A/N: Greetings, everyone!
So sorry for the delay, guys. But, you know...life. lol. Anyway, I hope some of you are still reading! ;)
Anonymous reviews! :)
Guest - Thanks! :D So glad you're liking the story so far :) As for your question...Not in this story, no, but in the "sequel"? TONS. hehehe ;) Totally agree about the fact that there can't be a Brittany without Santana and vice versa lol ;) Just have to be patient a while longer :) Anywho, thanks again, and I hope you like this chapter! :)
anon - Thanks for the review! I'm so glad you liked the chapter and that the letter part was adequate! :) It's definitely changed things for Quinn. It's like everything she thought she knew was wrong, and now she has to deal with that. :) Hehe, I'm glad you like Shelby as the other villain (totally right about Finn lol). I actually really don't like her at all on the show. I don't like how her character is written (such a shocker for the writing on the show, I know lol), and I didn't like how she treated both Rachel (when she first found her mom) and Quinn (when she was clearly going through a tough time and Shelby told her she couldn't see her daughter. Not. Cool. lol), so...She's on my "fictional character shit list" hehe ;) Anyway, thanks again for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)
t - Thanks! I'm glad that the chapter hit the intended emotional buttons! :D As for your question, one of the two things will be happening, but not in this story ;) hehehe. Thanks again and I hope you like the chapter!
jock - Thanks for the review! I'm so glad you liked the chapter :) Yeah, this Quinn cannot control herself around Rachel, instead of the hyper-controlled Quinn we see (or used to. I haven't watched season 4 lol) on the show ;) Anywho...thanks again, and I hope you like this chapter! :)
anon - Haha, I know exactly what you're talking about! It happens sooo much, and it's always with my favorite stories (not that this is one of your favorites or anything. I'm just saying lol), where I get all kinds of excited when I get a notification of an update, only to see it's like 100 words, and I get this feeling of dread, like, "Oh, crap. They're not going to write any more of this story..." And most of the time my dread is right lol! Anywho...I'm glad that I didn't disappoint you! :D I hope you enjoy this chapter! :D
Emmy - Hello. I suppose I should thank you for your "constructive bashing" of my author's note. If you don't mind, I would like to offer some constructive criticism myself. First of all, do you know me? In real life. Do you know what kind of person I am? No? Didn't think so. Because, if you did, you would know that I would never "brag" about my incredibly ridiculous work load. It's not that impressive. I mean, come on. Three pages? We had to write longer papers than that in middle school. Even five pages is pretty much nothing. Thirteen pages isn't much either. Not with my major, where most of the papers are about 20 pages in length (not bragging. Just stating a fact.). The 53-page Master's paper was the hugest pain in my ass, you have no idea. I'm not proud of it. I did it because I had to. I could care less about it. And you would know that if you actually knew me or even asked anyone I know in real life why I was "bragging" about that paper. I only stated the page lengths and numbers of papers because 1) it's an author's note and I can write whatever the hell I want in it, 2) I am an extremely verbose perfectionist, so I tend to give more details than what may be perceived to be "necessary" (it's a personality 'flaw' that I have come to embrace), and 3) the pages lengths were relevant because they illustrated the fact that my life was consumed by all things work and no fun and I didn't have time or energy to write for fun. Or even read. Please note, I'm not bragging. I'm just stating fact. My second job and teaching assistant stuff was also relevant (see note #3 above). I put the thing in about my girlfriend because she was going through some crappy personal stuff at the time, and I wanted to make her smile (mission accomplished, by the way. I'm so awesome. - That is bragging), so it was relevant because I said it was, end of story, and it had nothing to do with me "bragging". If I really wanted to brag in that author's note, I would have said something about how amazing I am and how no one else could have done all of that successfully except for me, blah, blah, blah. Also, if I wanted to brag, I would have kept that author's note up instead of deleting it. Do you see the flaw in your thinking/"constructive bashing" now? I would be happy to explain further if need be. In addition, I find it interesting that you say that there are two ways to take the content of my author's note, yet you only give credence to the view you obviously believed to be true: that I was merely bragging so that people from around the world whom I don't know, nor will ever meet in real life (realistically speaking) could tell me how awesome I am. Please. I'm not a teenager (no offense to teenagers or anything - I know there are many mature teenagers out there - but this would seem more likely in someone younger) or a child. I don't really give a crap what random people think of me - never have and never will. Do I have FFN "friends" whose opinions I do care about? Of course. But most? Not particularly. I don't even care what most people in real life think about me. Which, by the way, would make bragging very out of character for me. In any case, my advice to you is not to judge someone if you don't know him/her (an oldie, but goody lol), and if there are two sides you can perceive, don't automatically assume it's the worse of the two. You may end up with your foot in your mouth. That is all. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.
Okay, I'm done now. Happy reading, everyone! :D
Her mother had company for breakfast.
"Finn," Rachel said, guilt shoving her heart up into her throat as she entered the dining room, "what are you doing here?" Had Quinn told him about the kiss? Had someone else seen them go out onto the balcony? And why did that thought fill her with more hope than horror?
Her fiancé, who had risen to his feet at her entrance, sat back down. "I've come in hopes that I might persuade you and your mama to dine with us tonight at Brahm House."
"Of course, it did not take much persuasion," her mother replied jovially—more jovial than Rachel had seen her in quite some time.
"Your mama and I have been discussing plans for the wedding." The smile Finn flashed her mother struck Rachel as cunning and secretive rather than truly happy. What were the two of them up to? Somehow, she just knew it involved Quinn.
"Wonderful," she replied, forcing a bright smile as she crossed to the buffet where a breakfast she no longer felt like eating awaited. "Anything you'd care to share with me?"
"Oh no." Shelby shook her head. "It's nothing you and I haven't already discussed, dear."
It was so easy for both of them to lie to her, Rachel realized, spooning coddled eggs onto her plate. If either of them set out to harm Quinn in any way, she would wash her hands of them both. It would be difficult to turn her back on her mother, but she wasn't so certain she even knew her mother anymore.
The idea was appealing even if they didn't harm Quinn. For the first time, Rachel considered crying off the engagement. She could do it.
Then she could marry Quinn.
The thought startled her so much that she almost dropped her plate.
"Are you quite all right, my dear?" Finn asked. He sounded genuinely worried and Rachel wondered if he meant it.
"I'm fine," she lied. "I'm just a little tired, that's all." She couldn't very well tell him that she was considering jilting him for his sister, now could she? And other than that one beautiful kiss, she had no idea if Quinn would even want her.
And instead of Quinn's kisses, she should be thinking of Finn's. But he had never kissed her as Quinn had. Perhaps she should ask him to? How else could she know if it was Quinn alone who made her feel this way, or if she was just fickle?
"Tired?" Finn's tone was one of amused censure. "It's after eleven. How could you possibly be tired?"
Because I spent half the night thinking about what a divine kisser your sister is.
"I didn't sleep well last night. I had a headache." That was all the explanation he needed.
She didn't dare look at either one of them for fear they would see the distrust, or worse, the guilt, in her eyes. A footman held her chair as she seated herself at the table.
Finn sipped his coffee. "I was hoping you and your mama might want to visit some warehouses today to shop for household items—our household."
"I'm afraid I'm not really feeling all the thing today, Finn." Rachel hoped that she looked as apologetic as she sounded. "Why don't you and Mama go? I'm sure I will love whatever you pick out."
There wasn't much chance of that, but it would give her an opportunity to express her fears to Quinn. Perhaps she was wrong in her suspicions, but she knew how much her mother wanted a titled son-in-law, and she knew how much the title meant to Finn. Neither one of them would give up that easily.
Her mother looked positively thrilled with the turn of events, deepening Rachel's suspicion. Normally her mother would insist she come along, but today she obviously wanted Finn all to herself.
"If you are unwell, dear, perhaps we will go one without you. After all, it is only fabric and furnishings we will be looking at. You can approve the choices before they're purchased." Shelby smiled.
Finn reached out and took her hand. It was all Rachel could do not to jerk it back. What was wrong with her? It was the kiss. Somehow, that kiss had changed everything, and now the touch of her fiancé, which at one time had at least been pleasant, made her cringe.
It was the guilt. It had to be the guilt that was responsible for this sudden aversion to the man she was supposed to marry.
"Are you certain you will be all right if we leave you?"
Rachel managed a tight smile. "I'll be fine. I will have Betsy bring me a headache powder and lie down. By the time we join you for dinner tonight, I will be right as rain."
That seemed to appease them both and conversation turned to different matters. Keeping her responses to a minimum, and focusing her attention on her food, Rachel managed to make it through the next half hour until they left. Then, as soon as they were out the door, she penned a note to Quinn that simply said:
I must speak with you. Please come at once.
She couldn't fight her suspicions any longer. She was convinced her mother and Finn were scheming against Quinn and she couldn't keep silent any longer. Rachel would never forgive herself if they did something to ruin Quinn's life—something she might have prevented.
She sent Jane with the note rather than a footman, knowing her maid could be trusted to secrecy, and within half an hour Quinn was standing in the blue drawing room, wringing her gloves in her hands.
"I'm glad my message found you at home," Rachel said, breaking the silence.
The blonde regarded her solemnly. "I was trying to think of an excuse to come see you. Rachel, about last night…I apologize if I offended you in any way."
"Offended me?" Quinn thought she had offended her?
She nodded. "Forcing my attentions on you was very impolite of me and I'm sorry."
"Oh." What else could she say? That Quinn shouldn't be sorry because she enjoyed it? Well, that was just too brazen, even for her! And when Quinn made it sound as though kissing her had been a mistake—which she knew it should have been—it made her reluctant to speak her feelings. A young lady never told someone how she felt about them unless they made a declaration first, although it was slightly more complicated when two ladies were involved.
And it usually helped if the young lady in question knew just what her feelings were.
"I didn't, did I?" Both the blonde's tone and expression were hesitant. "Offend you, that is?"
Rachel shook her head, too bewildered to do much else. "No, you didn't offend me."
Quinn's face brightened somewhat. "Good. I am very happy to hear that. I hardly slept at all last night. I kept replaying it over and over in my head—" She flushed deep crimson and Rachel's heart flipped in her chest.
So she hadn't been the only one who had lain awake last night.
"I mean…I felt so awful about it," Quinn insisted, and Rachel wasn't certain which one of them the other girl was trying to convince. "I had no right to take such liberties. You are engaged to my brother."
Rachel didn't need to hear her repeat all the things she had already thought. She knew all the reasons why the kiss had been wrong, but that didn't change the fact that it had felt so right.
It also didn't change the fact that her mother and Finn were up to no good.
Reaching out, she grabbed Quinn's hand to keep her from saying more. Rachel tried to ignore the thrill that shot through her as her bare fingers clasped Quinn's longer ones. Was it her imagination or did the blonde seem as shocked by the contact as she was?
"Quinn, right now we have something more important to discuss than a kiss."
Quinn frowned, as though she had difficulty believing her, and raised a brow. "Such as?"
Rachel took a deep breath. If her heart didn't soon slow down it was going to play itself out. "I suspect my mother and Finn are plotting against you."
She laughed. Not a chuckle, but a big, booming laugh.
Rachel fought the urge to kick her. "This is not funny!"
Sobering, Quinn stared at her. "You're serious."
"Of course I am! Did you think I would send you such an urgent summons if I wasn't?"
"I thought…I thought you were just being coy," Quinn answered sheepishly.
"Coy!" Rachel had to laugh at that. "I have never been coy in my life." But she had been coy at the ball last night, hadn't she? Well, she would just blame that on Quinn. The blonde brought out the flirt in her.
Setting her gloves on the table beside her, Quinn braced her elbows on her knees and leaned forward. "What do you believe Finn and your mother have in store for me?"
How to say it without making both Finn and her mother sound like the worst kind of people?
There wasn't a way.
"I have heard Mama speak several times about Finn wanting to prove you illegitimate."
"Illegitimate?" Her tone was incredulous. "But my parents were married."
"Can you prove it?"
Quinn's face darkened, her expression hardened, and suddenly Rachel found her terribly fierce and intimidating. "What are you implying?"
"I'm not implying anything," Rachel assured her quickly. "I have no doubt that your parents were legally wed. But I fear Finn and my mother are going to try to make it look as though they weren't so Finn will inherit the title."
Quinn's expression was still dark. "If the title means that much to him he's welcome to it. I would give it to him if I could."
"You would?"
Quinn frowned at her surprised tone. "Of course I would! I don't need it. I've already got one title. What the devil am I supposed to do with another one? It's the money I need."
"You need money?"
The blonde nodded. "The village surrounding my home in Scotland has always depended upon my family and their lands. When my father left us, apparently my mother gave him quite a large loan—one she wouldn't allow him to repay. Things began to fall into disrepair. She was so in love with him that she neglected everything else. With the money left to me by my father, I can begin to restore the castle, and the village will be prosperous again."
Rachel had never met anyone like Quinn Fabray in her entire life. She was more concerned about her "village" than she was about herself.
"I have money," Rachel announced abruptly.
Quinn looked as though the brunette had just told her she had a third leg. "What are you saying?"
Yes, what was she saying? Marry me and you can have my fortune? For someone unsure of her feelings, she was certainly talking like she knew what she wanted. Lud, she was practically throwing herself at the blonde!
"Just that if I can help you in any way I will."
Quinn didn't look as relieved as she expected. Was it possible that the other girl was just as confused about this…this attraction between them as she was? Never in her eighteen years had she been so willing to break every rule of society for someone, but she knew without a doubt that she would dance a barefooted jig on the Prince Regent's supper table if Quinn asked her to.
"Thank you. Your friendship means more to me than you will ever know." Their eyes locked and right then and there Rachel knew that they both wanted to be more than friends.
The drawing room door burst open before either of them could say any more. They both jumped to their feet in surprise. Finn stomped into the room, followed by Mrs. Berry, a mixture of anxiety and anger on his face.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded, pointing an accusing finger at Quinn.
Rachel stepped forward, barely containing her own anger. "When did you become master of this house?"
Finn stared at her in shocked surprise. He opened his mouth to speak, but Quinn cut him off.
"I was here looking for you, brother."
Finn pulled himself together, but his expression was still one of shock. "For me?"
An easy smile curved Quinn's lips.
"Yes. Your mother told me where you had gone and I thought I would stop by and see if you would care to accompany me on a horse ride. As soon as I arrived, Miss Berry told me you had gone out with Mrs. Berry and asked if I would care to wait." She smiled at Rachel. "I couldn't refuse my future sister-in-law, now could I?"
She was so convincing that even Rachel almost believed her story, but then she noticed how Quinn kept her hands behind her back and that they were knotted into fists. She did not like to lie, even to someone who sought to publicly destroy her.
Finn seemed to believe her as well. He looked positively sheepish. "I'm afraid that I cannot join you today. I'm taking Mrs. Berry out shopping. We just came back because I had forgotten my gloves."
"Then they would be in the dining room," Rachel replied coolly. "Not in here."
Finn flushed and her mother sent her a scolding look, but Rachel ignored them both. "Come, Your Grace. I shall see you to the door." It was petty, she knew, but she had intentionally stressed Quinn's title to annoy Finn and her mother.
Quinn offered Rachel her arm. Her hazel eyes teased the shorter girl without Quinn having to say a word. Quinn didn't disapprove of Rachel's lack of manners. She was amused by them.
"Good day to you, Mrs. Berry, Finn."
Both Shelby and Finn muttered an inaudible reply.
Rachel led Quinn out of the drawing room and though the hall to the front door. Quinn looked around to make sure they weren't being watched before asking, "When will I see you again?"
"Tonight," Rachel replied, enjoying the flicker of pleasure and surprise that crossed Quinn's beautiful face. "Finn invited us to dinner."
Quinn grinned. "Let's hope I'm not to be the main course."
Rachel chuckled, raising her gaze to the blonde's. The warmth in her eyes caused Rachel's heart to skip a beat.
"We have much to discuss," Quinn told her. "Do you think you will be able to sneak away?"
Rachel didn't like all this secrecy, but knew it was necessary if they were to stay ahead of Finn and her mother's plotting. "I believe I can."
"Good. Until tonight then." The blonde reached down and caught one of Rachel's hands, raising it to her pink lips. Softly, Quinn brushed her mouth across the brunette's naturally tanned knuckles, sending a jolt through Rachel's entire body.
"Until tonight," she whispered, unable to tear her gaze from Quinn's.
Quinn left just as Finn and Shelby came into the hall.
"I'm going to go lie down now," Rachel said, hurrying toward the stairs in an effort to escape them both. Despite her conviction that she had done the right thing in going to Quinn, she couldn't help feeling like a traitor.
"Rachel!"
She stopped, gathering her strength as Finn bounded toward her.
She raised a questioning brow, but remained silent.
"Rachel, dearest," he said, a wounded-puppy expression on his face. "I'm very sorry about my behavior earlier. I hope you will forgive me."
He looked so sincere. Was she wrong about him? No. Underneath that smooth, gentlemanly exterior was a young man who couldn't stand to lose. Had all his sweetness toward her been just another part of the charade? Or did he truly care about her?
And could she honestly marry him now, knowing him as she did?
"I'm not the one you should apologize to, Finn, but yes, I forgive you."
In a pig's eye.
A triumphant smile brightened his face and Rachel wondered if everything in his life was about winning. She felt sorry for him if it was.
"Excellent. Now, what are you going to wear tonight? I want to make certain that we complement each other."
What difference did it make? Sighing, Rachel replied, "I have a handful of new evening gowns. One is a very pretty shade of violet—I thought I would wear that." Violet was a lovely color on her. She always felt good when she wore it.
Finn smiled. "So you want to look pretty for your special someone, hmm?"
She stared into his smug face and realized just how accurate he was.
"Yes, Finn." She smiled somewhat smugly herself. "I want to look very pretty for my special someone."
Then she turned and started up the stairs, wondering if Quinn liked violet.
Quinn found it remarkably easy to lie to her brother, especially now that she knew her younger sibling was scheming to destroy her. She had suspected Finn's dislike, and the young man had admitted to being jealous, but how could he possibly stoop so low as to try to label Quinn illegitimate?
She watched her younger brother from her seat at the head of the dinner table. Finn was all ease and charm as he chatted with Rachel and her parents. Only Rachel appeared immune to his spell. Fortunately, Finn didn't seem to notice his fiancé's lack of enthusiasm. Quinn didn't want Finn to know they were on to him. Not yet, anyway. She wanted to find out exactly what her brother was up to before letting Finn know she was aware of his plans.
Her gaze drifted to Rachel and her heart sped up at the sight of her. She was easily the most beautiful girl she had ever seen. The violet of her silk gown brightened her complexion and made her eyes seem like huge, dark pools. Her thick hair was piled high on her head, with a few wisps hanging down to frame her face. She looked elegant and composed, and when the brunette looked at her, Quinn felt as though she were floating.
And she couldn't even care anymore that Rachel was English. She was learning very quickly that the heart had no prejudice where geography was concerned. It knew no boundaries. Her heart was drawn to Rachel just as her mother's had been drawn to her father. There was no use fighting it.
But she would fight it because Rachel was engaged to her brother.
"You're awfully quiet this evening, Quinn," Carole remarked as she sliced into the roast quail on her plate. "Are you unwell?"
Tearing her gaze away from Rachel's, Quinn smiled at the woman she was quickly coming to think of as her stepmother. "No, ma'am. I am quite well, I assure you. I was just thinking about the letter my father left for me." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Finn stiffen. It was a cheap shot at her sibling, but it gave Quinn immense satisfaction.
Carole smiled warmly. "Good thoughts, I hope?"
"Yes, ma'am. The best."
Finn's eyes narrowed. "How was your ride this afternoon?"
Quinn smiled. Obviously he hadn't believed her story. "It went very well, thank you, brother. You should join me next time."
Quinn looked as though she would rather swallow glass.
After leaving Rachel, Quinn had indeed gone on a horse ride around London, even though it hadn't been her original plan. She ended up sitting in Hyde Park, where she met a close acquaintance of her father, the Earl of Whitly. He had been a friend of her father's for years and had known about Philip's first marriage. He and Quinn talked for several hours and when Quinn finally left to return to Brahm House, she felt as though she had a better understanding of the man her father was. She also felt a deep and biting regret that she had never had a chance to get to know him.
"Yes, well. After Mrs. Berry and I completed our shopping excursion, I went to White's club to attend to some business matters," Finn quipped shortly.
"I wish I had a club," Brittany remarked after swallowing a bite of potato. "Gentlemen get to have all the fun."
"Young ladies have more important things to do than idle away the day at some club," Shelby remarked crisply. "Such pursuits would be damaging to the female mind."
From the expression on Brittany's face, it was clear she heartily disagreed with Rachel's mother, but good manners dictated that she not argue and so she speared another bite of potato with her fork and jammed it into her mouth. Quinn smiled. Apparently she wasn't the only one in the family who needed help holding their tongue.
Taking a sip of her wine, Quinn turned her attention to the food on her plate. She wasn't very hungry, but she forced herself to eat anyway. The weight of Finn's stare was heavy upon her shoulders, and Quinn did not want her brother to see that she was not as at ease as she tried to appear.
After dessert, the ladies rose and left the men to their port and cigars. Once in the drawing room, Carole asked Brittany to play the piano for them, and she happily agreed. Shelby took a seat next to Carole on the small settee by the window, and Rachel sat across from them on the reading chair. Quinn stood next to Rachel and they began an idle conversation on their favorite pieces of poetry.
Quinn could hear Carole and Shelby's conversation transition abruptly to plans for the wedding when Carole mentioned a new type of rose she had planted in her garden.
"Speaking of flowers," Shelby's loud voice carried across the room, "Rachel simply must have lilies for her bouquet. Any other flower would be inadequate."
Rachel wasn't planning on still going through with it, was she? Could she, now that she knew what Finn was up to? What about her? Could Rachel just turn her back on this…this…whatever it was between them? For that matter, could she?
Part of Quinn said that she should stay as far away from Rachel as possible, that she had done enough damage to Finn's life already. Another, much larger part said curse Finn, and to pursue Rachel with every last ounce of energy she had. She had never met anyone like her, who liked to read poetry, who enjoyed long walks, and who had so much spirit.
The people in Glenshea didn't understand her because even though she was half Scottish, she was also half English. They understood that wild and free side of her, but they didn't appreciate her love of books and music. She was certain that Rachel understood, and that beneath her ladylike exterior, there was a heart as wild as any Scottish lass. Rachel was her perfect match. She had felt it from the first moment she saw the brunette.
When Finn and Mr. Berry returned to the drawing room, instead of staying with Rachel as she wanted, Quinn turned toward the piano where Brittany sat. She didn't want Finn to know how eager she was for Rachel's attention.
Her sister looked up from the sheets of music with a happy smile. Quinn loved how they had formed an instant bond and were already completely at ease with each other.
"You said you could play, didn't you, Quinn?"
"A little," she replied, caressing the polished top of the Broadwood Grand pianoforte. It was exquisite.
Brittany leaped up from her seat. "Then you must play for us!"
Caught. She had been well and truly trapped by her younger sister who was tired of playing and singing for company's enjoyment, she could see it in her crystal blue eyes.
"One song," Quinn informed her with mock severity as Carole and Rachel insisted that she play. "I will play one song and then the instrument is yours again, brat."
Smiling at her teasing, Brittany skipped off to the sofa where her mother sat and settled upon it like a queen on her throne.
Well, she'd done it now. Quinn hadn't played for an audience in quite some time. Normally she played for her grandmother during winter evenings when there was little else to do but stay inside around the fire where it was warm.
Gently, her fingers trailed along the keyboard playing no one melody in particular until they were nimble and comfortable on the ivory keys. Then, concentrating on the music and not the fact that Rachel was watching, Quinn began to play the first song that came into her head.
The music was soft and simple, and as the words came flooding forth, she opened her mouth to give them voice.
"The water is wide, I cannot get o'er. And neither have I wings to fly. Oh, go and get me some little boat to carry o'er my true love and I."
She could feel all eyes on her as her voice rose and fell with the music. She was a fair singer, as music was in her blood just as it ran through the veins of every Scotsman she knew. And as she sung, she thought of Rachel, though Quinn dared not look at her.
"Where love it planted, O there it grows. It buds and blossoms like some rose; it has a sweet and pleasant smell. No flow'r on earth can it excel."
Someone cleared their throat. Faintly, a voice rose in conversation—not enough to drown Quinn's out, but just loud enough to let her know that Finn was not impressed with her musical abilities.
Quinn raised her head and saw her brother conversing openly with Rachel's mother. It was terribly rude behavior, but Quinn was more amused than anything else. Her pride didn't like the insult, however, and so she turned her gaze to Rachel and sang the next verse.
"There is a ship sailing on the sea. She's loaded deep as deep can be. But not so deep as in love I am; I care not if I sink or swim."
And Finn, who was so busy trying to humiliate her, didn't even notice the earnest expression on Quinn's face as she sang, or the blush that bloomed on Rachel's cheeks as Quinn watched her. For one timeless moment, there were only the two of them in the entire world, and in that moment Quinn knew that neither of them would be able to simply walk away from this thing between them.
Fortunately, no one else seemed to notice how they gazed at each other, or that Quinn was singing for her and her alone. Blast it all, she was going to have to be more careful about hiding her feelings if she didn't want Finn to find out about them.
Somehow the blonde managed to make it through the remainder of the song and the applause that followed. Only Carole, Brittany, and Rachel seemed sincere in their enjoyment. Mrs. Berry and Finn barely clapped at all and glared at her with thinly veiled hostility. Mr. Berry was sound asleep in a winged-back chair near the fireplace, snoring softly. Quinn smile. Singing someone to sleep could be considered a compliment, she supposed.
"Who would like to joint me at the card table for a game of whist?" Carole piped up, her tone bright. Quinn had no doubt she had noticed Finn's objectionable behavior and sought to lighten the mood of the party.
Her stepmother fixed her attention on her son. "Finn, Mrs. Berry, won't you join me?"
Mrs. Berry looked delighted at the prospect of being Finn's partner. "Rachel, you will join us." It was a demand, not a request.
Rachel shook her head, her pink lips curving in a rueful smile. "Pray, excuse me, Mama. I find I still have a touch of the headache and haven't the concentration for cards tonight. Perhaps Brittany would be so good as to take my place?"
Quinn caught the brunette's quick sideways glance and instantly stepped forward. "I was just thinking about taking a turn about the garden, Miss Berry. Would you care to join me?" She lifted her gaze to meet Finn's. Her brother's eyes were cold. "That is, if it is all right with you, brother."
There wasn't much Finn could say without making himself look ungracious, and from the tightness of his jaw, he knew it. Quinn smiled sweetly.
"Of course it's fine with me," Finn replied, his tone stiff. "Don't stay out too long, Rachel dearest. It looks as though it might rain."
It looked no such thing, but Quinn took the remark as the veiled warning it was. Giving her brother a sharp nod, Quinn offered her arm to Rachel. The shorter girl rose to her feet and laid her hand upon Quinn's forearm, sparing not even a glance for her fiancé. Out of the corner of her eye, Quinn saw Finn frown. They would have to be very careful with how they treated Finn, lest he discover that Rachel had betrayed his confidence by telling Quinn of his plans.
Outside, the night air was warm, if not a little damp. The scent of roses and jasmine wafted on the breeze, filling Quinn's lungs with the sweet, heady scent.
They were silent as they walked down the low steps from the terrace to the grounds below. The gravel path crunched beneath their feet—the only sound in the otherwise silent garden.
"He is becoming suspicious," Quinn announced once they were a safe distance from the house. "We must be careful, or he will realize you have told me what he's up to."
Rachel nodded, her delicate features grim in the moonlight. "It's just so hard to pretend. I find it difficult pretend my feelings for him haven't changed."
"You're not still planning to marry him, are you?" Quinn's hear twisted at the thought.
Rachel shook her head, tendrils of hair sweeping her shoulders. "I don't know. My parents are very desirous of the match, but…there is no way I can marry someone I neither love nor respect."
Quinn hadn't realized she had been holding her breath until it came out of her lungs in a sigh of relief. "Surely they wouldn't force you to go through with the marriage if your feelings have altered so drastically?" Quinn couldn't imagine any parents being so cruel. No, that was untrue. She could very well see Mrs. Berry behaving in such a manner. Mr. Berry might actually stay awake long enough to put up a fight where his only daughter was concerned, however. And she couldn't imagine anyone forcing Rachel to do something she didn't want to.
Rachel's dark eyes were filled with regret as her gaze met Quinn's. "He wasn't always like this, you know. When we first met, he was different. Very kind and very charming. I was flattered by his attention."
This was not what Quinn wanted to hear. She didn't want to know that Finn was capable of being nice and kind. She didn't want to feel sorry for her brother, and she certainly didn't want to feel any more guilt where Finn was concerned.
The brunette stared straight ahead as they drifted along the winding path. "He was always so attentive. He has always been stiff and proper, and very proud of his social station, but I had never seen this conniving, greedy side of his nature before. Not until—"
"Not until me," Quinn supplied.
Rachel's head whipped around to face the blonde. "I was going to say that it wasn't until his—your—father's death that I first truly noticed it." She looked away again. "The idea of becoming the duke consumed him. It became all he thought of, the prospect of finally filling his father's shoes. Then he found out about you."
Quinn's stomach clenched, as did her jaw. "If I had known…"
"But you didn't. How could you have?" Rachel stopped walking and seized one of Quinn's hands in her slightly smaller ones. "Quinn, nothing that has happened is your fault. Finn alone is responsible for his behavior. You can't blame yourself for his deceit and greed."
Quinn stared down at her earnest face. Rachel's eyes were nearly black in the darkness. The icy light of the moon made her skin glow with a heavenly light, and her mouth…her mouth was so perfect and pink.
Quinn wanted to kiss her. She needed to kiss her.
"And you're certain you don't love him anymore?" Her voice was hoarse.
Rachel shook her head, her expression somewhat sorrowful. "I'm not certain that I have ever known what love is."
Quinn's heart sagged at her words. What did she expect? That Rachel would toss Finn aside with one breath and declare her love for her with another? Of course she couldn't do that. It was unfeeling of the blonde to expect it.
"Quinn?" The question was a timid one.
She stopped walking and turned toward the brunette. "Yes?"
Her eyes were wide and questioning. "Have you ever truly cared about someone before?"
Quinn's poor heart burst with the desire to tell her how she felt, but she couldn't find the words to describe it. How did you tell someone it hurt to breathe when she was near? That your heart ached at the mere thought of her? How could she say such things and make Rachel understand that such agony was the sweetest thing she had ever experienced?
So Quinn didn't even try to use words. In fact, she didn't say anything at all. She simply smiled.
And then she pulled Rachel close and did what she had been dying to do ever since the last time she had kissed her.
She kissed her again.
A/N: Ooooo, yay, another kiss! But hmm...kissing in the garden during a dinner/get together? Not the wisest decision Quinn and Rachel have ever made lol. Will anyone catch them? Will Finn become suspicious that Quinn knows what's going on? What about Shelby? How exactly does she factor in here? Find out more as All That's Best continues...;)
Thanks for reading! I hope you guys liked the chapter! I'll be back with chapter 7 as soon as I can :D