Member
Location: Westminster Hospital (London) --> St. Albans
Gerard didn't even have a chance to speak when Fryor already turned on his heel and went on his way. Indeed there was no time to spare, as he himself jogged towards the entrance and to the Wyndham's parked carriage ride. By the time he had met with the doorman who was watching over the Wyndham's ride, Fyror could be seen mounting his trusty steed Valor and promptly galloping off. A trail of dust followed the officer, and his red coat grew smaller and smaller before eventually disappearing from view altogether. "I will return shortly" Gerard said to the doorman, wasting no time to pause and talk and briskly unbuckled one of the horses. There was no use in bringing with him the carriage, it would only slow him down plus it's much easier to navigate through the roads without all that extra burden. And he wouldn't want the two women left in the hospital have their only ride home be stolen, Gerard isn't that vindictive.
Despite the narrow streets of London Gerard managed to slip through in such haste, that at one point he almost failed to notice a man that he almost ran over in the process. All he could discern was his angry curses but in his remorse, Gerard could only give him a mental apology. Meanwhile, Fyror similarly rode hard and fast. He made quick work of traveling through the sparsely occupied Green Park & St. James Park on horseback. He was heading for the inn that his family and fellow officers were staying at, which was conveniently located adjacent Hyde Park. He certainly hoped his father Colonel Theodore was still there, as he couldn't afford to lose any time, not with Millicent's life on the line.
Fyror slowed down his horse as the inn came into view. He quickly dismounted as soon as Valor came to a halt in front of the inn. He handed the reins over to the first servant who approached him. Under normal circumstances, he would be perfectly fine untacking and brushing down his own horse, but right now time was of the essence. He had to make every minute count. "I will need my horse tended to, but first I need one of the coaches from Colchester Garrison prepped and ready for several days of travel. Please do it as quickly as possible. Time is of the essence," he explained, before hastily entering the inn in search of his father.
It wasn't long until Gerard was back at Wyndham manor, stepping down from his ride and pacing directly towards the stables, also his part time home to get all the necessary things he would need for the journey. He would not leave without his sword and shield, some change of clothes and enough coin and food to last the journey. Next he headed towards the kitchen to notify Cook and the rest on his current mission.
"I'll bring our Millie home. I promise." He said in determination and confidence. Everyone hoped that she would and he wouldn't want to fail all of them, Gerard would never forgive himself otherwise. A sad whimper came from Wendy, kneeling down he gave her an affectionate hug. "I wont take long. Watch over them for me, yeah?" After getting all that he needed and saying his goodbyes, he left not time to spare on anything else and returned to Westminister where he would rendezvous with Fryor. Truthfully there is some slight unease in his part thinking that he will be traveling with him, but it would be wrong to judge him unfairly. Although that adds to the reason why he is nervous in the first place, but more so on the fact that he's travelling with an army man.
Fyror quickly located the stairwell from the lobby, and then he ascended the steps practically two at a time up to the third floor where his family was staying. He immediately knocked on his parents' door and waited rather impatiently for a response. The door was soon answered by his mother Lilith. "I need to speak with father," he blurted out before she could barely say a word. In his urgency, his manners were a bit lacking. He looked past his mother as she stepped to the side, and he let out a sigh of relief when his gaze landed on his father. "Oh thank goodness you're here. The life of Millicent Wyndham is in certain peril at the hands a Lord Rutherford. I must travel to Gretna Green immediately," he explained. "Will taking the main roads suffice, or is there a quicker route?"
He gestured for his father to follow him as he headed towards his own room to hastily gather his things. Fortunately, a large portion of his stuff was still packed up, seeing as his family had only been in town for a few days. "The Great North Road is as straight shot a route as they come. It would make the most sense for you to use that route," Colonel Theodore replied. "Are you sure about this? It is a long journey. Why don't I at least send some of the officers along with you. You shouldn't do this alone."
"I am doing this, father, and I am not doing this alone. The Wyndham family's stable hand Gerard is joining me. Adding more people will just slow us down. Besides, more than one person in uniform could potentially set Lord Rutherford off. No, the two of us can handle this," Fyror explained. He was so focused on rapidly gathering and packing his stuff that it took a few moments before he realized that the room had gone eerily quiet. He paused what he was doing to look up at his father. Colonel Theodore oddly seemed lost in thought all of a sudden. "Father?" Fyror interjected, his brows furrowing.
"Who is this man? What is his full name?" Theodore inquired.
"Gerard Connolly. Why do you wish to know?" Fyror stated, his brows furrowing further as he tried to interpret his father's expression. "Do you know the man?"
"I knew him, a long time ago. I wondered what had become of him, if he had fallen back onto old habits," Theodore stated with a sigh. "Just watch your back. I hope to goodness the man has changed for the better, but I won't stake my life, or yours for that matter, on it."
Fyror nodded his head slowly in understanding. He finished packing his last few things before shouldering it and facing his father once more. "I'll be careful. I promise," he stated. His father nodded his head, and without another word they made to leave the room. Fyror's eyes landed on his musket just as they were about to step out of the room. He hesitated for a moment, before ultimately deciding to grab it. He then left the room, said his goodbyes, and then located his now fully stocked coach. Soon thereafter he was leaving the inn behind and headed back to Westminster Hospital to meet up again with Gerard.
Gerard arrived back at the hospital, now fully prepared for the spur-of-the-moment journey to save Millicent. Gerard tied the the horse back to it's carriage, giving it a few soft pats on it's smooth dark neck. Once he meets up with Fryor they should be off, and he hopes to God that they would not arrive late to save her.
Since yesterday everything has been too much to make process of. Since that woman at the park, and specially Millie coming home from the night at Almacks, and now traveling almost half of Britain to save her from marrying an entitled and terrible man. But that's not the only thing that worries him, with the news of the attacks that evening, and the possibility of the soulless running amok in the streets could add some danger to their current objective. With that in mind he would make sure to still tread carefully, even with a companion at his side there's no guarantee of assurance.
Shortly thereafter, the garrison's coach came to a stop in front of Westminster Hospital. Fyror opened up the coach door, and his gaze sought out the man that would be accompanying him. "Hop in, Mr. Connolly. We have little time to waste," he called out when his eyes landed on Gerard. Once the man had climbed aboard the coach, Fyror closed the door behind him and then they were off.
"We are taking the Great North Road straight to Gretna Green. It is the quickest and most straight shot route," he explained before the room fell silent. He then left Gerard to his thoughts and himself to his own. He looked out the window, watching as the surroundings changed as the headed for Westminster Bridge, the sole entrance into London. Colonel Theodore's words of warning still rang clear in his head. He wondered what kind of man Gerard had once been and more importantly the kind of man he was today.
Gerard was mostly quiet all throughout the travel. He hasn't always been the first to engage in small talk, specially now that he's feeling quite uneasy and guarded. But mainly, his mind just contemplates on the the recent events as they passed over the Westminister bridge, circling around the walls of London. He wished the only time he would see it is when they're all bound home to the countryside, fully setting aside any businesses they have here but instead he is traveling with man, not just any man in uniform and who he barely knew. Internally, it's poking him how he shared a relationship with Millie, or most importantly of what kind. But so far since they met, Fryor seemed to leave an amiable impression to Gerard, something he wasnt entirely expecting. For how long they will be traveling together and sharing a similar objective, there could be time to learn more about the person he is working with, if only to make him rest easy.
