Unexpected: Day 4

Word Count: 30,083

Summary of Events:

Arriving in Ireland, Hilton discovered his aunt had been given the wrong gate number to meet him at and was none too pleased. He, on the other hand, was grateful to have avoided seeing her — as she'd called him on his mobile — and hired a cab to take him and Meinwen to the hotel he'd been planning on staying at, where they had to get a double room as that was all there was left. After changing for the lecture, they went for dinner, followed by the lecture, which had less strict security compare to what there had been in Cardiff, although it was, again, followed by a reception with refreshments . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

This time Meinwen noticed that Dr. Stiles was manoeuvring around the crowd alone, but she soon spied the muscular man who’d been his shadow in Cardiff. Today the man was watching from the shadows off to the edge, obviously still certain there was some sort of threat, and intent to be ready should it ever come.

It felt like it didn’t take as long for Dr. Stiles to approach them this time as it had the time previously either, with Meinwen noticing to her discomfort that Dr. Stiles was looking directly at her.

Mr. Sheahan-Carrington, however, stepped forward and asked a question of Dr. Stiles before Dr. Stiles could say anything, and Meinwen felt grateful to see Dr. Stiles’ eyes turn away from her to Mr. Sheahan-Carrington.

The question Mr. Sheahan-Carrington asked of Dr. Stiles sounded very intelligent, but, at the same time, Meinwen didn't really know what he’d been talking about, and Dr. Stiles’ reply was much the same.

In a way, it was as if the two men were speaking a form of English that Meinwen didn’t understand, not altogether unlike the heavily-accented person who’d called the telephone box and his killer, except that their accents weren’t as heavy or difficult-to-understand.

As a result, Meinwen mostly watched the faces of Dr. Stiles and Mr. Sheahan-Carrington as they debated things Dr. Stiles had said in his lecture. Dr. Stiles, for the most part, looked impressed, and Meinwen couldn’t blame him, as Mr. Sheahan-Carrington seemed to have a very good understanding of what he’d spoken on, and seemed completely at ease in what Meinwen considered rather an intelligent situation.

At the same time, Mr. Sheahan-Carrington actually looked to be growing more confused as he went on. His questions were still worded intelligently, and sounded thoughtful, but Meinwen got the impression that Dr. Stiles’ responses weren’t exactly giving Mr. Sheahan-Carrington any understanding.

Thus, in the end, Mr. Sheahan-Carrington merely nodded silently to Dr. Stiles’ last response, apparently far too confused to think of anything else to ask. If he’d been seeking to clarify terms, he looked to Meinwen to have suffered the opposite, and had the clear become increasingly unclear with the more questions he’d asked.

Seeing that Mr. Sheahan-Carrington had no further questions for him, Dr. Stiles’ attention turned directly to Meinwen, and she hoped dearly that he hadn’t deliberately been trying to confound Mr. Sheahan-Carrington in order for this to happen.

“I’ve got to say that you’re just gorgeous,” Dr. Stiles said to her. “I saw a lovely woman that looked almost exactly like you at my last stop, but there is no way on earth that she was nearly as beautiful as you are. You are about the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

“Excuse me, sir, but she is my fiancée,” Mr. Sheahan-Carrington said sternly, looking irritated.

“Oh,” Dr. Stiles said, looking surprised and almost the tiniest touch disappointed. “I have to compliment you on having an excellent taste in women. But I should probably be getting on, lovely chatting with you folks.”