She wasn't exactly sure how it happened, but as she and Samuel were heading home for the night, the same, chubby legged wolf puppy was sitting on her lap, wagging his tail. And Samuel was all starry eyed, but also sleepy. So after rambling on incessantly about how happy he was he had gotten his own wolf, he eventually passed out along with the puppy inside the carriage. Smiling, Dylanna stroked a hand through his dark hair and peered out at Arca.
It had been some time since she had been here. She had grown up on these streets, learned how to make a deal or two with some of the other merchant families here, and made friends. Though she was more shy, like her mother, she hadn't kept many tabs on friends over the years unless it was purely business. And with Samuel in tow, it became even harder for her to keep in contact with some of them, but she found out having a son brought all sorts of attention her way; it was one reason she liked living out at sea, and the first several years of Samuel's life he spent primarily on the ocean. No one could question a bastard child out there, and when questioned upon a more permanent return to the city, she would simply say she'd rather not talk about it, and most understood, believing the stories her husband must have been killed soon after they were married. He must have been a trader, or ship hand of the sort, since no extra wealth had come of it. Normally, she went along with the stories, but never verbally agreed with it. But.. it was what it was.
There was actually only one other man from her original crew during that night of hte storm that knew Samuel's true father,a nd she kept the man quiet by paying him a handsome allowance, and he rarely had to work at all. And she liked to keep it that way. It was best the truth was kept secret, lest she want to find her poor child to become publicly labeled a bastard, not to mention the very idea it could spin into the prison like result of a marriage... or worse; and the last thing she wanted was shame to come to her family name, and the business. It would not only make her father roll over in his grave, but she had to think of Samuel, had to protect him, and to protect herself.
As the carriage pulled up to her estate, she was surprised to see another carriage pulling out. Some delivery wagon of some kind, so when she went to enter the front door and asked the servant, he simply replied, "Oh.. all of these things came for you. And young master Swinden."
Dylanna blinked, and as she stepped into her house, she stood there, wide eyed and in shock to see not only a pile of toys her sleepy son Samuel was now excitedly awake over, but her entire entry way and parlor room full of flowers. Her mouth just fell open, staring at it, all the while her son and wolf pup began to run rampant.
To her servant she asked, "Do.. do you know who sent this? Surely, they must have left a name?"
The old servant raised his shaggy grey eyebrows sat her, brown eyes curious, then he lowered his gaze and shrugged. "I'm not sure, my lady, perhaps there's a note in some of these flowers?"
And then as he watched Dylanna step through, admiring the flowers in wonder, he had to ask, "So.. got a secret admirer do you?"
And somehow her mind went back to Mr. Handelaar. No.. it couldn't have been him, could it? But her cheeks burned at the question, especially when the old man chuckled in noting her blush.
"No, no. You know I'm hardly one for courtship. I haven' even had a proper moment of engagement to give someone else the belief or temptation to even consider such a thing. Besides, I'm well past the good age a man ought to chase after a woman for a wife."
Her servant raised his brow, looking her over. He then coughed to clear his throat, raising his brows even further as he began to say,
"Forgive me, Mistress Swinden, but I'd have to disagree. You look stunning, like your mother had been.... even in your age, and your age isn't anything to squawk about. You're not even thirty." he said with a chuckle. "And I'm surprised this sort of thing hasn't happened sooner."
"Jasper!" she scolded, her blush becoming fiercer. Then with a shake of her head, she tried to hide her smile with a tired sigh. THe servant only smiled more broadly, obviously pleased the mood these flowers were putting his mistress in.
"What am I to do with these all?" she said out loud, and then there was a crash and she whirled around, gasping and shouting, "SAMUEL!" as both boy and pup ran full force into priceless vase. It was now in pieces upon the floor. Placing a hand over her face, she groaned and shook her head.
"Shall I clean up that mess, my lady?" the old servant asked.
"Yes, please, Jasper. That would be good, before my pair of trouble maker's here carry those pieces through the house or one of them gets a cut foot or paw."And she plucked up her son and sighed, all the while he was giggling and reaching up to a pair of morning glories that had been strung around the frame of a door. Dylanna stared at them. Someone had spent an awful lot of attention in setting this up. But the question was, who? And to think, those blue morning glories were one of her favorites, she grew a lot of them in her gardens and a ton that snaked up hte vines on the side of the stone walls of her manor.
"Mommy, are you mad?" Samuel asked, after a time, putting a finger into his mouth with a pout.
"I don't even know if I could yell at you. Not with all of these flowers about it's just.." She found herself laughing and shaking her head. "Come, Samuel, bring your pup and we cna make a game out of it. See if you can find a card that labels who sent these items so perhaps we can thank them tomorrow." And she set her child upon the ground and he and the pup took off running, playing rather than helping her look.
THough part of her was flattered, another part of her feared what it could mean. Was someone actually interested in her? Some secret admirer? She hadn't wanted to consider marriage, not now, not ever, but if someone's tactics were like this, it would become hard to ignore. Though perhaps she was getting ahead of her self, yet, why was she still spending well over half an hour seeing if there was any sort of clue to who left the gifts? It was very odd indeed, flattering, but odd. And she was still pink-faced as she continued to look.
OOC: Not sure if there was anything specific she ought to find so yeah, I can wrap up this scene or you can if you want, unless he's going to make some appearance again that night. lol. Guess I'll wait and see XD
