A/N - Sorry for the wait, the story sort of took on a life of its own, I just got pulled along for the ride. :) And there will be another chapter after this one, but it is almost finished. Thanks to all who have reviewed so far, I really appreciate hearing what you have to say!
Helen Pugh knew something was off in her kitchen before she even made it to the doorway, she could smell it. As she rounded the corner, she spotted the roast beef and its accompaniments, laid out on the counter. She huffed in irritation. No one, not even Mr. Warbucks, would dare leave her kitchen in such a state. The entire household knew the rules, feel free to help yourself to anything in the refrigerator or pantry, but clean up after yourself and never, ever, let food go to waste. Her eyes scanned the rest of the kitchen and lit upon the tea cup sitting on the table. Her brow furrowed, there were few in the house that would come for a cup of tea late at night and Grace was one of them. She walked over and picked up the cup, sniffing it. This was Grace's tea, that was certain, she was the only one who drank that particular kind. And Grace would never leave a cup of tea sitting on the table. Helen began to grow concerned. Surely something must have happened for all of this mess to be left behind. She had just decided to go and find Punjab or the Asp when she heard noises coming from the pantry.
Helen froze and listened, hearing nothing for a few moments, then the same snuffling she had heard before. She turned quietly and went to a drawer, pulling out her rolling pin and holding it in front of her like a weapon. She slowly approached the pantry, listening intently all the while, but all seemed quiet. She pressed an ear against the door and there it was again, a light snuffling, almost like a gentle snoring noise. Helen frowned, perhaps it would be prudent to get Punjab before she opened the door. She quickly discarded that idea though, she didn't mean for whoever was hiding in there to escape while she was off hunting down one of Mr. Warbucks' body guards. She stood up straight, grasping the doorknob with one hand, wielding the rolling pin in the other. As she quietly turned the knob, she remembered it was loose and that she had intended to speak to Drake about it this morning, then flung the door open, grasping the rolling pin in both hands and raising it over her head.
Shock was her first reaction when she saw the occupants of the pantry, delight was the second. Helen slowly lowered the rolling pin, a grin spreading across her face as she took in the sight of her boss and Grace, cuddled together on the floor. Confusion was the third, as she tried to piece together how and why they would have fallen asleep together in the pantry, of all places. As she grasped the inside knob of the door, she noticed how very loose it was, it all began to make sense - the tea cup on the table, but no biscuits, everything laid out on the counter for a roast beef sandwich, but no bread. Helen chuckled under her breath and went in search of something to prop the door open with, so no one else would have the same misfortune. Although, in this case, it seemed to have been quite the fortunate mishap.
She returned a few minutes later, a stout block of wood in her hand. She set it against the door frame to act as a prop, should the door happen to close of its own accord, and went and slowly shook the shoulder of Mr. Warbucks.
"Sir," she said quietly, "Sir, wake up." Mr. Warbucks stirred under her hand, a large yawn splitting his face.
"Yes, Mrs. Pugh," he said, as he opened his eyes. "What is it?" Helen held back a laugh, by the slimmest of margins.
"Well, sir, I thought that you might want to get out of the pantry and perhaps get a proper sleep in your room," she replied, giving him a serious look, crossing her arms in front of her, rolling pin still in one hand. Mr. Warbucks seemed to finally have awakened fully and become aware of the situation his cook had just found him and his secretary in. He instantly reddened.
"Uh, well, this, um, isn't what it looks like," he stammered, face burning. Helen couldn't help it, she had to have a little fun with him and gave him her one of her patented glares.
"Oh, believe me, I know exactly what it looks like and exactly what it is," Helen replied, still staring at him. "And all I have to say sir, is," Helen paused, unable to help the smile that was tugging at the corner of her mouth. "What took you so long?" Mr. Warbucks looked at her in shock, then laughed quietly.
"Well, that certainly is the question of the hour, now isn't it?" he replied. At this, Grace began to awaken, yawning widely herself. She sat up, not seeming to notice Mrs. Pugh. She smiled at Oliver and ran a hand across his chest.
"Good morning, my love," she said, smiling. Oliver bit his lip, holding in a laugh, as he gestured with his head toward Mrs. Pugh. Grace looked up and saw Helen standing in the doorway. Grace's mouth dropped open, her face lost all color, then turned the shade of a fire engine, as she covered it with her hands as best she could, given that she was still wearing Oliver's jacket.
"Oh come now, Grace," Mrs. Pugh laughed. "There's no need for that." Helen came inside the pantry and patted Grace on the arm, then pulled her to her feet. Helen steered her back into the kitchen and sat her down at the table. Sitting down beside Grace, Helen gave her a hug, and whispered in her ear.
"See what I mean about patience," she said. Grace laughed aloud then and hugged the woman back.
"Yes, yes I do," Grace replied, giving Helen the most genuine smile she had seen in weeks. Mr. Warbucks walked out of the pantry then and stood behind Grace, his hands on her shoulders. She reached up and covered one of his hands with her own.
"Thank you Mrs. Pugh," Mr. Warbucks said. "And be sure you let Drake know about that door. Wouldn't want anyone else to be stuck in there all night." He gave Mrs. Pugh a wink then took Grace's hand and pulled her to her feet. "Come my darling, let's get you into a proper bed." He kissed her hand as Grace blushed again, then began to lead her out of the kitchen. As they reached the door, he turned back to Mrs. Pugh.
"I trust that you will keep our," Mr. Warbucks paused, thinking. "Situation, to yourself?" Grace looked up sharply at him, then smiled as he gave her a wink.
"Of course, sir," Mrs. Pugh replied, as Mr. Warbucks nodded. Helen shook her head as she watched them go, then smiled and began to pull out the makings for breakfast.
Oliver led Grace upstairs, intending to escort her to her room so she could catch a few hours sleep before Annie awoke. As they passed by his study, Grace noticed through the open door that the sun was just starting to come up.
"Oh, Oliver look, let's go and watch the sunrise, please?" Grace exclaimed, pulling him into the study and towards the balcony.
"Of course, my dear," he replied, closing the door behind them. He led her out to the balcony and stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to lean back against him. She placed her hands over his and leaned her head back against his shoulder, enjoying the dawning of the new day. As the sun made it's full appearance above the horizon, Oliver turned her around in his arms and smiled, kissing her gently.
"Have I told you how very beautiful you are?" he asked, tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear. Grace blushed and looked away, but Oliver put a finger beneath her chin and tuned her back to look at him. "You are," he insisted, huskily, lowering his mouth to hers once more. Grace's arms wound round his neck, as he pulled her tighter to him. His hands slid down her sides to her hips and he was once again reminded of how very thin her nightclothes were. He broke the kiss, resting his forehead against hers. They were both breathing heavily when Oliver pulled away. He ran the back of his hand down Grace's cheek and smiled.
"Perhaps, I should walk you back to your room," he said. Grace smiled shyly and nodded.
"Yes, that probably would be best. I am rather tired," she admitted. Oliver tucked her arm in his and led her to the door, pausing to make sure there was no one in the hallway, before continuing down the hall to her room. They stopped in front of her door, but neither seemed to want to part. Finally, Grace slipped the jacket from her shoulders, handing it back to Oliver. She rose up on her tiptoes, kissing him lightly on the lips, then opened her door and slipped into her room. Oliver stood outside the door for a few moments longer, a smile on his face, jacket over his arm, then turned round and made his way to his own room for a quick nap before being awoken by his daughter.
Grace sat on the back terrace, watching Annie and her friends run around the lawn and gardens. A permanent smile seemed etched on Grace's face as she listened to the girls laugh and shriek while they chased one another. She was sure that this was the first time they had actually played in a very long time, if ever. Annie had told her what life was like at the orphanage. After they had eaten lunch and changed into the new clothes Grace had gotten for them the day before, she ushered them outside where Annie suggested they play a game of tag. The girls were hesitant at first, looking down at their new clothes.
"But, Annie," Duffy had whispered. "What if we fall down and get dirty?"
"It's all right dear," Grace had told her, smiling. "Everything washes." The girls still looked unsure, so Grace proposed Annie show them around the gardens, hoping they would eventually feel comfortable enough to just be children. It seemed to have worked, as Annie had finally convinced them playing was all right, new clothes or not, and they were all happily racing about the lawn. Grace glanced at her watch, wondering when Oliver would return. When she had arisen from her nap and come downstairs for a late breakfast, Annie had informed her that Oliver had left to take care of a few things. He hadn't indicated where he was going or when he would be back and Grace was beginning to wonder. She turned her attention back to the girls, who seemed to have switched from tag to hide and go seek.
As Grace watched, she heard footsteps behind her on the flagstones. Oliver sat down into the chair nest to her, giving her a smile and turning his attention to the children.
"Everything go all right?" she asked.
"Yes, I accomplished all I set out to," he replied, without looking at her.
"Something to do with work?" she asked.
"Oh, no, this was a personal matter," he said, as they watched Pepper dart out from behind a tree and run to the bench that had been designated as "home" for the girls' game. Grace glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, but it seemed that Oliver didn't intend to offer her any further information, he was watching the girls and smiling. Grace bit her lip, she knew it shouldn't bother her, but she was curious about where he had been. And even after everything that he had happened the night before and this morning, she was still nervous that he would change his mind once again. He seemed at peace with himself this afternoon, however, perhaps Grace was overreacting. Oliver wasn't required to run everything by her after all.
Still, he seemed rather distant and the fact that he had not touched her when he sat down, not even a brush of the hand, bothered her. Grace knew he was being discrete because of the staff, as well as Annie most likely, but after spending the night wrapped in his embrace, she felt a sense of loss at the lack of contact between them. She wanted to ask him what his intentions were regarding their relationship, but she couldn't seem to pluck up the courage. She gazed at him for a moment, wanting nothing more than to grab him and kiss his as soundly as they had on the balcony this morning. She shifted in her chair at the thought, causing Oliver to look over at her. As she met his eyes, she reddened and looked away, embarrassed as to where her thoughts had been taking her. Before Oliver could question her further, there was a shout from Annie.
"Daddy Warbucks!" she called, running toward the terrace. "You're back!" Grace started at Annie's use of the word Daddy, but saw the genuine smile on Oliver's face and couldn't help smiling herself. The two had talked this morning, Annie had told Grace that Oliver had told her the adoption was official. Annie ran up the stairs of the terrace, flinging herself into Oliver's arms and whispered something in his ear. She pulled back to look at him and Oliver smiled, nodding. Annie glanced quickly at Grace, then looked away, a very large grin on her face.
'What on earth is that about?' Grace wondered to herself.
"Daddy Warbucks, you have to meet all my friends," Annie, said, turning around and motioning to the girls, who stood at the bottom of the terrace steps looking somewhat shy. Grace watched as they all looked at each other and then Molly began to run up the steps after Annie. Grace saw what was going to happen before it did, and rose to her feet, hurrying toward the steps, but it was too late. Molly tripped and fell, skinning her knee in the process. She let out a wail, covering her knee with one hand, then gasped and clapped her other hand over her mouth, clearly thinking she was going to be reprimanded. Grace reached her only seconds later.
"It's all right dear, I know it hurts," Grace crouched down beside her, smoothing Molly's hair away from her face. "Let me see your knee, all right?" Molly nodded, tears running down her cheeks now, and took her hand away from her knee. It was bleeding, but Grace could see it was only a small scrape. Oliver was suddenly by Grace's side, handing her his handkerchief with a wry smile.
"This seems to be becoming a habit of mine," he chuckled. Grace laughed as well, then pressed the cloth to Molly's knee.
"Come on, sweetheart, let's get you inside," Grace said, smiling at the little girl. "Do you think you can stand and walk?"
"Nonsense, Miss Farrell," Oliver said, bending down and scooping Molly up into his arms. "Come along, my dear, let's get you all fixed up." He walked into the house, Annie and the other girls trailing behind. Grace remained frozen in place, staring at Oliver's back. So they were back to Miss Farrell, were they? Grace sighed, trying to force herself not to jump to conclusions and slowly followed the group into the house.
Once Molly's knee had been cleaned and bandaged and her tears dried, she seemed none the worse for wear. The girls scampered off to Annie's room, Annie intent on showing them her knew toys and books. Once the girls were gone, Oliver had excused himself and gone to his study, closing the door behind him, leaving Grace to wonder if he regretted his actions this morning on the balcony. She touched her lips, remembering, and thought about following him into the study. But a few stolen moments here and there were not what she wanted. So, instead she made her way to Annie's room, hoping the giggling of little girls would take her mind off things.
Grace spent the rest of the afternoon with Annie and her friends. She caught Annie looking at her quite often, with the most peculiar expression on her face, as if Annie knew something Grace did not. Every time she was caught, Annie would either smile broadly or look away quickly. Grace finally pulled her aside and asked her about it.
"Annie, is there something you want to talk to me about?" Grace asked.
"No," Annie replied, giving Grace another knowing smile.
"Is there something going on that I should know about?" Grace pressed, unable for the life of her, to figure out what Annie was hiding.
"No," Annie giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Well, then, if you won't tell me, perhaps I can tickle it out of you," Grace said, holding her hands up and wiggling her fingers. Annie squealed in delight and ran across the room, attracting the attention of her friends, who quickly followed suit. Grace chased the girls around the room, tickling whomever came within her reach, until they all collapsed on the floor or the bed, panting for breath.
"That was fun," Tessie exclaimed, the other girls chiming in, in agreement. "We never get to do anything like this, at the orphanage." Grace's heart broke a little at the girl's words. Children, no matter where they lived, should be able to play and have fun. She wished she could scoop all of them up and keep them here with her. Still, she knew that Oliver had been talking with Mr. Donatelli from the board and had convinced him he needed to find someone much more suitable for the orphanage than Miss Hannigan had been. Mr. Donatelli was currently interviewing candidates and had given Oliver his word that he would find someone who would care for the girls as they deserved.
Oliver and Annie's story had also captured the attention of the press, and many of them had been invited to the party the following day. Grace hoped the attention would spur other families to consider adopting the girls that needed them so desperately. In the meantime, she intended to give them a wonderful weekend here at the mansion, as well as donating as many clothes and toys to the orphanage as she could.
Grace's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. She rose to open it and found Mrs. Greer standing on the other side.
"Mrs. Pugh asked me to let you and the girls know that it was nearly time for dinner," Mrs. Greer said, smiling.
"Thank you, Mrs. Greer," Grace answered. "We'll be right down." Grace turned to her young charges, ushering them into the bathroom adjoining Annie's room. "Come along girls, let's get you all washed up for dinner."
"I've never seen so much food in one place," Pepper breathed, as she walked into the dining room, Drake pulling out her chair for her, then moved on to the other girls. Oliver did the same for Annie, as well as Kate and Duffy, before moving on to Grace's chair. As he pulled it out for her, he simply nodded in response to her smile, before walking to his own seat. Grace sighed quietly, shaking her napkin out and placing it on her lap.
Dinner that evening was a noisy affair, the girls all chattering away with each other, as bowls and platters of steaming food made their way around the table. Grace watched Oliver as he answered the many questions the girls posed to him, but it seemed to Grace the he was deliberately not looking at her, as she was unable to catch his eye, no matter how hard she tried. Grace finally gave up and concentrated on her dinner, helping Molly with her roast when she needed it.
When the girls were finished with their dinner and dessert, Grace excused them, telling Annie she would be up shortly to help them all get ready for bed. She sat quietly finishing her tea, while Oliver sipped his brandy.
"Is everything ready for the party tomorrow?" Oliver asked.
"Yes, everything is finished, guests should begin arriving around 3:00," she replied, taking another sip of her tea. Oliver nodded, swirling his glass and studying its contents. Grace looked down at her tea cup, trying to understand how she could go from feeling as wonderful as she had this morning, to as self-conscious as she did now.
The silence seemed to grow larger between them as the minutes ticked by, interrupted only by Annette coming in to clear the table. Her tea finished, Grace saw no reason to continue to linger.
"I'll just go and ready the girls for bed then," she said, as she rose from the table.
"Please tell Annie I'll be in to say good night shortly," Oliver requested. Grace gave him a small nod, then walked around the table towards the door.
"Oh and Miss Farrell," Oliver called to her, as she reached the doorway. Grace paused, not trusting herself to look back at him. They were alone and yet it was still Miss Farrell.
"Yes?" she responded, her voice shaky.
"Once you've finished tucking the girls in, could you please meet me in my study? There's something I would like to discuss with you," Oliver finished. Grace gripped the door jamb with one hand and took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.
"Of course, sir," she replied softly, hurrying from the room, fighting back tears as she did so.
Grace managed to hold it together while she prepared the girls for bed. She started with Annie and Molly, who was sharing Annie's room for the weekend, so as not to run into Oliver coming in to say good night. She moved across the hall to the suite the other five girls were staying in and got them all into bed, brushing hair back from their foreheads and kissing them all atop the head. They all smiled at her, July kissing her back on the cheek, before diving beneath her covers in embarrassment. Grace smiled and patted her shoulder, before shutting out the light and pulling the door closed part way.
She stood in the hall, leaning against the wall of the girls' room, arms crossed in front of her, head hanging. She didn't understand what had happened. Oliver had seemed so happy this morning and she was sure that he knew she felt the same. The logical part of her brain told her that he was just being careful. No matter how loyal the staff was, Grace knew there was bound to be some gossip about the two of them, once everyone found out. And they did have a houseful of children after all, not to mention all the people that would be attending the party the next day.
So Grace understood the need for discretion, but she didn't want to hide their relationship. She wanted to share her happiness with everyone, especially Annie. Of course there would be talk, gossip, speculation, about how they ended up together, when it had started, how long it had been going on. But Grace didn't care, let everyone talk and gossip as they would, she wanted the world to know that she was in love with Oliver, and he with her.
Or was he? This is what had been prodding the back of Grace's mind, since Oliver had joined her on the terrace this afternoon. Had he really been honest with her last night, or was it just that the enormity of the emotions he had gone through during their talk in the pantry had gotten away with him? Grace remembered him asking Mrs. Pugh not to tell anyone about what had gone on between he and Grace and wondered. And yet, that was before their interlude on the balcony.
She pulled herself from her thoughts and remembered that Oliver was waiting for her in his study. As Grace made her way slowly down the hall, she made up her mind to get to the bottom of whatever was going on. She would insist Oliver be honest with her, and she didn't intend to take no for an answer. Striding purposefully down the hall, Grace stopped outside the study, knocking on the door before she opened it and walked in.