Chapter Text
Audrey fforbes-Hamilton stretched lazily on the sunbed on the main deck of the superyacht, Maxim. It was the fifth day onboard and whilst her husband Marton was spending their honeymoon playing cards with the other guests, she had taken full advantage of the time to sunbake, swim and work on her tan. She wanted her sunkissed skin to be more than obvious on their return to Grantleigh. She thought about the other guests on the luxury cruise around the Greek Islands, Turkey and Croatia. They were a mixed lot of characters, with one thing in common - money. Mr and Mrs Collins were an older couple, he was recently retired. Miss Little and Miss Gaynor were older ladies on the cruise together. The other couple of ladies were Mrs Graham and her daughter Elizabeth, who Audrey at age 23, suspected was older than her. Mr Richard DeVere and his wife Suzie were the other newlyweds on the cruise. Marcel was their tour guide, a lively, short man who loved to tell silly stories (much to Audrey's annoyance).
Audrey had spent as little time as possible with all of them, preferring her own company and the sun and water to keep her occupied. She wasn't even interested in socialising with the DeVere's, finding them to be noveau rich from his supermarkets. He had a permanently smug look on his face, admittedly a handsome one, and she was flashy and common. New money, they didn't know how to spend it. It was like they were in a competition, screaming "I have money - look at me!", not like old money with it's subtle presence in manor houses and estates, artworks and antiques and networks built up over hundreds of years. Audrey yawned as she decided what she would do. Sunbake and sleep, sunbake and read, swim and then sunbake or start to get ready for the pre-dinner aperitifs. Sunbake and sleep won in the end so that she would look refreshed for the black tie dinner that night.
Richard DeVere was enjoying his honeymoon with Suzie. His business, Cavendish Foods, was his own blood, sweat and tears and building on his success was his number one priority and needed his full attention. This meant that they rarely had holidays together and the break was doing him good. The unfamiliar morning lay ins, a day with the only appointment times were meal times, being away from his phone and meetings and enjoying the outdoors. He walked around the deck with the warm sun on his skin, bringing out the color of his olive skin, which had been pale for the last ten years under the fluorescent office and supermarket lights. Suzie didn't like the sun and was currently at the bar with the other ladies on the cruise. Well, most of them. As he turned the corner he saw the lady that had either not been invited or declined to attend. She was sunbaking with a piece of her clothing over her face. Richard had hardly spoken to her and had unfortunately had a rather long conversation with her boorish, inbred and condescending husband which was enough to steer clear of them for the rest of the trip. Suzie revealed that she didn't think much of his wife either, "He is the most lecherous man, and his wife - ha - the biggest snob in England. Not our people, darling." she had said.
Richard would admit that the wife, Audrey (he recalled her name being) was captivating to look at - tall and willowy with long golden brown hair - but it was her eyes, a rare shade of blue that intrigued him, until she looked at him like he was an insect and he decided that his wife was right, they were not their people. Richard had to put up with people like them to help his business and didn't need to be looked down on from anyone on his honeymoon. Especially as he had more money than all of the guests on the yacht combined. Not that they would care, all they would think is that it was very vulgar and unfair. He looked out over the ocean and saw a ripple on the horizon. It didn't look right but before he could sense what was wrong the water that seconds ago was calm became a wall that was coming right at them. He started to yell, "Rogue wave" and grabbed some life jackets to give to the people on board. He managed to get his on and throw one at Audrey and was on his way to the next deck when the wave hit.
.......
He woke up feeling sore, very uncomfortable, extremely thirsty and disorientated. Richard slowly sat up and found himself on an isolated beach, he tried to think about the events that had created the situation he now found himself in. He recalled the rogue wave and nothing else. The lifejacket had undoubtedly saved his life when he was thrown from the yacht by the wave. His watch was stuck on quarter past three, the time he assumed that the wave had hit, the position of the sun told him that it was early morning, although he didn't know if this was the next day, the day after that or a week later. He looked at his body, he saw scratches but no major wounds. He tenderly stood up and it appeared that he had no broken bones as he stretched to get his muscles moving. At least I washed up on a sandy beach and not a rocky one, he thought. Looking ahead over the ocean he tried to see if he could make out the Maxim, but all he saw was an empty sea dotted with small islands. He wondered what had happened to the others, to Suzie. Had the boat sunk or had he just been thrown off because he was outside?
This was not the time to be morose though, he needed to figure out how he was going to survive and be saved in that order, but first he would walk around the island to see if there was any civilization. The sand was soft under his feet as he turned to the shortest distance of the island's curve. After walking for several minutes he was at the tip of the island, he saw the long shoreline and preceded to walk along in, his hopes of finding local people fading. He looked twice, was it a log or the lady from the yacht? He couldn't remember her name. As he came closer, he saw it was the lady and he picked up speed. She looked lifeless and he was worried that she had perished. He felt her wrist for a pulse and she stirred. Her blue eyes fluttered opened and looked at him, dazed and confused, "What..." she started to say before coughing.
She tried to sit up, but the movement was too fast for her delicate state and dizziness set in as she fell back. "Easy now." Richard said and he sat beside, helping her to gently sit up to avoid the nausea.
Audrey tried to swallow and comprehend what was happening. She was on the shore of some beach with that supermarket man and what felt like the worst hangover of her life. What did she remember? Yes, she was perfectly relaxed and the lunatic man yelled and threw a lifejacket on her. She must have put her coverall on underneath and then the jacket and then ... nothing. "What happened?" she managed to ask him.
"A rogue wave hit the yacht, I think we were thrown off."
"And the others?"
He shook his head, "I don't know."
"Oh." Audrey looked into the distance. The lifejacket was making her sore from where is had rubbed against her skin and she took it off revealing the bruises it had made in her skin. She touched her head where is was sore and felt a lump, Richard moved to see if there was any wound and gently felt for the spot and parted her hair. “There’s no cut.” he told her.
“Thank you.” She took the situation in. They were on an island with no idea if anyone even knew they were missing. Her husband could be dead or could be looking for her. This crazy man might be the only other person with her and she couldn’t remember a thing from her Girl Guide survival training. Audrey looked out over the ocean, similarly to what Richard had done, scanning for any signs of the Maxim. They sat in silence, neither knowing what to say. Finally, Richard who wanted to continue his search, said, "Do you want to walk around the island with me? I'm looking for any signs of civilization."
Audrey nodded. "Let me see if I can stand."
Richard stood up and offered his hand to her, she thought twice and accepted his help. On her feet she felt a wave of dizziness and inadvertently leaned into him for support. "It's alright, I've got you." his voice was soothing, although Audrey flushed from embarrassment. The dizziness passed and she was able to straighten herself. "I'm sorry." she apologised.
"Don't be, it's always nice to help a damsel in distress." he teased her, trying to make light of the moment, but his timing was wrong and Audrey narrowed her eyes to glare at him and his familiarity.
They walked in silence until they came to the other end of the island, "I think it's just us." Richard said, feeling the disappointment that immediate help was not at hand.
"What will we do?" Audrey asked, worried. If only she could remember any of that Girl Guide training, other than the motto, Always be prepared which she certainly was not.
"Well, first off, we need to find some fresh water, make a shelter and a fire, and hopefully find some food. Then we can make a big S-O-S sign." Richard sounded in complete control and Audrey was grateful, although unsure if she could do any of the tasks needed. "I saw a good clearing back there that would be perfect to keep us dry when the tide comes up." he went on, "Do you think you could look for a fresh water source?"
Audrey had no idea how she would do this, but given everything else there was to do, it seemed the easiest job and she nodded her head. Richard wasn't convinced that she knew what she was doing, but he it seemed practical for him to build the shelter.
"Try and find where any rainwater might be captured." he suggested and Audrey nodded again, grateful for his advice and she headed into the island to start looking. The vegetation was thick in places and Audrey used a stick to try and get past without being scratched by their sharp ends. She saw coconut and banana trees and wild melons growing, her stomach rumbled and she made a note to get some on her way back. A rock formation that was easy to climb took her to a place where she found a natural spring and she was so relieved to find fresh water she cupped her hands and drank quickly, resulting in a stomach ache. How would she get it back to the man? She wished she could remember his name. Audrey decided to see if she could find a shell that would be big enough to hold the water.
She stopped on the way back and picked as many fruits as she could carry. As she came closer to the clearing she saw him. His shirt was off and his muscles rippled over his body as he worked to build their shelter. Audrey had never paid much attention to men's bodies and never had she stared at a man as he worked, transfixed on his movements and the stir it created in her to watch him in action. She shook her head, wondering if she had incurred some damage to her thinking and cleared her throat, drawing his attention.
Richard looked up and wiped sweat off his brow. His dark hair was wild and his eyes, brown like melted chocolate, looked at her. "No water?" he asked. Audrey was annoyed that he wasn't more appreciative of the food she had sourced and snapped, "Yes I did find some, thank you very much. I was just going to look for a shell to carry it in. No need to thank me for finding us some to food to eat either!"
He felt bad at assuming the worst in her and apologized. They decided to eat some of the fruit and then get back on to their tasks. Audrey ignored him, still hurt by his comment. When they finished eating, Richard stood up, "I really am sorry." While she was cross with him, he decided to ask her the dreaded question, "I'm also sorry that I can't recall your name, and since we're going to be here together, I would like to know it."
Audrey glared at him, "Mrs fforbes-Hamilton." she said rudely and when he looked at her quizzically, as it seemed too formal that two people stuck on an island together would address one another so formally, she added softly, "Audrey."
He nodded and waited a beat. She didn't ask his name, but had not yet used it, "And my name is Richard. Richard DeVere." He smiled.
"I know that." Audrey snapped at him, embarrassed that he thought she didn't know his name, even though he was correct and had saved her the embarrassment of admitting she couldn't remember it.
He studied her. She was a funny creature. All legs and blue eyes and determined to keep him at arms length. He turned to go back to work on their shelter as he wondered how, being so different, they would survive together.
Audrey stood and went to walk along the beach to look for shells they could use. It didn't take long and she had found several beautiful big shells that were perfect and she rinsed the sand out of them. Her eye was caught by the appearance of some thread and she pulled it to reveal a small fishing net that had been washed ashore. She walked back to the clearing where Richard was working and called out excitedly, "Richard! Richard look, I've found us a fishing net!"
He smiled at her, "Wonderful!" Then turned back to keep working and she could now see his the muscles of his smooth back, his shorts clinging to his hips. Audrey's mouth went dry and she took the shells to their water spring to fill them. When she returned. she handed him one, "Here you go." Knowing how thirsty she had been, Audrey handed him 2 more shells to drink and he smiled at her again. She noticed his teeth at the front were a little crooked and for some reason liked this. Maybe he wasn't perfect after all.
"You've done well Audrey, food, water and a fishing net. How do you feel about starting a fire?" he asked pleasantly. Audrey found herself warming to his compliments and wanting more.
"Easy, I've done Girl Guides." she bragged with a smile. He laughed at her, and her eyes narrowed. She stormed away and he shook his head, Audrey fforbes-Hamilton took herself way too seriously.
It turned out that starting a fire without matches was not easy, in fact it was very difficult. Audrey had little to show from all her efforts of rubbing sticks together, other than blisters on her hands. Richard did not want to look smug, he could see that Audrey had tried hard, and so he sat down next to her and said, "I'm not sure I can start fire from sticks, can I help you try?" If nothing else, in business he had learned to be gracious and how to smooth out a situation. She didn't answer, so he said, "You keep that stick still and I will rub this one against it." It was futile. Half an hour later and nothing had happened. The sun had moved over and Richard accepted that night would be coming soon.
"I think we should get some more water and food, maybe have a bath and get ready for bed." he suggested.
"A bath? And bed? With you?" Audrey's eyes were like saucepans and Richard laughed at her.
"There aren't any suites here, Mrs fforbes-Hamilton. It's the shelter or nothing. And the bath," his hand indicated the ocean, "pick your spot, as far away from me as you like."
She looked cross, but said nothing and stood up, picking up the shells to take for their water. Richard followed her. Audrey had removed her coverup when trying to make fire and he admired her body from behind. She was slender with soft curves, she had used a piece of stingy leaf to tie her hair back in a bow and he thought she looked beautiful. They collected their water and more fruits and returned to the shelter. Audrey now surveyed his work. She had to admit that he had done a good job with no tools. He had used branches to make a roof and some walls and leafier plants for the floor where she assumed they would be sleeping.
Audrey wanted to wash herself before the sun set and they walked to the water together. As they went the blisters on her hands stung and she breathed in quickly. "Not used to hard work?" Richard teased her. Audrey glared at him. He seemed to enjoy teasing her, as if she was a spoilt rich girl. She turned her back and let the water wash over her. Her hands were still stinging as she used them to try and clean her body. With no towels to dry them, Audrey found a large, smooth rock to dry off on and thought herself like a lizard, soaking up the sun. In the corner of her eye she saw Richard washing himself. He had removed his clothes, leaving his bathing pants on and Audrey felt her breathe go in again as she watched him. Through the day she had decided he was too handsome and Barbara Cartland could not have described a more dashing leading man than him. It was so silly Audrey thought to herself that she should even think about such a thing and she tried to recall if his wife was an equal match, but she couldn't remember her other than some leopard print scarf that Audrey found trashy.
Richard scratched a line into the one of the trees their shelter was built around. “Day 1” he announced. The last rays of the sun were setting and the clouds threw a gorgeous pink hue across the sky. He saw Audrey looking out at it and sat down next to her.
“It’s beautiful.” he shared.
“Yes.” Audrey paused. “What do you think happened to the boat? To the others?” she asked him quietly. They had been busy all day and now that we’re resting Audrey couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“I really don’t know. The boat could have survived but I think it probably sank and the others, without life jackets, wouldn’t have survived.” He tried to sound matter of fact, but the thought of losing his wife had his voice cracking and he cleared his throat. He looked at Audrey who was still staring into the distance, deep in thought. “A penny for your thoughts?”
Audrey did not want to share her thoughts with him, replied, “We still have a lot to do tomorrow. I guess we could be stuck out here for a while.”
“I guess.”
The sun faded from their view and they sat in silence privately contemplating what the coming days would bring. The sky grew darker and stars began to appear. The air started to turn cool. Audrey yawned. It had been a big day and she was exhausted.
She didn’t realize how much cooler it was at night and in only her bikinis and coverup she began to feel cold. As she was moving to lay down Richard suggested, “Maybe we should sleep close to each other.”
“That is completely inappropriate Mr DeVere!” she snapped, feeling her face go red.
“I don’t want to have sex with you Mrs fforbes-Hamilton.” he replied smartly, “I thought it would keep us warm.”
His comment stung for many reasons. She was ashamed that she had presumed he was suggesting they should have sex and hurt that he would not even consider her in that way. Not that she considered him. She lay down and turned her back to him, not able to think of what to say and not trusting her voice to keep her emotions at bay. She was able to fall asleep fairly quickly but it did grow colder through the night and she swallowed her pride and moved closer to him so that their backs were against one another. He was warmer than her and his body felt firm yet soft as he adjusted his position and they melded together. Audrey thought she would be uncomfortable being so close to him but she wasn't, she liked it and she quickly fell asleep again.
...
Richard marked up day ten. The days had been busy as they explored their small island to find as many resources that would help them and had settled into a routine of food and water gathering, shelter adjustments and thinking of different ways to attract attention to be rescued. Richard had made a knife by sharpening a rock against another rock and he also tried to use it as a spear for fishing.
Audrey had to admit that she was surviving better than she would have ever expected, some times she actually found herself enjoying the adventures that she and Richard were having. They tried fishing with the net, which had some success but they really needed a fire to cook the fish and so they worked together to finally make the fire they needed to cook seafood and stay warm at night. Both felt a slight pang of disappointment that they would not need to lie closely together anymore, they had secretly enjoyed it. Sometimes they lay back to back like the first time, other times Audrey turned her body into him, usually Richard would turn and Audrey fit perfectly against him, his arm around her body. In fact, it turned out that the fire didn’t deter their sleeping arrangements, sleeping how they always had but never discussing it.
With the hours that stretched upon them everyday, they found themselves moving into topics of conversation deeper than would be expected or acceptable for social acquaintances. They talked about their upbringing and Audrey realized how easy her life had been when Richard commented, "I bet you have never made a bed, cleaned a toilet, washed a dish or cooked a meal in your life."
"I wasn't brought up to do that!" Audrey protested and Richard rolled his eyes. She continued on, "I was brought up to be of service to others - to those less fortunate."
"What, through raising money for them by hunting or holding galas?" he teased her.
"Why do you always tease me? Do you think I'm ridiculous?" Now he saw hurt in her eyes, and his face softened, even with his beard she could see the kindness come into his eyes.
"Didn't you ever get teased by the boys at school?"
"I told you I went to an all girls school."
"Well, by the affiliated boys school?"
She shook her head. The lack of male attention had her convinced that she was plain and unattractive to men.
"It means a boy likes you when he teases you. He just doesn't know how to show it." His eyes twinkled when he said this and Audrey became more confused. Did he mean he liked her as a friend or more?
"As a friend?" she checked and she looked so worried and endearing that Richard knew in that moment that he liked her as more than a friend, for all her faults he found her sweet and charming. He smiled to reassure her and said, "Yes, as a friend. My friend, Mrs fforbes-Hamilton."
"Oh!" Audrey threw a piece of seaweed at him. "Just joking, my friend Audrey." he smiled at her again. With the beard that had grown she couldn't see the dimple on his chin anymore and she had an urge to run her fingers over his beard to see if the dimple could still be felt. She averted her eyes to try and stop the thought but she couldn’t help the feelings that she was having towards him. As the days went on she found she liked him more and more.
...
He was humming "Dream baby" to himself again, if he wasn't humming it, he would singing it as he worked, driving Audrey crazy, "Must you?"
"Must I what?"
"Hum that stupid song. If you're going to hum anything couldn't it be a nice piece of classic music?"
Richard laughed, "I'm sorry, Audrey that's not really my style. Are you sure you don't like Roy Orbison, sweet dream baby," he sang to her, "Maybe I can teach you the words and you can sing while I hum?" he offered with a smile. Audrey did not look pleased and turned away from him. It was moments like this when Audrey realized how different they really were. He was so modern and made her feel like she was an old lady already, instead of her age of 23, 4 years younger than him. When he spoke about his life it sounded exciting and fun. He worked hard in a cut throat world and Audrey loved hearing how he outmaneuvered all of his opponents, the 'old boys'. Everyday for him was different, with fresh challenges and new ideas, it made Audrey feel boring, and she had said as much.
“Listening to you I realize that my life is boring and predictable. I’m boring and predictable.” she said without any trace of emotion. She was so matter of fact that Richard wasn't even sure that she was serious but he had learned in 20 days that Audrey nearly always said exactly what she thought.
“You? Never!” he chuckled kindly. “Maybe the life you have chosen is traditional and conservative but you are not boring. Don’t ever say that Audrey. You have kept me on my toes for that last 20 days. You have made me laugh when I would otherwise probably cry. You’re wonderful. Maybe a bit of a snob, but you’re alright.”
Audrey smiled at him. It was the kind of smile a man would kill to be given and Richard had that feeling in the pit of his stomach again. He had had it more and more often these last few days. It was the feeling of falling in love, of lust that was deep and relentless. Audrey had captivated him, he could tell that she was as smart and cunning as he was from the questions she asked about his business, but she was also charming and witty and he knew they would make a formidable team together. He found that they could talk about anything and everything. She was interested in him. Suzie had known him so well that they hardly ever talked. She was demanding of him which had never bothered him but the dynamic he felt with Audrey was different. They were, ironically, more equal in their relationship.
"Thank you." she took his compliment as her heart beat picked up pace. Most of the day she could lock away the feelings for him that she knew she had developed. Not only was he handsome, even with his beard, he challenged her in a way that she could rise to not in a way that put her down and he made her laugh. She saw his kindness, even when he thought she wasn't looking, making her side of the shelter clean and refreshing her branch bedding and not his. But in moments like this it was hard to lock away her feelings for him, she had never had feelings like this and not only were they complete ends of a spectrum, they were both still married, as far as they knew.
...
"What's she like, Suzie?" Audrey asked Richard as they sat eating dinner one night. She had wanted to ask him for weeks but she was worried how he would react and she didn't know if she could bare to hear about his love for his wife. Richard gave a small smile thinking about his wife.
"She has lots of energy, she likes to keep me in my place," they both laughed, "she's tough, tough on me too. We met when we were 16 and poor, she has been with me through building Cavendish. Her parents were immigrants too, so we shared a lot in common growing up." Audrey felt the stab of how different she was to this. "She understands me, knows what I'm built from, reminds me of it so I don't let the success or money to go my head. She's my first love, I know she loves me for me, not for my money." A tear trickled down his face and Audrey wanted to wipe it away, but stayed still, watching him. He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I can't believe I might never see her again, that I didn't save her." He began to sob and Audrey felt guilty that she was sitting there instead of Suzie. Richard had saved her. He cleared his throat, "Sorry, I didn't mean to get emotional."
"That's alright, I'm sorry I asked." she replied quietly, placing her hand on his knee to try and comfort him.
"Don't be sorry. I wanted to ask you about Marton, I just didn't know how." he replied and squeezed her hand, not letting it go.
"Oh. Um." Audrey wasn't sure how to start, she didn't have a love story to tell like Richard did. "Well, I've known Marton all my life, he is my Father's cousin and because I'm a girl when Daddy died, Grantleigh Estate was left to him." This fact still hurt Audrey, if only she was a boy Grantleigh would be hers outright. "The fforbes-Hamilton's have old money and tradition is very important - keeping it in the family." she paused and waited for Richard to make a joke about inbreeding, but he remained attentive to her, "I care for Marton, but it's not the same as you and Suzie. He's not the love of my life. I don't know if I even believe in that." She felt his hand squeeze hers again as she mourned a love that she had never had. Why was Grantleigh more important to her than finding someone she could love like Richard loved Suzie? The way she found herself falling in love with him.
…
“Do you believe in destiny?”
They had hiked up to the highest point and took in the magnificent view of the other islands and reefs surrounding them. They were sitting side by side, their arms touching. They were comfortable with being physically close to one another and although it was never spoken about they enjoyed the familiarity. Audrey could feel the warmth of Richard's body, the hairiness of his arm tickling against her smooth one and she loved it like she loved him.
“Not until recently. I always believed in hard work and making your own luck, I still do mostly.” He replied. "Do you?" Audrey had continued to surprise him, from her strong, sometimes earnest opinions, to her giggling at something silly, everyday revealed another layer of her personality. Richard was delighted that she wasn't keeping him at arms length anymore and he knew without a doubt that he was in love with her. She created feelings that he had never experienced before - flutterings in his stomach, tingles from her touch, and an ache for her that he couldn't quite articulate. At times he felt she shared the same feelings for him, they would get so close and then she would emotionally draw away, a wall coming up around her. She would still allow him to cuddle her of a night, letting his arms hold her closely, enjoying the movement of her breathing against his body, but she would be cautious in their conversations, almost avoiding him. He believed she was fighting her feelings, although he wasn't sure why. Was it her attachment to Marton, his being new money, or something else? He knew she would eventually tell him, and she was worth the wait even on the days when her withdrawal hurt him.
"I always thought everything that happened was part of God's plan, I think that's the same thing." she paused and looked at him, "What made you change recently?"
"Being here with you." His voice was husky and Audrey saw the love in his eyes, had she - inexperienced Audrey - read his signals correctly? Could it be true that he could feel the same way about her? She was sure of it and now was the perfect moment to lean in to brush her lips against his, but that same gnawing feeling came back.
Richard had wanted to kiss her, but she looked so confused, so lost, it wasn't the right moment, so instead her asked, "Have you changed your mind, about destiny?"
"How can destiny bring two people together at the expense of other people dying? I’m sorry that you saved me and not Suzie." Audrey's voice was quiet and full of emotion. Richard now understood what she was thinking and feeling, why she looked confused and had pulled away from him when they were getting so close. She did have feelings for him and felt guilty for it. A tear trickled down her cheek and before she was able to brush it away, Richard leaned across and wiped it with his thumb. His touch was light but her skin felt seared and their eyes stayed connected. It felt like every moment of every feeling they had for each other had been waiting for this moment.
"Hey now, don’t say that. If the same thing happened again, I wouldn’t change my actions.” He had thought about this quite a lot. The truth was, if he had been faster he might have gone down with the boat, as he assumed Suzie had. “That's destiny. It doesn't need to make sense. It's just what is meant to be." His other arm went around her shoulders, drawing her close to him, their lips now so close.
“You must think I’m very weak.” she whispered and she looked away from him.
“Quite the opposite. A strong woman isn’t afraid to show her emotions. I think you’re incredible.” He said to her and his hand moved down so that his finger was under her chin and he gently tilted her face so that his lips could meet hers. Their first kiss was soft and tender. Every nerve ending in Audrey's body was on high alert as his other hand moved to wrap around her waist pulling her to him. Audrey’s arms wound around his neck, her hands finally running through his thick and wild hair. Their kiss deepened with the desires they had held off for weeks now finally able to break though, and soon they were breathless.
...
"You have the honors tonight." Richard handed Audrey the rock knife and she carved the 60th day mark. It had become a ceremony of sorts, the day was marked off and they talked about what they had enjoyed about the day and what was the first thing they would do when they were rescued. At first they were practical - "A nice hot cup of tea to drink." said Audrey and Richard agreed, "A strong black coffee." but as the days dragged on, their first activity became more outrageous and that night was no different. "What will be the first thing you do when we are rescued Audrey?" he asked.
"I will go riding with the Queen at Balmoral." Audrey decided and they both laughed. "And you?"
"I will accept Harold Macmillan's offer for dinner at 10 Dowling Street and accept his offer for no tax having to be paid by me ever again."
"Cheers to that." Audrey laughed and they did their fake glass clink, as if they had champagne flutes. It was silly, and Audrey would not normally partake in that level of silliness, sober at least, but she enjoyed this moment every afternoon. Although she would do anything to be home with all her creature comforts she would miss this life of survival with Richard. His hands gently held her neck, his thumbs on her cheeks as he drew her in to kiss him, addicted to her kisses and the way she made him feel. Since they had acted on their attraction and desire for each other, the days seem to pass by faster. Audrey had been reluctant to completely give herself to Richard but every day it was getting more difficult as her love for him grew. He was affectionate and tender with her, and so considerate - happy to move at her pace.
Tonight her eyes sparkled with mischief as their lips parted and she said, "I've changed my mind."
He looked at her, his eyebrows raised in that way that Audrey found so damned sexy. She knew she was ready. "The first thing we will do when we are rescued, is to make love in a comfortable bed." She smiled at him as if asking him to rise to a challenge. He leaned in to kiss her again, "Do we have wait that long?" He asked her and she laughed as they kissed.
"Only for the bed part." she replied when she paused for a breathe. Her hands had moved across his naked chest and up to his shoulders. Her intentions were clear. She was ready.
"I want to make love to you now." Richard murmured as he kissed down her neck and across her collarbone.
"I want you too." was her throaty reply as waves of pleasure from his hands on her body crashed through her, leaving her with a need for him that she had never experienced for anyone. Richard explored Audrey's body with delicate touches. He had imagined this moment so many times and wondered how Audrey would respond to him, but her unrestrained passion and inhibition was more than he could have even dreamed of and, together with the lack of any sexual activity for over 60 days, he was in danger of losing control too quickly. He felt her sweet, delicious kisses trail down his neck. He embraced her love for him.
Afterwards, they lay with Audrey in his arms, sated, satisfied and feeling complete. She had never been made love to like that before. She wouldn’t even call what she had experienced before making love. It was sexual intercourse. With Marton it was so perfunctory, done for his pleasure with the minimum amount of effort and noise. She didn't enjoy it and Marton didn't care. Richard loved hearing her responses to him, took cues from her breathing, he was not proper - he was a man intent on satisfying her, on making her feel sensations that she didn't even know existed, a man who got pleasure from giving pleasure and wanted to hear about it, wanted her to be an active partner. Her enjoyment was his enjoyment, her pain was his pain, her satisfaction was his satisfaction. She loved the openness and selflessness, the rawness of love, of being loved in this way. And they had both said it in the heat of the moment, Richard first, "I love you Audrey," his eyes looking at her with an intensity she had never seen before and when she replied, "I love you too Richard." she saw them overfilled with joy and he kissed her passionately.
Now her finger trailed through his chest hair and he kissed the top of her head. "Did you mean it?' she asked.
"That I love you? Yes of course. I've been in love with you for quite awhile now sweetheart." His fingers twirled through her long hair.
“Sweetheart?” she turned up her nose and he chuckled. It was such a common term.
“Yes, darling is too old for you. You’re my sweetheart. Sweet heart baby,” he sang to the tune of Dream Baby, “You have a sweet heart. You have my heart.” he explained as his fingers kept playing with her hair and then trailing along her face and Audrey felt like she was melting. He made it sound so special, he could call her what he wanted and she knew she would love it.
"You have mine too, sweetheart. I love you.” she replied with a smile and they drifted off to sleep, fully entwined with no need for a fire to keep them warm that night.
...
The morning sun was bright and Richard woke to find Audrey still in his arms. He couldn't believe how much he loved her and how magnificent she was to be with. How could he want to go back to normal life when this was his new reality? He watched her naked chest rise and fall with her breath and felt himself stir. Audrey's eye's opened and met his, a content smile on her face. "Good morning." she murmured and kissed his chest and up his neck.
He sighed, the sigh of man who was happy and when her lips reached his he turned their bodies so that he could ravish her again.
They cleaned themselves in the ocean, making love again, and with Audrey's legs still wrapped around him he asked, "Do you think we can just walk around naked now?"
"Richard!" she protested with a laugh, "We still need standards."
"But do we sweetheart? My new standard is admiring you as often as possible." and he kissed down her décolletage. Audrey's finger's ran through his hair, Richard DeVere was more than the man of her dreams, he was everything. No one could make her feel like he could.
…
Audrey had now experienced 10 days of loving and being loved in the most breathtaking way. She may not have gone as far as Richard suggested in walking around naked but he made her feel so completely comfortable that she was secure with no clothing on in front of him. He was totally comfortable in front of her, completely unashamed by his full form being on display for her to admire, which she did as he was almost like looking at art, so perfectly crafted. And he loved her. So much. So kindly. So tenderly. So wildly.
From his sweet kisses for no reason at all when he passed her to how his fingers trailed her body of a night when they lay together, delicately, lazily, lovingly and the way he called her name when they made love, it gave her thrills, she wanted to hear it again and again. It was all so intimate, even just laying on the sand, holding hands and talking for hours about anything and everything. Audrey had never felt so close to someone.
Neither had Richard. Years of fighting to build his empire made him both resilient and disinclined to vulnerability. Suzie knew him and had for over 12 years, there were no secrets. She encouraged him to look to the future but also anchored him to his past, never wanting him to forget where he came from. He wasn’t ashamed of his upbringing, he just wanted to leave it behind. With Audrey it was so different. It was effortless. She listened to him, she didn’t quite understand his situation, she admitted this. He could see how she admired him and wanted to help him.
It was more than that though, it was how she looked at him. Those blue eyes through her long lashes, adoring, challenging, loving. When he pulled her close the way she would throw her arms around him, how her fingers would run through his hair, her lips would meet his. Richard felt closer to Audrey than he had to anyone before - physically and emotionally. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her.
…
They were lying on the sand where the water was lapping the shore, having just made love in the ocean again, Audrey’s legs wrapped around him, joining as one. The sun was warm on their wet bodies as they lay on their sides facing each other. Audrey heard a thumping sound in the distance, "Richard - what's that?"
He stopped and listened. "It sounds like a chopper. We better get dressed." They moved as quickly as possible to dress and then looked in the direction of the sound. As soon as the helicopter came into view they frantically waved their arms. The helicopter hovered above them for minutes as they tried to understand if it had seen them and then it turned around and flew away. The excitement of a near rescue being removed was too much and Audrey started to cry. Richard wrapped his arms around her.
"Sweetheart, it's alright, I'm sure they'll be back." Though his own heart sank in disappointment. They sat on the sand, Richard keeping his arm around her.
“Audrey - listen!” Richard said. He heard the sound of a motor.
“What is it?” she sniffled but before he could reply a speed boat came into sight. They were being rescued after 71 days.
The speed boat took them to an island where a helicopter was waiting which took them into Athens, press photographers fighting to get pictures of them. Richard held Audrey’s hand the whole time. In Athens they met with members of the British consulate. For over 2 months they had wondered about the fate of their loved ones and now that they were about to find out. Audrey tightened her grip on Richard.