Theodosia pulls off of the blanket, neatly folds it, and sets it aside. With a small smile, she takes his hand and climbs out of the carriage. She shivers the second the cold breeze hits her. Holding Addie close to her chest, she tightly wraps her shawl around the both of them. "Goodness, it is rather cold out here." Coming from the warm carriage right into the cold and the snow is a bit of a shock. Her cheeks are flushed a rosy red and she can see her breath. It's only the beginning of winter so the weather is sure to get colder. Standing out here will only result in one of them falling ill so she's eager to get inside. Based off of where they are, they still have to walk for a few minutes to get to the bakery. Though not excited to be stared at by the townspeople, she knows that they should get going. "Shall we?" She asks with a smile.
"We shall." He takes her arm and starts to lead her down the street. Everyone seemed so happy, kids were playing in the snow and freshly baked bread filled the air. It was strange but around this time everyone seemed more joyful. It made Dominic smile, seeing everyone happy made him happy. "We'll be headed off!" Debby yelled. Dominic turned a waved quickly before turning his attention back to Theodosia. "You know, you look very beautiful today." He figured Richard didn't say anything like that today or ever, so Dominic thought he would. It almost felt like a date, and just thinking that made his heart skip a beat. No, she's married.
Keeping a gentle smile on her face, she follows after him. A bunch of adorable little kids are running around, playing with each other and having a snowball fight. It's fun to watch. The adults of the town are milling about, talking and shopping. Despite the hardships that come with winter, everyone is always in such a good mood during the first snow fall. Her entire face turns cherry red at his words. "Thank you, Dominic," She says, appreciative yet flustered. Compliments don't come off so she's never really sure how to handle one when they do come. Richard used to compliment her left and right while they were courting but only in the presence of her parents. He was trying to charm them, not her. She sees that now. At least she only has to see him for a couple of hours out of the day. That narrows down the abuse time frame.
"Look there." Dominic gestured to two twin (Girls?) Running around in front of store. "Looks like we're here." The walk seemed shorter than usual. George stood outside watching the girls while Mary was inside cooking. "Come, let's get you inside." He passed by George with a wave, it's been awhile since he saw them. Dominic took Theodosia. With all the baking, it made inside the store warm. "Are you feeling warmer." Dominic asked pulling out a chair for her. Mary, watched everything and smiled. "Miss Theodosia welcome, it's been awhile." Dominic shook his head, he didn't want Theodosia to know about his past, at least not not yet.
Theodosia waves at the adorable twin girls. The two can't be more than five years old but they are the politest and most energetic children that she's ever met. To be fair, she hasn't met very many children so her standards aren't that high but they're still lovely. "Yes, I am, thank you," She replies with a smile as they enter the bakery. The inside of the store is warm and toasty due to the constant use of fire. She thanks him once more before sitting down and placing Addie in her lap. The dog curls up contently and steals her owner's body heat. "Hello, Mrs. Hughes. It's wonderful to you again. How are you and Mr. Hughes and the girls?" She asks, smiling.
"The girls have a lot of energy and can be a bit much, but we are all doing fine. How are you Dominic?" Mary covered her mouth when she noticed his named slipped from her mouth. Dominic's face fell into his hands. "Sorry," She whispered. Oh well, if Theodosia turns away when she finds out I used to be a commoner boy, then oh well. She didn't seem the the type of girl to do that though. "I'm good, thanks Mary." George and the girls came back inside and immediately the girls started running around. "Girls please!" Mary shouted and went after them while George took over.
Theodosia looks over to Dominic, surprised when Mary says his name. The two clearly aren't strangers. She knows that Richard doesn't like to mingle with anyone below his status so it's unlikely that he would come here enough for Mrs. Hughes to know Dominic by name. That must mean that he knows them some other way. "How do you know the Hughes'?" She asks him curiously as she pulls out the thank you notes and begins to get set up to write them. She sticks to the basics, only scribbling down a personal touch when she deems it necessary. The Pembroke's really aren't people that she gets along with so she finds it hard to write anything polite and personal.
"I used to live here when I was young, with my mother. The Hughes help quite a bit when my mom and I were going through hard time." Mary finally got the girls to settle down and the players with their dolls in the corner of the room. With a sigh Mary walked over and put her hands on the boys shoulders. "Let's not talk about this anymore. Are you alright with that Theodosia?" Mary asked, sending Dominic was getting a bit upset, even if he was hiding it well. "Mary, I'm fine really. If Lady Theodosia would like to know more about me, it would actually make me quite happy." He looked up and smiled. He wanted her to know more about him, even if it hurt. "Ah, I see." Mary gave him a wink and walked away. He blushed slightly, but smiled. "You don't have to feel bad," One of the little girls ran up to Theodosia and smiled. "Do you like dolls?" Her curled blonde hair bounced when she tilted her head and looked up at Theodosia with her big blue eyes. Thanks for interrupting kid.
Theodosia pauses in her writing in order to give him her full attention. She hadn't known that about him. Having a sick mother while having low fund must have been incredibly difficult for him. She comes from a wealthy family so she doesn't know of the hardships that many people super. It's a privileged but very sheltered way to live. Before she has a chance to say anything, Mary is coming over and putting an end to the conversation. "That is quite alright," She agrees at once, not wanting anyone to be uncomfortable. Glancing between Dominic and Mary, she can't help but wonder what that wink was all about. Had she missed something obvious? Probably. Social cues go over her head a lot of the time. She looks over to the little girl and smiles. "Yes, I do like dolls. Do you and your sister like to play with dolls?" She asks, her eyes bright. The child is absolutely adorable.
"You look like my sisters doll." The girl turned towards her sister and waved her over. "Brea, come here. Show her your doll." Brea shook her head not wanting too, unlike her sister Brea had long straight brown hair with large blueish/gray eyes. "Sofie, leave me alone." Ah, Five year olds. Dominic thought. Brea pouted and her face turned red. "Alright girls, go to your room, I won't have you fighting in front of customer's. The girls picked up their things and headed up stairs. The Hughes's house at the bottom was a bakery while the top half was their living space. "Sorry about that, Brea is a bit shy, while.. Sofie is not." Dominic just laughed and grabbed some cards. "Would you like my help, I may be a commoner, but, my handwriting is pretty good." He gave her a playful wink. "I need to be helpful in some way."
Theodosia smiles at the look girl. Looking over to the other twin, she offers a gentle look. She doesn't want to force her to come over if she's not comfortable with it. The situation is soon resolved when the girls are sent upstairs to play. She shifts her attention back to Dominic. "It's perfectly fine. The girls are both delightful." She certainly wouldn't have minded them staying downstairs. Laughing quietly, she hands over a few of the cards. "Yes, please. Any help would be fantastic. You have already been more than helpful but I won't turn down an offer to help me write these notes." Her smile grows a little more. "All you have to put is a basic thank you and some sort of compliment. Anything to do with flower arrangements or the wonderful food usually wins them over." Honestly, she doesn't know what food will be served or what the decoration will look like but she can make an educated guess based off of the last parties.
Dominic began writing, and while he did that he was searching his brain for something to talk about. "Lady Theodosia, if you don't mind asking, what was you childhood like?" Hoping it wasn't to personal, Dominic waited for any story she had, that or for her to turn him down and move on to something else, but right now he couldn't think of anything else. Dominic was too scared to ask why, or how she ended up with Richard. He wanted to know more about her, everything about her. What are you desperate?
(Sorry it's bad. I'm super tired and I'm having trouble thinking.)
"Well, I am an only child and my parents are the Duke and Duchess Bennett. My parents were very busy people so I was raised mostly by my nanny. Um, I met Richard three years ago and my parents arranged for us to be married and we have been married for three years." Theodosia briefly pauses in writing to think. She doesn't offer very much information on her and Richard's relationship. What is there to tell? The marriage was arranged and she wasn't allowed to say no. "There really isn't much to tell." Offering a slight smile, she goes back to scribbling down polite words for the thank you notes.
(It's totally fine! : ) )
"Seems we have something in common. I'm also and only child, I wish I had siblings though." He decided to talk about this since he didn't really want to hear about the whole Richard thing. "I lives seem so different, it's crazy." Unlike Theodosia, his mother loved him very much and worked hard to feed then when his father left. That was until she got sick. Dominic took over then. He work carrying heavy loads to the stores around here, since a lot of elderly live in this town. But the Richard found him. He took both his mother and him in. The only thing was he hasn't seen his mother since. "Did you ever wish to have a sibling?" Dominic eyes never left the notes, he wanted to finish this as soon as possible so he could take her walking through the town.
"It does seem as though we have something in common despite how different our upbringings were," She laughs lightly. "Yes and no. It would have been nice to have someone to play with. My parents wouldn't let me play with any of the other kids in town so I was rather lonely. I fear that if I had a sibling my parents would have pitted us against each other." Theodosia finishes with the first batch of notes. All that's left is for Dominic to finish what he has. "What about you? Did you ever wish for a sibling?" Her parents are………..interesting so it's probably for the best that she doesn't have a brother or sister. Being an only child also means that she gets the family fortune when her parents pass. She doesn't really care for the money though.
"Yes and no." Dominic laughed because she said the same thing. But it was true. "It was already hard enough on my mom with just one kid, but it would have been nice to have someone around. That's why I was thankful for my friends." He only wished he still talked to them. Coming into town today though he might run into one. Dominic finished his last card before pushing it towards Theodosia. "Since we are done with that, would you like to get food now?" Mary brought out a menu of the foods they had. Dominic already knew he was going to get the beef stew, because what was better than beef stew on a winter day.
(Sorry I'm a bit busy, so I had to write this quickly.)
"Yes, some food would be nice," Theodosia agrees with a small nod and smile. Picking up the menu, she looks though it, considering everything for a moment or two. There are all sorts of options. Stew, breads, pastries, sandwiches, soups, drinks and a few more things. Everything looks wonderful but she decides to go with a croissant and some tea. She had eaten a good breakfast this morning and isn't hungry enough for proper food. "Have you lived in town all of your life?" She asks, wanting to know more about him. It's hard to find someone to talk to since everyone is afraid to talk to her since they don't want to get on her husband's bad side. All she wants is a friend or two so she isn't so lonely.
(It's all good!)
"Yes, I didn't get to travel much like I wished." Dominic had always had a dream of traveling the world, but with his mother getting sick and now working for Richard, that dream dream began to fade away. "Here sweet hearts." Mary brought in their food and immediately Dominic's mouth began to water. Debby's cooking was good, but there was something about Mary's food that he loved. Maybe it was the nostalgia of it. The smell filled his nose, and before eating he wanted to take that in since he didn't know when he would be back. "I think I was about nineteen when Richard found me and took me in." He wasn't going to mention that Richard hasn't let him see his mother since. That would sound sketchy and he didn't want Theodosia to feel she was in more danger then she already is.
“Maybe you will get a chance to travel sometime in the future,” Theodosia offers, trying to be optimistic. She would love to travel and see everything that the world has to offer but the chances of that happening are slim. “Thank you, Mrs. Hughes.” A polite smile tugs at her lips as she gratefully accepts the food. Everything smells divine. The tea has a a delicious apple cinnamon aroma and the croissant reminds her of a fond memory from her childhood. “Your mother must really appreciate all that you do. Do you get to see her very often?” She asks, uncertain of the arrangement between Dominic and Richard. Her husband doesn’t tell her anything business wise. It is not her place to know what’s going on.
"Not as much I'd like." He said as he took a bite of food. This was something he didn't like talking about much. Dominic decided he should talk to Richard about it. Seeing his mother was something Richard shouldn't deprive him of. "My father left when I was just a child." He figured he might as well tell her. "So I was always the man of the house." He laughed and took another bite. Being vulnerable wasn't something Dominic did often, but if he wanted Theodosia to see him more and notice him he was going to have to let her in. And he wanted her to start to notice him.
She nods her head slightly as she sips at her tea. The pipping hot beverage tastes even more amazing now since it's freezing cold outside. "Oh, I am so sorry to hear that," She says, both in reference to the lack of time spent with his mother and the fact that his father left. "You must have been quite the spunky child, running around and getting things done." A smile appears on her face as she pictures it. She picks up her croissant and takes a small bite. It tastes heavenly. The inside is warm and soft but the outside is crisp and flaky. It's perfect. A quiet sigh of contentment escapes her lips. She wishes that she could bake as well as the Hughes.
"I wouldn't call myself spunky, but I was definitely determined and motivated." And he still was, if it was for his mother and now Theodosia he wouldn't be around. Honestly, he would've left this town a long time ago. There wasn't much here for him besides two people and one was already married and the other, Dominic didn't even know if she was still alive at this point. Not realizing it Dominic let out a sigh. Why am I here again? He took another bite of his food, it was a bit salty, but that's how he liked it, and Mary knew that. "I wonder how Debby and Marissa are doing?" I'll also need to find a suit for this party. Dominic didn't have many clothes to wear besides his work uniform. "
Blowing lightly on her tea, she cools it down enough so she doesn't manage to burn her tongue. She glances over to him and raises her brows at the sigh. Was something wrong? She's tempted to ask but she doesn't want to intrude. As much as she would like to ask what's wrong and possibly help, she also understands that there's a good chance that he's not comfortable around her. Most of her husbands employees aren't. She can't blame them for that. "We should go check on them. I would hate to leave them waiting in the snow if they have already completed the shopping." She brushes the crumbs off of her hands and neatly tidies everything up. "Are you finished eating?" She asks, not wanting to rush him.
"Sounds like a good plan." Dominic stood making sure his chair did scratch the ground. Taking his bowl and water cup to the counter he hand it to Mary. "Thank you, it was delicious." With a smile he walked back over and gathered Theodosia dishes as well. He didn't do it to make her feel like she couldn't, it just came naturally for him. "You ready?" He held out his hand like always, it just seemed like the gentlemanly thing to do. Dominic just hoped if she got tired of it that he would tell her. He didn't want to become a nuisance. Taking in the warmth he put his jacket back on preparing for the wave of coolness.
Theodosia raises to her feet and carefully pushes her chair in. She politely thanks both Mary and Dominic before she takes his arm. "Yes, I am." With Addie tucked in one arm and her other looped through Dominic's, she steps towards the door. The bakery is warm and cozy so stepping back out into the cold is going to be an unpleasant shock. "Is there anything else that we need to do before we have to go back?" She would hate to get home only to learn that they've forgotten something important. Richard wouldn't be pleased if she forgot to do everything expected of her. She really doesn't want to deal with him and his short temper.
