Small Ton Girl

[Reuben Slade]

Tag: Elizabeth Davenport

the heart is an arrow

IT DEMANDS AIM TO LAND TRUE

Evelina was bouncing with excitement! Her Aunty was taking her out for a walk to the park and Evelina in all her years -- her short years of life -- had never been before! The only thing that would make it perfect was if Sir Gilly could accompany them but her Aunty had said a final no. Nevertheless, Evelina was enjoying herself immensely, keeping hold of her Aunty's hand as they walked -- or as Evelina skipped. Once they reached the park there were so many people. Everyone looked lovely in their dresses and Evelina was waving and greeting every person they walked by. When they stopped moving, Evelina had to look up at her Aunty, realizing she had let go of her hand. Her Aunty was talking to some man, and her maid was speaking with another maid.

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Evelina wasn't used to being still when there was so much to explore! She looked around her and suddenly saw a beautiful butterfly! "Aunty! Aunty!" She exclaimed, lightly tugging at the woman's dress but she was too busy talking to the man. Evelina looked back at the butterfly who was flying away and without thinking, began to run after it! She was smaller than an average four year old but her little legs could certainly move fast. He ran, hopped, skipped, keeping the butterfly in clear sight until it went high up into a tree. Evelina was not that reckless to climb up it so instead, she would say her goodbyes. "Goodbye butterfly!" She exclaimed while waving. When he turned around . . . that was when she realized she had no idea where she was. And she didn't see her Aunty!

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Never having been in this situation before, Evelina was uncertain how to act. She looked around trying to find someone who looked nice. Everyone was walking and busy and not paying attention to her . . . and that was when she saw a nice looking woman, sitting and reading a book. Evelina loved reading too! That meant that this was the woman she had to see! Approaching her she stopped when she was close enough to talk to her. "Pardon me!" She began, giving a dramatic curtsy in greeting. Her governess had taught her to do that and she enjoyed showing it off! "I'm looking for my Aunty," she stated, as if that explained everything and she need not reveal anything more.

[Elizabeth Davenport]

There was nothing quite like spending a day in the park reading a book. The weather was lovely and Elizabeth had decided that some fresh air would do just nicely. With her ladies maid, Dawn, speaking with another friend not too far away, Elizabeth was able to focus on her book. She found herself re-reading a work by Elias Knight, one of her favorite authors currently. His words were so eloquent that she was able to get lost quite easily. So lost, that she did not even hear someone approach her. Elizabeth found she was quite displeased with the idea of a gentleman trying to approach her to promenade in the park but she put on a polite smile nevertheless.

When there was no one there when she looked up, Elizabeth grew quite confused. Then a small voice made her look down and Elizabeth's polite smile grew into a genuine one. "Oh, hello!" She greeted. Setting her book aside, Elizabeth looked around but did not see anyone that appeared to be missing a child. Getting up from her spot on the bench, Elizabeth leaned down to get more eye level with the little girl. "Well, I shall help you find her," Elizabeth assured her. 

"What's your name?" She asked. "I'm Elizabeth, but you may call me Lizzie." The child couldn't be more than five years of age and Elizabeth found herself worried. How had she gotten this far with no one noticing? She glanced up again before standing to her full height, offering her hand to the child. "Shall we find your Aunt, little Dove?"

---

Tag: Reuben Slade

credit to Laura of Adox

[Reuben Slade]

the heart is an arrow

IT DEMANDS AIM TO LAND TRUE

Evelina smiled brightly when the lady told her she would help her. She just knew that the woman with the book would be nice! She asked what her name was and Evelina got ready to answer. "Weelll," she began rather animated. "You can either call me Evie," she began as she held out one hand, tiling her head in the same direction. "OR you can call me Leena," she continued, holding out her other hand and tilting her head in that direction, as if she was weighing something in the palm of each hand.

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"OR you can call me Evelina!" And with that, she held out both hands simultaneously, waving them in the shape of a circle as if her answer had come together. When the lady called her Little Dove, Evelina began to giggle. "That's not my name!" She said with giddiness. "I'm not a dove!" But she was amused by it so the smile remained. She then happily took the lady's hand, a little skip in her step as she did so. "Oh! Miss Lizzie! You should told your mama or papa that you are going to help me finded my Aunty! Otherwise she could worry that you will also become losted!" Evelina informed her, assuming that Elizabeth was with her mother in this outing. Evelina knew that just because she didn't have a mother, didn't mean that others did not. And mamas and papas were very important!

Tag: Elizabeth Davenport

[Elizabeth Davenport]

Elizabeth was unable to help the smile that appeared on her face as she watched the little girl teeter back and forth with what her name was and what Elizabeth could call her. It appeared her name was Evelina but she had several nicknames and Elizabeth could appreciate that. "Well, what is your favorite thing to be called? You know, what you prefer is quite important," Elizabeth pointed out with a smile. She thought back to her own childhood and how she had insisted that some people call her Elizabeth while others had the privilege to call her Lizzie. Even now, the people she allowed to call her Lizzie were quite few. 

She was unable to help the own laugh that escaped her lips at the insistence that she was not a dove. "I know you are not a dove. But wouldn't it be marvelous if you could fly like one?" She asked. "And I believe you to be quite beautiful like a dove." Elizabeth smiled at the little girl, finding her to be quite wonderful for such a small child. She was polite but radiating energy that made Elizabeth want to do nothing but smile and spend time with her. She was quite certain that the parents of this little girl were quite wonderful and she found herself more curious as to which family she belonged to.

"Oh, you are quite right! My, you are smart," Elizabeth mused. She looked over to see her ladies maid walking towards them. Perfect timing, Elizabeth thought to herself. "Evelina, this is my ladies maid, Dawn. Dawn, we are going to help Evelina find her Aunty." Dawn nodded and trailed behind the two girls as they began to walk towards the direction of the path Elizabeth assumed Evelina had originated from. "Were you in the park with your Aunty already?" Elizabeth asked. 

---

Tag: Reuben Slade

credit to Laura of Adox

[Reuben Slade]

the heart is an arrow

IT DEMANDS AIM TO LAND TRUE

Her favourite name to be called?! Evelina cupped her chin in thought as her gazed raised as if to really consider this question. "You can call me Evie!" He decided. "Because it last has the same last sound as Lizzie and we can be matching!" That was indeed her thought process. Her large smile returned as Elizabeth explained the meaning behind calling her Little Dove. "That would be wonderful!" She exclaimed excitedly, jumping up and down a little. "I could fly in the clouds and see EVERYYONNEE down below! And I would waved to them! And I would always see everyone!" Imaging it made her wish she could indeed fly.

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"Do you think birds get losted?" She asked curiously, wondering if they always knew where their home was. Evelina practically beamed when Elizabeth called her beautiful. "Thank you Miss Lizzie!" She said as Evelina swung her body side to side, clearly enjoying the praise. "My family calls me Princess. But I'm not really a princess," she added in a very matter of fact tone. "You are very pretty too!" She pointed out. "I can be little dove, and you can be big dove and then we will both be doves and beautiful and maybe even fly one day!" He vivid imagination hoping that one day it would be as such.

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"I learned a lot!" She added when Miss Lizzie called her smart. She then looked at who was introduced as Dawn, giving Evelina another opportunity to showcase her dramatic curtsy as she did so in greeting to the maid. "Miss Dawn." Verbal greeting as Evelina had been taught acknowledgement was important! "Thank you Miss Dawn! You are nice like Miss Lizzie!" Because they were both going to help her. As they started on their path, Evelina began to answer Elizabeth's question in . . . perhaps more detail than necessary.

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"I was! She stopped to talked to a man! And then I saw a butterfly. OH MISS LIZZIE! MISS DAWN!" She was getting excited in being able to retell this story. "It was a very pretty butterfly! It was orange and had black spots . . . maybe four! No-- five! NO! SIX!" Her eyes widened as she told the story, fully engrossed and enthusiastic in its delivery. "I chased it through the park! I wasn't going to hurted it," she quickly clarified. "I wanted to be its friend! But then it flewed into a tree so I said goodbye to it and that was when I did not sees my Aunty any more!" Indeed, more detail than necessary.

Tag: Elizabeth Davenport

[Elizabeth Davenport]

"Evie it is then!" She said with a grin. Elizabeth found herself laughing at the mention of their names sounding similar. "They do, that is a wonderful observation," she pointed out. Evie continued to amuse Elizabeth and sometimes she reminded her of herself as a child, or even Emily. Wide eyed and ready to talk to anyone that would listen. "You could even fly over your own house!" Elizabeth exclaimed with a smile. As they neared the path, Elizabeth placed herself behind Evie and reached down for her other hand. "Here, I believe if you try very hard you can fly to that path right there!" She said, taking both Evie's hands and lifting her a few inches off the ground, taking a few steps before placing her on the path. She laughed and let go of one of her hands, putting herself next to the little girl once more. 

At the question of birds getting lost, Elizabeth tilted her head to the side in thought. What sort of answer could she give here? She did not truly know much about birds but Evie did not need to know that. "I think they always manage to find their way home," she explained after a moment of thought. She laughed at the mention of Evie being called a Princess by her family, thinking fondly on her own memories of her father and mother calling her a princess as well. "Thank you!" She said in gratitude to her compliment. She found that children often told the truth when it came to matters such as that. "Oh yes, we can both be doves. We can fly over the entire Ton and travel wherever we like!" 

It was good to know that Evie had been in the park, so hopefully it would not be long until someone noticed they were missing an adorable little girl. Elizabeth listened in silence as Evie described the butterfly she had seen and Elizabeth smiled. "That is a Monarch butterfly, I believe!" She explained. "Which, Monarch is another word for Queen or King so I believe it's a sign that you really are a Princess," Elizabeth said with a grin. She gave Evie her attention while also keeping her eyes peeled for anyone that might be distraught over the lost child. Hopefully they would happen upon them shortly. 

---

Tag: Reuben Slade

credit to Laura of Adox

[Reuben Slade]

the heart is an arrow

IT DEMANDS AIM TO LAND TRUE

Evelina smiled when she said that it was a wonderful observation, finding that she liked how her name and Miss Lizzie's name sounded together. The thought of them flying over her house! "That would be so high!" She exclaimed. "Because my house is VEEERYYYY tall!" To be that high up sounded so exciting and Evelina suddenly wished that she could indeed fly! Maybe one day! But then Miss Lizzie spoke of trying and Evelina did as instructed. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, a slight tremble in her body demonstrating just how hard she was thinking about it. And then, she felt her feet leave the ground.

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A bubbly burst of laughter erupted from her as she squealed with delight when she felt Miss Lizzie's hands. Opening her eyes she saw Miss Lizzie at her sight and Evelina held the woman's hand with both of hers, jumping up and down. "I flewed!" She cried excitedly. "Miss Lizzie! I want to help you fly but I can't because I am too little! But maybe my family can!" Maybe her Papa would lift her and help her fly so that she could give the same thrill that Miss Lizzie had given her. "That's good! That means we will too because we're doves!" And Lizzie confirming that they could both be doves, flying over the ton was such a lovely dream.

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"Come on then Miss Lizzie!" Evelina excitedly exclaimed. With one hand still holding Elizabeth's, Evelina extended her other arm, stretching it out. "Let's ffflllyyy!" She announced, hurrying her steps and hoping Miss Lizzie could match the pace. Having no shortage of energy, even as they 'flew', Evelina continued to talk. "A . . . mon-arch?" She repeated slowly, as if trying to commit it to memory. "I learned a new word!" She couldn't wait to tell others about it!

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"You know what! I think the butterfly wasn't trying to be my friend. I think it flewed so I could finded you so that WE could be friends!" It made perfect sense how! Why the butterfly went up in the tree. For Evelina now decided that she and Miss Lizzie were friends. "And if we're friends, then I don't have to be a real princess!" She was content with that. Because princesses had kings and queens for parents and Evelina did not want to change her family.

Tag: Elizabeth Davenport

[Elizabeth Davenport]

"How tall do you think?" Lizzie mused. "This high?" She held her hand out to her shoulders a puzzled expression on her face. The imagination of a child was something that would always bring a smile to Elizabeth's face. It seemed that Evie was in no short supply when it came to that and it made her glad. She knew there were houses and families out there that only bred their children for society and did not care about the love and care that went into raising them. She was utterly curious about which family Evie belonged to but was unsure if she would know her last name or even the names of her parents. 

The sound of Evie laughing out of pure joy when Elizabeth lifted her off the ground to give her a glimpse of what it might be like to fly made her own cheeks hurt from the large smile on her face. Hearing her say that she wished to help Lizzie fly only made her laugh more. "Oh, it's quite alright. I think you can fly and just tell me all about it. I'm sure you'd be quite good at it," she explained. "We are doves!" She agreed, nodding her head in confirmation.

With their hands still connected, she watched as Evie outstretched one hand and tried to hurry her along so they could fly. Elizabeth should have been concerned with other people staring but right now, she was in Evie's world; a world where nothing else mattered but trying to fly. Laughing along with the little girl, Elizabeth outstretched her other arm and walked quicker to keep up with her. "Only if you help me fly!" She said.

To hear Evie's thoughts on the butterfly was something else entirely. Elizabeth wasn't sure where her thoughts were going but it was interesting to try and follow them. She felt her heart melt at her belief that they were meant to be friends. "You are the sweetest, did you know that?" Lizzie pointed out with a grin. "Yes, we are definitely friends. We shall have to make sure we see one another again. Perhaps next time you come to the park, but try not to leave your Aunty," she said lightly. 

---

Tag: Reuben Slade

credit to Laura of Adox

[Reuben Slade]

the heart is an arrow

IT DEMANDS AIM TO LAND TRUE

Evelina giggled as Elizabeth asked how tall, holding her hand up to her shoulders. "More!" She said as she jumped up to try and touch Miss Lizzie's hand to move it up. "Miss Lizzie! It is taller than you! And you are very tall!" Many people were tall to Evelina considering she was short, but still! She titled her head to the side as the young woman told her that it was alright, and that she could fly and tell her about it. "But, we are both doves! So we must both fly! I will find a way to help you fly Miss Lizzie! I will not leave you behind!" Because she was her friend and she would not do that to her friend. He couldn't help but giggle when she told her she would be good at it, confirming that they were both these beautiful birds.

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"And you will be too!" Which Miss Lizzie was because she was running with her. "People tell me that!" She said confidently when Elizabeth said that she was the sweetest. "My governess says I'm as sweet as plum cake! And plum cake is my FAVOUURITE!" Hearing that she she agreed that they were friends only further encouraged the young girl. "I won't!" She assured her. "This my first time in this park! It is soo big!" Bouncing she wanted to fly more.

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"Come on Miss Lizzie! Lets flyyy!" She let go of her hand so that they could both run easier and so that Evie could use both arms. She extended them on either side of her as if she was soaring. "We can fly! We can fly! We can fl--" And Evelina went down, plopping onto the ground face down. She had tripped over a rock that face planted her, body sprawled. Remaining there for a few seconds she slowly sat up, blinking with wide eyes, stunned by the sudden fall. Sitting with her knees folded against her chest, she saw the blood starting to come from her knee. "I bet doves don't falled down like this!" She said as her eyes welled with tears, more upset that she was not a dove anymore rather than the pain from her knee.

Tag: Elizabeth Davenport

[Elizabeth Davenport]

Elizabeth raised her hand so it was slightly above her head. "This high?" She asked, her face still showing one  confusion, as if she did not understand just how tall Evie's house was or how high she thought she could fly. "Taller?" She asked, exasperated by Evie's words. "Well that is just the tallest I can think of!" She exclaimed. Elizabeth placed a hand over her heart to show that Evie's words were quite sweet. "Well, thank you for not leaving my behind little dove." The two continued to walk and Lizzie looked behind her to see if Dawn had any luck, but the woman simply shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. No one had caught either of their eyes looking for this little girl. No matter, Elizabeth would not leave her until they found her Aunty.

"Plum cake is quite delicious!" She said through laughter. "I think chocolate cake is my favorite." It wasn't something they had often but Lizzie had quite the sweet tooth. Fortunately, they were able to indulge in such a sweet thing from time to time. It did surprise her to hear that this was her first time in the park. Surely that couldn't be right? Hearing that Evie had never been to the park before would have placed a frown on her face if she weren't having such a wonderful time with her. 

Evie slipped from her fingers and ran off. "Be careful!" She called after her, picking up her skirt to run off after her so she did not get too far. Lizzie already knew this girl had a penchant for running off and getting lost and she did not want her to get out of her sigh. Then she fell and Elizabeth rushed over to her, quickly kneeling down on the ground. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her hanker-chief and went to wipe the blood but paused. "Well Evie, you've told me that you are quite sweet and clever. I bet you're brave too, right?" She asked. "Can you be brave for me right now? I will try to make sure it does not hurt but I need to wipe away the blood." Elizabeth tenderly reached out and dabbed at Evie's knee, making sure to be gentle and her eyes looked up at the little girl. "Very good, little dove. Now, shall we find your Aunty?" Elizabeth stood up and then leaned down, collecting Evie in her arms and holding her as she continued to walk. 

Dawn caught her attention and pointed up ahead where a woman seemed to be distraught and looking around. Elizabeth adjusted Evie in her arms and leaned towards the little girl. "Is that your Aunty?" She whispered, pointing up ahead to where she saw a woman. 

---

Tag: Reuben Slade

credit to Laura of Adox

[Reuben Slade]

the heart is an arrow

IT DEMANDS AIM TO LAND TRUE

Evelina watched Miss Lizzie as she came to tend to her wound, gently dabbing it with a cloth. Evelina sniffled a little, nodding her head when Elizabeth asked her if she could be brave, among the other things. "D-Does this mean I am still a dove?" She asked, her eyes filled with hope that she had not ruined her perfect nick name! "You are very nice, Miss Lizzie!" She said speaking her mind. "It doesn't hurted that much." But the sight of blood was making her more nervous and scared, so Evelina felt a little better when it was starting to disappear, getting soaked in the cloth instead.

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And then Elizabeth did exactly what Evelina wanted without even having to ask. She scooped her up in her arms and Evelina comfortably rested against Elizabeth, as if they had done this a thousand times before. She wrapped her arms around Elizabeth's neck, sniffing against as she nestled into Lizzie. "I can't flyed anymore," she stated. "But, I like being tall," he added with a bit of a smile, feeling better with Lizzie holding her. When Elizabeth then asked if that was her aunt, Evelina brightly smiled and nodded.

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"AUNTY!" She cried. The frantic woman spun around and rushed towards the pair. "Evelina Slade!" She said, clear worry in her voice. "I have been looking everywhere for you!" Evelina was set down and she hurried towards her Aunty, as the woman crouched down in front of her, her gaze falling to Evelina's knee as her eyes widened. "What on Earth happened?!" "I felled! But Miss Lizzie helped me!" She said turning to the woman.

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The noblewoman smiled politely, raising to a stand as she looked at the other noblewoman. "Thank you kindly for caring for her. I would appreciate that this . . . remain between us." Evelina looked between both women not quite understanding why it had to be a secret, but she didn't have time to ask. Her Aunty took her hand and started leading her away. "Your father is going to be very cross," she murmured as they walked away. When they were a bit further, Evelina stopped and pulled her hand free from her Aunty. She then ran towards Miss Lizzie and hugged her legs -- since it was all that she could reach -- in a very tight embrace. "Thank you for helping me Miss Lizzie!" She told her, hearing her Aunty calling but wanted to make sure her hug was felt.

Tag: Elizabeth Davenport

[Elizabeth Davenport]

Elizabeth smiled kindly at Evie. "Of course you are still a dove," she cooed. She reached up and wiped her thumb across Evie's cheek, wiping away the tears. "You are the only little dove I shall ever have the pleasure of knowing," Elizabeth assured her. She reached out and tapped a finger to the little girl's nose before handing the cloth back to Dawn and picked her up. "Thank you for being so brave," she mused as the girl snuggled into her. Elizabeth enjoyed the feeling of Evie in her arms, and she found herself suddenly missing the idea of being a mother herself. This should have proved she was good at these sorts of things, but that still didn't mean she would make a good mother. There was much more to motherhood than helping someone find their way and cleaning small wounds after a fall. "You shall fly again, little dove," Elizabeth promised her. "Right now you just need to rest." And perhaps take a nap once the whole adventure was over.

Thankful that the woman in distress was indeed her Aunt, Elizabeth set the little girl down so she could run to her family member. The woman was not someone Elizabeth recognized but she did recognize the last name when the Aunt chastised Evelina using her full name. Slade. Elizabeth had met a Reuben Slade at her family's event not too long ago and she had also met his older brother, William. It did surprise her that such a wonderful little girl could come from someone she had such a hard time reading and someone she found slightly irritable. But to her knowledge, neither of them had a daughter.

"Oh, of course," Elizabeth assured her, again, finding it odd that she wanted to keep it quiet. Elizabeth would keep her word but was rather curious as to which member of the Slade family she belonged to. The two began to walk away before Elizabeth could say anything else and she sighed. Dawn came up beside her, asking if Elizabeth wished to remain in the park. Before she could answer, she felt two little arms around her legs in a hug. She smiled and leaned down to give her a small hug in return. "You're quite welcome little dove," she said with a grin. "Now run along, you don't want to keep your aunty waiting." She stood up and watched the two disappear before turning and heading home herself. A particularly odd interaction, but not unwelcome.

---

Tag: Reuben Slade

credit to Laura of Adox

[Reuben Slade]

Tag: Elizabeth Davenport

never make

DECISIONS OUT OF FEAR.
ONLY OUT OF SPITE.

To say that Slade was mad, was a massive understatement. He was furious. First to find out that his sister had taken her out on a walk about the ton, and then to discover that she was lost. Evelina had told him everything and while she explained the story with enthusiasm and excitement, Slade could feel his blood boiling at hearing it . . . hearing how reckless his sister had been. He could not trust her with Evelina. Not anymore after this. And now, Evelina's existence was compromised. His sister assured him that it was just a lady and her maid . . . but women talked. And Slade feared the moment he would hear it whispered among the gossips of the ton. Elizabeth had been the woman's name, and Dawn her servant. Rueben had sent his people straight to work and it did not take long to discover who she was: Elizabeth Davenport.

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It made Slade even more frustrated by the circumstances, for Davenport was an associate of his. If word were to get out, from either of them . . . Slade did not even want to think of it. He had to take action and speak to Elizabeth. Fortunately, they were not on bad terms and Slade now knew that he had to keep it this way. He would do anything to protect his daughter. He only hoped it was not too late. That these two women were not the kind of spread word of a child. Though Slade knew it would be done in innocence, it was still unacceptable for him.

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He had a talk with Evelina about what happened, though did not fault her. Instead, he heard about how fondly she spoke of 'Miss Lizzie', and the details from them being doves, to flying, to her tending to her. And . . . Evelina wanted to see her again. Rueben could not deprive his daughter of something she asked for so eagerly, not something like this. It was after all the reason that he was looking for a wife. To give Evelina that figure in her life. Slade could make her no promises. He had to speak to Elizabeth first. Protecting Evelina came first.

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So it was the next day that Rueben would visit the Davenport residence. He was greeted at the door, and said that he would like to call on Miss Elizabeth Davenport. It would be far less suspicious if he used this as an excuse. He was led to the drawing room, glad to not have seen Charles in his travels. That, would have just set forth a further complication that Slade did not need right now. Making his way into the room, the butler stated that he would get her. Rueben gave a nod, his own guards waiting outside. Rueben set down a box that he had been carrying, setting it on the table.

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Inside were the finest chocolates, and Evelina had insisted on adding her touch, drawing a picture of two doves with big smiling faces that was inside the box with the words "Thank You" scribbled on it. Evelina had told him in detail that 'Miss Lizzie' liked chocolate cake and thus, chocolate. It was not a way to woo her but . . . a gesture of gratitude. There were not many he felt gratitude for outside of his closest friends and even still, he was unsure of the bounds of this gratitude, depending on what Elizabeth had said. Interestingly enough, Rueben had not heard anything about Evelina in the ton. And so, it gave him that hope.

[Elizabeth Davenport]

The mystery of Evelina Slade occupied much of Elizabeth's mind throughout the walk home and the entire evening. Who was she and how did no one know about her? Normally, circumstances such as these would cause Elizabeth to use her resources. She would ask her trusted friends or ask Dawn to do some digging amongst the other maids. But Elizabeth was smart enough to know that she was a secret for a reason and Elizabeth would never do anything to harm Evie or anyone connected to her. So instead, Elizabeth had been forced to wallow in her irritation at not knowing anything and not being able to figure anything out. Unless she happened to see the little girl again, which she very much doubted, Elizabeth would never know.

The conversation between Elizabeth and Dawn had been brief, but the understanding between the two to keep it to themselves had been conveyed. Dawn was not one to spread her own gossip, but instead was someone that listened to everything when possible. Elizabeth trusted her more than most people so she felt quite satisfied that Dawn would not say anything to anyone, not even the other members of the household. She'd spent the next morning at the Bridgerton house, hoping that time with Benedict and the others would provide a distraction worth having. There, Elizabeth had asked Benedict to draw her a picture of a monarch butterfly and while he had complied, she had provided no details other than her desire to have the picture.

Several hours later, Elizabeth returned home and grabbed one of her favorite novels before disappearing into the music study. It was where she often curled up with a book or could be found playing music for hours on end. It came as a complete surprise to her when someone came into announce that she had a gentleman caller. It certainly was not expected and she loathed the idea of having to make polite conversation for the next hour or two. Perhaps she would be able to find a way to get rid of them quickly, if she could only convince Emily to interrupt them if too much time passed.

Walking into the drawing room, Elizabeth was surprised to see none other than Reuben Slade. The two had a pleasant conversation at the Davenport ball but she never thought he was interested in her in that way. Then the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. He was a Slade and so was Evelina. Perhaps this was about her. Elizabeth dipped into a curtsy before placing her book onto a small table. "Lord Slade, it's wonderful to see you again," she greeted him. Glancing at the chaperone near the door, Elizabeth called out to him. "Kenneth, would you please get Dawn to chaperone? Thank you. You may leave the door open, we shall be fine for a few minutes." 

Looking back at Reuben, Elizabeth went to take a seat on the chaise that she tended to favor. "Am I to believe you are here because you could not get enough of our conversation from the other night," Elizabeth teased softly. "I assure you, I have not breathed a word of her to anyone." Elizabeth nodded towards the open door where their butler, Kenneth, had been standing a moment ago. "He tends to repeat everything to my father." An explanation as to why she had requested Dawn, when usually she held no preference for a chaperone.

---

Tag: Reuben Slade

credit to Laura of Adox

[Reuben Slade]

Tag: Elizabeth Davenport

never make

DECISIONS OUT OF FEAR.
ONLY OUT OF SPITE.

Rueben turned to face the door when Elizabeth walked in, giving a nod in greeting her to curtsy as she spoke of it being wonderful to see him again. A pleasantry no doubt, and while expectation dictated he was to return it, he would not speak idly. His lack of conformation to societal norms was what deemed him a black sheep among his family. And while it was not done out of any ill will, he still felt he need better assess this situation -- and her -- before agreeing that it was indeed wonderful. He glanced at the butler when Elizabeth asked to send for Dawn. Dawn. That was exactly who he was hoping would be joining them so it served him quite well. Slade remained standing, leaning on his cane as she continued.

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"It certainly was an enlightening conversation," he agreed. And while his words did not hold the same teasing . . . it was good to see her at enough ease in his presence to offer such a jest. While ease was not something Rueben preferred people feel in his company, there were exceptions. And she was one of them because . . . she had met his daughter. And seemed to have formed a bond with her. But it was her immediate reassurance that caused him to slightly title his head upward. She knew why he was here, so it certainly eliminated the need to clarify that he was not actually calling on her. "It is just as well," Slade stated in reference to Kenneth.

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"For I would have requested that your maid be present for this conversation." Because that was the name of the woman with Elizabeth when they found Evelina, and he would have her here to be of the same understanding he sought to gain with Elizabeth. The noblewoman's words also suggested that this was not something she would tell her father, nor had mentioned. Otherwise, she would have found no fault with Kenneth remaining present. Household staff were key. Slade was very careful in who worked in his home, having hand picked each and every one. While the number of staff was not as abundant as most higher ranking families of nobility, Slade preferred the quality of their character rather than quantity. Trust, loyalty and discretion were of the utmost important.

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It was not until Dawn entered -- Slade responding with a nod -- and that she was seated, that Slade made his way over to the seat appropriately across from Elizabeth. Setting his cane to his side to lean against it, he took a seat, removing his hat but keeping his gloves on. When he was certain that it was just the three of them present, Slade began, getting straight to the point. "She is my daughter," as he was fairly certain she would have deduced by now. Though Elizabeth had assured him that she had not breathed a word, this conversation was still necessary. "Discretion is imperative, for I would not have her be the source of gossips among the ton." Questions of her birth, her mother, her mother's death, the girl herself . . . it was one of the reasons Slade strove to protect her from all that. And why he would have to rely on Elizabeth to do the same. The dependency was . . . unsettling for Rueben Slade, but he was left with little other choice.