They stood for a little while in an embarrassed silence, waiting for the other to speak first.
At length, Eloise did.
“Well,” advancing a little into the room and setting her bags down onto the central table, she pulled out a chair only to lean on the back of it.  “Having a bit of a conflict with a certain someone,” she said casting her eyes upwards, “I didn’t figure you for the religious type, but it’s good to know that there’s other folk about that believe.  Although from that outburst, maybe there’s some question as to how strong your faith currently is?”
Jessica opened her mouth to tell her… what?  That it wasn’t exactly God that she had been shouting at.
Summoning a smile, she started to absently finger the back of the closest chair, “I’m just going through a lot at the moment, and I would just a appreciate a little, I don’t know, acknowledgement or something, something that just lets me know I’m doing the right thing, that I’m on the right path.”  Shaking her head she sighed, “But all I feel is abandoned.”
Eloise lowered her eyebrow finally, seemingly giving her the benefit of the doubt, “I can understand that.”
She went about putting away what she had been carrying in the bags and Jessica went back to scrubbing the oven.
After another half an hour, Jessica’s job was done.
She had allowed herself to chat idly to Eloise as they busied themselves about their tasks.  Eloise, feeling positive about Jessica’s new found friendliness, ventured to ask her about her youth, having herself grown up in a country torn apart by the war.
She was surprised to hear Jessica’s stories of her Stand supporter friends, her previous conviction having been that the one country that avoided all of the death and destruction had formed a utopic society in which everyone was happy and healthy and friendly towards one another.  A part of her had known that it couldn’t possibly have been like this, but she wanted to believe that it was possible, and with Mr Jacobs’ lack of communication about that time in his life, her mind had been relatively well made up.
However, she masked her disappointment well and when Jessica had finished her task and had used the coms to ask Jennifer if the library were empty, Eloise felt as though she had made some real progress with the previously shut off woman.  In her mind it probably had something to do with the outburst she had been witness to.
Realising that this must be the case, Eloise made sure to say to her, as she was headed to the door, lunch in hand, “I wouldn’t worry about what you were saying earlier, I’m sure you’ll hear from him again before too long.”
For a moment, Jessica couldn’t quite work out what she was referring to.  When it did dawn on her, she flashed her a grim smile and replied, “I’m certain that with the way my luck is going that I will.”
Jennifer met her in the library.  “I’m concerned, Jess.”
Jessica looked up, trying to compose four separate messages at once was proving easier than doing it one at a time but it was giving her a headache.  A headache that, from the look on the head of house’s face, that was about to become infinitely worse.  “What is it?”
Running a hand across her forehead, Jennifer sat herself in a nearby chair that gave her a good view of the young woman’s reactions.
“What happened to your hand?”
Glancing at it as though she had forgotten it, she explained, “I was under the table when I signalled you earlier, he had been trying to push a chair into place, the foot of which became imbedded in my hand.”  She held it up as though in evidence.
“I see.”
Jennifer’s gaze had drifted and looked as though she were contemplating something.
Taking the initiative, Jessica spoke up, “That’s not what you were concerned about though, was it?” she asked tentatively.
Jennifer breathed in a deep sigh and brought her eyes to focus on Jessica’s face, “No, you’re right.”
She swallowed noticeably, “Jess, what I am about to divulge to you is not about your position here, or the situation that we have found ourselves in.  Rather, it is about my concern for Mr Jacobs, for David, and as you are the only one who understands what is happening and has singular personal involvement that I would like to talk to you about them.”
Impatient to hear what David had said but also touched that she was able to confide in her, she told Jennifer, “Of course, you can feel free to voice any of your concerns to me.”
Jennifer allowed a brief smile to onto her lips.  “I’m worried about David ,and I know that by telling you what he said, you may become worried yourself, but I get the sense that you would rather hear and judge for yourself.”
With a nod, she continued, “When I spoke to him earlier, he told me that, due to certain complications, the woman that he had asked for, had unfortunately had to decline him, and although in the future, the opportunity may possibly re-present itself, for the present there will be no bride entering the home.”
Jessica couldn’t help feeling confused, “is there something terribly wrong with that?  Essentially, he did tell you the truth.”
Jennifer shook her head, “Yes, but the essentiality of what the truth is, is just too basic.  He didn’t tell me anything that wasn’t essential, and that’s what worries me.  He’s not his normal open, outgoing self, he usually tells me everything.  What happened on that ship seems to have really thrown him.”
“I see.”  Jessica leaned her head on her uninjured hand and thought for a few moments.
“Judging from the relationship that you two share,” she said eventually, “I expect that he is worried about upsetting you.  He has probably got enough on his mind without having to worry about you worrying about him.” 
Jennifer considered this for a while, forcing them both into silence.
Jessica considered the situation.  Now that she knew what he had said, she wasn’t feeling much better.
Aside from anything else she had hoped to find out what had happened to Anthony and Aurora, however is he hadn’t even mentioned them to Jennifer, she could hardly expect her to ask him.
It didn’t stop her from wishing though.

The day dragged on ahead of her.  Somehow though, Jessica managed to keep her chin up and get on with the numerous tasks that she had been set.  Many things plagued her thoughts throughout the afternoon, not least the messages that she had sent after Jennifer had left her to her thoughts having come to no conclusion, at least out loud, to David’s behaviour.
The messages had been sent from an online mail account, set up at the time with the user name ‘air-chall_bea-uasal’, meaning lost lady.  Doing it from this account she would hopefully be untraceable.
She had said in each message that the account would only be definitely accessible for the next two weeks, which should open a few communications with each person.
A response from all but Anthony, given his temperament when she had last seen him, were probably forthcoming.  If he was sticking to his rancour, then he would not cave any time soon.  It would take a lot of reassurance and grovelling for him to forgive her, let alone talk to her again.
She made her mind up to send him another, slightly more sensitive message once she had received one or two responses from the others.
As it was, she was beginning to feel quiet lonely.  Jennifer had informed her that David had agreed that it was best if he didn’t interact with the temporary household member and that he intended to eat his meal with the others.
As a result, Jessica had spent the hour in her room, alone with her food and her thoughts.
She had gone to write in her diary only to discover that it was missing.
Damn, she must have left it in the bedroom upstairs.
Waiting until well past midnight, Jessica stole up the grand staircase and into the room where she hoped to find it.
The room was dark and there was a definite chill in the air.  Shivering she tightened her wrap shoulders.
Having previously kept the book on the bedside table it was the first place that she checked, it was, however, bare.
A momentary panic swept over her.  Had he found it?
Hurrying closer to the table she breathed a sigh of relief, it had simply fallen down into the space beside the bed.
Crouching down to pick it up, she froze.
The door that lead to the next room had shifted audibly as someone was leant against it.  Then came the sound of whoever had leant there, sliding to the floor.
Grabbing the book and clasping it to her chest, she slowly rose to her feet, sensing that if she moved too fast she would make a noise enough to alert him to her presence.
Tip-toeing back through the room, she stopped only when she heard his voice.
He was speaking softly, no discernable words made it past the door to the reach of her ears.
Moving as quickly and quietly as she could, Jessica made her way to the door frame, kneeling so she were nearer the bottom gap.
“… there’s nothing more that I would ask for.” David murmured.

Sleeplessness had gotten the better of David and the only thing that could break through the rioting, stampedes of chaos that were his thoughts, was what was on the other side of the second door from his bedroom.
Or more specifically, who should have been in those rooms.
He wanted to see them, those rooms that should have been hers.  He wanted to see how they looked, if they were even good enough for her, if they suited her.
He wasn’t surprised to find that the space was exactly what he had designed for her.  Jennifer had done a good job as always.  Although most of the actual work must have been done by the girl she had hired to be Jessica’s hand maid or chamber maid or whatever it was that the girl would have been.
It didn’t matter anymore.
She would be gone in a fortnight and he would probably never even see her.  “Out of sight, out of mind,” as Jennifer had said, “it’ll be one less thing to worry about.”
He had agreed, seeing the girl would only remind him that Jessica was elsewhere.
Another wave of sadness hit him, after spending the day wandering the grounds, trying to avoid the onset of such waves, he was effortlessly drowned by this one.
He wavered as he walked and rather than taking him back to his room, his feet lead him into the drawing room, where he found himself slumped against a door, sliding to the floor.
Sensing a presence he said out loud, “If only she would come and be with me, there’s nothing more that I would ask for.”