<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Ashburne - Amberthorne</strong><br/><br/><div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/0/05/Graham_Ellery_1.jpg)<div align="center"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: georgia;"><strong>Graham Ellery</strong></span></div></div><div class="floatleft">(http://)</div>Both Stanton and Graham listened closely to what she had to say. Her situation was a precarious one, to say the least. What evidence she could bring to the table might exonerate her family and incriminate her enemies instantly, but they were largely unintelligible. Even if they could be deciphered, maybe their validity would be put into question? If they managed to make sense of them, they would need to document exactly how they did so, so that it could be reproduced. Graham's eyes glanced often from her back to Stanton, as if he was checking up on something in between every block of speech from the young woman. The elderly steward met that gaze each time, with an inaudible conversation going on between them. In truth, Graham trusted Stanton's abilities to tell truth from lies. Ever since he - and Asher for that matter - were children, the man could recognize dishonesty from a mile away. It was a useful little trait, to say the least. Beyond that though, Stanton was likely somewhat more familiar with her family than Graham was.<br/><br/>In the end though, Stanton had no further questions to ask, and his demeanor was a clear sign that he believed Meg was sharing the truth. Graham remained silent for the time being, even as she began to speak of Ashburne's precarious, monetary situation. It prompted his eyes to narrow as she pulled free a beautiful necklace. Graham could pitch a good sale if he wanted to, making the odds of him getting a hefty price for that 'trinket' high. As she laid it out on the table before her, he rose up from his seat, circled the table's corner and approached where she sat. He reached for the necklace, almost as if he was going to accept her offer. The young lord studied the jewelry, some admiration in his eyes for the cut of the gems. This was not an heirloom that should be rotting away in the trunk of some greedy collector, or suffering rain showers on a stall on a busy market day as it is being shilled off to yet another owner. This was something to be passed down generations, as a means of connecting ancestors and their heritage. And so, he gently placed it back into the box where she had taken it from and shook his head.<br/><strong>"I do not want your money, my lady. People steal what few things others have left far too often in this world already. Keep it,"</strong> without wasting more words on the subject, he turned around and started walking back to his seat, though he did not sit down.<br/><br/><strong>"Captain Bray, I agree. Lying is only going to dig us a hole that we can't escape from if our deception is discovered. And, honestly, we do not have the resources to make this mansion any less of a sieve for informants. We will operate on the side of the truth, as we all should. You have your wits. And you are dangerous, my lady. They know this, we cannot stop them from knowing this,"</strong> he tapped the edge of the table a few times with his fingertips as he turned his gaze down to the wooden surface for a few moments. After a while, he set his hues upon Asher.<br/><strong>"Captain, in accordance with any information the lady O'Hourihane can provide, learn of her brother's last whereabouts. Do not do it in person, use some of your sources. I do not want anyone from Ashburne making their investigations known. Once you find him and..."</strong> he looked over to Meg for a split second, before continuing. <strong>"If he yet lives. Find a way to bring him here safely. If he really can decipher those documents more easily than anyone else, we will need him to expedite this process."</strong><br/><br/>He then turned to Stanton for his next command. <strong>"Lord Stanton, I need you to look into the O'Hourihane family name. Dig as deep as you can for anyone who may still have strong enough ties to want to ally with the lady's case; maybe stick out their necks to vouch for her and her family. Additionally, give me everything you can find out about the man who would see her family destroyed. Spare no detail,"</strong> finally, he turned to Meg. <strong>"I will look over those documents, see if I can make sense of them in the meantime. If you would entrust them to me?"</strong> he wondered if he was making the right call in getting involved in all of this. Treason got the Ellery name where it was today, and merely being mentioned in the same sentence as a similar situation? It did not bode well. But, he had a pesky sense of justice, and he could not leave the young woman to her fate.</div>