Game Of Bliss

(63)

"How was your day?" Eldon asks, as Elspeth walks into the house.

"How's Henry?" Finn teases.

"He's fine, gosh, what's with all the questions?" Elspeth huffs.

The men could see that her eyes were slightly red, as if she'd been crying. But she doesn't stay in the room long enough for either of them to say anything, she storms up the stairs, and a few seconds later they can hear her bedroom door close.

Finn takes a sip from his tea, "do you want to go speak to her?"

"I think she needs some space... yes, we'll give her some space until.. until Florence gets home," Eldon responds, "I'm sure she'd rather speak to Flo about whatever happened with Henry."

"If he's put a hand on her, I will maim him," Finn shrugs, casually flipping the page of his newspaper.

-

"Hey, sweetheart, is it okay for me to come in?" Florence asks, gently knocking on Elspeths door.

"Just you?" Elspeth responds.

"It's just me," Florence confirms, and Elspeth slowly opens the door from the inside, allowing Florence into her bedroom.

"I'm confused, Mum," Elspeth says, a tear slipping from her eye.

"What's wrong, hun?" Florence replies, guiding Elspeth to sit on the edge of her bed.

"It's so frustrating, I just don't know," Elspeth cries.

"Talk me through it, Els, what happened today?" Florence asks, placing an arm around Elsie, softly rubbing her arm as she rests her head on her shoulder.

"I was out with Henry, we were sat on the common talking, and he leant in..." Elspeth says, "I glanced over his shoulder and I saw Leila, she was looking right at us, she didn't look happy. I looked back at Henry, his face was getting closer, and I don't know, I just didn't want to kiss him. I didn't want Leila to see me kissing him... I don't know why it mattered. I don't know why I was wishing Henry would suddenly become Leila. Then Henry and I kissed and Leila ran away."

"Do you think there's a possibility that you like Leila?" Florence questions.

"Of course I like Leila, she's my friend," Elspeth replies, Florence gives her a look, and Elsie sighs, "is that an option? I didn't know it was an option. Am I allowed to like Leila?"

"Of course it's an option, of course it's okay to like Leila," Florence says, kissing Elspeths temple.

"What if she doesn't like me? What if it's Henry she likes? What if she's mad at me?" Elspeth questions, leaning further into Florence, "I can't ask her, what if it ruins our friendship?"

"You don't have to tell her," Florence says, "it's your decision regarding what you want to do. You can tell her, you can keep it to yourself, you can wait for a while before telling her. Either way, we'll support you, and love you. It's your choice."

"My choice?"

"Completely," Florence nods.

"I think I'm going to wait, I don't think I can tell her just yet." Elspeth replies, "I mean, Mal took a while to tell you, and your relationship is beautiful."

There's a moment of silence between the two females, and then Elspeth sighs, "they're all going to want answers... Mal, Donnie, Finn, they're going to want to know why I was acting weird earlier."

"Do you want to go somewhere tonight? Avoid the men?" Florence questions, "how do you like art?"

-

"Whoa this place is beautiful, I'm surprised this isn't closed," Elspeth gasps, as they stand in a grand foyer, artwork displayed all throughout the room, decorating the walls magnificently.

"It is closed for everybody but us," Florence says, "Malachi sort of... bought it."

"He bought a museum?" Elspeth questions, "just how wealthy are we?"

"...vastly," Florence responds.

"They won't come looking for us here, will they?" Elspeth asks.

"Oh no, I told them to stay put, those men will do as I say," Florence says.

"I'm really glad you're my mum," Elspeth smiles, "I'm happy we found each other."

Florence returns her smile, "I could not be happier, or prouder, that you're my daughter."

-

Malachi didn't know when he'd become a sentimental man. He didn't know whether he'd always been sentimental but in his youth he didn't really have anything meaningful to hold onto, so didn't.

He was sat in front of the desk, looking through his drawer of memories. The hairband he used to carry on his wrist for Betty. The tickets from the time he'd taken Betty and Florence to the picture house. The coin he and John used to flip to decide which pub to go to. Tails meant they went to the Marquis, heads meant the Garrison. Mal hadn't realised for years that the coin had a head on both sides. The receipt for Flo's engagement ring. The cork from the wine bottle Polly had bought to commemorate the engagement.

But now, the good memories were connected to bad ones. Betty was dead. The Garrison wasn't a place of comfort... and Flo, Florence was lying to him about something. He wasn't sure what it was. But he knew. He could always tell. There was something going on with her that she didn't want him to know about. He didn't know if it was to do with the information that had been revealed about Betty's death. Whether she was stand-offish. He didn't like it. He didn't enjoy not knowing. He didn't like that there was something that she may not trust him brought to tell him.

She was sneaking around. She was corresponding with people. People whose names he didn't recognise. She was disappearing throughout the day.

It wasn't just her. Elspeth was acting weird. Both of them were. Like there was something the two of them knew but he didn't. He understood daughters and mothers sharing secrets, but this felt like something bigger than that.

He needed to speak to them, and he needed to do it soon, because it was driving him crazy.