He had been talking to Nora when the sound of stilettos clicking on the stone floor reached his ears. He shrugged it off, continuing to talk to the ghost beside him, a voice that was more familiar than his own hat joining the clacking shoes.
"And then we'll go to The Dogs Bollocks, I could do with a ruddy drink." The man beside her, almost subservient, nodded in agreement, his heavy camera dragging him down to the level of her hips. The powerful woman looked every bit like Nick had expected her to come out. Tight curls, long nails, and absolutely stunning thig- The woman had noticed him, walking over with a "clack, clack, clack." Nora had noticed too, her face pulled into one of utter disgust and loathing.
"Hi Nick." She smiled, before looking at her watch, scowling and pushing the small man towards the other room with a hint of urgency, a smile on her perfectly whitened teeth.
"Don't worry Nick, I'll come back." Rita told herself, more to reassure herself than to inform him. The line of people leaving the school was growing, and Nick could see her fidgeting with her handbag.
"I'll be waiting." He said with a laugh.
She sat at his mirror, slowly taking off all the makeup and charms while he watched from behind. It was as if she was taking all the layers of herself off, to that girl he had once known. She had wrinkles, her curls were looser than he remembered, and her lips were thinner, too. The one thing Nick noticed the most, however, was her smile. She had entered the room, a smile as fake as her nails gracing her face, but as she pulled off the charms, that smile had returned to the one Nick remembered from a long time ago.
"I told you I'd come back." Rita said, with a laugh.
The paddock wouldn't be used, she had assured him. She had taken off the noisy shoes, trudging through the mud with a determined smile on her face, the mud squelching through her perfectly manicured toes. He was behind her, looking around for a dry spot. The sun had decided to shine, and Rita laid on the mud, her nice business suit getting mud all on the back. He followed suit, admiring the flush on her lively cheeks. There was something about this powerful woman being so carefree that made Nick feel happy, just purely happy. The clouds raced past as time slowed between the two, his charmed hand over hers, their eyes only on each other. This was always as Nick had dreamt. No problems, no arguments, no alcohol. Just the two of them, watching the clouds go by.
She sat on his bed, watching his every movement as he moved closer to her. No words escaped their lips, the silence between the two thick as night. He could not say goodbye to her again, he could not let her go. His silver fingers trailed her peachy cheeks, admiring the wrinkles he had never been able to acquire. Her eyes were open, a reminder of exactly why he shouldn't be doing this. She was living; the blood still ran strong through her veins. He was dead, long gone, a mere imprint of his former self on this world. But as his lips pressed to hers, and she fell into his embrace, he realised just how perfect she was for him.
Sir Nicholas wished he never had to hear the "clack, clack, clack" of her shoes as she walked towards the doors of the castle ever again.