psl; [a marriage of inconvenience]

[hedgemaze]

THE AUBEL ESTATE is located in Derbyshire, England, a stately old home reminiscent of centuries long past. Long ago, it had fallen into disrepair and abandoned until previous generations of the Aubel family purchased the land for themselves, having found their fortunes in matters of real estate. Since that time, the outside has been restored and the inside has been renovated at least three times. Four, if you ask the uncle who remembers the one summer where the chandelier fell from the dining hall, taking a large portion of the ceiling with it. How embarrassing, if such a thing is true.

In its present state, it straddles the line between the old and new. The large, prominent rooms are ostentatious as they are filled to the brim with austere English culture; the smaller quarters, traditionally used by the servants and staff, are far more modest, and over time have allowed the tendrils of modernity to creep in as a result. Regardless, the home is impressive no matter how you look at it, and there are few who do not cast an envious glance at the estate as they pass by Derbyshire on their way to town, or perhaps northwest to Manchester, if they've even farther to go.

PHILIP AND JAMES AUBEL, father and son respectively, are the owners of the home, though only the father remains for any extended period of time. And even then, he only stays perhaps one or two seasons at a time, until he returns to his home in London, spending one or two seasons there, before returning again, living out his life of retirement to the fullest. James visits nearly every week (driving in from Manchester, and back) in the Spring, until the first freeze of Winter, when nothing will grow. Though they have a staff of two dozen -- give or take, depending upon the time of year -- taking care of the estate and its grounds, James is more diligent about keeping up appearances of the house, showing a special interest in maintaining the complex hedge maze on the land directly behind them. Only he keeps access to its center, a literal walled garden of seasonal flora.

AS RECENT DEVELOPMENTS WOULD HAVE IT, James has been drawn into an arranged marriage by his father and an old business acquaintance. She is scheduled for an extended visit soon, and the staff have done a meticulous job of preparing the hall for her arrival -- and the rest of the rooms, as well, if she is expected to make her living here permanent, one day. Today, the weather is clear and the help is eager to aid her in unpacking. The grounds are green and the family dog, an old greyhound with cataracts in one eye, bounds up to her with a slow wagging tail. The father will greet her, of course, with all the usual formalities, and though he doesn't know her all that well at all, she at least seems nice enough. He disappears soon after, leaving her to her own devices as she sees fit. James himself is nowhere to be found.

Somewhere, sooner rather than later, a collision course of first impressions will take place.

----------

D I R E C T O R Y;

➤ shitpost.
➤ first impressions.
➤ diamonds.
➤ text her, texter.
➤ saviour.
➤ flirt.
➤ closer.
➤ cross-examine.
➤ PARTY CRASHERS.
✶ elle + devon
✶ elle + corvus
✶ ian + james + corvus
✶ devon + james
➤ alien abduction.
➤ sleep now.
➤ bathe.
➤ remember.
➤ drink.
➤ welcome home.

Comments

[winterheart]

Let's do another pub crawl so I can win at drinking again.

That would make me really happy.

[hedgemaze]

Ah, how about not? I'd rather not have to suffer through another one of those dreadful hangovers again.

[winterheart]

Alright, alright. Once was enough, huh?

[Devon checks her phone for any missed messages.]

Mom wants us over for dinner again this evening, so let's finish up our visit here. We'll have the house for ourselves by the time we get back, so we can rest up first.

[hedgemaze]

More than enough.

[At her comment, though, he gives her a sly sort of look.]

All to ourselves? Whatever will we do?

[winterheart]

Be appropriate.

[hedgemaze]

You'd get bored of me if I was.

[winterheart]

Nonsense. I always have fun with the push and pull thing we got going on here.

[hedgemaze]

Mm hm. Are you sure that's just not another way or saying you're secretly a tease?

[winterheart]

[As they walk back down to the ground floor, Devon loops her arm around his (much to the chagrin of some hopefuls who had been watching James).]

I'm a tease, but your tease. I think we can both agree with that.

[hedgemaze]

[He's definitely pulling stares, even they're merely wistful ones when Devon takes him by the arm.]

You'll hear no arguments from me. Tease me as much as you like, Devon.

[winterheart]

It would be my honor.

[The gift shop is in view and Devon lets go of James' arm.]

I'm gonna go grab some gifts for some old co-workers and family. Don't mind waiting for a few minutes?

[At least it's not clothes shopping!]

[hedgemaze]

Take your time.

[He makes a playful shooing motion with his hands.]

I'll be right here.

[winterheart]

[Devon moves to the gift shop like a kid released onto the playground. What she fails to notice for the time being, are a pair of young women who make a beeline for James, the moment Devon is out of sight and out of earshot. Their interest is obvious and they strike up a conversation with James immediately.]

"Hi! I couldn't help but notice, or rather, my friend and I overheard you talking and wanted to ask if you're from overseas? From the United Kingdom?"

[hedgemaze]

[James was just about to take out his phone to check for any messages, when the two young women waltz up to him. He peers up and blinks at them; unsurprisingly, he doesn't look shocked.

He graces them with a smile, humoring them as he often does.]

That's correct, I am. Let me guess, the accent gave it away?

[winterheart]

"Oh my god, that's great!"

"I've never been to England before! Are you a celebrity?"

"Yeah, you totally have the face of one?"

[While they're engaging James in a conversation, Devon is still busy enough to not notice that James is being hit on. She's comparing the prices of two products and it may take her another minute or two to really look up and break out of her absorption.]

[hedgemaze]

Ah... [James can't help but glance at Devon, but she's current very occupied, and he actually doesn't want to interrupt her right now. And so he merely shrugs his shoulders, and returns his attention to the young ladies.]

I appreciate the sentiment. Flattery will get you everywhere, as the saying goes.

1/2

[winterheart]

"Well, we are totally happy to flatter you anytime you want."

"I mean, as long as you're staying here."

"In fact, as long as you're hanging around Portland, you should totally visit this bar we definitely recommend and..."

[They continue chatting with James and as the girls try to invite him to several bars or clubs of their choice, that's when Devon, after paying for her gifts looks over to him and notices what's going on. For a second she's not sure what to think.

And when she glances around, there are other people looking at James, wistful, yearning, waiting for their turn to maybe talk to him because they didn't notice Devon walking alongside him, they didn't notice, or worse, didn't care, he was with someone else. They wanted him and a strange feeling begins to stir within her, something she is not accustomed to. Devon hesitates to walk forward to call out to him. She's frozen in her spot trying to make sense of what she's feeling and...]

[winterheart]

[It's ugly. The feeling is ugly and she feels ugly.

Devon manages to break down the wall that prevented her to walking over to James and appears next to him, hand gently pulling at his sleeve. The girls who were flirting with James look mildly offended after she's interrupted them. They were on a roll! But Devon doesn't make eye contact with them and instead, says in a quieter tone than usual.]

Hey. Done now. Let's head back.

[That's it. Nothing confrontational. No outburst. She just wants to get out of there, away from prying eyes.]

[hedgemaze]

[James feels a tug at his sleeve, and he glances over to see Devon standing next to him. He smiles at her, glad for her return, and nods; there's a sense of... something off, something he can't quite put his finger on, but for now, he'll merely look at the young women who were vying for his attention, smile, and say:]

Excuse us.

[There's not much else his admirers can say, and none seem quite bold enough to pull him away from his fiance proper. As such, James takes Devon by the arm and begins to escort her out.]

Find what you were looking for? [He offers, debating whether or not to feel out with his mind to get a sense of what was going through her head.]

[winterheart]

[One of the girls with the keener eye notices Devon's ring when they walk away and there's an, "Ah," that passes between the two friends. Not that it matters as Devon and James leave the museum.

Devon seems distracted, as if she's retreated into her own thoughts much like how she was at the beginning when they first met. But she replies to James easily enough.]

Mm. No problem. Got everything I needed.

[She glances down as if just noticing that James had taken her by the arm. Why was she filled with such doubt towards his touch now of all times? Maybe it was the stress piled on from all of her obligatory visits and the approaching wedding date. Maybe it was her realizing another layer of weight that came with this relationship that they were in together and she had yet again underestimated it. And unlike last time when Devon made up her mind, she had no idea how to handle this by herself.]

Ian might be at home, but he'll go visit a friend's house when we come back. I'll need to make sure he's had a snack and...

[Her voice trails off and she falls quiet once again.]

[hedgemaze]

[He waits for Devon to finish her statement as they walk, and when she doesn't, James has to raise a brow.

Definitely something off.

When he reaches out to feel her emotions, he's met with a swath of something that feels like uncertainty. He looks at her profile for a moment before asking.]

Is something bothering you? You've gone awfully quiet.

[winterheart]

[Is something bothering you?

There's a flash of irritation at that question and she hates that she feels irritated at all.]

I'm fine.

[She says that more quickly and more sharply than she intended.]

Getting dragged around by my mom must have taken a toll on me. I'm definitely gonna rest when we get to the house.

[hedgemaze]

[James definitely feels that spike of irritation. He's actually a bit surprised at it, blinking at her.]

...all right, then. It's been a long day, and maybe a nap will do you good.

[And maybe he'll ask her more about it later, when they've settled back down at her home.]

timeskiiiip

[clearsight]

[And she leaves it at that. Devon's quietness settles over her for the rest of the ride home.]

* * *

[True to her word, little Ian's sitting on the couch with Vice President who's chewing on a toy while the boy plays a game on a tablet. He looks up when he hears Devon and James entering and waves to them.]

Hi. Had fun?

[Even Devon has to give him a smile even though she doesn't answer with words. She walks past him, giving her brother a pat on the head and VP a few scratches behind the ears before walking upstairs without a word. Ian blinks, confused at first, but then realizes what's going on to an extent. He puts down his tablet and then gets on his knees to rest his arms on the back of the sofa, looking questioningly at James.]

What is she mad about?

[hedgemaze]

[James follows Devon up the stairs with his gaze, and he turns to look at Ian, the smallest frown on his face.]

I don't know, exactly. [He sits on the couch with an exhale.] She's fine one minute, and the next? She barely utters a word to me on the way back home.