lord graham mulberry

Young lord of Mulberry had a weight placed upon him by something undoubtedly macabre and grim, perhaps even ghoulish. It could be just imagination running wild or a thing more sinister in nature than anyone would have been inclined to guess, but if she to place a betting coin, she’d vouch for the latter. It could have been a hunch, womanly intuition, or a passed down ‘witchwoman’s’ sense the female line of her family prided themselves on. She’s decided to call it a hunch and the same hunch told her lord Graham was not someone to be feared. Mina never quite understood why the people in Netherbridge seemed reluctant to converse with him, but to be utterly fair the same townsfolk seemed reluctant to converse with anyone with a sensible head on their shoulders.

His words sound ominous and there is a slight twist of a gut feeling pulsing through the very core of her being. are the families prepared for what they might find? It sounded like an echo of something forgotten, but save from the ever present intuition, she can’t really locate what it is. She pursed her lips and knitted her brows closer, images of a less positive outcome already budding in the back of her mind - an over active imagination, of course. Who is not prone to imagining things as they are spoken? To imagine is to bring to life, whether by thought, word or action.

“I am inclined to consider every outcome, but I would not jump to ill conclusions. Let us hope they are merely entertaining each other, rather than a more sinister thing happening. I cannot imagine how poorly it would affect my husband should something disastrous happen to the pair.” Mina spoke, offering the young lord a reassuring smile. “For the life of me, I cannot think of a single person who would be inclined to do ill upon the two of them.” She paused, but unable to shake off the jittery feeling that washed over her, she asked; “What do you think? Do you think it is just nerves making the worst of the situation or perhaps there is more to it?”

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Mina elects to take a more optimistic outlook and implores him to do the same. For her sake and his own self, he wishes that were possible, but he knows he’s wired to always be the realist, even when that expresses as negativity. “You shall not hear me speak a word against you on that,” Graham replies in a gracious tone, as if he is agreeing with her. It would only be in his head that he’d dare disagree with her desires to hope for the best. 

There was no need to incite a panic without any information, that he could agree on. It is why he thought sending the families out on a search mission was a good idea. A busy mind was less likely to spin off onto a dark path. She frets over how her husband would be affected by a poor outcome and Graham finds it sweet that her love and concern centers on him now in the midst of all that is going on. He tries to force his face into returning her smile and the end result is a strange twitch of the lips that may look to some as if he just bite into a lemon. 

Again she asks for his thoughts on the missing couple and now he’s hesitant to be truthful and go against her wishes for positivity. Graham also could not name a soul who would do either of them harm, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t exist. Just that he didn’t have any leads. “Weddings do bring out the worst in people...” A jealous ex, spurned lover, unrequited crush — who knows what forces could be work to stop this wedding. Whatever is was, they had been successful thus far. “I cannot rule out more, but we know nothing at this point which wears on the nerves.”

Action was the cure to Theophilus’ woes. Action brought hope, and Theophilus was in desperate need of hope. So much so that he agreed to come along with Lord Mulberry to investigate the suite the couple had booked for their first night of martial bliss. The insinuations were clear, and their penance would be great indeed if they were so caught up in their passions that they absconded to consumate their marriage early. But… but, but, but, perhaps it wouldn’t be too late. Theophilus could perform marriage rites swiftly to save them from this sin.

Theo hurried up the stairs after Lord Mulberry, dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief held in his trembling hand as Graham opened the door. All his fears renewed again with the single word Lord Mulberry uttered. Empty.

Theophilus tentatively entered the room after Lord Mulberry, dabbing his forehead as a fresh bout of sweating overtook him. Another lead, dried up. “These rooms are very handsome, Lord Mulberry,” Theophilus commented, defaulting to the age-honoured tradition of benign, dazed flattery as the room began to spin in front of him. Theo stumbled into one of the trunks and then found himself on the bed, the bed that should have been their marriage bed! “I must… I must apologise… I…” Theophilus pushed himself to seating on the bed, wary of trusting his legs which seemed to buckle and shake underneath him. “A few moments, perhaps, and then we can continue looking…” Where, was another question. One better suited to when he might not feel so horribly pale.

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Graham doesn’t respond to the compliment on the quality of his rooms as his eyes wander over the belongings of the bride and groom to look for any clue. He hadn’t expected to find them here, hadn’t dared to hope lest the couple turn his nightmares into reality. It’s macabre, but also practical ( in his opinion ) that his expectation is for the worst. Though they have no tangible evidence, there’s a feeling sinking deep into his bones since they were all back in the chapel that this wedding would not be taking place.

His thoughts are broken by the sound of Theo running into the trunks and his head snaps towards the noise. Silently assessing the other man, signs of stress are written all over him as the priest attempts to collect himself on the bed. That same anxiety courses through his own veins, but he’s lived his whole life with at least some level of tension and is either more practiced at hiding or has adopted it into his persona that he doesn’t seem more off than his usual self.

Concern for Theo has Graham crossing the room for the water pitcher and brandy decanter, selecting the less expensive glass tumbler over the crystal goblets in case his companion develops the shakes. They’ve already lost the bride and groom, why add his finest drinkware as well. He pours a healthy measure of amber liquid followed by a few drops of water and then holds it out for him to take. “No apologies necessary,” Graham says as he presses the glass into his hand. “We shall take a moment to regroup before checking the rest of the rooms.”

He tries to open one of the trunks atop the pile but finds them locked. There’s no reason to break it open now, he’ll leave that up to the families if this drags on. “Did you speak with either of them before the ceremony?” It seems like something that might take place, though Graham is far from an expert of the timeline of a wedding.

Unable to stall leaving the church any longer, Graham proposes to the good Reverend that they head to his inn so they can check all the rooms in the hopes of finding the bride and groom. The Typhon was centrally located in town and took less that ten minutes in his carriage to arrive, not that he was looking forward to what they might discover. If they did come across the bride and groom, he hoped in the very least they had checked into the honeymoon suite early. Hell, he’d even settle for just one of them in the room with some secret lover.

With a large key ring in hand, Graham leads Theo up stairs and slowly slides the largest into the lock. His eyes shift over to the other man to silently ask if he’s ready before turning the handle and opening the door. In another life, Graham may have cracked a joke about taking bets on what was behind the door, but his existential dread has ruined the development of a sense of humor. He doesn’t announce his presence as the loud groan of the hinge does it for him, though it turns out it doesn’t matter. “Empty,” he announces obviously. This may be their largest room, but it’s still only a bedroom with a sitting area off to the side.

where & when: THE HOLY SANCTUM, 2:14PM.

with: @lord-graham

She was seated in the front row, attention fully upon the restless crowd fidgeting in their seats, not moving even when the situation called for action rather that passive waiting. It was typical of nobility. They never knew when to react and how to properly respond to the situation at hand. Stealing a glance in her husband's direction, Mina noticed the tension pulsing through the room - should everyone go on a manhunt now or should they wait a few more minutes, given how they've already waited for three quarters of an hour; give or take a minute.

Not quite knowing what to do with herself, Mina rose from her seat in an attempt to join her husband by the altar - alas another person beat her to him, so hastily she changed her target, opting to converse with a well know, albeit a little shy, lord of Chauncey. She had heard the rumors, but Mina was not the kind to listen to idle tall tales strung by the bored folks of a lazy town. She approached lord Graham with a friendly smile on her face, even if the occasion was somewhat dire.

"Lord Mulberry, how do you fare? Do you think it possible to find the missing couple?"

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Graham had advocated for the wedding guests to split into groups for the search party and yet his feet remained firmly glued to the stone floor. Whatever was out there, he didn’t want to be the one to find it. The cravat around his neck had been growing tighter all morning and now felt like it was choking him. Fresh air might do the trick, but that would look as though he was heading out to search for the bride, which he was hesitant to do. Thankfully Mrs. Harris came over before Graham could appear the coward, her smile wide as the cross hanging behind the pulpit. 

He’s unable to return the expression but given the circumstances he doesn’t fret over it. She asks how he’s faring and the compassion doesn’t surprise him as Mina has always been kind, though it doesn’t make him open to answer. Instead he focuses on her second question which addresses the issue at hand. “I do think it possible, but in what state...” His words trail off as dark thoughts swirl in his head that he doesn’t want to speak into truth. Best case scenario the married couple would be found partaking in the marital act ahead of their nuptials. Worst case scenario they would be found in a manner similar to the nightmares that plagued him for over three decades. 

At this point the flip of a coin could give them equal insight into the possibilities. The last time a wedding in Netherbridge didn’t take place the bride was never found, so he hopes that the odds are in these families’ favor and land on the other side. “My concern is, are the families prepared for what they might find?” And what they might not, though he keeps that to himself. Not knowing plagues the mind with endless possibilities and haunts the soul with the truth you all but know is true.