This was definately the hardest chapter to write and I'm afraid, it will still take some suspension of disbelief. However, here it is. Thanks go to Firebird, who will regret in about 30 seconds that she ever put those thoughts into my mind and duskbutterfly, who encouraged me to write this, even though she didn't really think it could be done. The rest of you: You have been warned. ;)
Little Confessions
Mac was not a vengeful woman - but she would make an exception for her. It wasn't only the eager willingness the lady had displayed in the past, to let her take the fall for a murder she hadn't committed that the Doctor couldn't quite bring herself to forget. It was the self-righteousness she exuded that really rubbed Elisabeth MacMillan the wrong way. The truth was: While she really was used to "sailing close to the wind" as Phryne would put it, Mac had never aspired to be different. She didn't chase freedom in having it her way like her oldest friend did. It wasn't an indulgence to turn societies expectations upside down. It had just transpired to be the way she was. And Elisabeth embraced it as best as she could. She had learned to speak her mind, stand her ground, dress like a man, work like a man and turn her back to people who treated her with disgust for loving who she loved. It was her life after all and she'd be damned if she wasted it. Even right now she had no intention whatsoever to do so. As if to prove that, she raised her glass of champagne to a group of male doctors who eyed her with suspicion. Women in the job generally had that effect. It would take about three minutes before the first of them would try to chat her up. About five before he'd realise that he was onto a lost case. And about ten before he would have informed the rest of the group. Mac smiled a cynical smile and turned her back to one of the guys looking strangely lost in his tuxedo, who was obviously just considering to head her way. She drained her glass and grabbed another one from a passing tray. So the same procedure as last year. She would keep rotating the room, nod and smile a bit, try to not offend anyone who had enough money to help the hospital – which would be a rather tough task since the room was filled with rich and easily offended people - and sneak out as soon as the possibility arose for a quiet drink at Phryne's. Unless of course the Inspector's car was parked in front; In that case she would have a quiet drink alone at home and cross her fingers that her old friend would finally take the blinkers off before she herself would get desperate enough to pounce on the DI, just to drive the point home. Mac shuddered at the thought. Nothing against Jack Robinson, dashingly handsome and brilliant as he might be. Just not her type of human being.
She hadn't noticed that the subject of her earlier thoughts had rotated quite far through the room herself and bumped into her, just as Mac turned to grab another glass. The one in her hand had mysteriously emptied in no time at all and to get through this night, she really needed some more alcohol. Sometimes she wondered just how much this hospital could raise if it would not serve champagne at its charity nights. Was the ease that the bubbly caused the collected ladies and gentleman to dig through their pockets with, really making up for the immense cost of watering a whole ballroom with French wine? Bumping hip first into the impressive backside of Prudence Stanley ripped the doctor from her thoughts rather rudely.
"Doctor MacMillan!" The Lady exclaimed in her typical mixture of busy excitement and annoyance. "How lovely of you to come." She smiled something that she probably thought of as charming and tried to move on, but a sudden thought had popped into Elisabeth's head. One that made her grin inwardly.
"Mrs. Stanley. What a beautiful job you've done tonight."
The doctor knew 'Aunt P.' well enough to know that this little compliment would compel her opposite to stick around for the moment. And while that was about as far from her goal as it could have been just a minute ago, it was now her resolve. She would have a chat with Prudence Stanley. And she would enjoy herself immensely.
Twenty minutes went past with pointless chatter about decorations, the new children's ward, Jane's adventures in Europe that Prudence found suitably intolerable and her new maid that did not know how to prepare a proper high tea just yet. Elisabeth stifled a yawn, trying her hardest to look interested, all the while keeping the glasses in their hands full ones and an eye on the by now slightly glazed look on Mrs. Stanley's face. She had successfully stirred them towards a quiet and darkish little corner absent of the dance floor and out of the direct view of anyone she knew, in a little step-by-step dance. That part was important for her plan.
'Aunt Prudence's' mimic was unusually animated tonight, her language alive in a way an overdose of champagne would affect it in someone who usually only sipped alcohol politely, and for a moment Doctor MacMillan pondered if she really would go through with this.
"...look at this woman carrying on in such unchristian ways. She should be ashamed of herself." Mac followed the gaze of her conversation partner towards a nurse who was animatedly but harmlessly flirting with Doctor Gerard, a married man who had recently separated from his harpy wife. Alright, so she would go through with this after all, she resolved, gulping down another glass of bubbling wine. Mac by now felt pleasantly light headed and was wondering just how far Mrs. Stanley was gone. By the uncharacteristic flush of her cheeks and the fact that she had drunk probably about double the amount of the doctor, she expertly guessed, quite far. Time to act. Smiling Mac leaned in as to share a secret and whispered: "Oh, you wouldn't have an idea what people in this hospital get up to, Mrs. Stanley."
Prudence's eyes widened in shock at this but her face displayed openly a certain hunger for gossip that the her opposite had counted on.
"Is that the case, doctor?" She gulped, hardly hiding her excitement about this sudden turn in the conversation.
"Oh yes." Elisabeth all but moaned and stepped just that tad closer. "Unbelievable things, Mrs. Stanley. You know this doctor and that student, oh I forgot the names, such a shame. They were caught the other week in one of the patients rooms with hardly any clothes on. Quite the sight, I am assured."
She watched her opposite swallow hard at this, still curious but also getting slightly uncomfortable. A little closer. Prudence backed off a bit but then again, Mac was not a beginner; she had made sure there was a very solid wall not too far. Something in her foggy brain reminded her that she was gambling with her job right now, despite the alcohol seeming to suffocate efficient thinking at this stage. Prudence Stanley had immense influence on the hospital board and it would take a lot of hard work to talk this little chat away when she was done with her. But then, the blush creeping down the neckline of her conversation partner was worth it.
"And have you heard about the incident in the laundry? Two nurses tangled in the dirty sheets. Unbelievable." Mac whispered hoarsely, her mouth only inches from Prudence's face. Big, shining eyes were locked onto hers in breathless silence, the face distorted in utter shock. In fact, Doctor MacMillan was surprised Mrs. Stanley had lasted this long without running away screaming. She probably would have to push a bit further, even though she knew she was already beyond going too far. She bit back a grin and slowly moved a hand up the wall, effectively locking her opposite in position. By now her breath must've brushed her skin but to her astonishment 'Aunt P.' seemed to have frozen to the spot rather than be in the hysteric meltdown she had counted on. Mac breathed out slowly, trying to figure out what to do next. The decision was taken away from her by a hand that gripped her head with some force and pulled her into a teeth clashing kiss.
Doctor MacMillan found herself dimly wondering if she was dreaming this. It was more than unreal and definitely not something she had ever wanted to happen. Serves you right, she scolded herself, while trying in vain to detangle herself from the arms that held her in a death grip. If you played with the fire you couldn't complain if you got burned. Then again, when you encountered an unexpected fire, the best way to deal with it was to put on the kettle, she mused. Before she could act on her resolve, however, Mrs. Stanley pulled back with the kind of look on her face that you expect if someone awakes from a nightmare to find the monster standing beside her bed. Mac hardened her shields, fully expecting to be berated in the harshest of manners by a lady in denial. It wouldn't be the first time she would take the blame for someone else's "unnatural" passions. To her utter amazement though, Prudence just made a complicated side step similar to a little dance, untwining herself from Macs rather lose grasp.
"I would like to express my sincerest apologies, Doctor. I don't know what has gotten into me."
Something glittered suspiciously in her eyes and Elisabeth found herself rendered speechless, before Prudence made a sudden turn and vanished in direction of the balcony at a less than ladylike speed.
Dr. MacMillan stood for a moment, trying to sort the events in her champagne soaked brain. Then she sighed deeply and followed her. However this had gotten out of hand she was not sure, but she had meant to play a little joke on Aunt P.'s iron morals and prejudices, not stumble head first into her closet to greet the skeletons. And when had she started to give a damn about this stuck up woman anyway? The answer to this, she knew exactly. About two minutes ago, when she had discovered something about Phryne's aunt she had never thought in the faintest bit likely.
The fresh night air cooled her heated skin. Mac found Mrs. Prudence Stanley standing at the balustrade, looking up into the glittering night sky. She didn't turn around but from the way her shoulders went rigid as she approached, the Doctor could guess that she had noticed her all the same. She decided to stand beside the older woman and give her time for her thoughts. It wasn't an easy situation and if anyone knew that, than probably her.
"It is rather strange." Prudence said after a while to nobody in particular. "One marries, as it is proper, has children as it is expected and right. And nevertheless it seems to be always that little bit wrong, you know?"
Mac didn't know. She had been too little of a coward to live this way – or maybe too much of one. Whichever way you wanted to twist it, there was no easy way to deal with finding that you didn't quite fit into the very round shaped holes of society, because nature or god or whoever you wanted to blame, had made you a square. She suddenly noticed that she had been watched for a while.
"I believe there is no point in regrets, Doctor. It is too late to change the path I have taken."
The doctor grinned into the darkness.
"Believe me if I say, it is never to late for that."
There was a glimmer in Mrs. Stanley's eyes that assured her that this lady was not quite as dead as she made herself out to be. The second kiss was different. Much less desperate and also involving a whole lot less teeth. Mac realised, as she held someone who in her darkest nightmares she had never expected to kiss in this life time, that she might be a bit more vengeful than she liked to admit but she was not cruel enough to deny a starving woman food. Though her dignity might take a rather harsh beating tonight, even Prudence Stanley deserved some common courtesy. When they pulled back, her kissing partner indeed looked like she was drowning in confusion.
"I believe, Mrs. Stanley, this is not the place and time." Mac said, glancing in the direction of the still humming ball room. In sudden resolve she extended her hand and waited. If it wasn't taken, she sure as hell would walk inside, enjoy the rest of her night with Phryne's Whiskey and never so much as look back. But only a few silent seconds later five sweaty fingers wrapped around her own and Mac pulled her new acquaintance back into the house and down the servants stairs. Knowing, that Prudence would never take her home to her mansion in fear of her gossiping staff, the Doctor gave the cab driver her own address. They didn't talk much on the way there, but nevertheless their fingers stayed firmly entwined. They didn't talk much either once they arrived there, if for completely different reasons. Mac found herself astonished at the fact that, while Prudence might have been clumsy in her attempts to please her out of sheer lack of experience, she was actually enjoying herself. At about 3 am in the morning, when they finally lay shoulder to shoulder in her bed, staring into the darkness, she heard her bed partner say, in a voice that slowly returned to the woman she knew:
"You are aware, Doctor MacMillan, that if anyone should ever discover the truth about this night, I will deny all knowledge of the events?"
Mac smirked into the darkness and lit a cigarette, before she answered.
"So will I, Mrs. Stanley."
Their eyes met and they shared a quiet smile while the moon threw shadows onto the sweaty sheets. When Mac awoke the next morning she didn't have to open her eyes to know that she was alone. It didn't worry her, however. Somehow she knew that Prudence Stanley would never cause her troubles again.