(Untitled)

[butcivilization]

In the end, Henri found the hermitage with no trouble. Though it looked small and overgrown from the outside, it was quite cozy inside, set up with some comfortable chairs, a table, and cheerful looking fireplace. With only a little effort he lit a fire, using the wood stacked beneath the mantle, and soon the little cottage was bright and warm

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[stirthingsapart]

Two or three hours later, and Thomasina had regained a good deal of her composure. She was home, a place in which she'd never spent a day of her life frightened, and she would not waste the time here worrying over things that had an astronomically small chance of actually happening. She had lay in her bed, in her room, devising a plan, and then she'd gotten up to dress; it was all so familiar, it was as though she'd left only a day ago.

The household was just beginning to stir by the time Thom left the house, which suited her perfectly. It was a short walk down the path to the hermitage - and oh, how she had missed this too! She didn't bother to knock, only pushed open the door and leaned in the doorway for a moment, observing Henri. "You're fretting, aren't you?" she asked, seeing the familiar furrow in his brow.

[butcivilization]

"Yes," Henri answered, not even bothering to deny it. But even as she spoke he relaxed, turning to greet her with a soft smile. Thom seemed to glow with contentment. She was usually ready with a warm smile - it was one of the things he loved about her - but here she looked comfortable and entirely at home. And wouldn't he had been the same if they had arrived in Paris in a more peaceful time, and they had seen his home without the fear of death looming over their heads?

He stood and went to her, and kissed her hair. "But now you are here and I promise not to fret any longer. It's quite the comfortable spot you have out here, you know. Not precisely the image 'hermitage' invokes." He grinned a little.

[stirthingsapart]

Thom grinned and went up on her toes to kiss him. Such an automatic response - she would have to be careful to restrain herself around her family. "It is nice, isn't it? I quite like it out here. Might consider becoming a hermit myself, if Mama would allow it." She paused and smiled again. "I like it even better with you in it

[butcivilization]

Henri chuckled quietly, absently cupping her cheek. "I think if we two were here together, neither of us would make very good hermits. We would spend little time contemplating God, or anything else of a spiritual nature, for that matter." He grinned.

Her plan had certain sense to it. It was logical, and believable, with no strange flourishes or twists that would make it difficult to remember. Knowing Thom, the story might not stay that way in the telling, but he would do his best to steer it in a reasonable direction. Surely they would be able to keep up such a pretense for the two or three necessary days. Henri nodded thoughtfully. "Very well, I think I can remember that." He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and let his hand fall with reluctance. "We shall have to keep our distance, won't we?"

[stirthingsapart]

"More distance than we are accustomed to, certainly," Thom said, unable to repress an overly fond smile. They'd grown so used to casually intimate contact after spending so much time in a place where it wasn't given a second thought that it was startling to remember how careful they would have to be here. "But I do intend to tell them that you and I are acquainted, that we met at some party or other. I'll tell Mama she was introduced as well; that way, she will claim to already know everything I tell her in order to keep from embarrassing herself. At any rate, it will not be strange for us to be seen talking. And," now she grinned, and settled a little closer to him on the sofa, "I am sure there will be some opportunity for us to find time alone

[butcivilization]

Henri shook his head in despair, though he was smiling. Knowing Thom, she would push their every encounter to the edge of usual politeness, free in the knowledge that they would be gone in a few days' time. "We must be a little careful, Thom," he reminded her with an arch of his brow. "Even if we are only here for a short time, I would rather not spend the days wandering the countryside because I have been ejected from your home for my inappropriate behavior." He was exaggerating and he knew it, but they would have to watch themselves.

But for the time being, they were alone. He leaned into her slightly. "Wouldn't you be? I am about to be introduced to your entire family all at once. Am I not allowed to have a small case of nerves?" he asked ruefully. "And if I make a poor first impression, I will not even have the opportunity to correct it."

[stirthingsapart]

"Oh, pfft," Thom said, laughing a little and pushing at his arm. "My home has seen more inappropriate behavior than you could dream, Henri, I guarantee you that. I could tell them we were engaged and eloping and it would barely rank." For a moment she entertained the fantasy of just such a scene; the lack of consequence involved was nearly too good to ignore. But no, she did want Henri to think the best of her family, and introducing them under such circumstances would not help.

As he continued, she pressed close to his side, nuzzling her nose into his neck just below his ear in an effort to comfort. "You are of course allowed to be nervous, darling - though you needn't be, not at all. I cannot see how they could do anything but adore you just as much as I do." Thom kissed him. "And this should be a comfort, at least - if you were coming here as my suitor, you would be subject to a much more strenuous round of inquiry. At least you will not have to bear that trial."

[butcivilization]

"Oh, is that so?" Henri said, a bubble of laughter spilling out of him. Thom had told her enough about her family that such a declaration came as no surprise, though he wasn't sure how much he believed the most extravagant of her claims. True or no, he would find out soon enough. "Be that as it may, I think I would prefer we not test the limits of their impropriety, if you don't mind." He grinned.

"Mmm. Believe it or not, cherie, not everyone in the world adores me. But the best thing to do in such circumstances is to get them over with quickly." He kissed her, then stood and pulled her to her feet. "Now, why don't we make our way back before you're missed and someone comes looking for you?"

[stirthingsapart]

"I refuse to believe it," Thom insisted, putting her arms around his neck for one more lingering moment before they left the little stone hut. "There is nothing about you to dislike. Besides that, there's the fact that they are related to me, and so must be predisposed to finding you agreeable, don't you think?" He did not think, that much was perfectly clear, but Thom contented herself with a grin and a kiss.

She glanced out of the hermitage to make sure that the coast was clear before they left, and once she was quite sure of it, they started down the path back towards the house. Thom very nearly moved to take his hand once, and stopped herself with a guilty glance towards Henri, to see if he'd noticed. Perhaps this would be more difficult than she'd thought. "When we get there, just let me do the talking, to start with. I will take care of everything."

[butcivilization]

As they began the walk back to the house, Henri's stomach clenched in anticipation. True, this was no more than some strange dream being played out in their heads, and true, Thom's family would never know what the true relationship was between them, but this meeting still left him anxious. He was meeting the family of the woman he loved, something he had always hoped he would be able to do, but never thought he truly would. Thom could laugh at him all she liked, but terribly did he want to make a good impression.

"I will follow your lead, as they say," he told her with a smile. "And only speak when spoken to."

[stirthingsapart]

"Well, that is hardly necessary," Thom said, biting her lip to stifle a laugh. "Just use your best judgment, dear, and I am sure you will be fine." Such a lot of fuss, she thought, over what was in the end a very simple thing. Oh, Henri's nerves made sense, of courses, but for her it was the most comfortable situation in the world. She was soon to be surrounded by very nearly all of the people she loved best in the world; it was a wonder, she thought, that she was able to keep herself from running.

Soon enough they had come nearly up to the house, and Thom waited for a moment outside the front door. "Ready?" She directed an inquiring look towards Henri, and laid a hand on the doorknob.

[butcivilization]

"Yes, yes, very well," Henri said good-naturedly. "Then I shall speak just as much as I usually do, which will come down to the same thing. You will talk for the both of us." He beamed.

And then, before any time at all had passed, they were standing in front of the door. He took a breath and absently smoothed down his hair. "How do I look?"

[stirthingsapart]

"Devastatingly handsome, as usual," Thom told him, taking a quick look around to make sure they were still alone before sneaking one last kiss. "Everything will go splendidly, dearest, I promise." Then, without giving herself a moment longer to hesitate, she opened the door and led him into the house

[butcivilization]

Though reliant only on Thomasina's stories and descriptions, Henri found that he could more or less guess the identity of each person who gathered around them. That would be her mother, of course, and those the servants she had oft made mention of, and the man his own age, that must be the somewhat infamous Septimus Hodge, her tutor. Piecing together the bits of stories, matching them with the faces now before him, it left Henri a little wide-eyed, awkward and uncomfortable. Thankfully, that fit his persona, too. His nerves were a little jangled, if not by a horse.

Still, he had enough sense to offer a small bow when introduced, though he stayed silent, allowing Thom to do the explaining. Before he knew it they were all being ushered into the sitting room. Then he was sitting in a stiff chair, the tea silently slipped by his side and the servants gone, while the other members of the household lingered, looking varying degrees of expectant.

[stirthingsapart]

"Well, I suppose I should make reintroductions, shouldn't I?" She had not yet faced protest, which Thom took as a good sign. They had the advantage of the truth being too preposterous to guess, which was comforting, but Thom would be just as happy if she could keep everyone from suspecting at all that something was afoot. "Monsieur Combeferre, let me introduce my brother, Augustus. Gus studies at Eton," she said, meanwhile sneaking a look at Henri's face, to see if she might suss out what he was thinking at finally being introduced to the family he had heard so much about. "And this is Septimus Hodge, my tutor, and Gus's when he is here. And of course I am sure you remember my mother, Lady Croom." He did not at all remember her mother, of course, there was no way he could, but the weekend would go much more smoothly if her mother was the one pretending to remember an acquaintance, rather than the other way around

[butcivilization]

That seemed like Henri's cue to speak, and so he did so, setting down his tea and standing. His gaze met Thom's - so long as they did not burst out laughing, that was a safer place to rest than upon those circled about the room, peering at him curiously. "Ah, I had not realized. I hope I have not disrupted your day, in that case." His eyes twinkled and for a moment he had to hide a grin.

Next he turned hesitantly to the others. "Your offer is most kind, Miss Coverly. I would be very happy to accept, as long as my presence does not cause too much trouble." He couldn't help but wonder what they all must be thinking. No one had made any indication that they did not believe Thom's story, but there would be a thousand questions he would have to answer before long, he was sure.