How far would you go to get the life you always wanted…


Rita, Part 2

"Well, this is it," Harry said as he opened the front passenger door of the maroon Jaguar Mark 7 and offered his hand. "I-I know it can be a bit much at first."

Taking Harry's hand Rita stepped out, her eyes glued to the massive three story grey shape of Bretby Hall and its round turret wings. Turning her attention to the large arched entrance of the edifice, a coat of arms blazoned proudly above the door, she asked cautiously, "Harry, just what does your mother do? On the ship you told me she didn't work, so how can she afford to live in someplace like this?"

Harry grimaced and sputtered a reply, "Well you see…mum is well…she's the Countess of Chesterfield." With a sigh he added, "I should have told you that earlier I suppose."

Rita blinked, silently, and then asked, "So you're rich?"

"No," Harry apologized, looking like a schoolboy caught with his hands in the cookie jar. "My family…is- well…we aren't exactly rich." He finished the sentence lamely.

"But, what about all this-" Rita motioned toward the huge building before her. "If your mother is the 'countess' that makes you the…" She trailed off, eyes narrowed at the man who was her lover.

"The Earl," Harry added hastily. "But it's all inherited, the title, the land…well what's left of it anyway, which isn't all that much." He frowned avoiding Rita's gaze, and went on, "I am sorry love; I hope you weren't expecting me to be some fabulously rich aristocrat, like the Earl of Grantham over in Downton or something-"

"Harry!" Rita spoke sharply. "What is going on? Why haven't you said anything about this before? Your family is some kind of royalty and you never told me, why!"

"We're hardly royalty," Harry sighed, and hung his head for a moment, shoulders slumped; straightening he lifted his head and met Rita's stony look. "My mother is the Countess of Chesterfield; my dad didn't have any kind of title, he was a banker to be honest-" Voice wistful, he continued, "Dad-dad died in France during the War and well…mum found out he had a gambling problem, and owed money, a lot of money. She had to sell most everything to pay his debts, except the house of course, we can never sell that. Most of the money left is tied up in Agatha's inheritance and investments, and she's loaded. The whole situation is rather embarrassing, so I try to avoid talking about it."

"Oh," Rita mustered pursing her lips. "I had no idea, I'm sorry; I guess I have a lot more to learn about life on land than I thought. I don't understand any of this."

"It's not your fault," Harry sighed. "It's a lot to take in if you don't know what to expect and I should have told you-" He froze, head shooting to gaze sharply at the front door of the large castle. "Oh shit, here they come, and mother is not happy."

"What?" Rita spoke confused, looking from Harry to the large and closed double doors of Bretby's Hall's main entrance. "Who? There's nobody there-" Her voice dropped to whisper as one of the doors flew open. "Harry, how did you know?"

Two women, nearly identical save for their clothes and the yellow parasol one of them carried, hurried out the doorway. Gravel crunching under their heels the two of them quickly crossed to where the Jaguar sat in the driveway.

"You," One of the women announced as she walked across the drive. Form clad in a sensible tweed walking dress, greying hair held up in a matronly bun she came to a halt, and looked Harry up and down for a heartbeat, and with a finger in his face said, "Are late. Both of you should have arrived an hour ago, and lunch is now cold! We called P&O and your ship docked this morn-"

"Oh Charlotte," The other woman interjected as she came to a stop. Unlike her companion, she was dressed casually in loose pants and a blue silk blouse, the addition of a canary yellow parasol, and a single long braid of light grey hair gave her an entirely unconventional look. "They were delayed by a rail accident near Northampton," She spoke sadly, eyes distant. "The poor children on the train, why did that lorry drive not stop at the crossing."

Rita exchanged an uncomfortable look with Harry, who shrugged helplessly, before the woman in tweed drew both their attention.

"Well," The woman spoke pointedly to Harry, and then narrowed her eyes at Rita, examining her as if she were meat at a butcher. "Are you going to announce us or not? I've waited long enough, Henry, introductions."

"Henry?" Rita questioned, her expression puzzled.

"Mum," Harry hung his head exasperated, and then sighed and looked over at the mermaid beside him. "Rita Santos, may I present my mother, Charlotte Stanhope, Countess of Chesterfield, and my aunt, the Lady Agatha."

"Um…um, your Highness-" Rita paused one hand held out to Harry's mother, eyes wide with panic as she looked at the man next to her for support. "I-I-"

Charlotte smiled and took a step forward, hand extended to take Rita's in her own. "Ladyship," She spoke as she enclosed Rita's hand in her own, and added with conspiratorial wink, "You may call me Charlotte. You can save 'Highness' for Prince Phillip, if we ever happen to meet him-"

"He's Greek you know and sleeps in the nude," Agatha spoke, one side of mouth curled in grin as she stepped forward and to embrace Rita. "Prince Phillip I mean, which is probably why the Queen looks so happy, and welcome my dear to Bretby Hall."

"Agatha!" Charlotte spoke, her face aghast, she took a step backward and addressed Rita, "You will have to forgive her sometimes she speaks when she should not."

"And you are such a prude," Agatha sighed.

'In any case, I should be the one calling you Lady," Charlotte said her attention on Rita and ignoring Harry who stood, mouth hanging open slightly. "Based on your heritage." Her eyes flickered down to the silver and blue Moonring Rita wore.

With an instinctive motion Rita covered the ring with her free hand and smiled weakly, "Thank you…I guess."

"Mum! Please," Harry exasperated. "Can we for once act like normal people? You're scaring Rita."

"Normal?" Rita questioned, eyes going from Harry's mother to his Aunt Agatha and her canary yellow umbrella and blue silk shirt. "And I'm not really scared, Harry, I'm finding your family...interesting."

"Good," Charlotte beamed as she moved over to take her sons arms in her own. "I knew we'd get along."

"And Harry, when has 'normal' ever been fun," Agatha spoke loudly, and swinging around she hooked one of Rita's arms in her own and began walking toward Bretby Hall as he told Rita, "No my dear we are not a normal family, 'normal' is terribly overrated, but I'm sure you will love us, and we you," Looking over her shoulder she said, "Come along Henry, we have lunch waiting, even though it's cold. We had fresh cockles delivered this morning." Glancing at Rita she asked, "You do like cockles don't you? It's a type of clam."

"Ah, yes," Rita nodded as she and Agatha continued across the drive toward the main doors of the castle. "I suppose, we don't have those in Australia."

"You'll love them," Agatha answered. "We have some steamed, and then some raw ones, we weren't sure how you like them."

"I rather like her, so far," Charlotte Stanhope said, taking her sons arm in her own as she watched Rita and Agatha make their way toward the main door of Bretby Hall. "Considering she is half fish."

"Mum," Harry's face paled. "How did you-"

"Oh please Harry," Charlotte laughed. "Agatha did a reading while you to were on The Orcades. Did you really think that WE wouldn't know what you were getting up to in Australia?"

"I didn't think you would," Harry sighed. "You didn't know about dad's gambling problem."

"He was your father," Charlotte said somberly. "You are my son; of course I'd make sure to keep a better eye on you." Pursing her lips she added, "Although you really need to do something about your spending, you are so much like your father in that regard, and we can't keep depending on Agatha for investment advice, although she is never wrong."

"Thanks," Harry muttered. "How long have you known Rita was a mermaid?"

"The moment you sent your first telegram," Charlotte smiled, patting her son's hand. "Agatha did a reading of it immediately."

"She's still doing that? And seeing Faeries?"

"Of course, that's her life's calling, she held a séance for Lady Mountbatten recently, your aunt is very well respected in that regard," Charlotte answered.

"How'd that go?" Harry asked, looking at his aunt and Rita curiously, the two of them a dozen paces ahead as they walked toward the main doors of Bretby Hall.

"Not so well," Charlotte heaved a sigh. "Sometimes Agatha speaks when she should not…Lady Mountbatten was not very pleased when Agatha told her that her husband Louis would die on a boat."

"Well he is in the navy," Harry snorted, and then seeing the sharp look his mother gave him amended, "But Aunt Agatha shouldn't say things like that; our family has enough problems already."

"That's what I told her, even after she wrote letters to some Institute of Paranormal Studies in London asking if she could join them." Charlotte spoke with a nervous laugh. "She even told them some boy named Zachary in Australia would be born and become a merman with a blue tail. I have no idea where she gets those ideas."

"Seriously?" Harry snorted. "Rita said mermen were just a legend nobody has seen one in thousands of years, if they even existed in the first place."

Charlotte paused, watching as Agatha and Rita, laughing at something Agatha said walked through the open doors of Bretby Hall. Face serious, she looked at her son, "Henry, just promise me you won't do anything rash."

"Huh?" Harry answered, looking at his mother. "What do you mean?"

"I know you have the Sight Harry, maybe not as strong as Agatha or me," Charlotte spoke, her voice low, intense. "But I know you have it; just as I have…does Rita know?"

"Mum," Harry croaked, his free hand rising to wipe away the sweat that suddenly appeared on his brow. "Can we NOT bring that up today? I want this to be a happy day."

"Just promise me Henry, no matter what happens, you won't do anything rash," Charlotte spoke, repeating her words. "You are my only son, promise me; nothing rash."

"I…I promise," Harry answered with a nervous swallow.

"Good," Charlotte smiled forcefully. "Let's go in and have lunch shall we?" Patting Harry's hand in her own she resumed their walk toward the main entrance of Bretby Hall.


A/N: Okay I'll admit it, I was watching WAY too much of "The Crown", "Downton Abby" and "Doctor Thorne" while writing this chapter, please forgive me. And thanks for reading