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

[hedgemaze]

It's all right, I guess.

[That would be him teasing again.]

[winterheart]

We better fix that then.

[Devon squeezes his hand back. She's still wearing her engagement ring and the band presses against his palm. ]

We got a day to ourselves after all.

[hedgemaze]

[He notices the engagement ring, and a part of him feels an embarrassingly childlike sense of glee to know that she wears it of her own accord. He has his wedding band on, as well, of course -- it's on his left hand, as expected, and for some reason he's very aware of its presence on his finger, more so than before.

Is this what newly-weds are like, he wonders? Not that they were wed yet, but surely this level of energy is the same as what he reads in his books, what he sees in movies and television?

Ah, he has to tell himself to calm down a bit. Regain his composure.]

Well, what did you want to do next, then? I figured you'd want to pick out more clothes for yourself. Maybe a nice dress for the engagement party?

1/2

[winterheart]

Picking out clothes shouldn't take me long. A dress sounds...

[winterheart]

Wait.

Engagement party??

[hedgemaze]

Yes. The engagement party.

[The confusion is practically radiating off of her, and James picks up on it so very easily. She didn’t know?]

I figured my father would have mentioned it to you. We’re going to be hosting the party a month from now — enough time to get all your invites out to people you’d like to attend, friends and family alike. We have the staff already making plans and preparations for it.

[Which means it’s going to be a very Big Event.]

[winterheart]

Oh God... It totally slipped my mind.

[But then that means...!! ]

If my family comes over that means they can stay with us?

[hedgemaze]

Of course they can.

[Said in a way that sounds like "duh, what a silly question."]

They can stay as long as they like. The house is big enough for probably five of your families.

[winterheart]

[She laughs with some delight. ]

Mom, Dad, and Ian should be enough, maybe a few people on my dad's side can make it.

[She's happy at the prospect of seeing them again she's practically bouncing underneath. ]

I can decide on a dress while you're away because THAT will take us all day. I'd be too excited about choosing anything practical.

[hedgemaze]

[He laughs at the very notion of the idea.]

Practical? Who said anything about practical? You should get what you want, no exceptions. Price isn’t an issue; I plan on paying for it.

Besides, I want to see what you choose.

[winterheart]

[Is she blushing? She's totally blushing. ]

I'll... I'll try not to take up too much time then.

[hedgemaze]

[Oh no... she's blushing.

And James.... he cannot help but call her out on it. Because it's kind of cute.]

Aw, you're blushing.

[winterheart]

I know that!

[She shakes her head as if trying to get rid of the color in her cheeks. Her things are paid for and she leads them out of the thrift store.]

You're not helping.

[hedgemaze]

[He's looking Very Amused as he follows her out. He unlocks the car for them both to get in when they near it.]

No, I'm not. I think it's endearing you see you blush. Almost as if you're embarrased to try on a new dress in front of me.

[winterheart]

[She gets in the car, covering her face once she sets her bag down. Not helping at allll.]

As if you don't try hard enough already.

[In a way, James probably wouldn't have to try very hard to get Devon to blush considering the fact that she's been more open at showing her affection, albeit in a warm, gentle manner.]

[hedgemaze]

Can you blame me? It doesn't take much in your case. Or is it just because it's me?

[Isn't he funny. He can't help but tease.]

Shall we hunt for one now? A dress for you.

[He's already starting the engine, though, intent on finding an expensive boutique for her to do a little shopping in.]

[winterheart]

... It's probably just you.

[That's right. After all, her longest relationship was only a year and everything else that followed afterwards was never permanent. No one made her sad, but no one made her happy either. There wasn't a challenge, there wasn't the joy of discovery, her heart simply didn't race until she met James.]

And let's hunt down that dress. Sooner the better if we're gonna go for it.

[hedgemaze]

...Good.

[He grins.]

Off we go then. I know just the place.

[And he takes them there -- it is indeed a fancy little boutique, with all the fashionable dresses on display in the window. Parking the car, he opens her door for her, and motions to the entrance.]

You might find something you like in here.

[winterheart]

[When Devon walks inside, she stops when she sees all the dresses. She takes a deep breath.]

Lord, here we go.

[Is she intimidated? She's intimidated. She isn't unfamiliar with places like this. Christine, despite being firmly entrenched in American middle class life, did have a taste for high fashion and when they went to England, she would point out places to Devon that was known for their pieces. She even went to these places with Lucy and other Flemmings at times.

Still, to have her own dress for something important as an engagement party. Gotta remember to breathe.

Her eyes are drawn first to a midnight blue dress, but there's also an ombre dress that reminds her of an evening sky. ]

Bad news. I like a two of them so far.

[hedgemaze]

[James gives Devon her space, so that she can look without being interrupted by him. Every dress she considers, he cannot help but imagine what she might look like in it -- he keeps this little tidbit to himself, though, as not to fluster her. (This time.)

When she mentions she's torn between two dresses, his answer is simple enough.]

Why is that bad news? Try them both on. Or buy both of them, and save one for another special occasion.

[winterheart]

[(Meanwhile, outside there is a black car that's parked nearby, not too close, but not too far...)

She's about to protest the notion of buying both due to her middle class sensibilities kicking in, but she stops once she sees a shimmering moon colored dress with a low cut that was sitting quietly further back.

This is the one Devon can actually imagine herself wearing. There's a pull to it and she finds herself naturally gravitating towards this gown. ]

I'll try this one on.

[hedgemaze]

[He eyes the gown, finding something particularly enchanting about it. Perhaps it was the design, or perhaps the fabric, but either way, he quietly thinks to himself that this one may suit her very well.

He nods at her.]

I await with bated breath.

[winterheart]

[A shop attendant is there to assist Devon, taking the dress, and leading her to the dressing room in the back. There's a rustling of cloth, a rather hilarious exclamation from Devon ("It's how much--?! Okay, less than I expected, more than I hoped, how's that?")

But she steps out of the room and her hair is even tied up in a ponytail so that every part of the dress can be seen. The attendant looks proud of her work and even excited about the fit.

Devon, looks and radiates nervousness, but also a sort of glow when she goes to let James look. She even turns in a circle so he can see the back and laughs awkwardly.]

Well? I don't think it took me too long to choose.

[hedgemaze]

[James can feel her presence eke with nervousness, and that's exactly how he can tell that she's drawing closer. He looks up from where he's seated, just outside of the dressing rooms (a chair perfectly placed there for him, having seated many men waiting on their girlfriends/wives), and when he catches sight of her, it's more than what he expected.

Quite frankly, she looks stunning. The cut of the dress suits her, as does its shimmering design. It accentuates her figure in all the right ways, and for a second it feels like James is struggling for the right words. The attendant nearby has to keep herself from giggling; she's seen this reaction time and time again.]

...It's perfect. [He finally manages, getting ahold of himself.] You look perfect. You'll be the envy of all the other women in the room.

[winterheart]

[Well, there's the blushing again and it seems to spread to her shoulders. The attendant raises her brows.]

"He's a bit much, isn't he dear?"

[Devon glances to the side, covering her face with one hand.]

You have no idea.