Vincent then looked tenderly at Mary and Rebecca, as he gingerly asked, "Neither of you like Brigit, do you?"
And because of the look in Vincent's eyes, Rebecca wanted to be honest with him. And so she was the first to confess, explaining, "Well..."
Shocked that Rebecca cracked so quickly under pressure, Mary tried to stifle her cohort, by scolding, "Rebecca!"
Pleadingly, Rebecca looked back at Mary and said, "I was just going to be honest with Vincent!"
To which Rebecca then turned back to Vincent, and continued her confession by saying, "If truth be told, well Brigit's manner seems, well it seems so forward? And, well we are trying to look out for you."
Deciding to fortify Rebecca's explanation, Mary harshly inserted, "Okay, there we said it! We admit that we don't like Brigit, and we feel she is behaving in a very flirtatious manner!"
And then Mary questioned, "Haven't you noticed the daring garments she has been wearing?"
Vincent raised a brow, and remained silent, as he didn't know how to answer this question! Of course he noticed, but in saying yes, then he would be forced to say whether he approved or not!
But luckily, Vincent's dilemma on how to answer this question was cut short, as Mary continued, "Well, I believe Brigit being here so soon after your breakup with Catherine, is just very bad timing! I mean you are so vulnerable, AND susceptible!"
Mary then widened her eyes as she added, "In fact, all you men are! I mean the compliments she so freely hands out to our male populous...makes Rebecca and I wonder what ELSE she hands out so freely!"
Mary then angrily added, "And did you see William serving her tea? Can you imagine! Never once has he doted over us so!"
And because of Brigit's wardrobe choice, Mary wondered if she should also mention how when Olivia wasn't looking, that Kanin's eye had wandered a time or two! Deciding to keep this tidbit to herself, Mary did mention though, of how nice the usually tart Winslow was being!
Rebecca then reinforced Mary's point, by jealously adding, "And what about Pascal! Pascal hasn't offered to take ME skating, not since we were kids! In fact, I never realized he would leave his pipes long enough to do ANYTHING!"
Upon hearing Rebecca's argument, Vincent had to agree, as he responded Pascal has surprised him as well!
Mary then continued with great concern, and noted, "Vincent, we as women are worried she might take advantage of you. We know what she has on her mind, we have seen how she looks at you!"
Kindly, Mary then touched Vincent's arm, and added, "And...we realize you are lonely and are missing Catherine. Believe me when I say, we are just trying to help."
Upon taking in all this information, Vincent nodded, and quietly said, "I see."
As he looked back lovingly at the two, he said, "Thank you, both of you, but I can take care of myself, I am a grown man."
With aplomb, Mary raised her brow, and with a knowing nod said, "Yes Vincent, we are very much aware of that! And that is precisely why we are concerned! We know you have...well...needs! And I believe...Brigit is willing to fulfill them!"
Aghast, Rebecca could not believe Mary had so openly spoke to Vincent like this! So with a blush to her cheeks, Rebecca apologetically added, "Vincent, if we misjudged her, we are sorry."
Humbly, Vincent tilted his head to the side, and hesitantly revealed, "Well, although I don't want you to give our guest a rough time...I can validate your suspicious assumptions."
Having her concerns confirmed, Mary haughtily said, "I knew it! She is a hussy!"
Upon seeing Mary had been arrogantly bolstered by his confirmation, Vincent tried to bring her down a peg, by saying, "Brigit just lost her Father! She is lonely, and very needy right now. This I understand, and would never take advantage of her in such a state."
In reply, Mary incredulously said, "You take advantage of HER? Vincent I believe you are the object in this titillating seduction scenario! Now Vincent, you are not blind, you HAVE to admit that you have noticed how she is dressing, in all those clinging, barely there garments!!!"
To which this time, Vincent gave in, and truthfully admitted, "Yes I have noted Brigit's method of dress Mary. But as we all know and understand, she is a Top-Sider, and they are not as conservative as we are here below."
In retaliation, Mary adjusted her shawl, and then in a braggadocios tone, told Vincent, "Well when I was a Top-Sider, I can assure you, though I had wares to flaunt, I never freely revealed any of my womanly charms..."
Upon hearing Mary's unsolicited admission, Vincent looked over at Rebecca, who was thinking the same thing, which was they knew Mary could never be anything less than ladylike, and the thought of Mary showboating her womanly charms, was definitely an image they did not want! And so Vincent, thoughtfully nodded as he answered, "I don't doubt that Mary, not for a moment!"
And so in softening her tone, Mary then explained, "It is just with Father gone, I feel we must pull together, and look out for one another."
To which Vincent, with care reminded the girls once more of Brigit's plighted situation, and in doing so, revealed how he also was feeling, by sadly stating, "We all have experienced loneliness, and how it can be a cavernous consciousness, an endless feeling of despair..."
Vincent's voice then trailed off, and they all knew he was thinking of Catherine.
In wanting to comfort him, Rebecca lovingly asked, "You are talking about Catherine aren't you..."
Mary too, in a motherly toned, added, "Without even telling us, we know Vincent..."
Answering in a soft quivering voice, Vincent conveyed to both Rebecca and Mary, as he said, "I will love her, for as long as there is a cadence within my heart...and forever there after... "
To which Mary encouragingly asked, "Do you think you should try to see her again?"
In reply, Vincent softly said, "I plan to go tonight, however...not because I expect to win her back, rather...to make sure she is well. I cannot explain it, but I feel such sadness and trepidation coming from her. I fear perhaps, the man in her life is treating her unkindly."
A usually reserved Rebecca, insistently reassured Vincent, saying, "Good Vincent...yes you must go to her...for Catherine's welfare and for your own peace of mind as well, you must find out what is wrong."
Appreciating the support from Mary and Rebecca, resignedly Vincent looked downward...and sadly replied, "I will let you know when I embark on this quest."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the Dinner bell chimed throughout the tunnels, Vincent called upon Brigit as promised, and found her at the writing table catching up on some correspondence.
And so as Vincent waited a moment, he then elegantly inquired, "Brigit, are you ready to dine?"
Energized, Brigit greeted Vincent, and said, "Aye, I am starvin'! The wee cookies n' tea William brought me a while ago, has not sustained me fer very long."
Vincent smiled to himself, as he recalled, what Mary and Rebecca had mentioned about William earlier, and thought it would appear at least where Brigit is concerned, William IS quite the host!
And it was then Brigit asked, "Oh n' Vincent, I kinny find one of me hair pins! Would ye ask Piscal to look fer it in that turbulent chamber he took me to? I'm thinkin' it got blown oot of me hair durin' that Deity-condemned tour!"
With an obliging manner, Vincent promised he would ask, and then as he extended his arm, he asked, "Shall we go?"
But before she took his arm, Brigit with a flirtatious smile, fished for a compliment, asking, "Before we join the others, am I lookin' presentable?"
And as Vincent assessed Brigit's outfit, he privately thought, "Oh my, what will Mary and Rebecca think?"
Yes indeed, Brigit was at it again, attempting and succeeding in highlighting her assets, by topping her black T_I_G_H_T stretch jeans, with a snug, deep plunging v-neck, russet brown sweater. And the footwear she chose to don, were a pair of black knee high, hi-heeled, boots, and finally...to top off her whole ensemble, she swept up her auburn crowing glory, into a French-Twist hair-style, and yes...she was quite a fetching sight to behold.
And so in a cute pouting manner, Brigit asked again, "Well Vincent...what do ye say? How do I look?"
Being ever the Gentlemen, Vincent tried not to drink in all the sights, and was just about to answer, when he wondered if, for the sake of the tunnel women, he should suggest a more conservative sweater. But, not wanting to hurt Brigit's feelings, he chose to simply tell her, she looked lovely...
Oh my, yes Vincent did know Mary and Rebecca will not approve, and wondered what their reaction will be!
So extending his guiding arm once more, Brigit feeling so happy to be with Vincent again, beamed as she accepted it!
So..upon entering the Dining Hall, all eyes turned toward them. And as Vincent suspected, both Mary and Rebecca looked aghast, and he saw them whispering to each other.
If only they could understand, that although Vincent was lonely and broken hearted, he was not susceptible to any of Brigit's charms. His heart was Catherine's, and to her alone.
Still because of his true fondness for Brigit, a person he had admired for so long, Vincent couldn't help but feel flattered.
The fact she could view him in a romantic way, made him feel like a normal man. But now...after all of Brigit's unrequited offers of affection, Vincent knew...he had fought and won.
So, proudly because he did resist Brigit's advances, Vincent, as a true gentlemen, escorted Brigit, his friend, to her seat.
Upon seeing their arrival, Pascal rushed over to sit by Brigit, as he was anxious to ask her if she decided to go skating. And so hopefully, Pascal asked, "Are we on for skating?"
As she bit her lip in ponderous, Brigit replied, "Aye, well Piscal, I' not sure I'm up fer the cold tonight..."
Upon getting the hint that Brigit doesn't want to go skating alone with Pascal, Vincent suggested, "If not skating, perhaps a tour of the Whispering Gallery."
And because Brigit liked the sound of this intriguing place, she fell right in, saying, "Aye! I must see this place called the Whisperin' Gallery! Please take me there Vincent!"
To which Pascal answered zealously, "Great idea! I'm in! I have coverage on the pipes tonight, so I am FREE as a bird."
Upon hearing Pascal was going as well, Brigit was disappointed she would not have Vincent to herself! And with frustration thought, "Oh Great!"
And although she was thinking one thing, what she said aloud was in a different tone! And so she sweetly smiled at Pascal, as she happily replied, "OH Great!"
And then Brigit thought of her hair pin, and so she asked, "Vincent...weren't ye goin' to mention aboot me losin' me hair pin to Piscal?"
Recalling that he would, Vincent then turned to Pascal, and asked, "Brigit believes she lost one of her hair pins during the tour you gave her at the Chamber of the Winds...if you would be so kind to check there for it..."
To which Pascal said, "Sure thing! If it's there, I will find it."
Well...once again William pulled out the stops! In honor of Brigit's heritage, he served a hearty Irish Stew along with some buttermilk biscuits. Yes, and Dear William did not disappoint in the dessert department, as he served a delightful Pumpkin Roll dessert, along with a bottomless cup of piping hot Tea...for Brigit that is!
And so the dinner hour was filled with more delightful stories by Brigit, and probing questions from the testosterone laden tunnel population!
And since Mary and Rebecca shared their concerns with Vincent, his radar too had been piqued, and he began to hone in on everyone's attitude toward Brigit.
Yes, seeing how the females of the tunnels had formed their own group away from Brigit's aura of admirerers...he felt a bit badly and responsible that they felt their standing to be a overshadowed, and compromised by this vivacious top-sider friend of his.
So Vincent decided to personally occupy her time as much as possible, so she was not threatening in any way to the women.
And luckily, for tonight, they did have plans. So after they had eaten, Vincent, Brigit and Pascal made their way through the tunnels, to the Whispering Gallery.
To which Pascal cautioned, "Now this place is not for the faint of heart Brigit! It can be kinda scary."
In concurrence, Vincent added, "It is cavernous, however since you weathered the Chamber of the Falls so well, I daresn't think it will be an issue."
So upon entering, the three of them gingerly walked out onto the bridge, and sat down.
Brigit loved it there, and as they listened to the conversations from above, Vincent explained how he loved to come there as a boy, and listen to those living a life above him.
Pascal added a an anecdote or two as well, and the three of them, even Brigit enjoyed her time there.
And after a considerable time, Vincent sensed it was time...and he was anxious to go above to check on Catherine. And so he asked, "I have an errand, are you both going to stay longer, or..."
To which Brigit quickly inserted, "If ye both dinny mind, I'll go back with ye Vincent. I'm a wantin' to finish some writin' I started befer ye escorted me to dinner, and truth be told, I am a wee bit tired as well."
And because Pascal was disappointed Brigit didn't want to stay, he downheartedly said, "I think I will stay a while...it's a great place to think about things."
Vincent in an understanding tone, said, "Of course Pascal."
So as Vincent escorted Brigit to the guest chamber, he said, "Enjoy your rest Brigit."
With a tip of her head, Brigit teasingly responded, "Not all that tired...be thinkin' I am in need if some type of physical exertion!"
And because Vincent wasn't sure what Brigit meant by her comment, suggested, "Perhaps you would like to join Mary's yoga class later..."
To which Brigit questioned, "Yer pullin' me leg...Mary teaches yoga?"
With an affirmative nod, Vincent replied, "Oh yes, Mary tries to stay current, and is really quite limber and agile..."
Upon hearing too much about Mary, Brigit amorously declared, "I guess I'll spell it out fer ye, I dinny give a hoot aboot how limber Mary is, I wanna know how limber ye are!"
In stern reply, Vincent once more informed her, "I thought you understood the state of my heart! I cannot indulge in any libidinous ventures."
Upon hearing his reply, Brigit shook her head, and smiled as she expounded, "Argh...Yer imposable Vincent Wells!
To which Vincent humbly answered, "I will check on you after my errand."
And so as Vincent retreated to his chamber for his cloak, he readied himself to call on Catherine.
So it was then, Vincent honed in on the emotions emanating from Catherine now, thinking they were even more staggering, and more powerful than before.
Yes, he could not travel fast enough, to check on sweet Catherine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And so as he entered Catherine's balcony, he found that once again, the apartment was darkened.
Feeling quite confused by this, because he could feel her emotions so strongly! These emotions were so intense and focused, that he was sure her heart was speaking to his. Yes, he was so certain of it! It was as if she were nearby, but he couldn't reach her.
And so as he traveled back to the tunnels, it started to snow, lightly at first, and this brought a bitter sweet joy to Vincent, as he thought back on the last time it snowed...
So as Vincent walked back through the tunnels, he needed time to think and try to sort out these feelings from Catherine, and so alone, he went to the Hot Springs Chamber to focus on this bond between them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, with their plane in flight, Catherine and Jacob settled into their seats...contented to know they should be home in the very early evening.
The two chatted away during the flight discussing so many things, but what interested Catherine, were the stories about Vincent's young life, as she wanted to know what kind of a boy he was.
With a melancholy, Jacob reminisced, telling Catherine, "Ahh...well Vincent was a sweet, sensitive boy, and was also very thoughtful and quite naturally kind. And his intelligence...was OFF the charts!"
With a smile in his eyes, Jacob continued, "Vincent's ability to learn, and retain was remarkable. He had a subtle sense of humor, that when it did surface, it tickled everyone all the more, because of the infrequency of it."
In conclusion Jacob looked back at Catherine and with misted eyes, told her, "...he was a delightful son, and has been a true gift in this life of mine..."
Touched by Jacob's warmth when talking about Vincent, Catherine replied, "It is clear how much you love him...and of course...I already knew how much he loved you...he spoke about you the night we met...and we toasted to the fact we both were blessed, to have such great Fathers."
With an appreciative nod, Jacob sat silent, grateful Catherine shared this with him.
Starting to feel anxious about clearing things up with Vincent, she too fell silent. And as she looked out the window, she prayed all was not lost for them.
Looking over, Jacob sensed her trepidation growing, and so he lightened the conversation a bit, asking Catherine how she will like being a pet owner.
Upon hearing Jacob's voice, Catherine was summoned from her private thoughts, and so she smiled, and honestly shared, "I won't lie Jacob, it will be an adjustment. I suppose time will tell if Noodles will like city life, but I love him so much, I will do my best to make it work. I hope he is doing all right back there alone."
To which Jacob assuredly said, "I believe they would let you know if he wasn't."
Catherine then asked, "Are there any pets in the tunnels?"
To which Jacob chuckled as he replied, "Perhaps some we are not aware of..." Privately Jacob was referring to the unseen rats and such, but then he warmly mentioned, "But there is Arthur, a pet Raccoon, who is owned by Mouse."
Thinking this sounded peculiar, Catherine asked, "A mouse owns a Raccoon?"
With a hearty laugh, Jacob explained, "I see I should have explained out of the gate my Dear, you see one of our residents name is Mouse...although he is responsible for a gray hair or two in my noggin, I must say he is delightful. In fact it was Vincent who rescued him from the city streets...and he looks up to Vincent more than he does anyone else...quite a friendship is there."
In wanting to hear more about the tunnels, and what life was like in this world he developed, Catherine asked, "Tell me more Jacob, tell me about the people and about how you live..."
With a sigh, Jacob settled in deeper into his seat, and began to tell Catherine stories of how in the tunnels, their underground society evolved into one of comaradarie...where all the people help one another.
And then Jacob spoke about the children, and of how the children rounded out their community. They came there so needy for affection, and for loving attention, and with the love and support they receive from everyone there, it was thrilling to watch each one blossom, and gain strength in their own way.
Thoughtfully Jacob then added, "And Vincent is able to reach out to the children in ways no one else can."