Brit nodded and climbed over the fence easily, standing in front of the two, looking between them curiously.

Hilde moved forward a few steps, looking at Brit. "Well, if you were washed you'd be the image of your mother at your age." She sniffed again. "Most definitely her daughter."

Brit stiffened, just a little, and looked at Hazel.

"Well, it would seem we've much work to do. Come along, Britannia, we're returning to the family home."

Brit blinked at that and stumbled back a step, her eyes wide.

"Now wait a moment, Lady DeWinter," Hazel said, deftly stepping between her and Brit. "Above all else, Brit works for me. There is a contract in my office as proof. I see no reason not to give her a little time off, as she deserves, but you have no right to take her if she would rather remain here." She looked at Hilde. "And I will not budge on the matter if she wants to stay. I look after my own, as is my right."

"She is not your own. That contract can be taken care of, young Lady. She is my family, and my responsibility first. It is long past time she come back to our manor so I may teach her properly." Hilde looked down, just a little, at Hazel.

Hazel drew herself up, looking at Hilde squarely.

"Be that as it may," she said, "Brit is over the age of majority, even for nobility. Familial claim would only be valid if she weren't. And as her contract with me was made long before you arrived, it stands until she decides to end it." She gave Hilde a Look that she knew from experience would cow lesser nobility. "And I would thank you not to try to intimidate me again, Lady DeWinter."

"Try to intimidate you? As if." Hilde snorted, not at all put off by Hazel's look or attitude. "The only reason you hold her contract is because your grandfather died and didn't have the good sense to give the ranch to someone older and more knowledgeable. Anyone else would see reason." She looked at Brit. "Come along, Britannia."

"Brit, you're more than welcome to stay, if you like," Hazel interjected, looking at her friend. "I will not make you go if you do not want to." She knew that for the moment, it was no use arguing with Hilde anymore.

Brit looked between the two, clearly confused and upset. She bit her lower lip, rather intimidated by Hilde. She dealt with animals, not people.

"Well? Speak up, child!" Hilde looked at Brit impatiently.

That made Brit grimace. She would if she could. I can't. She handed over the note to Hilde.

"Whyever not?"

Brit looked at her for a moment before hesitantly tilting her head back, exposing the old, ropy scars across her throat, vanishing under her shirt.

Hilde gasped, her eyes widening, and she seemed momentarily too stunned to say anything else.

"It is your choice," Hazel said softly to Brit. "You're always welcome here. If you want to go, I can suspend your contract until you decide if you want to dissolve it or not." She glanced between her friend and Hilde. She could tell Brit was torn and upset. "Do you need some time to think it over?"

Brit nodded vigorously at that. She had no idea what to do with this new knowledge.

Hilde's eyes narrowed a little before she nodded briskly. "We'll return in a week to see if you've made your decision yet," she said, clearly implying that Brit should already be at the manor by then. "Good day." She walked back to the house to get her husband and go.

"Take the rest of the afternoon off, if you want," Hazel said softly to Brit. "Snuggle the sheep or your phoenixes or something." With that, she followed Hilde back to the main house to make sure all they did was leave. She still didn't quite like them at all.

Brit retreated back to her room to spend some time with her phoenixes, more shaken than she liked to admit. She did watch out the window as Hilde and Raul left, though.

Hazel sighed and sank into her chair in her office again.

"I don't like this," she murmured. She knew Kaladin was still outside the door.

Kaladin entered slowly, giving her time to send him away if she wanted, before he stood next to her.

"What are you going to do?" he asked quietly.

"If Brit wants to go, I'm going to let her," Hazel said. "I could make her stay, but... She can make her own decisions."

Kaladin was quiet for a few moments. "But you don't want her to go, either?" he guessed.

"No," Hazel said softly. "No, I don't want her to go." She looked at Kaladin. "She's my friend. Even if she wasn't a valuable worker, she's my friend."

Kaladin nodded slowly, looking at her. "Well. I don't know if it's any consolation, but I doubt she's really fit for noble life now. I doubt she'd stay there, even if she did go to see them."

"But they'll try," Hazel said. "They'll try so hard to entice her to stay. I know it's not likely to work, but..." She sighed and looked at him. "If you'd been offered the same chance, if you worked somewhere else... Would you still take it?"

"If I worked somewhere else? Maybe. I don't know." Kaladin shrugged. "I can't say. I would at least investigate. But I don't work somewhere else, I work here, and I have attachments here. You, Seamus, the animals. Even Brit. I'm sure Brit feels the same way."

Hazel sighed but didn't reply. There was nothing to do at the moment but wait it out and see what happened.

"Before I forget," she said, "a few things got added to my social calendar for the month, if you want to look. I only technically need an escort for one of them, but I wouldn't mind you coming with me anyway."

Kaladin nodded. "Certainly." He smiled, glad for the change of topic, and pulled a chair over next to hers so he could take a look.

Hazel opened up her small, leatherbound book that she kept track of such things in and showed him the dates that had gotten added. One was an afternoon social hosted by one of the other ladies, one was another formal ball, and one was a simple dinner party hosted by one of the lords.

Kaladin looked at the dates and socials, wrinkling his nose a little at the tea party. "Well, two of them I can go to. Escorts are usually sort of frowned upon at those ladies' socials, at least from the ones I've seen."

"Men generally have nothing to do but talk while the ladies are socializing," Hazel pointed out. "The ladies will chat and gossip and socialize and leave the men out completely."

Kaladin snorted. "Do you want me to go to that one?" he asked, looking at her. He could do that, for a few hours. It might not be bad for him to be seen in public more either now.