Time 13
"Lady Rachel" Finn said gravely taking her hand and bowing over it deeply "my heart feels lightened to see you again"
"Lord Finn" Rachel said stiffly wrenching her hand from his grip and curtsying to him as shallowly as she could "you left so quickly from Belvoir Castle that I failed to say goodbye to you, however it is good to see you again please enjoy the party" slipping from him before he could trap her in conversation she went about her hosting jobs as Santana talked to Jesse.
"When do you return home?" Jesse asked her as they stood by the window overlooking the square, both of them oblivious to the looks of hated that were being thrown Santana's way by the group of un-betrothed girls on the opposite side of the room.
"After the summer" Santana answered sadly, looking down at her feet and trying not to blush as Jesse reached forward and tilted her head up and made her look him in the eye.
"Don't bother to try and be coy and ladylike" he advised her smiling at her with a smirk "it doesn't suit you"
"Oh!" Santana said in mock indignation "I know" she shrugged "but it was indoctrinated into me as such a young age that it's this cloak that comes over me and I do it without even trying"
"It's a ridiculous tactic to trap a man" Jesse said with a roll to his eyes, finally looking up and seeing the girls bitching away at him and Santana "I prefer you to be who you truly are rather than hide aspects of who you are"
"Are you sure?" Santana challenged "you want the real me?"
"I want you in every way" Jesse said with a smirk "but yes the real you would be nice to talk to; just like back in Lincolnshire when you challenged me, don't change on me now just because you are back in 'society' circles"
Laughing at his inappropriate comment but not offended Santana nodded, agreeing easily to being herself around him from now on rather than the simpering fool her mother wanted her to be to get herself a husband.
"A word please Lady Rachel?" Finn asked disturbing her as she stood with one of her father's friends discussing a recent piece of music they had both heard.
"If you must" Rachel sighed nodding goodbye to the elderly gentlemen and turning to the young man she was seriously coming to find trying and not particularly bright if he couldn't see her obvious disinterest in him.
"Ten minutes in the study then please" Finn said conspicuously looking around and hurrying away as if he had something to hide.
Annoyed at his amateur dramatics Rachel went to collect herself a drink and talk to her father about his guest list, if he insisted on hosting these parties and making her help him then she would have more of a say in who was invited.
Standing as she was by her father she was the first to see Puck as he entered the party and made straight for her only restraining himself from kissing her and hugging her close a step from his beloved when he remembered the party around them.
"Noah" Rachel said happily almost throwing herself into his arms "I never thought you would make it in time"
"My horse is a little tired but I knew better than to leave you alone, I might come back to find you either gone mad or killing everyone" he joked leaning down to whisper in her ear as Hiram slipped away to give them privacy.
"It was a close thing" Rachel laughed holding onto his shirt out of sight of the party, the only contact that there could be between the two of them in front of everyone who was not a close friend of theirs.
Relishing in the warmth that spread from her touch Puck moved slightly closer to Rachel and listened as she moaned about the last three days they had spent apart and the party she had been enduring without him.
He couldn't believe how much he had missed her in the last three days, he had thought that it wouldn't affect him since he was usually thankful for the break from the women in his life; in fact trying to get rid of the women he had slept with was usually his goal. But from the hour Rachel had left he had felt her loss keenly even when they had not spent time together the knowledge that she had been in the castle had cheered him up, with her not there though he had missed her more and more with each day, prompting his quick trip to London.
"I missed you" he blurted out suddenly cutting her off "I...I just wanted to tell you" he finished lamely as Rachel looked at him in shock and amusement.
"I missed you" she finally replied putting him out of her misery "more than I thought I would as well, but I really did miss you"
"I wish I could kiss you now" Puck whispered "when will the party end?"
"Oh, um?" Rachel said turning to the clock "in a few more hours, that reminds me I was supposed to meet Finn in the study five minutes ago"
"What?" Puck asked harshly
"He wanted to talk to me for some reason" Rachel shrugged "asked me to meet him in there"
"Well then lets me the good Earl to be" Puck said tucking her hand into the crook of his arm and leading her through the large house towards the study "if he must talk to you so urgently" letting him led her away knowing that he was a little angry.
They approached the study, Puck ready to throw open the door and lay into the Lord only for them both to be almost bowled over as Rachel's maid came running out of the door in fear, tears streaming down her face "Lady Rachel, Lady" she sobbed running to her kind mistress.
"Lauren" Rachel said in shock taking her as she ran into Rachel's arms "what's wrong?" she demanded as Puck crowded around the two women, a small collection of guests being attracted by the noise and coming over as well.
"Please don't fire me mistress, I just went in to clear your father's tray and he grabbed me, I promise it wasn't my fault"
"Shush Lauren" Rachel soothed her "I have no intention of firing you"
"Thank you, Thank you" Lauren sobbed in relief as Puck and another man entered the open study to find an embarrassed looking Finn in the corner, the room empty otherwise.
"I think you owe her an apology" Puck said stiffly "you frightened her and made her worry about being fired"
"No gentlemen should ever grab a lady Lord Finn" Earl Chang said from beside Puck stiffly " after you apologise I do believe you should leave"
Nodding before scuttling out of the door Finn mumbled an apology to the still sobbing young women in Rachel's arms before passing through all the guests of the party and out of the door into the London streets, the judging eyes of the guests following him.
"Shush Lauren, shush" Rachel soothed the still upset girl easing her away from the party into the kitchen, needing to calm the young girl down as the party buzzed behind them, everyone filled with the scandalous gossip of Finn's behaviour. Puck barely holding onto his anger as he realised Finn's plan was to steal Rachel from him by putting her into a compromising position and forcing their courting and marriage.
"Well nice to see him getting comeuppance" Jesse said with a smile at Santana who grinned back at him before they walked back into the drawing room and their discussion on the scandalous play that was creating waves in London for its racy content.
"The problem is everyone is straight laced, no one ever takes a step out of their bubble and just enjoys life" Santana argued
"You think people should be more spontaneous?" Jesse said thoughtfully a crazy idea running through his head.
"Yes, if you want something you should go for it, Rachel and his Grace are putting off what they want because 'society' would talk, so they make themselves miserable instead of really seizing what they want"
"I know what I want" Jesse said suddenly grabbing her hand "and I know you want it to"