Chapter Text
Chapter One
The Night Nobody Talks About
The kitchen was the only room in Priory that still felt untouched. The party raged somewhere overhead. Laughter drifted down the back staircase, echoing along the flags, followed by the unmistakable crash of someone dropping another champagne glass. Freddie, probably. Taggie smiled to herself as she rolled up her sleeves. Ready to get stuck into washing up the feast that has long since been forgotten by her father's guests.
It was ridiculous, really. There were caterers for this sort of thing. Housekeepers. Staff. Yet here she was, stacking plates and rescuing abandoned bowls of chocolate-covered strawberries as though none of the evening's celebrations had anything to do with her.
She supposed it wasn’t, she had only got a few people to sign up after all. The familiar rhythm soothed her. Wash. Dry. Stack. Repeat. She could zone out the chaos around her when following this routine, ignore the sounds of more mess she'll have to clean up later. Her brown hair falling loose from her clips around her face, her blue dress becoming slightly speckled by the water as she scrubbed mindlessly.
"You're impossible." a warm chuckle came from the door
She didn't need to turn around, she knew exactly who was at the door, the only person who ever came looking for her.
"I thought you'd be trapped talking to Freddie” she replied, without looking up, the plate she was holding clattering gently against the draining board.
Rupert wandered into the kitchen, his tie hanging loose around his neck, jacket slung over one shoulder. He looked exhausted. Happy, but exhausted.
"I escaped." he sighed, already ditching the jacket on a chair and rolling up his sleeves. It gave a taggie a quiet rush of joy that he had chosen to help her, once again.
"How?"
"I lied."
Taggie laughed. "You?"
"I know. It's quite unlike me."
“If you’re going to hassle me while i work-“She handed him a tea towel. "You can dry."
"I've been promoted."
"You've been recruited to a valient cause”
He obediently began drying plates, though he was clearly more interested in watching her than the crockery. For several minutes they worked in comfortable silence. Outside, rain had begun tapping gently against the kitchen windows. Inside, the Aga filled the room with warmth.
"You always end up in here," Rupert said eventually.
"I like kitchens."
"So I've noticed."
"They make sense."
He looked at her. "They do?"
She shrugged. "People come into them hungry." she had a fleeting smile “They leave happier."
"I suppose." he shrugged, suddenly intent on making sure the bowl he was drying was extremely dry.
She smiled. "And dirty things become clean."
Rupert let out a quiet laugh. "I wish life worked like that."
Neither of them spoke after that continuing their task in silence, the air became tense, they both felt it. Taggie reached for another plate. Their hands brushed. She pulled hers away far quicker than she'd meant to.
"Sorry."
"What are you apologising for?"
"I don't know." she breathed.
"Seb's a good man," he said. "I told you that from the start."
Taggie nodded. "You were right."
"He's kind."
"He is."
Rupert's smile was gentle, though there was sadness behind it.
"He'd look after you."
She met his eyes. "I know."
Silence settled between them.
"But every time someone tells me I'd be happy with Seb..." she whispered, "all I can think is that he isn't you."
Rupert closed his eyes for a moment. "Tag..." he moaned, pained.
"I shouldn't have said that." she mumbled, turning away embarrased, tears prickiling in her eyes.
"I'm very glad you did." he stepped closer to her
She gave a nervous laugh. "Everything's such a mess. Cameron. Venturer. The franchise. You've got your whole world pulling you in different directions."
"That's true." he reached out to her, his hand resting in the air above her waist, not brave enough to reach out.
"I'm not asking you to choose." She cried
He stepped closer. "You never would."
"No."
"That's one of your fatal flaws" She looked up sharply, still refusing to look at him "You don't ask for anything."
"Oh, Taggie." He smiled tenderness entering his voice, a laugh without humour graced his lips "My life has been complicated for years."
He gently took her hand. "You aren't the complication."
"I'm not?"
"No."
His thumb brushed across her knuckles. "You're the one place I don't have to pretend."
The room seemed to disappear. The music. The rain. The party upstairs. Everything.
"When I'm with you..." His voice was almost a whisper. "...I can finally breathe."
She didn't remember closing the distance. Only that one moment they were standing opposite one another and the next his hands were around her waist, hers tangled in his hair as they kissed with months of restrained longing finally breaking free. The urgency in their kiss reflected the months of longing and little moments. Both moaned as Rupert pulled Taggie closer to him, turning to push his back into the damp sink, the water leaving a line across his lower back, which neither noticed.
When they eventually drew apart, both of them were laughing. Slightly breathless. Slightly stunned. Rupert rested his forehead against Taggies, chest moving up and down rapidly while he grasped his breath back.
"I've wanted to do that for a very long time."
"So have I." she gasped
He glanced towards the kitchen door. The music still drifted down from upstairs. Champagne was still flowing. Nobody would miss them. Not yet. A slow, mischievous smile spread across his face.
"I think the world can survive without us for one evening." He purred into her ear, lingering a moment too long to savour her scent. He held out his hand. She looked at it. Then at him. Then smiled.
"Lead the way." She grinned back at him.
Hand in hand, they slipped through the old pantry door beside the kitchen, disappearing into the quiet darkness beyond. The door creaked behind them, unnoticed by the guests above.
Outside, tyres skidded across gravel. Cameron barely remembered starting the car. She was already out before the engine died. Her blouse was torn, her usually immaculate hair a mess. Blood trickled from a cut above her eyebrow, down the side of her face. Tony's blood. She pushed through the fear, she had to get to the O'hara's house and find Rupert. It was her only hope, she can trust him. She loves him. She had to find him. Now. And stay out of sight of the others.