''

Slowly but surely, Rey renovated the parlour into a habitable space again. There were some things that she was unable to rectify - the stains on the chaise longue were resistant to everything she tried, so she concluded it would need to be reupholstered, which was something she didn't have the skill to do.

The rips or marks in the wall paper, she ended up covering with pictures moved from elsewhere.

The smashed vase was beyond repair, which was a shame as not only did it look expensive, (made of frosted glass decorated with beautiful gilt flowers and vines), it was one of a pair.

The mantel clock face could be repaired by a clock-smith, and she had handed it over to Poe to take to Penrith when he next had an errand there.

Everything else, she was able to mend, even the ripped cushion had been painstakingly sewed together, then placed so the repair was hidden.

The last tasks were cleaning and polishing the smallest ornaments and curios, which was very labour intensive and rather slow going.

For this, she had moved a table and chair close to the open windows, and sat with a breeze caressing her cheeks as she worked on returning everything to its former glory.

'

The most difficult job had been the chandelier, grease and dust were always a terrible combination and with it being made up of some many tiny pieces, each of which required a lot of work before the crystals shone as they should, it took a lot of time and effort. When she had finally finished it, she had to take a few days break, keeping to simple chores while her back recovered from the awkward angles she had been forced to hold as she worked on it.

It had been worth it though, to see it hoisted up, crystals catching the light of the sun and throwing scintillating sparks all around the room like some sort of magical enchantment.

'

Since her visit to Maz, Rey had had no further wolf-dreams and more importantly, no more of Lord Ren.

She did wonder if perhaps the wolf had moved on from Ullswater, but looking back, he did seem to only make himself known at intervals. Knowing little to nothing about wolves, or most animals, she had no idea if they roamed a long way, only coming near Varykino a few days a month, or if the animals only howled at certain times, perhaps to do with finding a mate? Oddly, that thought had made her blush and she quickly moved on from it.

'

Since his one furious visit, Lord Ren had avoided the parlour and after the strange encounter in the library, Rey made sure to avoid him.

Unfortunately, one Tuesday afternoon in early June, their paths crossed once more, in a most uncomfortable and indecorous manner.

Rey had been up to Dockrey with Poe, who had then gone on to Matterdale on a private matter. The walk back to Varykino was all downhill and very pleasant, so Rey hadn't minded one bit, well, not until the clouds abruptly chose to burst open when she was half-way home.

The rain was so heavy she had to retreat under the largest tree she could find, already dripping as she tried to shield her purchases from the inclement weather.

It wasn't cold, but she still found herself shivering as she miserably tried to decide her course of action - did she stay here in the hopes it would be brief, or did she attempt to run all the way back to Varykino? Staying where she was, made sense in the short term, but she still found it difficult to read the weather here, and could not be certain of the likely duration of the downpour. Running downhill in the rain sounded like a recipe for disaster, but if she didn't run, she would be thoroughly soaked by the time she made it home.

The tree, (she had never learned the names of trees, but it was big and leafy) was keeping her mostly dry for the moment, so she huddled against its trunk, hoping for some mercy. Even the lessening of the rain would be a blessing at this point.

Some of the damp had seeped through to her skin, increasing her shivering, and she began to reconsider her plan to wait.

Presently, her ears picked up the sound of a horse's hooves and she moved a little away from her shelter to see if it were Poe come to rescue her.

It was not Poe, nor anyone she recognised straightaway and besides, they were riding a huge black horse, so she shrank back out of sight, not wanting to be seen as she very probably looked like a drowned rat at that moment.

The rider was protected by a greatcoat and hat and seemed unaffected by the rain, trotting at an easy pace, until he drew abreast of her position, that was when something very odd occurred.

The rider reined in, sitting perfectly still in the saddle, even as his mount snorted in protest, then his face lifted slightly, tipping up and slowly turned to exactly where she was standing.

It was Lord Ren.

And she was almost certain he had located her by… sense of smell.

His face lowered back to it's normal position and he stared straight at her for a moment, before riding closer and bending down so he could see under the tree's canopy.

"Miss Johnson."

He sounded disapproving, as if being caught in the rain was a choice rather than a misfortune. "How long have you been here?"

"Lord Ren, I ah," she would absolutely not apologise, "Since it began."

"You're wet," he observed, then extended his hand, curling his fingers at her, "Come. I will take you home."

Rey frowned, did he want her to walk alongside his horse? It would perhaps shelter her a little, but not by much. "Thank you, but I am sure it will soon stop, and I do not wish to inconvenience you."

"Don't be foolish, if you stay out in this much longer you may become ill, Silencer is sure footed and it will not take long."

Understanding dawned; was he… on his... with him? Rey suddenly felt light headed and swayed slightly where she stood, placing a hand on the tree trunk to steady herself.

"I couldn't possibly…" she stuttered, mind gone blank with shock, "I do not think… it wouldn't be proper!"

If she had not been staring at him, she would have missed the very brief roll of his eyes he made, before narrowing them at her, "Your lips are blue, Miss Johnson. I doubt we will pass anyone else on the road, I quite insist."

"I have never been on a horse before, I will probably upset him," she tried desperately, "I am sure the rain will stop soon."

Lord Ren's mouth tightened and Rey realised that there was no way out of this without appearing to be insolent. While he wasn't her master, he was still the master of Varykino. With a quick prayer for her nerves and a plea for the immediate cessation of the rain, Rey left the cover of the tree and cautiously stepped onto the road and up to the side of the horse, who seemed even bigger now that she was close to.

"Don't be nervous, Silencer won't hurt you." Lord Ren shifted in the saddle, then casually reached down, snaked a long arm around her waist and just hauled her upwards like a sack.

Rey went with a surprised squeak, blinking as rain dripped into her eyes from her bonnet as she was settled in front of Lord Ren, legs and skirts draped over one side of the horse.

Although she was cold and wet, heat bloomed in her cheeks, even as she shivered. Lord Ren adjusted them slightly, undoing his greatcoat and draping the sides over to cover her.

She sat in stunned silence, unable not to be aware of the warmth of his body or how hard it felt against her.

Taking the reins in one hand, Lord Ren nonchalantly curled one of his arms firmly around her waist and they started off.

To her chagrin, Rey clutched his arm for balance, convinced that any moment she would fall off and probably die. If she didn't die of embarrassment first, that is. She felt quite faint, hot and cold at once.

"You really are shivering."

Lord Ren observed quietly, so close to her ear that Rey flinched in surprise. At that moment, she didn't have the wits to answer him, merely pressed her teeth together so they didn't chatter.

True to his word, Silencer made quick time and before long they reached the stables and the mounting block made getting off the horse much less unsettling than getting on.

While she had planned to hurry as fast as was humanly possible into the house, Rey found herself so light-headed she had to lean against the stable wall.

"Are you ill?" slowly she looked up to see that Lord Ren had dismounted and was standing before her, frowning.

Why had he helped her, when her very presence usually infuriated him beyond reason?

With an effort, Rey pushed herself upright, she swayed as soon as she did, but she gently shook her head, "I am quite well, thank you for your kind assistance, Lord Ren."

Dropping him a courtesy proved to be her downfall. Or rather, it caught her in the lie as she almost fainted.

As she had sat upon the horse, she had vaguely thought that the day could not get any worse, but she found that she had been mistaken when Lord Ren picked her up and carried her into the house.

If she had been sensible, she would have simply expired right there, death by mortification, but she felt distinctly odd and dizzy, so she continued living as he placed her in one of the chairs in the library and covered her in the chenille blanket.

This, she thought vaguely, really was becoming a habit.

'

"I think she may have fainted or come close."

Rey's eyes drifted open at the sound of Lord Ren's voice, remembered where she was, what had happened, and tried to shoot to her feet.

It turned out to be a bad idea as her head swam and she sat back in the chair with a gasp.

"Slowly does it, Rey," Mr Hux told her as he knelt in front of her and she found that her embarrassment could increase. "Do you feel well enough to stand with aid?"

"She needs to get out of those wet clothes," Lord Ren stated from somewhere close.

While he was correct, those words, said by him, made her think she may truly die right then. She wondered absently why he was even still there, now that someone else was.

With a deep breath, Rey sat up properly, "I think I can stand, yes. I am so sorry, sir, I don't know what came over me."

"That's quite alright, Rey," Mr Hux stood and offered her his hand, which she hesitantly took and let him gently guide her to her feet. "I will escort you upstairs, just in case you feel faint again. Dopheld is making tea and will bring you a cup when it is ready."

This was too much, "Oh, no, I am sure I will be fine to come downstairs, sir, there's no need-"

Lord Ren cut her off, "You fainted, Miss Johnson, twice I think. You will stay upstairs and rest for a few hours, at the least."

Rey turned wide eyes to Lord Ren's firm, masterful expression and then back to Mr Hux, whose expression was carefully blank.

With a small nod, she took a few steps, but once more she found herself swaying and had to grip the top of the chair to steady herself.

"You'll fall if you walk up like this," Lord Ren declared and then without so much as a warning or a by-your-leave, he bent down, curled an arm under one of hers and the other behind her knees, and simply picked her up.

The world tilted alarmingly and Rey gasped, flinging her arm around his neck to make her feel more stable.

"Really, Kylo I don't think-" Mr Hux began only to be cut off.

"She is obviously unsteady, Hux," Lord Ren said calmly, though his voice had become slightly gravelly, "This will save time and possibly a fall."

So saying, Rey was carried out of the library, trying not to faint, again, because she was now unable to smell anything other than Lord Ren and feel nothing but his arms holding her against his body. She was unsuccessful, which may have been a boon, as she didn't have to bear witness to being carried or placed upon her bed.

Mr Hux gently shaking her arm had her eyes opening, blinking in confusion before recalling where she was and how she came to be there. To her great relief, Rey found that Lord Ren was not with them.

"I am sorry Rey, but I do think you ought to change, you are quite wet," Mr Hux said apologetically.

"I will…. Um, thank you for your assistance, and I am so sorry for the inconvenience," she said as she carefully sat up.

"No inconvenience," Mr Hux said as he walked to the door, "I will remain outside, just in case you faint again."

For a moment, Rey just sat there, trying to process the bizarre turn of events before getting off her bed and changing out of her wet clothes.

When she was dry and dressed, she stripped the sheets from her bed as they had become a trifle damp, then let Mr Hux know she was alright to go downstairs for tea. He frowned, but allowed her to, though only on the proviso that she take his arm.

And so, she found herself sitting by the fire in the kitchen, with a blanket on her lap and a cup of tea and plate of bread and butter, being scolded by Dopheld of all people, for not taking better care of herself.

It was utterly absurd, as if one could die from a trifling little chill or could predict with certainty the way weather could turn. Had they expected her to simply instruct the rain not to fall?

Once her third cup of tea was finished, she would hear no argument against her at least helping with dinner. Dopheld grumbled but gave way when she just started peeling carrots.

'

That night, she absolutely dreaded going to sleep, for fear of what her dreams may torment her with. Or rather, whom.

Despite this, she was exhausted and went upstairs early, after Mr Hux insisted. She remade her bed with sheets that were dry, waiting for her cup of Sweet-sleep to brew, hoping against hope that it would protect her from dreams of Lord Ren.

'

It wasn't long before she fell into a deep sleep, devoid of dreams until early in the morning, when of course, she dreamt of Lord Ren.

Similarly to her previous dreams, she never saw his face but she just knew it was him, the body pressed against hers, curved around her, felt the same as it had on the horse, she knew the bare arm that was holding her at the waist, thumb idly stroking over her nightdress as lips pressed soft kisses up and down the side of her neck. The scent of him surrounded her like his body, and she suppressed the desire to stretch and hum with pleasure, because this time she was aware of herself, to some extent anyway. But when his kisses turned to nibbling she could no longer suppress a wanton hum of delight.

It was that, that pushed her into waking, cheeks red with anger and humiliation and worst of all, disappointment. Disappointment that she had woken up.

Rey lay back with a frustrated sigh and stared up at nothing; no matter how she tried to avoid Lord Ren, she always slipped up somehow, and the result was always uncomfortable. She had no idea why he affected her so, or how she could put a stop to it.

It was possible that Paige or Rose could advise her, but it would be difficult to conceal the identity of whom she was trying to become… unattached from, for want of a better phrase. This predicament was entirely new to her, and was bewildering to say the least.

Her turbulent thoughts prevented her from going back to sleep and she resorted to going down early for a cup of tea, as her throat was a little sore and she didn't wish to become ill after all the fuss everyone had made yesterday.

'

'


A/N: I know, bridal carry, so cliché ;) Thank you SO SO MUCH for your comments ^_^ If you're enjoying this, I have other fics, some wips (6 including this one) but everything else is complete. More info on my bio.