Chapter Text
"Thank you for stopping me selling my Rolls." Audrey fforbes-Hamilton and Richard DeVere were walking back into the drawing room at the Old Lodge after Richard had stopped Audrey selling her car. The old Rolls Royce had been causing many issues for Audrey, due to its high cost of running, and she was considering selling it, however the price she had been offered had been far lower than her very high - and unrealistic- expectations.
"I'd hate to see you part with that." Richard told her, following her into the drawing room.
"Would you like a cup of tea?" Audrey asked, extending her hospitality. She knew from experience he enjoyed his tea with milk and no sugar.
"No, not for me." Richard replied as Brabinger met Audrey and helped her remove her jacket and take it to be placed away. He knew he would not be staying long.
"Thank you Brabinger." she dismissed her butler, "Have you have any idea how much it costs to run?" Audrey asked to Richard as she proceeded to the hanging mirror to check her appearance.
Richard cleared throat, "Ah, yes" He was not sure how Audrey had overlooked this, given the amount of grief she had given him over his car in the past.
"Oh yes, of course you've got one of your own!" Audrey laughed at her forgetfulness, how could she forget that Richard had his own Rolls Royce. A sporty Corniche with all the mod cons.
"Not really, mine belongs to the company, that's the whole point you see. You own your Rolls, nobody can take it from you. I could lose mine overnight." Richard said as he walked over to lounge. His tone was sardonic, and Audrey began to wonder what was coming.
"I've never looked at it like that." Audrey said, and in seeing that she was presentable after being outside, came back into the main area of the drawing room.
"When people see your Rolls, they say 'There's Audrey fforbes-Hamilton', that's style." Richard told her as he sat down in the 2 seater lounge chair.
"Surely your Corniche has style?" she said as she walked over to the lounge to sit beside him. This was becoming more normal for them to sit together on the same lounge. It had taken time, and at first Audrey was out of her comfort zone, her usual position being in the single chair, from where she directed everything, and everyone. Their love-hate relationship had moved from nemesis’ to close friends, always on the brink of more.
Audrey knew she was in love with Richard but she felt their circumstances prevented anything further happening. She was careful not to get too close.
Richard was in love with Audrey too but he wasn’t sure if his feelings were reciprocated. There were times when he saw flashes that gave him hope that Audrey felt the same way and then he felt the impenetrable wall around her go up and he was convinced she could never love him, despite how hard he tried.
Richard gave a small laugh at the irony of Audrey's comment, "Well, a lot of people around here think it's rather flashy. 'There goes the bounder from the manor', that's what they say about me." he said, thinking to the past, when Audrey herself had said some rather unflattering things.
Audrey, having completely forgotten her own behaviour as her feelings towards Richard changed, took this at an attempt of humor and now laughing, herself replied, "Of course they don't, your almost one of us now!"
Oh yes, the age old problem of a new comer into a village with a rich history, that did not often include outsiders. But he had worked hard to win their trust and inclusion, only to be reminded time and time again, that he still wasn't quite there yet. 'Almost' was as close as he would get for a while and he decided to challenge her. "Only almost?"
Audrey, realizing that he needed more, explained, "Well, you can't be completely one of us until you have lived here for some years."
"About 400?" he countered, a reference to the manor being the fforbes-Hamilton estate for over 400 years.
Audrey laughed again, "Well perhaps not quite as long as that, but we are rather slow to accept change." she tried to explain, indicating that it wasn't him, it was the community. Although she had not said it, Audrey had finally accepted him and his changes.
"Don't I know it." he continued, "God knows I, I've tried to drag Grantleigh into the 1980s and now I know its a lifetimes work, and I won't be here that long." He knew he was building up to the moment that he would have to tell her his news.
"Why not?" she asked, feeling perplexed at where this was leading.
"I'm leaving. I'm selling up and going back to London." Richard told her, searching her face for clues on how she might feel about this.
"Selling Grantleigh?" Audrey was shocked, she had not expected this and she felt a pain in her stomach and heart simultaneously.
"Lock, stock and barrel. I need the money I'm afraid." he replied.
"Oh Richard." was all Audrey could manage, and this was amongst the very few times where he had seen Audrey speechless.
"I wanted you to be the first to know." he told her, as if it might console her that she was the first person he would tell.
"But I thought Uncle Greville had arranged things?" Audrey was not used to losing, and she was uncertain why things had not fallen into place as she had planned.
"Well, yes he did, but his death occurred at rather unfortunate moment, deals weren't signed." Richard said, it was no fault of Audrey’s, she had done more than enough to help him.
"So what are you going to do?" Audrey asked with concern as the reality of what Richard was saying sunk in. She felt like she could hardly breath as her heart tore.
"Oh, well, I shall survive, its just that I need cash and I need it quickly and selling Grantleigh is the only way I can raise it." he explained. Of course he would still have considerable wealth, but not everything could be converted into cash as fast as real estate.
"I really am most terribly sorry." Audrey said, her face fallen and her voice matching this. There were really no other words that were adequate. Of course she wanted to beg him to stay, but that would be both humiliating and unrealistic.
"Thank you Audrey" Richard replied and in a moment of needing to feel comfort and closeness and sensing the same in Audrey, he put his hand on her leg and started to gently rub it. His touch was comforting to her, a connection that she needed. She briefly looked down at his hand, not able to look in eyes, afraid they would betray the loss she was feeling and said, "I've been through it all. I'm afraid it's going to be quite ghastly for you."
"Yes, I'm not looking forward to it." he told her. Richard didn’t want to sell Grantleigh for many reasons but top of the list was that he didn’t want to move away from Audrey.
Audrey knew that he also needed comfort from her, and she placed her hand on his, their fingers entwining, and looked into his eyes as she said, "Well, if there's anything I can do to help, you will ask won't you?"
Richard looked into her blue eyes - the eyes to the soul that he had loved for a long while now - and thought now was the right moment to ask her what he had wanted to for some time. Keeping her gaze he replied, "Well, yes Audrey, there is something I would like to ask." as he uncrossed his legs and moved forward and around to look directly at her.
“Yes?”
She could not tear her eyes away from his. She searched to understand what he wanted from her. The chemistry between them was electric, and they could both feel the importance of what was about to happen.
He started to say, "I-" when suddenly the door opened behind them, and clearing his throat Brabinger announced, "Uh, excuse me Madam, Mr Plunket to see you."
Audrey's heart sunk with this moment between them being lost forever. Their hands stayed together on her leg for a few more seconds, until she removed her hand to allow Richard to stand up.
"I think I'd better go and break the awful news to mother. It's alright Brabinger, I'll slip out this way." and he rushed through the drawing rooms glass doors on to her terrace. Audrey walked in his steps and watched him leave off the terrace, before turning around to welcome her next guest.
...
Audrey's head was spinning, what a life changing morning it had been! She was no longer a pauper, her life of meager existence was nearly over and she vowed to never return there. Her thoughts traveled to Richard. That intimate moment, broken by the arrival of Arnold. What was he going to ask her? She recalled the feeling of his hand on her leg, and her hand covering his. The intensity of the their eye contact. What ever it was he was going to ask she knew that it was important.
Her heart started to pull at the news he had shared with her - he was leaving Grantleigh. It had felt like a punch to the stomach.
Their relationship was complicated. Whilst she had originally thought he could be her 'Mr Convenient', their relationship had been tumultuous. She had resented his presence in the manor, her manor, and the village's quick adoption of him into their community - welcoming his new ways of doing things along with his generosity. Audrey had taken delight in telling him everything he was doing wrong. She had schemed many a time to undo his plans for changes, yet they had developed a relationship that was difficult to put into words. A mutual attraction, that had never progressed beyond holding one another whilst dancing. A mutual respect of the other, born from no inhibitions in sharing what was on their minds (other than their true feelings for each other) and egos that were not bruised too easily. A mutual admiration, not too often shared openly but alive and living in their hearts and minds.
What would she do without his constant presence in her life? Now, she was finally his equal, she could hope to develop their relationship further without fear that he would think that her motive of being with him was to return to the manor. That had certainly been the intent in the beginning and this had evolved so much since then. Now, Audrey would want to be with Richard no matter where he was. Richard DeVere was everything that Marton fforbes-Hamilton was not. Smart, loyal, progressive, humble, someone who came from nothing and made something of himself - a fighter and he was willing to go toe to toe with her for what he wanted. Plus he was charming and extremely attractive. She was guilty of often thinking about what it would be like to run her fingers through his hair, be enveloped in his strong arms, his lips on hers and wondering if his mustache would tickle her face.
Audrey knew that this inheritance was her key to holding on to Richard and she grabbed Bertie's lead, for a walk around the estate to help her think through her options and determine the best path forward.