better late than never

[Nicholas Cawdor]

Nicholas waited to go looking for Ioana Cawdor, nearly three days, making sure he was calm enough not to frighten her. She'd been banished from home, so she couldn't know he'd nearly hit their father, only to pull his punch at the last second and break a cupboard instead. He'd also slammed the front door straight off its hinges. He couldn't believe his worthless moron of a father would exile his own daughter like that, leave her helpless at the mercy of an unkind world without a single soul to support her. The time when she needed her family the most, and he pulled it all out from under her. What a bastard.

He made himself stop and take a deep breath. Calm. He wasn't going to frighten a pregnant woman, even if he was angry on her behalf, not at her. He needed to approach this gently if he could. "If" was definitely the keyword.

He knew she was in the service of one Lady Rosemary McIntyre, so he'd gone in and asked the guards where to find her. He was lucky he was in uniform, or he'd have been turned away on the spot, but once he explained that his sister was the lady's maidservant, they'd been more forthcoming. The lady was away in town, but her maid had stayed behind, working on something in her room. Third door on the third hallway. Easy.

He found it easily enough and knocked. He didn't announce himself, though--he waited for the door to open, and as soon as he saw those big eyes of his sister's, he didn't wait, he just yanked her into a hug.

"Io, I'm so sorry I wasn't there."

[Ioana Cawdor]

Ioana was finishing up some dress mending before Rosemary had given her the rest of the day off. She'd wanted to go into town about something and wouldn't be back until far later. Normally, Ioana would be over the moon about it. But now? She'd been homeless four days. Luckily, there had been room for her within the servants quarters and it had taken everything in her to not just break down and cry. It was bad enough everyone else was already talking about her in her current state. Gossip spread like wildfire, and with staying at the servants quarters it was going to become difficult to hide her delicate situation.

Lachlan didn't even know yet... She forced her self not to blubber all over Lady Rosemary's dressed, and focused on fixing the hem when a knock came a that the door. Curious, she glanced up and tilted her head as she stood. The guards knew Lady Rosemary was out, so who could it be?

She set the dress down in the chair she'd been sitting in and smoothed a hand over her dress. Looking at her, you wouldn't think Ioana was pregnant, but her dressed and it's many layers did well at hiding it. She was already showing underneath. Her thin frame unable to hide the preganacy safe for the first two months. She opened the door, and then was suddenly pulled into an embrace. She was in shock for a moment, before her brothers deep voice gave away who the visitor was.

His arms were strong and sturdy around her, and Ioana was tense for a moment. Nicholas hadn't been at the house when she'd told the family. He was busy off being a soldier, but she was certain Jenna would have told him what their father had declared. Ioana was banished from home, and if the others knew what was good for them, they'd have nothing to do with her. She was a second Beatrice in his eyes, and despite Ioana telling her father that Lachlan wanted to marry her, he'd still kicked her out. That first night had been the hardest. She'd felt so alone, and now that Nick was here?

The pregnancy hormones had the tears springing to her eyes almost immediately as she wrapped her arms around his broad frame, and pressed her cheek against this collar bone. "Don't you know you aren't supposed to talk to me?" She asked quietly, a twitch of a smile appearing on her face. "My new name is Beatrice, or did you not know that either?" She asked tilting her head back to look at him. The smile faded though, and her bottom lip trembled. All jokes aside, she was glad Nick was there now. "Oh Nicky, I've really screwed up this time." She confessed, her voice cracking as she hugged him tightly.

[Nicholas Cawdor]

"Oh, hush,"Nick protested before his sister had even finished her pessimistic warnings. She could give bleak predictions and try to scare him off if she wanted, but he wasn't going anywhere. Fuck what their father had to say, this was his little sister. He refused to leave her out in the cold, literally or figuratively.

He gave her a stern look when she looked up at him for a moment, and as soon as she had hugged him tightly again, he moved one of his hands to gently stroke her hair, the way he'd done when they were small. He wished he could just take the weight off her shoulders and make things good again for her. But what's done was done, there was no way for him to change the past, and he certainly couldn't undo a pregnancy. All he could do now was make sure she was provided for, one way or another.

"It's all going to work out, Io. I don't give a rat's ass what 'father' has to say. The way he's acting is just proving that he's a shitty excuse for a father, and if he won't look out for you, I sure as hell will." He squeezed her tighter and tighter as he spoke, then abruptly realized that was probably too tight.

"Sorry," he mumbled, "I guess I'm a little heated."

[Ioana Cawdor]

The smile came easily to Ioana's face as she stood there hugging her brother. "Of course you are." She couldn't help but laugh a little. He wasn't that much older than her, just a measly two years, but of the siblings, she was closest to him in not only age but in general. His squeeze was welcome despite how strong it was. Comforting in knowing that he meant what he said. In fact, it meant a lot that he was even here to begin with.

She sighed and hugged him tight in her own hug. "You're fine Nicky." She patted his back reassuringly. She tilted her head back to look at him. "I'm glad you're here." She told him genuinely. Her big brother always had a protective nature about him that always put her at ease. Everything would be alright if Nick was around, that she knew for a fact. She leaned up on her tiptoes then to kiss his cheek before she pulled herself out of his arms and turned to head into the room. She held the door open for him to follow. "I take it you've been home, or Jenna told you?" She asked as she closed the door.

[Nicholas Cawdor]

Nick was reluctant to release Ioana from his arms--somehow he felt like if he could just keep her right there, he'd be able to protect her. He didn't want to release her back into a world that was treating her so harshly. He knew better, obviously--he couldn't keep her from living her own life and finding her own way. It was just that he wished it didn't have to hurt.

He drifted into the room after her, looking around curiously. Ioana's mistress's room wasn't massive, as he'd expected, but it was a good size. Thing was, it was full of plants that took up most of the space. He recognized a mint plant growing as high as his head, but the others were a mystery. How positively weird.

"Yeah, I went home alright," he answered, and his voice took a dark turn. "Nearly knocked that fucker on his ass after what he said about you and Beatie. Put my fist through a cupboard instead of his teeth, cuz Ma shouted at me just in time." He rolled his eyes and ran a hand down his face. "I should've done it anyway, taught him a lesson about how family works since he clearly hasn't got a fucking clue."

It occurred to him, rather belatedly, that Ioana didn't seem nearly as pissed off about this whole thing as he did. He turned to frown down at her and crossed his arms over his chest. Was she really fine with it? Or was she just holding her card closer to her chest than her hothead of a brother?

"Wait just a minute. How is it that I'm ready to start a feud over this, and you're calm as can be?"

[Ioana Cawdor]

What Nick thought was weird, was actually something Ioana took great interest in. She was really rather impressed by her Lady’s green thumb, and Rosemarys love of plants and living things was clear to see once you got to know her. Ioana practically adored her, and hoped that her lady would still want her around when the baby came. Or if she’d be replaced. She hoped that wouldn’t be the case.

She closed the door with a soft click and brought a hand up to her mouth as she felt a wave of nausea. She had to still for a moment while Nick went off on what he’d done to their poor mothers cabinet. “Language,” she chided him. She gave him a pointed look as the nausea passed. She kept her movements slow as she went back to the chair she’d been sitting in and picked the dress up that needed it’s work finished. She turned and then sat down, her brown gaze flickering up to see her brother cross his arms over his chest.

A bubble of laughter came out then. Calm? Oh she was far from calm. What else was she to do? “What’s the point of a feud Nicholas? What good will that do other than break mothers heart more?” She asked him with a slight tilt of her head. “I have a roof over my head, food, a job,” She began to rattle off. All lies of course. She was lying to herself that she was fine. She was not fine. This calm? It was the calm before the storm. “I’m engaged, I had hoped that would appease father, unlike Beatie…” She trailed off slowly. She’d picked up the needle and began to continue where she left off. She bit her lip, an Ioana tell tale that there was more she wasn’t saying. She placed the needle to the fabric but didn’t move. She was looking back up at him. “He still wouldn’t listen.” She said quietly.

She looked down at her hands. “I think what hurts most is not being able to see you, or the others.” Her voice cracked slightly and she let a small huff of air out. “I’ll handle it, I’m fine.” She waved a hand dismissively, but she was back to biting her lip.

[Nicholas Cawdor]

"The point? The point is that you didn't do anything wrong," Nicholas grumbled. But she was still talking, so he didn't get going again at full volume. That was probably for the best because he was surprised by what she said. She made it sound like things were fine and dandy. Were they really?

He turned and sat on the rug in front of her so that he could see her face even while she was looking down at her sewing.

"Well forget that problem--he can say what he wants, I'm still going to make sure you can see the girls. It's simple to say they're coming to see me at the barracks, or I'm taking them shopping or what have you, and then you just… happen to be there. Easy peasy. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, but it'll sure as hell help you and the girls. They were devastated." He shook his head.

"But wait, back up. You're engaged?" He squinted at her. "When were you planning to share that little detail, Io? And who in the fu--in the world is the idiot who got my sister pregnant? Because I'm contractually obligated, as your brother, to punch him in the gut. I won't mess up his face, cuz I'm guessing you like his nose unbroken?"