He was Almost Absorbed by the System

Chapter Twenty - The Music Box

Author's note; Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me so far and for the votes.  I am happy that I can share my stories and happier to know they are enjoyed.  Since this 'little' story has taken on a life on it's own, I can tell it's going to be fairly long, but hope that it doesn't put readers off!  This chapter was a struggle as my brain is too interested in what will happen in the next chapter, the fourth world (note, not the third  lol) and beyond.

*Mission; Meet Keith Lancaster, brother to Lord Lancaster.*

Almost a month had passed since the soirée and Matthew had yet to return home; several missions had required he continue to impose on his brother-in-law's hospitality.  This was frustrating him to no end for he was unable to pursue Cornelius during this time.  Through painstaking methods (how he longed for easier days when he had access to the gossip network that was a high school and the slightly more reliable, though not by much, network of the internet) he had discovered a few truths about the man he wanted.  Although firstborn, he was not heir to his father's business, leading people to think he was incompetent and was not yet married at the age of 26.  Of course that did not mean he might not find himself betrothed at any point, his father was a business minded man after all and such alliances were not uncommon.  Matthew needed to obtain him and his heart before his family could entangle him with another.

He was still pondering on ideas to make this wish a reality, when his little nephew broke through his musings.  "Are we nearly there yet?"

Matthew warmly smiled at the child.  "Not long now, Tobias."  The boy swung his legs impatiently and fidgeted in his seat as the carriage trundled forward at it's constant, sedate pace.  Itching to escape the confines of his sister's household and seek out his beloved, he had casually mentioned that he might take a trip into town.  He had not yet fulfilled the most current mission he had received so he could not yet leave the household permanently, but it was not so urgent a mission that he need to continue haunting the mansion halls.  By sudden impulse, he had suggested he take his little nephew along for the journey.

His sister had been somewhat hesitant, but his brother-in-law had agreed with his want.  The young heir to the Lancaster Household was now nine years of age.  He was well versed in his numbers and letters and his tutors had him learning other basics subjects necessary for a Lord-in-waiting to know.  It would not hurt for him to see a little more of the world around him now.  Lady Katrina had fussed over the pair of them, her beloved brother, who in her heart had never grown up, and her beloved son,who was most certainly still a child and should surely still be protected in the four walls of the nursery.  Eventually, Matthew had distracted her, suggesting he had heard a cry coming from said nursery and during the moment of her inattention had grabbed the boy's small hand and had fled.

"How much longer?" The boy asked not one minute later.

"Look," Matthew guided his attention to the view in the near distance as the outer buildings of the small town came into view.  Having not seen much beyond his ancestral home and that of his maternal grandparents, the boy was both in awe and disappointment.

"Why are the houses so small?" the tirade of questions began.  "Why are they so close together?  Why are those people walking in the road? Where are their horses and carriages?  Why are those children so dirty and why are they playing outside?" 

Matthew patiently and almost tirelessly answered all his questions while wondering what had impelled him to bring the youngster along.  Soon, he had the carriage stop and after speaking with his driver, he helped his little nephew out of the carriage.

"What are we doing?  What's going on?" The boy asked as his soft, newly booted feet touched the cobbled path.

"We are going to take a walk through town," Matthew informed him and led him down the street.  At first, the boy looked horrified, throwing frightened glances back at the carriage as it receded from their sight.  But youthful curiosity swept him up and he became one with the whirlwind as he ran from stall to shop, wide eyed, absorbing the sights, sounds and scents.  He didn't stray too far from his uncle's sight, so the man let him wander a little, keeping his eye upon him as he purchased two sweet pastries from a market stall.

He passed one to the boy, who looked at it with suspicious eyes, but no sooner had he tasted it was it gone.  Matthew laughed at the two cheeks bulging like a hamster, before he took a handkerchief and wiped away sticky honey and crumbs.  The two bright eyes did not cease flickering about while he was cleaned, but he knew manners enough not to talk with a mouthful of food.  So he waited until he had swallowed all of the delightful treat before tugging his uncle's sleeve and pointing excitedly; "Look, Uncle!"

The boy led him to the shop filled with curiosities, like a magpie attracted to shiny things.  Matthew was not completely uninterested, though he had seen enough trinkets throughout this lifetime to not be swept in.  Still, he led his small nephew into the shop as it would not hurt to purchase the boy a small souvenir for this trip.  "Just don't touch," he said to the boy, who was frantically trying to see everything the shop had to offer all at once. 

It was not like the curiosity shops Matthew had perused in the past, it contained a hodgepodge of things, from dolls to small vases, from trinket boxes to small purses.  Even a dusty rocking horse and couple of plain wooden chest were purchasable for the right price.  "What an odd assortment," Matthew found himself exclaiming.

"Aye, tha' be true," a small, elderly man with a slightly bent back agreed as he shuffled through the maze of things about his small shop.  "Most of wha' ye see 'ere be th'werk of apprenticees.  No' good enuff for'em t'sell to 'em Marsters' Lords, so i' all end up 'ere see."

(Translation; Yes, that is true. Most of what you see here is work made by apprentices.  It isn't good enough to sell to the Lords via their Masters, so it ends up here in my shop.)

"Look, Uncle," Tobias pointed almost breathlessly at a trinket box shaped like a large round pearl, with crested waves circling, spiralling and rising over it.  It's base was golden, but crafted to resemble two interweaving waves, delicately cradling the pearl.  The old man carefully took the box from the shelf, blew away the slight dust and held it before the child.  He then opened the hinged lid, part sphere and part encompassing 'water'.  A beautiful, intricate symphony of notes instantly began to play, enchanting both man and boy.

"How is this not good enough for a Lord," Matthew murmured softly, so not to distract from the music box.  "Such a Master must have impossible expectations of his apprentices."

"Ah this one be a bi' diff-rent fro' th'res'," the old man explained, as he took the key from the small indentation inside the box and rewound the device.  "This be made by um lad oo ain't common folk.  E ain't no nobb, bu' e cum from a nobby lo'.  Is'em da' no' a'proove 'im becummin a craftsman, too common for 'is lad.  So 'e sold this 'ere t'me in secre' like."

(Translation; Ah this one is different from the rest.  This was made by a lad who isn't a commoner.  He isn't a noble, but his family descends from nobles.  His dad doesn't approve of him becoming a craftsman, that's a path for commoners.  So he sold the box to me, secretly.)

The old man passed the music box to Matthew, the gleam in his ancient eyes clear; this young man had money.  Matthew noticed, but wasn't bothered by the look of greed, he and his nephew were quite enchanted by the music box and he didn't feel that purchasing it would be a waste.  He gently caressed the surface of the box, before his tender touch noticed the engraved initials upon its base; C E L K.  Uncle and nephew left the shop having purchased the music box and two dolls of reasonable quality and decided to return to the mansion.

There they were greeted by Lady Katrina, Lord Thomas and a guest, a man familiar to his brother-in-law.

*Mission completed; Meet Keith Lancaster, brother to Lord Lancaster.*