Siobhan knew she was going to be in trouble for what she had just done. "Right ma'am...I'll be there around lunch." This is what she got for trying to take the easy way out and please Ms. Rose. She went around cautiously for the rest of her time here. "Ms. Rose, do you mind if I take off for a few...Ms. Edith needed to speak with me."

Rose leaned against her counter with a hot cup of coffee in her hand. She wasn't paying attention to anyone or anything. She was just thinking. Something was amiss in Ipswich and as a agent of the law it was her duty to get to the bottom of it. Some of the women and young girls in this town were up to something, and Rose could smell it. They were hiding something.

She had heard tales from the other towns of wickedness and witchcraft. When she heard from Colleen last month about what was going on in Salem it had driven her to run to the church and pray for herself and her community.

How could something evil and vile as witchcraft infest their peaceful lives? If that was what was going on in Ipswich Rose would stamp it out.

"You best be back before dinner." She said to Siobhan. "Don't make this a habit either. You have a job to do here. Ms. Elizabeth isn't your boss."

Elizabeth walked into the store behind Lilith. She was a really good apprentice, and she didn't have to hide her gift in front of her, that made her job easier. "Oh yes please. I stabbed my finger with the needle and I dropped blood on it. I checked it and I found a bit but I wanted someone else to check it." she took a deep breath and frowned as she though of who it was for. "It's for my 'lovely' cousin. That absolute wench of a woman. It's her wedding in a few months and she asked me to make her dress. She's paying me a lot. That's the only reason I did it.

Siobhan nodded respectfully and replied, "Thank you Ms. Rose I promise I'll work overtime when I get back." and she walked out of the tavern. She passed down the road, nodding at various townspeople until she reached the dress shop. She opened the door quietly and walked into the store.

Elizabeth looked around as the door opened.
"Siobhan," she breathed, looking at the girl walking into the store. "Come through to the back, I need to speak to you." she said, walking into the back room.

Siobhan walked cautiously back to Ms. Edith's back room. She knew what was coming for her...She had heard it many times from her parents :'You've got to learn to control your powers in such a time where witches are being persecuted....blah blah blah.' Siobhan couldn't always help it though. She really wanted Ms. Rose to know that she could do a good job. 'Perhaps I should've waited longer in the kitchen...'she thought to herself.

Elizabeth could see the thoughts running through Siobhan's head. She knew what was coming. She didn't want to be horrible, but Siobhan had put a lot of ladies' lives on the line.
"Siobhan my dear. I do not mean to be horrible. You should have at least waited longer in the kitchen my dear. Rose is not going to turn a blind eye any longer. She will be keeping her eye on you. You need to be more careful. If any of us get caught, all of us go down. You know that."

Siobhan felt horrible for causing so much damage. "Yes, Ms. Edith I promise to be more careful from now on." she said respectfully. "And I promise to think before I act so rash as well."

Scarlett looked around,seeing everyone going to the Tavern.She gasped,grabbing her dress,she lifted it slightly,not wanting to rip it.She ran home,slightly out of breath and she looked around a little."Mother?!"she sighed,she couldnt find her,but she had a job to do.She got dressed into a nicer dress doing her hair nicer,by letting it falling lovely onto his shoulders.She walked outside and picked up a couple of flowers.Finally she made her way to the Tavern and walked through the door.She looked around for Rose and found her.She smiled at the customers in the shop and walked up to Rose.She giving the flowers to Rose,"Good morning Ms.."she said,smiling."Do you want me to clean those tables..?"she asked,walking away to get a cloth do wipe with.

Elizabeth felt horrible. She felt mean, and old. "We all have our times when we don't think. But in these uncertain times, we have to even more careful. Word has reached here about the witches in Salem. They are burning them. Drowning them. It is horrible. My aunt was drowned, her daughter was burnt. I don't want to go the same way."

Siobhan felt tears well in her eyes. She felt so bad for Ms. Edith. "There there." she said giving Ms. Edith a hug. "I promise to be a good girl. Honest. I have to get back to the Tavern now. Do y'think you can trust me?"

She hugged Siobhan back and said, "Alright. Off with you. Back to the tavern or Miss Rose'll have my neck. You need to earn my trust Siobhan. But I trust you will be a good girl from now on. Now go." Elizabeth walked her to the door of the store and turned back to Lilith, hoping she hadn't found anymore bloodstains on the dress.

Jacob bounded into Elizabeth's dress shop with a bright smile on his face and tipped his hat at both Siobhan and Elizabeth herself. "Brightest morning to the both of you," he said happily. He was carrying a large sack of grain over one shoulder that he was delivering to Tullia's store and and had decided to stop at the dress shop on his way there.

"Anything either of you ladies need done today?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows playfully.

Tullia got down on her knees to push a stack of 10-pound flour bags across the floor so that they could be better seen from the door. Satisfied, she got up and raked the back of one arm across her forehead, smearing it with sweat and dirt. Turning around tiredly, she walked behind the counter and rearranged some of the jars on it. She took a slender strip of dried beef from one of them and bit into it, chewing thoughtfully as she waited for customers.

Elizabeth laughed heartily. "Oh my dear Jacob. What can I get you to do? Can you deliver this package to Ms Rose? It's a dress I though she'd like. And deliver Siobhan while your at it." Elizabeth handed him the package and sent him on his way, waving both him and Siobhan out of the shop.

Jacob grinned as he received the letter for Rose and set the sack of grain down on the ground to bow before picking it back up and lugging it onto his shoulder. "Why, of course, madame," he said enthusiastically as he was shooed out of the shop with the package.

He turned to Siobhan and said, "Shall we?" Had it been an older lady, he'd have offered his elbow as a courtesy, but thought it might be seen as inappropriate if he did so with a young woman.

Robert did not realize until much past lunchtime that he was hungry. Usually, if he was hungry, he noticed by mid-morning but today, seeing as he was writing the play, he had not noticed. He shuffled around his seat, rolling up papers, putting the pen away in his left breast pocket, and sticking the bottle of ink in the pocket of his pants.

He shuffled up to Miss Mathews and said quietly, "I'll have some tea and a shepherd's pie." Robert was not a man known for his loudness. He liked simplicity and quietness to enjoy it. He wasn't shy or bitter about it either. Just quiet.

Siobhan smiled and hugged Ms. Edith saying, "I will keep my promise."

Quote:

Jacob grinned as he received the letter for Rose and set the sack of grain down on the ground to bow before picking it back up and lugging it onto his shoulder. "Why, of course, madame," he said enthusiastically as he was shooed out of the shop with the package. He turned to Siobhan and said, "Shall we?" Had it been an older lady, he'd have offered his elbow as a courtesy, but thought it might be seen as inappropriate if he did so with a young woman.

Siobhan grinned at Jacob happy for the company and they walked outside of the shop. "Shall I see you later then?" she asked him as she began walking towards the Tavern.

Quote:

Robert did not realize until much past lunchtime that he was hungry. Usually, if he was hungry, he noticed by mid-morning but today, seeing as he was writing the play, he had not noticed. He shuffled around his seat, rolling up papers, putting the pen away in his left breast pocket, and sticking the bottle of ink in the pocket of his pants. He shuffled up to Miss Mathews and said quietly, "I'll have some tea and a shepherd's pie." Robert was not a man known for his loudness. He liked simplicity and quietness to enjoy it. He wasn't shy or bitter about it either. Just quiet.

"Here you are love." Siobhan said as she handed Robert his shepherd's pie and tea. "Mind the tea's a bit hot." she said with a wink as she went back into the kitchen to clean dishes the Muggle way.

Elizabeth chuckled as she watched Jacob and Siobhan shuffle out of the shop. That Jacob really was a character. She turned over to the stack of papers on her desk. Orders. She wondered if Lilith had finished inspecting the dress. She hoped there was no blood left on the dress. H