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And once again, thank you very much to my wonderful beta Brina (Brinchen86),
Disclaimer: Story idea and my OC Beatrice Taylor are mine. Everything else belongs to CBS.
Bea was sitting in her room, at her desk and she was writing in her diary. Most of the entries in there were about arguments with her father, how much she missed her mother and how she was different from the rest of the world.
From her desk, Bea could look down into the street. Sometimes, she forgot all about her writing and indulged in observing the people that walked past their house. Men in suits and top hats, women in expensive dresses, always an umbrella to hand in case the sun might hit them and ruin their tans – even if it was in the dead of winter. Bea quite liked her skin tanned and she had never understood the fashion of having to remain pale. Apparently, the paleness of the skin was a marker of which class you belonged to – the higher up you were standing in society, the paler you had to be. Every summer at Heslington Hall, when Bea spent most of her days outside walking through the gardens, she always got a tan and she liked it – for her it set summer apart from winter. She always compared it to the place she was living: the paleness and coldness of London and the gaiety, warmth and colourful surroundings at Heslington Hall.
Now as Bea once again observed the people down on the street, she saw a carriage pulling up in front of the house. She knew this carriage – it was Lord Hammerback's. Observing the bustle on the street, she watched Lindsay get out a couple of seconds later. Bea got up and straightened her dress, ready to receive her best friend. She walked downstairs and just came down as Lindsay walked in.
"Good that you're home. Do you maybe have a little bit of time for me?" she asked.
"I always have time for you, Lindsay, you know that," Bea answered and took her best friend into the drawing room. She turned towards the maid that had followed them and asked her to bring some tea.
"So, what is the matter?" she asked as she had sat down in her favourite chair next to the fireplace.
Lindsay was pacing the room, too nervous to sit down in it. "I cannot marry Dr. Hawkes," she then blurted out, after some minutes of silence.
"Why?" was Bea's simple question.
"Because I think I might not be in love him," Lindsay replied, standing by the window, looking out into the frosty and snowy garden outside.
"I know you aren't, that's no news to me," Bea stated and looked at Lindsay. As her friend did not reply, she went on: "You didn't choose him, your uncle did. If you want my opinion, those are no grounds a marriage should be based upon."
"But it's the way things work in our society and you know that just as anyone else does!" Lindsay called out.
"So what now? You want to marry him despite not having feelings for him?" Bea wanted to know.
"I have to," Lindsay answered in defeat.
"You don't have to do anything, Lindsay. No-one can make you. Follow your heart," was Bea's advice afterwards.
"I can't," Lindsay said and finally sat down next to Bea.
"Because Danny is a servant?" Bea asked provokingly
"You know that upper class and lower class don't tend to mix. It's like this for a reason," Lindsay explained desperately.
"Then don't get married at all," Bea suggested.
"I know that is the way you chose for yourself, but I don't think it would work for me, Beatrice."
Bea looked at Lindsay and wondered whether she should tell her friend about the argument she and her father had had the night before. By now, Bea was quite resolute in her decision not to marry the candidate her father would choose for her. She knew that if she refused to marry she would be cast away by her father – something she did not want to happen. But at the same time, it simply went against all she stood for when she would give in to her father's orders that easily. Bea was sure that the last word had not been spoken in the latest conflict between the Earl and his daughter. She hadn't seen him this morning and so his threat was still pending over Bea's head. She was not at all convinced that her father would follow his own set of rules – or at least she hoped that he wouldn't. She still hoped that he had only said this out of spite last night, but had never really meant it.
"Then tell me, my friend, what are you going to do now?" Bea wanted to know.
"Honestly, I do not know," Lindsay confessed. "I think I will have to forget about all the silly fancies I had about Daniel and myself and I will concentrate on Dr. Hawkes. He is a really nice man and I think I could love him one day."
"If that is the path you want to take, I will support you. I will always be by your side, Lindsay. No matter which way you will go," Bea said in support and leaned over to gently touch Lindsay's hand. "And if it doesn't work out," she added, "we will both move into Heslington Hall and be known as the two lovely spinsters!"
This made Lindsay giggle and Bea shared the laugher.
"Thank you," Lindsay said after some time.
"For what?" Bea asked.
"For always supporting me. You are my dearest friend and that will never change," Lindsay assured her.
Later that night, Bea's father, Mac, came back home from work. Bea could not even tell for certain what he was doing all day, as that was one of the topics they never discussed. By the rules of society, it was unseemly for a father to discuss his business with his daughter – even if she was the only one in the household he could talk to.
He was home late, so when he arrived, he walked straight into the dining room where Bea was already sitting over supper.
"Father," she greeted discontentedly as he sat down next to her at the head of the table.
"Beatrice, I have to talk to you," he started.
Bea already saw the worst coming, but was prepared nevertheless.
"I've had some time to think over the things I said last night and I think I have wronged you," he surprised Bea. She stayed silent and waited for what there was to follow next. "I still think that you should get married at your age. But I will be as fair as to give you a little bit of time to choose a husband for yourself."
Bea gulped. She had to realize that the whole marriage situation wasn't fully dealt with, but she was willing to esteem her father's concession.
"When do you think I should have found someone?" she wanted to know.
"I will give you this following month. There are some festivities coming up, beginning with the ball at Lord Hammerback's house. You will have plenty of time to choose one of the many suitors I know you have," he let her know, spooning his soup slowly.
"Only a month? Surely, father, you can't be serious with this," Bea exclaimed.
"I assure you that I am. If after this month is over you still haven't made a decision, I will be the one to make it for you. As you may see, I have already met you halfway. I just hope that you will make use of the month you have."
With that, the conversation was over for Mac and he kept on eating his dinner in silence. He did not allow any opposition on Bea's part, that much she was certain of.
Bea knew that she had to make the most of the situation and decide rather quickly which way to go – either she would find someone to marry or she would lose her father forever.
Back at Deputy Chief Constable Flack's house, he was sitting at dinner with his wife Jessica. It was the second night in a row that she had come down after having been ordered to supper by her husband.
"How was your day, my darling," Jessica made an attempt at conversation.
"It was good," was all the answer she got from him.
"Are you already excited for the ball at Lord Hammerback's house this weekend?" she started again.
"I sure am," Flack answered, monosyllabic. "Will you be attending?" he then asked his wife.
"Why would I not?" she exclaimed in wonder.
"You haven't been out in society for the last couple of weeks. You haven't received any of our guests and you haven't returned any calls. So, do you think my answer is quite so unjustified?" He looked up at Jessica and waited for her answer.
His wife, however, did not know what to reply. She knew that he was right, but the way in which he had confronted her with her own problems was too much to bear for her. She fell silent and stopped eating. Flack saw this and commented:
"Eat. You also haven't been eating properly."
"I am really sorry, darling, but I have suddenly lost my appetite," she retorted and stared down at her plate.
"Jessica," Don started and waited for his wife to look at him before he continued: "We have to work out our problems."
"I know we do," she muttered quietly. "But we both know that the biggest problem of all cannot be solved, no matter how hard I try."
Flack slowly breathed in and out, trying to find a good reply, but he knew that there was none. No matter what he now said, it would probably hurt his wife's feelings.
"Do you want to divorce me?" she then confronted him all of a sudden.
"Why would you think that?" he asked.
"Don't tell me you haven't thought about it," she dug deeper.
"Yes, I have," Don admitted. "But we still are and I want us to remain married. It does not mean our problems are all gone though."
"I know that. But it is going to take some time for me to accept that I cannot give you what you desire," she let him know.
"Take your time then. Just promise me that you won't spend all that time thinking upstairs in your room. I have missed your company," he said and took Jessica's hand up to his lips to kiss it softly.
"Thank you, Donald. And I am sorry that I haven't been the best of wives lately," she apologized.
Don only smiled at her. He knew that there was a very rocky path still ahead because their childlessness was still, and would remain, a problem.
Danny walked into the pub and ordered a beer at the bar. After having paid for it, he scanned the room and saw his best friend Adam Ross sit in one corner.
"Hey Adam," he greeted him and sat down at Adam's table.
"Danny, it's so good to see you out. Haven't seen you much lately," Adam said in return.
"I know. I have been busy with work. The Lordship has a ball coming up and there are a lot of things he wants us to do," Danny explained.
"I heard about the ball. The Lady Lindsay has been visiting Lady Beatrice a lot."
"I know," was all that Danny said.
"Oh, is it still the little Lady Monroe that is haunting your dreams?" Adam teased, knowing that he had just hit a nerve with Danny.
"Why would you think that?" Danny wanted to know.
"Because everyone here knows that you have taking quite a liking to her," Adam told him.
"Everyone here knows?" Danny muttered under his breath, looking around the room where everyone else was minding their own business.
"Everyone," Adam emphasised. Danny took a sip of his beer and looked Adam. Adam studied Danny closer and asked then: "Will you be going after her?"
"Have you lost your mind, Adam? I cannot and I will not go after the Lady Lindsay," Danny hissed back.
"Why not? Just give me one good reason not to."
"Because I work for her uncle and because she is not a member of my class!" Danny cried out.
"Why would that stop you?" Adam wanted to know.
"Because you just don't marry someone from a different class – you always remain in the one you were born into, it's common knowledge," he sighed and with his eyes begged Adam to drop the topic.
Next up: The ball! Will Bea choose one of her suitors? Will the appearance of the Flack couple silence all rumours about their declining marriage? Will Baroness Stella Bonasera get Mac to dance with her? And what happens when Lindsay steps on the dance floor with Danny instead of Hawkes?