I'm Not So Good With Subtlety. (Tag Daine, Merton)

[Sebastian Mannering]

Sebastian had never noticed it before but the world seemed to get duller and more subdued as soon as he set foot in Merton. It was a quiet town and the inhabitants never seemed to get excited about anything. They certainly hadn't succumbed to the near hysteria about Robin of Locksley and his outlaws as the peasants in other towns had, which was something he had to grudgingly commend them on. However, they were not at all moved by his arrival in the village either, which was thoroughly disappointing as he always liked to make at least a bit of an entrance. He got only a couple of uninterested glances in his direction before the peasants were back to work.

He rode the horse up to the stables and secured it inside before heading over to the small manor. Sebastian suddenly had much more of an appreciation for the newly rebuilt Knighton Hall, the Merton residence was old and decidedly smaller than his own current home. Some people might call it cosy and steeped in history, he just thought it looked dilapidated. He would not insult her home in front of Daine though, because that wouldn't be sensitive of him at all, but before the weakling Merton all underhanded, undermining barbs were fair game.

Sebastian knocked sharply on the wooden door of the house then rocked back on his heels and clasped one hand in the other behind his back. A smile quirked at his lips, this was certainly going to be entertaining, he had not had the chance to bully Lord Merton yet. There was also the thought of seeing Daine again, which made him more pleased than he cared to admit. He only had to hope that she would be more coherent than last time, and would not remember his near slip when he threatened that peasant boy.

[Lord Merton]

Merton had had just about enough of Maggie's fussings over Daine. It was her own stupid fault she'd got stabbed. Jewellry could always be replaced, why bother putting such sentiment into meanial things. His sister was truely a romantic at heart; though last time he'd told her as much she'd put a sword to his throat. But the one good thing about Maggie pandering to Daine's needs was he could get on with some work without Maggie pestering him to eat.

How was he supposed to organise Merton's taxes when his table was full of plates of food and goblets of drink? Though, he could go for a glass of wine right now. He found the work was a lot easier after a relaxing glass of wine. He heard a door click shut softly, Maggie was leaving Daine. As she walked through the Manor to the kitchen, he presumed, Merton asked for some wine. She bobbed her head and said, "At once." Merton smiled to himself. The prospect of going over the taxes was suddenly looking more welcoming.

But Maggie had hardly left the room when the door knocked. Rolling his eyes and sighing, Brain called to Maggie, "I'll get it. Just bring the whole bottle to my desk and then go look after Daine." The person at the door was either a nosey villager asking after their Lady or an even nosier Noble coming for the latest gossip. He heaved himself out of his armchair, and tidiest himself slightly as he got to the door. Whether it was a villager or Noble, he still had to look his best.

The last person he was expecting to see was Lord Mannering. He had to bit back his surprise as he laid eyes on the lord his sister spoke of a little too fondly for his liking. He'd heard a fair amount of the flamboyant lord, and nothing had given him reason to be friendly to him. "Lord Mannering? This is a pleasant surprise." He said, trying to sound not too put out. He didn't like surprise visits. "What business do you have here in Merton?"

[Sebastian Mannering]

Sebastian's eyes sparked with amusement as Merton answered his own door, didn't he have servants for that? The amusement only grew as he watched the mixture of surprise and irritation passed across the man's face. No wonder he had not advanced his position under Vaysey's rule, if he could not even hide his emotions he would never get very far in politics. He gave a flourished bow in greeting and slipped an amiable smile into place as he rose.

"My business is with the lord of Merton." Sebastian said shortly, passing a dismissive eye over the man before him as though looking at a servant. "Show me to his study and then be a good lad and fetch him for me." Of course he knew full well that the man before him was Merton, but it was just too tempting to undermine his authority by 'mistaking' him for staff.

Sebastian stepped past Merton and into the manor, his eyes taking in the antique wooden décor. The styles in Nottingham were so dull, almost no colour in the fabrics, only muted browns and greens that made the place seem so dreary. He certainly stood out in the rich purple waistcoat he'd decided to wear today, oh well he liked to be the most interesting thing in the room anyway. He shrugged out of his overcoat and held it out to Merton as though he expected him to take it.

[Lord Merton]

He felt incredibly smug as Sebastian bowed to him. Damn straight he should too! Merton was an important man, the Sheriff thought highly of him - well, he should anyway. But the smug feeling was short lived as Lord Mannering started addressing him as a mere manservant. Instead he felt an immense amount of rage he had trouble keeping a lid on. Another similarity between himself and his sister, they had very short tempers.

Merton was about to correct this insolent fool when he showed himself into Merton Manor, without a care that Brian had been standing there. He scowled at Sebastian's purple back, who was no doubt judging his humble abode. That seemed to be a common uccurance, what with that Sir Thomas bloke - he'd had some nerve! But those thoughts were only making him angier, if that were at all possible. He took a moment to calm himself to the point where his voice wouldn't shake if he spoke.

"I'm sorry, you appear to be making a mistake, my Lord. I am the lord of Merton. Our housemaid is a little pre-occupied at the moment, caring for my sister. She's been injurged recently, at your own fair might I just add." A cold edge had crept into his voice towards the end, as if it were his fault his sister had been attacked by some vicious outlaw.

Merton led Sebastian towards his study, spying the wine on the desk. He picked it up and offered it Sebastian. "Care for some wine, good sir?" Sebastian was the last person he wanted to be offering his wine too, but it was better than offering it to some people. "What business did you have with me then?" He asked whilst pouring two goblets of wine, filling Sebastian's less than his own.

[Sebastian Mannering]

Sebastian whirled on his heel as Merton corrected him on his 'mistake'. He allowed his eyes to widen in a comical expression of shock, but underneath it all there was still a hint of amusement. "Oh my," He stepped closer to the lord and put a hand on his chin as though contemplating the revelation. "That is you Brian! I didn't recognise you for a moment, how silly of me." He gave a little jovial laugh but made no attempt to apologise for his mistake. Sebastian also adopted Merton's first name, choosing to belittle him further by going for familiarity when the younger lord had addressed him by his full title.

Tormenting Merton was just so much fun, it helped put him in his place as well, the lord was weak and Sebastian had no qualms about asserting his superior position. He was every bit the boisterous, eccentric lord, so new he didn't even recognise his own noble neighbours, but he also allowed Merton a glimpse of the calculating man underneath. He wanted the lord to feel threatened. After all Sebastian would steal his lands given half the chance, to strengthen his position in Nottingham.

He followed Merton into the study without commenting on the accusation that Daine's injury had been the fault of his fair. He was here to talk about that anyway, it could wait until he was settled. Sebastian slipped into a chair without being invited to, although he wasn't quite audacious enough to take Merton's space behind the desk or put his feet up onto the surface. He'd travelled all the way here to see Daine he was not going to be rude enough to be thrown out before he could do so. Not that Merton had any chance of physically removing him from the property.

"Ooh, good wine this." He downed the contents of his goblet in a couple of mouthfuls then held it out loosely to be refilled. In truth the wine wasn't to his tastes at all, far too sweet and fruity when he preferred dry wines, but he'd noticed the way Merton's glass was more filled than his own and he wanted to annoy him as much as possible. Besides, he was relatively certain he could outwit this lord even while tipsy and every goblet he drained added to the careless, obnoxious image he so loved to portray.

"Now, down to business." Sebastian leaned forwards in his chair, discarding the relaxed pose to ensure that Merton took him seriously. "The purpose of my visit is indeed regarding the injury Daine suffered recently." He slipped a hand to his waist, fingers running over the dagger he had taken to carrying on his person on the off chance the owner was either caught or recognised it. "How much progress has been made in apprehending the outlaw who did it?" Sebastian had already started his own investigation, but he wanted to see if Merton had done anything about it and make him sweat a bit if he hadn't.

[Lord Merton]

Merton open let a snarl fill his face as Sebastian played his 'realisation'. He knew who it was all along, Brian wasn't that stupid. But he was an easy target apparently. And no one called him Brian, save his sister or Maggie, to everyone else he was Merton. Brian already felt a strong dislike for this lord, but he wasn't going to act on it. Even though he looked like a flowery ponce, this man could probably still beat him; and he was still mentally recovering from the last time he had a sword to his throat. "It's an easy mistake to make." He said through gritted teeth.

Sebastian did make Merton nervous, very nervous. He was new but he obviously knew very much about politics - unlike Merton, who did his best to pretend he knew it all. Behind the pleasant face Merton knew the cogs were turning, it was the same with most Prince John sympathisers. All except him of course. Unlike his sister, Brian wasn't the brightest spark, he hadn't inherited the 'brains gene' of the family. His father had been very intelligent, he'd just used his intelligence for the wrong cause.

It didn't come as a surprise to Merton that Sebastian had helped himself to a seat, thankfully not his own this time. Sebastian struck Merton as the sort of person who helped himself to whatever he wanted; be it a person or an object. Despite hating his sister, he hoped she wasn't on his list of 'wants'. Maybe he could ban her from seeing him. Whether she'd take heed of the ban was a different matter. At least she was incapacitated at the moment, no sneaking off for her for a while.

"Good to hear, my Lord. This was my father's favourite." He refilled the goblet, trying to keep his tone pleasent and friendly, even though he wanted nothing more than to screech at this flamboyant lord to get out of his house. Or throttle him. But Merton lacked both the guts and the strength to do either task. Though, Sebastian drinking could be a good thing - loosen his tongue a little, see if he lets anything incriminating slip. Merton may not be able to phsyically throw him out of his home; but he could grass him up to the Sheriff and get him kicked ou of Nottingham.

Merton brought the wine to the table, carefully sipping his own drink after sitting himself. Sebastian's sudden seriousness panicked him. What was his business? Was he here to make threats about stealing his land? Marry his sister - though having her married off might not be such a bad thing. What respectable young female noble wasn't married by the time they were eighteen? Thinking about it, probably quite a few. He tried to be ever so discreet with his sigh of relief when Sebastian inquired about the aprehention of the outlaw who harmed his sister. He didn't feel like being threatened without someone to back him up.

"I haven't been able to see her since the incident. Maggie is keeping her under tight supervision. For apprehention to commence, I need to ask her about the outlaw. I can't if Maggie won't let me in." He made that all up on th spot. He hadn't done anything towards capturing the outlaw who stabbed his sister. Silently, he was pleased she'd been injured, maybe it'd knock her down a peg or two. But Sebastian's piercing stare was making him even more nervous, Merton was certain he could see through the story. He scratched the back of his head and pretended to be more interested in the contents of his goblet than his sister's wellbeing - which he was really. "Is that all you came for?" He asked abruptly, trying to hint to Lord Mannering he wasn't welcome.

[Sebastian Mannering]

Sebastian's eyebrows rose until they were hidden behind the carefully arranged fringe that fell across his forehead. The little weasel was trying to worm his way out of the accusation that he had done nothing to aid in catching his sister's attacker. Of course he had to admire the man's ability to think up an excuse on the spot, especially since he hadn't previously credited Lord Merton with any degree of intelligence at all. However, it also lowered his opinion of Merton even further as Sebastian could not think of anything more cowardly than defending one's actions to a lord who had no political advantage at this point in time.

"Surely you are not in the habit of taking orders from your staff, Brian?" Sebastian asked, his tone light enough that it could be considered a joke, but also, as always, there was the fact that he'd drawn attention to Merton's weakness. "And Lady Daine, she did not wish to be with her brother during this troubling time?" Anybody who had heard Daine speak of her brother knew that she was not fond of Brian, but again it was an opportunity to remind the young lord that even his family did not value him.

Sebastian ignored Merton's impatient questioning, it was an impudent and obvious attempt to dismiss him. Lord Mannering was not so easy to get rid of, he was not finished on the matter and he planned to pressure Merton in to letting him see Daine. He had not yet even hinted that his intentions towards Daine were less than platonic, he wondered how defensive Merton would become when that penny dropped. It would certainly be entertaining to watch.

"No matter, I myself have been looking into the incident." Sebastian leaned in conspiratorially, as though he was doing Merton a favour. "I've spoken to a couple of people who witnessed the event, though their accounts were vague at best, it would certainly help if I could speak to the lady and corroborate the story. I want nothing more than to see this man hang as swiftly as possible." A little of the initial anger he'd felt had crept into his tone and he hoped it was enough to warn Merton that he would not take lightly any attempts to hold up the investigation.

[Lord Merton]

Merton did not like the look Sebastian gave him. Nor did he like the tone he took. He would have preferred him to have sounded angry, but joking? Was he trying to make it look like they were friends? Sebastian Mannering was no friend to the Merton household; a notion Brian was going to have to enforce. Somethig told him Daine might rebel against this once she was well enough to rebel. "Maggie brought us up, she is a second mother to us. Sometimes it feels like her word is law." He said, keeping the same light jokey tone.

He couldn't, however, keep his manner friendly. He openly glared at Sebastian. He hated being judged in his home by strangers. He hated it when Daine did it too, but there was no telling her. He got the feeling even Maggie judged him sometimes. He didn't answer Sebastian's question, knowing full well that Sebastian knew about Daine and Brian's strong dislike for each other. It was hardly a secret though, he suspected the whole of Nottinghamshire knew.

Merton didn't lean in. If anything he leaned further back, wanting to keep away from this pompous lord. "That's good to hear." He dropped the whole my lord thing, He wasn't getting the same respect from Sebastian - if anything he was getting insults - and Merton certainly didn't respect Sebastian. "There were witnesses? All Maggie got from Daine was mentions of you; the two boys who might have been one boy and something about a sausage." Merton was scared by Sebastian's anger. He did not want to have this anger unleashed on him. "It seems you have everything under control. Why don't I leave you to the investigation? The outlaw might hang quicker, I haven't the mind for mysteries."

[Sebastian Mannering]

So Merton and Daine had been raised by their housekeeper. Sebastian knew that this happened in many wealthy families, especially when the parents were too busy to award their children time. He did not believe in coddling though, especially not to the extent of this case, which had led to the staff having authority and influence over somebody who should be lord of the Merton home. He himself had been nursed for only the shortest time, his arranging tutors to teach him as soon as he was considered old enough to learn. How could you be sure you children grew up the way you wanted them to if you did not keep a close hand in the way that they were raised.

”I see.” He said, the disdain in his voice clear even in those two small words. Sebastian sat forward in his chair, steepling his fingers together and fixing Merton with a long hard look. So far his demeanour had been kept light and teasing, allowing the young lord only enough of a glimpse into his true intentions to know that he was being ridiculed. His patience was finally wearing thin now. He was going to see Daine and this weakling of a man was not going to prevent that.

In truth the attack at the fair had been a bit of an embarrassment for him. Of course he had expected Robin Hood's particular brand of outlaw to show up. That was part of the problem; he'd diverted all his resources into the chance of apprehending them (on Vaysey's insistence of course) and so the nobles and surrounding crowds had not been adequately guarded from the likes of the man who had attacked Daine. It was all too easy to forget that there were outlaw who had not been taken in by Hood's overly noble philosophies. Outlaws who would not hesitate to hurt or kill rather than just causing a nuisance by draining funds and interrupting plans.

Sebastian did not answer Merton's prying questions into the investigation. It was clear that Daine's brother was going to be of little help and as far as he was concerned that erased any right he might have had to be kept informed of the proceedings. In any case the only two witnesses to the event had indeed been the two peasant boys Daine had mentioned (and judging from the bemusing description it must have been when she was still delirious). He had just barely managed to suppress a smile at her reference to his manservant's name. It was just like her to fix on a little detail like that. He also had to fight off another smile as he thought of her, there was no need to get sentimental; he had an incompetent lord to deal with he couldn't afford to be distracted.

“I had got that impression.” He agreed, thinking Brian all the more foolish for drawing attention to his multitude of weaknesses. “I'm sure I can handle the investigation on top of my other responsibilities, if you really feel you are incapable of completing the task.” He paused, allowing this latest barb to sink in. “Now, I really must speak with Daine. I have something I'm sure she'll deem important enough to interrupt her rest that I need to return to her.” Sebastian's hand went to his pocket as he spoke, the necklace that had been the cause of all the trouble in the first place resting beneath his fingertips.

[Lord Merton]

A mixture of hatred and fear was swilling about in Merton's stomach. Sebastian was judging him, he could see it in those calculating eyes of his. And the way the pompus lord regarded Brian. How he and Daine were raised was in no need of Sebastian Mannering's opinion. Brian had enjoyed the way he was raised, and when the time came to be a man he knew exactly what to do. He'd had no trouble adjusting to the adult world of being a Lord and the pollitics. He didn't understand a lot of it and he didn't like numbers, but he knew how to fake it - which is what everyone does right? Sebastian was textbook fake as far as Merton was concerned.

"I assure you, Maggie knows her place. She knows more about nursing than I do, I trust her word." He had to try sound a little more manly and less spine-less. He wasn't ordered around by Maggie; he rarely ate when she told him to and he would most certainly not reconsider his loyalties. She'd had the nerve to advise him on who to follow once - whereas he could never have her hung for treason, he made it clear that those opinions weren't to be voiced in his house as they weren't welcome. Not by her, not by Daine, not by anyone.

Merton had found the whole attack rather amusing too, it looked bad on Sebastian's front. Not only was it his party where someone was injured but it was his potential suitor who'd been hurt. Now, Merton wasn't so fond of the fact that it was his sister - potential suitor meant Sebastian would be snooping about his home - but the fact it was a personal friend made Sebastian look bad. And Daine openly defies the Sheriff, maybe there was an angle there. Maybe he could tell Vaysey to make it look like a set-up, scare the nobles a little. It was on his list of things to discuss with the older man.

Things were very tense between the two. Merton didn't want Sebastian there and Sebastian wanted to be in a different room, something Brian really didn't want to think about. Thankfully, Sebastian's attitude was taking up most of his thoughts, the annoyance he was feeling taking up th rest. "I am not incapable." Though he couldn't think why for the life of him."I can't guarantee that she'll be conscious though. Her room is up the stairs, first door on the left." Brian sat back, making himself comfortable in his chair, he wasn't about to escort Sebastian to Daine's room. His fellow noble was a grown man and could take directions. And Merton thought it justified; Sebastian excludes him from hanging the outlaw who stabbed his sister (good on him, Brian says, the girl needed stabbing.) then Merton would be as awkward as he possibly could. Though it is highly unlikely that he'll get lost, Merton Manor is fair small compared with other noble homes.

[Sebastian Mannering]

Perhaps Merton was not as spineless as he had first thought. There was little the lord could do to stop Sebastian from voicing his less than complimentary opinions, but at least had not sat back and let the older noble walk all over him. Well... not entirely. He was still arguing details on the subject of Maggie, which may not be considered courageous but at least it showed some kind of stubborn will. Sebastian found it irritating, he'd already made up his mind that Brian Merton was no real threat to his position and therefore not an interest. Why continue to quibble over small unimportant details? It was almost as though Merton had so few opportunities to assert his power (meagre as it was) that he defended the times that he did with more energy than was really necessary.

And there, now he sounded like a spoiled, sulking child. Sebastian rose his eyebrows and the corners of his lips quirked into a belittling smirk. "I'm sure you aren't." He agreed mildly even though he'd been the one that had suggested Merton might have been incapable in the first place. Sebastian clapped his hands together and stood as Merton gave him directions to Daine's room. He was looking forward to seeing her again more than he cared to admit. "Well, Brian, this little chat has been most pleasurable. I'll see myself up." His voice still held on to the patronising tone of the earlier sentence as he spoke. As though he was talking to a particularly simple child. With a final flamboyant wave he strode from the room, heading for the stairs as though he owned the place.

Sebastian did not knock when he reached Daine's door, nor did he make his usual overly dramatic entrance of flashy smiles and eccentric bowing. Instead he opened the door quietly and stopped just a couple of steps into the room. Daine was sat up in bed, propped up by a ridiculous amount of pillows. There was a fire roaring in the grate despite the fair weather outside and in the warm orange light he could see that there was a faint flush on her cheeks from a fever that had passed. Her head was bent over a book that was perched in her lap, but from this distance Sebastian could not tell if she was reading or it was some kind of diary. He cleared his throat to catch her attention then spoke. "Lady Daine, I hope you don't mind the interruption."

[Daine Merton]

Voices muffled by her wooden flooring told Daine that the Mertons had guests. For once she was glad that Maggie had her under house arrest - she couldn't be bothered with people right now. She was extremely warm (no thanks to the fire Maggie refuses to put out) and her leg still ached. But, she was getting a little stir crazy. Books could only entertain her so much. She actually missed the castle and the gossip. Something was really wrong with her! Both voices were male, so Daine believed that it was a guard pestering Brian about pesky villagers. One in particular had caused a ruckuss the other day.

Reburying her nose in the book she was reading, Daine's mind wandered away from the words written on her page. She progressed through the book without taking anything in. (Not that it mattered, this was the third time of reading this particular book since the whole stabbing incident.) Her mind was on her lack of visitors. Either Maggie wasn't telling her of people coming to visit - as to stop her from demanding to see them - or no one had come. As this visitor had proved, their house wasn't very sound-proof and this was the first strange voice she'd heard. Then again, she had been semi-conscious with a fever.

Being so lost in her thoughts she didn't notice her door creak, which she normally did - it was a fair loud creak. She jumped at hearing Sebastian's voice. She forgot everything she'd been thinking about, feeling surprised and that sickly upset in her stomach - that feeling only Sebby could give her. She tried to regain as much composure as she could, but her head was swimming a little from the heat. "Sebastian!" Was all she could manage for the moment. She had to pull the threads of her facade saved for Sebastian, though she was very aware last time she'd seen him she was a little all over the place.

A coy smile played across her lips as she finally found who she was. "Why such formalty, Sebastian?" She wasn't allowed to refer to him as 'My Lord' so why should she have her title? "And the interruption is most welcome." She closed her book and sat up a little more. There was a chair beside her bed where Maggie had sat while nursing Daine through her fever. The noblewoman motioned to the seat, giving Sebastian the option to sit there. "I'm so very bored you wouldn't believe." She kept her tone pleasant, though a part of her wondered how long it would be before the flirting started. Part of her was waiting for it. Which was wrong. So very wrong.

[Sebastian Mannering]

Sebastian smiled, delighted by the way she jumped when she heard his voice, all the reactions Daine gave him were simply delicious, perhaps that was why he enjoyed playing with her so much. He watched her pull herself together after the shock, although she somehow managed to still look rather dishevelled, probably because the fever had thrown her off her game as fevers were wont to do. The coy smile on her lips broadened his own and he bowed his head in a an echo of his one of usual lavish greetings.

"My apologies, Daine." He corrected, clearly pleased to be slipping back into their carefully teasing banter. The next moment he allowed worry to pinch at the corners of his eyes, only partially an act although he would never wilfully admit how truly frantic he'd been over the past few days, unless of course it helped his cause. Sebastian took her up on the offer of a seat, crossing the room and settling into it comfortably as though it was the most natural thing in the world to be making himself at home in a lady's bedroom. He leaned forwards, placing a hand carefully over hers and looked at her earnestly.

"I feared your brother was going to keep talking about business all afternoon." He told her, making an almost childish face of annoyance. It was acceptable to appear impatient on occasion, when it could skewed to make him look as though he was paying Daine a compliment as he wanted to see her sooner. "To be honest I got the impression that he did not want to let me up to see you at all." Sebastian wondered just how badly he could insult her brother before familial obligation kicked in and Daine started to defend him. He knew the Merton siblings were not close but she probably had at least some loyalty to him, if only because she liked a fight.

[Daine Merton]

A broader grin than Daine would have liked graced her face. Sebastian had only been in her company for a few moments and she was already having the most fun since her solitary confinement. She really had missed the trivial life of court and the nobles, Daine had forgotten how extravegant Lord Mannering was - which was saying something about her mental state to be honest. How could one forget Sebby's flamboyant manner. She'd also missed his flirting. Daine would never admitt it, but she liked the attention he gave her. Most other male lords avoided her - no thanks to the scowls she gave them - and it was nice to have the attention every once in a while.

She saw the worry in his eyes and frowned. Had he been worried about her? The mere thought sent pleasurable shivers down Daine's spine and the butterlies a-twirling. "Don't tell me you've been worried about me, Sebastian." She said as he sat beside her. She was about to speak again when he placed his hand on hers. The words choked her, and she had to try again. "I've been in Maggie's care, it doesn't get much better than that." Maggie had made sure Daine recovered from the fever, kept her fed, kept her comfortable and most importantly got her well enough to do something! Daine feared she'd go crazy from doing nothing more than crazy from her fever. At least now she could read, and have visitors - so it seemed.

Daine rolled her eyes - trust her brother to be all business-like around Sebastian. Brian was always trying to get one up on Sebby - in the privacy of his own home of course though, never to his face. Brian was a pansy without a spine. He'd never do something so daring. Sebastian's face made her laugh though, at least she wasn't the only one annoyed by her brother's actions. "Brian does not want me to be happy, he's always making things hard for me." She said before realsing just what she'd said. When she did, her cheeks burned with embarressment. She wasn't supposed to say that much. She couldn;t feel happy around Sebastian, it was just wrong. Daine honestly believed that she shouldn't feel happy at all - at least not until Vaysey was de-Sheriffed. Oh what a night this was turning out to be!

[Sebastian Mannering]

Sebastian dropped his gaze, looking faintly embarrassed over his worry for Daine and hiding the smug smile that quirked the corners of his lips at the hitch in her breath when he touched her. It was so incredibly easy to fluster her, which made trying to draw a reaction out of her irresistable for him. After a moment he looked back up at her, his smile now carefully schooled into something far more innocent. "Well," He admitted, his words drawn out to make them reluctant. "Maybe a little."

Sebastian couldn't help scoffing as Daine seemed to brush off her wound, as though Maggie was some kind of miracle worker when it came to healthcare. "Yes, your brother informed me rather proudly of your housekeepers credentials." He gave wry smile then turned a little more serious as he was unable to resist scolding Daine for her cavalier attitude. "It doesn't change the fact that it was a serious injury though. Mix that with a fever and you can't really blame me for being concerned can you?"

He made her happy? Oh that was just adorable. Again a feeling of smug success surfaced and Sebastian had to fight it back, he didn't want Daine to think he was arrogant. Well, apart from when he was acting the flamboyant lord, then arrogance couldn't really be avoided. He ignored the tightening in his chest, telling himself the reaction was just pleasure at a job well done, he definitely had the lady at the very least smitten with him. It had nothing to do with him wanting to hear those word from her and taking those words to heart, nothing at all.

"Tell me, Daine, what exactly makes you happy?" Sebastian teased, leaning in, his hand tightening over hers in an encouraging and slightly needy squeeze. He was indulging in her embarrassment, the flush on her cheeks enhanced by the remnants of her fever. It was certainly becoming worth his while visiting her on her sickbed, she would never so easily have been caught off guard under normal circumstances. "Because I'd very much like to see you happy." The line was a little over the top, but nothing about him was subtle anyway.