Her old room was no longer hers, it was a room now decorated for esteemed guests of the family; not that anyone ever stayed there. The ocher color of the walls gave her cause to feel nauseated. It still smelled of fresh paint in there. She got up, once again, wondering just how it was she would escape from the prison that she once called "home."

"You will eat with us tonight, won't you?" she'd been asked. She'd sighed and acquiesced, and now was sitting on the side of the bed wearing something of her sister's that was a bit loose on her, her curls piled atop her head. She wasn't even hungry. She stood up and tested the door... It opened a crack and she noticed a man she didn't recognize turning an eye on her and lifting a brow. "Don't think ye can slip by me, pretty." And then she sighed and said, "Tell my brother I'm not hungry." And then she closed the door firmly.

Darius had a bottle in one hand and a bottle with mix for paints in his other. He looked over at the man standing in front of Pearl's room and rose a brow. "What's going on?" He looked from him to the door and back. He was certain Pearl had left home a while back, so what reason was there for someone to be watching it so. "There's no one in there.. right?" He walked towards the door to knock to prove it was so.

"Go away, Thomas!" she called out. She opened the door at the ready to give a tongue lashing... But when she saw it was Darius, she almost went weak with relief. She waved him in and, assuming he entered, she closed the door behind him. "Thank GOD you're here..." Her eyes filled with tears and she lowered her voice to a whisper. "Thomas brought me here against my will, Darius... Oh, god, there is so much you need to know..."

Pearl then proceeded to fill her brother in on everything that happened from her perspective, every honest detail except for the very most private ones that a brother needn't know about a sister.

Darius nearly dropped his bottle and his paints when he was pulled into the room. He looked at her in surprise and listened before shaking his head. "That.. that's a lot. I don't understand why you were brought back here though.." He carefully placed the items in his hands upon a table and looked at her. "Why don't we just leave though? I mean.. won't it look worse for you.. to be.. ah..mm.. attacked in your own home? If you disappeared or died it would be even worse.. right?" He wasn't sure. Things were happening in a strange way and quickly. "Or should I tell your husband you're here against your will so he can bring the yard?" He didn't want that though, it would cause more trouble.

"There is a man guarding my door like I am some kind of criminal," she sighed, "I know I acted a fool by rushing headlong into this marriage, but I felt like I had no choice after all that's happened. Oh, Darius, what am I going to do? Thomas cannot just keep me here like this, it's wrong. I belong with Joe now." Her eyes softened when she spoke her husband's name.

Darius looked around the room in thought. "This is .. I mean.. I don't know what he's thinking. After Magnus, you think the family would be on their best behavior." He grabbed the blanket off of her bed and laid it down. "Lay on it.. I have an idea. It's crazy but..." He shrugged as he pushed his wine bottle into her hands to hold. "If you want to go home, might as well give it a shot."

"I realize it was in poor taste of me to marry the way that I did not long after our brother died but I think this would make it so much worse, having been kidnapped before. Oh, Darius... I feel like this whole mess is my doing." It wasn't but she couldn't have known that. "How are you going to get past the guard?" her eyes were wide as she moved to lie down on the blanket.

Darius shrugged but smiled. "I don't know. It's just a crazy idea.." He went to her wardrobe and grabbed a number of her left over coats and dresses and put them under the remaining blankets on the bed, bunched up to look like a human form. After that, he rolled the blanket around her like a cocoon. "At worst, it won't work. At best, you'll come out free like a butterfly."

He finally covered her face, making sure her hair was tucked away and hidden and her feet were not exposed before lifting her onto his shoulder. He staggered for a moment as he wasn't as strong as some of his family, but managed to straighten himself. Darius looked at himself in a mirror to make sure he looked casual and she looked as natural as a rolled up blanket could before he tried to step out.

"Hey, you've kept her in there so long, she's gotten ill and soiled herself. I got the bedsheets but you should call someone to get her some new ones. Can you not treat someone as a human?" He immediately turned to not wait for a response to walk away.

Harry had accepted the order to guard the woman from Robert via Thomas. The instructions had came from his friend or so he had heard. Harry didn't want to let down a friend, especially one with such a cruel streak. The sister was attractive from what Harry saw of her in the crack of the door, but she was too pretty in a soft sort of way for Harry's liking. The orders were to keep her locked away, prevent her from being foolish, and to beat the snot out of Joseph Blacke should he appear.

The man carrying the bundle of blankets was not Joesph Blacke but rather one of their own; another of the Carrington brothers. His orders were barked too. Oh God! Harry hadn't meant to harm the girl. Robert would be livid if he found out.

"Oh!" Harry closed the open door after the man with the bundle and locked it. It wouldn't do to let her escape while he was away looking for fresh sheets. Someone would know where they are.

Darius felt a twinge of sympathy for the man who looked very worried. Seems like he wasn't a monster who enjoyed imprisoning an innocent girl. He patted his shoulder with his free hand. "I'll see if I can find someone, alright?"

He smiled and walked off down the hallway towards where he was sure he could get someone to help with the dirty laundry. The moment he was away from their sight, he headed up towards his room being careful to not be noticed by anyone. Though it was almost certain no one would approach him if they did.

"We will be in my room in a moment." He said quietly to the bundle on his shoulders. "You're out of that room though."

She held as still as possible. Oh god, she had to sneeze. Listening to the slightly muffled conversation that just sparked up, she tried desperately to not think of the itch in her nose. But then her brother moved again and they were gone from that spot. She was glad to be out of her old room. She wanted to go be with Joe more than anything now. And where was papa? Where was he?

Pearl didn't say anything when Darius said what he said, knowing that they were not in the clear just yet.

Darius made his way to his room and dropped her gently onto the love seat. He walked back to close the door and began digging into a chest. "I think I have some old clothes that you can fit into. We hide your hair, and you will be good. I'll just lead you out of the house and no one will be the wiser. Just be careful alright? I can't believe anyone in the family would do this." He sighed and looked to her. "Will you be okay?" He hadn't spoken to her in forever and so much has happened, it seemed. No one ever told him anything and he was fine left in the dark but then it made moments like this frustrating.

"Yes, I'll be alright," she said. She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. "What if he is coming to get me? Joe? I know him, he wouldn't sit by while something like this happens. He's more of a gentleman than our brothers certainly are." She smiled slightly.

He pulled out some clothing from his teenage years and handed them to her. "Change and we will leave and try to find your husband so that you can return to him safely. You do whatever you feel best about this. I am sorry it happened. I don't know why they would do this to you." He shook his head and sighed, but he had an idea he thought this was too much. "I hate to say it, but maybe you should both take a small vacation out of town for a week or two so that they can't touch you.'

She nodded and took the clothes, "Thank you. I know I have caused plenty of scandal. I... I hate that this happened at all." She sighed.

Darius was going through his hats for a good one to hide her hair and tilted his head curiously. "Why? It wasn't your fault. You wanted to live a quiet life distance from the rest of us. I am sorry it has happened, and I want you to be able to be at peace." When he felt confident she was covered, he hugged her lightly. "I hope they will leave you alone. You deserve your happiest life Pearl. You've never hurt anyone."

"I don't know why they hate me so... It's almost as if I am not mother's daughter... So why would they want me to stay here? Should I not be out of sight? Should I not just live my life? Darius, you are the only one to show true kindness to me out of our siblings. Olivia might have shown a little, but the rest? I don't want this in my life. I don't want greed and nasty fighting. As far as I am concerned, I don't want any of this except for my house and I will work for the rent, I don't want money or fighting. I just want to be free from this gilded cage papa has built around us all."

She spoke as she went behind his changing screen and changed into boys clothing. She didn't take long at all to come out. She was braiding her hair into two plaits so she could stuff them underneath his hat. She made a pretty boy.

Darius spoke as she changed, pacing his room in agitation. "I do not know. I don't understand it. But I've never understood them. But, I don't understand most people, Pearl. You are the only one sincerely kind to me. So I am getting you out of here, and then I want you and your husband to hide for a while. Whatever is going on, it should blow over. Maybe it's some scandal they've made up in their mind because you didn't marry someone rich?" He had no idea who she married, but he didn't recognize the name.

"Just do whatever you can to be safe, alright? I don't want you getting hurt because of the family's.. whatever it's going through." He sighed and when she came out, he grabbed her shoulders and looked at her. "Now, keep your head down and we will hurry out." He put on a cap and made sure every long strand of hair was tucked away. After peaking out the door, he waved her closer.

"Ok, let's.. be brave and go." He took a nervous breath and smiled. It would be ok, what was the worst they'd do to them? Lock them in a room again? He honestly didn't know and that terrified him.

She nodded as he spoke, glad for his help. She put her head down and wondered if she could get to that secret highway without being spotted. Her heart pounded against her rib cage and Pearl was glad for her brother's presence. Thankfully, that redheaded fellow down the way seemed too dumb to realize that she was missing from her old bedroom. She held her breath and pressed herself against one wall when they came to a corner, peeking around one way and then the next.

Darius tilted his head confused. "Don't act suspicious", he said quietly. He slipped an arm around her shoulders and smiled as he walked slowly. "As I was telling Peter, art is from the soul. And you can't expect anyone who just copies what they've seen to make anything worth the cloth it's on.. You get me, right, Caleb?" He said at a regular level as he walked down the hall, but kept his eyes around and hugged Pearl a bit so her face was hidden as they walked past the guard. "Sorry." He smiled and tried to keep going smoothly. "Anyway, so then Peter tells me that art is only as good as the audience for it, so I say.." he let his voice trail off as they turned the hallway. He wanted to glance back and see if they were noticed but was more afraid he'd be caught then.

"You said keep my head do--" she stopped herself from arguing further, there was frustration in her voice and it wasn't directed his way, but it did put a little bite into her words, "Sorry, I am nervous," she whispered and then did as he told her to do as they walked. She felt overwhelmed by everything. Her lips pursed and she nodded as he spoke, playing it cool now.

Darius said nothing other than some random conversation about art and people that didn't exist. As soon as they were alone he sighed and shook his head. "I know, I am sorry. Just.. you look scared so I didn't want us to get caught. But we're almost out." He said softly and kept walking to hurry her out of the house. "I want you free, Pearl. So let's keep going. We'll get you home in no time. I am sorry again for what happened." He sighed wondering how he got into this mess and what his family was thinking.

How damned fine Magnus looked as a corpse, mostly.

It was almost too easy... They were almost out. She could taste the freedom so much so that she shook with the desire to be free. Oh god, what had become of her family? Why were the dynamics so blasted messy? She wondered even if her father was, indeed, touched in the head now that Magnus was dead. She bit her lip and they were almost out, she kept making herself think about the look on her husband's face when he saw her in boy's clothes.

As the exit started to come into view, he became nervous and looked around. He kept an arm around her shoulders and kept pushing her forward. "We just go go go..' he said quietly and picked up speed. He saw no one and was sure they were in the clear. He wanted her to open the door, if someone tried to stop them he could go between them so she would be free.

At least he was sure they hadn't suddenly employed dangerous hounds to watch the property when he wasn't watching.

At last, the door was in sight and Pearl reached out as calmly as she could. She grasped the handle and pressed down, then pulled the heavy door back. It creaked way too loudly for her liking. She did not dare look at her brother, she said, "Thank you," and was soon taking off to a run away from the horror house that used to be her home.

Darius said goodbye just loud enough for her to hear and watched her go until long after she was out of sight. Hearing and seeing no one, he turned and closed the door. He didn't want to pass the guard alone, so he found a maid to make him lunch and sat in the study.