True Justice

"If you stay, Miss O'Teale, I have to warn you. I'm a lot harder to put up with than Terence is. And I don't pay as much as he does," Kenneth said gruffly. "Also, you already know where I stand. As far as I'm concerned, you're bad luck."

"I'm perfectly fine with staying here. But, that doesn't seem to be possible, in light of recent events. And it appears that I'm better off leaving, anyway." Shay sent a look in Kenneth's direction. She inhaled deeply then nodded. "Fine, Mr. Rowland. I'll come."

"Good, I'm glad that's settled." Kenneth nodded with a hint of a smile, then turned to Terence. "When do you leave?"

True Justice

Mariel tried not to drop her bread as she roamed through the streets. Her father had always warned her that wherever a marketplace was, there'd be trouble. Everyone once in awhile, she'd stop to glance at shells and feathers being selled. But she didn't want to get in trouble with the Ereths, so she'd keep on trudging.

She hadn't expected to come across a beautiful sand dollar, though. Always having loved the sea, she paused a moment longer than usual. If only she wasn't saving her money for her family and had some of her own!

However, she finally turned around to bump into a tall figure. Taking a few steps back, it only took her a second to realize who she had collided with. "Riley!" she cried with suprise and delight.

True Justice

Jinna sat up quickly. "Really? She was ill? In what way? I want to know everything I can about Gracie's early years; perhaps they will be puzzle pieces and clues to where she might be now." Suddenly Jinna paused; she was going much too fast and probably frightening Elle away from talking to her about it. She took a deep, steadying breath and smiled. "I'm sorry, Elle. I need to learn to relax. It's just that...I want to learn everything I can about my daughter." Jinna noticed that Elle wasn't really eating. "Are you done? I can put that up for you."

True Justice

"Adrian says today." Terence crossed his arms. "You'll have to take care of things around here. You know what needs to get done. Keep on schedule and make sure the men work. They tend to get sloppy when I'm not around..."

~~~

Elle handed the food to Jinna. "We were never sure what was wrong with her. She had always been a fragile woman."

True Justice

Kenneth nodded. "Of course. You know me well enough by now, Terence. I work these men hard." He laughed gruffly. "They're very cheap to come by as well. Much of them are too loyal to leave you, even when I'm in charge."

"That's another reason why I'm not staying." Shay rolled her eyes. "Too much work, little pay? No thank you." She laughed. "It's not that I don't like to work, mind you - but I like to get paid for what I'm worth."

Kenneth laughed heartily. "Well, Terence, you have your work cut out for you. She's a feisty one all right."

---

Riley was cutting across the street, taking a leisurely walk on the way to the countryside when he ran into Mariel - literally.

"Mariel!" He laughed jovially, visibly surprised to see her. "I haven't seen you in a while. How have you been?"

True Justice

"It's no different than spending time with Cecily." Terence said, speaking of his younger sister. "The two are nearly identical in personality."

Terence patted Kenneth on the shoulder. "Good day."

He turned toward Shay, but his eyes focused on something past her. He grinned and quietly said to Shay, "Speak of the devil..."

"Cecily!" Terence said, walking around Shay.

Cecily smiled. "Good day, Terence." She glanced at Shay. "Oh, I see Cohen wasn't lying when you said you were entertaining a lady..." She arched her brow, an impish smile on her face.

Terence chuckled, giving his sister a kiss on the cheek. "This is Shay O'Teale. She works for me now...and she was doing most of the entertaining." He looked up. "Where is Millie?"

"Taking her lunch with Cohen by the docks." Cecily said. She looked at Shay and said, "A pleasure to meet you. I'm Cecily Rowland, as you may have guessed."

True Justice

Grinning at her dear friend, Mariel replied "I am doing well enough, but working for the Ereths is crazy sometimes." Making a face, she added "But I'm still alive, and it's helping bring in money for my family."

She knew she needed to take the bread back, but she rarely ever met up with her friends, and Riley was especially hard to find. "And, as you've said, it's been forever since we've seen each other last. How are you?"

True Justice

Shay's mouth curved up in a slight smile. "I'm Shay, as Terence has already mentioned. I work for him, and despite what he thinks, I'm not much of an entertainer. I merely twisted my ankle and was compelled to sing a sailing song with him." Shay rolled her eyes in Terence's direction. "Anyway, it's a pleasure to meet you."

---

Riley crossed his arms over his chest and fell in step next to her. "Ah. I'm sorry to hear that. The Ereths are a kind family, but I am sorry the arrangement isn't working out for you." He paused. "My employee, Shay, has found work elsewhere. I told her I didn't need her help, but business has been picking up and I regret my decision. So, there's a position open at my mercantile, should you ever need it."

He smiled. "I've been doing well, also. Managing the mercantile is enough to occupy my time. Otherwise, the only excitement in my life is when a traitor is captured, and I must say, that isn't very exciting."

True Justice

Mariel nodded. "Yes, if I ever find the Ereths too unbearable, I'll remember your offer if it's still open. But if it gets really bad for you, I promise to try to figure out a way so I can help you."

She sighed. "I know what you mean. These times aren't very eventful, but I guess we can be thankful for that. The only thing new for me is that my older brother finally got a job at a bakery. Besides that, it's been really boring here, in a way. Dealing with the Ereths takes enough of my time as it is."

All of a sudden, she paused. "A traitor?" She asked in suprise. "I haven't heard about this? What happened?"

True Justice

Cecily held up the basket in her hands. "Hungry, Terence?"

Terence took the basket and motioned to the two ladies to a few crates. He waited till they were seated before he set the basket down.

"Cecily," Terence cleared his throat. "Adrian has asked me to accompany him to the Capitol. He says he expects to leave today and I'm going with him."

"Today?" Cecily paused as she took things out of the basket. "You haven't even discussed this with Father and Mother, Terence."

"No, I haven't. But you will." Terence said with a nod.

Cecily sighed and shook her head. She looked at Shay and said, "Don't ever set your sights on him, Miss O'Teale. He may be charming and handsome, but all that's deceptive."

Terence chuckled as he grabbed a grape and popped it into his mouth.

True Justice

Jinna put the food away and sighed. "I am sad that your sister, and Gracie's mother, died. Now I feel more compelled than ever to get her back..." Jinna trailed off, deep in thought. At last, she murmured "I wonder about her father, though..." She looked up at Elle. "Is her father a good man? Does he take care of her?" She shook her head. "But I am gettin ahead of myself and asking silly questions. The first thing I should ask you is 'did you ever know Gracie's father'?"

True Justice

Shay helped herself to two slices of bread, and a slab of meat, making it into a sandwich. She sat down on a crate between Cecily and Terence, and started to eat.

"Mr. Rowland, I'm surprised. You ask your sister to tell your parents you're leaving on a journey for an indeterminable amount of time? The least you owe them is a proper farewell."

Shay smirked in Cecily's direction. "Yes. I've realized this... thoroughly. I don't have my sights set on him, at all, despite what he thinks. And I highly doubt that he is as sane as he claims." She chuckled as she brushed a few wayward crumbs off her shirt. "Example? He hired me."

---

"The offer will always be open, as long as Shay's gone." Riley smiled. "I'm not desperate for help, but I thought that I'd offer it, as a way out for you. Let me know if there's anything I can do."

"I'm glad your brother has found work. I actually already knew about that - since I'm friends with the baker. Along with almost everyone else." Riley chuckled. "If you do come work for me, be prepared to meet everyone in town."

Riley inhaled deeply. "Well, I'm afraid I can't tell you too much, since I'm not aware of all the details myself, but I believe that Lady Aeryn has been captured for suspicion of treason. What exactly that means, I have no idea."

True Justice

"I didn't know him very well. I only know what he looked like." Elle said, pushing her bangs aside. "There were times, though, when my sister wished she hadn't married him..."

~~~

Terence chuckled. "I would tell them personally, but they're not home. They've been away these last two weeks. They'll be returning any day now." He picked up the bunch of grapes. "I am not as hasty as you think."

Cecily shook her head. "They are home. Father was complaining about his back so they came back early. Though, they arrived home late last night. They are both resting."

Terence picked a grape off the stem, nodding. "I stand corrected, then." He sighed. "I have no time to talk to them, and I know my mother will try to talk me out of it. Adrian will be returning any second to inform me about the ships."

Cecily exhaled. "So now I have to be the bearer of bad news? Why is it always me?"

"Because you never get in trouble, that's why." Terence tapped her on the nose and put the grapes back down. He looked at Shay. "Do you need to talk to Riley?"

True Justice

"Oh, that would be nice." Mariel giggled. "I will definitely remember your offer, Riley. One day, I will help my family out of these hard times."

"That may take awhile to meet more people, me not being the most open person, but with all of the young Miss's gossiping, I've probably heard more about the town then they know of me." She didn't want to have to go into explanation of just how bad the gossip was. It was better to leave the truth of the younger two Ereths and their mischief hidden.

She frowned, and narrowed her eyes in deep thought. "How strange that this lady was captured for, treason, you said? Usually, this doesn't happen much, or at least I thought it didn't. I do hope she's ok! I don't like thinking of anyone in jail or worse, whether or not they were guilty." She visibly shuddered.

True Justice

Jinna frowned. "Was he a bad man? I hope he is being a good father to Gracie." She picked up the picnic basket and stood. "But perhaps we had better walk and talk at the same time. The day is escaping us and I'm sure that we both have things we must do. I have a husband and children to cook supper for, and you have the shipyard to go to." Jinna began to walk, then stopped and looked at Elle. "Where were we going, again? Or is this the end of our journey together, at least for the present?"