Saturday Evening; two weeks before Christmas Eve
"I saw Handel once before. With Jacqueline. One Christmas when we were still together." Smiling, Bradley looked at his companion, making sure she was still walking beside him. "Well, that is, we saw numerous Choral Societies perform his pieces. He's been dead since the 1800's."
"1759 not the 1800's." Ruth mumbled, fighting back a sigh as she looked around the lobby of the Royal Albert Hall, her mind wishing she was anywhere but there at the moment.
"What?"
"Handel died in April of 1759; not sometime during the 1800's."
"Oh. Right. Well, that's not really that important." Pausing a moment, he smiled at her. "As I was saying, Jacqueline and I saw this once before. It's really an amazing piece. Moved her to tears."
"I see." Gaze still wandering around the crowd, she wondered why exactly she had agreed to this date.
Because it's been years since anyone has shown any interest in taking you out for anything other than a drink and a quick shag. She thought to herself as he continued on about seeing a performance of Messiah one before. And you were hoping it'd get your mind off of Ha...someone else.
"I don't think I mentioned how lovely you look tonight."
"What?" completely lost in her thoughts, Ruth missed the shift in conversation from his ex to herself.
"You look lovely tonight. Dark green becomes you."
Blushing, she looked down at the Emerald Green Velvet Carmen Marc Valvo dress she had found in the shops that afternoon. The fitted a-line style was a bit outside her normal comfort zone with its plunging v-neck but when she'd seen it on the rack, she'd fallen in love with it. And she'd conceded that it wasn't too far from her normal with the long skirt that grazed the floor and the three inch sleeves that covered her arms.
Lifting her eyes, she smiled and pulled the shawl wrapped around her shoulders tighter. "Thank you."
"Of course, Jacqueline; that's my ex who married that bloke from Dorchester if you don't remember; never wore dark colors. With her blonde hair and pale skin, she looked washed out if she tried to wear anything but a pastel."
"How could I forget."
"But the dark green becomes you. Which surprises me with your gray-blue eyes. They never helped Jacqueline pull anything dark off either."
Shoulders dropping, Ruth fought the urge to scream and instead looked around the lobby again. As much as she was looking forward to seeing the English Concert Chorus and Highgate Choral Society perform Handel's Messiah, she found herself wishing for a reprieve of the evening. Perhaps a red flash. At this point, she'd rather field the light hearted teasing from Adam and Zaf while surreptitiously watching Harry through the glass surrounding his office than listen to another three hours of her dates obvious distress of his ex marrying a man from Dorchester.
"Can I take your wrap?"
Looking at the young man standing in front of her, Ruth smiled and undid the soft fabric that had kept her warm from the car park to the building. Handing it over, she accepted the check ticket and slid it into her evening bag.
As they walked through the crowd, Ruth found her attention drawn to the front doors as a familiar head of light brown hair appeared. Stopping as Bradley purchased a program, Ruth watched as Harry handed his long winter coat to the same coat check who had taken hers before turning towards a tall blonde. As he slowly helped her remove the long fur coat she was wearing, Ruth couldn't help but feel jealous as she watched his hands brush along the woman's pale shoulders, a smile on his face as he handed the coat over.
Stepping to her right, Ruth moved out of his direct line of sight and watched quietly, fighting down the jealousy she had no right to feel. They weren't a couple; never had been and never would be. She knew that. Had come to accept her feelings of unrequited love and even found a way to manage them when at work.
What she hadn't planned on was seeing him outside of work. That'd never happened before. They moved in two totally different social circles and the chance of them running into the other was next to none.
Until tonight.
Now Ruth watched as he offered his arm to the tall, thin blonde in the stunning, floor length red dress; the slit along the entire right side revealing a toned leg as they moved through the crowd.
How many times have those legs wrapped around his wa...stop it Ruth. Just stop it. Shaking her head, Ruth turned back to her date and tried to force the images of Harry and blonde haired women from her head.
"Danke Harold."
"Du bist willkommen Natascha."
Lifting her hand, Harry placed it on his arm and led her into the crowded lobby, smile on his face as he tried to pretend he was interested in the woman he was accompanying. All afternoon he'd hoped for some disaster to come up, one that would have allowed him to beg off accompanying the sister of the German ambassador to England to the concert but nothing had.
"Das ist alles so schön. Ich hoffe, das Konzert ist so schön wie ihre Gebäude. Handel war in Deutschland geboren wie Sie wissen."
"Ja." With an inward sigh, Harry wondered once again how he had found himself in this situation. He knew his past history in Berlin as well as his seniority within the Security Services had made him an ideal candidate but surely there was someone else who could have accompanied the woman. This part of his life; the one where he'd happily wine and dine a woman for an evening; was the past. Now he'd much rather be at home - or at least attending with someone of his own choosing.
A petite brunette perhaps.
Who'd more than likely be able to tell him everything he'd ever want or need to know about the composer of the concert he was about to see.
"Ist etwas los?
"Nein, naturlich nicht." Shaking the thought from his head, Harry smiled at the woman he was with and patted her hand gently with his own. "Ich dachte nur, wie glucklich ich verbringen den Abend mit einer schönen Frau wie dich selbst bin."
"Hmm." Turning her head slightly, Natascha offered a smile and leaned into his arm. "Und der Abend ist noch lange nicht vorbei. Vielleicht ist es gerade erst an."
"Vielleicht. Sprechen sie kein Englisch?"
"Ja. Obwohl nicht so gut wie sie sprechen Deutsch."
"Perhaps we could work on your English a bit tonight? After all, we have a few hours together."
"Perhaps." Hand tucked between his arm and body, Natascha smiled as they walked further into the room, her eyes seeing the numerous women looking at her with envy. Smile growing, she leaned further into the side of the man she was with and wondered for the first time if it was because of how she looked or the man she was with. "We can work on that as you tell me about yourself."
As they reached the center of the lobby, Harry paused and did a double take as his eyes landed on the profile of a woman ten feet in front of him.
Ruth.
In a stunning green dress with her chestnut hair curling around her shoulders.
Fingers gripping the handle of a matching evening bag tightly.
Forced smiled on her face as she spoke with a man. One he had seen before. In Thames House.
"Isn't that your boss?"
"What?" Ruth asked, her voice an octave higher than normal as Bradley looked to his left.
"Your boss, Harry Pearce. Isn't that him over there with the stunning blonde?"
Swallowing, Ruth turned her head to the right and met a set of hazel eyes. "Err. Yes. It is."
Moving his eyes to the woman in the red dress, Bradley smiled. "We should go say hello."
"What? No!" her voice coming out as a squeak, Ruth tore her eyes away from the hazel ones and looked at her date. At his brief look, she continued. "I mean he's obviously here on a date. We shouldn't interrupt."
But the end of her sentence was spoken to empty air as Bradley had already moved the short distance to stand in front of the other couple. Faced with either hurrying away or joining him, Ruth took a deep breath and moved to his side, catching the last bit of his introduction.
"...beautiful tonight. I'm Bradley Hayes. And you are?"
"Natascha Wirtz."
Grinning, Bradley lifted her pale hand and pressed his lips against the back.
With a frown, Ruth watched. He hadn't greeted her with a kiss to the hand. Or in any other manner than a good evening are you ready to go? Careful to keep her eyes from Harry's, she introduced herself.
"Hello. I'm Ruth Wesley - Bradley's date for the evening."
"Hallo. Es ist ein...errr...sorry, It is pleasure to meet you." Moving her gaze from Bradley's, she looked at Ruth momentarily and offered a smile before turning back to the blue eyed man. "This is Harold Gunther. He is my escort for the night."
Slowly lowering her hand, Bradley grinned at that. "Oh. Have you known each other long?"
"No. Tonight is first time we have met. My brother asked of your Home Secretary for someone to attend with me."
"Really? And your brother is?"
"The German Ambassador."
"Oh! I met him the other morning. A lovely chap...err...gentleman."
Smile on her face, Natascha moved her arm from Harry's and turned all her focus on Bradley. "Ja? How did you accomplish that?"
"I work in the Foreign Affairs office. Your brother attended a meeting with both the Home Secretary and a few other diplomats the other morning. I was there to assist with some translating."
"Oh! Sprechen sie Deutsch?"
"Ja. Ich verbrachte viele Jahre in Deutschland leben, wenn ich aufwuchs. Mein vater arbeitete fur eine firma in Osnabruck und wir lebten mit ihm, bis ich dreizehn war."
"Wirklich? Ich wuchs in Glandorf. Es ist nur 16 meilen sudlich von Osnabruck."
Before he could answer, the lights flashed signaling that the performance would begin soon.
"Where are you sitting?" Bradley asked, looking between Natascha and Harry. "Perhaps we could meet up after the performance and continue our discussion?"
"We have seats in the Grand Tier Boxes behind Door Six."
"What a coincidence. That's where we're sitting as well." With a smile, Bradley offered his arm to Natascha. "May I escort you to your seat?"
Smiling broadly, Natascha tucked her arm in his. "Ja."
As the two walked off, Harry looked at Ruth, raising an eyebrow as she met his gaze. "I think we've been forgotten."
"I think you're right." she said softly, her eyes moving to look at the back of the retreating couple.
Seeing the look on her face, Harry fought back a frown and offered his arm. "I'm sorry we intruded on your evening. As soon as we get to the box, I'll distract Natascha so you can steal your date back."
"Oh God no, don't do that. Please." she said, slowly sliding her arm into his. Cheeks flushing, she lowered her gaze to the floor. "I...that is...I mean...don't do that on my behalf. You're not interrupting."
"You're not having a good time?" he asked softly as they made their way up the grand stair case.
She was silent for a moment as they reached the top and turned to the right, heading down the corridor to their marked door.
"No." she answered finally, her fingers subconsciously smoothing the fabric of his evening jacket. "Your date has done me a favor actually."
"Really?" he asked, pausing at the low wooden bench outside door six. Through the open doorway he could make out the other two sitting in the front row of the six seats talking quietly to each other. Eight of the other seats were full, the only other two available being the ones directly behind the pair.
"Really." she said, following his gaze. "He's spent the entire night comparing me to his ex-girlfriend Jacqueline and when he's not telling me how wonderful she is verses me, he's telling me everything she ever did."
"Fool." Harry said softly, gaze turning from the box to meet Ruth's.
"It's alright. I'm used to it." Ruth said, cheeks blushing red again as he held her gaze.
"Hmm." as the lights dimmed, Harry offered her his arm again. "Well, I may not be as young and as dashing as the man you came with tonight, but might I accompany you into the concert this evening?"
A light snow was beginning to fall as Harry's car turned onto the quiet street, the fairy lights around the windows of numerous houses twinkling through the darkness. As the car pulled to a stop in front of a dark house, Harry turned to his companion and looked at her in the dim light of a street lamp, her chestnut curls brushing the shoulder of her wrap. The evening had turned out so much better than he'd hoped.
Clearing his throat, Harry watched as she turned, gray-blue eyes meeting his. Offering a soft smile, he watched her a moment as his driver climbed from the driver's side. "May I walk you to your door?"
"Oooff course." she said softly as the cold air rushed in.
Pulling her gaze from his, she blushed before taking the hand of the driver and climbing from the back seat. As she stood waiting for Harry to climb from the vehicle, Ruth pulled her wrap tighter and wondered how she'd gone from being out with the most boring date in the world to being walked to her front door by Harry.
Climbing from the back seat, Harry nervously looked at Ruth and wondered how he'd gotten so lucky. When he'd first been told about the evening in his afternoon meeting with the Home Secretary, he'd wondered just what he'd done to warrant having to spend the night with the sister of an ambassador.
Instead, he'd found himself spending the night in the quiet companionship of the woman he'd wanted to be with. Numerous times throughout the evening, he'd found himself pretending he was on a date with her; something he hadn't done since his teenage years when he'd been a little less sure of himself and girls.
As they quietly walked through the snow to her front door, neither knew what to do or say.
Ruth fidgeted with her evening bag, looking for her front door keys.
Harry slid his hands into his coat pocket before sliding them out again.
"Ruth I..."
"Harry it..."
Blushing as she turned on the top step to face him, Ruth spoke softly. "What were you going to say?"
Stopping on the step below hers, Harry looked into her eyes and smiled. "No, you go ahead."
"Really Harry, what were you going to say?"
Resisting the urge to brush his fingers along her cheek, Harry smiled. "No, I want to hear what you were going to say."
Biting the inside of her mouth to keep from laughing, Ruth looked down. "We're going to go back and forth all night, aren't we?"
"Perhaps we were, but you've broken us free."
Eyes lifting to his, she met his smile with a soft one of her own. "I just wanted to say thank you. Tonight was won...really nice."
"You were right the first time." Finally giving into the urge, Harry brushed a strand of hair from her face and tucked if behind her ear. "Tonight was wonderful. So much better than I initially thought and I have you to thank you for."
"You don't have to thank me for anything." voice barely above a whisper, Ruth tried not to tremble at the feeling of his hand brushing softly against the skin of her cheek.
"But I do." he said softly, fingers trailing along her cheek bone. "Ruth, may I kiss you?"
"What?" Sure she misheard him, Ruth looked from his eyes to his lips and back again.
Hand pausing in its journey, Harry stared into her eyes. Voice lowering, he leaned forward slightly. "May I kiss you?"
Cheeks flushing, Ruth nodded as she tried to find her voice. "Yes."
Handing sliding through her curls to rest at the base of her head, Harry pulled her forward and pressed his lips against hers, his eyes sliding shut.
A few moments later, Ruth felt his mouth leave hers and as her eyes fluttered open, she fought to catch her breath from the brief contact.
Hand still tangled in her hair, Harry watched her through heavy eyes as she slowly came back to the present. Breaths mingling, Harry smiled as his nose and forehead rested against hers.
"Have dinner with me tomorrow night."
Swallowing, Ruth wondered if she was in a dream but quickly realized that she didn't care. Nodding her head yes, she watched his eyes light up.
"I'll pick you up at 6." he said softly, his eyes never leaving hers.
"Alright."
"Alright than." Kissing her softly again, he lowered his hand from her hair and stepped back. "Good night Ruth."
"Good night Harry."
Turning to go inside, Ruth paused in the open doorway and watched as he climbed into the waiting car. As they pulled away, Ruth waved to Harry before closing the door and leaning against it, a smile on her face.
Harry Pearce had kissed her goodnight.
Harry's conversation with Natascha
Thank you Harold.
You are welcome Natascha.
This is all so lovely. I hope the concert is as nice as your buildings. Handel was German born as you know.
Is something the matter?
No. Of course not.
I was just thinking how lucky I am to be spending the evening with a beautiful woman as yourself.
Hmm. And the evening is far from over. Perhaps it is just beginning.
Maybe. Do you speak any English?
Yes. Though not as well as you speak German.
Bradley's conversation with Natascha
Oh. Do you speak German?
Yes. I spent many years living in Germany when I was growing up. My father worked for a company in Osnabruck and we lived there with him until I was thirteen.
Really? I grew up in Glandorf. It is only sixteen miles to the south of Osnabruck.
AN: Merry Christmas everyone! Sorry for the delay in getting this up; a lot going on at the moment with the holidays and other things. I hope you all liked this little one shot. There are five more HR Christmas Stories I have to write and one New Years story before moving onto the other eleven stories I have planned so I'm hoping you all don't mind Christmas in January! If you have a moment, I hope you'll leave a review and let me know what you think.