A Change Of Heart|{Lady C/Faustus} FINISHED

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

The incident with Roger Davis in Central Park had changed Lady Catherine de Bourgh. She'd tried to deny it at first, despite her better judgement, and plunged back into the throes of mindless spending. But instead of making her feel better, as it always had done, it only served to make her feel worse.

Feeling guilty was unusual for Catherine. And nor was it pleasant. She had to find some way to escape this new and unwanted emotion. She couldn't stay at Rosings Park for, peaceful and calm as it was, it was too full of the sort of things she was feeling guilty about. Things she'd bought on a whim without really needing them, and that was including the complete makeover of the living room so that the windows no longer faced full west. Most inconvenient for the summer.

Going to the shops was not an option, as she knew she would only be tempted to buy more. It wasn't possible for any one of her organizations to meet up today to discuss the Alphabet City Clinic situation and she hadn't yet managed to pluck up the courage to schedule a meeting with Mayor Plantagenet.

It was as she was thinking along these lines that she came up with a solution. Mrs. Bloom, one of her fellow charitable workers, had mentioned seeing Richard Plantagenet in church a week or so ago. A church, Lady Catherine thought, would be a good place to attempt to relieve her mind of its current situation. Quiet, serene, and with nothing in sight she might be tempted to purchase.

She had never been the most devout of worshippers, though she had attended church every Sunday with her parents like the well brought up young lady that she was. She continued to attend even now, as if to back up her reputation of charity, though she could never claim her heart was fully in it as it perhaps should have been. She'd donated money to the church on a number of occasions so as to further cement her reputation, and thus far it had worked out very well indeed.

It wasn't Sunday, or even the morning. But the church was where Lady Catherine decided to go. Upon entering the chapel it was as though the outside world fell away; no sound of cars, music blaring from shops, people talking. Quite simply, silence, save for the sound her shoes made as she walked.

Having dropped a fifty dollar bill into the donation box, Her Ladyship proceeded to walk around the church, admiring the work that had gone into its upkeep. There were a couple of other people in the church along with her, engaged in the same pursuit, and another sitting in one of the pews, eyes closed, head bent, hands clasped in prayer.

Apart from a murmur of conversation from the pair admiring the church's lofty windows, the quiet and calm of the church was just what Lady Catherine had been searching for. It was strange, she reflected, how it had come to this; her being in church when she didn't have to be.

She had approached Roger and reprimanded him for busking and he had argued back. Things were getting quite ridiculous (admittedly on her part) when Lady Catherine, in an attempt to get herself back on the moral high ground, had announced how she worked for a number of charitable organizations. Roger had then taken her to Alphabet City and showed her the people she really should be helping. Despite his protestations that no-one cared about them, Her Ladyship seemed to have seen the light and was determined to do something.

Ever since then she'd been feeling guilty for the way she'd acted before that fateful, perspective altering meeting. So now she stood in church, as if asking for forgiveness. Lady Catherine doubted the place would do much more than act as a temporary reprieve, but she would take what she could get.

[yolanda7g]

That's the last time he'll talk to his momma on the phone ever again.

See, that's why he can't be calling the family. Number one, people wanna keep you on the phone for ever. Number two, they bring up old shit. And number three, they make you think about stuff. And his mom always tend to do all three.

When he talked to his mom this weekend, she was singing his praises. She just loves James to death, and is so proud every time she hears him on the news. He told her that he landed an interview with the New York Times and she should be seeing it up soon, and James could just see her beaming, just hearing her reaction. But man, can she talk. Talk, talk, talk. And then she talked herself right into the subject she always manages to bring up, no matter what.

"James, have you been to church recently?"

No, ma, it ain't on my priority list.

Seriously. He was really tired of her trying to push this on him. He thought he made it pretty clear that he wasn't really into that sort of thing, much less believe in it really. Besides, what would be the use of him going to church? Everyone's sinful right? So James had already convinced himself he was going to hell, no doubt about it. No praying was going to prevent that fact, so why bother?

"Please, go to church. For me, son."

So yeah. That meant he had to go. James never felt guilty for most things, but his mom and dad worked to get him into college, so he owed them at least that much to keep his word. His plan? Walk in, take a look around, and walk right back out.

So there he was, walking in the church. He felt weird even stepping foot inside. Man, what the heck are you doing in here? There's so many better things you can do with your time.

He dug his hands in his slacks as he looked up at the very impressive stained windows. The place gave him the creeps. The only things churches reminded him of were funerals, and he couldn't really find peace and serenity when he's thinking about dead people. He turned around and surveyed the place, seeing a few people here and there. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now. Pray? Ask for forgiveness?

Hell no.

"Right. God won't forgive you anyway. Why waste your time? You said you'd come to church. You're here. Now you can leave. No harm done."

Faustus looked up at the far window, high up, and saw the bad angel sitting on the seal.

He's got that right. Faustus thought.

"How do you know He won't forgive you, unless you ask?"

Faustus look to his left and saw the good angel sitting on the stage.

Ohhh damn. Now I gotta deal with these folks again.

Scanning the area again, he found a familiar face. She must have just walked in. Thank God...well not God, really . He was just lucky he had a distraction. And this woman was just too rich for her own good, so it probably did him some good to talk with her.

This is why I should come to church, Faustus thought, approaching her. With a smile he said, "Hey there, M'lady Catherine. Fancy seeing you here. I just want to say thanks for everything you've been doing for the Presbyterian hospital. I've seen first hand where your money is going towards."

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

Lady Catherine had been about to walk on and admire a particularly ornate stained glass window, when a voice nearby accosted her ears, breaking the spell of serenity the church seemed to have cast over her.

She turned to face the speaker, irritated at being interrupted, when she found she recognized the man who had spoken. She'd met the man on a number of occasions due to her association with the hospital he worked for. Dr. James Faustus if Her Ladyship wasn't mistaken (and she rarely was).

He was an affable character, as she recollected, and quite pleasant to talk to. His sense of humour however, at least in Her Ladyship's honourable opinion, left much to be desired.

"Hey there, M'lady Catherine. Fancy seeing you here. I just want to say thanks for everything you've been doing for the Presbyterian hospital. I've seen first hand where your money is going towards."

Lady Catherine inclined her head in greeting.

"You're very welcome, Doctor Faustus. I'm glad my money is being put to good use." Having said this she offered the doctor a rare smile; she was indeed pleased, as he had just reminded her of one good thing she had done with her money recently.

"What brings you to the church at this time of day, Doctor? I haven't seen you here before, I must say."

[yolanda7g]

Ooo a smile. Must be on the right track.

Faustus returned it. Then, digging his hands in his pockets again with a sigh, he was going to respond with his usual spiel. He doesn't really do the 'religious' thing very often, he doesn't really take it seriously. Plus he had thing 2 and thing 1 following him around, trying to convince him to do this and that, which doesn't make church all that appealing. But he stopped himself. Wait a minute....wasn't he trying to impress here?

"Really?" He responded, furrowing his brow as if genuinely shocked. "Please, I come here all the time. Yep. Here to get my praise on. Amen, hallelujah, thank ya Jesus and all that jazz. Thats just who I am, you know? I might as well be a preacher--have that as a side job or something--I'm that into it. That's how serious I am." Okay, that should be enough. "So yeah...anyway, in conclusion, I'm really surprised I haven't seen you around."

He glanced upwards for the angels, wondering if they were going to be his peanut gallery or something. From what he could tell, they'd disappeared, so he returned his attention to the Lady.

"So what about you? Wait--you know what? Before you even came in the door the...uh...Spirit...was telling me, Lady Catherine should come to service more often. So it's actually really wonderful to see you here. Praise be to God right?" He grinned warmly.

Okay, that was enough. Because I don't know how much longer I can keep this act up!

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

"Really? Please, I come here all the time. Yep. Here to get my praise on. Amen, hallelujah, thank ya Jesus and all that jazz. Thats just who I am, you know? I might as well be a preacher--have that as a side job or something--I'm that into it. That's how serious I am."

Lady Catherine couldn't help a small chuckle at Faustus' choice of words. Here to get my praise on indeed. What was it she'd said about the doctor's sense of humour not being amusing? Maybe it was because she was not as devout as she seemed, but it did help his little speech seem all the more hilarious.

However Her Ladyship quickly realized that laughing at Faustus was probably not something God would be thanking her for. She hurriedly stopped laughing and instead settled for smiling once more. She found herself wondering momentarily how Faustus would fare as a preacher; she may not have been the most involved of the congregation but whenever she went to church she preffered the old fashioned church organs and hymns rather than all this new fangled 'Christian rock' and other such oddities. It seemed to her that Faustus would fall into the latter category, if anything.

"So yeah...anyway, in conclusion, I'm really surprised I haven't seen you around."

"As am I, Doctor. Maybe we go to different churches? There is, after all, more than one church in this city...this is the one closest to my home so it's the one I chose to frequent." Her Ladyship replied, with an offhand sort of shrug. "Who knows."

"So what about you? Wait--you know what? Before you even came in the door the...uh...Spirit...was telling me, Lady Catherine should come to service more often. So it's actually really wonderful to see you here. Praise be to God right?"

Lady Catherine raised an eyebrow.

"I'll have you know, Doctor, that I attend service every Sunday and was, as a matter of fact, employed last month as part of the flower arranging committee. Praise be to God indeed; those were the finest bouquets this church has ever seen, I can promise you that."

She paused and, having adjusted the sleeve of her Chanel cardigan so it looked less rumpled, she continued.

"Let's say, for the sake of argument, we both attend this particular church and haven't seen each other around by pure coincidence. Which part of the sermon last week was of most interest to you?"

Her Ladyship had been paying attention that particular Sunday; the sermon had been on the subject of loving thy neighbour and helping those less fortunate. Strange that the topic should crop up so soon after her meeting with Davis in Central Park. At any rate, talking about the sermon, Catherine thought, would be a good and spiritually productive use of her time. If the doctor was as serious about religion as he claimed he was, no doubt this would prove an interesting discussion.


(ooc: I'm not bashing Christian rock by the way; I happen to love it. Lady C is just stuffy, old fashioned and set in her ways. XD)

[yolanda7g]

"I'll have you know, Doctor, that I attend service every Sunday and was, as a matter of fact, employed last month as part of the flower arranging committee. Praise be to God indeed; those were the finest bouquets this church has ever seen, I can promise you that."

Oh damn, why couldn't he just shut his big mouth? Now he got this woman all riled up. And Faustus knew not to get on the bad side of women like her. The nice old lady from down the street, baking apple pies and putting them on the window seal, could quickly turn into Grandmommy From Hell and start snappin off if he doesn't be careful. He's seen it happen before. Shoot, Faustus' own mom could make that switch in an instant! It must be a secret talent or some right of passage for old ladies or something.

Faustus adjusted the collar of his dark blue button up shirt and cleared his throat. "Aw man, you know what? I apologize. Did I say the Spirit told me you should come to service more often? I meant...Sprite told me. You never saw those commercials on TV for Sprite? They're reaching out to...uh, the Christian community now. This new marketing campaign. They're tellin' everyone to go to church. You. Me. Everyone in the 18-65 age demographic. Obey your thirst...for Christ. Crazy, right?"

He laughed a bit uneasily, and quickly changed the subject. And changing the subject meant that he would have to answer this Lady C's question. Daaaaaayyym, he thought. He really did hate lying. Well not really. But he especially hated lying in a church. God, better send that bolt of lightening down now and give me that ticket to eternal damnation because I'm about to commit all kinds of violations.

"So what did I like about last week? heh, well that's a really good question, Lady Catherine, I'm glad you asked. I think the message just really hit home, for me at least. You know when the minister talked about...God...man, I was touched." He put a hand to his chest. "And when he said the final 'Amen' at the end...mm! Something about that was just so powerful. It's like, the guy said what he had to say, preached what he had to preach and BAM! Amen. Beautiful. Just beautiful."

Okay, all that bullshitting better be good enough, Faustus thought.

"What about you, Ms. Lady?"

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

"Aw man, you know what? I apologize. Did I say the Spirit told me you should come to service more often? I meant...Sprite told me. You never saw those commercials on TV for Sprite? They're reaching out to...uh, the Christian community now. This new marketing campaign. They're tellin' everyone to go to church. You. Me. Everyone in the 18-65 age demographic. Obey your thirst...for Christ. Crazy, right?"

Lady Catherine spluttered with indignant laughter at Faustus' words. Obey your thirst for Christ? Who came up with such ridiculous notions? She had no idea how uncomfortable Faustus was with the situation (cued by his own, albeit uneasy, laughter), such was her mirth at what he had said.

Once her laughter had faded, she endeavoured to reply with her usual nonchalance, though a hint of a smirk still lingered about her lips.

"I hardly ever watch television any more, Doctor Faustus," she commented, somewhat coolly, as though it was beneath her to do so. "It's mostly rubbish nowadays, wouldn't you agree? As such, I haven't seen this Sprite advertisement you speak of, though I must say I'm intrigued to see if it lives up to what you've said. It sounds crazy indeed."

Lady Catherine, having said this, listened to Faustus' thoughts on the sermon. Which were few. And of little substance. She would have replied here, most likely to say something cutting along the lines of 'Well of course he talked about God! Now what did you really think?'. But then Faustus made what was, in Her Ladyship's opinion, a fatal flaw.

"What about you, Ms. Lady?"

He had called her 'Ms'. Not 'Lady Catherine', 'Your Ladyship', one of that. He'd called her 'Ms'. Her Ladyship seemed forget the past times the doctor had addressed her properly (read: as she would wish) and frowned, all traces of laughter faded from her countenance.

"I found the sermon to be very enlightening, Doctor. And in future I would appreciate it if you refrained from using the term 'Ms' to address me and instead use my proper title? I assure you it would be greatly appreciated."

Her tone was cold now, the sort of haughty tone she liked to use when putting people down. Despite the revelations of seeing Alphabet City up close, Lady Catherine's entire personality hadn't changed over the course of a few nights. She was, in a word, miffed.

[yolanda7g]

"I hardly ever watch television any more, Doctor Faustus. It's mostly rubbish nowadays, wouldn't you agree? As such, I haven't seen this Sprite advertisement you speak of, though I must say I'm intrigued to see if it lives up to what you've said. It sounds crazy indeed."

Faustus grinned and nodded. Just keep it going, James. You got this! "Oh yeah, you're right about that. What ever happened to the good old days when entertainment wasn't just about little teenagers going through hormonal issues? And yeah...the Sprite thing. Crazy. But hey, it must be working for them. It's memorable, right?"

It really is memorable, Faustus thought. Hey, why am I not on their ad campaign anyway? I just come up with outrageous ideas off the cuff like this, shoot, I should be getting paid for this! He had to make a mental note for himself --- if the doctor thing EVER fell through (which it won't but, you never know), that would be his back up plan. That kind of talent had to be used somewhere!

Faustus opened his mouth to continue the conversation but quickly grimaced when Lady Catherine stated, "I found the sermon to be very enlightening, Doctor. And in future I would appreciate it if you refrained from using the term 'Ms' to address me and instead use my proper title? I assure you it would be greatly appreciated."

Ouch. How about using the title Ms. Lady Sensitive? Oh, no, that would be too offensive, and not the "Ms" part. Sometimes Faustus had to remind himself not to talk too casual around certain people. Some people just can't handle being treated like normal folks without "titles." After all, Faustus was pretty proud of his title but he really didn't need people calling him doctor 24/7. Especially in the very sarcastic manner Lady C just displayed. This chick has got serious issues, but hey, maybe extra conceitedness comes with age.

"Oops, my bad. Sometimes things just slip my mind. You know what? If I do something like that again, be sure to let me know. Like, if you need me to bow or something when I say it, say the word. What ever makes you feel good in life, its alright by me. I'm not mad at ya." This statement was clearly brushed with sarcasm, but Faustus was curious to see if this woman would take him seriously. She looked like the person who would want people to bow before her and Faustus wouldn't be surprised if she asked people to do so.

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

"Oops, my bad. Sometimes things just slip my mind. You know what? If I do something like that again, be sure to let me know. Like, if you need me to bow or something when I say it, say the word. What ever makes you feel good in life, its alright by me. I'm not mad at ya."

At first Her Ladyship was inclined to remain skeptical. Things such as ones proper and preffered manner of address really shouldn't slip people's minds, particularly her title. Why, surely she was one of the only women in the city with the title she held? She deserved to be known as such and treated with the respect and deference the title deserved.

Then again, the doctor seemed apologetic. Perhaps it would be best to forgive his rudeness. They were in a church, after all, and churches were the place for forgiveness of sins, among other things.

Besides, Faustus had offered to bow in future when using her title. That was something Lady Catherine could certainly enjoy and get used to.

"I'm glad to hear you aren't upset with me, Doctor and-" She paused. You're in a church. Forgiveness. Apologies. "-I'm sorry I snapped at you a little there. As for the bowing, I don't think you need go that far, although I have to say I don't doubt it's a gesture I would appreciate."

There was a hint of laughter in her eyes as she said this, rather out of character considering her usual haughty nature. That and the forgiveness for his disrespect. Maybe the church hadn't been such a brilliant idea after all. She knew she would regret it if she didn't behave in a manner expected of the devoted church goer; refusing to accept an apology inside a church was probably punishable in some form after life.

Not that this was something Her Ladyship dwelt on often.

[yolanda7g]

Faustus gave her an uneasy glare. Okay. Confirmed. This woman really did have serious issues. So how do you deal with crazy people? Smile, nod, and walk away.

Faustus nodded at her...apology? Was it an apology? He wasn't quite sure because she actually liked the prospect of someone bowing down to her. Well Faustus didn't really need any apologies from her. Faustus knew the drill, because he's done it himself--apologizing without really meaning it. In fact, he just did it by apologizing for not calling her "lady." He could spot phoniness a mile off.

He caught the bit of lightheartedness in her eye, but Faustus could tell she was being almost...at least...half serious. So he decided to give her the same kind of half serious/half joking response.

"Really? Isn't that one of the seven deadly sins or something? Thou shalt not be prideful or something?" he grinned, adjusting his collar out of habit, almost to go with the "prideful" remark. "Naw, I'm just playin. I...really don't have the right to talk about sins anyway, if you know what I mean." He rolled his eyes at his own comment, knowing those stupid angels were listening somewhere.

"Anyway, you never said what you liked about the sermon, I mean, specifically. What was enlightening?" He was curious. What was so enlightening about a church sermon to a woman like that? And perhaps he could get clues about the sermon from her so his answers could have a bit more...substance. He already smiled, he already nodded, but he didn't walk away because he needed to keep up connections. It was only right to not walk away>

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

"Really? Isn't that one of the seven deadly sins or something? Thou shalt not be prideful or something? Naw, I'm just playin. I...really don't have the right to talk about sins anyway, if you know what I mean."

Lady Catherine looked positively scandalized at Faustus' question. One of the seven deadly sins? Was he really accusing her of indulging in one of them? His grin and eye roll at his own comment indicated that he really was 'just playing' as he claimed, yet there'd been a note of seriousness in his voice that Her Ladyship was unable to shake of.

It would seem her apology had not been accepted as she would wish. This was indicated by the uneasy sort of glare Faustus had given her before he started to speak. Perhaps the apology had sounded as false as it now felt.

She had to admit she was curious as to his last remark; why didn't he have the right to talk about sins? What had he done? Her Ladyship would have asked but she sensed going down that road in the conversation at this point would not be a brilliant idea. Besides, the doctor had already changed the subject.

"Anyway, you never said what you liked about the sermon, I mean, specifically. What was enlightening?"

Lady Catherine paused before she spoke, attempting to regain that sense of calm and serenity the church had filled her with before the conversation began. She was about to talk about a sermon, after all.

"The sermon came soon after an experience which changed my perceptive on a number of issues, therefore it's subject matter was of particular profoundness to me," Lady Catherine explained. She wasn't quite sure why she was telling Faustus this, of all people, but she hadn't told anyone before now. It was strange to admit how much that meeting with Roger and this subsequent sermon had affected her. "I found the parts of the sermon in which the minister talked about helping those less fortunate than oneself particularly moving, my past actions and attitudes considered. It was...quite humbling, actually."

Gone was her haughty and self righteous tone; there was something about what had occurred, something about the church, that made her voice and manner somewhat softer, more vulnerable.

[yolanda7g]

"I found the parts of the sermon in which the minister talked about helping those less fortunate than oneself particularly moving, my past actions and attitudes considered. It was...quite humbling, actually."

The word 'humble' coming out of this woman's mouth seemed laughable. But then again, she did give money to the hospital so maybe she wasn't so bad. But then again, she just seemed to relish in the idea of people bowing down to here. Hm. Yeah, she probably was that bad. Perhaps Faustus could milk this 'generosity' as much as possible. Hey, he wasn't the one who was the church zealot, as much as he pretended to be. Time to take advantage of a few opportunities while they arise.

"You know what? That's really interesting. And your past actions? You struck me as a woman who takes the selfless train 24/7, I mean, here I was thinking that being generous was a natural state of being for you." Yes, sarcasm. But light sarcasm nonetheless. "I was really struck by that too. This city is just full of people in need, you know? I see it in the hospital. Its kind of why I became a doctor." Now Faustus, you *know* you lying. Why you lying like that?

"If only some of these hospitals really got the funding that they needed. I mean thanks to your donation and contribution to the hospital, we've gotten new equipment but this economy..." He shook his head. "We're understaffed surprisingly enough. And to think of those patients..."

I deserve an Oscar.

"But God is good and He'll provide right? Unless of course people open their wallets a few times outside of offering."

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

"You know what? That's really interesting. And your past actions? You struck me as a woman who takes the selfless train 24/7, I mean, here I was thinking that being generous was a natural state of being for you."

Lady Catherine was still not entirely sure why she had chosen to reveal to Faustus just how she felt with regards to the sermon and her past behaviour. But there was something about the church that made her drop her usual mannerisms, at least momentarily. It would be a bad idea to be full of oneself in a church, surely, when one was meant to be entirely focussed on God.

The sarcasm in Faustus' words went right over Lady Catherine's head; she smiled wryly and shook her head.

"I wish it was, Doctor," she replied. "Really, the only reason I donate to places and host fund-raisers and all is because of Sir Lewis de Bourgh, my late husband....it was all his work and, when he died, I felt it wouldn't be right to stop it."

She hadn't talked about Lewis in ages, she hadn't felt the need to. She missed him more than she professed but she wasn't about to let anyone know that.

"I was really struck by that too. This city is just full of people in need, you know? I see it in the hospital. Its kind of why I became a doctor.If only some of these hospitals really got the funding that they needed. I mean thanks to your donation and contribution to the hospital, we've gotten new equipment but this economy...We're understaffed surprisingly enough. And to think of those patients..."

Lady Catherine should have guessed what Faustus was up, and ordinarily she probably would have. But she'd been feeling so guilty recently for past occurrences...and the doctor seemed to be suggesting a way of absolving the feeling, a little at least.

"But God is good and He'll provide right? Unless of course people open their wallets a few times outside of offering."

"One would hope so, Doctor. But many people, myself included, have the misconception that opening one's wallet during offering is enough to absolve them from guilt of not doing anything to help. You seem to be insinuating that your hospital is in need of further funds...I'd be happy to donate more money if it will be of use."

[yolanda7g]

Faustus slowly smiled, amazed with how easy this was working. More funds for the hospital equals a higher salary for Faustus. Higher salary for Faustus equals a penthouse suit and a few extra cars. Maybe he'll start living like those big shot headliners, Monte Cristo and Harry Chandler, or better yet, Richard Plantagenet (yeah, lets not talk about him and how much money Faustus is anticipating from that guy).

But Faustus was on a roll now, he had to keep the momentum going. He heard about Sir Lewis de Bourgh since he made a habit to keep on the up and up about the lives of the rich and famous. Hearing Lady C talk about it actually made the "story" a bit more tangible now. Thinking about what he and Richard were planning in regards to the mayor and also the death of Lady C's husband made him very uncomfortable. On the one hand, he and Richard were planning to PLAY God, and on the other hand, deaths reminded Faustus about how much he wasn't in control.

What Faustus wouldn't give to figure out a way to play God 24/7. He already was doing it a bit with his knowledge in medicine. But was that it?

"Your husband. Man, I'm really sorry about that." A pause for a short second of melancholic reflection. Then, he quickly recovered. "Anyway, as far as the funding, you don't need to do that. That is, unless your heart is really calling you to do so...and if so, by all means. You can't ignore what your heart is telling you right? Presbyterian could really use the extra...extra help , and what better way to honor your husband's memory? Giving extra?" He grinned.

"Don't you think so?"

[LADY CATHERINE DE BOURGH]

"Your husband. Man, I'm really sorry about that."

Lady Catherine nodded and smiled weakly at Faustus' words. She'd heard similar words before of course, when he'd died, but the fact that Faustus had thought to be comforting was good enough for her.

"Anyway, as far as the funding, you don't need to do that. That is, unless your heart is really calling you to do so...and if so, by all means. You can't ignore what your heart is telling you right? Presbyterian could really use the extra...extra help , and what better way to honor your husband's memory? Giving extra?"

She really should have smelled a rat at that point. Faustus was putting her on a guilt trip; she really should have suspected it, known it. Donating money to his hospital to honour the memory of her husband who'd been dead for years? That was most certainly a guilt trip, if nothing else was.

The fact that Her Ladyship was feeling guilty enough already did little to ease her blindness to Faustus' insinuations.

If it wasn't his words, then the attitude in which he said them really should have done it. He was grinning, even at the mention of the deceased Sir Lewis de Bourgh when moments before he'd looked melancholic and sorry for her loss. But even his attitude was going right over Lady Catherine's head.

"Don't you think so?"

"I do think so indeed, Doctor Faustus," Her Ladyship said, in a voice that wasn't exactly broken, but certainly more quiet and unobtrusive than her usual loud, overbearing tones. She rummaged in her capacious Gucci handbag (she may have been feeling guilty but she hardly ever went anywhere without it) and fished out her cheque book and a pen.

"How much," she said, seating herself in a nearby pew and procuring a hymn book that had been sitting there to lean on for ease of writing "-would be sufficient?"

Writing Faustus a cheque to give to the hospital wasn't the normal way of doing things, admittedly. But Lady Catherine's guilt had consumed her to such a degree that, by this point in the proceedings, she found she didn't care.