(no subject)
“Tom, can I ask you something?” Ingress sat at the kitchen table, coloring a picture while she waited for lunch.
“Of course you can, little one.” Tom waved his wand and flipped her grilled cheese sandwich in its pan. He was on lunch duty today, as Door was taking care of some unexpected business in Marble Arch. He winced and pointed at the scorched bread, vanishing the black bits made visible.
“Could Dickon come live with us? If he wanted?”
Tom frowned. A strict rule had been put into place about bringing children in need of a family to the House of Arch after Ingress brought Gavroche home. “Dickon? I think he’s happy with where he is, isn’t he?”
Ingress had been talking about Dickon a great deal lately. And drawing his picture. With copious amounts of hearts and flowers included. Door thought it was cute. It was all Tom could do not to go find the boy and give him a stern talking to, even though he seemed a well-behaved lad.
“I guess.” Ingress pushed away her drawing as Tom placed her plate of unburned grilled cheese in front of her. “It’s just- Megwyn said he couldn’t come to Valdemar, because she can only bring me there. But you and Door can come, so you could bring him? Or he could live here, and I’d see him when I came home?”
She looked so hopeful. How could such a young child be so smitten? He’d passed right over that phase to getting whomever he wished however he had to, and the mere thought of that kind of behavior in Ingress made his blood run cold.
“I think Dickon belongs in his world, Ingress, not ours nor yours in Valdemar. Sometimes there are reasons for people to leave their worlds. But I don’t think Dickon has one.” He hoped, anyway. Ingress was far too young for this.
Granted, he’d think she was far too young when she was thirty, but still.
Ingress chewed her sandwich, deep in thought. “That’s what Megwyn said, too. I asked how come you could leave your world and come to ours.”
“I had a reason. I wasn’t happy there, and it wasn’t the right place for me any longer. Does Dickon seem sad about living in Yorkshire?”
“No, he likes it very much. He’s always talking about his garden.”
“Then I don’t think he’d be happy here at all, for while we have gardens, we don’t have Yorkshire anywhere in London Below.”
“I guess.”
She looked terribly unhappy now, and Tom knew he’d said this all wrong. He hated getting things wrong where Ingress’ happiness was concerned. “Say, I have a little time this afternoon,” he said, even though he really didn’t. “Why don’t we go to Florean’s? We can get your favorite sundae as a special treat.”
“No, I think I want to go to the stables and help today.” She finished her last bite and slid out of her chair. The stables were close to the greenhouse, after all.
“Maybe tomorrow then? Or we can do something special when you come home from the stables.” He’d do any number of desperate things to make Ingress happy. Sometimes he just had no clue where to begin.
“Okay,” she said, placing her plate in the sink. She kissed Tom on the cheek and took off for Milliways. He watched her disappear through the painting and frowned again.
Ingress sat back against a bale of hay by the stable door. She had a good view of both the door to Milliways and the greenhouse.
She sighed. Today was not a very sparkly day. Even petting the horses on the nose didn't cheer her up.
“Of course you can, little one.” Tom waved his wand and flipped her grilled cheese sandwich in its pan. He was on lunch duty today, as Door was taking care of some unexpected business in Marble Arch. He winced and pointed at the scorched bread, vanishing the black bits made visible.
“Could Dickon come live with us? If he wanted?”
Tom frowned. A strict rule had been put into place about bringing children in need of a family to the House of Arch after Ingress brought Gavroche home. “Dickon? I think he’s happy with where he is, isn’t he?”
Ingress had been talking about Dickon a great deal lately. And drawing his picture. With copious amounts of hearts and flowers included. Door thought it was cute. It was all Tom could do not to go find the boy and give him a stern talking to, even though he seemed a well-behaved lad.
“I guess.” Ingress pushed away her drawing as Tom placed her plate of unburned grilled cheese in front of her. “It’s just- Megwyn said he couldn’t come to Valdemar, because she can only bring me there. But you and Door can come, so you could bring him? Or he could live here, and I’d see him when I came home?”
She looked so hopeful. How could such a young child be so smitten? He’d passed right over that phase to getting whomever he wished however he had to, and the mere thought of that kind of behavior in Ingress made his blood run cold.
“I think Dickon belongs in his world, Ingress, not ours nor yours in Valdemar. Sometimes there are reasons for people to leave their worlds. But I don’t think Dickon has one.” He hoped, anyway. Ingress was far too young for this.
Granted, he’d think she was far too young when she was thirty, but still.
Ingress chewed her sandwich, deep in thought. “That’s what Megwyn said, too. I asked how come you could leave your world and come to ours.”
“I had a reason. I wasn’t happy there, and it wasn’t the right place for me any longer. Does Dickon seem sad about living in Yorkshire?”
“No, he likes it very much. He’s always talking about his garden.”
“Then I don’t think he’d be happy here at all, for while we have gardens, we don’t have Yorkshire anywhere in London Below.”
“I guess.”
She looked terribly unhappy now, and Tom knew he’d said this all wrong. He hated getting things wrong where Ingress’ happiness was concerned. “Say, I have a little time this afternoon,” he said, even though he really didn’t. “Why don’t we go to Florean’s? We can get your favorite sundae as a special treat.”
“No, I think I want to go to the stables and help today.” She finished her last bite and slid out of her chair. The stables were close to the greenhouse, after all.
“Maybe tomorrow then? Or we can do something special when you come home from the stables.” He’d do any number of desperate things to make Ingress happy. Sometimes he just had no clue where to begin.
“Okay,” she said, placing her plate in the sink. She kissed Tom on the cheek and took off for Milliways. He watched her disappear through the painting and frowned again.
Ingress sat back against a bale of hay by the stable door. She had a good view of both the door to Milliways and the greenhouse.
She sighed. Today was not a very sparkly day. Even petting the horses on the nose didn't cheer her up.