This Is Not Your Home
ββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ It seemed that there was a lot of talk, from people that honestly had no right to an opinion in the house, of what should and should not be done. Lady Oriold listened as she held her daughter fast against her before letting her go. Lacing her fingers together she stepped forward slowly. Her chin firm as she moved away from the pale girl, whom was looking at her mother wondering what she was about to do. The Lady Oriold was not a harsh speaking woman, nor was she brash like some others. She simply cleared her throat to get the attention of the room.
"I do realize that this evening has been a trying experience for everyone here though I must request that you keep you opinions of how this house should be run to yourself. Please understand it is not your place. This is not your home but ours. As I have been informed not only were you not invited by my husband to the gala that was supposed to occur this evening but some of you have been most brash. You have no authority here and are here at our leave. My husband did extend that to you but that does not mean that the Dowager will honor it, especially if she is made to feel disrespected in her home. I am afraid that if you should continue to act as if you are entitled to anything and continue to display anything but thankfulness for our hospitality I will have to suggest that you be put out in the storm. Which would be the lesser of two evils considering the alternate, which would be the dungeon." Lady Oriold's voice was calm and oddly kind when she spoke. She was not meaning this as a threat but as a warning to them that their habits, at least vocally, needed to be changed and quick. Her husband had given a similar speech but in a much different tone. It seemed they did not heed it.
Sighing, she continued. "Until you arrived our home was peaceful, your arrival has turned things upside-down. Deaths and injuries. And we are receiving mixed information from the lot of you. One pointing one death at one, one pointing another death to another, none of this information lining up with the facts or the," she said, pausing a moment before continuing, "shown personalities of some of you. All of you will remain under guard or locked away until I hear further from the Dowager and all members of my household can converse to try to decipher which of you is truthful and which of you is lying." That was that, Lady Oriold had spoken.
"Rebecca return to your duties until further notice. Jasper if you will," she said before ushering her daughter out of the room, Rebecca following close behind.
Jasper looked around the room. "Do any of you have any sense?" he asked but he was not expecting an answer. "Quinton, escort the doctor and the woman to the laboratory with our Lord," he said before looking back at the others. "The rest of you will be escorted to Confinement for now," he said.
And so it was. Amaranthine, Dr. Swamp, and Lord Bardolf's body were taken to the Laboratory with Quinton there with them. It was a large room, fitting for a doctor, or something far worse. Operating table and instruments and other needed items there. The Lord's body was placed on the operating table and Quinton stepped back out of the way. The others were lead to a room known as Confinement. An Attic room with only a single single bed that looked that it had seen far better days and probably shouldn't be sat on in there, it was the only piece of furniture. The walls were bare and looked to never have been tended to. The only positive thing that could be said about either room really was the fact they were at least warm enough not to freeze to death. Heat from the rest of the house rising to the Attic space.
"I do hope you manners are better when I return," Jasper said before locking the rest of them away in the large room. Thing was now, what do they do? Two in one room with a dead man, the rest in another alone with nothing but themselves and their wits? The four music men were not taken away and were still eating when they all were lead away. This probably wasn't the best of places to be but they weren't out in the storm. That was good, right?
*Attic Map is now located in the Zeroth Post