Chapter 28
Dempsey hadn't seen anything more of Harry that evening. Judging from the lack of noise in the adjacent room he had correctly assumed that after taking her bath his fiancée had retired to bed for the evening.
After their argument Dempsey didn't feel much like company, and it wasn't as if Lord Winfield didn't already have enough concerns of his own, without his daughter's partner adding to his worries. Therefore James wandered down onto the ground floor of the vast historic Winfield family home and found himself reaching for the large cut glass whiskey decanter which stood on the ancient mahogany sideboard in the dining room. Pouring himself an overly generous measure he took a seat at magnificently large table and began drowning his sorrows.
What time he got to bed Dempsey did not know. In fact he couldn't even recall leaving the dining room, let alone returning to his bedroom, and now as the weak spring sunlight shone through the gap in the curtains it seemed as though his head, and indeed his brain were splitting into two. Taking a deep breath before swinging his legs out of the bed, Dempsey was suddenly hit by a wave of nausea, and so rushed over to the inter-linking door in search of the nearest bathroom, only to find that it had been locked from the other side. Cursing Harry's name under his breath as he tried to control his convulsing stomach, Dempsey lurched back across the room, out into the hallway and thankfully made it in time to the bathroom opposite.
After his retching finally subsided, Dempsey stood upright on shaky legs and breathed in deeply through his nostrils, determined to quell any further feelings of nausea. It had been several years since he had drunk himself into total oblivion and then suffered such unpleasant consequences the following day, and he could only imagine what Harry would say if she could see him now.
After taking an unusually long steaming hot shower, in an attempt to clear his groggy head and inject the feeling of life and warmth back into his limbs, Dempsey roughly dried his hair and body with a fluffy white bath towel before leaving the confines of the steamy bathroom and returning to his own quarters. Just as he turned the door knob he glanced to his left and noticed that the door to Harry's bedroom stood ajar, and quickly decided that he ought to apologise and clear the air between them as soon as possible.
"Harry?" Dempsey called out as he briefly knocked and pushed the door aside, only to discover one of the maids changing the bedsheets.
"You seen Harry?" James enquired, seemingly oblivious of the fact that his only item of attire was a white towel around his waist, which was causing the young maid to blush profusely while her eyes darted nervously about the room.
"I…I…err that is Miss Harriet is taking a walk in the grounds." The maid replied with a nervous smile.
"What?!...an' you just let her?" Dempsey asked in alarm as he rushed over to one of the large bedroom windows which over looked the extensive grounds below.
"It's not my place to say what Miss Harriet should or shouldn't do Mr Dempsey, I just change the beds and clean the rooms." Kelly nervously replied, as it was bad enough already being snapped at earlier that morning by Lady Makepeace, without the foul tempered American scowling at her too.
"Yeah, right, 'course." James heavily sighed as he scratched at the back of his head whilst scouring every inch of the grounds with his eyes for any sign of his fiancée.
"My guess is that Miss Harriet has probably gone down to the stables. My mother once mentioned that….."
"Your mother?" James turned in confusion.
"Yes. Mrs Strathmore the housekeeper is my mother. She's worked at Winfield for years, since before Miss Harriet was born even….anyway she once told me that after Lady Winfield died, Miss Harriet used to often spend hours down at the stables or out riding the horses….to be close to her mother I think. Apparently Lady Winfield was a keen horse woman, and even used to compete so I've been told." Kelly explained, as she recalled how as a young child she used to be incredibly jealous of the slightly older Harriet Winfield, that was until she lost her mother, and Kelly realised that money didn't buy happiness.
"Shit!" Dempsey cursed under his breath as he unlocked the inter-connecting door and charged into his own room to quickly get dressed as visions of Harry charging across the countryside on horseback and the possibility that she may fall and seriously injure herself and or the baby filled his over active imagination.
"Would you like for me to call down and ask them to prepare breakfast for you Mr Dempsey? Only his lordship has already been served breakfast in his room, and Miss Harriet said that she wasn't hungry."
"No thanks….if Harry comes back to the house before I see her, tell her to wait for me right? An' tell her that I need to speak to her, got it?" Dempsey instructed loudly through the semi-closed door as he reached for his shoes and roughly yanked them on.
"I…I can ask Mr Dempsey, however it's not really my place to tell Miss Harriet wha….."
"I know, I know…but just do it ok?...It's important." Dempsey interrupted in exasperation as now fully dressed her ran out of the room whilst shrugging on his jacket.
"I'll try my best Mr Dempsey."
"Good, you do that!" Dempsey yelled over his shoulder as he rushed down the hallway, all vestiges of his hangover forgotten.
"Steady on James. Where's the fire!?" Angela cheerfully joked as Abbott took her coat and Dempsey suddenly came into view as he bounded down the staircase.
"Angela? Whatchya doin' here? Is Harry expectin' ya?"
"Oh dear, just as I had feared. You really don't remember do you?" Angela remarked as she sent a pitying glance in Dempsey's direction before linking her arm through his and leading him towards the dining room in the hopes that a late breakfast might be on the cards.
"Remember what?" Dempsey asked as he paused and prevented Angela from walking any further.
"I telephoned yesterday evening. Initially to speak to Harry of course, but after it became apparent through her monosyllabic replies that she was in no mood for talking, I called back and asked to speak to you. However by that point you were clearly several sheets to the wind, as nothing of what you said made any sense whatsoever – other than the part about Harry refusing to speak to you and locking you out of her bedroom. Please tell me that you remember at least some of it?" Angela prompted in obvious concern.
"Just the bit 'bout me an' Harry arguin', and then tryin' to drown my sorrows."
"I thought as much. So I take it that Harry has no idea that I'm here?"
"I guess not, one o' the maids said she might be out ridin' or spendin' time down at the stables."
"Well I certainly hope it's the latter, although I doubt that Harry would be so foolish as to go racing about the estate in her condition. What was it that the two of you argued about?" Angela enquired, knowing her friend well enough to realise that Harry would probably wish to keep things to herself for a while at least.
"She overheard me an' Freddy talkin' 'bout what happened in the nightclub. Only I figure that Harry jus' caught the tail end of the conversation, an' got it in her head that I was accusin' her of sleepin' with Robert behind my back." Dempsey solemnly admitted as he recalled their terrible argument which had ensued the previous evening.
"Oh crikey! Didn't you try to explain?"
"Yeah 'course I did, but I figure that I musta made things worse, cos' that's when she really blew-up."
"Oh dear how awful. How is she this morning?" Angela asked as she got the distinct impression that she was about to step into a minefield.
"Dunno, she was already outta the house when I woke-up." Dempsey sadly replied with a hangdog expression.
"Well in that case it's probably best that you leave Harry to me. We certainly don't need any further fuel adding to the fire." Angela brightly advised as she signalled for Abbott to retrieve her coat.
"I wasn't plannin' on addin' any!" James remarked with a hurt expression.
"Not intentionally darling, but I really do think that you ought to leave this to me. After all I've known Harry far longer, and therefore know how to handle her moods much better than you do, no slight intended….The stables you say?" Angela spoke as she shrugged back into her heavy fur coat, followed by scarf and gloves.
"Yeah." James resignedly replied as he shoved his hands in his pockets and held his tongue.
"Excellent, I daresay I'll see you later….oh and James, please do something with your hair, and eat something, oh and I daresay that a few cups of coffee wouldn't go amiss. You look absolutely dreadful darling." Angela suggested with a warm smile so as to make her criticism appear less severe.
"Hhmph." Dempsey mumbled in annoyance as Angela headed off towards the back of the house and he just stood and watched her leave.
He had never enjoyed being told what to do, and neither did he appreciate the implication that he didn't know how to handle his own fiancée. However on this occasion it appeared that he had no other choice but to concede that maybe Angela was right.
Dempsey knew for the most part how to interpret his partner's moods and how best to handle Harry under normal circumstances, but these last two weeks certainly couldn't be classified as either normal or even familiar. These days it was almost as though he didn't know Harry at all. He had gone to America eight weeks ago, and then returned six weeks later to find himself engaged to almost a completely different woman. It was akin to scene from invasion of the body snatchers.
His Harry was for the most part confident, warm and loving, and a person who he had enjoyed spending time and laughing and joking with, yet the Harry he found himself currently living with was none of these things. One moment she was cold and aloof, and the next she was bursting into tears at the drop of a hat, and Dempsey found himself at a loss as too how to deal with such an emotional rollercoaster.
If it was difficult for him, then it must be almost impossible for Harry, yet Dempsey was determined to persevere and somehow win his Harry back.
But the question was how?
Just as he appeared to be making progress and detecting a thaw, he had to go and open his big mouth and ruin things.
"Would you like for me to arrange breakfast for you Mr Dempsey?" Abbott asked with a clearing of his throat, distracting Dempsey away from his troubled thoughts.
"Err yeah, why not?" James replied with very little enthusiasm.
"Very good sir. Would prefer to eat in the dining room, or perhaps the orangery? It has a wonderful view of the grounds, especially on such a fine morning. You may even be able to catch a glimpse of Miss Harriet and her guest returning from the stables?" Abbott cleverly suggested as he knew how worried the American was about his Lordship's daughter, and couldn't help but feel more than a little concerned himself.
"No flies on you hey Abbott?" Dempsey replied as he slapped the butler on the back and then reached into the pocket of his jacket to retrieve his sunglasses, which he then placed on his nose in order to defend his alcohol infused eyes and brain from the early morning sunlight which shone directly into the orangery on a bright spring day.
…
"Oughtn't you be feeding those to the horses?" Angela asked upon entering the stables to witness her best friend feeding carrots to Lord Winfield's black and golden Labradors, who sat obediently at Harry's feet whilst drooling and repeatedly licking their lips as she fed them each in turn.
"Gypsy doesn't seem to have much of an appetite this morning." Harry replied as she looked up from the bale of hay on which she sat, and both dogs turned to glance briefly behind them before once more focusing their attention on the carrots.
"Is it any wonder, I shouldn't imagine that she even has any teeth left to chew those carrots with. She's got to be thirty if not a day." Angela remarked as she stepped over to what was Lady Winfield's favourite horse and rubbed her gently on the nose.
"Daddy reliably informs me that she's thirty-two…..What are you doing here Angela? I told you last night that I was fine." Harry insisted as she snapped another carrot into four equal parts and then fed the two Labradors in turn.
"Yes, but we both know that you didn't mean it." Angela replied as she retrieved a carrot from the large paper bag which lay on next to her friend on the make-shift seat. "What are these two called again?"
"Bonnie and Clyde." Harry confirmed with a wry smile as she thought of her father's sense of humour when naming the dogs, and realised that Angela had only asked to lighten the mood.
"Ah yes, how could I forget?" Angela remarked as she handed a piece of carrot to the black male Labrador whose attention was now set firmly on the remaining carrot in Angela's hand "So that must make you Bonnie!"
"Very funny Angela, you'll give the poor dog a complex." Harry stated with a rolling of her eyes, even though she felt somewhat relieved at the arrival of her friend, as these days it seemed as though her father was firmly in Dempsey's camp and that she had no allies of her own.
"Mmm, sorry Clyde." Angela softly spoke as she affectionately ruffled the Labradors left ear whilst feeding him the rest of the carrot.
"So, how are the wedding plans coming along?" Harry asked as she was grateful to have the opportunity to divert her thoughts elsewhere for a change.
"Slowly, very slowly….but fortunately there is still another nine months to go, a Christmas wedding will be just so romantic don't you think? Especially if it snows….I was thinking that since you're not currently working, and of course when you start to feel a bit more like your old self, you might like to help with the arrangements?"
"Maybe." Harry noncommittally replied.
"You'll never guess what daddy suggested last month?"
"No, what?"
"That you and I have a double wedding! Can you imagine that? Mummy of course is convinced that daddy only suggested it so that he would only have to foot half of the bill. He's on an economy drive at the moment, so mummy is forced to smuggle all of her purchases into her dressing room whilst daddy is out of the house…..still it might be quite a nice idea, and it would certainly be a wedding to remember... but then of course we can't guarantee that your divorce will have come through by then. Which is why I told daddy that it would be far too risky a proposition."
"Wise decision." Harry remarked as she gave Bonnie another piece of carrot.
"I bumped into James on my way in…" Angela causally commented, letting the words hang in the air.
"Have you decided on a colour scheme for the church and the bridesmaids dresses?" Harry asked, changing the subject.
"He seemed terribly upset over what happened last night."
"Red might be nice, particularly if you intend to have a winter or Christmas theme. You could decorate the church with holly and berries, and have red ribbon garlands along the aisles."
"It's not his fault you know."
"Not a bright red. It would look to garish, not to mention a little cheap and tacky. I was thinking more of a deep burgundy red. What do you think?" Harry asked.
"I think that you're avoiding the subject, and I also think that you should stop blaming James. He has done absolutely nothing wrong. In fact he has been nothing but kind and patient over these last two weeks, and it's unfair of you to take all of your frustrations out on him." Angela insisted as she turned to look at her friend.
"Oh really, so what do you suggest that I do? Pretend that everything is normal, that I remember him and our life together and just jump into bed with him?" Harry scornfully countered.
"Now that you come to mention it yes!" Angela exclaimed as though it was the ideal solution to all of her friends problems.
"I beg your pardon?!" Harry gasped in shock.
"Why ever not? It might be just the thing that you need…it might even bring all of your memories back!"
"Don't be so absurd!" Harry tutted in disapproval before adding "Whatever is next, are you going to suggest I should hit myself over the head too?"
"I wouldn't go that far darling, besides having sex with James is far more enjoyable." Angela carelessly remarked.
"Is that so? Speak from experience do you?" Harry coldly replied as she suddenly stood up and glared down at Angela. Susannah and Robert's betrayal still raw and at the forefront of her mind.
"No of course not darling. I can't believe that you would ever dream that I would do that, nor James for that matter. Even if I wanted to, which I don't and would never, James wouldn't look twice at me, he only has eyes for you Harry. I swear to god, he really does love you, and trust me when I say this darling, you really are crazy about him."
"I was crazy about Robert too before I married him." Harry remarked as she tried to swallow down the intense feeling of jealousy she felt at the idea of her best friend and James together.
"Correction you thought that you were. When you really evaluate it Harry I think that you were probably more in love with the idea of getting married, settling down and having a baby rather than Robert himself. You thought that you knew him, only you didn't, and unfortunately it took until after you had married the bastard before you discovered what an arrogant and selfish brat he really was. Believe me darling you are far better off without him...When you think about it Susannah actually did you a favour."
"I can't believe that you would say that!" Harry disapprovingly retorted as she didn't approve of adultery no matter what the circumstances.
"It gave you the push that you needed Harry. There is no way that you would have left him otherwise, no matter how unhappy you were."
"Well that's where you are wrong. I fully intended to leave Robert, why else do you think that I applied for a transfer and had started to look at flats in London?"
"Are you sure? Because you never mentioned any of this to me. The first I heard anything about it was when you didn't show up for lunch, and I called your house and Susannah answered the phone. It was only when I tracked you down here that I found out that you had left Robert after walking in on him and Susannah in bed together."
"Yes I did didn't I?" Harry vaguely replied as the hazy memory of returning from her job interview at SI10 only to find Robert and Susannah together in bed suddenly entered her mind, along with the feelings of disgust and betrayal the image evoked.
"You remember?"
"Yes…I think so…" Harry hesitantly replied, as she wasn't quite sure if the scene in her head was a true memory or a figment of her imagination.
"Well good, and keep that memory in your head, it will help you remember who the bad guy in all of this really is."
"Was Robert really at the club that night? James said that he was?" Harry asked, her mind instantly transported back to the here and now.
"To be completely honest 'Aitch I really don't know. I didn't see him, in fact the only person to my knowledge who did was Simone, and she is hardly the most reliable of sources….as far as I can recall she wasn't even wearing her glasses that night, and we had all been drinking, so who is to say if Robert was there or not…..Why? You don't remember anything do you?
"No, nothing at all….It's just that James seems so convinced that the baby isn't his." Harry miserably stated.
"I wouldn't say convinced Harry, just concerned. Put yourself in his shoes, and think how you would feel if the situation were reversed, it's understandable to fear the worst." Angela reasoned.
"Maybe…..but I certainly wouldn't go and discuss the matter with my partner's father. It's as though I don't even exist!" Harry complained.
"Surely you don't propose that he discuss it with you? Just look at how you reacted when he did. James has done everything he could during these past two weeks to avoid upsetting you, yet you seem determined not to notice that and to push him away."
"I knew that you wouldn't understand." Harry sighed in frustration.
"I'm trying 'Aitch I really am, and so is everyone for that matter, especially James, and I can only imagine how worried poor old Freddy must be. I can't even begin to conceive how difficult this must be for you, but at the same time you need to give James some slack."
"That's easier said than done." Harry protested as with confused emotions she thought of the American.
"Honestly Harry the man has displayed the patience and fortitude of a saint, and for a person who is not normally known for his patience I think that he has been remarkably understanding and that you should show a little more gratitude, if only to make your own life easier, not to mention for your father's sake."
"I don't need a lecture Angela!" Harry defensively replied.
"No, I know you don't darling. It's just that it's so soul destroying to see you so unhappy, and I also know how much you really do love James. I would hate to see you throw all of that away, and so would you if only you could remember. I just can't think of any other way to make you realise it."
"Yes, so you keep saying." Harry wearily remarked, as she was tired of hearing her father say the very same thing.
"All I can ask is that you please think about things a little more carefully before making any rash decisions or saying something that you may later live to regret. Please darling promise me that you'll at least give it a try."
"Very well, I'll try." Harry reluctantly agreed, wondering if her friend may have a point.
"Thank you, that's all that anyone can ask… It's either that or I will seriously have to consider knocking you over the head with a blunt object to bring you to your senses. Men like James don't come along every day Aitch.
"Mmm, certainly not in this neck of the woods." Harry agreed.
"That's true….I still think that you should sleep with him!"
"Angela!"
"Oh come on Aitch, what's the worst that could happen, you're already pregnant for Christ's sake! Judging by that self-satisfied grin you've been wearing ever since the two of you finally got together, you'll certainly enjoy it."
"Stop it!" Harry blushed.
"That's not what I heard you saying to James when the four of us stayed the weekend at that guest house in Cornwall. In fact if my memory serves me correctly you were extremely encouraging, not to mention incredibly loud."
"Angela, for goodness sake!" Harry pleaded as she turned an even deeper shade of red.
"In fact, I'm quite surprised that you didn't break the bed!" Angela remarked with a throaty laugh.
"Now I know that you're lying." Harry remarked with a smile giggle of embarrassment at the very thought, as she knew that she wasn't one of those women who found it necessary to make such noises during sex.
"There's only one way to find out!" Angela challenged.
"You really are incorrigible." Harry self-consciously giggled, before adding "You will stay for lunch won't you?"
"That was the intention, although I've not yet eaten breakfast, so maybe we could combine the two? What is it the American's call it? Brunch isn't it?"
"I'm not sure, but I'm sure that Mrs Strathmore will have something in the kitchen…..She's been on a mission to constantly feed me since we arrived." Harry commented as they left the stables with both dogs in tow and leisurely strolled up towards the house.
"Who can blame her, you've lost an awful lot of weight. Maybe you should mention it at your appointment tomorrow, I'm sure that the doctor must be able to prescribe something to help with your morning sickness." Angela suggested as she looped her arm through her friend's while the mid-morning sun lit up both of their faces.
"Hopefully there won't be any need. I've started to feel a little better over the last few days." Harry confided, as she preferred to not to think of what negative connotations that could mean.
"Well that's some good news…are you looking forward to the scan tomorrow?"
"Not really….I'm worried they'll find something wrong." Harry admitted in apprehension.
"I'm sure they won't."
"I hope you're right…..although if I'm being honest I'm not quite sure which option is the worst; there being something wrong with the baby, or the doctor somehow confirming that the baby isn't James'."
"So you do want it to be his then?" Angela asked in surprise.
"I suppose so…I certainly don't want it to be Robert's, and I can't quite believe that after all of this time I'm still married to him."
"I know, no-one can. Any normal man would have the decency to agree to a divorce, whereas Robert is holding out for every penny he can get. He's such a money-grabbing bastard!"
"Mmm." Harry mumbled in agreement as they continued their approach to the house and she became aware that James was watching them as he sat next to one of the many windows in the orangery.
Surprisingly the knowledge that he was observing her made Harry feel rather pleased, not to mention slightly warm and fuzzy inside.
….
Sorry it's been so long between updates again. I've been busy with work as usual, and have also been on a training course for a few days which seemed to sap my brain cells.
As always I hope that you enjoy my latest chapter, and look forward to reading your reviews. I would also like to thank everyone for your continued encouragement and support.
