A/N: I still owe you how it went on after they were left alone in his house in Cornwall - finally. Well, here it is. Don't expect alternative chapters. Anyway, enjoy...

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Dessert

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He looked forward to breakfast. It would be different to every breakfast they had before. Staring into the mirror above the sink in the bathroom where the incident had happened under the shower yesterday evening, Tommy recalled the earlier breakfasts he had had with Barbara in the previous days when she had come down always as the last one. His mother and Judith always had been there already and always a little light-hearted bickering had taken place when Barbara had arrived. Even more so when he had started to teach her how to ride.

This time again she probably would be late but that was no wonder. It had been a long evening with Daze and Judith away to an open air play and Barbara and him alone in the house. It had been a terrific, romantic evening.

Tommy took his razor and started to shave his stubbly chin. In his mind thoughts went back to the previous night after dinner.

... x X x ...

Together and in silence Tommy and Barbara brought the dishes to the kitchen. While Tommy put everything into the dishwasher, Barbara made sure that the wine bottles were corked up and then she put away the rest of the bread into the breadbox.

"I never thought you'd clean up after dinner yourself." she chuckled eventually.

It made him grin. "Then who do you think is cleaning up after I've had my meal at home?"

She shrugged and snickered. "Don't know. Your house-elf?"

"You're silly!" Tommy laughed. He closed the dishwasher. When it was running and the cooker as well as the dining table looked reasonably clean, they looked around in the kitchen and nodded.

"Looks good, doesn't it?" Tommy asked.

Barbara wiggled her head slowly. It was tidier than it was after she ate at her own home. "As good as it should." She leant against the worktop. "And now?" Her voice was a bit shaky. She almost crossed her arms in front of her chest but felt it would be inappropriately repelling so she just propped herself against the worktop.

His gentle voice was dripping down her ears like honey. "Fancy another glass of wine?" He moved closer to her. Without waiting for an answer he snaked his arms around her waist, bent down and was about to kiss her but Barbara shook her head.

"Nah..." she said. "But is there any chance that this fridge palace of yours contains a common bottle of beer for me?"

He was disappointed although deep down inside he could understand it. Although Barbara had coped well with it, the dinner event had not been exactly hers and now she obviously needed something even less formal to get back to solid grounds. Tommy nodded. "Of course. I'm almost sure that mother even has a small variety of local brews." Letting Barbara go and turning towards the huge refrigerator, he added that Daze had a secret passion for handcrafted porters and stouts. "They go very well with what we had for main course but, well... they usually don't expect anything but wine..."

"They?"

"What you call our lot." He winked when he handed her a bottle. Barbara grinned. "A glass?" he asked and she nodded.

"So you say, I just could've asked for a pint? I just would have to live with haughtily raised eyebrows and the fact that I'd sink in their estimation?"

Tommy frowned when he opened two bottles and filled the beer into glasses. "Of course you could have asked. And nobody would deplore it." Then he grinned. "And I suppose, mother would have had a glass of beer too, so she'd taken the wind out of any stick-in-the-mud's sails anyway."

"Stick-in-the-muds?" Barbara snorted a laugh but Tommy only rolled his eyes with a grin.

"You know what I mean." he replied. "Now, shall we move to the study? I vaguely remember that I've promised you a crackling fire."

"It's summer..." she mumbled.

"And it's getting colder." He placed a light kiss into her hair and squeezed her shoulders.

They turned off the lights when they left the kitchen.

"And so what?" Tommy switched off the main lights that Barbara had turned on when she had entered the study. Now the room was lit only by two smaller lamps next to the settee. "Well, listen to the wind outside. I'd call that a nice coastal summer storm."

The room was not only a presentable but not very functional study but was also used as the cosy family living room and library. It definitely was cosier than the big ample hall with its stone floor and huge windows. The Ashertons also had a bigger library but Tommy once had told Barbara that the books there mainly were dead capital, ages old, hidden behind glass doors, only washed over from time to time by the sound of Judith playing the piano that also was hidden there.

What the Lynleys called the study was furnished warmly and wooden and with a lot of thick carpets. Above the wooden wainscot the walls were painted dark green. Some standard prints of horses and an old painting of the manor decorated them. A few lamps were strategically placed at the walls and on small tables. On one side there was a huge mahogany desk but on its desk pad there only was stationery and a pencil holder, three bottles of liquor and a small tray with turned-over glasses. It did not even try to look as if it was used for real paper work. On the other side of the room was the well used fireplace, and in front of it a settee and some armchairs awaited the family's convenience.

Tommy placed their glasses on one of the small tables next to the old but comfortable settee and sat down next to Barbara who, this time, had not opted for a single-seat. He gave her one of the glasses, took his, placed his arm around her shoulders and toasted.

"Cheers, Barbara. To a nice evening in front of the fireplace."

After a sip Barbara snorted another quiet laugh. "But you're not going to light it, are you?"

"Yes." Much to her disappointment he got up again.

Tommy looked out of the window and pointed his chin towards the rain that was dripping against the window pane by now. "It may be summer but the temperature has dropped significantly, the rain is heavy as you can see, and if you listen closely you can hear the wind howling." Barbara laughed again but he knelt down to light the logs anyway. "I'm going to make it as cosy as possible in here."

"I never knew you were such a romantic." she murmured.

"I never knew either." he admitted when he sat down next to her again. His eyes locked with hers and it was the softest of looks he gave her. "But then you came around and taught me better."

"Bollocks." she mumbled.

... x X x ...

Tommy snickered and splashed some water into his shaven face. He wiped it dry and went to his bedroom in nothing but a bathrobe. Fortunately the craftsmen would not show up today so he had all the time in the world to get dressed. On his way downstairs he passed Barbara's room. Quietly he opened the door and peeped inside.

She almost laid diagonally in the huge bed. Barbara was curled up under the huge duvet. One of the pillows looked out from there. She obviously had it grabbed and cuddled it closely. But she was still sleeping deeply.

Tommy sighed.

Probably it would be a while until he would meet her in the kitchen.

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