Inspired by the fun that Essie Davis and Nathan Page seemed to be having at the Logies, this story follows Phryne's return to Australia. As a drama teacher and performer myself I LOVE Shakespeare. The quotes used throughout this are from a variety of plays AND operas based on Shakespeare's plays.
DISCLAIMER: No copyright infringement intended - I'm just borrowing the characters!
It had been months since he'd last seen her. They had been writing to each other every week, but finally, finally she was coming home! He smiled as he tucked the latest letter into his jacket pocket. He had sent his last letter this morning. She should get it when her boat docks in Fremantle. It was just over a week before she would be back in Melbourne. He hoped their reunion would be similar to their departure.
"Sir? We're needed down at the docks."
Three and a half years ago when she'd last made this journey, it had been Mac who was waiting at the end of the gangway for her. Today it was… Cec, Burt and Dot?
"Miss! It's good to have you home," Dot gushed as she hugged her mistress.
"It's good to be home!"
"We brought the Hispano and the cab, Miss. If you'd like to drive the Hispano home with Mrs Collins, we'll load your luggage into the cab."
"Not a problem, Cec. Shall we go and have some lunch, Dot? You can fill me in on the joys of marriage!" Together, Dorothy and Phryne headed to The Windsor for lunch.
"What do you think, Sir?" Hugh asked his boss. He hadn't been able to get much sense out of his boss today. But that was hardly surprising.
"About what, Collins?"
"Did he do it? Thompson."
"Let's recap. Susie Donnal was found on the docks with a knife in her chest. Earlier in the evening, she had been seen arguing with Thompson at the Bullock Hotel. He has no alibi after they were last seen together. According to her friends, no one had reason to wish her ill. Tompson was seen leaving the area alone that night. We have nothing we can stick him with."
"But it has to have been him."
"We can't prove it. No one saw him."
"So he gets away with it?"
"There's nothing we can do Collins, until we get more evidence."
"It's not like you to give up, Jack. Even if you can't find all the answers straight away, they are there." His head snapped around. How had he not heard the gentle tap of her heels? How had he not smelt the enticing scent of French perfume? Without a word he swept her up into his arms and held her so tight she thought he'd crush her. She laughed. He thought he'd died and gone to heaven. The sound of her laugh sent him to another realm, a place where only the two of them existed. Subtly, Hugh and Dot slipped out of the Inspector's office, shutting the door behind them, offering the couple in the room some level of privacy.
"You're back." The statement was unnecessary, but Jack couldn't think of how else to break the silence. He refused to let her go completely, but loosened his grip slightly to allow him to see her face.
"I'm back," she said, smiling cheekily up at him. "And you weren't at the dock to meet me."
"I'm sorry. This case is ruining me. I finally managed to track down a witness and the only time he could come in was this morning. If I could've been there…" Phryne silenced him with a single finger against his lips.
"I know. Dot filled me in over lunch. She said you'd been busy. Refusing Mr B's dinner invitations. Why anyone would refuse Mr B's roast lamb I will never know."
"Wardlow hasn't been the same without you there." If asked, neither of them could tell you when or how they ended up with her sitting on his lap on his desk chair.
"Will you join me for dinner tonight?"
"Try and stop me," he muttered, gently lifting her hand to his lips.
"If you're going to kiss me, Inspector, at least do it properly," Phryne grinned. An almost animalistic growl escaped the back of his throat as he roughly crushed his lips to hers in a bruising kiss.
"Better?"
"Much. However, there's no such thing as too much practice." As if to punctuate her statement, she initiated another, softer kiss. As they broke apart, he rested his forehead against hers, smiling gently.
"I've missed you, Phryne Fisher."
"I've missed you too, Jack Robinson." They sat cuddled up together for several minutes before a cautious Hugh Collins knocked on the door. Tentatively, he stuck his head around the door.
"Ah, sorry to interrupt Sir, but there's a Miss Clarke here to see you. Says she was on the docks on Monday night. She may have some information about the Donnal case."
"I'll be out in a moment, Collins. Take her through to the interview room."
"Yes Sir."
"Want some help, Jack?" Phryne asked as the door was closed.
"Contrary to popular belief, I can solve a case on my own you know."
"Didn't sound like it when I came in before?"
"Go home, Miss Fisher. I'm sure you've got some unpacking to do."
"Dinner will be served at 6:30. Mr B's roasts wait for no one." With a final kiss, she swept out of his office.
It was quarter to six by the time Jack knocked on the door. Mr Butler opened the door and ushered him inside.
"Inspector, Miss Fisher has asked you join her in the parlour and she says to say she's sorry." Jack's brow creased at the cryptic message.
"Thank you, Mr Butler. I can see myself into the room."
"Very well, Sir." Jack watched the older man's retreating back as he took a deep breath and headed towards the parlour.
"And as I was saying, it was absolutely inappropriate for a young girl to be behaving in such a manner. I mean, a woman of class, found cavorting with a member of the working class."
"Aunt P, if she loves him, and he treats her right, what difference does it make. Surely that would be a better match than her being paired off with someone of equal wealth who abuses her." Outside the door, Jack sighed. That was the apology. Aunt P. Tentatively, he pushed open the door and made his presence known.
"Good evening, ladies." Jack watched Phryne's face light up as she saw him. He could see the battle going on behind her eyes. Decorum insisted that she remain seated, but her instinct was to leap into his arms.
"Jack! You're here!"
"I told you I would be."
"Yes, but you also told me you'd meet me at the docks and you sent the others to collect me!" Phryne laughed. Her tone broke down the seriousness of her words. Prudence coughed, breaking the spell the young couple found themselves under.
"Good evening, Mrs Stanley. I trust you are well?" Jack asked, taking a seat on the couch besides Phryne. As if by instinct, she curled her body into his side and his arm found its way around her shoulders. Aunt P tutted at the sight. There was nothing truly unacceptable about their positioning, but it was enough to hint at a deeper relationship and Prudence Stanley was not about to allow that.
"Inspector. How lovely to see you again. Would you settle something for us? A young lady of substance, money and title of our acquaintance has run off with a bricklayer from Carlton. Surely you see this as an unhealthy match."
"If they love each other and have mutual respect, what is there to worry about?"
"The intermarrying of the classes in just not done. I mean, you'd never attempt to marry my niece, would you? Your classes are just too different." Beneath his arm, he felt Phryne tense.
"Mrs Stanley, in any relationship, the most important feature is respect. If you treat your partner with love and respect, if you trust them to always do right by you, what does class have to do with it? Most same class marriages happen purely because that I the social circle within which the two parties have resided, but I would have no qualms marrying a lower or higher class woman if I loved her."
"You didn't answer my question. Would you attempt to marry Phryne?"
"If that was what we both wanted, I'd marry her in a heartbeat." Jack smiled down at Phryne as he said it. Over the past few months the topic of marriage had come up in their letters. Whilst in England, Phryne had watched one of her childhood friends marry her sweetheart and for the first time, was touched by the purity of the event. She had been so used to seeing marriages of obligation or of abuse of power, but to see two people so clearly in love declare it for the world to see, Phryne could acknowledge the beauty and purpose of that ritual. He had joked that they would marry the day she returned if she truly felt like that, and indeed he had the ring in his pocket now, ready when they were ready to continue this discussion. Across the room, Prudence tutted. She was outnumbered.
As Prudence left for the evening, she suggested that propriety said that Jack should also leave. Phryne announced they had a case to discuss and ushered her Aunt out to the waiting car. Phryne left the door open long enough for Aunt P to see her niece run her fingers down the Inspector's chest and pull him towards her by his tie, her lips tilted towards his, before the door slid shut. There was no doubt in Prudence Stanley's mind that work was as far from their minds as could be. When she thought about it, there really was little to worry about in terms of social outcry – the Inspector was a man of substance and had earnt his way into their social sect, but only just. Phryne's money and title should have put her out of his reach. Prudence knew that by disallowing the union, she would lose her niece, the only family she had left in Melbourne. The Inspector was a gentle soul. He had treated her Arthur with respect and loved him as her niece had. Phryne could do a lot worse. It was time to start building Jack Robinson's profile in the upper classes of Melbourne.
The second Jack heard the door click shut, his lips were crushed against hers. The burning desire to hold her, to kiss her had taken over. Having hoped to have spent the night with her alone tonight, he had resented her Aunt's interference, but it had meant they'd enjoyed Mr B's food, something he's sure they wouldn't have sampled had they been alone. Finally, the two broke apart, breathing heavily.
"So Inspector, where should we take this? I do believe the entrance hall is inappropriate. The parlour is now free, as are the upstairs rooms." Phryne deliberately avoided asking him to accompany her to her boudoir, despite desperately hoping he'd join her there. Jack smiled at the woman curled into his body.
"I will follow you wherever you go, Phryne." Kissing him gently, she took his hand and led her up to her bedroom. As they reached the door, Phryne stopped and turned to Jack.
"Jack, I know we don't always see eye to eye on things, but…" A single finger on her lips silenced her.
"Promise me that if I do anything to make you uncomfortable, you will tell me. In turn, I promise you the same." Her lips pressed firmly against his was his only answer. She led him over to her bed and sat him down. She sat beside him, curled into his side. Gently, he pushed her back onto her bed before kicking off his shoes, removing hers and laying down beside her. He pulled her tightly against him and she pillowed her head on his chest.
"Tell me about your journey home. Was it painfully boring?"
Dorothy Collins carried the tea tray, including toast and, at Mr Butler's insistence, two cups up to her mistress's room. She knocked softly. Receiving no answer, she pushed the door open and entered. She smiled at the sight before you. The couple on the bed were curled up on top of the covers, arms and legs entwined, both fully clothed.
Jack slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that he wasn't in his own bed. The second was that he wasn't alone. He smiled down at the raven-haired beauty in his arms. He gently kissed the top of her head before gently trying extract himself from under her.
"Where do you think you're going?" a sleep filled voice murmured from his chest.
"Just to use the facilities. Don't worry, Phryne, I'm coming back." He managed to move off the bed as he was talking.
"Who said I was worried?" His retreating back shook with laughter as she curled into his pillow, closing her eyes tight. She smiled as she felt the bed shift beneath her. He gently pushed her across the bed, making room for him. She threw her leg over his and pillowed her head back on his chest.
"I could get used to this, Inspector," she sighed.
"Me too, Miss Fisher."
"Sir! You're here!" Hugh exclaimed in relief.
"Yes, unfortunately." His disgruntled tone surprised Hugh.
"Remember when we interviewed Miss Clarke yesterday, she mentioned seeing a homeless man sleeping on a bench? I've found him. He's in the interview room."
"Thank you, Hugh."
The interview had been successful. They had gained all the information they needed to finally put Thompson behind bars. Jack returned to his office, his mind running over all the paperwork he needed to do in order to wrap this case up. He checked his watch. There may just be enough time to make it back to Wardlow for dinner, if he worked at it. Sighing heavily, he sat, images of the previous night flying through his head. He smiled. Shuffling through papers on his desk, he searched for the correct form. A single sheet of white paper, smelling of French Perfume, caught his attention.
"Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them." He smiled at the quote and the beauty he knew had written it.
"Collins!" Jack called, as he hastily scribbled something on a sheet of paper.
"Sir?"
"I need you to deliver something for me. Take this to Miss Fisher, but don't let her see you. Ask Mr Butler to leave it somewhere where she'll find it before I arrive for dinner tonight."
"Ah, yes Sir."
"Dot? Did the Inspector give any indication what time he'd be returning?" Phryne called through to the kitchen. She heard the back door close and Dorothy Collins hastily moving towards the dining room.
"No Miss, just that he would be back for dinner. Why don't you just sit down and keep reading?" Dorothy handed her Miss the book she'd intended to take up to the bedroom. Sighing, Phryne moved into the parlour with her book and poured herself a drink. Once settled on the lounge, she opened her book. A single sheet of paper fell out of it.
"'Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind' – and I love yours." Phryne smiled and put down her book before walking to the phone in the hall.
"Inspector Robinson."
"Don't you mean Mark Anthony?"
"Miss Fisher. What can I do for you?"
"Lovers can do their amorous rites by their own beauties."
"I would not wish any companion in the world but you."
"Her passions are made of nothing but the finest part of pure love."
"Love hath made thee a tame snake." She laughed.
"I'm not sure what's worse! That you think I'm venomous, or that you think I can be tamed!"
"I would never try to tame you, my charming little snake!"
"Jack!"
"Was there a purpose to your call, Miss Fisher? Or did you simply require an Elizabethan sparring partner?"
"Whilst the Shakespearean stichomythia was fun, I found your note. Are you still joining me for dinner?"
"If you let me go, I will be. We got him. Thompson. I need to finish the paperwork before I come over. I will be there as soon as I can."
"I burn, I pine, I perish…"
"I will be there as soon as I've finished, Luccentio."
"You better be, my Bianca!"
"Oh, though she be but little, she is fierce."
"And you would have me no other way, Inspector."
"No, I wouldn't. I'll see you tonight, Miss Fisher."
"Until tonight."
"Good evening, Sir. Can I take your hat and coat?"
"Thank you, Mr Butler. Miss Fisher in the parlour?"
"No, Sir. She asked if you'd care to wait for her in the dining room."
"Of course." Jack was a bit surprised when he walked into the dining room to find only one place set, his usual drink poured and waiting for him, a note propped against it.
"Come ti vidi M'innomorai, e tu sorridi perchè lo sai." Jack stared at the page. He knew he should be able to work it out.
"Mr Butler? Do you understand Italian?" Jack asked, as a bowl of soup was placed before him.
"Some, Sir, but I'm afraid it isn't what it should be. If you're after a translation of that note, I'm afraid I'm under instruction not to tell you. I can, however, lend you Miss Fisher's Italian dictionary." He placed the hefty tome in front of Jack before leaving the room again. Jack was just finishing his soup when he made the translation.
"Did you solve the puzzle, Sir?"
"Yes, Mr Butler. 'When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew.'"
"Very good, Sir. Now I can give you the next one." Mr Butler cleared the plate and deposited a new note in front of him. Almost as soon as he departed the music started in the parlour. Jack quickly unfolded the note.
"A star dances, and under that was I born." Jack quickly made his way to the parlour where he found Phryne laying on the chaise lounge.
"Enjoy my trail of clues, Inspector?"
"Would have preferred to arrive to this sight, but a little linguistic investigation is often a welcome distraction."
"I'm glad. Now, didn't you read something about dancing?" She held her hand out to him and he quickly pulled her to her feet and into his arms. She laughed as he crushed her to his chest. His hand grasped the back of her head and tilted it up so his lips could crush against hers. They were so caught up in their laughter that they failed to hear the knock at the door. They failed to hear the door to the parlour opening. They failed to hear Mr Butler clearing his throat. But they didn't fail to hear Aunt Prudence's shocked exclamation.
"PHRYNE!" Jack tried to step back from her, but she anchored him in place.
"Aunt P! It's good to see you again." Phryne let her hand trail across Jack's chest as she let him go so she could greet her aunt.
"I had wondered why you had been back in the country two whole days and not even made contact with your family, it was me who came to you last night, thinking today you'd come to me, but now I realise that your libido got in the way."
"Aunt P, that was uncalled for."
"In your absence I have spent the time trying to repair the damage your reputation sustained at the precession of gentlemen callers through Wardlow's doors. Less than 48 hours and you are already undoing all my good work."
"Jack is hardly a precession, Aunt P."
"The first of many, I'm sure."
"That's enough! Jack is the only man I intend to invite into this home intimately for the rest of my days. If you are not prepared to believe that, that is no concern of mine."
"Not only do you insist on parading your love life through the society pages you do so with highly unsuitable men, my girl." With that, Prudence Stanley stormed out of the house. Phryne sighed and sought the comfort of Jack's arms. She stood with her head pressed against his chest, her arms wound tightly around his hips.
"Phryne? Are you alright?"
"I do love you, Jack. You know that, don't you?"
"I know. Are you sure you want to continue with whatever this is we're entering into, knowing what my lack of social standing will do to your reputation?"
"I never thought I'd say this, but there is only one man for me. That man is you, Jack Robinson." Jack smiled down at the woman in his arms.
"Good," he muttered, sitting her down on the lounge. He was fishing around in his pocket.
"What are you looking for?" Finally, he pulled out a small pouch. Inside was a silver Claddagh ring. Slowly he took her right hand, raised it to his lip and gently kissed it.
"Love. Loyalty. Friendship." To punctuate each word he kissed a finger, studiously avoiding her ring finger. He slid the ring on, deliberately pointing the heart towards her heart.
"Are you trying to brand me, Jack?"
"If I was doing that, it would be on the other hand. The ring I have for the other hand as more stones in it."
"You have it already?" Jack nodded silently. "When do I get it?"
"When you're ready to marry me."
"I'm ready."
"No you're not. You're just ready for a new adventure. When you're ready, I'll propose, when you least expect it."
"What did I do to deserve you, Jack Robinson?"
"Whatever it was, keep doing it. I don't ever want to let you go." She reached up and kissed him firmly on the lips.
"What's say we take this somewhere more private to consummate this thing?"
"Even after all this time, you still manage to lead me astray, Miss Fisher."
"If we shadows have offended, think of this and all is mended. Give me your hands, if we be friends and Robin shall restore amends."
"Lead and I will follow, my beautiful fairy sprite."