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Author's note and summary: Ardery takes drastic measures. Havers and Lynley will have to follow her orders to get on with DCI Morton's case. What she makes them do offers unexpected possibilities.
This story might be a tad above T-rating near the end.
I'm tidying up my note book. This is one of the scribblings. Enjoy...
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Very well, Sir!
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"Never!" DI Lynley and DS Havers exclaimed simultaneously.
They both sat in Detective Chief Super Intendent Ardery's office who just had told them how they should go on with the case they were at. It was not officially their case but as the best team in the Met they were called to help DCI Morton with one of the trickier affairs. Lynley's noble background already had been of great help providing knowledge about that certain society the murders had happened in but there still was no real lead they could have followed. The family members related to that case had closed their ranks, never revealed anything to the police and went on as if nothing had happened. It had made them all suspicious but the Detectives were horribly stuck for one week now and nobody could see an end at the moment.
Ardery politely smiled but there was a certain hardness behind that mask. "Yes, you will." She raised a silencing hand when Barbara groaned. "It's already a done deal, Sergeant. All necessary formalities are gone through, the commissioner agreed, everything's settled."
"But I'm not going to do that, Ma'am!" Barbara protested.
"It's too dangerous!" Lynley agreed. "I can't allow that. We still don't know enough about that family. It's a cesspool of vice! We can't even say-"
"Havers is a good copper." Ardery cut him short. "She's the only option we have to learn more. They don't know her. She is charged with the case. And she could defend herself if necessary. And, just to make that clear, Tommy, you're not in the position to allow or not allow it."
Lynley snorted in disgust. "She's not the only option. I don't believe there'd be no other, better trained colleague to take-"
Barbara narrowed her eyes and looked at her boss.
"There's no chance to stop it now." the Chief Super Intendent said and tossed a manila folder onto her desk. "Barbara, this is your information file. Everything you need will be provided. A special trainer will show you how to act in your role. She's already made the required contact and she will introduce you to them."
"I'm not going to-"
"Sergeant, this is an order! Is that understood? We have to stop them as soon as possible or we'll have more people killed."
"I very much understand that, Ma'am, but-"
"There's no but, Havers. I told you this is an order and I can't imagine you'd want to get another note for insubordinance in your personal file, would you?"
Barbara gnashed her teeth.
"She can't do it!" Lynley tried it again. "She'd be unmasked immediately."
Ignoring that he had lent her his support Barbara fully turned towards her boss. "Sir, are you saying that I wouldn't be able to do that? That I would get busted in the moment I step through their door? Because I don't know how to move amongst them? This way or the other?"
Tommy started to sweat. "Barbara, I'm not saying anything like that."
Ardery leant back in her chair. This was going almost the way she had hoped it would. She knew her two special Detectives too well. She almost smirked.
"But you are thinking exactly this."
"No, I-" Lynley groaned. "What I'm trying to say is that you've never done anything like that and probably you'll-"
"Okay, I'll do it!" With an angry expression Barbara grabbed the file from Ardery's desk who barely hid her smug smile.
"Barbara!" Lynley's voice sounded desperate but Barbara already got up from her chair.
"It's settled. See you later, Sir." Barbara left the room already skimming across her orders and muttering to herself. "As if I couldn't do that... ha!"
"Well, Tommy, then it's settled." Ardery smugly noted. "Now coming to your task. You'll have to mingle with their business, get openly in contact with the family. You'll get your own file in a bit where you'll find every detail in. Anything else before you pick up work again?"
"Superintendent Ardery, please record my official protest." Lynley grimly answered.
"It's duly noted, DI Lynley." Ardery nodded and dismissed him. She knew Lynley and Havers were the best cast for this and maybe she could kill two birds with one stone. Barbara already had bitten and Tommy was reacting exactly the way Isabelle Ardery had hoped he would.
...
...two weeks later...
...
Tommy Lynley sat in a deep armchair made of soft leather. A crystal ashtray on its armrest held a smouldering cigar. Lynley was chatting with a man in his sixties about politics and tried to avoid taking a puff of the ill tasting thing. One who would not know him could say both men were agreeing on something but Lynley actually just said what the other wanted to hear. Anthony Bullard was the patriarch of this family and with his loud voice he was just ranting about something that was not to his liking. Lynley mostly nodded. Between the armchair and the huge sofa where the patriarch sat stood a low table with glasses and a bottle of expensive whisky. Through the open double doors they watched the others still sitting at a huge table where moments before they had an opulent dinner with family, friends and business partners.
Sitting next to Mary Bullard, the daughter, Tommy constantly had flirted with her during the five courses. Now he could see her talking to her mother and sipping at a glass of sherry.
"Your daughter is a very lovely woman." Lynley mentioned after a short pause in Bullard's monologue.
"Indeed she is, Lynley." the elder man answered smiling proudly. "But you have to know that she's engaged with Peter Walters. Peter's just on a business travel to Mexico so unfortunately he couldn't join us tonight."
"Ah, well, what a pity for me." Lynley lasciviously grinned to show that he had wanted to deepen that flirt with Mary. Of course he had not really. For his liking she was too painted, too loud and rather common, no matter how much money they all had. He raised his glass. "I'm afraid I'll have to drown my sorrow in the amber liquid, huh?"
Bullard toasted with a grin. "Unfortunately so."
One of the maids in the typical uniform came into the room and brought a tray with nibbles and fruit. Her dress was a bit too tight over certain parts and the skirt was rather short. Lynley openly sized her up but she did not appear to be impressed. His face turned into another lascivious grin when he adressed the host again. "Or maybe I'll find strawberry blonde solace somewhere else."
His eyes returned to the house maid's delicious backside while she left the room and he had to swallow down his inappropriate thoughts. Playing a dubious man obviously slowly made him one of them. He realised manners he had not had before. This play should come to an end really soon or he would become disgusted by himself.
The belly laugh from Bullard ripped him from his thoughts. "Well, that surely would be a nice distraction, I suppose. But, between you and me, Lynley..." Bullard leant forward. "She's a really tough case. I've already tried my luck, on a verbal basis of course, and she's clearly told me what she thinks of it. But as far as I could tell from my son's bad mood and the hobbling walk he featured for two days, I don't believe he's had an accident in the gym. I rather think he's had no chance with her either and she's clearly shown him where to keep his hands." Thoughtfully and oblivious to Lynley's grim expression he took another sip of whisky. "I like her. She's kind of cheeky but still knows where her place is and she has the best of references and does her work without complaining. I understand she doesn't want to wear that headband but I wish she'd wear the high heels coming with that uniform."
Lynley ignored the cramp in his stomach. "High heels?" he asked. "Wouldn't that be a bit unexpedient for work?"
Bullard lecherously grinned. "Probably yes, but it would at least be something for my old weary eyes, you know." He gave a cheap and very naughty laugh when his son walked into the room with a limp. "No idea what harm it would have caused for him though."
Lynley had to hide his growing disgust behind the rim of his glass and a thick cloud of cigar smoke he did not really like. He only could hope he would be able to go on perfectly playing his role. This family and all their friends, partners and business partner were all but nice company and he just wanted to return to his normal life. If only the Met's Detectives finally would solve this case. He was beginning to feel sick about these people.
For two weeks DI Lynley had slowly moved into this society. He had met the patriarch in a posh café by faked chance, talking with somebody at his mobile, hinting at shady business dealings in the business Bullard was in. They got into conversation with each other as planned and then met two or three times and finally Lynley was invited to this dinner. Lynley had not hidden that he was a Detective but always had made clear that he preferred making money otherwise. Real money. And somehow the old man had taken a shine to him. The dinner finally opened Lynley's way to get into that circle and one day later he was invited to a party in Bullard's house on Saturday.
Maybe by then Barbara would have some information. He had not spoken to her after they had left Ardery's office. Tommy dearly missed her. This entire wild-goose chase was enervating.
...
Saturday came and with it the party he had not been looking forward to at all. As he had done all the time Lynley was not giving away any details of his deals but just his hints and the few information he gave were enough to let them all think he was one of them. At least that was what he hoped. In one of his conversations he even was able to drop a word about a planned raid of the police in one of the important guest's warehouse. Of course he was allowed to tell that and the police did not even think they would find anything there anyway but it made it look as if they were on a completely wrong lead and Lynley had given proof of his affiliation.
Anyway, the man bit and a few moments later Lynley's trained eyes of a detective saw him making a phone call and then talking to Bullard with an almost invisible nod towards the group of women surrounding the dark haired man in dinner jacket. Lynley would prefer to wear a police uniform and arrest them all right now but belonging to the dregs of society unfortunately was no reason for that.
Despite his aversion Lynley mingled with the others. They all appeared rich but surprisingly so he knew none of them. This obviously was not the lot he knew from his own world but rather a parallel society of wealth and surely also crime. He did not exactly enjoy where he was and what he was doing here. He disliked his role and how he had blended in and he definitely hated the way he was interacting with the female parts of that society but he enjoyed that he was in the position to openly admire the sight of the maid he had seen earlier this week. Nobody took offence at the obvious fact that he inappropriately ogled her.
Like the other servants she was wearing a uniform, similar to the one she had been wearing a few days ago - slightly too tight, a skirt that was rather short but not indecent, and this time she had a vest over her blouse which only accentuated her best parts even more. She even wore that outdated headband tonight. The housemaid shot glances at him that made Tommy feel alive in a way he had not for quite a long time. He absolutely did not hide his admiration and every time she looked at him he hoped she would understand although every time he looked at her like that he quickly scolded himself for having these inappropriate thoughts at all. Since he had begun to blend into this family and their lot he obviously had taken on some of their unseemly manners.
In the end this was what had brought him forward and opened the doors for this party so he should not worry too much. Maybe he would be able to overhear more helpful information tonight and maybe he also could deepen his friendship with the patriarch and his son. Lynley dropped a few nice words here and took the offer for attending a dinner sometime there. He also talked for a while with Bullard and his son but when the maid had brought another tray of nibbles and gave him one of the cutest shy smiles he ever had seen he scrapped the last remaining parts of his good breeding overboard, quickly excused himself and followed her. Leaving he had mimicked the cheap naughty laugh he had heard two days before and when he left the lounge room to the dining room Bullard's suggestive encouragements followed him.
He was disgusted and excited all at once.
Late in the evening the housemaid felt a hand briefly caressing her bottom. As fast as the tray in her hands allowed it she turned and glared at the man behind her. The sniding remark though stuck in her throat immediately. The tall handsome man in dinner jacket with his dark hair tamed backwards was looking at her in a way that probably had made a hundred women before her dissolve and so was she. Evidently. Blood rushed into her face.
"Mmmh." Lynley grinned and took one of the cocktails from the tray. Sipping at it he fixated her. "How sweet."
"Sir." She had found her voice but apparently not her wit. Lynley wondered if she really had been so cheeky like Bullard had told him.
"Miss, could you do me a favour?"
The maid narrowed her eyes in suspicion and it somehow inspired him. "It depends, Sir." she vaguely answered.
"Please tell me your name." Lynley tried to suppress a chuckle when he caught the almost unhidden death glare she gave him.
"I'm Dorothy, Sir." He almost choked on his drink. Of all names it was his mother's. She smirked. "Anything else?"
"Could you be so kind and direct me to the bathroom... Dorothy?"
"Of course, Sir." she politely answered, implied a curtsy with an ironic smile and put down her tray on a nearby table. Then her voice dripped with sarcasm. "Although they haven't moved the rooms since you've last visited our house. Sir."
Nonetheless she was leading the way out of the room. Tommy followed her down the hallway. The housemaid turned and made an inviting gesture towards one of the toilet rooms at the end of it. "Here, Sir."
"Thank you, Dorothy." Before she could escape to her duties at the party Tommy grabbed her elbow and pulled her into the bathroom with him. He could not help thinking that this was extraordinarily enjoyable.
"Sir!" she protested loudly but he already had locked the door behind them. When he turned with a huge grin he could see her deeply blushing.
"I've missed you, Barbara." Tommy whispered.
"Sir, we can't just vanish in here together. They'll speculate!" Barbara whispered. Then she fondly smiled. "I've missed you too, Tommy. Very dearly so."
For several silent seconds they just looked at each other. They had not met for a bit more than two weeks and before that sneaky and actually too risky endeavour they had spent almost every evening together for more than two months. They had gone for the odd pint after work several times, they had met for dinner, they had worked through case files in his study at home, they had visited an open air concert in Hyde Park, they even had eaten lunch together on a Saturday when his sister had visited him that day and afterwards the three of them had spent a pleasant afternoon before they all had gone to a posh party together. One could say Barbara and Tommy had been dating although they both surely would contradict vehemently. And now they finally had a private moment after more than two weeks of missing each other. Barbara only wanted to hug him and feel his hugging arms around her.
"Please accept my apologise for my hand on your bottom." Tommy quietly said.
"Of course. It was yours. It's allright. Never mind." Barbara shrugged averting his eyes. "Bullard junior was worse. His left cheek and his... umm... thigh can tell."
"Are you okay?"
"Sure. But this family is a pain in the arse, Sir." Barbara answered. "But, well, I came here with the best of references. Bullard won't send me away just because I'm not his son's personal fair game. I'm doing my job here."
"They believed everything?" It was the first time they were able to talk about it since Barbara constantly lived in that household, and Ardery had given the strict order not to try to meet before it was a hundred percent free from any suspicion. Which it surely never would be in her opinion.
Barbara nodded. "I don't think they suspect anything." she whispered.
"Well, although I'm not exactly happy with this stupid play, it seems to me you are doing quite well here. Do you store away their underwear in the kitchen?"
"Will you ever get over this, Sir?"
"Probably not." He chuckled.
"You're so mean. You'd be surprised how efficiently I can keep their house clean. Although... despite my good work as their housemaid... stop laughing!" She grumbled. "I absolutely do have the ability to take care of a household, Sir. Plus we're two, doing that work. And we're both good at it so it's no wonder I'm still employed even though I've almost broken the junior's nose when he had tried to kiss me."
"I've heard of that incident." Tommy grimly answered. "And I'm terribly sorry you have to endure this."
"The senior rather admires my strength and impudence." It made Tommy grin. "And my refusal to wear that stupid headband amuses him."
"He's told me about your cheeky behaviour. And after my own inexcusable behaviour a couple of days ago they probably think I shag you in here." Her eyes went wide.
"Well, we could-" She was about to suggest that they could disarrange their clothes so the others would think they had done exactly what they were thinking with their naughty minds but suddenly Tommy had pulled her into his arms and crushed his lips on hers smothering any more words.
"Oh..." Barbara whispered after a short and clumsy but completely breathtaking kiss. Tommy simply had pressed his mouth on hers with closed eyes and she immediately had answered with puckered lips.
"Just so you'll look as if we had done just that." he croaked. Then he added that he hated seeing her in this household of evil. "The patron and his son are so disgusting."
"I can tell." Her voice was soundless. She still was smashed from his surprising kiss but then she cleared her throat and gave a short but lively rant that they were making her wearing that stupid dress while she was on duty which was almost the entire day. "It's humiliating!"
"It's rather sexy." Tommy winked and Barbara blushed again.
"Sir!" She was scandalised. "That's sexist!"
But the way he had said it she felt quite flattered. In fact it felt rather nice that he saw her like this. He was allowed to.
"I'm sorry, you're right. Again: are you safe?" She just nodded and another moment of silence followed before he sighed. "Oh, really. As much as I'd want to repeat that kiss..."
"Sir..." Sheepishly Barbara looked to the ground.
Knowing they would not have a lot of time in here Tommy suddenly steered the conversation towards the case quite harsh. "Let's have a short word about our duties - do you have any news?"
Quickly DS Havers briefed him. She told him exactly what her household duties were and how she had been able to overhear a few suspicious conversations when she was cleaning nearby. She had learned some things that were very interesting. All in all it looked quite good and DI Lynley was sure the Met's second best team under the lead of DCI Morton would be able to use the information.
"Okay, then we'll meet on your day off on Monday. Let's hope we'll have it put together by then."
"Mh." Barbara nodded again.
"And now for that show we're giving when we get out of here. I have to admit I actually take pleasure in it." With a tender smile Tommy pulled her into his arms again and Barbara felt confused that she just let it happen but while she had told him about everything she had learned of that family and their bonds their eyes had had an almost completely different conversation and his hand had taken on a life on its own. He gently had caressed her arm and finally even had taken her left hand. In the end he had pulled her close to his chest and kissed her knuckles before he looped his other arm around her waist. Her right hand involuntarily placed itself on his shoulder. "We could disarrange our clothes so it would look as if..."
"I was about to suggest the same earlier." They hugged even closer and their eyes were locked. "Tommy."
"I've missed you so much, Barbara. I don't want to let go of you again so soon." he muttered approaching her face. "We should stay in here for a little bit longer."
"So it looks as if we had..." Their faces were only inches apart now and their eyes were wide open. Her voice was slightly trembling. "Tommy, are we...?"
"Of course we're not, but oh, there are so many things running through my mind there'd be not enough time to tell you. At least not now... not here... I guess, for a start we could just repeat that kiss." His voice had turned into a gentle whisper. Her eyes fell shut.
"Very well, Sir." Barbara murmured before he closed her lips with his again.
What foolowed now was all but clumsy, and none of the vehemence of the first encounter was left. It was a perfectly gentle second kiss but his lips only lingered on hers for three warm seconds. Then he retreated and both simply breathed.
"I love you, Barbara." Tommy firmly stated with closed eyes.
"Oh, gosh!" Barbara nervously laughed. There was shy rapture in her voice. "Oh, yes, I love you too, Tommy."
They both smiled unseen. On his face he could feel the warmth coming from her open mouth and he returned his lips to hers, now for a few seconds longer. She even prolonged the soft pressure following his head when he withdrew and her audible exhale was the most wonderful invitation to give it a fourth try. This time their faces slowly moved in search for the still unknown synchronity, with noses still being in the way to perfection until he felt a moistening bite on his lower lip. He gave her a slightly sucking full kiss that revealed to him that her mouth was invitingly open.
His tongue dared grope its way to hers and when the tips of their tongues finally met their bodies were pressed together completely by then. Without any shame Barbara let her tongue make a delicate dance around his and it was not long before their encounter went out of hand. Tommy's back bumped into the wood of the door and his hands slid down her body until they were, first cautiously, then bolder, caressing her bottom cheeks while she was ruffling his hair with delight.
Eventually their noses were no more problem and their motions had quickly turned into a natural flow. When he felt her hands crumple his shirt Tommy turned their entangled bodies so now it was Barbara who was pinned between his body and the door. Their kiss was full of desire and at one point he could feel the soft nudge of her lifted knee against the outer side of his. He pressed his lower body into hers to accentuate what he was feeling.
She could feel it too. It made her suddenly moan into his open mouth and lustfully rub her front chest against his. Tommy could not help but ruck up her skirt a bit. His hands had been stroking her hips and thighs all the time. His restless hands had been roaming her body wherever they could reach. Now he was touching naked skin.
"Oh, heavens, Barbara." he groaned and pushed her harder up against the door. "I'm about to sin against all good manners!"
A distinctively hard bulge in his pants was pressing into her lower belly.
"Yes." she heard herself approving of it with a groan.
But then Tommy began to withdraw. As much as Barbara wanted it to continue like this and as much as he would enjoy going further, his kiss turned into a series of smaller kisses until they stopped. Heavily panting and still closely pressed together their foreheads bumped. Their hips kept rolling for a few more moments.
"Oh, Barbara." Tommy breathed. His face was flushing like hers. "I'd happily make love to you against that bathroom door right now, but I suppose I only would place myself on the same level with the scum out there."
"Mmmh." she hummed in the delightful aftermath of their kiss. With only a soft pressure her hand in his nape pulled him down on her again and she whispered between more kisses. "You wouldn't... Anyway... you're right, we should stop... mmmh... before I lose my mind completely. By the way, this is not overly romantic, is it. Not like I've imagined it."
"You have thought about kissing me earlier?" His face lit up in brightest happiness. "I never knew."
"I've dreamed about it a lot." They shared another deep kiss. "...like making love with you for the first time..."
"I'm going to tell you the hell of a lot about my dreams on Monday." Tommy whispered excited. "Will you drop by at my house or shall I come around at your flat?"
"Your house." Barbara smiled. The thrill of anticipation rushed through her entire system.
They kissed again but too many things such as the party and the reason why they were here were lurking in the back of their minds so after only a few tender minutes they finally broke apart. A bit awkward they rearranged their clothes so they finally could leave the bathroom. His fingers trembled when he put the white headband back into her red hair. He deeply sighed seeing her looking into his eyes shy but enamoured.
"I think we've done enough to look like what they expect." Bending down Tommy gently growled into Barbara's ear before he unlocked the door. "Let's return to the party and go on pretending."
"Very well, Sir." A happily beaming smile accompanied her words and he responded with a similarly jubilant grin.
"You're a temptation... Dorothy." He chuckled and gave her a gentle smack on her bottom. She blushed but let it pass without comment.
The two Detectives were eagerly looking forward to the maid's day off when she would pay a visit to the Earl.
Graciously Barbara ignored Bullard senior's thumbs up gesture and very well recognised the disgust deep in Tommy's eyes when he triumphantly grinned at the host of this party.
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