Move with the Times
By Catherine
Disclaimer: I own nothing and am making no money out of writing this fanfiction.
Rating: M just to be on the safe side, could probably get away with a T.
Set in: Modern day Britain.
Author's note: All thanks go to my beta Chelle, any remaining errors are my own.
Chapter Twenty: Part One
Marian looked over at Guy as they sped along the motorway, wondering where they were headed but forcing herself not to enquire. As she had promised to give him the chance to prove himself to her, it would appear hypocritical to ask him where he was taking her. It would seem as though she did not trust him. She supposed that she didn't really trust him, if she had she would never have entered his office, never tried to read the paper with the IRS logo on it, and would never have doubted him for a second. But she was honestly trying to be better and to give him the benefit of the doubt.
They were heading south from London, it was the road that she travelled almost every day. They could be going to her house but there were lots of other possibilities. As she studied his jawline she wondered if his stubble could give away any secretes.
It was odd to think of her Guy as having stubble; his voice had only just started to break when the fire forced him to leave. Once again Marian was struck with a horrible sense of guilt and sadness that he had had to grow up so much with no one to look after him, no one to love him. He deserved some happiness and success.
Marian wondered what the stubble would feel like if she were to reach out and touch it, she was just about to do so when she caught herself, put her hands in her lap and turned her attention to the road again. She thought that she heard Guy chuckle slightly, but chalked it up to her imagination as he did not appear to have noticed her movements and she was fairly sure that he could not read her mind.
As they sped past another landmark she turned a little to see it go by, still wondering where they were headed.
One of her guesses had been to see the farm – she could not see why they would go to the farm, but it was always a possibility as Guy had liked going there as a child. Straining her brain she tried decide which of the other possible destinations was the most likely.
"You can ask where we are going," Guy said. He could practically see the steam pouring out of her ears as the cogs whirred in her brain, trying to work out his plans.
"I said that I would give you a chance and I will," Marian announced nobly.
Now Guy did chuckle, "I am very grateful, especially as I know that patience is not one of your virtues."
Marian smiled over at him, "I will have you know that I am extremely patient, I just like efficiency, that's all."
"Yes, I believe that that is what you said to the microwave as you bashed it with your wooden spoon because it took 90 seconds to make your Ready Brek," Guy teased her.
"I took far longer than 90 seconds, it was at least 10 minutes, if not 20!" Marian said, outraged.
"That is odd, the timer clearly said 90 seconds," Guy reminded her.
"Well it was clearly wrong! My tummy tells the time much more accurately than any counter", Marian explained, "and it informed me that it was well past Ready Brek time."
"Far be it from me to argue with a lady", Guy quipped. "Although I could never see what you liked about Ready Brek, porridge is much better."
"No, it isn't!" Marian replied.
"Oh yes it is!" He led her back on to one of their most frequent childhood debates, partly to occupy her, partly to make her remember what they had shared as children and trust him fully again, and partly because she always rose to the bait.
This conversation kept them enthralled until they arrived outside Locksley Manor. As they pulled up to the large structure Guy felt a little knot of apprehension forming in his stomach. Although he had driven past this house several times in the last few weeks and been hell bent on owning it for the last one of them, he had not actually stepped inside it until now. He wondered whether it would be like he remembered or whether they had done it up since then. Actually, if Robin's Grandmother was in charge of the upkeep then it may have gone downhill since his last visit.
Guy had not even got a survey done on the house, he had figured that at the price he had got it would not matter what state the house was in. It had been a sound practical move to take possession of the property quickly and not wait for a survey, but it might have given him a better idea of what to except.
His legs felt heavy and he was a little worried about entering the house. He was glad that Marian was there with him, his desire to appear strong in front of her would not let him turn back.
"Here we are," he said in what he hoped was a bracing tone of voice.
"Robin's … I mean your house," Marian asked, "Is this what you wanted to show me?"
"Yes", Guy said, getting out of the car and walking around to Marian's side of the car to open the door for her.
Marian felt a little uncomfortable at the thought of entering the house but supposed that she did not have much choice as she had made a promise to Guy. She allowed him to help her out of the car and, seeing that he looked a little nervous himself, put her arm in his as they started towards the house.
Guy pressed a button on his key ring and the large gates swung open, creaking slightly as they did so.
"You might want to get that seen to," Marian giggled, trying to lighten the almost palpable tension. She could not help but notice Guy's eyes wandering to the side of the manor where his house had once sat and felt an ache deep in her heart. She gave his arm a little squeeze of encouragement.
Guy gave her a slight smile as he seemed to return to the present, "Yes, I will have to get that fixed. I actually brought a small pad and pen with me for just that purpose". He pulled out the notebook and handed it to her, "I hope that you will write down anything that you think needs to be done as well. I have never managed a large house before."
"Of course, I would be glad to help. Besides, I love decorating and things." Marian took the pad and wrote down about the squeaking gates.
"What are you going to do about staff?" She wondered as they strode up the long path.
"I was planning on keeping the old ones on, they were not going to be here until Saturday as I gave them a holiday", Guy explained, "but I see no reason why they should lose their jobs."
"No, indeed," Marian smiled at this statement, "that means that all the little jobs regarding maintenance can be done with no inconvenience to you. And it will be nice for you to have people to look after you when you come home at night. Do you mind if I write a note of the gardener?"
Guy was about to explain that he probably would not be living there but then, realising that he would have to reveal part of his later plan just said, "write whatever you like" as they came to a stop outside the large oak door and Guy began trying to work out which key was which.
Marian started around the front and side gardens; they needed work. The grass was longer than the one and a half inches that good society required, the flower beds were threatening to spill out all over the grass in which she noticed one or two weeds. To make matters worse there were a few leaves on the paths and grass growing in between some of the paving stones. This would never do. She had noticed that standards seemed to be slipping in recent years in the Locksley Manor but had never been close enough to really judge as she had refused to enter the house for any reason once Robin had left.
Now that she looked at the windows, it was clear that they needed to be thoroughly cleaned and she thought it likely that the window frames would have to be repainted. From a distance the house did not look too bad, but up close it was nowhere near the standard Marian would expect and she was sure that Guy's would be close to her own. Their mothers had after all had very similar ideas about propriety.
As Guy got the door open and ushered her inside Marian scribbled frantically, the servants would have a lot to do when they got back. It looked as if they had been having a year's holiday rather than just a week.
Guy had not noticed the majority of these problems, although to be fair he had not really been looking. He could see that some work needed to be done but as none of it was structural or looked to be more than just tidying up he did not care much. He was sure that the servants would get things done now that they had a new master. He was more concerned with the fact that he now owned the house.
As they entered, Marian noted that absolutely no improvements had been made since Robin left for the war; everything was just as he had left it. The pink marble floor was still the same although it needed polishing and the same art deco furniture sat in the same places – although these also needed polishing. The walls were a none descript beige which Marian thought would look better as a clean bright white to contrast with the pink on the floor and in the grain of the wood. She was just about to turn to Guy and ask what he thought about this idea, when she saw him standing with an expression of pure shock.
For a few seconds Marian debated what to do, would it be best to try and distract him or should she hope that he would come out of it by himself? She supposed that it must be a bit of a shock to him now owning this house and seeing how Robin had remodelled it after his father's death. Marian had never thought that he had made the best of his assets.
"Do you own all of the furniture, as well?" She finally asked.
"Yes", Guy answered a little distractedly.
"Well, he did not get rid of any of the old furniture or furnishings, they are all in the loft so you have quite a lot to play about with," Marian tried to cheer him up.
"Right", Guy said. "How much influence did you have on this?"
"I? None! Robin never asked for my opinion so I never gave it."
"Well, will you give it to me?" Guy asked as they moved into the next room. He could not fathom why Robin had tried to ruin his own home or why he had not included Marian, but he would not make the same mistake. Locksley now had the master it deserved and if he had his way there would be a new mistress as well before the year was out.
"Of course."
It took them the best part of two hours to get around the whole house, go through the attic and to get back to the kitchen where they collapsed. Guy realised that the house could very easily, and at no expense to him, be brought back to what it should be and he hoped that this would make it feel less strange to him.
Marian had almost come to the end of the notebook which she left on the kitchen countertop for the maids to get started on when they returned.
"Do you think that you will get used to living here?" She asked.
"I am not sure that I will be living here", Guy answered plainly, pleased over the last few hours she seemed to have become more used to the idea of his owning the house.
"Really? You will stay in your apartment?" Marian wondered.
"No, I have already planned to rent that out starting next week," Guy said.
"Then where will you live? And, if you don't mind my asking how you can afford to have two abodes and live in neither?" She enquired.
"No, I don't mind you asking and the answer is simple. I will live in the house on the other side of yours. I did not think that I would be able to afford a house in this area for another few years", Guy confessed, "that is what I have been saving up for. However, the market has been so adversely affected recently and Robin was in such a terrible need to sell that I got it for less of a quarter of what anyone would have paid for it 3 years ago. The old lady who owned the house on the other side of you died last week and her family were also desperate to sell it off quickly so against another bargain … although not as cheap as this one."
"Wow", Marian exclaimed, and then wondered. "Why live in that one rather than this one? And what are you going to do with Locksley?"
"That one is bigger and being slightly more run down I can easily make it into the house that I want to live in, to have a family in. Also it doesn't have any bad memories for me", Guy tried not to allow any hint of bitterness to enter his tone.
Marian nodded a little, understandingly and wondered if it would be inappropriate for her to hug him.
"As for what I shall do with this one, I shall rent it out and the reason is partly for you Marian", Guy explained.
"For me? How?" She wondered.
"I know that this situation is very difficult for you. Even if I had not come along Robin would have lost his house and you do not want to see him ousted, but you know that I deserve to own it. I am going to allow Robin to rent this house back off me", Guy announced, leaving out "once I have done it up and for an exorbitant price that will ensure I break even within three years."
"Really?" Marian gasped, "You would do that?"
Guy beamed, seeing the expression on her face, "Of course. I am a man of substance. I have a good position, money, power and land in the Gisborne name once again. I can afford to be very generous and there is very little that I would not do to make you happy … To show you that I am capable of building a home".
Marian was not sure how to answer this, obviously sincere, declaration and so she settled for giving him a dazzling smile and asking, "So are you going to show me around your new home as well?"
It was dark when Guy and Marian finally left his new house. Marian had no problems in seeing why he had chosen to live there instead, it was a truly gorgeous house, with the potential to be even better than Knighton Hall, - although she would never admit that out loud. It was liveable as it was, but there was still a lot to do and Marian felt really touched that Guy had trusted her enough to take her opinion seriously on all matters. As he had pointed out several times, he hoped not to live in that house alone.
As Guy walked her back to her own house, she had completely forgotten the events of that morning and lunchtime, and asked him if he would like to come in to dinner.
"No, thank-you. I had better get going, I have some packing to do if I am going to move in this Saturday", Guy said, although he would have really liked to spend more time with her.
"I will come over on Saturday to help", Marian said.
"That would be very much appreciated", Guy said, as he stepped up to her. They were now so close that they were practically touching. Marian was fairly certain that she had stopped breathing.
"Good night Marian," Guy said in a husky whisper as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and cupped the back of her neck gently in his large hand. Marian's pupils dilated and her lips parted slightly as she breathed his name. Sensing that the moment was right, Guy leant in and complied with her request, kissing her ever so gently on the lips. It was only a few seconds but it was enough to make Marian feel dizzy, light headed and go weak at the knees.
"Good night Guy," she whispered in reply. Not opening her eyes which had drifted closed the second that his mouth had touched hers. She hoped that his lips would again find her own and she leant forwards slightly but was not met again in the way that she desired. Her entire body hummed with the memory of the sensation, which only seemed to heighten even as she felt an indescribable sense of loss as his hand left her skin and he moved back a step.
It was with a considerable effort that she forced her heavy lids to open, to see him strolling away.
"Oh, just one thing", he said casually as he was getting into his car, "If you want to know something it is much easier just to ask me rather than hunting around in his my office."