Below is just an unmarked chapter from later in the story.

Katherine felt so tired looking in the mirror, tired of all the charades, and tired of thinking of them all hours of the darkness. She leaned, her forehead nearly pressing to the glassy surface, lost in thought. As her mind tumbled over random ideas and they slowly came to Elyse. After a few moments she broke thought and wondered why her consciousness had turned so, finally her mind cleared enough for her to hear the clicking of horse’s hooves in the drive followed by heavy footsteps in the hall, she quickly furrowed her brow in curiosity. "Katherine, there is someone to see you" Adam said blandly while tapping on the locked door. Her lips moved to his words mordantly has he’d spoke. She laughed desperately at the silly mimic in the mirror and his odd predictability, hoping it would please her enough to look well for whom ever it was that had an unexpected tryst with her.

In excitement of greeting the guest she stood up at such and angel her dress would not allow, causing her to stumble over the chair slightly in her unbalancedness. “What have you and your clumsiness broken now?” A teasing voice garbled, the footsteps echoed faintly in tune, her blue eyes narrowed “Pity,” she thought smiling “he’s too far away to have an object flung at him.” Like a child about the be scolded at, she studied the floor on her way to the stair peak, and subconsciencely made herself busy tidying her dress front at its top. “Kitty!” a familiar voice jumped out of dead silence in the foyer. She turned and lifted her head quickly in time to catch a glance of whom it had sprung from, hands still fumbling with a button. She examined the vivacious green eyes first and her heart leapt at the realization of who it was. She made a silent toneless hello, and look of happiness spread across her face but still she remained planted at the stair top behind the pale rails.

“Well?” Elise said keenly while an onyx curl escaped the shelter of her robe top. “Are you going to grace us with your presence, or stare as if we were dancing ghouls in a graveyard?” “Of course” Katherine replied rather matter of factly, brushing off her lethargy. Elise removed her cream colored robe once warmed in the comfort of the house. To Adams dismay the servant took her robe to be hung before he could ask. Katherine smiled at seeing his facial expressions and glanced to see if Elise had taken any notice of his actions as well. She hadn’t, being preoccupied in handling the robe. It made Katherine smile even more to see that it was clearly going to be entertaining to watch him watch her today.

She sighed inwardly “My dear sweet Adam, if only you weren’t so naďve,” she laughed silently “Not to mention stupid.” Her stomach flipped suddenly as she stumbled on the stairs, not paying attention in her amusement. Everyone looked up to see what the commotion was, but lucky she had regained some composure, enough to make it down the stairs with out falling on someone at their foot at least. “What?” She enquired as she fiddled with her hair and continued walking as if nothing had happened. Adam gave one of his childish grins and a snicker; she had half the mind to stab him with the hair clip she was replacing out of embarrassment. Elise smiled at Katherine’s quick and amusing recovery as well and followed her in to the well-furnished parlor room, not too determined on getting a topic started.

“So how have you been, it been years since I’ve seen you, It is so very nice to see your well and everything seems to be in order.” Adam began after the silence had grown to long “Yes it is a glad day, how is it you have come to us with your preoccupancy at school?” Katherine said her happiness bogged by curiosity. Elise in drew breath and gave Katherine an odd look but was interrupted by Adam before a moment’d past. “Katherine, for heavens sake what horrid manners!” Adam said trying and rather more so failing to assert his authority. But his face changed as he directed his speech towards Elise again “We are very glad to see your warm cheery face no matter what time or preoccupation you may hold.” “Thank you Adam, you are so sweet to say such things, and Kitty I’m so glad to see you as well.” She said calmly while lifting a warm teacup from its patterned saucer. Adam smiled and fiddled with the chair frills. Katherine’s eyes narrowed as she watched his boyish idiocy over her teacup rim while she sipped from it. She desperately wanted to chase him away with the fireplace poker; it would be difficult to talk about anything serous while he was stupidly flirting about like a lovesick pigeon.

Quickly ruling the fireplace option out she decided instead to change the topic to something that he would soon loose interest in. “This will be easy.” she thought swallowing the bitter tea. “Oh, Elise I must say that is the most wonderful dress pattern I’ve seen in years!” she said over enthuasticaly. Elise immediately caught on to Katherine’s little plot and replied with equal enthuasm “Oh, this old thing, it really nothing.” “Oh you needent be so modest, darling” Katherine said as over the top as possible. “Really, just altercations on the sleeves and shoulders, Kitty. The latest fashion from Paris, you know.” Elise played along. They both took sips of their tea and peered simultaneouslyat Adam to find him leaning over the chair back staring dreamily at the flower vase on the coffee table. Katherine stifled a yawn and decided the plan was backfiring rapidly.

“Adam, don’t stare, its horrid manners.” She said mocking his snide little statement earlier only to get a lifeless response out of him. “Huh” he breathed still looking at the vase. “Oh, I was just,” he stuttered, his mind back on earth. “I was distracted by the lovely,” he paused “flowers.” “And I’m the elf queen of the little forest gnomes.” Katherine thought sarcastically, annoyed by his obvious lying. “Yes, well its impolite to ignore a guests conversations, Adam.” “Oh no really its alright.” Elise said setting the teacup down and standing up from the forest green couch, “I really must be going anyway.” This brought Adam to realization quickly. “Must you when will you be back to visit, I can’t imagine…” he rambled on “Adam, don’t badger her you can talk to her when she is not so short on time.” Katherine said trying to get him to quit harping about.

“Oh, yes,” she said turning in the doorway. “Could you be a darling and go get some firewood, we need more in this room.” She said with a smile knowing he’d cringe at the term of endearment. “Yes, I was thinking the same thing.” He said surprising her for once, and went off on his way to complete her request leaving her and Elise at the front door alone with the exception of the butler. However they didn’t take advantage of Adams absence. Instead they exchanged knowing glances, gossiped a little, and said their lifeless goodbyes. Before she knew it she was watching the creamy robe traveling across the gravel like soft winters snow. She remained in the doorway, arms folded and pressed angst her tightly for the mild Autumn breeze and watched the carriage advance away until it became small enough in the distance to fit into the palm of ones hand, and slowly began to regret her earlier loss for words.