"I already feel so much freer. The fresh air is wonderful." Hyacinth says taking a deep breath.
"Sheridan has the whole day off tomorrow along with Tarquin and he said he'd give us a tour of his campus." Richard says making pleasant conversation which has become much easier since Hyacinth's letter.
"I can't believe how grown up Sheridan is. He's talking about lovers and life partners like it's so natural for him. I'm not used to it at all. He's turned into a man and I wasn't prepared for it." Hyacinth admits.
"I have to admit I wasn't prepared for it either. The last time he came to visit he didn't seem so mature. What happened to him?" Richard asks as they stroll down the street together.
"He grew up without us Richard. We should have known that would happen when he went off to university without us, but he's so grown up now. Do you ever think about what our lives would have been like if we'd had more children?" Hyacinth asks with a heavy sigh.
"Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to have a little girl around the house, someone for you to be really girly with and not feel guilty about it because she's different. You blame yourself for the way Sheridan turned out, but a girl would have benefitted from your tutelage. A girl you could put in pretty pink dresses and patent leather shoes. I didn't do enough with Sheridan to help him. I would have loved to have a daughter to love. She could have been a daddy's girl, but it's pointless. We didn't have more children, all we have is Sheridan and he's wonderful. He's still a good kid and we need to remember that more often." Richard says as they walk into a store.
"He is a good kid, but I wish he was closer to you. I think he was more worried about your reaction than mine. He knew I'd be accepting of him, but he was less certain about you. He doesn't know how to read you; that upsets me. I so wanted you and Sheridan to be close, but I interfered with what the two of you could have had." Hyacinth says sadly. She flips through some of the clothes on one rack. She finds a beautiful pale blue dress that she loves. "What do you think of this Richard?"
"I like it. Blue is my absolute favourite colour on you. It brings out your eyes so well. You should try it. You could wear that to dinner tonight if you like it. The hem of the skirt is lovely and different." Richard says scrutinizing the dress.
Hyacinth smiles as she watches Richard. She likes that they can be like this again. He's actually paying attention to her and complimenting her more often. "Let's look for other items before I try this dress on."
Richard wanders just ahead of Hyacinth and looks at some of the items in the store. He finds a beautiful scarf that he knows Hyacinth will like. "Darling, what do you think of this?" Richard asks holding up the scarf for Hyacinth to see.
"Oh Richard, it's beautiful. You have excellent taste. The colours go wonderfully with this dress I just picked out too. Well done, Richard." Hyacinth says walking towards him from across the store.
Richard drapes the scarf around Hyacinth's neck and kisses her cheek. "The colours look lovely on you. They compliment your eyes. It makes you look like you have Elizabeth Taylor eyes."
Hyacinth saunters around the store sorting through the racks, her fingers lingering over the luxurious fabrics in the store. She finds a beautiful, green silk, long sleeved cocktail dress. She gasps as she pulls the dress off the rack. "Oh, it's so beautiful."
Richard turns back towards his wife who's holding the dress against her body. "Oh Hyacinth, the colour is absolutely stunning. That would be great for dinner parties. You should try that on. I could take you anywhere in town in that dress."
Hyacinth blushes. Her husband is being very complimentary right now. She's hoping their relationship will stay this way. "Thank you for the compliment, Richard."
"Did you spot anything else that you like in the shop?" Richard asks glancing around the boutique.
"I did see a bright turquoise blouse over this way that looks quite beautiful. There's also a black and white tweed skirt over there too." Hyacinth nods towards the back corner of the exclusive boutique.
"Let's have a look then." Richard says following his wife to the back corner of the boutique. He loves the changes in her figure when she moves. He likes to watch her move. He watches Hyacinth pull the blouse and skirt off the rack with an elegant turn of the wrist. "That blouse is lovely, but I'm not so sure about the skirt. The pattern is awfully bold. I think narrower gauge tweed would be nicer on you." Richard says honestly.
"I tend to agree with you. I like less coarse, rough tweed with a less obvious pattern. The blouse was a much better choice, but the skirt is not something I would wear I don't think." Hyacinth says as she puts the skirt back on the rack.
