Summery: the girl, if one could call her a girl, with ever changing eyes, ever changing attitude and ever changing accent, was a friend of Mary's. So when Mary begged her older friend, Lady Dylan Sedgewell to come and stay with them, Cain could hardly say no. That was when things start to get interesting... not only between Cain and Dylan, but Delilah catches the whiff of this off the rails young lady with the most and unusual contacts for that of the upper class, they simply cannot let the chance pass them by... especially when Jizabel is thrown into closer quarters with Dylan...

Her short hair was ebony, while her eyes were the mirror image of the sea, shifting between royal blue and deep green. Her build was slight and small. Her fingers dainty, her hands gentle. She wore a wine red dress, decorated quite simply with black lace. She was indeed a pretty little thing, were her eyes slightly lowered as men spoke to her. Her voice was soft, her vocabulary vast and her interests un ending. She was by no means a half wit, but she held back enough of her own knowledge to allow men the illusion that they still knew more than this exotic creature.

Lady Dylan Nymphadora Sedgewell. Although technically the illegitimate child of her father, his wife, Lily Sedgewell took a liking to the girl the moment she saw her, when Dylan was not yet three. She insisted they adopt the girl formally into their lives, away from the slums. Lily's love for the young girl was genuine, and always would be. But Dylan was a black sheep the moment she entered the family.

She had a will of her own, and would not stay on the respectable side of town at all unless requested to a dinner. She kept this expeditions to herself to save her family scandal, and she was clever enough to cover her tracks. Only maybe four of the servants knew of them, and each were loyal to her.

Of coarse the young Cain Hargearves had no idea of the young woman's true past, only the fact that she was engaging in conversation and a tipped catch for any man who felt worth of her later in life.

Yet she seemed to show no interest in any male there. She talked, smiled, maybe even flirted a little; but nothing out of the ordinary.

Mary-Weather came bounding up to the older woman quite contentedly.

"Hello Dylan!" she chirped happily, looking up at her.

Dylan's face lit up as her shifting eyes landed on her favourite young friend.

"Mary!" she cried, pulling the girl into a tight hug.

Their relationship was an odd one. Both girls were the illegitimate children of their father's and adopted into the family out of kindness and love. Both girls had seen far too much in life to be considered innocent any more, yet both of them hid it well. Further more, the first time the two met, were in the slums. At the time Mary did not know Dylan was a lady and herself had not been found by her beloved brother.

But Mary still kept Dylan's secret. Even from her brother, Cain. Until she felt it was right to tell him of coarse.

Dylan looked up at the startled man who had been engaging her in conversation.

"If you please, sir," she said, softly, smiling a little, "it has been so long since I have seen Mary, please excuse you." She bowed her head slightly, and moved on with Mary, both holding onto each other's hands.

They settled themselves under a tree, to speak more privately.

It was then and only then did Dylan relax enough to be herself.

"Dear Gawd," she said lightly, her arms wound round the little blonde girl, "this pompous geets really need ter tone daan I swear!" Her normal accent was a mix between upper class and cockney. Though Lady Lily had taken Dylan away from that world, Dylan was very aware of where she had come from and visited there repeatedly.

Mary laughed. "You're an actress!" Mary's accent had been ironed out by governess after governess. Though she intimidated them all, they all had some sort of impact on her studies. "You're never up front with these people."

Dylan let an ugly scowl cover her pretty features. "They're all bloody acters," she said dismissive, "at leas' I don' act all mah life."

Mary grinned. Dylan had only gotten the hang of faking her life in front of her parents when she turned twelve. Now nearly seventeen, it was a perfect charade. Not even Cain could tell anything about her, and Mary prided Cain on being the best unofficial detective in the world.

The two girls spoke for a little longer, there was little of six years between them, but there was almost no one else they felt more comfortable around.

It was only when Dylan had calmed and Mary was sleepy did an interruption came.

A cough from beside them.

Dylan looked up lazily. She knew when the person had arrived and was not worried if she had been over heard. Over the years her hearing had become more and more acute.

"Lady Dylan," said the young male, not much older than her. His glorious black hair was pitch enough to rival her own.

"My lord Cain," she replied, her upper crust accent back in full force. Mary stirred in her lap, she had dozed slightly as Dylan had played with her lovely golden locks.

"I believe you have spirited away my sister," he said, kindly.

Inside Dylan felt like smacking this impertinent man for being so patronising. But she said nothing and allowed a fluttering of a smile to cross her face. "I believe I have," she admittedly lightly, "might I keep her a while longer? Or must you be off home?"

Cain studied the girl. There was something strange about her. She spoke the the tongue of an upper class girl, she sat with her knees bent slightly just as any girl of her sort would while sitting on the floor and she had the same reserved respect for men that all her type had. Yet she seemed almost uncomfortable with it. But as he had no real proof, he dismissed the feeling.

To him Lady Dylan Sedgewell was a simple air head, like all the other's he had met and yet to meet. Pretty, well taught, but nothing of substance.

"Unfortunately, my lady, we must be off," he smiled kindly at her, again something flashed in those ever changing eyes, but it was gone the same moment it appeared, "I must thank you though for entertaining my sister."

Dylan chuckled, it was the first genuine emotion she had portrayed. "my pleasure, sir," she smiled, "Mary is a good friend of mine, I enjoy every minute with her." She looked down at the little girl happily as she did the same to Dylan. They grinned at each other as Mary sat up.

"Dylan please come visit us soon," begged Mary, "you've never come to the mansion!"

"That's because I've never been invited, luv," Cain caught the slight slip up, but thought he had misheard, and as she continued speaking, thought it less and less likely. "Besides I would not wish to get in yours or your brother's way."

Cain saw his sister's face fall. "You wouldn't be in the way at all!" said the young man, Dylan looked up at him suddenly, "we would love to have you."

"A- are you sure?" stammered Dylan, quite taken aback. Surely he knew of her black sheep reputation. They both shared such an unwanted label, surely it would cast doubt upon them both. Then again, it would not show on him, only against herself. That she did not mind at all.

"Of coarse I'm sure," said Cain, "any friend of Mary-Weather is a friend welcome to the estates."

Dylan was so glad he hadn't said "a friend of mine" she would never be a friend of Cain Hargreaves.

"Oh please do come!" begged Mary, tugging Dylan's attention away from Cain, "it'll be so much fun. It gets so lonely in the mansions…"

"Only because all the servants are scared of you," teased Cain.

Mary stuck her tongue out at her big brother, and tossed her pretty hair. "They don't have a back bone," she dismissed, she turned her attention back to Dylan. "Please!" begged the little blonde girl, "we would have so much fun!"

A flicker of something deliciously evil skipped through her eyes and features as Dylan looked back at the girl, as though her thoughts were 'you have no idea what my sort of fun is'. This time Cain could not dismiss it. Dylan was hiding something, and having been so involved with Delilah, he had to make sure she was not one of them.

"You must come, my lady," Cain chimed in, holding out a hand for her to take, "I insist."

Dylan looked at him, and ignored his hand. She got up herself, much to Cain's surprise, then helped Mary to her feet. She turned back to the older Hargreave.

"If you both must put it that way," she smiled at them both, "I would of

coarse be delighted to visit. But bare in mind you must talk to my father first," this was directed at Mary, "I cannot very well leave him with only my word of where I am going."

Mary sighed. Though Dylan's label allowed them to be close friends, it did pose the problem that her father did seem to watch her moves quite closely.

"I shall speak with Lord Sedgewell," Cain said, as Mary looked miserable, "surely he will not turn down a direct invitation."

"You do not know my father," chuckled Dylan, she held her hand to Mary, "come Mary, let's see your brother weave his magic over my darling parent."

Again there was that moment of mischievousness glittering in her eyes, that died away immediately.

'She's good,' thought Cain mildly, 'very good actress, very good at suppressing what she feels. But she can't hide her heart… her eyes give her away a little too much. Give her another year and she will have conquered that too.' He smiled to himself as he offered Dylan his arm. From what he had noted about her, this would have annoyed her, but she would have to cover it up.

If did annoy her, she covered it up extremely well. She took his arm, smiled prettily, and kept a seemingly loose hold on Mary's hand. The little blonde girl felt Dylan squeeze her hand slightly, and knew it was out of annoyance. She resolved to tell Cain off when they got home, her brother should know better.

As Dylan approached her father, Cain tried to spot any similarities between father and daughter.

Lord Alfred Sedgewell was an imposing man. Solidly built, not unlike a solid brick wall. He was wide, muscular, with black hair and brown eyes. His face looked as though it had been chiselled out of marble. He didn't look all that old, despite the grey gathering at his temples.

Beside him, his little petite blonde wife stood in her wonderful white dress. She was stunning, pretty small, rose bud mouth, a small snubbed nose and wide blue eyes. Her skin was translucent and flawless and her smile bright and happy. The goodness of her heart radiated from her.

Lily Sedgewell spotted Cain and Dylan first. The eyes of the two females met, and both brother and sister felt the girl between them relax. A genuine smile spread across her face as Lily positively beamed at her. The little blonde woman touched Lord Sedgewell's arm and pointed them out as they drew closer.

"Dylan," Lily greeted her stepdaughter, quite happily, hugging her, and kissing her cheeks, "I wandered where you had gotten to."

"Don't worry, mamma," she replied, Mary was surprised to hear such a real tone from her sarcastic friend, clearly she liked this woman, "I was catching up with young Mary-Weather. She introduced me to her brother, the Earl of Hargreaves."

"Cain Hargreaves?" asked Lily surprised, she looked up at the young man, studying his face, she smiled gently, "well my lord, you most certainly surpass any expectations I had of you."

"Sorry?" asked Cain, he didn't like the fact that people knew him before he knew them.

"I have heard many stories of you, though admittedly not all are… uh…" she blushed, and glanced at her husband, who still said nothing to them, "flattering. But you appear to be the most amiable of gentlemen."

Dylan smiled gratefully. "I'm glad you think so, mamma," she said quietly, "miss Mary has invited me to stay with them at the Hargreaves estate."

"For how long?" asked her mother.

She opened her mouth to reply, but Cain got there first.

"She is welcome for as long as you can be away from her for," he said, sounding royal, "it would be good for my sister to have a friend a while, I've had so much to do recently, I've hardly paid her any attention."

Lily studied the young man before. She wasn't sure if she knew his type. He could either be completely genuine about his sister, or he simply wanted Dylan for himself.

The older woman glanced at Mary, who was looking up at her pleadingly with her huge blue eyes. How could Lily say no?!

"I'll ask my husband," she consented. She turned to Lord Alfred, "Alfred?"

"Yes?" he said, nodding his dismissal to the man he had been speaking to, "Dylan as been invited to stay with with the Hargreaves a while."

"A while?" asked the lord, "how long, pray tell, is a while."

"A fortnight," said Lily, firmly, meeting her husbands eyes, equal parts firm, pleading and blackmailing, "Dylan needs a break from her brothers and sisters, she has had to play governess to the youngest for far too long. This may encourage me to find one faster for them." She looked at Dylan and smiled, "I do rely on you far too much," she admitted.

Dylan blushed hotly, and murmured about how it she was happy to oblige. After all, it had been Lily's idea to take her in, she owned her stepmother a lot. Yet she never seemed to take advantage of it.

Sedgewell studied Cain closely for a moment. "Very well, Earl, I place you in charge of my daughter's well being," his voice dropped to a low growl, "and I expect her back in one piece."

Anyone watching would have thought this to be an almost touching gesture to his daughter, but by the look on Dylan's face, she knew otherwise. The scowl was momentary, but she let it past.

"Very well, my lord," he said, with a bow and a smile, "I shall collect lady Dylan myself in three days time. Good bye sir." He bent his neck to lord Sedgewell.

He took his hat and bowed at the waist to Lady Sedgewell, "wanderful to meet you, my lady," he said, his tone could only be described as friendly.

And to Lady Dylan he had his hat removed, a bow at his hips and he lifted her hand to his face and brushed her knuckles with his lips. As he raised his eyes to meet hers, he was surpised to see her with a slightly rised eye brow and smirk.

"It was a pleasure making you aquaintance," he said, straightening, not letting go of her hand just yet, "I look foreward to your stay in the mansion."

"As do I, my young Earl," she responded, with a smile and the slightest of cursies.

With a final nod at those standing around and a shared hug between Mary and Dylan, the Hargreave siblings took their leave.

It wasn't till they sat in their carriage did Cain say anything to his sister.

"My my, Mary-Weather," he had a smirk playing about his lips, "what an interesting friend you have."

Mary smiled, mischieviously. "Oh my darling big brother, you do not know the half of it."

Cain leaned back, glancing at the ever shadowing Riff. Riff had not been present during the meeting of Dylan Sedgewell, he had excused himself for reasons that no human could deny. But he had heard enough to know who they were talking about. The servants talked about Dylan Sedgewell, all quite fondly, but the same thing was consisant. The only person in her house who loved or cared about her was not one who was related by blood; Lily Sedgewell. No one quite understood why, but it was a blessing for the child.

Of coarse they all knew that Dylan was born out of wedlock, that was no secret. But that had been rectified when she had been formally adoted.

The servants also had small tidbits of knowledge. About how she never seemed to stay put, how they could hardly ever know where she was. How she could interact so welll with the upper crust, and still be able to go down and help out and relax with the kitchen skivvies.

"Mary you must be careful of these types-" started Cain, but Mary waved him away.

"No Cain, not with her. She is as my sister, I've known her all my life. She was here before you knew of my existance." She smiled. "You should be grateful to her, without her, there was many a time where I may have died… or worse…"

"How can that be?" demanded Cain, "she is no older than I!"

"Yes… but she too was born in the slums of London," Mary wagged her fingers, "she never forgot who her mother was, and would visit her grandmother often. She isn't any old lady, Cain, she's Dylan Sedgewell."

Cain had had half a mind to tell her that he knew that. But kept his mouth shut. He understood Mary perfectly. This Dylan Sedgewell… there was far more to her than met the eye. He intended to uncover more in the fornight that she was to stay.