There's a knock on the door and Richard goes to answer the door and brings dinner in for the two of them. "Here we are, my darling. Come and eat over here by the fire." Richard carries the tray over to the sitting room.
"Do you want white wine with dinner?" Hyacinth asks as she looks in the mini bar.
"Sure, that sounds nice." Richard lifts the covers off the meal.
Hyacinth brings the bottle over and passes it and the corkscrew to Richard. She sits down in front of the fire next to the coffee table.
Richard passes Hyacinth her glass of wine. He sits down next to his wife and sets her pasta down in front of her. "Oh, isn't this nice? There's no interruptions and no phone calls and no family drama! We can just focus on us." Richard sighs blissfully.
"It's nice to be able to just relax and I don't have to do dishes either. This might have been a better idea than I first thought. The room is beautiful, too." Hyacinth says as she picks up her cutlery.
Richard watches his wife wind her pasta around her fork for a moment before he picks up a spoon and begins to eat his soup. The weather is cool in Maine and Richard appreciates the rich, warm soup. The room is quiet and Richard can hear the fire crackle. For once Richard isn't uncomfortable with his wife as he usually is. "The wine is very nice, isn't it?" Richard asks his wife. Normally the conversation at meals is minimal.
"Yes, it's very nice. It's very nice to be able to sit and have a glass of wine with you. We don't get to relax together very often." Hyacinth says as she sips her wine.
"You seem to have relaxed a lot since we got off the plane. Are you feeling better now that you're not in that cramped space anymore?" Richard asks after her finishes his soup.
"Yes, I'm feeling much better. You helped me a great deal on that flight. I felt much better when you were holding me or talking to me. You were the best thing that ever happened to me and you proved it to me again today on the plane trip." Hyacinth sets her fork down and moves closer to her husband.
"I love you, Hyacinth. I would do anything for you. It's not a burden to those things for you or with you. I want more days like today." Richard says gently. He leans over and kisses Hyacinth's cheek.
Hyacinth finishes her dinner and pushes her pasta bowl away from her. Richard pours Hyacinth another glass of wine and refills his glass. He leans against the base of the sofa with his wine glass in one hand. Hyacinth leans her head on Richard's shoulder and keeps a hold of her wine glass.
Richard sighs. Suddenly the silence in the room is awkward and he's unsure of how to proceed with his wife. He drains his wine glass and sets it down before he picks up the TV remote and turns the TV on.
"Do you mind not putting that on right now? Can we just talk?" Hyacinth asks quietly.
"Of course we can just talk. Will you really listen if we talk though?" Richard turns towards his wife.
"Yes, I will listen. I think I better listen carefully or I'll be flying home by myself. I love you, Richard, and I am determined that at the end of this week we will be better off than when we started. Now tell me what you think is wrong." Hyacinth requests of her husband.
"I'm tired, Hyacinth. I'm tired of not being listened to. I'm tired of everyone else being more important than me. I'm tired of the fact that you know everything about everyone else and nothing about me. It upsets me that you listen to everyone else in your family, but not me. I'm tired of not being able to have a conversation with you. I hate that we sleep in separate beds and that I can't remember the last time that I kissed you on the lips. I think it's wrong that your family likes me better than you. I don't like that I don't have a better relationship with our son. I just miss the relationship we had when we were first married." Richard leans forward and rests his arms on his knees.
Hyacinth puts her hand on Richard's back and rubs his back softly. "No one is more important that you, Richard, and I'm sorry if I made you feel that way. I never meant to make you feel as if you were unimportant to me. I know I get wrapped up in things and I'm not as attentive as I should be, but that doesn't mean you're not important. Even Sheridan doesn't mean as much to me as you do. I know things about you and I'm sorry that I don't listen as much as I should. We're having a conversation now and I promise we won't stop talking to each other ever again. I don't like sleeping in separate beds either, but we just did it after Sheridan was born and we never changed it when he left for university. I want to sleep in the same bed and I want you to be comfortable kissing me whenever you want. I miss you, Richard. I want to feel like a couple again instead of two people who just happen to live in the same house. I don't want us to be uncomfortable with each other or feel awkward talking to each other about anything."
"I also don't like that you are so friendly with Major Willow-Forsythe, either, especially since he's such a flirt. He worries me. He likes you very much." Richard sounds upset.
"You have nothing to worry about, Richard. I don't think of Major Willow-Forsythe that way. I love you, Richard. I know he likes me, but I don't allow him to get away with anything. You are the love of my life and I would never jeopardize that by allowing the major to pursue me. The major isn't my type at all." Hyacinth says seriously.
"I know I don't have to worry about you, but I do worry about him." Richard whispers.
"Look at me." Hyacinth says firmly. "I love you with all my heart." Hyacinth leans forward and kisses her husband. She doesn't normally initiate physical contact. She loves to kiss him though when she gets the opportunity.
Richard savours the chance he's being given to deeply kiss his wife. He can feel the warmth from the fire warming the two of them. He loves how soft her lips are against his. He pulls away from the kiss slowly. He doesn't want the night to end, but they have to be at Dr. Feld's office early in the morning. "That was lovely, but you look tired, my darling. Shall we go to bed?"
"Oh, a good night's sleep sounds wonderful. We should get some sleep and be well rested before we meet Dr. Feld tomorrow." Hyacinth says as she begins to move.