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There wasn’t any part of Caitrin’s personality which could be described as subtle or delicate. Now she knew that Philip was not a man who would not be offended by such forwards flirtation it meant she could up her game a little. Caitrin was sure that he was just encouraging her by not stopping her flirtations, so he must want this as well. He was just fanning the flames, and Caitrin was now determined to keep that flame burning. She was enjoying herself too much to let Philip slip between her fingers. “I’m sure that you won’t be disappointed.” She replied with a grin, not really backing down either in terms of her ego or with how bold she was being. There was no point in breaking off now, and trying to pretend that she had an ounce of innocence or delicacy in her nature, because the years had taken all of that away from her. She enjoyed who she was now, and she had no intention of changing that anytime soon.

Already Caitrin felt like she was getting to know Philip quite well. She didn’t usually take this much time to get to know men when there was only one intention within the conversation. However, every other man would have probably already given her more, physically and verbally. Caitrin felt that Philip was holding off somewhat, and forcing her to be patient, to see what he had to offer. She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about it yet, beyond her initial intrigue. She did however find herself somewhat focussed on the man beside her, just waiting to see what he was going to do or say next. It was a new sensation, and she just had to decide whether she liked it or not.

It was true that their new setting was a lot more intimate than the solar, it was more picturesque as well. Caitrin caught the smirk that had found its way onto Philip’s lips, and she couldn’t help forming her own. She wondered how bold, and how daring he would be, out here in such an intimate setting. Caitrin was prepared to be bold, but only if Philip was going to match her advances. These things were never fun when they were completely one sided. Her fingers brushed lightly against Philip’s again, and she looked at their hands before raising her eyes to his again; her smirk still firmly on her lips. “Then perhaps we should do the change of scene some justice.” She suggested, her words were slow and the suggestion was laced in every syllable. There was no real possibility that Philip couldn’t know what she was hinting towards. Caitrin wasn’t after anything sudden, but she wanted him to do something that would show her that they were on the same page. She didn’t really want to do everything herself after all.

There, now that had been what Caitrin had been after all along. As she had now come to expect from Philip, he did not give her everything that she was trying to pull out of him, but it was a good start. Caitrin pressed her lips into a grin and inclined her head towards him. Everything he said seemed so confident and calm, that she wished he would expand on everything. Perhaps this was his game then, causing her to wait, and learn some patience. She supposed it had its advantages, if she continued to enjoy Philip’s company as she already was doing. “Neither have I, my Lord.” She said with a soft smirk; her eyes never leaving his. She wondered whether to just leave it there, or whether she should continue her thoughts. She was now sure that Philip would not disappoint her. In the end she decided to leave it there, because he would either see it as an invitation or not, Caitrin had no interest in appearing desperate in front of anyone, no matter how tempted she herself was.

Unsurprisingly Caitrin did spend a lot of time in the gardens. They were quite fun to walk around with a book, or when she was feeling bored. There wasn’t often that much to do in Camelot. After all, she had no suitors at the moment, and there wasn’t anything exciting happening in the city. So she was just here day after day, waiting for something to happen. “Were you not at ease in the house my Lord?” She asked gently, her fingers lightly brushing against the flesh at his hand as she flexed them. The gardens were quite built up with conifers and hedges, as her Uncle liked them, but that meant that as you walked further and further towards the end of the garden, you became shielded from the view of the house, and gave complete privacy to whoever was walking there. That was not the first thought in Caitrin’s mind, but it was one of them. Any other woman would probably have been incredibly hesitant at letting themselves be being led into complete privacy with someone who was practically a stranger. When they had been in the solar there had been servants in the next room that could be called upon, out here they were completely alone. Caitrin grinned up at Philip, wondering if he had noticed how private the gardens actually were, it probably hadn’t even crossed his mind yet. “You can barely see the house from here.” She pointed out after they had been walking for quite some time towards the back of the gardens. Caitrin then lent over slightly to take in the aroma of a pretty lavender bush to her right, and as she did her eyes flicked in the direction of the house. She was right, they couldn’t be seen here. Her fingers ran against Philip gently, and she grinned up at him, wondering just how much more patient he expected her to be.

It was usually through being a bit daring and a little bit liberal that Caitrin was able to get a full grasp of a man’s personality. However, Philip was still quite reserved, and he wasn’t giving that much away. Far from being irritated by this current situation, she just found herself becoming more, and more intrigued by him. Inclining her head forwards slightly, her lips slid into an easy smirk. This was one occasion she could not claim was just too easy, or that she knew exactly how to handle it. However, she wasn’t completely against the sensation, a challenge was always welcomed every now and again. She was sure that Philip would turn out to be the same as all the rest once he had had all the fun he could with his words. She wanted to know more about Philip, not just so she could know how to charm him, but because she was quite interested as well. He was quite unlike any man she had come across before, and she was sure he would prove to be quite an interesting person overall. She took another sip of the wine, her eyes never leaving his.

Again, it wasn’t disappointment that she felt at the fact that he wasn’t rushing into any situation with her, it was intrigue. He was not implying rejection, no, he was suggesting patience instead and with that came the promise of things to come. Usually it was the woman telling the man to be patient with such matters, not the other way around, and she found herself quite drawn in by the promise of things to come, and hoped it was not just empty words. Caitrin could of course have been seeing too much into it, but she hoped not. She would like to think that Philip had something up his sleeve to impress her with before their little meeting was drawn to an end. “Patience is not one of my talents.” She mused with a soft smile, “So I hope you will not keep me waiting for long my Lord.” Another wink accompanied her words, she didn’t want to overuse the expression, but she felt it was necessary in the circumstances.

It was quite sweet to see Philip quite embarrassed after his earlier words, and she put a hand to her mouth tenderly to stifle her laughter. She wasn’t laughing that much of course, she just wanted to make the effort for him. Caitrin was really trying to make some sort of effort so that she could get a reaction from Philip, so his suggestion of a walk was one that she completely agreed with. The solar was, as he said, incredibly stuffy, and they could be a lot more free out in the open air. “I would be honoured to my Lord.” She set down her goblet, but not too quickly so she didn’t appear overtly keen. That wouldn’t do at all would it? She stood up and smiled gently at Philip, “We could take a walk round my Uncle’s gardens, they are after all quite beautiful this time of year, if that would please you my Lord?” The door to the gardens was in the solar, which was incredibly convenient and she gestured to it, waiting for Philip to make his move.

Nothing that Philip was saying, or doing was disagreeable in Caitrin’s eyes. He was something different, and that excited her in a way, because court life had been dull of late, and anyway this was more interesting than sitting in her room all day. She was suddenly incredibly grateful that her Uncle had left her alone today, she probably wouldn’t have met Philip if he had been here. His words left a smile on her lips which she had no interest of getting rid of. Instead she just nodded at him, and let her eyes just drink him in for a few moments. She was allowed to look after all.

She was quite pleased that Philip responded in such an agreeable way. It was always irritating when she didn’t get the reaction she wanted out of a man. Sometimes it was because they were too simple to catch onto her meanings, other times it was because they were trying to appear chivalrous. Philip, it seemed, was hindered by neither of these traits, and Caitrin wasn’t complaining in the slightest. “Then I hope my hospitality and company lives up to the quality of the wine, my Lord.” In essence it sounded like an innocent statement, but she was still grinning.

Philip was incredibly sure of himself wasn’t he? Caitrin found that in itself quite intriguing, and without really realising she was doing it, she was almost hanging off his every word. Blinking, she sat back in her chair and let a small smirk form on her lips. She knew exactly what Philip had meant with his words, was he trying to get her to speak their meaning instead of him? In a way Caitrin was finding it difficult to work him out, he was very agreeable, and confident, and yet there was something which made him quite different about him which she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She was probably over thinking it, so she set her thoughts aside and decided to just enjoy Philip’s company. She leant forwards ever so slightly towards Philip, her smirk still firmly on her lips, “I’m sure I would have no problem understanding your explanation. Try me.” Caitrin doubted very much so that Philip thought she was an average noblewoman, saving herself for marriage and all of that. No, she prided herself on being different in that respect, and it wasn’t going to change anytime soon. Caitrin handed him the other goblet and raised it with him before taking a sip. It really was divine, she had clearly been stealing the wrong bottles of wine from her Uncle’s stores. “This tastes divine.” She said softly before taking another sip as he spoke again. Her grin was tugging at the corners of her mouth, and she pressed her lips together, thinking on how to answer him. “I’m sure I could, but would you really want to hear me speak about the weather? No matter how fascinating I could make the conversation.”

In a way Caitrin was surprised he was being quite honest with her, or at least she assumed this was his honesty. She had no reason to doubt anything that Philip said, so she flashed a quick smile at him before making her answer. “Then I assume you will be making the best of this situation.” She asked him, a little more sure of herself now. Each man required their own brand of charm, and Caitrin was no stranger to this. Sometimes she held off a little to get a grasp of what she was dealing with. Philip seemed quite typically charming, like most men she had charmed in the past. To her it was always like some big game and it would never be any different.

They had more than enough wine to offer Philip, but he had already got one of the bottles that he had brought for her Uncle to sample. She grinned at him, and for a moment she wondered if she should take the wine or not. Well, he was offering so it would be rude to refuse wouldn’t it? She could always give her opinion to her Uncle later couldn’t she? Standing up, she fetched two goblets and returned to where she had been sitting opposite Philip, “You aren’t charging me for this are you?” She asked him, giving him a quick wink in the process, but he was a businessman she supposed, so he could do as he wanted with his own wares.

Well, a man who was as forward as Philip was currently being was quite different. Usually men waited quite a while into the conversation before hinting anything near what he was. It didn’t mean anything had to come of it, no, it just made the conversation more enjoyable, rather than them dancing around a topic that most would be shocked and horrified at discussing. Caitrin was incredibly liberal with thoughts regarding those kinds of conversations. Her grin only widened and she inclined her head towards Philip, only ever so slightly. She knew exactly what she was doing, she was experienced enough in her charms to stay in control. Hardly any man had the initiative and knowledge to take charge themselves, they were easily led, and Philip would probably be no different. “And what would you have to say if I were not a Lady?” She asked him, her smirk returning to her lips, “Unless you think I should just play my part, and believe that you are quite content to speak of the weather.”

Caitrin let out another small smile as the man introduced himself. It was not every day that a Lord was also a merchant, but there were different kinds of Lordships, and Caitrin was never one to judge, or point these things out. Some men made their money from trade, others from their estates. She didn’t bring the matter into conversation though, as her knowledge on the topic was quite limited, and business was such a boring topic of conversation anyway. She wondered if Philip would prefer to come back another day, when her Uncle was actually in. Caitrin could speak on his behalf, but only in a limited sense. Not that she minded that much of course, she didn’t really want the responsibility of choosing her Uncle’s wine for him.

She wasn’t quite sure what to make of this man yet, he was quite handsome, there was no denying that. But for once in her life Caitrin felt like seeing how the situation was going to turn out rather than jumping in with both feet. Philip seemed quite agreeable anyway from first impressions, so she hoped that she was right in that respect. Philip’s question was one she had been expecting and she shook her head, “He will not return until this evening at the earliest, I am sorry for the inconvenience my Lord.” Sometimes her Uncle’s business could keep him away for days, Caitrin never asked why, because he would make a point of telling her every little detail, and she wasn’t really that interested in it. All she knew was that it was all matters to do with the estate. “If you wish I could pass on whatever matters of business you wish to speak to him about?” She asked him brightly, she knew he was here to transact wine, but her Uncle was always interested in knowing where the wine came from, and what sort of wine it actually was. “But if you would rather come back when he is in I will understand my Lord.” She wasn’t the best option if the man wanted to trade with her Uncle, she was in fact a poor substitute in that respect. All she could do was act as a go between Philip and her Uncle.

Caitrin couldn’t help but grin and nod at Nora’s words. Griff was an incredibly supportive husband and she had no doubts that he would make a fantastic father either. She knew he was a bit apprehensive about the prospect of fatherhood at the moment, after all, they were both still quite young and they hadn’t planned for children. It had just been an accident, but a happy accident nonetheless. They always seemed to just deal with whatever life threw at them, and this really was no exception. Even when she had told Griff she was expecting twins, after panicking, he had come round to the idea, and he was even excited himself now. He was insisting if they had boys then one of them had to be named Griff. Caitrin was never going to let him call their son Griff of course, but neither of them knew what she was having anyway. She wanted it to be a surprise. “I don’t know what I’d do without him most of the time.” She agreed lightly as the baby kicked her. Whoever was in there was certainly active today, but she would rather they were moving and active now than in the middle of the night. She had enough problems sleeping as it was without it being made worse.

She just smiled at Nora again, she supposed if the woman was studying matters to do with young children then she would have to have an interest in pregnant women to an extent. She knew at least then that she wouldn’t be boring Nora with what she had to say. So many time when dealing with a patients family Caitrin hadn’t known what to say. She couldn’t connect with everyone, and sometimes it could be a real problem, especially when she was delivering hard to hear news or something like that. It wasn’t a surprise that Nora studied at Camelot University either, and now she thought about it, she did recognise the woman. She felt like she was staring for a few moments, and then it clicked, “I think I recognise you from some of the open days, I was a student helper.” She explained. “But I think I remember seeing you on campus a few times. It’s quite a small university anyway isn’t it?” Camelot was famed for not being the biggest of universities, but Caitrin preferred it like that. It made everything feel more intimate in a way.

Caitrin had already convinced herself that this was going to be a good day, whatever Celyn had in mind. Well, that was if he had anything in mind, perhaps he had come thinking that she would have an idea on how to occupy them both. She could probably think of something, but it would be nice to be surprised every now and again by someone. She pulled a face at Celyn as he rolled his eyes at the fact she had jumped the last few stairs. She was used to him making comments and suchlike at the fact she was quite unconventional, and though he did tease her about it, she supposed he must like it in some way, because he was still here. Caitrin really did enjoy his company, though they had not known each other that long, but it felt like they had to Caitrin. She wondered if Celyn felt the same in that respect.

It was quite hard to keep a straight face as Celyn announced himself as her knight in shining armour. He probably knew already that she wasn’t the right woman for such fanciful tales, and so used it in jest instead. She let out a small chuckle, but brushed it away from her lips as she stepped back, and looked Celyn up and down, observing him in an exaggerated way. Well, two could play at this game. “Well, I suppose as I am a damsel in need of rescuing then yes, you will.” She winked at him, and took a step back towards Celyn, trying to prevent herself from laughing again. Instead, she just let a small smile sweep onto her lips. “So, do you have a plan for what to do now that you have come to save me?” Caitrin asked curiously, wondering if Celyn did have a plan past coming to see her, because she really didn’t want to stay here by herself with nothing to occupy herself but her needlework. Anything was preferred to that sort of afternoon.

Caitrin wasn’t sure that she was that convinced by Griff’s words. She hoped his father would be more accommodating than her own would be in the same situation. She now wondered why she had even considered Mercia, because it was completely out of the question, not after what Payton had done last time she had taken Griff there. She needed to protect the baby that was growing within her as well as her husband, so they would be safer going anywhere but Mercia really. “I’m sure he will be more receiving than my father would be.” She gave an involuntary shudder, Caitrin had often tried to block out the events of that night, mainly because it had shown how much of a hold her father still had over her, and that scared her more than anything. Caitrin looked up at Griff, there were no physical scars from that evening, but it had taken a long time for the mental injuries to die down, for both of them.

Well, to Glouchedon it was then. Caitrin had always been a little curious to know what Griff’s home kingdom was like, he hardly had a good word to say about anything to do with his home, but she had been interested anyway. She knew that she had hardly ever spoken about Mercia in a good light, but she did love the kingdom, and would love it even more if her father wasn’t there. At least they had a sort of plan now, but that didn’t make much difference in the immediate. Caitrin was panting, and couldn’t keep up with her husband. He was going too fast for her, after all, she was carrying the weight of their baby as well. Caitrin paused to draw breath and leant up against the nearest tree, she hadn’t been getting as much exercise or anything recently, after all, she couldn’t really do much with this belly, and that combined with the weight she was carrying meant that she was already exhausted.

At the moment she didn’t care where they chose to sleep for the night, as long as it was covered and they were still together. They didn’t have much money, and could they risk sleeping in an inn? What if there had been men sent on after them? They would be checking the local taverns wouldn’t they? Caitrin could feel herself getting worked up again but she just let Griff lead her on regardless as her head mulled over what they were going to do now. “Griff, we’ll have to sleep in the forest tonight, what if there are men out searching the taverns?” She asked him, looking up at her husband, knowing that she was right. Then her attentions turned from her husband to look for somewhere that they could bed down for the night. She’d done this before, many, many years ago. Up ahead there was a collection of trees, surrounded by high bushes, that should give them enough privacy, and they could be up at dawn to move on. It wasn’t ideal, but they were in the middle of nowhere and it was the middle of the night. Caitrin had no idea how far they’d run, and where they were. She pulled Griff towards the spot, and looked up at him again, “This should do, Jesu, I haven’t done this in years.” Because her time with Richard had gone so well. Without waiting for Griff to say anything, she sat down and stretched out her legs, cradling her belly softly. “Is this ok, or should we move?” She finally asked him, while she was still trying to catch her breath.