Alphabet Soup

by Crinklybrownleaves

This is an A to Z of tiny stories and drabbles, all too short to stand alone. Involving lots of Dr Blake characters, but most will have Lucien and / or Jean in (well, what else would you expect from me!). All different times and moods, the only thing that holds them together is that there is one for each letter of the alphabet.

14. Never

"I'll never give you my blessing again." S2E5

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He had said it as he went to walk away, intending it to sound light-hearted, but it actually sounded a bit wistful. Perhaps she wouldn't notice.

He glanced back and Jean seemed untroubled, she just went on folding laundry.

This wasn't the moment to say anything, and he wasn't even sure what he wanted to say. He just knew he was miserable at the thought of Jean seeing another man. She had put an end to Robert's hopes just months earlier, so what had changed now?

The shock of seeing her dressed for a date with Richard was still fresh in his memory. Yet Lucien had no claim on her; she was his housekeeper, that's all. She could go out with any man she chose.

So why did that thought make him so unhappy?

He was fond of her, enjoyed her company, but he had never really seen Jean as a woman. Now, maybe, he was just starting to.

That dress. He would blame it on the dress. It was making him have uncomfortable thoughts about his friend.

Or maybe it was a bit more. They had both just confessed to a little sadness and loneliness. Now she'd started looking for someone to ease that, would she possibly, maybe, one day...look his way?

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As Lucien turned away for the second time, she looked up, hopeful of prolonging the conversation. But she lost her nerve. She wanted to tell him she didn't want his blessing to see another man, in fact she didn't want to see another man anyway.

But how could she explain that? It would mean telling him what she felt, and she hadn't even dared put a name to those feelings yet. Because then she could be hurt.

He was rapidly becoming the most important person in her life, but she still hesitated on the brink of longing for more. She knew it was too soon for her, and she didn't think he'd even really noticed her yet.

But she lived with the fear of another Joy coming into his life. What did that mean?

They were both lonely people, they'd seen too much loss and sadness. Jean thought she knew the solution to that, but she wasn't ready to risk her job, her home, her security and her heart. Not just yet, anyway.

She would say nothing for now.