...

Nightcap

...


It had turned quite freezy outside on the coast and so they hurried back to the warm house. Barbara had not yet finally answered the question that would change their lifes. After a sarcastic comment on his ragged appearance, your Lordship, Tommy had cleaned his knee under the water crane on the stable's wall but of course his brother had noticed his wet trousers and commented it with a smirk and a raised eyebrow when they returned into the living room. Tommy nodded almost invisible at his unspoken question.

Judith and Martin also had gone for a walk and had not yet returned. The rest of the family spent another half hour with homely chatting. Obviously nobody wanted this evening to come to an end too soon but finally Barbara yawned and decided to go to bed.

When she got up three pairs of eyes watched them closely. Except for that hot gathering in the corridor when Daze had stopped them and the two unexpected little pecks when she stood at the table with Judith and Deborah nobody else had witnessed a real and open kiss of love between the two. Which did not mean that they were not obviously in love and would not radiate their affection. Even a blind could have seen that.

" 'night!" Barbara whispered and bending down she gave Tommy a short kiss on his lips. He grabbed her hand. His eyes were asking for more, her eyes answered that this would be all he would get now. And don't follow me straight. Barbara caught herself wishing he would follow.

"Well," his brother mumbled under his breath. "I believe you could do better. Like this." And he kissed Andrea into the cushions of the sofa.

Daze harrumphed and glared at her younger son.

Tommy simply ignored his brother. "Good night!" he breathed and pulled Barbara down to his lips again. "Sleep well, my love." The kiss they exchanged then was a bit longer. In fact it almost turned juicy but before his tongue had coaxed her lips to open she broke the contact.

Deeply blushing and without another turn to the family Barbara quickly left the room. Tommy grinned with an equally blushed face and watched her disappearing. He had felt all their eyes too. Expecting him to follow her they all waited for his good night wish that did not come. He would wait a bit more. Barbara would not like that they all knew or imagine what they were up to so Tommy stayed on his seat and tried to ignore his family's eyes. Or maybe Barbara did not even want him to follow her tonight? Making love in the parent's house always was a bit embarrassing, even if it was such a huge manor with such thick stone walls. Well, in fact it quasi was his house too but maybe she would object anyway? Oh, he would refrain a bit longer and wait for the perfect moment when they're in the cottage in Nanrunnel. And there he would ask her again. He smiled at that idea.


It had been a long day for everybody and soon they all retired for the night so about half an hour later they all had left the living room. Tommy had put on his pyjamas in his bedroom but knowing he would not find sleep soon he decided to have another nightcap in the library so he also put on his dressing gown and went downstairs. There he met his brother in T-shirt and boxers, filling two glasses with some caramel coloured liquid.

"Peter! One more drink?"

Peter turned and looked at his brother as if he would see a ghost. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Tommy poured himself a whisky. "Oh, just like the two of you I was going to have a nightcap before I retire for the night."

"Stupid!"

"What?"

"You are stupid, my brother." Peter sarcastically patted him on the back.

"Umm, would you please explain what brings you-" Tommy asked and Peter rolled his eyes.

"There is a woman upstairs who had dreamy eyes every time she looked at you and who had eaten you alive with those dreamy eyes of hers the entire afternoon and you are coming down for a nightcap?" he unbelievingly asked. "I call that stupid! She is waiting for you, you idiot!"

"Peter..." Tommy knew what his brother meant, he knew what he wanted himself. But he had decided to keep it slow, he had decided to not follow her tonight. As hard or idiotic it might appear. He sipped at the strong stuff he had chosen.

Peter shook his head. His brother must be dumb. He took the half full glass of his brother's whisky.

"Go after her!"

"Peter, first, what there is, what there develops between Barbara and me - it develops one by one." Although I already have asked her to marry me. "We are taking things slowly."

"As if..." Peter ironically inserted.

"Second, I don't think that this is-"

"I don't care that you think or that actually this is none of my business!" Peter turned his brother into the direction of the door and gently pushed him. "She loves you, you love her. You're a fool if you don't knock on her door right now."

Ah, bloody - he was right. To hell with taking things slowly. Tommy rushed up the stairs.


He knocked twice but heard no answer because Barbara heard no knock. When she had retired for the night she had fallen asleep in the instant she had crawled under her blanket and closed her eyes. The events of the day and the night before (and the glasses of champagne Judith constantly had given her) finally had taken their toll and she was fast asleep now despite whatever else she had on her mind before.

Though Tommy had heard no Come in! he opened the door nonetheless and peeped through the crack. The light from the corridor shone into the room and he could see the back of her head. As if she had heard the door she turned and faced him with still closed eyes. Tommy freezed and even stopped breathing as if he was caught doing something forbidden. But thinking that he had a little right to be there he boldly whispered her name. She still did not move. Tommy just smiled at her, wishing he had the guts to simply enter her room and lay down next to her. A part of him wanted to simply fall asleep next to her, another part wanted to gently wake her up and demonstrate his love for her, yet another part wanted to give her time and space and let her sleep peacefully and without the shock in the morning of having him in her bed. Though it could become a very pleasant shock, he thought. The part that was overflowing with love made him sigh and still hesitate.

When Judith and Martin came up the stairs, giggling and in each other's arms, Tommy noticed it too late. He had no more time to close the door and pretend he had been doing something else in the corridor. So closing the door slowly and silently now he turned to his sister and Martin with a blushing face and a guilty smile. Judith chuckled.

"Hello, hello, hello, Tommy..." She wiggled her eyebrows.

Martin just grinned and went ahead with a good night wish. Judith stayed at Barbara's door and nodded at her brother.

"Where have you both been so long?" Tommy casually asked with a distinct look at a small straw in her hair. Judith blushed when he picked it with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, we... umm... we were just checking the temperature in the stables." She cleared her throat and grinned. "It's warm there. Barbara's already sleepin'?" she added changing the subject with a gesture towards the door.

Tommy nodded. "M-hm." He looked at his feet like a schoolboy.

"Say, why don't you just go in? I don't think she would object." Judith winked and placed a hand on his upper arm.

"No. No, I won't disturb her. She really needs a good night's sleep. After all that happened..." If he had pockets on his dressing gown he would have stuffed his hands in. Judith smiled. Her brother was so truly madly deeply in love and looked as if he could not handle it properly. As if he had not been in love before, as if this was something totally new to him. Well, obviously it was.

Judith hugged him and whispered reassuring words. "You're going to make it right this time, old brother. You deserve each other. You'll work out everything and you'll be fine. She's at your side. Just convince her she'd stay there. And you're gonna stay at her side, promise me. She needs a bit of your assistance in our crazy posh world, you know her. And don't you dare running away when you stumble upon something difficult, whatever it might be. I know there will be huge obstacles. But you both belong to each other, Tommy. You already have for years."

"Thank you, Jay. It's just that I don't know-"

"Go to bed, get some sleep. Tomorrow you'll check out here and drive to Emerald Cottage for the rest of your spare time. You're goin' to get to know it there."

Tommy nodded. "Yah, sleep would do me good... 'night, Jay. You're the best sister in the world!"


.


.


Author's notes: Thank you all for your wonderful reviews and inspiring PMs. This story ends here but there will be an afterpiece. It will be in a second story (Who Cares - the post-sequel) so keep your eyes open and the filters set correct ;-)

Tess


PS: It goes on a bit...