Sorry for the delay, again.
This was a mega-chapter about the night of the party, but I decided to post it in halves.
Here you have the first half.
Evidence
Chapter 15: Seeing
'I was surprised, because I expected him to come in the kitchen by the back door, and he appeared by the swinging door', Fran was explaining, 'I asked him where he was, and he simply said I came by the front door, as I do when I'm feeling adventurous', she put a hand on her hip in annoyance, 'He had come from the back door just the other night, when he was hiding he had stayed until later with you know who', she made a suspicious face, 'I got really worried because, you know, I can't believe she is being honest with him'.
'About what, Fran?', pajama-clad Grace asked.
(Fran was taking care of her hair while they discussed Niles and CC's status. The mansion would be hosting a small party that night, the girl had noticed the nanny needed to talk, and invited her to help her to prepare for bed.
The hair trimming was just an excuse to have some time to chat, of course, once Grace was old enough to go to bed without the attentions of her nanny. But, sometimes, the therapist had to use diversion tactics to make things happen.
And the image of Fran, wearing one of her stylish long dresses while combing Grace's hair, was worth it.)
'Oh, well... about whatever it is they are doing', Fran waved her hands emphatically, 'I'm not even sure I really want to know, but he is my friend. I don't want him to suffer in the hands of that shiksa'.
Grace looked at Fran through the mirror, 'Maybe they don't know what it is, neither, and what they're doing is just approaching it slowly to see what happens'.
The nanny snorted, 'If it's true, it's been more than a decade of slow, sweetie. I'm sure they'd gone crazy by now. I know I am, and it's been four years for me', she stopped, 'Thinking better, they are kind of crazy. Maybe you have a point, here...'
Grace looked down, adjusting her pajamas, and chose the words carefully, 'They're both very different from you and Dad, Fran. I think they never quite faced what they really felt, even if they were always around each other every day, close to the edge. They teased and interacted a lot, but could never express anything real, because nice words were kind of prohibited. I would say they had been building something really new from a relatively short time'.
'And why did new come now?'
'Maybe something made it impossible to ignore how they really felt'.
'What could have caused a change?'
'Maybe they were tired of pretending they hate each other'.
Fran frowned, 'Hey! You know something, don't you?'
Grace raised her hands defensively, 'Maybe I do, but professional secrecy stands in my way'.
The brunette looked slightly offended at that.
The girl raised a brow and spoke with authority, 'Just tell me what happened after Niles arrived in the kitchen and told you he was feeling adventurous'.
'Oh, all right', making an effort to be the adult there, Fran turned to dealing with hair again and agreed, 'I tried to tell him about my conversation with her, but he just kept taking those things from the bags he had brought – heart-shaped sweets, whipped cream... I asked what was all of that for, and he claimed he had gone out Sunday to buy those because he felt he had to be prepared and that he didn't understand why I was surprised'.
Grace smirked, 'Everybody likes those things. It's nice of him to buy them'.
Fran stopped what she was doing and gave Grace the eye, 'You're not a little girl, anymore, Sweetie. We both know he was not buying those things to you, me or Ma'.
Grace giggled, 'I know'.
Fran sighed, and the owner of the house knocked on the door, 'Miss Fine?'
'I think our time is over', Grace said and turned to greet her father, who had entered the room, 'You're very handsome, daddy'.
'Thank you, Sweetheart', he kissed her forehead and turned his glance to the nanny, 'You are beautiful, Miss Fine'.
She striked a pose, 'Oh, well, I've done what I could to be your smashing escort. It's hard to get ready when I'm told of a party with such a short notice'.
'Sometimes CC decides things in the nick of time, and I just waited for her to say the final word and make sure you could come with me. I didn't want to inform you and then have to cancel it. That's why I waited', Maxwell puts his hands on his pants' pockets and threw a flashing smile at Fran, 'I make sure not to disappoint a lady'.
'Awwww, Mister Sheffield...', Fran cooed at him jut to see his happy smile, and added, to Grace, 'Right. As if I didn't know she doesn't want me around', she then shooed Maxwell to the door, 'Give me a minute to finish something, here, and I'm going'.
Maxwell agreed, kissed Grace goodnight in bed and exited the room. Fran went to tuck the girl in, 'I hope you'll tell me soon what you know. I just want to help, and people are letting me in the dark, here'.
Grace made a face, 'Fran... don't get me wrong, but...',
'Just say it, Sweetie'.
Grace smiled, 'Try looking at them. That's what I did. That's all it takes to see the evidences'.
ncncncncncnc
Fran was absolutely giddy about her night: it felt almost as if she was one family with the Sheffields, putting the kids in bed, walking around by the producer's arm, grinning openly at potential backers and showing once more how ready she was to be the lady of the house.
(She was still a bit mad at Niles, but the way he put it made her feel like a Queen.)
Mister Sheffield had excused himself to talk to another millionaire and Fran was left to herself, next to the door that leaded to the kitchen.
She searched Niles and Miss Babcock with attentive eyes. The party was in full swing, he was probably occupied with the servings and she with some investor, but Fran still wanted to start exercising what Grace had suggested: look at them and see the evidences.
She didn't expect any astounding revelations. If there was something going on at plain sight, she would have seen it, by now. However, she was curious to understand what her little girl had tried to point out.
(Grace was clever: she must be pointing out to something worth seeing.)
Fran found Niles, first.
He was standing in the spot near the corridor that came from the powder room. His eyes were scanning the room, making sure the guests were well served and comfortable. He had a tray with some drinks on his left hand, and he had such an air of competence and readiness on him that Fran felt inclined to forgive him for the teasing he had done to her.
(She had a thing for confident British guy in a suit, so it seemed...)
Then, that happened.
Fran noticed the change in his demeanor: it was really obvious that he had seen something that made him change.
His eyes stopped on a point of the room and focused on that; his face took a very serious expression; and his head leaned slightly to the side, as if he was...
Interested? Surprised? Fascinated?
Moved.
That was the word – he was moved.
Time had stopped for him, and he seemed to be in a private world, looking at something that kept him enchanted.
'Enchanted?', Fran thought, 'As in witched?'
She followed his line of sight and saw what had him hooked.
Miss Babcock was talking to an old woman, while slowly ascending the steps that went to the piano.
The blonde was attentive to the conversation, nodding her head gracefully, smiling fakingly and maintaining a hand discreetly close to the back of the old lady, ready to help her, if necessary.
Fran suddenly got what Niles had seen in her – what he was seeing right now.
There was a caring human being under that façade of coldness and despise for other people.
He surely liked what the businesswoman was usually – if he hadn't, he would not provoke her every single day just to see her snarl at him and call him names –, but what draw him to her was that sweet protective trait she made a great effort to hide.
Fran knew that cold people usually were just trying to defend themselves from being hurt, and knowing how Miss Babcock was haunted by a lot of things – the feeling of being neglected by her father and judged by her peers, for example –, it was easy to understand her behavior. That nastyness was a wall to keep people away from her heart. The coldness and the angriness formed a barrier that scared most people, and made sure she was alone.
Being alone probably hurt, but the blonde must think it hurt less than being abandoned.
Thinking like that, it was clear that Niles never left her alone: he went after her everyday, just to tease her; he paid attention to every move she made and every word she said, making sure she would have an answer to everything she did; he made comments on her just to make her relate to the subjects going on in the mansion...
He made sure she never felt neglected, in his own way.
And, if you look very close, you notice he showed her how to deal with judgement. She had to learn how to react accordingly to what he said and did.
Fran suddenly realized why Niles smiled every time Miss Babcock answered him – because that was what he wanted.
The man had been around those walls for a long time, making sure they didn't get too high; maybe, hoping the Ice Princess would throw him a rope...
(...because she wouldn't simply open the doors.)
Fran smirked: Niles would not settle for simplicity. What he craved was a challenge, and Miss Babcock hold all of his attention because of that, too.
Besides, Fran mused that if Miss Babcock, the woman who always had a nasty answer to give and a barb to toss, was capable of thinking of others, there was a possibility for him to win the battle.
Maybe he was already winning, and that nice gesture was a result of his influence over her – maybe she was discovering she didn't have to hide her good side so well.
Right now, Niles was looking at the blonde from a slightly lower point, what made it seem like he was staring at her as he would do to a beautiful scenery or a work of art.
It made Fran remember that their stations in life – the same way hers and Mister Sheffield's – could be a problem. She understood that, whatever they had between them, Niles was totally invested in it – he wanted it to last and be great for the two of them, because he believed in Miss Babcock as someone worth all the attention and the effort he could muster.
He said he had to be prepared.
He bought delicious things for her to eat, waiting for the right moment to offer them.
He stopped working to stare at her while she worked, entering his little bubble of joy.
He didn't tell his best friend about their relationship, probably to not scare the blonde.
He was ready to do anything to make Miss Babcock understand he was her match.
And, as always, there was no way to know where the blonde stood.
Fran was still looking at him when Niles made an effort to get out of his reverie and started walking into the direction of the women he had been observing.
At this point, the Nanny was not able to tell if he intented to throw a zinger or offer assistance, and maybe he didn't know, either; however, it was obvious he had to get closer.
Fran shook her head slightly, because Grace had been right: how many times Niles had orbited around Miss Babcock, with the strangest excuses? How many times had him turned to her and threw a comment, just for the sake of her participating in things? How many times had he forced her to communicate with others? With him?
How was it people didn't see it before?
And how could Fran help him to make sure he would not get hurt in this process, now that she had seen it?
If Grace was right about the thing between them being obvious, she was right about their decision of not pretending they hated each other, anymore. It put their relationship, that had been stable for years, out of balance.
What would decide how this story ended?
Niles reached the women, who were still talking, close to the piano. Miss Babcock had her back to him, and he stopped, opened his mouth to speak and closed it again. He seemed not sure of how to proceed.
His free hand raised, almost touching the businesswoman's lower back, and he gave up again, probably feeling it was not appropriate for the butler to touch one of the hosts in a backers' party.
Fran saw him clearing his throat and Miss Babcock turned her head slightly.
Just then, Mister Sheffield joined the group and said something to Niles, pointing to the kitchen.
The brunette followed everything with her eyes: Miss Babcock started telling her partner something, indicating the elder woman, who grinned at them and added details to the story that was being told.
Niles stepped aside and started descending to the main room.
When he passed close enough to Miss Babcock, she reached out a hand and took a flute of champagne from his tray.
Fran was not sure if she had seen it right, but she could swear they had locked stares for a moment. However, it was very brief, and soon the blonde was back to her conversation, and the butler was back to his duties, obeying his boss and going to the kitchen.
Fran could not believe how clear it all was.
Niles had been fighting to be noticed by Miss Babcock all of this time they have known each other: he had been throwing the zingers and pulling the pranks because, if he acted as a normal person, he would be just Mister Sheffield's servant in her eyes, forever.
(Like the waiter in a rich party, who could look with the deepest admiration to the host, but never receive any real attention from her, because he was, as Miss Babcock often put it, the hired help.)
He managed to make her notice him. He managed to make her answer to him. Now, he probably got her to in someway admit they had something special going on between them.
But, sometimes, he was back into being just the servant.
Sometimes, she was out of his reach, even being really close.
Fran noticed Niles acted very professional for the rest of the evening, and she couldn't blame him for the cold polite smile he had on his face.