InWhichTheDukeIsFoundAndLostAndMadelineIsLiedTo

From IMiA

She sees Deirdre leave an area. Phillip's voice seemed to come from that general area.

She heads there. (needs husband.)

Juliana arrives shortly after Deirdre's departure.

Madeline is bruised and battered and bandaged. An IV is attached to her left arm. She has her eyes closed.

Phillip appears to be refilling Madeline's glass of water from a pitcher on the table.

Juliana waits quietly for him to finish. She doesn't believe for a second he doesn't know she's there, so she's not worried about surprising him. She also doesn't want to wake up Madeline, if she's asleep.

Phillip sets Madeline's glass on the table. "I don't believe she is asleep yet, if you would care to say hello," Phillip says without ever needing to look to see who is in the entryway.

Juliana steps quietly, still, up to the side of the bed, and into a position where she can grab Phillip's hand and squeeze. The differences between Madeline's and Genvieve's injuries are massive. She fights back tears again, and says in a rather strained voice, "I just wanted to check in on you, Lady Madeline. You should just continue to rest. I'll be back in the morning, I think."

Madeline opens her eyes. "Thank you, your Grace." She frowns slightly, taking in the look on Juliana's face. "Has something happened to one of the others?"

Juliana will gently lay her hand on Madeline, somewhere uninjured. "Nothing has changed, so far as I know. I just hate to find any of you here, like this." Juliana swallows. It is pretty obvious she's been crying. She forces a smile. "You really should rest. You know that once the Bayles get word the three of you are up here, it will be like the palace is under seige. You'll need your strength." By the end of this recitation, she's smiling more naturally. She feels some warm affection for clan Bayle.

She looks up at Phillip, almost like she's taking his measure, and then looks back at Madeline, smile fading.

Madeline raises an eyebrow, starting to wonder what's really going on here. "Your pardon, your Grace, but I feel as though I am missing something. Has there been some new development?"

Juliana sighs, "Can we drop the formalities? Anytime you're trussed up in the palace hospital, please call me Juliana. And honestly, I don't know what happened to begin with. This is what I have. You were in Wesson's. Something happened. Now you're all injured and here. It seemed rather cruel, to my mind, for me to ask you to explain what happened to me, when you've likely repeated it..." she gets a calculating glint in her eye, "two or three times now. I can wait. Or I don't *have* to know."

She smiles, and again, it's a real one. "But Madeline, trying to interpret a look passing between two diplomats who have been working together for a quarter of a millenia probably isn't wise, given your state. When I got up here I got a very vague briefing. When we got to the hospital itself, Prince Gerard said nothing had changed."

Madeline smiles, ever so slightly. "My apologies then. When the sight of me causes the smile to flee from someone's face, I tend to assume that either they have bad news to import, or I look quite dreadful indeed. Based on what I have heard about the condition of...some of the others, I keep expecting wake to find someone standing over the bed who won't quite meet my eyes, with the news that someone has taken a turn for the worse."

Juliana nods, looking much more sober and unhappy again. (She hasn't let go of Phillip's hand, unless he's tried to escape her.) "That's not impossible, but we'll keep praying, and hope that the best services in Amber are enough. I'm sorry if I frightened you. I want to smile, because that's my job." She smiles. It's a I'm-trying-very-hard smile. "I'm angry about what happened to you, and frankly, it scares the hell out of me. It hasn't all settled in enough to keep me from slipping out of the happy-visitor-cheering-up-the-patients-mode I'm supposed to be in. Maybe after I rest some, I'll be able to keep up appearances better."

That may be the most sparkling with honesty thing she's said so far.

Phillip squeezes Juliana's hand. "It might be best were we to leave Madeline to her rest."

"I am afraid I probably am not the best company at the moment," Madeline admits. "But I do appreciate the visit. It was very kind of you."

"I'll try to be back up in the morning. Is there anything you want me to bring for you?" Juliana asks.

"Just whatever news you might have. I suspect the medical staff will not be especially forthcoming in that regard."

Juliana smiles. "I suspect before too long the medical staff and I are going to have a love/hate relationship. Especially if I can get some of O'Donovan's bar buddies up here singing. Rest well, Madeline."

Juliana will lead Phillip out, if he has no last words. [She'll wait, of course, if he does. Even 'unhand' him if he is going to do his charming thing.]

"Goodnight again, Madeline," Phillip says.

"Goodnight," Madeline responds, tiredly closing her eyes again once they start to leave.

"O'Donovan's bar buddies will not be allowed into the palace. They will never know O'Donovan was here," Phillip says to Juliana after they leave Madeline's bedside. "It is possible that even the victims' families will not be notified. The incident at Wesson's Pub is being considered a secret of the Crown." He looks at her and adds, "I'm sorry."

She looks at him, just... overwhelmed. "Phillip, this is insane," she whispers. She pulls him very close and whispers even more quietly this next. "Did you see Genvieve? I don't know..." she trails off, unable to finish saying _if she's going to make it_. "Dane, too," she adds, and shakes her head. She's trying not to cry again.

"That is why the incident is cloaked with secrecy," Phillip replies. "It would be best were the public to never know such a thing occurred. By tomorrow you will hear that a particularly obnoxious Carnival prank has closed Wesson's Pub and that the pub will remain closed until it has been cleaned."

She nods. "Fine. Ugh. So much for bar buddies." She shrugs and tries very hard to smile again. Her face hurts. She stops.

"I haven't seen Cassandra Chantris yet. I should do that. And she won't care if I smile or not. Will you take me to her?"

"Absolutely."

Phillip escorts Juliana to Cassandra's 'room.' As they arrive, Deirdre is just leaving.

"Got tired of dealing with Eric, eh? I don't blame you. He can be such a pain." She smiles happily at Juliana. "I take it you will be visiting the Major now? May I once again be terribly presumptuous and borrow your husband while you visit?"

Juliana looks only slightly suspicious. "Just don't wear him out too much, okay?" Juliana says. Then she looks a little more suspicious,and looks at Phillip, and looks at Dierdre, and looks annoyed. And then she says, with nasty little mean jealous wife smile on her face, "Don't make me have to come up here and pick a fight with you. I'd hate to get my ass kicked that way." _Keep your hands off my husband._

(Okay, don't know where that came from either, but yeah, she's really quite suddenly feeling rather possessive.)

Deirdre smiles. "I'm certain he'll find our time together tedious at best."

Juliana snorts at this, but gives a little half nod. She's said it. Let it hang there.

Phillip squeezes Juliana's hand then walks away with Deirdre.

-- Main.LizTrumitch - 21 Aug 2004