Silent Intrigue

Visitors

Sophia was quite pleased when she woke up.  She had dozed in the post coital bliss for a while before her natural rhythms woke her and reminded her that she was a creature of the night.  She turned in Silence's arms and smiled at the look on his face, content even in sleep.

She carefully extracted herself from his arms and got dressed, thinking about the list of things to accomplish this evening. Sounds of Silence waking pulled her attention back to her bed as she finished dressing and she moved over to press a kiss against his forehead. His eyes opened and he turned into her, pressing his lips to hers before waking enough to realize she was getting up.

He started to roll out of bed but she pushed him back. "Sleep, my love. I'm just going to be doing paperwork." She smiled when he considered, looking torn between following her and staying in the warm comfort of her bed. He huffed and finally continued getting out of bed.

'I'll stay up for a couple more hours. Then come back here for sleep.'

She smiled and waited patiently as he got dressed, then led him back to her office. She was interrupted when her butler found her, calling for her attention. "My Lady, there is a man asking for shelter from the storm for his wife and children while he gets a carriage wheel fixed. What shall I tell him?"

Sophia quickly redirected towards the parlor instead. "Have the wife and her little ones brought to the parlor. Tell the kitchen to bring tea and biscuits. And have a couple of the young men from the stable go and help with the wheel."

He nodded and hurried away to carry out her orders. Sophia moved into the parlor and had Silence build the fire up a little more while she instructed a maid to bring some towels. By the time the woman and her three children were brought to the parlor, it was warm and inviting.

"Thank you so much, My Lady. I told Jacob that wheel wouldn't last all the way to the city but he wouldn't listen."

Sophia smiled. "Don't mention it dear. Happy to help. Especially where hard-headed men are concerned." She placed a hand on the womans shoulder as she eyed the infant in the young womans arms. "Call me Sophia dear. And you and your little darlings?"

"Isabelle." She smiled down at the infant. "This is little Bridgette. My eldest daughter is Elise, and my son is Frederick."

Sophia smiled at the two children hiding behind their mother. "Hello children. I am Miss Sophia." She gestured over her shoulder to where Silence was hovering. "And this is Silence."

Introductions were cut short with the arrival of towels and tea so they took a few minutes to get dry and settled. Sophia and Isabelle sat down on a couch to talk while Silence produced some toys that Sophia hadn't even remembered owning until she saw them again.

Sophia easily relaxed into the visit, enjoying Isabelle's fresh point of view and clever wit. Their discussion of the strange hobbies of men was interrupted when Elise came over to tug at her mothers skirt.

"Mama. The man won't talk to me. He just keeps waving his hands at me."

Sophia chuckled, drawing the attention of both mother and daughter. "I'm sorry dear. Silence is deaf. He can't hear anything. Since he can't hear, he talks with his hands. Here, try this." She carefully showed Elise how to sign, 'I am called', and then added a sign to identify herself with. Elise paid careful attention, then scampered back to Silence.

"If he can't hear, how did he learn?"

Sophia smiled as she watched Elise sign to Silence, and the way Silence lit up in excitement. "He's a very clever young man. He's taught me as much as I've taught him." Sophia watched Silence carefully sign back to Elise, introducing himself. Frederick was watching the exchange with interest, his toy soldiers almost forgotten.