Sorrowed Happiness

She looked at him,"Oh," she said shocked, no suitor had every brought her a gift before. "Thank you," she said to him softly as she watched his hands, when he showed her the frame. "It's beautiful," she murmured gently.

---

He smiled,"This one then," he said to her lightly as he licked over his lips, holding up the file.

I nodded and opened it up, reading it quickly. "This is the statement of the wife, stating her innocence. How would you look at this case from the standpoint of an outsider, rather than a lawmaker?" I asked, knowing the questions my Grandfather would ask.

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He smiled. "I'm pleased you like it." He said with a sigh. "It was something I thought you might enjoy."

She nodded,"It's quite lovely, I appreciate the gesture," she said to him smiling a little as she looked at him.

---

"I don't know this woman,." he said to her, "As an outsider, you can't really trust based on appearance," he told her.

I nodded a little. "Many of the people you will be judging will be strangers as well." I nodded a little and looking at him, shutting the package. "Try me. Analyze me."

---

He smiled a little and nodded. "Tell me about yourself Miss Elizabeth."

"You're out spoken, but keep your mouth shit due to your gender a place in soceity. You have wants, and dreams," he said to her as he walked over to her, "But you keep them closed up because the realities for you are different than they are for your family," he said as he stood right infront of her.

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"Well I'm pretty simple. I don't really care much for the extravagant, I think its ab it over blown in most cases. she said to him.

I narrowed my eyes at him, watching as he was now faced towards me. He was correct, but never had I met a man so brash. "And so, since I am a stranger and you analyzed me in such a way you can analyze your client." I said, not breaking eye contact with him even though I should.

---

He smiled. "How nice. Most women speak of nothing but gowns, nothing but frill in their heads."

She smiled a little,"Of course I do like some things, I love hair pins, the ones with designs on them. Jewels make them heavy so I prefer the silver designs over brass," she explained, "It's quite the contrast,"

---

He looked at her,"I think she is innocent, she seems to be extremely remorseful and doesn't look as if she could harm a hair on anyones head,"

I nodded a little, moving back to look at the package. "There are witness accounts," I said, handing them over to him to look at.

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He smiled a little. "Well I do believe that it's nice to like some of those things, but not completely. I do like intelligent conversation."

"How many to prove her innocent?" he asked.

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She nodded,"I agree," she said smiling a little,"I'd much rather have a cottage in the country than a house here in the city but I'll come to terms with whatever I'm given,"

I looked at the file. "Only one." I said, looking at the name. "Her next door neighbor, the farmer."

---

He smiled. "A cottage? That's much smaller than you must be used to."

He nodded a little,"Thats a shame," he murmured gently,"If she had a female witness it might be more credible they'll think she'd had an affair with him. She might win the case but I dont know how much her repuation might stand,"

---

She smiled,"It is, but there is a summer cottage I used to go to when I was a child, it was perfect," she nodded.

I nodded a little, looking at the file. "But what if she was? Would your ruling change because of it? If she did, she would have committed adultery."

---

He smiled slightly. "Where is this cottage?"

"No," he said to her shaking his head.

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"Its out about fifty miles from here," she smiled,"It's got two stories, and a pasture - it's perfect," she told him.

He smiled. "Well maybe one day we can go visit this cottage."

---

I nodded, but held my tongue. I didn't agree with letting her go especially if she had committed adultery. But my opinion didn't matter in this case.

"We're charging her with the murder of her child, not adultry," he said to her with a small smile,"Thats is a different matter,"

---

She smiled,"I'd love that,"

I raised my eyebrows at him, looking back at the files. "It is none of my concern what you decide, this is not my ruling." I said coldly, looking at the files. "These are law makers parchments, you'll need to memorize them. These are the first five."

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He nodded a little, looking at the floor. "Miss Elizabeth? I have a confession to make, I haven't been entirely honest with you."

She looked at him,"What do you mean?" she asked him softly as she sipped her tea.

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He looked at her and nodded,"No need to be so cold shouldered," he said to her, "Losen up, you might actually learn to be happy," he teased her.

I stared at him incredulously, before handing him the rest of the packet. "Never mind. Learn the first twenty." I said, going back to organizing the files. Who was this man? I had fun whenever I wanted, just because I was treating him like the stranger he was he didn't have the right to speak to me in such a way. He didn't know me.

---

He sighed softly. "I was told to stop coming to see you. That you shouldn't be seen as a viable marriage option. Because you have no dowry to offer my family, my mother requested I stop seeing you. But I don't want to stop."

She looked at him and then at her hands,"If it's your parent's wishes shouldn't you listen?" she asked shakily, this had happened so many times before and they'd left her without so much as a goodbye.

---

"I'll read them when you tell me why you're so cut off," he said as he sat down.