a cool smile, but still as benign as was possible for Rebecca to manage. Looking the girl over, Rebecca took a step back. She was appraising her, and she did not care to hide it.

She was pleasantly surprised. Alice was clearly related to her, and Rebecca was happy to discover their similarities in build as well as a couple of other features. Finding a man who would be interested in this young lady would not be much of a challenge, really. And from what Rebecca could tell thus far, she comported herself nicely as well. Perhaps introducing her to high society would not be too much of a tiring challenge after all.

“Alice would like to see the town,” Rupert announced.
“Ah, would she?”
“Yes. But we thought we might have something to eat first.”
Rebecca frowned.
“First? No, that’s no good. Let us take her out instead. The city is full of fine establishments. How about the Theatre Café?” They both turned towards Alice to see her reaction.

Alice was glad to see that he rang the dainty little silver bell and when the maid appeared she offered her a close-lipped little smile.

”The Lady Lindeboshire for you, mil-”

“Do quit that, he knows who I am,”

Alice did all she could not to gulp. Her mother, in all her misery, had once mentioned that her sister-in-law was quite a formidable woman and though Alice had shrugged off the gossip she now understood very well that it was not pure gossip but more of fact. She held herself with great composure practically sucked up all the respect in the room. Alice offerered her a small, meek smile which surely suggested she was a dull, unintelligent girl but somehow she couldn't seem to muster up any other emotions.

“Alice, Good to see you. You look well. I hope you are?”

"Very well. And you?" she said as casually as she could. She'd been a bit releived that her Aunt had used her first name as it made the whole situation a bit more relaxed.

Alice observed the Count and Countesses little conversation with reserved interest.

“First? No, that’s no good. Let us take her out instead. The city is full of fine establishments. How about the Theatre Café?”

"Oh, the Theatre Café sounds wonderful. Should we leave now then?" she asked. It all seemed rather sudden but what better way to get aqquainted with someone than a little excursion.

((OOC: Moving Rebecca AND Rupert - Next post in The Lindeman Theatre: "Lost among Fairy-Tale Lives"))

[[Moving Alice to Lost Among Fairy Tale Lives ]]