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Pip noticed her smirk. She must think it made her seem all the more attractive. It was something Pip could live without. People should only be allowed to smirk when they were being clever, Caitrin wasn't being clever. She was behaving just as he would expect. If anything, her smirk was irritating. She was far too confident, far too sure of herself, of her ability to charm him. How naive, it was almost sweet. Of course showing this irritation would never do, so he just matched her smirk, although his was more subtle.

Patience may not be one of her talents - what, exactly, were her talents? - but it was something she was going to have to accept. He knew very well the advantages of patience, after all, some people took a lot more persuading than others. She had, however, managed to unknowingly redeem herself. This lack of patience, this continued eagerness was just showing Pip that he should carry on the way he was. A chance of tacticts was not needed, no, he was beginning to think a slower pace might indeed be the best option. Caitrin would not like it, but if he could get her to stay interested, stay hanging on his every word, well, that would be worth the extra effort. "Perhaps it is something you should practice, I find most things can always be improved for having to wait."

She'd put her hand against her mouth, hiding her laughter. His eyes flickered for a few moments, focussing on those pale fingers of hers. After a couple of seconds he caught himself, gave a little awkward cough and tore his gaze away from her hand. That had been...unusual. Anyway. The moment had passed now. "An excellent suggestion." he replied with an easy smile and stood up - there was no point sitting around waiting for her to be the first to move. He was still smiling at her, and now offered her his arm. If they were going for a walk they were going to do it properly.

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It seemed Pip had underestimated just how...enthusiastic Caitrin was. He had been expecting some repartee, the beginnings of some flirtation, but he hadn’t expected her to be quite so forward so quickly. He supposed she liked to think herself shocking. A less experienced man may well have been surprised, and perhaps made uncomfortable by such obvious advances. Curiosity piqued and he found himself wondering how many times Caitrin had found herself entertaining a man. Her eagerness suggested this was a relatively new experience – one that she was determined to throw herself into. Her confidence, however, and ease of speech gave the impression that she was far from naïve in these matters. She was a rather interested specimen. Of course there was the rather small possibility that he was misreading her. The flirtations could all be put upon, nothing more than a jest. Pip was not entirely convinced though – his first opinions were usually the correct ones. His ego was telling him his first interpretation was correct, but his brain was questioning whether or not he was willing to risk it. He didn’t want to ruin the fun too early, well, ruin her fun.

As tempting as this was – she was not a bad looking girl – and he was sure indulging her would only improve his position, he was also quite sure that it was too soon in their acquaintance for such things. Should he play the game her way now, she might be satisfied and see him as no longer with any use. No, with women like her, a slower game was more appropriate. “As have I, my lady, as I have also been told that patience is a virtue.”

Caitrin had joined in with his laughter, so she must feel comfortable in his presence. Her guard was down; he was finding a way in. He continued the charade of embarrassment, of trying to impress her with his hapless attempt at flirting. It was an easy part to play, but then weren’t they all? It was certainly a good thing that he did not relish a challenge. If anything, the opposite was true more often than not. He liked seeing how quickly he could get people to trust him. He’d barely been here ten minutes and already such progress had been made. Hadn’t anyone warned the girl about the dangers of speaking so intimately with strangers? It always took him a little by surprise when he found himself in the company of such well-bred ladies. He would have thought their father’s would have warned them against men like Pip, but then maybe that was why they were so easy. He was there act of rebellion; it was quite flattering really.

But, as flattering as it was, he was soon becoming bored with their current situation. It felt too...stiff, too claustrophobic. He had an idea, one that would hopefully...progress things a little. “I have a better proposal, or rather, an addition.” He set his goblet down next to the bottle, “I find it a little stuffy in here, could I tempt you to a walk?”

Pip was already making the best of this situation, he would have thought that much was clear. This was especially so now that Caitrin seemed to be relaxing more and he became more certain that he knew how to behave in this particular situation. Usually he knew straight away how best to act in order to...get the most out of people. Caitrin clearly liked charm so he could work this to his full advantage. “I am certain anything else would be impossible.” He would have explained the reason for such a statement was because he was in her company, but he was fairly certain that was already implied, besides, he could very quickly become overbearing in this situation. This was a time to stand back for a moment and allow Caitrin to come to him, like taming a wild animal.

He watched as she stood up to get some goblet, head turning so he could get a better view. She wasn’t an unattractive girl, and he supposed she had a rather shapely figure. No doubt there was some poor soul pining over her somewhere, but he had a feeling such a soul was used to being rejected. Leaving such thoughts behind, he opened the bottle. It would have to breathe for a few moments first so he set it back on the floor. “Consider it a payment for your hospitality, and your company.” He returned her wink with a grin. Yes, Caitrin was becoming easier and easier, and so he was becoming increasingly confident.

She was certainly no prim and proper young lady, no, he daresay she liked to think of herself as rebellious, different from all the other girls in the world. Pip would have found it quite sweet, at present he just saw it as opportune. Women like Caitrin were the easiest, they thought themselves so much cleverer and worldly than their more timid counterparts, when in reality they were by far the most vulnerable. Pip had barely been here five minutes and she was already well on her way to trusting him. It was too easy, and easiness that could have taken the enjoyment away, but Pip was not so desperate for a challenge. “I have no doubt you can imagine, and if you cannot, well, you will not understand my explanation.” He picked up the bottle, it had been left long enough so he poured it into the goblets that were still in Caitrin’s hand. “As for talk of the weather, I am sure a woman such as you could make a subject as seemingly dull as that the height of interest.”

She was certainly a pretty girl, he thought, looking her up and down. Whether she knew it or not he couldn’t tell. There was a shyness about her, but that didn’t mean anything. Anyone could put on a facade, he of all people knew that. He supposed Rouland would not have left her alone, especially not when he knew Pip was coming, if she was such a delicate flower. That certainly did mean less effort on his part.

“It is no inconvenience at all.” He replied, smiling warmly at her. If anything, it was opportune. He still hadn’t made his mind up yet about how he was going to amuse himself, but at least now he wasn’t going to have to throw himself into anything. No, without Rouland’s presence he could take his time, see what this girl had to offer.

It was not a surprise that she was expecting him to leave. As far as she was concerned, he was only here to discuss wine with her uncle and now that was no longer happening what reason could he have for staying? Pip, however, had other ideas and certainly no intention of leaving so soon. There would hardly be any fun in that, now would there? The only problem was that he still couldn’t decide what kind of a woman and Caitrin was, and was therefore unsure just how to proceed. “I have no other business today, my lady,” he began, choosing his words carefully, “And I must confess once I leave I will have nothing else to do with myself. I wonder if you would mind humouring me for a while, if you would be so kind.”

It was a beautiful day and Philip de Calmot was soon to be earning himself a rather nice sum of money, but that was not enough to tempt a smile to form on his lips. He should not be earning money at all. A man of his status, of his birth and breeding should not be required to take a trade. And yet here he was, the sole heir of the de Calmot inheritance, on his way to the de Archer estate in the hopes of tempting Lord Rouland into buying some of his wares. He had heard that Lord Rouland would not take much tempting. It seemed he was well known for his appreciation of wine. Perhaps he was a drunkard, that would be preferable. Then again, Pip never had much difficulty getting what he wanted from people. This man would be no different, just like all men. They had their little idiosyncrasies, of course they did, but human nature could not be changed or ignored by anyone. And those that understood it, those such as Pip, could use it to their advantage.

It was not just the wine trade that he found himself in, but the trade of people. That sounds rather more sinister, but it is not as one might envision. He did not trade people in its crudest sense, of course not; he just used them, as one might use a horse to pull a cart, a dog to guard livestock. To him, other people were no more than pawns. Not only was it is his right as a man of title, but as a man of intelligence, a man who understood the simplicity of the human psyche and possessed the ambition to exploit this talent.

At last the carriage came to a halt – he may have no inheritance or not much to speak of – but he did not lower himself to drive his own carriages. He climbed out, smoothed down his clothes and pulled out two bottles of wine from inside. It would be ridiculous of him to go around with all his stock so he had selected what he thought Lord Rouland was like. It had not been the easiest of tasks, having never met the man before, but he was almost certain he would like something red and from the continent. With the two bottles in hand he made his way towards the building’s entrance.

Servants, he often thought, were idiots. This opinion was not solely based on his general dislike of those below him socially, but also because they never questioned a visitor. He simply told the girl his name and that he wanted to see Lord Rouland. That was it, that was all that was necessary for him to gain entrance. It turned out, just to add to her idiocy, she wasn’t even aware whether he was at home or not and so he was left alone in the parlour while she found out. This was why his own servants had been told, on several occasions, never to let anyone inside without his permission. Pip, if he so wished, could easily do...well, anything. But he did not, he was not in the mood, so he just waited.


Tagged: Caitrin de Archer
Timeline: Series two