Elaine dropped the line of questioning and ordered the three of them to their feet.<br/><br/>“Come now, you are all with me. Please hold hands and walk together. That way if you please,” she explained in a firm tone as she pointed towards where Katherine was off speaking to the Gardiner, a young man named Simon.<br/><br/>Elaine realized that she had no authority to tell Rebecca or David what to do. However, she was sincerely trying to help them both by getting them out of the line of fire of the Duchess. If Her Grace did not already know what was going on with her children’s mischief, then she certainly would find out quickly if they stayed in the hall. Elaine’s plan was to give all three of them a stern talking-to with the help of Katherine, as the younger siblings would hopefully heed the older one.<br/><br/>Beyond the noise and activity of the great hall Katherine found herself alone with the young man. After making sure no one could see them he reached down and impetuously took her hand. Before she could argue he led her away towards a spiral stair nearby while holding one finger to his lips. Silently he led her to the darkened gallery above for a little privacy.<br/><br/>“I know – I know… I shouldn’t have come – but I couldn’t be away from you for one more moment. There is so much bustle here that I thought I could sneak in through the servant’s entrance. See? And I was right. We have this whole gallery to ourselves.” The noise below drowned out his whispering, giving them at least a momentary sense of privacy.<br/><br/>“Oh, and here,” he said as he withdrew a freshly cut red rose from his coat pocket. He used a pin to attach it to her dress if she would let him. “I cut this from the Duchess’s gardens. It was too beautiful to leave there – it belongs with you, the most beautiful woman here.”<br/><br/>Once the flower had been given Simon then took hold of both of her hands, his rough fingers holding hers gently in the dark. Smiling warmly, he slowly inched his face closer to hers in hopes of securing an innocent kiss from the woman he loved with all of this young heart. His eyes flashed in the distant candlelight with an expression of hopeful expectation tinged with the futility of their all-but impossible situation.<br/><br/>Back at the party Ewan made the rounds of the hall seemingly oblivious to the location of this son. Truth be told, though, he was keeping an eye on Elaine as he made the progression. He found it odd when she marched three children out of the ball, hand-in-hand. He would need to investigate at some point, he thought to himself.