The Duchess and the Dreamer

by Jenny Frame

  “Evan, your father’s perhaps over-romanticized our beginnings. Don’t base your love life on us. Is she even gay?”

  “I’ve no idea, but I’m going to find out. Stage one, make her smile.”

  Her mother smiled and said, “That’s always a good place to start. Your dad always made me smile. Whatever happens, sweetheart, you’re at the start of a grand adventure.”

  Maybe a romantic adventure, her own love story.

  * * *

  Evan gazed around her new office space with wonder. Her team had converted the medieval banqueting hall. It was beautiful. All the original stone work and big wooden beams on the ceiling echoed of an earlier time, but mixed with the new computers and TV monitors hanging on the walls, it was well and truly ready to become Evan’s country office.

  “You’ve done a fantastic job,” she said to Archie.

  “It wasn’t easy getting a fast, reliable internet connection in here, but we got there in the end.”

  There were still some technicians floating around the room, fiddling with wires, and setting up computers for the staff that would be joining her here, but Evan’s desk and computer were ready to go. She sat down and lifted her iPad to check the notes she had made.

  “Okay, so I’ve set up the Rosebrook Trust with my lawyers. I just need to give them the names of the trustees.”

  Archie sat on the side of the desk. “Are you sure this is a good idea, Fox? Giving over some of the control to the villagers?”

  “Yes, it’s perfect. Isadora’s original plans included a mini parliament, where residents would come to consensus and vote. I need these people working with me, not just me barging in and telling them what’s what. My mum reminded me of that.”

  Archie sighed. “It’s your business, your dream, but I’m not one for giving up control.”

  Evan laughed. “I bet, but just loosen up a little. Besides, I need to get our resident duchess involved.”

  “Why? Won’t she just interfere?”

  Evan tweaked the bow tie she was wearing. “Her interference might help us. You see, she has local knowledge and hundreds of years of experience passed down to her on how to run an estate and village. There will be things we’d miss. Besides, the others will follow her. Clementine Fitzroy is their natural leader, even if she doesn’t know it herself yet.”

  Archie indicated to the empty desks. “So have you got staff lined up?”

  “I’ve managed to persuade Violet to let me have Rupert. He and I have a good rapport, and he’s keen to start a new life in the country. Violet’s working with him to headhunt a few faces to come with him. He’ll be down next week, if the staff cottages are ready.”

  As well as refurbishing the main house, Archie’s team had been updating the former estate workers’ cottages to modern standards.

  “We’ll have one good to go by next Monday, another two by the end of the month. I’m sure your new office staff can commute or share until they’re ready.”

  “One cottage was meant to be for you,” Evan said.

  Archie looked up to the ceiling. “You know I don’t want to live in the country. This is your dream, and I’ll help achieve your project, but you’ll be at the head office two days a week, and I’ll travel up and down by car.”

  “Okay, okay, if you’re that against it.”

  They were interrupted by one of the workmen walking in and saying, “Excuse me, Fox, there’s a Mr. Fergus here. He’d like to see you.”

  Evan stood up. “Of course, send him in.”

  “I’ll leave you to it.” Archie left just as Mr Fergus was arriving.

  “Fergus, come in and take a seat.” Evan directed him to a seat.

  She liked Fergus. He was happy, jolly, and shared her manner and dress sense. Today he was wearing an old-fashioned Harris tweed, similar to the pale blue tweed trousers and waistcoat she was wearing.

  “Nice suit, youngster.”

  Evan grinned. “My tailor made me a whole wardrobe of country suits. I can’t wait to try them all out.”

  Fergus smiled and rubbed his pure white beard. “Good show, good show. You left a message with my housekeeper that you wanted to see me.”

  “Yes, but you didn’t need to come all the way up here. I would have come to you,” Evan said.

  “Not at all. I wanted the walk. Besides I have to admit to being curious as to what you’ve done with the place.”

  Evan held out her hands proudly. “What do you think?”

  “It’s wonderful. You know, I remember the last time I was here—Isadora was showing me her new plans. It was five years after the War when my partner and I moved to Rosebrook. She wanted to sell off some land and try to restart her big project, but she had already lost so much, and her wife and son were dead against it. It never came to anything.”

  “It’s amazing that you knew her. Can I offer you tea, coffee, water?” Evan pointed to the other end of the room where there was a coffee machine, tea facilities, and a drinks fridge.

  Fergus looked across, and then at his watch. “Well, the sun is definitely past the yardarm. You wouldn’t happen to have a little snifter, would you?”

  Evan laughed and walked up to the drinks area, and from a cupboard brought back a bottle of malt and two glasses.

  “Here you are. I have a love of malt whisky.”

  “Another thing we have in common. Cheers. Now, what can I do for you, youngster?” Fergus said.

  Evan rolled the whisky glass between her hands. “I need your help.”

  “My help? Of course, anything. What do you need?”

  “Your advice, experience, and influence. I told you about my dream the other night, to make Isadora’s new style of community come to life, and to help make the planet greener, but I’ve come to the realization that I’m doing this the wrong way. I need to bring the village together and address their issues before I charge on with my own ideas.”

  “You mean our resident farmers, Mr. O’Rourke, and the duchess?”

  Evan nodded. “I need the duchess onside to bring the others along. Even though she doesn’t own the land any more, the people do still seem to follow her.”

  Fergus nodded. “History and tradition run deep in this village. She is a symbol of what held this community together for so long.”

  “Why is she so hostile when I’m trying to rebuild her village?” Evan asked.

  “She was brought up to fulfil a role, a role that has hundreds of years of expectation and history behind it. Clementine may have studied to become an architect, but being the duchess was always meant to be her life, her vocation, and now she can’t do it.”

  “When did she leave Rosebrook?”

  “She was sixteen, I think, but older than her years. Marianne, the dowager duchess, always had troubles—you know, mentally. So Clementine has had to be the responsible one since she was a young woman. Marianne declined after they were forced to leave the house.”

  Evan let out a breath and took a sip of her drink. “Now here I am, sitting in her house, and acting like a bull in a china shop?”

  Fergus chuckled. “Something like that, but you can make her come around.”

  “I need your help to do it. This isn’t my world, and I don’t know how it works. I was so enthusiastic about my project that I forgot about some aspects that I haven’t a clue about. I’ve moved from a flat and I’m living in a stately home, with no staff, and no idea what staff I would need.”

  “Forgive me for being vulgar and talking about money, but your family is wealthy—didn’t you go to boarding school and mix with people who had big country piles like this?”

  Evan shook her head and smiled. “Nope, my mum and dad are lifelong passionate Labour supporters and don’t believe in the private school system. I went to my local school. Their views on social reform rubbed off on me.”

  “What would you like me to do?” Fergus asked.

  Evan stood up and walked around her desk. “I want to have another meeting, come about this fro
m a different angle, and I need Clementine there. I thought maybe neutral territory?”

  “My house? No problem at all. Good idea. I’ll help you in any way I can, youngster.”

  Evan smiled and held up her glass. “Cheers.”

  * * *

  The summer sun was hot in the July sky, Clementine had completed another two projects for the firm who had contracted her, and her mum had been settled for the last week. As she lay back on her sun lounger on the beach, life seemed calmer and manageable. She opened her eyes when she heard the sound of Toby’s and Dexter’s laughter in the water.

  Beside her Kay removed the sunhat from her face and shouted, “Don’t go in too deep, boys.”

  Kay had persuaded her to have a lunchtime picnic with her and the boys at the beach, since she had no more work on. So they came down to the bay and got the sun loungers Mr. O’Rourke kept at his fishing hut and enjoyed some sandwiches. Initially apprehensive, Clementine was happy she had come. It was relaxing.

  “Another drink, Clem?” Kay opened the cool box beside her and pulled out two bottles of sparkling apple juice.

  “That would be perfect. Thanks.” Clementine took the bottle and quickly took a drink. The cool liquid felt wonderful as it ran down her throat.

  “Isn’t this just heavenly?” Kay said. “My family and friends often ask why we moved the family out to this isolated village.” She spread out her arms. “This is why. A just-about-private beach, where the kids can play safely, and back home our own little mini-farm, living off the land as nature intended. Not bad, eh?”

  Clementine smiled. “No, not too bad at all.”

  That was the first time she could take a breath and enjoy a day without being overly stressed. She looked out to sea and saw Mr. O’Rourke’s fishing boat sitting out on the water. He had one of his fishing parties out enjoying the day.

  “Lovely day for fishing.”

  “Yes, when I was at the boat shop, Mr. O’Rourke said he had two bookings today. Unusual, but I suppose when the village is rebuilt, he’ll be more than busy.”

  “Hmm,” Clementine said noncommittedly.

  “Oh, come on, you can’t still be annoyed at her. She’s lovely. I’ve seen her driving through the village a few times in that cute little green Beetle of hers.”

  “Kay, she wants to turn the village into some kind of environmental experiment, meanwhile building some kind of utopian dream for the LGBTQ community. It’s all pie in the sky. We’re just a rich woman’s plaything.”

  “I don’t think so. She has trustworthy eyes,” Kay said.

  Clementine sat up straighter in her lounger. “Trustworthy eyes? Really?”

  “Yes, and she’s sweet. Every time I see her, she has a smile and a nice compliment for me.”

  “Flattery,” Clementine said, “pure flattery. I wouldn’t believe a word of it.”

  Kay snorted. “It’s not flattery, it’s kindness. Besides even if it was, I’d take it. I’m a harassed mother of two kids. I don’t get too many compliments.” Clementine said nothing and a few silent moments went by before Kay suddenly said, “Is she your type?”

  Clementine just about spat out her apple juice. “My type? What on earth are you talking about?”

  “Your type of woman.” Kay grinned.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever told you that I’m gay, have I?”

  “You’re not denying it then. I thought so. I’m good at reading people, although I don’t know why you kept it a secret. I’m your friend.”

  Clementine sighed. She wasn’t going to deny it. “It wasn’t a secret, but it just never seemed important. I’ve never seen anyone I like or had a relationship since I came home to look after Mother.”

  “Fair enough, so is she your type?” Kay asked.

  Clementine thought back to the way her body reacted when she opened the door to Evan and felt a shiver at the memory. Collywobbles.

  “No, not my type.”

  “I don’t know why,” Kay said. “I’m straight and she’s just about my type. So well-dressed, so gentlemanly, so…what’s the word?”

  “Dapper,” Clementine finished for her.

  Kay snapped her fingers. “Dapper, that’s it.”

  Clementine shook her head. “She’s too dapper. She’s a dandy, more like, and I’m sure she loves everything about herself.”

  Kay shouted to her sons, “Toby, that’s too far out. Come back in a bit.”

  Hoping the conversation about Evan was over, Clementine shut her eyes and tried to dispel the memory of those weird feelings she had when she thought of Evan.

  Just as she was settling, Kay said loudly, “Who is that?”

  Clementine sighed and opened her eyes. “Who’s what?”

  Kay pointed to the other end of the beach where a figure was descending the stairs to the bay. “You don’t see many people coming down there, especially that way,” Kay said.

  The stairs down the cliff, at the other end of the bay, had been built a long time ago, and were steeper and much more difficult to descend than the other routes to the beach. The top of the stairs was quite overgrown now, and only the locals really knew about it.

  The figure made it down and ran along the beach. Whoever it was, they were fit. As they got closer, Kay whispered, “It’s her.”

  “What? Her, who?”

  “Look closer. It’s our dapper dandy,” Kay said.

  Finally, she was close enough to make her out. It was Evan, and she shivered even though the heat was scorching. As she got closer, Clementine’s gaze was glued to Evan’s running form and the play of her muscles in her legs as she ran. To make matters worse, Evan’s shorts weren’t long, and she wore a sleeveless T-shirt, so Clementine got to see so much of Evan’s well-toned body.

  Then, all of a sudden, Evan was there. She stopped by them and caught her breath. Evan’s normally perfect styled hair was loose, her fringe hanging sexily over her face. Evan pushed back her floppy hair and tipped her imaginary hat to them.

  “Ladies, so nice to see you,” Evan said.

  “You too, Evan.” Kay giggled like a schoolgirl and replied for them.

  Clementine couldn’t reply. She was too transfixed by the hot, sexy mess in front of her. Those collywobbles were going haywire, running all through her body, over her skin, and out through her fingertips.

  “Would you like a cold drink, Evan?” Kay asked.

  “I’d love it.”

  Kay handed her a bottle, and Evan began to down it in one, her head held up to the sky and eyes closed. Clementine couldn’t take her eyes off the beads of sweat running down Evan’s neck as she gulped down the cold drink. She also noticed that her own fingernails were tracing down her throat, and making her shiver all the more.

  Stop it, Clementine chastised herself. Look at her. No one is that good-looking and not full of themselves. Don’t give in to her game.

  When Evan finished the drink she gave a loud, “Woo!” and said, “What a day, isn’t it amazing to be alive? And may I say how beautiful you both look today.”

  Kay giggled like a schoolgirl again. What was wrong with her? Clementine thought. “Thank you, Evan. You’re good for morale.”

  Evan put her fist on her heart. “I only speak the truth, and how are you, Your Grace—sorry, Clem?”

  “It’s Clementine, and I’m perfectly well.”

  “Good, good. What a day, eh?” Evan turned towards the sea and waved to Toby and Dexter. “A bit of a day out, is it?”

  The kids waved back enthusiastically.

  “Yes,” Kay replied. “I managed to persuade my reclusive friend here to get some sun.”

  Clementine rolled her eyes. She was going to kill Kay.

  “Good, good, when you live in a beautiful place like this, Clem, you should get out and enjoy it.”

  Clementine looked up at her and said, “Only my friends call me Clem.”

  She expected that cutting barb to silence Evan and make her scuttle away, but instead she clutched her heart,
feigning she had been shot.

  “Oh, good shot, Your Majesty, Your Duchess-ship.” Then with a smiling face she added, “I’m going to be your friend, Clem, so I’m just starting early. You’ll catch up.”

  Clementine felt a ball of…was it rage?…some overwhelming emotion erupt from somewhere deep inside, and began to say, “Now, see here—”

  Kay butted in before Clementine finished her admonishment and said, “Excuse me for asking, Evan, but how did you know about that staircase down to the bay? It’s overgrown and a bit dangerous. Only the locals really know about it.”

  “I spent many a day trip to Rosebrook when I was young, spent so much time on this beach that I know it off by heart.”

  This admission made Clementine’s ears prick up. “You came here, when you were a child? It’s not exactly a tourist destination.”

  “Yes, my parents brought me here and we had picnics on the beach, went litter picking”—Evan pointed down to the mesh drawstring bag hanging on her hip, filled with chocolate and crisp wrappers—“something I still carry on to this day.”

  Kay grinned at Clementine. “Imagine that. A Rosebrook regular.”

  There were more layers to Evan Fox revealed every time she met her. Could there be substance to her?

  Evan held her arms out. “If you get weather like this, Rosebrook can rival anywhere.”

  Toby and Dexter called out to Evan and asked her to come and play with them. She surprised Clementine and Kay by shouting, “Woo! Yes, great idea. A dip in the sea will cool me off.”

  Evan pulled off her T-shirt, revealing a crop top style sports bra. Clementine didn’t know where to look.

  “Kay, could you look after my litter bag for me?” Evan said.

  “Sure, but don’t feel obliged to play with my boys if you’re busy,” Kay said.

  “I’m never too busy to play with children.” Evan winked and set off her collywobbles.

  Evan walked a few steps towards the shore but then turned around and snapped her fingers. “Oh, I almost forgot. Fergus is hosting a planning evening at his house tomorrow night. I wonder if I could persuade you to come along, Clem?”