Crown of a Prince (Finn Shelby)

113

Charlie insisted that Finn and Ailbhe did not have to come in with him. He wanted to sneak in through the servant's entrance, hoping just to tell one of the footmen he was home and that he had gone to bed. He didn't want to see his mother and he definitely didn't want to see his father. He had had a perfect day, going for a ride with Ailbhe in the morning before going fishing with Finn, eating lunch on their laps on the river bank and letting Finn tell him stories about Arthur as a teenager and their Aunt Pol. Finn had made jokes like they used to and Charlie found himself starting to cheer up, glad to be out from under the dark cloud his house now seemed settled under.

It wasn't that he didn't miss Ruby, he did. But he was still a child and he needed to be reminded that the world hadn't stopped turning. And Ailbhe and Finn's home was his favourite place on Earth.

Ailbhe had hoped they would escape the guest's arrival. And with Lizzie already retired to her room for the night, she hoped they too would get to leave as swiftly as possible.

"Thank you for today" Charlie whispered, taking his bag from Ailbhe's hands. 

She smiled in return, giving him a swift kiss on top of the head that she knew he said he was too old for. But he allowed it since she did it so quickly.

She let herself into Tommy's office, gathering the two sets of papers he had left for her. She had been missing from the office and she knew that tomorrow morning, she would have to get back to work. She couldn't hide at home forever. Finn and Ada could only hold down the fort for so long and her absence from the office had been noted for the past two weeks.

"Mrs Shelby"

Ailbhe turned her head, recognising the voice in exclamation. It was Frances, keeping a sharp eye on everything as always.

"Hello Frances, I'm just collecting these papers that Tom left for me"

She gestured to the papers in her hand, folding them in half and putting them into her handbag.

"I'm going now, sorry to disturb you" Ailbhe apologised, moving towards the doorway that Frances stood in.

"The guests are arriving now, ma'am - perhaps you'd rather wait until they have gone"

Frances nodded her head towards the hallway door where Ailbhe was sure she heard Jack Nelson's brash and loud accent.

"Thank you Frances" - Ailbhe really did appreciate Frances' effort to save Ailbhe the hassle of such an interaction "But I've left Finn out there and I'm sure he's desperate to leave".

They moved towards the door, Ailbhe pausing before they reached for the handle.

"Will you tell Lizzie I asked for her?" She asked, looking at Frances in the light for the first time since arriving and seeing how tired and frail she looked.

Losing Ruby had knocked the wind out of all of them, even the servants. Ailbhe knew that Frances had been there since Charlie was a baby, doting on them all even Lizzie who she had embraced as her lady of the house immediately.

"Of course" She nodded. Her feet ceased to move, just like Ailbhe's, not wanting to open the door and go back to pretending.

"Mrs Shelby is sleeping better now... with those tablets from the doctor"

Ailbhe was glad. Lizzie had been positively exhausted the last time Ailbhe saw her.

"I'm glad to see you looking more like yourself, if you don't mind me saying so"

Perhaps Frances was one of the only people in the house who didn't believe the mask of lipstick and coolness that Ailbhe had put on that morning. But Ailbhe knew that she looked more like herself.