It's not cheating if you don't get caught (closed)

[salty_sailor]

Ryan instantly fell into play acting alongside Kate, pretending at the lost puppy who couldn't find his way home affecting even the look in his eyes as he approached a livid Diane. He attempted to be happy, relieved even, to see her, though that too was a front. He was disappointed to see the disappearing form of Kate slipping in through the doors. He had genuinely even enjoying himself when he was in her company.

When he stood before Diane he tried to kiss her, wrapping his strong arms about her waist and pulling her torso to him. Her body language was standoffish, even if her manner was genial enough. He was thinking that she too must be feeling the stresses and strain of being back home and if trying to fill all the roles that were demanded of her.

He was being charitable of course, he did still love her. Then he heard her mutter something that ended in 'that little slut'. Pretending he hadn't heard, and instead was completely oblivious to the family politics and strife that ebbed and flowed around him, he leaned back smiling at her as if he couldn't be happier than to have walked out of the garden and found her waiting.

He tried asking about dinner, the guests he saw there and to have her identify exactly who all those people he'd been introduced to were. He went largely unanswered though and wound up feeling rebuffed, even if her smile was amiable enough.

When she got down to asking where he had gotten to, or perhaps banked the flames of her rage enough to form complete sentences, he simply responded that he needed some fresh air. He affirmed that she did in fact know how it got for him.

She nodded tersely, and as they stood before the big French doors, light streaming out across the paving and pooling at their feet, she pulled the tie from his pocket, refastening it about his neck. When she finished she rested her palms against his chest and he took the opportunity to lift one of her hands to his mouth, kissing her fingers and playfully nipping at them with his teeth. This failed to produce the rise that he sought in her and instead she turned to enter the house saying that they really ought to get back to the party. He wondered if she worried that Kate and Hugh might steal the limelight from her for a bit too long and it drove her batty.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Kate left Ryan to the wrath of her sister and headed through into the house. She was discretely informed that they were in the 'drawing room' a somewhat grand reception room divided into areas for sitting, for playing cards, even a piano graced the corner. As she entered she truly felt as if he had been transported back to some period drama, but she was far from demure heroine material.

"Ah, there she is ... "

Her mother's sweetened tones as she guided him over to Kate were evidence that she was pleased with Kate's performance at dinner and would overlook the brief absence, though the steel in her eye warned that this would be only tolerated the once. Hugh took Kate's hand and steered her into a corner, the two seated upon a couch within an alcove which Margaret would have been shocked to hear Kate call a 'window seat'. And she did try to tolerate Hugh; in fact Kate thought she did a good job in being attentive to their guest, but when Hugh suggested that they meet up again, Kate shook her head sadly.

"I'm already dating,"

She told him with no word of a lie.

"... I know mom must have led you to think differently, but you must now how much she favours you, Hugh. She always did want to see us together."

She watched the young man flush with pleasure.

"But she won't acknowledge my University friends, much less admit that I would dare to have a boyfriend who she has not vetted in advance."

Hugh ironically seemed ready to leap to her mother's defence.

"I know mummy wants the best for me."

Kate decided it was politic to soften her words in relation to her mother.

"But you wouldn't want me to date someone other than you, would you Hugh?"

And that, did Hugh but know it was the crux of the matter; Kate was used to a much freer social life. It was understood that she offered no commitment and therefore no false promise of fidelity. She had never fallen in love, so why would she want to make more of a relationship than it was? Hugh had every sign of a desperate-to-settle-down type and THAT is exactly the opposite to what she was looking for ...

And so the whole situation was managed diplomatically. Hugh stayed a bit longer, for appearance sake and then went, with Kate at his side to bid her mother farewell. Sadly he declined her offer to attend a further family gathering the next day and Kate - mainly to escape her mother's anger - escorted him to the front door. To her surprise he actually kissed her. There was nothing toe curling or pulse racing about it, but it was 'nice'. He urged her that should her circumstances ever change ... and she responded with an assurance that she would indeed look him up.

Only when the door was closed did she finally heave a long sigh of relief.

 

[salty_sailor]

As Diane and Ryan entered the room, they passed up the opportunity for a hand of cards. They were playing Pinocle, which he had always thought was some kind of foot disorder... or was that a carbuncle? Anyway, he had always run more to poker personally. Sometimes he and his coworkers would get stupid drunk together and play into the small hours, for cash or skin or favours, depending on their mood. Waking later he'd find that either his pockets had been completely drained, or on occasion to find bills stuffed between his teeth, waking spitting and coughing. Then there was that time that instead of bills it was a pair of panties that he had spit out. He was desperately glad that Diane didn't know that that was sometimes how their "office parties" or "coworker retreats" as they were sometimes called had occasionally ended.

He must be getting drunk tonight, he thought, for surely enough alcohol was coursing through his system, and he had begun to notice Kate more and more: the graceful confidence with which she moved, and the pleasing shapes her slight curves made. Layering drink upon drink was clearly a bad idea if he was beginning to sit up and take notice of Diane's little sister. But no, that was disingenuous. He had noticed bet from she first, it wasn't just beginning. She was a stunner.

When Diane had taken up residence behind Margie, he tried to imagine the room as some epic battle with opposing camps and armies. Margie overseeing all like a general, Diane perched hawk-like on her shoulder. But perhaps with all the secret sniping that was going on, guerrilla warfare of Vietnam was more accurate. He tried imagining them in green painted faces and crawling through muck. He smiled.

Ryan on the other hand had taken up residence at the billiard table, which to all appearances seemed to be perfectly regulation. Why would he expect anything else? Using he careful eye, he lined up one shot after another, carefully judging distance and angle, and only occasionally passing the cue back to the cousin he played opposite, making small talk all the while.

More balls disappeared as he lined up shots, breathing deeply as he sunk deeper into his own private fantasy. He had I relax. Perhaps if he acted cool and collected, he would begin to feel that way. And perhaps the calm that he radiated would spread to some of the others that populated the lounge.

And suddenly Hugh was gone, a land mine disposed, a time bomb defused. Kate had used whatever right combination of words to make the problem go away. Suddenly she was free. She was still far behind enemy lines and deeply entrenched, facing an uphill battle against overwhelming odds to get clear, but she was free. Ryan wished he knew where to look for such linguistic skill.
As Hugh whisked past, he couldn't help but take his own snipe, and he said in an affected accent, "take care old sport." That made him smile a little, as did the knowledge that very soon the fever that had been filling the room would subside, and that soon he would no longer need an excuse to slip up the stairs and to bed.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Kate had no intention of going back into the room and instead made her way towards the 'grand staircase' as she derisively called it. But then on second thoughts, she decided upon an alternative course of action. Ducking quickly past the door in an attempt not to be seen, she headed down the hall and then through a door which opened onto a narrow corridor and then another door which opened onto a vast kitchen. This wasn't the 'catering kitchen' where the staff worked, but the 'family kitchen' where she had memories of times spent with her gran when they would cook and bake and spend so many hours despite her mother's insistence that 'one had staff to do that'. She touched the switch and flung the dark neglected room into illumination, then adjusted the lighting to the warm glow of spotlights and a central beam onto the island in the middle which had been their shared preparation area. A large black stove, old fashioned, yet reliable was to be found centrally upon one wall with a range to it's left and then tucked away apologetically a modern stove, which was impressive and clashed wonderfully in the room that was truly a mismatch of old and modern.

Kate advanced upon the cupboards and rifled through them. She could not believe that she was in luck. Somehow the cupboards had been kept at least partially stocked, perhaps in deference to her ailing gran? Impossibly there was a cookie jar with choc-chip delights in side and additionally she found fresh milk in the fridge. Kate could only suppose that it had been used as a 'break out' area to prepare food given the amount of guests that were staying at that moment. Drawing out an achingly familiar pottery mug, she set about preparing hot chocolate to go with the cookies; a long known treatment for agitation, frustration and everything else enduring life under this roof had regularly brought her.

 

[salty_sailor]

Ryan had been wandering the halls for ages. After the pool game had ended, he winning handily, he had excused himself to Diane and her mother and the few friends that sat together in a circle gossiping. It was there that his fiancé seemed most at home. Surprisingly she had no issue with him retiring, in fact she seemed ready to see him off. And judging by the number of female eyes on him, sizing him up, he had to wonder vaguely if he was the topic of conversation.

After that he was pretty much left to his own devices, but he really just wanted to get back to his rooms. Finally he gave up, assuming that he had somehow been transported to some magical palace in which the staircases rearranged themselves every so often just to spite the people living there. He decided that he would backtrack, and made his way down the grand steps that led out and into the main garden behind the house. From there he jogged around the outside of the building, to the side of the house closest to the trail that soon issued onto the beach. That much at least he was familiar with. Finding the one door he was certain of, he twisted the knob and pulled, opening the door onto the bottom of a set of stairs that wound their way more or less directly to the third floor, and from there he could pretty easily find where he and Diane were staying. Ryan desperately wanted a shower.

It was one of those old style places, the kind that had an adjoining set of rooms on the other side of the shared bath, so he was certain to lock the door. He had yet to meet whosoever was in the adjacent room and had yet to hammer out any sort of bathroom protocol accord with those occupants. Technically the shower was in a separate space from the toilet and sinks with its own lock but he was still pretty sure he didn't want any of those currently in residence coming in to use the facilities even if he'd been in the bath for 22 hours straight.

He stripped down, leaving his clothing strewn across the floor and stood under one of the shower heads, turning the water up past hot and steamy, past boiling and scalding to incendiary, letting the flow burn away any tension he was holding in his muscles. Ryan luxuriated in the hot water as it cascaded over his body. One thing the house certainly didn't lack was water pressure. So as the stream drummed on his skin he let out a sigh and simply stood there, feeling hours and hours of accumulated stresses wash down the drain.

He wasn't exactly sure how long he'd been in the shower, but it felt like a pretty long time. So as he toweled off and came back into their sitting room, he was surprised that Diane had not yet made her way back. Well she had been having fun down there. He checked the bed, no Diane there either.

He briefly contemplated returning to the party, but recalling the heroic effort it required to find his way around the house, he was loathe to do that again. After a moments pause, he found he relished the idea of having a few minutes of time to call his own. He pulled on a comfortable pair of jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, then took the book laying face down from his night stand and returned to the sitting room. He considered pouring himself another drink but then thought better of it, allowing his mind to clear up would feel good. So he dropped into a comfortable chair and tried to relax.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

The caterers might have made use of the old kitchen, but it was clear to Kate that it was a place that the family still kept away from. She doubted that her parents, or Diane for that matter ever even found their way there, which suited Kate just fine. Though the burner was not lit, the kitchen still exuded cosiness for her and she sat for what must have been an hour in the old armchair opposite what she had come to think of as 'gran's rocker' and indulged in hot chocolate and choc chip cookies. For the first time she was glad to be home and prepared to endure what she must to simply see her gran again...

Eventually she ensured all was put to rights in the kitchen and headed back out, choosing to cut through the back of the house and head upstairs avoiding the main staircase and risking bumping into anyone else. As she climbed the last flight to the 'attic rooms' Kate had to admit that someone had definitely ensured that her rooms were as far out of the way as they could possibly be; after all they couldn't risk the black-sheep-sister corrupting the new son-in-law-to-be or upsetting their more sensitive guests, could they?

She sighed as she entered the room. Despite her bravado it hurt. Why they shunned her just because she wouldn't conform, just because she wanted to actually LIVE she never understood. Her mother saw her mission as suppressing Kate's personality 'for her own good', whilst her gran encouraged her to 'go for' life and be herself. Her father indulged and even marvelled at her rebellion and loved it when she visited; he just didn't stand up for her and prevent his wife, or elder daughter from attempting to control her.

And what of the new fiancé? Despite her expectations, she found she liked him and actually felt sorry for him and the ordeal that would be much more than an annual occurrence did he but know it should he actually go through with it and marry her sister. And she had to admit that Diane had chosen a great guy; it was just a pity that she didn't seem to realise it. She could have a great marriage, with fun and excitement and - it had to be considered - lots and lots of sex! Kate simply couldn't understand why that wasn't what Diane would want. The last thing Kate would be doing in her place would be stifling Ryan. She chuckled aloud as she pulled off the gown and slid into her light nightshirt. No, she'd be 'doing him' any and everywhere she could ... and given the extent of his 'dry spell' she could imagine him being a real hot fuck. She groaned, her own body hot and horny. She should not be thinking of her future brother-in-law in such a way, but .... she found her hands moving down to her panties knowing that she would not sleep until she found the relief she needed ... and it was so wrong allowing the image of Ryan to fill her mind as her breathing quickened ... but no one would ever know ... and every girl had to have a 'forbidden fantasy' ...

 

[salty_sailor]

Ryan awoke half sitting and half slumped in the comfortable chair in their sitting room, book open across his knee. It seemed like it must be the middle of the night. The house was quiet and the blackness outside across the water was almost complete but for a few house lights on the other side of the bay.

He rose, padding silently on bare feet, into the bedroom. Diane was there, face down and breathing heavily, mouth hanging open. She had totally passed out and was likely deep in a drunken stupor. Sh was also completely naked. Clearly she had had the foresight to strip off her dress lest she wake with it all wrinkled. He made that obvious conclusion, thinking that there wasn't any other good reason that she'd slip out of her dress and fall asleep nude. She probably could find her pajamas, he thought wryly.

She was a beautiful woman. All long legs and thin waist, with just the right amount of curve in the correct places. A body not unlike her sister. He smiled to himself at the thought. He toyed briefly with the idea of crawling atop her and nuzzling into her back and neck, kissing along her spine and massaging her ass cheeks. But no, that would never fly. He'd be interrupting her beauty sleep, a crime punishable by lashings...or perhaps spankings, he wondered idly. But no, any sort of thing deemed sexually deviant or, heaven forbid, fun, then it was absolutely out. 'Lights out, no talking, don't make a mess.' No fun at all.

A thought struck him then, out of the blue, or more accurately out of the moon dappled dark, what was the use of being married to a beautiful woman if you didn't get to enjoy her in ways that...well, that you both ought to be able enjoy. It seemed a waste just then. The whole thing. He wondered what he might do about it. I he had the strength to do it. If he had the courage to keep from being quashed at every turn.

He could go to bed with her, even if he dare not wake her an even if he couldn't touch her. Then agin he wasn't all that sleepy, surprisingly enough. He had been hoping to be as passed out as Diane. He could go for a midnight stroll. He checked his watch, scratch that...a wee hours of the morning stroll. He could sit on the balcony listening to night sounds.

Instead he went back to the chair after snatching a blanket from the linen closet. He pushed an ottoman against the chair and stretched out as much as he could, pulling the blanket over himself. He was as likely to get any rest cramped in a chair as he was in his bed...their bed. He lay on his side eyes open for a while watching the play of shadows across the wall. Eventually he closed his eyes but sleep still remained elusive.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Kate woke early and refreshed. She was more determined than ever not to waste the week. She showered and pulled on jeans and a strappy white t-shirt and headed downstairs via the back staircase and turned down the corridor which led to the annex (referred to as the 'wing' by her mother ) of the house towards her grandmother's quarters.

"Katie! What you doing here so early?"

It was 8 am, so hardly the 'wee small hours', but Kate moved into the embrace of the stoutly motherly woman who held her and kissed her cheek in welcome.

"How is she doing, Grace?"

The woman's face became solemn. Without words, Kate knew that things were not good.

"She'll be thrilled to see you though."

She encouraged nodding towards the door and letting Kate advance towards her gran's bedroom alone. None of her family had thought to keep in touch with Kate when she left for Uni, but Grace who had been a kind of house keeper/ nanny / cook at various times of her life had written letters to her regularly. Grace was of indeterminate age and seemed always to have been there, or at least since Kate hit the 'difficult teen years'. She had no understanding of technology and a deep suspicion of texting and email and so it was via 'snail mail' that the two kept in touch. For some reason Brooke had very few dealings with Grace, Kate supposed that by the time Brooke had reached her teens, Grace had been changed with the care of their gran, a role Grace took on willingly. It was only that fact which had made it possible for Kate to go ahead with her studies as planned. When she had suggested to gran that she take a break in studies to stay home with her, gran had hit the roof and all but ordered Kate from the house. Kate smiled at the memory, her expression changing as she opened the door and saw the sight of the sick woman laying in the bed set in the middle of the room.

She looked so frail and so small. Gone was the spirit with which Gran had threatened to 'whup her ass' if she dared even consider such a thing as staying home longer than she needed to. Gran was her father's mother and had a less than favourable opinion of her mother. Kate braced herself as she moved forward, the smile on her face, that of soft affection for the old woman, rather than the forced façade the rest of the family saw from her.

"Hey, gran ... "

She sat by her bed and took her hand.

"Katie!"

The woman's voice was shockingly weak, but the pleasure on her face and the way her hand gripped Kate's weakly filled Kate with joy and anguish all at once.

"... takes me a while to get going in the morning ..."

The old woman explained.

"Well I'm here for the week at least so ...no rush granny ... "

Behind her Grace had entered and stood behind Kate a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder as she took in just how much her grandmother had deteriorated.

"We take our time nowadays, don't we Aud?"

Grace asked drawing a smile from the old woman which made Kate's heart flip with hope as she heard her gran chuckle shortly.

"You head off to breakfast love and maybe come back mid morning.
You can keep your gran company in the salon. She loves to sit in there at this time of year."

Kate nodded.

"Sure, I'll be back shortly gran, ok?"

Kate stood and leaned forward to kiss the papery cheek and withdrew with a hug for Grace and headed out of the room ...

But she did not stop ... she headed down the passage, out to the garden, across the lawns and then through rose gardens and round the back to where there was an enclosed arbour where she could be sure of privacy. Sitting down Kate allowed the reality to hit her. Gran was ill, really ill. Grace had obviously not been exaggerating when she advised Kate to come home to see her 'sooner rather than later'. That cryptic phrase alone had rung alarm bells.

What Kate didn't understand was how her mother and sister could just be going on with 'life as normal' and leaving gran's care entirely to Grace. True nothing could be done apart from make her comfortable, but to be left alone in this monstrosity of a house ... it was that more than anything else that her family did that Kate found unforgiveable.

She wiped ineffectually that the slow trail of tears, deciding to allow herself this brief indulgence before heading in for breakfast and then she would go to see her gran and spend as much time with her as her gran could cope with.

Arbour:

 

[salty_sailor]

Ryan had woken with a determination not to let the day get the better of him. He was going to start out on the right foot. To that end, he would start out by going for a run. 7 wasn't early as far as mornings sometimes go, but given yesterday, and the day he had had in general, he was a little surprised that he managed to drag himself out of bed at all. Or, to be more accurate, drag himself out of armchair/ottoman at all. He had spent the night in the chair, tossing and turning, even with such little room to do much actual tossing and turning. He shook his head, thinking through the evening as he planted his feet on the rug and started to go about his morning routine. 'Had he really allowed himself to be kicked out of bed with his bride to be? Is that what had actually happened, or was it simply that there was so much confusion and stress now and the resulting animosity that had driven him to take refuge what must have looked like a relatively extreme measure.

He looked into the bedroom, what Diane was calling the bed chamber--how pretentious-- and his fiancé was was still fast asleep. He tried not to wake her as he went about finding shoes and socks and slipping into a pair of nylon shorts and a plain t-shirt. Perhaps when she woke thy could start to talk some things through. But then again perhaps he should wait until they were back home and Diane was once more away from whom Ryan was now beginning to think of as his evil stepmother. They shouldn't be out of their honeymoon phase yet...they hadn't even been on their honeymoon yet. Let alone spent 30 staid years in marriage. They should be fucking every night and slipping away together during the day too when they were able. He looked over at her sleeping form, now wreathed in thick down comforters. He smiled to himself, wondering if she had ever gone through such a phase with any of her past men, back when she was a little more youthful and energetic? Perhaps she had had a rebellious streak. But that he figured, he probably would have heard about.

As he was lacing up sneakers, he suddenly changed his mind and stripping off his socks instead grabbed a pair of flip flops from under the table and headed out the door, shutting it quietly behind him.

Down the stairs and pushing out into the garden he set off down the path and quickly made his way through some dunes and over a few driftwood logs. Kicking off his sandals, he buried his toes in the sand and set about doing a few stretches in preparation for his morning jog.

A jog is what he had set out to do, so it came as a small surprise even to him as he took if down the beach at a sprint, sand flying from his heels. He ran along the water, pounding over damp sand and leaping over little waves that occasionally washed up high enough to be in his path. He was meditating and burning up some pent up energy at the same time and occasionally would head up into deeper sand or skip along the lengths if smooth trees washed up along the shore. His arms were pumping, long legs churning and full breaths expanding his chest every few steps.

A rebellious streak. Her sister clearly had one. He thought about Kate then, his mind wandering. Surely growing up in such a stifling environment would produce rebellion...or perhaps strict adherence he thought sadly.

He was running back, feet still flying but without the same fervor as earlier. He'd stripped off his shirt when he'd reach the end of the strand, tucking it into the waistband of his shorts. So it was with bright morning sun on his shoulders the he reentered the garden, pulling out the shirt and wiping sweet from his face, breathing steadily and deeply.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Kate dried her eyes and ran a hand through her lose hair. She hoped that she looked ok, not that her family were particularly attuned to her moods anyhow. She would return to the house, duck into the bathroom and make sure she looked right before heading into breakfast.

Slowly she retraced her steps back through the roses and then out to the main lawn. Only once she had stepped into the open did she notice the unmistakeable outline of Ryan making his own way back to the house.

"Shit."

She muttered to herself.

It was too late to duck back as he must have seen her. She considered accelerating her pace so that she could get into the house before he caught up with her, but she knew that he could catch he up easily if he wished to. And so she did the only thing she thought she could; pretended not to see him and set off in the direction of the pool. She figured if she gave it 10 minutes she could then head into the house without bumping into him.

 

[salty_sailor]

Ryan saw Kate suddenly alter course and quicken her pace. He was still jogging a little, cooling off from his manic sprint. Slowing to a walk he figured that he wouldn't even have to change the speed he was walking at in order to catch up to her. He did have long legs after all. She was crossing the lawn, heading to the pool where they had shared those few stolen moments the night prior.

He did want to talk to her and he thought she'd be happy I see him as well, partners in crime as it were. He was anxious to find out how lat night had turned out, and if she had decided to bed Hugh after all. Ryan could tell how desperate she was for hat sort of attention. She was oozing sexuality if you knew what to look for, and he felt like he did.

He did feel a little self conscious as he approached her, Kate's back was still to him so he called out. "Hey Kate, wait up..." Only as the words left his mouth did he remember he was shirtless and sweaty, wearing flipflops and shorts alone. As he drew near, he was struggling into his shirt. When his head popped out and he was facing her, the smile disappeared from his face. Tear streaks still ran to her chin, her eyes inflamed and puffy, hair awry. "Oh Kate... What's up? Nevermind, you don't have to talk if you don't want to. I'm still practically a stranger and so long as I'm dating your sister, a certifiable douche. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have interrupted. I can go if you like. But I'm here to listen if that's what you need. Your call."

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

She knew he had changed course and was following her even before he called out to her.

"Hey Kate, wait up..."

She had a precious few more moments to collect her composure before she turned in time to see him struggling into his shirt.

"Oh Kate... What's up?"

She must look more of a mess that she had thought if he had spotted the fact straight away.

"Nevermind, you don't have to talk if you don't want to. I'm still practically a stranger and so long as I'm dating your sister, a certifiable douche."

His words drew a smile from her despite herself.

" I'm sorry, I shouldn't have interrupted. I can go if you like.
But I'm here to listen if that's what you need. Your call."

She shook her head. No he didn't have to go and no she didn't want to talk.

"No need for apology."

She managed to mumble.

"You went for a run."

It was a statement rather than a question as she attempted a normal conversation, though all she really needed was to head into the house - unseen- so that she could make herself look more respectable before heading in for a family breakfast.

 

[salty_sailor]

"Yeah, a great run. After last night I had a lot of pent up energy to burn, more than a shower was going to manage to disperse." Ryan winked a little as if imparting some running inside joke. She didn't seem to get it. I fact she stared a little vacantly, glancing nervously around as if looking for someone. As if looking for anyone. She didn't want to be seen. Apparently being upset was something that didn't happen under this roof.

"You're just trying to get inside unseen, yeah? Sorry again...if I had known..." He started mumbling an apology but that to fell flat and he trailed off. Then he smiled, thinly, and looked conspiratorially back and forth. "What you need is a good lookout. I'm the new guy here...none of the family or staff will think it weird if I'm seen wandering aimlessly down random corridors. They'll assume I'm lost...all the while refusing to help and will likely just disappear back the way they came. Besides, I smell bad....I'm like one of the untouchables, no one will even look my way. Im the perfect accomplice and cover. A distraction even..." He took her hand, not really realizing in until her fingers were gripped in his. But then it was too late and they set off together toward the house.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

"Yeah, a great run. After last night I had a lot of pent up energy to burn, more than a shower was going to manage to disperse."

He chatted amicably and though Kate was relieved by the distraction of his chatter, she could not focus on what he was saying.

"You're just trying to get inside unseen, yeah?"

She lifted her averted gaze, eyes meeting his as she nodded.

"Sorry again...if I had known..."

His awkward apology somehow made her warm to him. He seemed a decent guy, caring, kind even.

"What you need is a good lookout."

He was almost comedic in his words.

"I'm the new guy here...none of the family or staff will think it weird if I'm seen wandering aimlessly down random corridors. They'll assume I'm lost...all the while refusing to help and will likely just disappear back the way they came."

He rationalised as she watched his animation, sure he was trying to draw a smile, if not a laugh out of her.

"Besides, I smell bad....I'm like one of the untouchables, no one will even look my way. Im the perfect accomplice and cover. A distraction even..."

She thought that his assessment of himself was more negative than the reality, but she found the idea of him being an accomplice, or distraction amused her.

Surprisingly he took her hand in his and hers instinctively held on accepting his offer of support. Slowly they made their way to the house, Kate hesitantly, moving closer to, if not behind Ryan as they neared the side door. She nodded towards it and sent him in ahead of her to check if the coast was clear, then in the style of true spoof spies they slipped inside and were heading down the corridor towards the main rooms when voices sounded clearly from just within one of the doors. Her mother and father were having a disagreement ... about Hugo of course. She smiled as her father told her mother that Kate would get more animation out of a scarecrow ... and that the looks of the latter would be a great improvement on the man her mother was so determined to have Kate accept.

Squeezing his hand, she drew back wordlessly back along the corridor, guiding him down the narrow passage that led towards the old kitchen, her kitchen.

"Tell anyone this room exists and I may have to kill you."

She murmured as she drew him inside and secured the door firmly behind them before turning around with her back to it and giving a heavy sigh of relief.

"I owe you a coffee, or tea or ... I think there are some cold drinks in the fridge."

She told him as she crossed to the sink and began to splash her face with cold water and run her hands through her hair in an attempt at looking more 'normal'.

"Will I do, or do I still look like shit?"

She asked turning towards him to be scrutinised.

"You can be brutally honest. I don't want to be savaged alive as soon as I walk in there."

She told him.

 

[salty_sailor]

"Wait....you have a whole kitchen to yourself? And no one knows about it? That's fucking luxurious huh? I can see why you'd want to kill me if I spilled it. Privacy would probably justify the murder. Ryan thoughtfully rubs his chin as he looks around the space, enjoying the comfortable and well used feeling that the room gave off.

He was still laughing to himself, enjoying the little caper they'd just pulled...silly as it was. He was still thinking about sneaking around the house...turns out it wasn't so hard to do if you knew a couple good routes, and ways around the gardens without views from the windows. A word brought him out of his thoughts.

"Coffee sounds amazing. But do you mind if I make it? I'm kinda particular. Just point me to the right cupboards. Kate obliged and soon the water was steaming on the stove and coffee was ground. When he was done he turned to look her over, scrutinizing her appearance. "I think you look fantastic honestly... " Ryan was instantly self conscious. "I mean you look fine. No one is going to notice you've been crying. Splash a little more cold water on and your eyes will lose any pink hue they have. Your hair though needs a comb. That's the only thing out of place." He took a step closer to her. "Here, can I help?" He lifted his hand to her brow, letting it hover in space for an instant before he began straightening a few strands and tucking some behind an ear. He nodded satisfactorily before stepping back. "There. Perfect once more. And some day you're going to have to tell me who's making you cry."

He turned back to the stove and as he was pouring out two mugs of coffee he asked "So tell me, is this whole family breakfast thing going to happen every day? Or is it more of a one off event? 2nd: do I need to show up? And 3rd how pissed is Diane going to be to find me unshowered and far from ready?"

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

"Wait....you have a whole kitchen to yourself? And no one knows about it?
That's fucking luxurious huh? I can see why you'd want to kill me if I spilled it. Privacy would probably justify the murder."

Kate had to smile at his reaction as he looked around 'her' kitchen.

"Long story. I used to spend a lot of time here when I was little.
The caterers seem to use it as an overflow for their food prep., but during the day ... "

He agreed to her offer of coffee, in part anyhow.

"Coffee sounds amazing. But do you mind if I make it? I'm kinda particular. Just point me to the right cupboards."

Kate wasn't as fussy, so she pointed out the ground coffee, the machine and the fridge as she tried to make herself look respectable.

"I think you look fantastic honestly... "

She wasn't expecting that. For an instant all was silent between them, until Ryan clarified his statement.

"I mean you look fine. No one is going to notice you've been crying. Splash a little more cold water on and your eyes will lose any pink hue they have. Your hair though needs a comb. That's the only thing out of place."

She gave him a "... what, seriously?" look and comented.

"Far from fantastic then, obviously."

But he was undeterred by her comment and stepped forward lifting his hand towards her.

"Here, can I help?"

She nodded and stood as he smoothed her hair, even tucking it in place, the gesture strangely intimate as he concentrated in the job in hand.

"There. Perfect once more. And some day you're going to have to tell me who's making you cry."

The comment was said lightly, but he did not press the matter, choosing instead to focus upon making the coffee whilst she dropped into her gran's rocking chair, leaving the chair opposite free for him to sit in.

"So tell me, is this whole family breakfast thing going to happen every day? Or is it more of a one off event? 2nd: do I need to show up? And 3rd how pissed is Diane going to be to find me unshowered and far from ready?"

She laughed and took the coffee he offered her, sipping at the mug with an appreciative murmur before she answered.

"Yes, this breakfast thing is put on throughout the whole week when our parents consider they have 'house guests'."

She clarified.

"Breakfast is a big event in this household, always easier to make something of it if you don't have to make it yourself."

She said referring to the staff her mother always had about the place, house party or not.

"As to showing up. It might be politic to show up on this first morning. You can get later or make alternative arrangements as the week progresses if it proves to be too much of an ordeal."

She threw him a grin.

"If you're really good I might even offer you sanctuary in my kitchen now and then."

She teased.

"As for Diane and her feelings about anything, much less connected with you, I plead the 5th. I don't understand anything about her, never did."

She refused to be drawn to comment on her sister, especially given how she felt about the family's treatment of her gran.

She turned her attention to the mug and savoured the strong brew.

"One thing Ryan, you make fantastic coffee."

She complimented him.

"But seriously, please don't tell Diane or any of the others about this room, or bring them here. This room ... it's special ... has memories ... "

She let her free hand stroke the wood of the rocking chair lovingly.

"They wouldn't appreciate that ... wouldn't understand ... "

She told him, emotions rising towards the surface, but held in check.

 

[salty_sailor]

"Thanks," he said, keeping his tone light as he settled into the chair across from her. "Like I said, I'm kinda particular about coffee. It's a quirk of mine. Among many." Then he leaned back against his chair, a simple wooden affair with a plain cushion on the seat. It seemed out of fitting with the rest of the furniture he'd seen about the place. He sipped at his steaming cup, trying not to notice how chilled he'd become since he stopped moving. His skin prickled ever so slightly and he looked forward to a shower, even if it would be a rushed affair. Suddenly he sat up straight, a look of mock horror on his face and staring at Kate.

"Wait...did you just ask to let this be our little secret? Should I be nervous? What happens next?" He laughed, falling back against the backrest.
"Well I hope you invite me back to your kitchen. And hey...I thought you preferred guys who weren't necessarily good all the time?" He smiled a little mischievously. Inside his head he wondered 'am I flirting with her'?

He wondered about how important the room was to her, and how it came to hold such importance. He told her so, but wouldn't allow the story to begin. He finished the last two mouthfuls of coffee in more of a rush than he'd like and he rinsed the mug, setting it in the basin and glancing at the clock upon the wall again.

"Seriously though. I gotta go shower if I'm to get to brekkers anywhere near on time. And I promise...I'll not tell a soul about your sanctuary. I'll not even tell the soulless." He paused then smiling and looking to the door, hands on his hips. "Now. How the fuck do I get back upstairs?"

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

"Thanks,Like I said, I'm kinda particular about coffee. It's a quirk of mine. Among many."

They sat companionably as he quipped with her.

"Wait...did you just ask to let this be our little secret? Should I be nervous? What happens next?"

She watched him laugh as he teased her. She didn't think she had seen him laugh around Diane so far.

"Well I hope you invite me back to your kitchen. And hey...I thought you preferred guys who weren't necessarily good all the time?"

She gave a non-committal answer and hoped that he really would make sure that no one else traced her here.

"Seriously though. I gotta go shower if I'm to get to brekkers anywhere near on time."

He hastened to return to his room.

"And I promise...I'll not tell a soul about your sanctuary. I'll not even tell the soulless."

She grinned.

"OK, I trust you ... "

She commented then laughed as he asked;

"Now. How the fuck do I get back upstairs?"

She thought the main stair case would be a bad idea, so she stood and guided him down the corridor and then round to the back stairway.

"Head upstairs, then turn sharp right, it will bring you to your room, but from the opposite direction to usually."

Once he was safely on his way, she returned to the kitchen to finish her coffee after which she decided to head into the breakfast room. With any luck she could get her food and be out of there as quickly as possible ..

 

[salty_sailor]

On his way up the steps he revisited their conversation. Surely they were just teasing one another, just casual flirting. The way friends might. And then he suddenly realized that that is just what they were: friends. Perhaps it was a little melodramatic, but he felt like his back was up against a wall and he sure could use a friend just now.

Back in their rooms, he saw that Diane was already gone. The place was a mess with clothes pulled from the closet and the bed coverings all ahoo. In his mind he knew that someone working the warren like halls of the understorey would be along to tidy up but that didn't mean he was going to leave it such a mess. He made the bed, then scooped the clothes off the floor and laying them out on the neatened bed. Maybe that what going on vacation meant, that you could forget about your cares for a while but still. You needn't be a jerk. It seemed somehow below them to expect someone else to make the bed.

He jumped through the shower, quickly scrubbing down and toweling off, without any of the luxuriance of the previous night. As soon as he was dry he was down the main stairs and back to the dining room. As he walked in, he saw that people were still gathering. He hadn't missed anything yet. He looked around, trying to find Diane and didn't immediately see her. So he looked instead for Kate, but didn't find her either. 'Shit, not a friendly face to be seen.' Perhaps he would seek out their father, he at least would be jovial and amiable. He went to find another mug to fill with something hot.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Kate headed into the breakfast room and helped herself to some fruit juice before sitting down at the far end of the table and sipping it thoughtfully making no effort to engage anyone in conversation. Breakfast was an informal 'buffet style' affair, but there was still someone on hand to bring things to the table, top up the drinks and generally fetch and carry for those who found it too onerous to go help themselves. Pastries, 'full English' and various other options were available and if anything specific were wanted, then that could be sent for too. Kate declined offers of food instead allowing her juice to be refilled before going to fetch herself a coffee. She noted that it was no way as good as Ryan's, but it would probably keep her going for the morning, she mused.

Ryan was present of course, but there was no sign of Diane or of their mother. Her father was present, but he was talking with Ryan which was as good an excuse as any not to seek her brother-in-law-to-be and put his engagement in danger. Kate was sure that at some stage, her mother would try to schedule her into a shopping spree or a date even and Kate had decided that tact and conformity were not now the way to go. Seeing the family through Ryan's eyes and seeing how her grandmother had been treated was enough to prompt Kate to do whatever she needed to do so that she did not allow her mother and even her sister to control what she did or who she chose to do it with.

 

[salty_sailor]

When Ryan had walked in, he hadnt really known what to expect, but the room had been entirely reconfigured and was set up now in a much more casual format.

Laid out as a buffet there was no high table or feeling if being on display, though he still felt that he was somehow being silently judged by the assembled masses. Groups of people milled around and chatted quietly in small circles. There were tables for eating, but gone was the feeling of being in a grand hall. This was not nearly so onerous.

He sniffed at the coffee but decided to forgo that mud in exchange for the tea, which was actually quite good. As he sipped, he mused about whether or not Kate could be talked into letting him back into her kitchen for another cup of coffee before the morning ran out.

Standing beside the patriarch, they sipped their respective drinks and chatted until it was mutually understood that they should get something to eat. Having never been accused of lacking for appetite, Ryan piled his plate with eggs, potatoes, fruit and toast before setting down to breakfast with the man he might one day call dad.

Despite himself, Ryan liked the old goat. And as the talked he found himself warming to the situation. Eventually it came out that Diane and Margie had "Gone to the city", by which was meant "gone shopping" and to have an excuse to linger in cafés drinking cocktails all afternoon. Apparently this remote outpost of the empire was to provincial for Margie's cultured taste an Diane had been roped into being her companion for the day.

Soon they were laughing together, and Ryan found that he was seriously in danger of enjoying himself. Why couldn't every morning start out like this? Good coffee, big breakfast, long run, and even a new friend in the works.

He realized though, a little darkly, that he was actually relishing the fact that his fiancé would be gone all day. How wrong was that?

He brushed aside that notion, knowing it was a black hole, and instead started contemplating what he might do to fill his day. Considering the quality of sleep he got last night his first stop would be back to his rooms. He could relax a little, knowing that Diane wouldn't be coming back for some time. So as he walked from the room, it was with a smile on his face, as he was scraping the remnants of his meal into a refuse bin Kate came up behind him and started doing the same. He smiled at her and confides that "that wasn't so bad afterall..." And with that he was out in the hall and headed back upstairs.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Kate watched Ryan head up the main stairs and opted for the back stair case route to return to her room. She looked critically at her reflection in the mirror and frowned. She would pass muster for any of her family who had stopped actually looking at her years ago. Only her father might have noticed, but he had seemed more eager to spend time with his new son-in-law-to-be than to see how his middle daughter was faring during one of her rare visits home.

Still she was pleased for Ryan, she decided. He seemed distinctly happier and the second day was to play out much more easily she predicted as she had heard that her mother and elder sister were out for the day. It was still much too early to head back to her gran's rooms, but Kate knew exactly what it was she wanted to do...

The kitchen was proving a sanctuary, but it was the place of memories, a place she could draw close to the woman he gran had been and the only way Kate could cope with the frail lady she had now become. Secure in the isolation of that room, Kate moved through the cupboards and began taking out floor, eggs, milk and found the old fashioned balance scales. She would do some baking, make some cookies, perhaps a cake and take them to her gran. Even if she could not tempt gran's appetite, she could leave some goodies for Grace and the act of baking as she and her gran used to do, somehow brought her closer to her as she moved deftly through the familiar and often repeated actions ...

 

[salty_sailor]

As he expected, and secretly hoped, Ryan returned to rooms that were blessedly empty. Also as he expected, someone had been through in the intervening time and tidied things up. Even the clothes he'd laid out on the comforter had been folded and put away. He sighed. Being an architect meant that he had an eye for detail, but it also meant he was quite concerned with how things fit and worked together, what went on behind the facade. And here was a seeming army if humanity toiling away behind the scenes so that Diane didn't have to put away her socks...

He peeled off his clothes and looked down at the ottoman and chair where he had spent the night curled up. No wonder he hadn't slept well. As he crawled into bed, he promised himself that he shouldn't let the day get away from him. No sense in sleeping away while the world passed him by.

So it was with a start that he woke a while later, emerging thickly from a deep sleep. He jumped up in a panic, nervous that it was mid afternoon or something. Instead, he realized with a look at the clock, that it had only been 20 or so minutes.

He let out a breath as he reassembled his clothes. He had decided, somewhere in the midst of last night and this morning, only to have the idea cemented when he learned Margie and Diane were out, that he wanted to spend some of the day sketching.

The house was old, the detailing, stonework, windows and cornices were something else. The copper roof with its chimneys and cupolas was a thing of beauty. While the entire structure was totally archaic, and quite far removed from his day to day work with glass panels and ferrocement, it was still good to dream. And perhaps making some drawings would ease some stress and get some creative juices flowing.

He was jogging down the back steps when he noticed that the entire staircase and hall smelled of baking cookies. At this end of the house, that could only be issuing from one place. Kate must be in her kitchen, baking. He smiled at the thought, and then remembered that he had intended to seek her out for more coffee.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

She had put on the radio and become engrossed in her baking, creating several batches of cookies and filling several cake tins with mixture ready to bake. The kitchen island was still covered with flour and in need of a wipe down, but it was also adorned with cooking trays which held cooling cookies as Kate searched out the icing sugar. Lost in her own activity she sang softly along to the radio as she peeked in the oven to check if her first cake was rising. The smudges of flour on her jeans and the floury smut of flour on her cheek went unnoticed, her hair gathered into a high pony tail as she went about her domestic activities made the scene look even more reminiscent of times past when she had lived at home and spent many happy hours in what her mother called "wasting her time" in "pointless domestication".

She chuckled at the memory and closed the oven deciding that a drink and a cookie was in order - in the interests of quality control of course!

 

[salty_sailor]

Looking carefully up and down the corridor, even listening for steps or voices, Ryan pushed gently against the latch, hearing the sounds of kitchen work and a radio, tinny through the thick door. When it swung open, a wave of warm air hit him in a wall. The smell of baked goods and warm hearth heartened him. Through the thin haze of flour drifting in the air, illuminated by overhead lights, Ryan saw Kate, her back to him bobbing shoulders and head subtly in time with the music. Her hair tied up casually, the seat of her jeans covered in floured handprints. His face broke instantly into a wide grin and he was nearly held speechless. He stuttered a bit before saying.

"I didn't know you could bake..."