Author's note: Although my Tommy and Barbara are always based on the TV series versions this and the next chapter contains some backstory from the novels that I have added to and adapted mercilessly.
"See!" Barbara spat acerbically. She had been petulant and moody since Tommy had arrived at her flat promptly at ten o'clock. He had hoped after last night that she might have greeted him with a kiss or at least a smile but he had been rewarded with little more than a surly snarl.
Standing in front of the high, spiky steel bars Tommy wondered if the fence was designed to keep the undesirables inside the school or prevent them from entering. He assumed the former. The school had little architectural merit being nothing more than a functional collection of two-storey brick slabs neatly aligned amongst gardens of asphalt and concrete. The dull grey bricks showed the tell-tale bleach marks where graffiti had been repeatedly scrubbed from them and each window reflected the light in a different way. Tommy did not need to be a detective to know that they had been broken and replaced many times. Drab curtains hung limply across some of the windows, the tears and stains visible from the road. The only sign of human interaction was a basketball hoop that hung at an angle from a board that bore the tags of a local gang. There was nothing attractive about the school and no doubt nothing good had happened to Barbara inside its fortified bounds.
He had sympathy for Barbara's embarrassment but if they were to create a life together he needed her to understand that the whole Eton versus Acton bias that she clung onto so fiercely was meaningless. It did not matter to him or his family where she came from, what mattered was who she was as a person and how she treated him. He knew after last night's kiss that Barbara loved him. Neither of them had been able to hide the depth of their emotions. However much she loved him she also had to believe she was not inferior to him or she would never be confident enough to marry him. He had thought about little else last night as he lay awake fighting the urge to go back to her flat. It had surprised him how effortlessly she had been able to fit into that world. She would actually make a very refreshing Lady Asherton and now he wanted to make that a reality, as quickly as possible. He had spent hours trying to decide if he was pushing too hard and simply wanted to possess and master Barbara as he had done with so many women, including Helen. Once he succeeded he tired of them quickly. This, he knew, was different. The words of his sister had floated back to him but he would never own Barbara and he did not want that, instead he wanted her to possess him.
"What do you want me to see?"
"Where I come from. What I am. Why last night was a mistake." Tommy moved slightly behind her so that she was between him and the fence and could not easily escape.
"That's where you're wrong Barbara," Tommy said soothingly as he put his hands on her shoulders. "Last night was not a mistake; far from it." He slid his hands down her arms and across her waist and held her close. "This is simply the place you went to school. It contributed to your identity because of the experiences you had here and how you responded but who you are is not set by where you live or where you went to school. It comes from in here." He tapped his fist gently on her chest over her heart.
Barbara did not respond but seemed to nestle into him. He lowered his face and rested his chin lightly on her head. "Everything that happened to both of us has made us who we are now. If you hadn't come here and been driven to go into the police force I would never have met you. So how can you think this is a bad thing?"
"That's easy for you to say but it also helped make me bitter and resentful and all the things we argue about."
"Yes but other experiences, including being partnered with an insufferable ponce, have changed you just as you have changed me into a much more lovable ponce." Barbara made a noise that could almost have been mistaken for a laugh. "When I show you Eton you might understand we are not as different as you think."
Tommy let her go and she turned to face him. He could tell she was about to argue with him so he kissed her. It was an impulse and it caught them both by surprise. Last night's kiss had been gentle and romantic but now it escalated rapidly into something daring and sensual. Tommy reached out and grabbed the railings either side of her head to steady him as he pinned her unintentionally to the fence. He had wanted to kiss her this way for so long that he was more lustful and insistent than he intended. Barbara did not resist, in fact she had encouraged him. Her lips had tugged at his demanding passion and when he had obliged she had moaned with a deep satisfaction that told Tommy their needs were not all that different.
He broke away panting. "I'm sorry, I got carried away but you've no idea how long I've wanted to do that."
"What snog someone at a school gate?" she said teasingly.
"I hate that term."
"Well it's what people around here call it." There was a defensiveness creeping back into her voice.
"I don't care," he said stroking her hair, "it makes something truly beautiful sound cheap. Kissing you is so special it deserves to be cherished not trivialised!"
Barbara blushed under her already reddened face with a quaint mixture of innocence and desire. "I'm sorry about the way I greeted you this morning. I had a lovely night and you did nothing to warrant me growling at you. I don't deserve to have you treat me so well."
He kissed her again, this time softly and lovingly. It was an activity he doubted he would ever grow tired of doing. "You're forgiven. I want to spoil you rotten and pay you back for the years of grief I've given you. Anyway I promised you a trip to Acton and Eton." He looked at his watch then took her hand and led her back towards the car. "I don't want to be late."
They sat in companionable silence for the half hour it took them to drive to Windsor. Barbara sat staring out of the car window and looked deep in thought. Tommy wanted to ask what she was thinking about but suspected it might be better if he did not know. As they drove along the tree lined avenue of Home Park Tommy smiled to see young men playing rugby on the same grassy fields on which he had once played. It was nostalgic to be here again but it also felt a world away from his reality.
"It's very green around here," she said pulling him from his reverie.
'Yes, fields surround Eton and Windsor. "I don't think we'll have time for the castle today but we can come back; it's well worth the visit. I will take you for a drive through Windsor great Park down to the copper Horse."
"What did you forget to tell Aunt Lizzie to expect us?" Tommy looked at her and smiled uncertainly. He was not sure if it was a class-laden jab or her attempt at humour.
She must have noticed. "It was a joke Sir, to let you know I was off my high horse from this morning."
"I'm very pleased Havers," he said, "Nice pun!" She grinned at him with a hint of wickedness that sent his pulse racing.
We are going into Windsor first to have lunch with an old friend then we'll walk across the bridge into Eton.
"An old friend?" He could tell Barbara was not keen. "You never said anything about that."
"Stop worrying; you'll like her." Barbara's eyebrows betrayed her curiosity at the mention of 'her'.
He navigated carefully through the narrow streets and parked near a modest cottage not far from the castle. "It's charming," Barbara said seemingly bewitched by the stone cottage with a bright blue door. The two front windows seemed too large for the walls and were also painted blue which seemed to give them a mysterious yet magical grace.
Tommy used the shiny brass bull's head knocker to alert the occupants to his presence. The door swung open almost instantly. He leant down and enthusiastically hugged a small, frail woman who was protesting in the way people do when they in fact do not want someone to stop. "Lord Asherton, put me down at once!"
"Barbara let me introduce you to Miss Micklethorp who was dame at my house in Eton; Miss Micklethorp this is Barbara Havers… my partner."
"Call me Mavis please," she said then turning specifically to Tommy, "both of you."
After the round of pleasantries they made their way into her parlour which was too small for the floral clad lounge and two bronze leather wing-chairs that it housed. Miss Micklethorp fetched a pot of tea and some scones from her kitchen then sat on one of the chairs. Tommy sat next to Barbara on the lounge which allowed him to slide his feet under the spare chair, sparing him from being cramped against the small oak coffee table. "It's so good to see you again Miss…er Mavis," he said as he lavished a generous scoop of jam and cream on a scone that he plated and handed to Barbara. He noticed the Royal Doulton tea service and was reminded of how she had always given him, and the other viscounts, the best care.
"Well you left us over twenty-five years ago and only come to see me once or twice every decade." She turned to Barbara. "He is very good though; he sends me cards every Christmas and has always made sure I am looked after."
Tommy was watching Barbara and could tell she was both confused and fascinated. "When I boarded at Eton I was in what they call a house with about fifty other boys. Mavis was in charge of the running of our house including our health and welfare. She used to make sure I got to meals on time and completed my homework so that I avoided the wrath of the housemaster and house captain."
Mavis offered Barbra another scone which Barbara accepted as she smiled graciously. "These scones are delicious Mavis. Thank you. I imagine he was a model student. He is still obsessively neat."
"Hardly! Viscount Vacennes as I knew him then, was an easily distracted boy in his early years," Mavis reminisced, "and of course quite sensitive. Boarding can be hard for a boy like that, especially when his father was so ill and so much was expected of him. He was quite resentful of his mother and made some interesting choices around that time. He needed a steady influence at times." Tommy and Mavis exchanged a meaningful look and he looked embarrassed. He noticed Barbara watching them closely and felt the heat rise in his face.
"Anyway," he said changing the subject, "tell me all about what you have been doing lately." They chatted for half an hour and Tommy made sure he explained any references they made to other old boys or Eton. He then excused himself for a stroll to stretch his legs. He knew it would be obvious to Barbara that he had meant for Mavis and her to talk but he was confident it would help his cause. Mavis of course had contacted him when Helen had died but in his call earlier this week to Mavis he had explained his situation. She had spoken to him about what he wanted and needed in life just as she had all those years ago and once again she had been happy to help him. When he returned Mavis and Barbara were laughing. "Telling each other tales about me no doubt," he interrupted them.
"No doubt," they both replied in unison then smiled at him. He could tell from Mavis' face that she had told Barbara much more than he had expected.
"Well I should give you the guided tour Barbara. Thank you again Mavis for your hospitality." He embraced Mavis hoping that it was not the last time he would see her. She was old and frail but her mind was still as sharp as ever. "Thank you. I'll ring you on Wednesday," he whispered.
It was just after noon and Tommy enquired if Barbara was hungry. There was a pub on the main street that used to sell chips he knew she would like. "No, I'm fine. Those scones were very filling."
They walked into the main part of Windsor below the castle and browsed in the myriad of quirky shops along the main street which was festooned with Union Jacks and red, white and blue bunting. Barbara seemed much more relaxed since her chat with Mavis but when he tried to take her hand she tucked hers firmly into her pockets. He sighed quietly but was then distracted by a passing group of wandering minstrels performing on the street as they headed up to the castle. The jester was playing a lute and singing gaily. Tommy was amused by his multi-coloured tights, the shimmering gold, green and red harlequin coat and his three pronged fool's cap. He nudged Barbara to point out how the jester was swishing his hat to the music to make the bells tinkle and found her staring into a window.
"What's wrong?" he asked concerned just before he felt her take his hand.
"Nothing," she said, "do you ever have moments where suddenly everything that was muddied and jumbled becomes clear?"
"Not often enough," he replied, puzzled. Then he followed her gaze to a photograph of an ocean storm that was hung on the wall of the shop. In small white letters there was a saying inscribed over the tumultuous blue sea: Always remember that through the turmoil love may bring, the heart sees what is invisible to the eye.