Chapter Text
Over the next few days, Ross was finally able to bring himself to visit his childhood home and begin the unpleasant task of packing away his father’s possessions. The estate felt as empty as a tomb, and nearly as dirty, clearly showing that the cleaners had not visited since his father was admitted into hospital. Ross would no doubt have to have words with them once he found them, but that would have to wait until he made the house habitable.
His first job of packing his father’s belongings was not easy as each item of clothing and each piece of carefully collected memorabilia brought with it a flood of memories of his father as a healthy man, and Ross felt a stab of regret and loss each time he was forced to relive them. He had not been able to bring himself to throw anything away, it would be some time before he would be ready for that, and so until that time the boxes were being stored out of sight in the basement.
Because of how emotionally charged the work was, Ross had to take frequent breaks while he was packing the boxes, and he used those breaks to examine his father’s paperwork and files on the family business. That had been its own flavour of misery, profits had been dwindling for years due to poor management and it would take a lot of work to get the business back to a manageable level.
On a better note, by spending most of his time at the house Ross had managed to avoid Elizabeth since their encounter at the flat, although he was well aware that she was still trying to speak to him as Verity had texted him to let him know that Elizabeth was searching around his old haunts to try to find him. The house was the only place she did not dare step foot near.
Ross still had not been able to bring himself to sleep at Nampara, he knew that he would have to move into the master bedroom eventually but it was taking time to come to terms with that decision. So while he was clearing his father’s house during the day, at night he had the company of Demelza at her home. She had been a little hesitant about inviting Ross back to her flat, something that Ross did not begrudge her as they still did not know much about each other, but her own good nature had not been able to refuse his clear need for somewhere to stay. The few nights he had spent at her flat had the positive effect of getting the both of them better acquainted, and while Demelza was still a little guarded she at least seemed convinced that he wasn’t an axe murderer.
“Tonight’s the last night I’m going to need to stay here.” Ross murmured against her bare shoulder, pressing a light kiss to her skin once he had finished speaking.
“Really, so soon?” She turned around sleepily to face him, a strand of hair falling over her eyes. “It will be strange once you’re gone, and I have the bed to myself again.”
“Well you’ve not been sleeping alone for very long, you said your last relationship only ended recently.” Ross pointed out. From the state of her room he had managed to guess she had not been living there long, which must have meant that she had been living with her ex until the breakup, and then had decided to move in with a friend.
“Yeah.” She said softly, not meeting Ross’s gaze. Realising that this was not a topic she wished to talk about, he scrambled for a change of subject.
“Thank you for letting me stay.” Ross said sincerely, doing his best to catch her eye. “I imagine it must have been quite an imposition.”
“It was nothing.” She murmured distractedly.
“It wasn’t.” Ross objected. “Can I take you out to dinner as a thank you?” The question seemed to shake her out of whatever thoughts she had been consumed by.
“I thought we weren’t in a relationship.” Demelza said with a raised eyebrow and a slight smile.
“Dinner doesn’t mean relationship.”
“Dinner sounds nice then.” She yawned and curled up against him, her warm form fitting neatly against his own. Ross held her as her breaths evened out, wondering what secrets she was hiding and if they would ever be close enough for Demelza to trust him with them.
The next morning saw Ross putting away the final few boxes in the house’s basement and begin the task of cleaning the rest of the house. Much to his surprise, Verity made an appearance soon after he let her know his plans for the day, and he opened the front door to find her armed with cleaning equipment.
“Verity!” He had greeted in surprise, looking questioningly at the items she was carrying.
“I figured you might need some help.” She said brightly, giving him an amused look that suggested she thought he was out of his depth concerning the matter.
“Just because I’m a man, doesn’t mean I don’t know how to clean.” He protested, feeling somewhat offended on the behalf of his gender. She did not look repentant and simply raised her eyebrow.
“Ross, you’ve had cleaners your entire life.”
The factual statement served to silence him, and Verity victoriously pushed past him and immediately started issuing orders and pushing mysterious spray bottles into his hands. Submitting to the clearly more knowledgeable party, Ross gave up arguing and did as he was told.
Working together, the tasks were completed far more quickly and thoroughly than he could have done on his own. Once every surface had been scrubbed, dusted or vacuumed, the two collapsed on a couch in the living room, Ross rubbing his leg that had started to ache again.
“Thank you for the help Verity, I’m not sure how I would have managed it without you.” He admitted.
“No problem, after all what is family for?” Ross eyed her pointedly, and Verity let out a startled laugh as she remembered what his other family member had been caught doing nearly a week ago. “Have you spoken to Francis yet?” She asked.
“No, not yet. I spoke to Elizabeth briefly once, but aside from that I’ve managed to avoid them both.”
“You can’t hide forever.” She told him sympathetically.
“I know.” Ross said with a frustrated sigh. “I have no doubt I will see them once I start spending more time in the town, which I will have to do to sort the business out.”
“The news will no doubt leak to the gossip rags eventually.” Verity mused. “They know about your return, and have already noticed that you and Elizabeth have not made any public appearances together.” He shrugged.
“The gossip doesn’t bother me much.”
“I didn’t think it would, but I thought it best to let you know.” Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of Ross’s phone vibrating against the wooden table, it was nearest to Verity so she picked it and passed it to him, a frown creasing her brow.
“Who is Demelza?” She asked.
“A friend.” Ross replied, glancing at the text he had received. Demelza had sent him a list of dates and times when she wasn’t waitressing or working a bartending shift so that he could book them a table for dinner for when they were both free. He sent a quick message back, informing her that he would compare both schedules and let her know once he had worked out a suitable time, he was acutely aware of Verity’s stare fixed on him as she waited impatiently for him to put his phone down.
“Is Demelza the friend you’ve been staying with?” There was an accusatory edge to her tone, particularly when she used the word ‘friend’, suggesting that she thought Demelza was anything but that.
“Yes.” It was an admission to the unsaid question as well as the one Verity had actually asked. He did not see the point in lying, she knew him too well and could spot insincerity from a mile away.
“Ross, do you really think that was a good idea?” There was a mix of frustration and sadness in her voice, as though she could understand why he had done it but still thought he was wrong.
“It’s not serious.” He said, avoiding her gaze. “She doesn’t want a relationship any more than I do.”
“But so soon after everything with Elizabeth and Francis?”
“I know the timing is terrible, but I need something uncomplicated at the moment.”
“No kind of relationship is uncomplicated.”
“This is.” He insisted, and she shook her head clearly unconvinced.
“I hope you’re right.”
Once Verity had left, Ross did his best to put her concerns out of his mind as he went to work finding a restaurant and booking a table for himself and Demelza. Bearing Verity’s warning about the gossip rags in mind, he was careful to choose a venue that was quiet and hidden away, somewhere discrete enough that no one would recognise him.
Late that night, knowing that Demelza would be awake and working, he texted her the location and time for their dinner. Along with waitressing, she also worked shifts at various bars for extra money, something that Ross had discovered earlier that week when he had wanted to spend the night at her flat and had ended up drinking at the bar she was working at until her shift ended.
Demelza Carne: Sounds good, I’ll meet you there then. I hope you sleep well.
It would be hours until Demelza would get to her own bed, and all for some extra money. Remembering that she had also been providing him with free food while he had been staying with her, Ross felt a stab of guilt when he realised that feeding an extra person must have taken a small chunk out of her pay, and resolved that he would have to find some way to make it up to her.
In the master bedroom, he eyed the bed critically. Every item, with the exception of the bed itself was brand new, but the thought of sleeping in the same bed as his father had was still deeply uncomfortable. His father may not have died in the bed, but laying in it felt wrong.
Pushing aside his feeling, he forced himself to undress and get in the bed. Sleep did not come easily as all of Ross’s new responsibilities seemed to dawn on him. He suddenly felt a near irrational need for Elizabeth’s reassuring presence at his side, she was so calm and collected that she would no doubt handle the situation far better than he could. As soon as the thought came, he felt a stab of anger at her as he remembered that things could never return to normal and when it came to dealing with his father’s death he was alone.
Eventually time rolled around to Ross’s dinner date with Demelza, and he found himself patiently waiting at his table in the restaurant for her arrival. Soon enough, he saw her arrive at the entrance, dressed in dark red she was difficult to miss, and a waiter led her to the table Ross was sitting at. She smiled brightly at him, and with a moment’s hesitation took the seat that the waiter had pulled out for her, clearly not used to being helped to sit.
“I’m glad I dressed up, I would have looked like a fish out of water if I hadn’t.” Ross winced a little as he realised that he hadn’t stopped to consider that Demelza needed to be told about the dress code for the restaurant. Luckily her dress, if a little more revealing than those sported by other women in the establishment, still allowed her to blend in fairly well.
“I’m sorry, I should have given you some warning.” She waved off his apology with a tolerant smile.
“You’ve had a lot on your mind. Have you managed to get some sleep?”
“Not much.” He admitted. “It is still too strange.”
“That’s understandable.” She said sympathetically, her hand reaching over to entwine their fingers together. “Were you and your father close?”
“We were. I wish I could have been there for him.” She squeezed his hand gently, pulling Ross out of his memories. “Are you close to your father?” He asked and immediately noticed how uncomfortable the question made Demelza.
“No, not since my mother died. I moved out on my sixteenth birthday.” The subject of her own father was clearly another touchy matter, to be filed along with her ex-boyfriend in topics not to be discussed.
A waiter moved in at that point, offering the two menus and taking their drinks orders. Apart from the day they met, Demelza had not touched a drop of alcohol in Ross’s presence, and she stayed true to form by ordering a glass of water. Briefly scanning the menu, Ross watched Demelza’s own examination. Instead of reading along the descriptions, her eyes were fixed on a point in the menu and travelled downwards, her teeth pressing against the corner of her lip in concern. He realised with a start that she was examining the high costs for each dish and probably strategically choosing based on the cheapest.
“Ignore the price and order whatever you want.” He told her gently but firmly, and she returned his look with one of doubt and confusion.
“Are you sure?”
“I can afford it.” He told her with a smile. His business might have been failing, but Ross was still far from a pauper. No doubt he would have to be more careful about purchases in the future, but he had the majority of his military pay to support him before he would have to dip into his inheritance or start selling off the family silver. Demelza still looked a little wary, but he was gratified to notice that she brightened up once she started examining the dishes on offer in detail.
The waiter returned eventually for their food orders, delivering Demelza’s water and Ross’s wine at the same time. As they waited for their food to arrive, Demelza entertained Ross with stories of unruly customers she had dealt with in the past, both at the restaurant she worked at and at the various bars.
“Do you think you’re any closer to working in the kitchen?” Demelza nodded her head vigorously as she remembered some news she had forgotten to tell him.
“A spot just opened up in the kitchen, as one of the boys is moving out of the city and I’ve put in an application. The work won’t be great- dishwashing and prep work, but it would be a good stepping stone to a bigger role if I do well.”
“It would be good for experience as well.” Ross suggested.
“That too.” She agreed with a grin.
Food arrived soon after that, and Ross did not even attempt to start a conversation as he watched with great amusement as Demelza dissected her meal, clearly trying to identify each ingredient that had been put into making it.
Three courses later, Ross paid the bill and the two left the restaurant, hailing down a passing cab before it could drive away from them. Demelza joined him in the taxi without hesitation, tiredly resting her head against his shoulder. Verity’s concerns briefly came to mind, but Ross forced himself to dismiss the thought.
“My place or yours?” Ross asked.