Masters & Lovers Box Set One

"What on earth...?"

Elizabeth sits to one side of the table. Michael to the other. Each has a mound of paper worthy of a termite mound and a cardboard crate to one side. As I watch, Elizabeth briefly scans a sheet then tosses it into the box beside her. Michael is shaking his head, disbelief writ large.

"He really did keep everything, didn't he. This is a parking ticket from nineteen-ninety-two and this...." He scans the sheet, his lips moving as he does so, ".... is an invoice and guarantee for removal of a wasps' nest from the following year." "How did you get dragged into this, Michael?"

"He volunteered," says Elizabeth, her voice short. "Please don't upset my staff member. I might lose him."

Michael snorts. "You've got me for today until Charlotte and James turn up. But I'm happy enough to help. If you like, I can take a box home with me. No harm in doing a bit during the evening in front of the fire."

Elizabeth swings grateful eyes on him. "Oh, would you?"

*****

"A pleasant afternoon, my Love?"

She flops down in her chair. It's very uncharacteristic. Normally, my Elizabeth is graceful and carries herself well. Today she has all the signs of being at the end of her tether.

"It's been a long afternoon." She glances around the room. "Master, is there any wine? I'm exhausted."

"Exhausted? Just from a few hours of shopping for a wedding dress?"

"We have been through every wedding shop I know of, plus several of the larger department stores. I have looked at hundreds of dresses." She presses a hand to her forehead. "I've gone wedding-dress-blind. For someone who normally doesn't give a hoot about clothes, Charlotte is being very picky about this. I wouldn't have minded if she was having trouble finding something to suit her. But she looked stunning in everything she tried on."

I chuckle. "Well, she would, wouldn't she?"

"Master?"

"She looks a lot like you my Love, and you also looked stunning on our wedding day."

She smiles, squeezing my hand at the compliment, but there's something....

What's wrong?

"So, did she find something she liked in the end?"

She throws her hands in the air. "No. Nothing made her happy. I'm going to have to go with her to do this again." Then she hesitates, her voice slowing. "Master, I'm wondering if everything's alright with Charlotte. She was very snappy with me towards the end of the afternoon."

That's not like Charlotte....

.... She adores Elizabeth....

"How do you mean? Alright?"

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"I'm wondering if she really wants to get married?" Then she slants me a meaningful look. "Or at least, if it's Michael she wants to marry."

*****

I'm about ready to explode.

Give me strength....

If they don't stop bickering soon....

Ben picks up a menu card and pulls a face. "The menu's a bit bland, isn't it? I thought you go for something more adventurous."

Michael, blank-faced, looks up from the table. He has dozens of small name-cards laid out, moving them around as he works out a seating plan. "Like what?"

"Well, plain roast chicken? Why not say, chicken kiev? It's a bit more interesting."

"I set the menu," I say. "It's not everyone who likes garlic. And if people do want something spicier they can choose a sauce. Or anything from the standard menu for the restaurant. But I happen to know from Michael that at least a couple of the older ones in your family have delicate digestions. So, I opted for chicken, plain."

He curls a lip. "I still think it's a bit unadventurous."

"It's too late to change it now," I snap. "All the supplies are in. I've chosen a menu that will be easy to serve to a lot of people. It's the first time the kitchen has served any amount of food and I want it to go smoothly. It's almost the practice run for the Open Day next week."

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Ben at his most truculent is a trial I can do without. He squares up on me. "And you know something about a hotel kitchen, do you? And how to run one?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. I...."

Michael interrupts. "If you two don't at least try to be polite to each other, I swear I'm going to bang your heads together. You...." He jabs a finger at me.... "Calm down. And you...." The finger swings on Ben.... "I'd have thought my own brother would give me a bit of support for my own wedding day instead of being deliberately obstructive."

Then apparently embarrassed by his outburst, he stamps out.

Ah... Crap....

I offer a tentative hand to Ben. He takes it without a smile, tugging it down in a short stab of a shake, then he also marches out.

Death, divorce, moving house and weddings....

The most stressful of all life changes....

In the corner, Richard has watched all this in silence. As Ben's footsteps retreat out of earshot, "He's a contrary son of a bitch, isn't he, that Ben. Nothing like his brother."

I don't want to say anything. Biting on my tongue, I simply shake my head.

Richard nods understanding. "I'll go and see if I can calm things down a bit."

*****