Oh, What a Beautiful Morning (open)

[sheriff_vaizey]

Who: Open to Michaelmas partygoers
What: An after-party brunch
Where: Nottingham Castle, Great Hall
When: 30 September, late morning

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[lucatz_of_arun]

"She's alright," he said with a small shrug. She was fair enough, but for Lucatz, a woman's personality determined her true beauty. He didn't know enough of Marian's to pass judgment on how lovely she was, but he was pretty sure her startling wit wasn't what held Guy's interest. Isabella would surely meet the Lady herself, soon enough.

Isabella toyed with her food while he continued sectioning and eating his pear. The silence was a comfortable one, for Lucatz at least. He was not very good at smalltalk and appreciated the chance to just quietly spend time with her. The lull was brief and soon Isabella was grinning again and asking after the Prince. Lucatz nodded and looked past Isabella, scanning the room for the man he thought he saw with Vaizey during the announcement. He'd already pointed out three people to her, why not also point at arguably the most important in the room?

He didn't see him, but he did see Catherine, staring right at him. Her mouth was moving, she was still speaking to the red haired man, but her eyes were on Lucatz. He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head a fraction towards the table he shared with Isabella. It was intended to convey an invitation to talk and to gauge her emotional state. If she looked away once their eyes met, or blushed, or frowned, he would need to talk to her immediately as she could already be speaking her mind to the man she was with. But if not... then perhaps he could postpone their discussion and for that he would be grateful.

Lucatz looked back at Isabella, hoping she didn't notice his eyebrow acting or if she did, that she didn't find it too odd. "I believe so, he announced himself at the same time he announced... Hood's presence. I was going to point him out to you, but I don't recognize him here."

[elle_isabelle]

Isabella waited as Lucatz scanned the room. Finally his gaze stopped, apparently caught by something. Isabella turned to see what it was, but she saw nothing remarkable, and when she turned back to him his gaze was on her again.

"That's the problem with a masked ball, isn't it?" Isabella said lightly. "You have to reintroduce yourself to everyone." She took a sip of her wine then added, for her own amusement, "Especially if you have a different name, as well." She paused, wondering if she actually looked like an Audrey. It wasn't a bad name, she decided. Anyways, it was better than the English version.

Isabella set her cup down and leaned her chin on her hand. "There are so many new people to meet," she said, casting her eyes around the room. It was a little daunting. Her social circle in Shrewsbury had been severely limited, both by the size of the town, and by her husband's iron rule. "I imagine you must feel the same way, now that you're in charge of so many people." Daunting, but also exciting. It was something new, a challenge, and Thomas wasn't here to hold her back or get in the way. That thought only added to her good mood.

[lucatz_of_arun]

"You were not the only one using a false name last night, I doubt anyone will hold it against you," assured Lucatz. He'd misled Lord Nicholas about his name and chances were very high that he and Isabella were not the only ones who used pseudonyms. "I'm familiar with much of the staff already, but yes, I do have a large task ahead of me".

It occurred to him that he had never actually asked what she'd been up to while he was busy 'returning a book'. Their conversation had been heavily focused on him, she might appreciate it if he showed a bit more interest in her experiences. It was probably still too soon to talk about her life before coming to Nottingham though. "Have you many you need to reintroduce yourself to?"

Lucatz glanced back at Catherine and caught her waving at him. Whether it was meant to placate him or merely to greet him, he wasn't sure, but he decided to take it as both. He would just speak to her later; he could always ask the guards at the gate to send for him when she went to leave, though it would probably just be easier if he kept an eye on her himself. Lucatz smiled at her and nodded in acknowledgment of her greeting, then looked back at Isabella. "Sorry for my distraction, but my master's cousin, Catherine d'Aubigny, waved to me. I'd hoped to offer her my condolences this morning, yet I think we have both found far more pleasant company."

[elle_isabelle]

Isabella perked up in interest at Lucatz's comment. She wasn't a gossip, but people--and why they did what they did--were always interesting. But instead of continuing in that promising vein, he politely answered her question. When he continued Isabella smiled a little, pleased that he cared enough to ask what she'd done with herself while he'd been away. Not much, unfortunately; the ball had mostly been a bust. At least it had begun enchantingly.

She glanced around the room, but the Man In Red With the Questionable Braid was nowhere to be seen. Unsurprisingly; he had hardly belonged. "Besides Sir Nicholas, I don't think there's anyone else who needs to know that Audrey is Isabella," she said mischievously. Then a thought struck her. "Allan does, though." It would be best if it came from her or Lucatz; hopefully Guy hadn't told him already. Since he was her brother's man she wanted him to be as well-disposed towards her as possible. She didn't need two men snapping at her all the time instead of one.

While Lucatz's attention was caught, Isabella took a bite of bread and honey. She couldn't help but look in the direction Lucatz had after his explanation, and she wondered if he was speaking of the striking brunette sitting a few tables over. Isabella turned back to Lucatz and smiled briefly at his compliment. "That must have been a shock for her, to come for pleasure and . . . " She trailed off. She hadn't realized the earl had come with other family members. It wasn't particularly surprising, people rarely travelled alone, but it made her wonder just who else had come. Elizabeth's claim that Robin Hood didn't kill hovered in the back of her mind, and the presence of family members opened up new possibilities. Isabella was curious about the situation, but didn't want to pry. She settled for something with a question that could be ignored if Lucatz didn't want to pursue the topic. "I hope that she has other family here to be with right now."

[lucatz_of_arun]

Lucatz chuckled, "Allan may already know. After we first met, I asked him if he had any ideas who your brother was. He told me the one person he thought of was unlikely." It was amusing; Allan had figured her out within the first meeting. Lucatz should have seen it too, since both siblings had the same beautiful eyes and fiery temperaments. "I just hope he doesn't get in trouble for not mentioning Audrey to Guy."

That would be a shame, he thought. Especially since Lucatz had requested he leave her out, it would be his fault if Gisborne took issue with it. That's assuming he ever found out that Allan had met her previously. Lucatz took a sip of his wine as he thought. Just how much had Isabella told him the night before? Did Guy know yet that Lucatz was involved in her getting to the city, or did he just think that he'd slipped some random Lady away for a dance? If he wasn't to know the truth, then perhaps they should get their stories straight.

He settled on responding about Catherine for the moment, as he wasn't eager to make himself look willing to spread fiction and give her reason to doubt him. "It was. Her younger brother is in town as well. I was with them when it was announced. Geoffrey isn't here though, he's probably making arrangements for his uncle."

[elle_isabelle]

Isabella laughed incredulously. "Not possible. We are nothing alike." There might be some slight resemblance--they both had dark hair and blue eyes--but anything more than that seemed unlikely. And their temperaments were completely different. Isabella had manners and patience; she knew how to function in civilized society. Guy was thoughtless, hasty, and uncouth.

"If Guy gets upset, I'll see what I can do. Allan couldn't know--I tried to make sure no one did. But if Guy doesn't know I met Allan, we don't have to tell him." She smiled. "I did try to find him when I first got to town, but he'd already left for Locksley." Of course, she'd waited a day or two, but Guy hardly had cause to blame anyone else for not being aware that she was in town.

Isabella sipped her wine as Lucatz responded to her question. So there was a brother here--family intrigue was certainly a plausible motive. Dangerous to do it here, though, if the former Earl was allied with the Sheriff. And if this Geoffrey was behind it and Elizabeth was right, how could he have known Robin Hood would be at the ball to pin the murder on him? There were so many possibilities, but so many ifs, too. Too many to voice her suspicions to Lucatz. And anyways, he knew the family; if there was cause for suspicion he would already know it. He could have many reasons for not wanting to say anything, for using the official line that Robin Hood was behind it. Anyways, the maid hadn't offered any alternatives to Hood, and servant's gossip often carried the truest story. Who knew what had really happened? Isabella just hoped that if Lucatz did know something, that he had someone to confide in. Carrying knowledge alone was heavy, and he already had much to bear.

On impulse, Isabella reached across the table and pressed his hand. "I'm glad you were with friends last night. If there's anything I can do, please let me know."

[lucatz_of_arun]

Lucatz nodded in false agreement as Isabella protested her resemblance to her brother. She reminded him much of the way his brothers thought of their resemblance to him. All of his father's children had the same skin, nose, eyes, hair, and general look, and they would proudly compare themselves to each other- but never to Lucatz. He wondered if Guy would be as hurt to hear Isabella laughingly distance herself as he'd been to hear his brothers do it.

He ate quietly while she spoke about Allan. It was kind of her to imply she would avoid mentioning their association to Guy, but she was missing the issue. She'd given him a good opportunity to broach the subject of coordinating some lies about how they came to be together on the portico.

"I'll be fine, thank you. All that I would ask of you is that you remain my friend, even if your brother tries to come between us," Lucatz spoke softly to Isabella and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I think he will. You see, the reason that I worry Allan may get in trouble is not because he met you, but because I met you. Allan is a dear friend, but he is Guy's man, and was mean to, well, report on me."

[elle_isabelle]

The corners of Isabella's lips turned up in a hint of a smile before she drew her hand away. Reflexively, she glanced out over the room, but there was still no sign of Guy.

She lifted her chin when Lucatz stopped speaking in a nod of understanding. Guy would have been busy with Hood last night, so there was still the possibility that he hadn't spoken of her to Allan. If that were the case, she and Lucatz were free to make up a history of their choosing. "So if we had, say, met at the ball, Allan might not have known I was here," she said suggestively. Isabella pursed her lips. Such a story could be problematic for her, though. Consenting to be alone in the dark with a man she'd only just met would make her look like a loose woman. Guy wouldn't be happy. She didn't actually care what he thought, but she'd rather avoid making things worse between them if possible.

And there was another problem. "You spoke to the guards when we came into the city. And we met Allan then, too. Do you think they would be able to put everything together?" Isabella didn't have the greatest confidence in the Sheriff's guard after Robin Hood and his men had just waltzed into the castle, but being overly confident would be foolish.