Melody (Ransom Drysdale)

13

Ransom was already in the kitchen dressed in yesterday's clothes when Melody came down the next morning to prepare Audrey's bottle. Clearly he'd been out for most of the night and had returned probably only a couple of hours ago.

She said nothing, taking a bottle from the steriliser to fill with some water whilst he ate some toast. If seeing him with a date wasn't enough, she'd had to try and get the mental images of him completely naked from her mind. It had been a sight to scar her for life.

"So we gonna talk rules or not?" Ransom demanded with a mouthful of toast.

"I don't know, do you think we could go five minutes without yelling at one another?" She turned, hands on her hips and stared.

He huffed and shook his head. "Rule number one is that you need to fucking smile more".

"I smile, just not at you - because you make me want to hi five you in the face with a chair".

He slammed his hand down on the counter. "See, this is what I'm talking about! You don't wanna argue yet you're stood there all defensive..."

"Because I don't know where I stand with you Hugh!" Melody now exasperated and let out a small laugh. "You blow hot and cold almost as much as I do! You look at me like I'm the worst woman in the world, and the same goes for Audrey! You look at her with some much hate, and yet she didn't ask to be here!"

"No, but you did"

"Not true. I came on board knowing I would be at Thrombey Manor, not here. I didn't ask to be here at your house, but I have to be. Because if I leave then that little girl upstairs is left without anyone to love her!" Her eyes filled with tears and she turned away. No way was she allowing Ransom to see her cry.

There was silence for a few moments, Melody filling the bottle with boiled water and adding the scoops of milk to it, blinking away anymore tears that threatened to fall.

Ransom's voice was now calm. "So...how are we going to do this?" When she said nothing he spoke again. "Mel. We both want an easy life, so how we going to do this? This is me wanting to talk rules and things out with you".

"I just want you to look at your daughter Hugh. Is that so hard?"

"Yes, it is" He replied.

Melody turned. "Why? Is it because you know she looks like you?"

It was an honest question. Audrey looked a lot like her father and whether that was the reason for Ransom not being able to lay eyes on her and accept the truth, then it was unknown to her currently.

Ransom stared at his plate, glaring at it. "When you have a kid dumped on your doorstep with nothing but a note telling you she's yours and that's that? You'd have trouble processing it too".

Melody looked up, knowing she'd need to get up to Audrey soon as the baby would be waking for her bottle, but if she was going to call a truce with Ransom then she needed to do it now. "Was that all their was?"

He nodded. "Apart from some diapers and milk. She just dumped her and ran".

Melody took this in, trying to see things from his view. "Guess that was confusing".

"You're telling me. I thought it was some kind of sick joke, but then I realised it wasn't". He didn't look at her, and still stared at his plate.

"What you said last night, about Audrey ending up like your family?"

He snorted. "Why do you think I avoid them as much as possible? All they care about is themselves. Brag about what they achieve. But they aren't achievers. My mom started her business with the money that my grandfather gave her, same goes for Joni, Megs' schooling - Walt? His name is down as being in charge of the publishing company but he has no control. I can't stand any of them and now Audrey's gonna be forced to grow up among them".

Melody bit her lip. "Not after what I said yesterday".

Ransom now looked up at her. "What?"

She looked a little guilty. "I may have given them all a bit of a telling off".

His lip curled. "What did you say?"

"Just that they should stop referring to her as a 'thing' and that it would be better for them to just invite you to gatherings and not have her attend. The dynamic wouldn't work between us and it would cause more drama and arguments. They don't care about her, so they won't miss her - well, other than Harlan".

He pouted with a small nod of new found respect for her. "Well...seems that maybe Harlan did make the right choice".

"Did you just give me a compliment?" She frowned.

"Not as such but literally, no one else stands up to my family. Tells them what they think about them except me". He admitted. "And they don't like it".

She looked at him. "And what about Harlan? Does he?"

"What do you think?"

It was clear that the oldest Thrombey did not appreciate it. Harlan seemed to be more of the voice of reason between spats though, so Melody could not think ill of him.

Audrey started crying and she quickly took the bottle. "She's hungry, I should get this to her".

Ransom nodded and put his plate into the dishwasher while she made for upstairs.

Melody hummed as she rocked the baby gently while burping her, Audrey letting out a little hiccup. "Wow, you really enjoyed that didn't you?" She cooed at the little girl.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught a shadow outside of the doorway, but as she now looked over, it disappeared. "Hugh?" She called out, wondering what it was that he wanted.

No reply came.

"Hugh, I know you're out there, look if you want to talk rules then we can do it now?" She offered.

Silence.

Melody sighed, hoping that she could've got through to him from their conversation earlier. It had been the only one they'd managed to have without wanting to kill one another.

"Later". Ransom made her jump as he appeared in the doorway again. "Every time I come near she cries. You don't want that remember?"

"She only cries if we argue. If you want her to stop then we're gonna have to try and get along". She told him. "One of my rules is that I want you to start trying to bond with her".

"You've gotta be shitting me". He now muttered but she heard him, turning and giving him a disapproving look. He huffed, "fine but you have to come to all the stupid family shit I have to - if we're gonna suffer then we're  suffering together".

Melody nodded but was dreading the next time that she had to face the Thrombey's. "Ok, is that it?"

"I think so".

"Right, shall we start now then?"