Strangers like me -- [Jewel]

[Chørd]

`Matthew

Money was was for spending. Everybody knew that. It didn't matter whether you bought food, weapons or land with it, money exchanged hands very frequently during its lifetime. Matthew had no intentions of letting his money sit idle in a bag in his pocket, least of all with potential thieves and beggars around. It was his wages he'd earned after all...or at least, a random amount of coins his brother - and company Captain - had shoved into his hands the previous night. Wages was all it could be, right? 

Well whatever it was for, be it a childish bribe to get him to behave himself or a reward for something he may or may not have actually done, he decided today was as good as any other to take the liberty of spoiling himself. 
So he headed into Philadelphia, or a market near enough on its outskirts, anyway. It was a Sunday, and with his regiment doing what it did best - twiddling its thumbs on the outskirts of a city - there was no better time to get himself some new clothes; specifically shirts. His red uniform was immaculate, however his civilian clothes were not in the same decent condition. So as much as he often hated heading into large, bustling crowds of Americans with his scarlet jacket on, he had no choice. It was either that, or look like a beggar, and his accent would surely give away his allegiance sooner or later anyway.

The massing people gathering round market stalls mainly just stepped out of his way as he struggled down the road to where an alleged tailor's was. Occasionally he'd receive a sneer or a glare, but what was new? He received the same treatment from his comrades, and was used to ignoring the odd glance drawn to his jacket and silver epaulette.

Finally he reached the shop clearly labelled 'Tailor', and pushed open the door, hesitating for a moment when the shop owner stared at him.
"You do sell civilian shirts, don't you?" Matthew asked, one eyebrow raised inquisitively, and the owner nodded briskly. 

Little more than an hour later, the money his brother had handed him had been given to the tailor in payment for the two shirts, one waistcoat and a pair of breeches now held in a box in his arms. Errand over, Matthew headed back on to streets, which were a little quieter as the crowd had begun to disperse, with the intention of heading back to camp again. But why not take his time? It was a warm afternoon, after all, and as far as he knew they were not likely to be preparing for some distant battle the following day. 

Besides, it wasn't like anyone would miss him if he made himself scarce for a bit.

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[jewel]

Shopping was the favored past-time of nearly all teenaged girls in the colonies, and no one enjoyed it, did it more often, or did better at it than Margaret Taylor. Even though her father had told her time and time again not to go out on Sundays, since it was the Lord’s day and it was supposed to be spent at home as the day of rest, all that meant was being bored out of her mind and having to listen to things she did not care about. Besides, it wasn’t that she wasn’t resting; she was not even walking around that much because her daddy let her use the carriage to get to and from the tailor’s.

Of course her father had given in and let her go shopping, because Margaret, or “Peggy” as everyone called her, always got her way. She was finally old enough to go out without one of her father’s specially-appointed chaperones with her and only had a servant, but at this point, her father would have been wise to send a more experienced and less easily persuaded chaperone with her, because with soldiers walking around town and Peggy’s wandering eye more than eager to find one to flirt with, there was no telling what sort of trouble she could get into if she wanted and no one was around to stop her.

It was always not as much to go shopping when she did not have her entourage, the flock of girls who followed her and thought she was the best girl in Philadelphia. But it also meant less competition for the attention of soldiers – even though they would have let Peggy have first ick anyway, as their leader – which was convenient enough as she easily spied one the moment she walked into the tailor. The red coats stood out well enough, but even if they had not, she was always looking for them, so she would have spotted one in an instant if it was in the vicinity. Putting aside the thought of a new dress for the moment when she saw that the redcoat was leaving, she hurried out of the store after him.

Familiar with these streets, she knew just the way to go, a shortcut so that when she crossed the street it would be in front of him. She knew that this dress made her appear very much to advantage, especially if one was looking at her from behind (to her father’s chagrin). She and her servant walked at a leisurely enough pace in front of the soldier that he was sure to catch up to them, and in case he was a fool and did not come to talk to her on his own, she ‘accidentally’ dropped her handkerchief for him to pick up and return to her as insurance.

[Chørd]

`Matthew

Matthew was reminded of why he tried to avoid crowds, particularly in areas like this, when he found himself faced with a bustling street again. Citizens were obstinately engrossed in their shopping, so he managed to squeeze through them without too much hassle.

When the mass of people finally thinned out a bit, and he was further down the road, he breathed a sigh of relief, tucking the box he was carrying under his arm and continuing on at a more casual pace.
Nobody glanced at him for a bit, though he was still aware someone was watching him - wherever they were - which unnerved him slightly. Still, a redcoat officer carrying a spontaneous box around Philadelphia probably would gain a few stares, wouldn't it?

He grumbled to himself when a young woman cut in front of him with her servant, walking at a much slower speed than him. He rolled his eyes, sighing. She couldn't have been any older than sixteen, and she was out on her own? Judging by the elaborate clothes she was wearing, which appeared to be the height of fashion, if the occasional admiring or envious glance she received was anything to go by, she was probably rather wealthy - or wanted people to think that, anyway. Why on earth would any respectable father let his little girl wander the streets with nout but a mere servant with her, especially with soldiers about?

He was so lost in his little daze that he hardly noticed her drop her handkerchief, but picked it up nevertheless, hurrying after her. Well, if it could be called hurrying; at the pace she was travelling at he was practically on top of her, anyway.

"Excuse me, miss," he cleared his throat to attract her attention, holding out the handkerchief. "I believe you dropped this?"
He smiled politely, waiting for her to take it from him. Ok, so it was decided; he could afford to be late back. Why not indulge in a little feminine company anyway? The other officers had their wives, mistresses and admirers following them around everywhere - whenever he had the opportunity to flirt, some other sod would come along and join right in, forcing him to share his new-found company. 

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[jewel]

If Peggy swayed her hips a little more than usual when she walked, it certainly was not her fault. She was just doing it to make sure that she got her handkerchief back by getting the young soldier’s attention. After all, it was a good handkerchief, so she did not want to lose it or have it trampled in the dust; it had her initials embroidered in it specially and it was brand new. And she certainly wasn’t going to walk back and bend down and get it herself! It was a horrid thing trying to bend down in the contraptions of corsets and hoop skirts, not to mention the fact that it was simply not ladylike to bend down even if she had been physically able to.

She felt a brief thrill of triumph when she heard footsteps getting closer and the sound of a nice voice, a throat being cleared. She turned around and looked into the handsome young face of the very man she’d seen earlier in his dashing red coat, happily (it would have been most unfortunate if someone else had had the nerve to ruin her plans by picking up her handkerchief and returning it to her before the soldier had the chance to!), noting the way that his nice smile stood out white against the darker face, which was tanned by being outside and possibly browned by dirt. Oh well, such was life, especially when one was a soldier, although it did offput her a little; at least he still had his coat. She returned the smile prettily.

“Oh! Thank you, officer,” she gushed, batting her eyelashes at him as she stepped closer to him and took the handkerchief from him delicately and folded it neatly without her eyes leaving his. “You are my hero! This is my favorite handkerchief and I should have been quite lost without it. You must tell me how I might thank you.” She looked at him expectantly, her face sweet, blue eyes wide and innocent, full lower lip pushed out slightly to appear to advantage. She was being a dreadful flirt, she knew, but no other officer seemed to be bothered by it; well, except for being hot and bothered, more likely, but in any case, they certainly didn’t complain about her actions. Her gaze breaking from his for a moment, she tucked the folded handkerchief into the bodice of her dress, her fingertips brushing against the curves of her breasts that were exposed by her corset. She looked up again with a sweet smile, affecting innocence, eager to see his reaction to this.

[Chørd]

`Matthew

Matthew studied her face and delighted expression, mainly to keep his eyes from straying further south. He was sure now she'd meant for him to approach her, considering the provocative way she'd been walking and the way she held herself, and he was certain she hadn't dropped her handkerchief on accident.
She looked a little fragile with pale, near-porcelain skin and a dainty figure. She had a nice smile though.

He watched her closely as she took back the handkerchief, folding it just-so and batting her eyes at him flirtatiously.
"Oh, I'm sure me being a 'hero' is a bit of a dramatization," he laughed lightly, shrugging diffidently. "Though joining me for a walk would suffice as a thank you, if you insist."
Any and all thoughts about chores, duty and all that other stuff back at camp he'd managed to completely push from his mind. It was a pleasant day, and now he had someone to share it with, more or less - providing she accepted his invitation, of course.

He swallowed nervously when she tucked her handkerchief away, drawing his attention to her breasts before he quickly looked away in embarassment, feeling his cheeks redden slightly. She was a young lady, probably no older than eighteen at the very most, and it was wrong of him to not have better control over himself, allowing his eyes to wander off like that...
He shook his head to clear his mind of its thoughts then, deciding an introduction was necessary, took off his uniform hat in a respectful gesture to her.
"Lieutenant Matthew Chord," he grinned. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
He was beginning to run out of arms to hold things, so hopefully she didn't expect him to take her hand or anything of the like. Though that wasn't proper, from what he remembered on his family's frequent lectures on correct, polite etiquette. He was out of practice of the fancy way around things since joining the army anyway; he did what needed to be done in any way possible, raised his voice if people didn't listen to him, and just about remembered to input a 'sir' where appropriate.

Well, in any case, his new female acquaintance - who's name he had yet to learn - was blatantly flirting with him. Why keep up the stiff upper lip?

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[jewel]

A bit of a dramatization, he had said; it amused Peggy that he phrased it this way. Anyone who knew her knew that she adored drama. Among shopping and flirting, it was what she lived for. For her, 'drama' meant gossiping, and constituted any story or interesting tidbit about someone or another during the course of the day that she herd and found to be scandalous. It was the only thing that she had to think about, some days. And here her officer was, acting like she might think dramatization was a bad thing, when she dramatized everything from a rumor to the debacle of a stray thread on her gloves. "Oh, no, I'm certain it isn't," she insisted. "This handerkchief is very important. But your modesty does you credit."

She could have cared less about his modesty, although it was true that an arrogant man who did nothing but brag about his accomplishments would have driven her mad because he would have never given her the chance to speak to babble on about how great she herself was. Still, for the moment, she would have liked to hear about his accomplishments, for as attractive as a soldier was, a famous soldier was even better. She only cared that he had a red coat and he was paying attention to her. Again offering him her brightest smile, she chirped sweetly, "Oh, a walk sounds lovely! You are kind and clever!" She shot a glance to her servant, who obediently fell into step behind them as they began to stroll down the street.

Her glance fell appraisingly over his face and she smiled to herself briefly in triumph when she saw that it was a little flushed. Looking away for a moment before she caught his gaze, she curtsied slightly. "Lieutenant," she murmured respectfully, pronouncing it with care, rolling the title around in her mouth admiringly as if testing whether or not she liked a piece of hard candy. "I am Margaret Taylor, but everyone calls me Peggy." She lowered her gaze flirtatiously so that she could look up at him through her lashes. "The pleasure is mine." Tilting her head slightly in the affectation of inquisitiveness, she looked at the boxes in his arms. "You must be very strong to carry all of that," she decided as if the thought impressed her greatly.

[Chørd]

`Matthew

He smiled as they set off on their walk down the street, not entirely sure where they were heading.
"I had the best education available in England," he responded to her comment, clearly proud of the statement. "I'd be a little concerned if the years of lectures and literature hadn't helped my intellegence at all."
The further on they walked, the less crowded the street became, as the more popular market stalls were situated further into the town.

He chuckled lightly to himself when she curtsied and, somehow managing to keep the box tucked under his arm securely, placed his hat back on his head.
"Peggy," he looked away, a grin growing on his face. "That's a pretty name."
He noticed the flirty way she was staring up at him, then glanced at the box he was carrying when she mentioned it. It was merely clothes, so it wasn't heavy, least of all when compared to some of the stuff he had to haul around on a daily basis - weapons and the like.
"Ah, this is nothing," he teased, mirroring her tilt of the head slightly. "Just some new clothes."

He glanced around when they passed more market stalls, the customers buying their wares paying them no mind at all as they continued on their leisurely stroll.
"Do you visit the market often, Miss Taylor?" He asked, returning his gaze to her again and offering her a charming smile. "It's nice to have a change of company now and then," he sighed dramatically, but his smile didn't falter. It was true though; there was only so much rich-man banter and guffawing he could stick. And the regular soldiers? He attempted to talk to them when the other officers weren't around, but getting conversation out of them was like talking to a rock. It was fruitless and pointless, though it didn't stop him from trying. He'd take a few grunted sirs and the occasional mirthless laugh over a round-faced fool any day. Unless they brought up literature, of course. Now that was the one thing he seemed to have somewhat in common with them - a decent education and a love of the arts.

"Do you read at all, Miss Taylor?" He looked at her again, his grey-blue eyes wide with curiosity. He took the opportunity to take a better look at her whilst he waited for her reply; she had an ever so slight frame, but it was curvacious...no doubt she owed that to a corset, though. Silly contraptions they were, sometimes - tightened so much that the poor girl wearing it could hardly move or breathe, and eating was clearly out of the question. It was a wonder they didn't seriously hurt themselves. But what was the saying again? No pain, no gain. And he had to admit she was a pretty young lady, who no doubt had a flock of admirers that followed her about town, both men and girls.
Well, wasn't he lucky to have her company all to himself?

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[jewel]

Peggy gave a dreamy little smile and spun in a circle as if she were conversing with the smartest man in the colonies. "To think I have the honor of being in the presence of an intellect!" she gushed. There was nothing in the world men liked more than feeling like they were respected, she had noticed, especially in officers who did not have very high rank and might feel like they were working for nothing at times because they had almost no one below them to boss around. She sighed in the affectation of self-deprecation. "Now you have made me feel quite unworthy. My father did make sure I was educated, but I cannot imagine that it is anything to yours!" She wanted him to think she was clever but not too independent or aloof. Or insult his ego.

She batted her eyelashes at him when he said that she had a pretty name, pretending to be rendered speechless by his compliment. She was more honestly a little flustered by his comment that it was nothing but she had not made any real mistake and she smoothed it over without missing a beat, not wanting him to be offended by her possible insinuation that he was weak enough to think that a box of clothing was heavy. "I can imagine it isn't, compared to the artillery you must have to lug around," she acknowledged sympathetically.

"And they probably don't even feed you enough, poor creature!" As inspiration struck, she added, "I know my house would happily supply you. I know exactly what I shall say: 'Daddy, I met the nicest officer today, and we simply must have him for supper!' Of course he will agree. My father would do anything for the brave men keeping the peace." This was not entirely true, as Mr. Taylor had been doing his best for the sake of his business to stay neutral, but Peggy had no qualms about thoughtlessly thwarting her father's goals for the sake of accomplishing her own.

His question made her smile. "Oh, not often enough, as I have never seen you here before," she replied, neatly avoiding his question with a flirtatious comment. Some men liked girls to be up with fashions, others liked them to not spend so much money. She wanted to make sure she was making the right impression. These and other questions were in her mind. "But yes, I do come here often," she said finally, in case he wished to see her here again.

Did he want her to read? It did not really matter whether she did or not, it only mattered whether she said she did. Most men did not like their women educated because it gave them notions about things they shouldn't think about, yet they scorned silly novels. It was such a double standard. Judging from the interest in his voice though he seemed to want her to, so she managed a smile. "Some," she said, her smile growing slightly as she noticed his eyes subtly sweeping over her figure. "I assume if you have such an education you are a great reader? Please, tell me what you like." Men always liked talking about themselves.

[Chørd]

`Matthew

Matthew smiled when she batted her eyes at him, not daring to tear his gaze off of her. There was something about her that kept his eyes glued to her - perhaps it was her smile, or flirty behaviour?

He shrugged at the comment about artillery. They had horses to pull that around, and it was the gunners' problems to deal with the roundshot and cannons. And he wasn't ever expected to carry his belongings around - although he still preferred to, just in case the man he entrusted his pack to decided to see what reward he could scrounge when left in charge of the items.
"All part of the job, I suppose," he grinned sheepishly. "Though I don't mind. Besides, there's something comforting about having the weight of a weapon at your side."
He glanced down at his waist, where his sword was absent. He'd assumed, perhaps carelessly, that he'd have no need for such a weapon, and had left it back at the camp. If push came to shove, he always carried a pistol on him, but the afternoon seemed so calm and idle that he doubted he'd need it at all.

He laughed as she mentioned food. They fed the officers adequately, though that was probably because they paid for their mess dinners, but the regular soldiers and non-commissioned officers had to make do with whatever rations the army had to spare...and most of that was either stale or maggot-infected. Sometimes both. If there was one thing he didn't miss about being in the ranks, it was the catering. It was a terrible injustice to feed the hard-working bulk of the army as poorly as they often were.
He brightened slightly at her half-hidden invitation to supper. That sounded nice; it had been a while since he'd actually sat down to a meal with someone who was not the slightest bit involved in the military. Though, somehow he had a feeling her beloved father would mind - certainly, if he himself was a married man with a daughter her age, he'd be just a little annoyed if she dragged home a random man claiming to be a military officer.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to be a burden on your family," he responded shyly, blushing slightly. There was always the worry of the reception he'd face upon returning to camp, too, particularly if he was kept until later on in the night and returned after lights-out. Still, he wouldn't turn down her invitation if she insisted on him complying. He wasn't in an argumentative mood today, and the idea was appealing anyway.

He smiled politely when she answered his question. "It was probably silly of me to ask, in all honesty," he grinned. "You're clearly up to date with the fashion of the moment."

He tried very hard to hide his obvious delight when she said she read some books, but clearly failed as his smile grew.
"Writing and languages in general I'd say I'm well schooled in," he replied proudly. "I've read most books of the century, though I can never remember their names. It always helps to put your language skills into practice, too, by reading literature written in foreign languages."
He paused, lost in thought for a moment as he stared at the street ahead, before turning back to Peggy again. "Do you speak any languages at all? I can speak the basics of French and German, and a little Spanish, but I was taught predominantly Latin at school so that is probably where my strength lies."
He shrugged, offering her a small smile, before glancing round to see where they'd managed to wander off to whilst engaged in conversation.

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[jewel]

“It is nice to know you are around to protect me,” she agreed, though she could not see at his side the weapon that he had just declared a comfort to have there. It would have been nice to see a shining sword glinting on his hip just to complete the image of a dashing officer in a red coat, but the absence of it did not make him less interesting to her. As a matter of fact it only made her curious why he did not carry a sword. She supposed it was good that he did not carry one because it meant that he considered the area around them to be safe, but there was something to be said for danger. It was all very romantic, after all.

“Oh, you couldn’t possibly be a burden, Lieutenant!” she cried, seizing his arm as if gripped by the horrible thought that he would deprecate himself so. She left her fingers delicately resting on the forearm of his fine coat, relishing the feel of the rich red fabric against her palm. “Do not say such things. Of course we are grateful that you are here, and it is really the least that we can do, in exchange for the way you protect us and keep the peace and all.” And give her something to think of during the day, and something to gossip about to her friends whenever they were around.

She smiled her brightest when he said that she was up to date with the fashion and released his arm to do a little spin for him. “I’m very glad you noticed!” she said. “I am quite flattered and impressed that you did. Men can be so dreadfully ignorant about such things, you know. And we do spend quite a lot of time making ourselves pretty to impress you, so the least thing you can do is notice, I should think.” She tilted her head and looked at him through her lashes again, blue eyes sparkling. “I make sure that I am always aware of the latest fashions; indeed, I believe I read every catalog and know more than any other girl does around here!”

She supposed she sounded silly to him, but she did not really care. She had a feeling that he might not notice it, if he had been distracted enough by her flirtatious talk about how she wanted to impress him, and her little spins, and the subtle movements of her hands and the way she had tried to draw attention to her clothing and just what it did that might impress him. Didn’t men like to hear that girls were trying to win their attentions? And if they did not, well, she hoped she had gotten his attention all the same.

Ugh. She found all this talk of books to be rather horrendously boring. But she maintained her pleasant smile in order to make it look like she was absolutely fascinated by everything that he was saying. Odd, that he could not remember the names of books. What was the point of reading something important if you could not even convince people that you were smart enough to read it because you could not remember its name? “Foreign languages!” she exclaimed, as it was the only thing that was remotely interesting to her even though she did not practice them herself. Maybe that was why they were intriguing; they were different. “Where do you get such books?” She kept her eyes on him even when he looked away and back again. “I know a little French,” she admitted, “and some Latin, and Greek – the Bible, you know – but that’s all, really. Whatever it is a young lady needs to know.”

[Chørd]

`Matthew

Matthew couldn't help but laugh lightly as she clung to his arm, insisting that he'd be no hassle at all to her family. It would be interesting to see if her father was as enthusiastic as his daughter that the British were the peacekeepers, and protecting the citizens. As far as he knew, they were at war. But then, he supposed, it depended on where their loyalties lied, didn't it?
He offered her a broad smile, clearly enjoying her faint touch. "I suppose I could, then...if you insist."

His smile remained as she twirled away from him, showing off her clothes. He had no doubt in his mind that she was out to impress, and he was also certain some of the men she had her eye on wore the same red jacket as he did. Still, of all the decent-looking young men in the market she could have chosen to have a conversation with, she'd picked him. And he was sure she had meant for him to find her 'accidentally' dropped handkerchief.
"Well as far as making an impression, you're certainly successful," he teased back. And if she wanted his attention, she'd certainly got it.

He laughed to himself again when she asked where he got foreign books from.
"Foreign countries," he replied proudly, his grin growing even wider when she explained that she spoke a few foreign languages. "Have you travelled at all?"

He glanced around at the surrounding buildings, most of them some sort of shop, warehous or official building, but a few were town houses. Matthew turned back to Peggy again, one eyebrow raised. "Where is your house, if I may ask?"
He knew they were walking out of the market, and away from camp, but he had no idea if they were heading towards her home or not, or where they were even going.
The box of clothes he was carrying was still tucked under his arm, though whilst lost in conversation he'd completely forgotten why he'd initially come into town anyway.
Well, this would be something to brag about to the other men; going for a stroll through town with a pretty young girl who seemed very intent on keeping his attention on her.

--

OOC: Blarg. Sorry it's so...meh.

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[jewel]

“Of course you can,” she cooed, smiling confidently up at him, squeezing his arm lightly before releasing it. This was a game that she dearly enjoyed playing, and he seemed to be willing to play it with her. She already liked him a great deal, and not just because he was handsome and had a red coat and was actually her age unlike some of the officers walking around here – not that an older man would have been too much of a deterrent if he had money, but she was certainly more focused on looks than on money, as any teenage girl is apt to be. “And I do insist.”

She ran her teeth over her lower lip, hoping it would have the effect of reddening it, since she could not force color into her cheeks in a flattered blush, and batted her eyelashes at him again shamelessly. “Well, I certainly hope it has been a good impression,” she said in a lower voice, as if they shared a secret just between the two of them. Her definition of a good impression did not necessarily mean an honorable one, since she had not exactly followed all of the rules of decorum and propriety, but just that he liked what he saw and perhaps even wished to see more of her. There was something to be said for modesty in that sense that it always made men want more what they could not have for the moment. It left her with a bargaining chip.

Ah, at last, something other than books! Her eyes widened as he said he’d been to foreign countries, and she shook her head sadly when he asked if she had. “No, I’ve never been anyone other than here,” she pouted, as if it were the most horrid thing in the world. “And you are the only interesting person here. And you? Where have you been? Tell me everything,” she begged, partly to flirt with him but partly out of pure interest as she leaned closer, holding his gaze eagerly.

She waved a hand dismissively. “We’ll get to it if we keep going this way,” she said, gesturing in the direction they were walking towards her house, “but we can take the next fork in the road and circle back to town, or go anywhere, really.” She did not think it would be such a horrible thing to run away with him. That is to say, she did not take into account that it would ruin her reputation and break her parents’ hearts. As a spoiled and comfortable girl, she took those sorts of things for granted, and did not have to think about them because she was never threatened with not having them.

[Chørd]

`Matthew

Well, it looked like he wouldn't be returning back to camp any time soon - not that he had a problem with that at all, especially with a young lass on his arm, smiling up at him prettily.
He had to admit, he was intrigued about how her family would react to her returning home, with a stranger clad in a red jacket at her side.

He noticed her nibbling on her bottom lip and smiled.
"It most certainly is a good impression," he replied, in the same hushed tone as her. Good, in the flirtatious, outgoing and attractive away. Perhaps if he'd been a bit more prudish he would have been a bit taken aback by her openly flirting with him. But then again, he'd seen men much older than him claiming to be 'proper gentlemen' striding around with girls at their side, guffawing over some topic or another that was probably best left to private conversation.

He frowned slightly when she said she hadn't travelled. Well that was a pity. He hadn't travelled too much himself, or at least not as much as he wanted to, but it was better than not at all.
"You should visit England some time," he grinned, though was completely serious. "I'm sure there would be no shortage of men willing to escort you around the sights."
And if he ever went back to England and found her there, he'd be one of them. He smiled to himself when she leaned a little closer to him, staring up at him.
"I went to France when I was ten," he shrugged indifferently. "Though it wasn't a particularly enjoyable visit, since it was during the Seven Years War."
He quickly changed the subject, not wanting to go into details, and smiled down at her again. "My family and I travelled to Spain once too, and of course I've visited family elsewhere in England."
He shrugged again, sighing. "And now I'm in America. Hopefully after this war is over I'll be posted somewhere exotic, like India."
He paused for a moment, staring ahead. What was to say he'd still be alive after the war anyway, other than wishful thinking? He brushed the thought away quickly, shaking his head and turning his attention back to Peggy again.

"Where are we going, anyway?" He smirked, staring in the direction where she gestured to. He wondered if her house was big. Size was a sign of wealth, right? Or at least, that's what he assumed.

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[jewel]

“Oh, I would love to,” she confessed. “I am so sick of it here. Everything is better in England. The tea…the fashion…the company,” she sighed, her gaze flickering to his and giving him a cursory glance, a smile twitching fleetingly over the corners of her mouth. She laughed musically when he said that he was sure other men would be willing to escort her. “Well, I do hope you’ll be one of them,” she murmured, “because I’m afraid I would be so struck by the sights and everything else that I would be quite taken aback and have a horrible lack of discretion.” Of course, she did not have much discretion at the moment, flirting so openly with him, but she did not think that he minded, and she wanted him to think that all of this was for his own sake.

Going on about her desire to visit England – though it was not so much for the sake of impressing the Lieutenant as it was for expounding upon her own desires that she did not often get to vent, for if he liked England so much he would not have left it and expressed his wish to travel – she continued, “If only my father would let me! I don’t know why he’s so protective. Or why he seems to like it here so much. I imagine it’s for his business, but I don’t have any part in that. And I hate it here. It’s so boring and dirty and crowded and raucous.” This was not entirely true; she had gone to many parties here and enjoyed them. But she was not the type of girl to be content with what she had; she always thought the grass would be greener on the other side.

“That all sounds so terribly exciting,” she concluded, when he talked about his other travels. India… India was particularly exotic, wasn’t it? It was a heathen place, really; positively fascinating, and a little horrifying, too, to be honest. She would not like to go there herself, but of course she did not say so. She scuffed her boot in the dirt thoughtfully, wondering if the soldiers were ever going to leave – she sort of hoped not, even though that would mean that all of the talk about war would be over. It did not seem like much had even happened so far. She wished all of it could just be forgotten about. “We’re just walking,” she answered finally, smiling up at him. “Aimlessly. Why? Did you wish to go somewhere in particular?”

[Chørd]

`Matthew

Matthew smiled at her high opinion of England. It was a nice change from hearing citizens cursing it or muttering gossip about the King and his men. There wasn't much he could do about them talking though, was there? Other than arresting them for alleged treason, but enough people had been trialled and hung for that already, and it would only give the redcoats an even worse a reputation than they already had.
"Oh I wouldn't be too sure on the company," he teased, grinning. "There's a lot of rich men with far more money than sense. Doesn't make for decent conversation."
He watched as she laughed, one eyebrow raised, then chuckled himself at her response to his comment.
"I probably shall be available to accompany you around, Miss," he nodded in agreement. "I'd like to go back to England at least once before setting off elsewhere. I've a young niece I'd rather like to meet."
Of course, there was his brother too he wouldn't mind seeing again, for the first time in what would be several years, most likely. He didn't want to mention his brothers, however, just in case she began to show an interest in them rather than him. He'd had enough potential partners stolen away by them during dances back in England, much to their smug amusement. So long as they remained anonymous, he was sure he was safe.

He waved his hand dismissively when she mentioned her father. Family always hindered plans - the simple way to be free of them was to marry off and start your own life, one they couldn't intervene in or meddle with.
"I'm sure you'll marry some dashing man who'll whisk you away to foreign lands," he smiled reassuringly. "There isn't a great deal parents can say once you have a husband. It's he who, for the most part, has a say then in what can and can't be done."
He frowned though at the mention of her father's business. Oh lord, he wasn't some politician was he? Or lawyer? "What line of work is he involved with, may I ask?"
He had to admit that, depending on where you went, America was a pretty piece of land. Where England had cities sprouting out of nowhere, the New World still had its natural beauty. And not all of it was owned, unlike the case back home. Still, like any built-up area, some of America's cities were in pretty poor condition; God-knows-what lining the street, beggars crying for food, crowds bustling everywhere.

Aimlessly walking. That sounded just about right. Pretty much everything he got up to he did without any real sense of direction or purpose, unless it was avoiding other officers or fighting - about the only two things he seemed successful at in the damn army.
"I'm fine with aimlessly walking," he finally responded, shrugging diffidently. He wanted to head back to camp, really, and drop off the box of clothes he was continuing to carry, but didn't fancy the idea leading her into a camp full of redcoats who would likely begin panting the second they laid eyes on her. And then there was the risk his damn brother would march on up, introduce himself to her, and steal her away right from under his nose.
"What do you normally do on an afternoon such as this?" He asked, deciding to change subject, head tilted to the side slightly.

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Peggy nodded thoughtfully, biting her lip, wondering a little at the bitterness that crept into his voice even though it appeared that he had been teasing. He did not like rich men… Her father was a rich man. Did that mean that he would not like him? Would he not like her if he knew that she was the daughter of a rich man? Oh well, she believed she was overthinking this; after all, it appeared that he liked her very much. And though her father had a lot of money, he did seem to have a lot of sense. (She did not really know the half of it, because in her mind, ‘sense’ meant yielding to her whims. She never appreciated how wise her father really was, or how foolish he actually was to give her anything she wanted.)

“Well, I am grateful that I can have decent conversation with you,” she replied smilingly. “And that it is done while you are accompanying me around. Perhaps you can return the favor for me if I show you around here, first. Though I wouldn’t want to insult your intelligence by assuming you don’t already know your surroundings, if you’ve been here a while.” She nodded slightly when he said that he would wish to go to England again before setting off an another adventure. If he wished to tug at her heartstrings by mentioning a niece, he succeeded; she was not particularly fond of children, but all the same, his fondness for them was sweet.

“Oh, I hope so,” she gushed when he said she would marry someone to take her away. “That sounds wonderful.” She found herself nodding along eagerly to what he was saying about parents losing their power over people once they were married. “It’s like you can read my mind,” she breathed, shaking her head a little in wonder. “I can’t wait to be married, and have everything that comes with it.” She looked up at him earnestly as she said this, eyes glittering. She was liking where this conversation was going and was disappointed when it changed direction. “He’s just a merchant,” she sighed. “But a pretty good one, I suppose, for he’s made much off his trade. I wish he were something grander, but we have a comfortable life.”

She smiled a little when he said he was alright with what they were doing. “I don’t want to bore you though,” she prodded, wanting him to say that she was not doing so and that she was the most fascinating company he’d had in a long time. (She probably was. But if she wasn’t, he should at least say so.) “I don’t normally have such pleasant company – or such handsome company,” she added in something of a singsong voice, tilting her head to match him so that she could still meet his gaze, biting her lip thoughtfully and hoping he noticed.

[Chørd]

`Matthew

Matthew smiled broadly when she offered to show him around, in return for him doing so for her if she came to England. In truth, it was easy to get lost in America's streets for him - they weren't like London or indeed Reading, where he'd grown up, and he never stayed in one place long enough to really get to know its quirks, backstreets and useful shortcuts.
"I must admit, I only know my way into town and back from camp," he answered, blushing slightly. "I haven't been here very long, so I've not had a chance to fully get to know the place."
And he probably wouldn't have the time to explore it properly anyway. He doubted they'd stay longer than a few months, especially if rebels decided to kick up elsewhere, so he'd be on the move before he would get to fully appreciate his temporary surroundings.

Her enthusiasm about getting married amused him. He had nothing against people tying the knot, so to speak, and he'd very happily gone along to his brother's wedding - even if part of his eagerness to attend was so he could make eyes at the bride. But marriage meant you couldn't openly flirt with people, and you had to take care of someone and support them both emotionally and financially. And of course, if something went wrong in your marriage, there wasn't a great deal you could do about it without bringing disgrace to your name. He had a feeling though that voicing his desire to remain a bachelor for a while longer was probably not the best idea, considering how in love with the concept of marriage Peggy seemed to be.
He smiled, partly in relief, when she said her father was a merchant. Chances were then he was neutral; if he was to remain a successful trader then chances are he would have to keep business open with Patriots, Tories and British alike.
"There's nothing wrong with being a merchant," he reassured her with a broad smile. "They make the world go round, so to speak."

He laughed lightly when she said she didn't want to bore him. In all honesty, she was the best company he'd had in a while. He didn't fit in with other officers, and the rankers gave him the cold shoulder - that left him a very narrow class of people to talk to, and most of them weren't the conversational type.
"You couldn't possibly bore me, love," he flashed her a charming smile, his cheeks reddening slightly at her words.
"I could say the same myself. I haven't had a female companion for some time," he stared at her lips as she nibbled on them lightly, and added much more slowly, "nor a companion as pretty as you."

He shook his head to clear his mind of its thoughts, frowning slightly. If he got too fond of her, he'd end up wanting to see her again, and lord knew what sort of questions that would rouse back at camp. He'd never hear the end of it, all the 'who is she?' and 'is she rich?' and 'what does she look like?' and 'what side does she support?' questions that were the immediate things comrades wanted to know when they heard you were wandering about town with a lady on your arm.
But maybe that wouldn't be so bad. Perhaps then he'd have something to talk about with others.
"If I'm to stay in town with the army for a while longer, would you consider meeting again?" He asked, shrugging his shoulders shyly. It wasn't an invitation as such, merely a querie, but she could interpret it as she liked.

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“Well, then I will have to show you around,” she smiled. “I’m afraid it’s not nearly as exciting as India or all of the other places you’ve been, but at least it’s different.” And at least you would be with me, she added, in her mind, knowing that he would probably hear it that way too. She would try to make it exciting for him, even though there was nothing much to do other than watch the grass grow, with her conversation. She smiled up at him. “Camp… I suppose that you come here to camp because there is not much at camp? Or maybe because there is too much?” She played with the skirts of her dress idly, wondering if he liked it. If not, he wouldn’t tell her. But she would have to buy a new dress before she saw him again, if he saw her again – if her father would let her. “I suppose,” she sighed, glad that he thought it was interesting even if she didn’t.

She did not know whether being married would be as exciting as she had made it sound. In fact, she was quite sure that it would not be; she only knew that it was expected for girls to do it. Of course, Peggy never really did what was expected of her. She planned on marrying rich so she could have a servant, since she certainly wasn’t going to do the cooking and cleaning and washing herself! And she had heard from a couple of her friends who were married and had loose tongues that marriage was most pleasant in certain ways. Those friends seemed less excited about marriage once they had babies, but Peggy knew a little about putting that off. In fact, she knew quite a lot of things that young girls weren’t supposed to know. It was just one of the perks of having a lot power in her social circles and having married friends.

She flushed when he called her ‘love’, and even though she knew that it was really nothing, that all British people probably called each other that, the term of endearment still thrilled her a little. She noticed that he was a little flushed too, and felt her heartbeat speeding up a little. Normally, the men she flirted with were blushing and breathless and they were putty in her hands, but he was flirting right back, and she was not entirely sure how to handle it. If she wasn’t careful, this was going to get more serious than harmless flirting. She was not sure if she would like that or not. She did not feel like she was as much in control of this situation as she had been at the beginning, and that frightened her a little. Still, she would have to find a way to make him helpless again, though it would have to require her to be a little more daring.

Not that she could get much more daring and still stay within the bounds of propriety, but she was already going a little bit beyond that, and he certainly did not seem to mind. She stopped chewing on her lip, even though she liked the look on his face and how much he seemed to be concentrating on her when she did it. Things were getting serious indeed. Did she like it? It scared her a little. But yes, she thought she did. There was not much time to take stock of her feelings now because everything was happening rather fast. But she did know that she would like to see him again, because of the way that he acted around her and because of the way that he made her feel – not like she was powerful, but like she was pretty, and even more than that, the way her heart raced. “I would consider it,” she teased, eyes flitting over him before she smiled.

[Chørd]

`Matthew

"There's only so much excitement you can handle sometimes," he shrugged. "It's nice to have a chance to get away from the buzz of every day life."
He paused, glaring ahead slightly. "Especially in the army. It's all or nothing there. You're either head over heels in commands and orders, or sat twiddling your thumbs trying to work out what do with yourself."
'Different' was always good, anyway. Nothing better to clear your mind than a change of scenery and decent company. And honestly, they could've been walking through a barren wasteland and he wouldn't have cared, providing they were still lost in their conversation.
He returned her smile when she looked up at him, and bit his lip in thought. "Well...going into town is better than sitting around bored. Besides, there's no pretty young ladies such as yourself about camp, is there?"
Ok, so perhaps he was being a bit too openly flirtatious. She didn't seem too bothered by it, but he'd probably get a clip around the earhole if his father overheard him, and probably a lecture on dignity and 'correct conduct of etiquette', too.
He watched as she fiddled with her dress, smiling to himself.
He had no doubt in his mind that she meant what she said earlier about girls making themselves pretty to catch the attention of the opposite sex; it was obvious she was dressed to impress.

Matthew couldn't help but laugh slightly when he saw her looking a little flushed from something he'd said - probably his usage of 'love'.
"My apologies," he teased lightly. "Should I not address you with pet names?"

He shrugged at her response to his question about meeting again. Well, that left the idea open, anyway. Besides, if he was to see her again - though it wouldn't be for anything serious, he was sure of it - he'd probably have to get her father's approval first. Though, something about her made him think that whether or not her father agreed, she'd probably do it anyway - or at least persuade him to change his mind.
"We'll just see how it plays out, eh?" He smiled politely at her, a group of children playing across the street temporarily catching his attention. He turned back to Peggy again, head cocked to the side slightly.
"Tell me, what's life like in the Colonies?" He asked, one eyebrow raised inquisitively. It couldn't be all that different from England, surely? It was a similar set up of society with similar people living in similar places. The appeared to make a massive fuss over little things - for instance, the bloody taxes that spurred this whole revolution - but honestly life didn't seem so bad for the citizens.
He hesitated slightly before reaching into one of his jacket's pockets and checking the pocket watch there.
"Four in the afternoon," he smiled at Peggy. "I suppose time does fly when you're having fun."

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She cocked her head as she listened to him, partly because she wanted him to think that she was interested in what he had to say, and partly because she liked the way his mouth moved when he spoke, and partly because he was taller than her and she had to look up at him when he talked. She had never really thought about army life being boring, because she had a tendency to dramatize and romanticize things and only pictured the battle part of it. She could imagine though how horrid it would be to be bored.

“Well, lucky for you, I’m here and glad to entertain you,” she purred, as if to soothe him, as he scowled slightly. It did not really worry her; in fact, his slight apparent anger only fascinated her a little, as she would have been the one to be bored if he had not had a hint of passion within him. She smiled prettily when he called her pretty. “You would have to tell me,” she replied. “Although there could be, if I was invited.” She doubted that was proper, and her father would probably kill her if he knew, but she wasn’t planning on telling him.

She met his gaze when he apologized. “Oh, I don’t mind,” she said honestly. “I think it’s sweet.” She smirked slightly, eyes glittering. “Or are you trying to flatter me for your own aims, Lieutenant?” It was almost too brash in its flirtatiousness, but they had not been proper so far. She did not know whether she could possibly make him too uncomfortable, and doubted it. If she made him uncomfortable it was probably going to be in a good way until she came to the point where he left, but she wasn’t sure if that would happen.

Her gaze flitted to the group of children across the street when she saw him looking that way, just making sure that he had not looked at another girl or something. It wasn’t as if she had any possession over him yet or anything, but she still did not tolerate attention being paid to something else when she was around; it was just rude. “That sounds agreeable,” she smiled in return, not wanting to invest any more than that if he was not going to.

She shrugged a little when he asked what life was like in the colonies. “I suppose you would know well enough, now,” she answered, considering her response. “It’s pretty boring most of the time. There are dinners and dances sometimes, but day to day life is always the same. You know, sleeping, eating, going to town to see if there’s anything to do there.” She watched him check his watch and smiled slightly. “I’m glad that you’re having fun, then.”