Chapter 162 - Plans For Ilona

Delaney was glad to find her trunk in the corner of her bedroom at the city house. She dug through it until she found her potion and hid it behind the mirror of her dressing table. Vincent was laying in the bed with his eyes closed trying to deal with the pain from the trip so she didn't worry about him seeing her.

When Harris knocked on their door soon after, she let him in and Vincent slowly sat up. The red-headed valet examined him with worry.

"I know it's late but why don't you have a bath prepared for him while we have dinner?" Delaney suggested, "He can soak afterward and relax his muscles."

"I don't need all that," Vincent shook his head, pushing himself to his feet, "I just need to change for dinner. I'm sure I'll be fine after."

Vincent moved toward the screen he would dress behind and Harris met Delaney's eyes. She looked at him seriously and he nodded in understanding. Ms Bird arrived a moment later so Delaney went with her to change as well.

Since there was still some time before dinner Delaney left Vincent to rest and went off to find the other Blacks. Ian was back in the bedroom he had stayed in before and when she knocked lightly he was quick to answer. When the door opened she wasn't surprised to find his sister and brothers in the room as well. Ian stepped back and let her come in.

Vincent had told her this room had once belonged to him. It was filled with dark woods and blues and had a painting of men in battle with swords on one wall. It was funny that a room that had once belonged to a duke was now hosting so many pirates.

Looking around at them Delaney noted again how similar they all looked. She never would have guessed the younger boys were only half-siblings to Ian and Ilona if he hadn't told her.

"You will all have dinner with us soon," she told them, trying to force a smile to her lips that wouldn't quite come, "Do you... do you have anything to change into for dinner?"

Ian looked to his siblings and saw they all looked unsure. He sighed, popping his knuckles as Delaney had realized he did when he was uncomfortable.

"They don't," he shook his head, "I never thought to have them bring more formal dress."

Delaney bit her lip as she looked them over, "They will need something to wear to go to court. It wouldn't be proper to bring them like this."

Ilona frowned, "I look perfectly fine as I am. I don't need to dress fancy to deliver a letter."

Delaney frowned right back at her, "You do if you're expecting to have a meeting with a king. You want him to take you seriously and consider your request to make a deal with the King of the Red Lands. So you will need to look respectable."

"Just because I'm not dressed like a duchess doesn't mean I don't look respectable," the pirate captain argued.

"You need to listen to her Ilona," Ian snapped, "She knows this world and you don't. We need to do whatever is most likely to get us the results we want."

His sister crossed her arms and pouted. Delaney considered them all.

"I can have Ms. Bird see if any of Miles or Vincent's old clothes are stored away for the boys," she thought out loud, "I'm sure I have a dress that Ilona could wear. It would just need some adjustments."

"I am to wear a dress?" Ilona asked in disbelief, "I haven't worn a dress since I was a child!"

One of the boys asked Ian something in their language and he answered with a smirk. As soon as the words were out of his mouth the younger Blacks laughed heartily at their sister. Ilona turned and glared at them and said something that only made them laugh harder. Delaney looked to Ian for an explanation for what was going on and he smiled and shook his head.

"They know her aversion to dresses," he said, "Ever since she was little she hated them but our mother would insist she wear them. Since she got old enough to decide on her own I don't think she's ever worn one since."

"Oh," Delaney said quietly, unable to imagine what it would be like to wear anything but dresses, "Well it really will be best if she wants to go to court and be taken seriously. I don't know that she would even be able to appear in front of the King if she wasn't dressed formally."

"She'll do it," Ian agreed, turning to glance at his sister who was glaring at him, "Would you uhh... would you be able to help her get ready tomorrow? You and Ms. Bird?"

"I don't need help getting dressed," Ilona snapped, "I'm not a child!"

"Of course," Delaney agreed, ignoring the woman, "I'll see what dresses I have that would look nice on her and she can try one on later so Ms. Bird will know how to make the adjustments. I might call in a seamstress to help her just so it won't take as long."

"Thank you," Ian said sincerely, "Would you rather them eat their meals in their rooms for now since they don't have anything to change into?"

"Of course not," Delaney smiled, "Wash up and bring them down to dinner with you. It should be ready soon."

She said goodbye to them then, even the younger boys who seemed as if they at least understood her meaning, if not her words.

Delaney returned to her bedroom where she rang for Ms. Bird before going to the bed where Vincent was now propped up on some pillows and looking at a stack of papers in his hands. When she approached he smiled and sat them aside. She brushed his face with the back of her hand, feeling the heat of the raised scars.

"You look tired," she said as she sat lightly facing him.

"I'll be alright," he said, taking her hand and kissing it, "I just need to rest for a bit and let my body recover from the ride."

"I hate that it hurts you so much."

His eyes dropped from hers and he gently rubbed her hand with his thumb. "There's nothing we can do about it. I just have to live with it."

Delaney reached out and caught his chin, tilting his face up to hers so she could lean down and kiss him. His hand slid around behind her and held her there as he kissed her back with all his love.

"Are the Blacks settled in?" he asked once they were upright again.

"I think so," Delaney answered before telling him about what she had discussed with Ian about their clothes and Ilona's reaction. She told him that the pirate captain would wear one of her dresses and they were going to look for something for the boys.

"I would say they could wear something of mine but they're so lean I don't know that anything would fit properly."

"It will be alright," Delaney smiled, "We'll find something."

Ms. Bird came in then and Delaney informed her of the plan she had come up with for Ilona wearing one of her dresses. Her maid nodded and said she would set out a few she thought would look good with the other woman's complexion. With the servants' recent reaction to pirates, Delaney had expected her maid to hesitate but was pleased when Ms. Bird happily went to the trunk and began pulling out dresses.

"Ms. Bird, she doesn't have any of the correct undergarments either I don't imagine," Delaney sighed, informing the woman from her place on the bed and making Vincent chuckle.

Delaney rolled her eyes at him and got up to see the dresses that were being picked.

"That's quite alright my Lady," Ms. Bird chuckled herself, "I'm sure we can get together everything we need, and if there's anything missing I can run out in the morning and fetch it."

Delaney thanked her sincerely. The bell announcing dinner rang and Delaney waited by the door for Vincent. She took his arm and they slowly walked down together.

"This might be an interesting dinner," her husband spoke quietly to her as they got to the bottom of the stairs.

"Oh?" she asked with a mischievous smile.

"We will be outnumbered by pirates," he grinned.

"Can you imagine what your mother would say?" Delaney giggled.

"God," Vincent shook his head, "We would never hear the end of it. Of course, I think she would prefer our having them for dinner to Miles and Cora being married by the pirate King himself."

Delaney had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing loudly, "Yes I doubt there's anything we could do in her eyes that would be worse than that."

"Short of becoming pirates ourselves."