Choking On Sapphires

88 It aint over til its over. (NSFW)

maids were all feeling uncertain that next morning. Not all of them having seen or heard what happened the day before, but all having felt Genevieve's seriousness when addressing them afterward.

The tension from the staff was cut with a new, lighter feeling between the higher ups of the home. Aggie and Claire exchanging glances as Alfie and Genevieve entered the dining room together for the first time since their biggest argument to date, it'd been weeks. Not a couple of young ones in wild abandon like love with each other any longer. They take the reconciliation slowly, they do not touch while eating their breakfast, but do speak of the current events in the paper. Genevieve rises and Alfie's face follows her with question.

"Is the car ready Joseph?" She asks while smoothing down her skirt.

"Yes Miss."

"Ya leavin'?"

"I'm going to the children's home this morning." She informs while pushing in her chair and giving a nod to the girl taking up her plates. "Then collecting my money personally all afternoon."

"Ah. Do ya fink at's-" He begins, a natural instinct that he stops as he sees her brows lift and shoot him a look that told him to consider his next words carefully. "Do ya fink ya might need my help with anythin'?" He switches to instead something helpful instead of corrective.

"No." She says with a shake of her head and a subtle smile that thanks him for adjusting his tone and direction. "I only need you to go to work and make money." She gives a brief touch to his arm with the same coy sort of smile on her face.

"Then I'll ask the same of you." He gives her a tilt of his head and a charming lift of his brow with the slightest bit of teasing to it.

Alfie leaves with a chivalrous kiss to the back of his loves hand and an affectionate tone of dismissal as he left for work. It even made Gen feel something as their eyes met a blue that no longer felt cold and didn't inspire shame in her own. Everyone observes silently, tea in the afternoons together again, graduating to cheek kisses upon greeting and exiting rooms. The ease between them spread slowly to Aggie and Claire and then onto the rest of the house. Neither were no longer miserable, making everyone's job easier.

Genevieve without the distraction of Alfie, who was only being supportive and polite since their meeting halfway on acknowledging there were issues separating them, was now focused more than ever. She sits at her desk, frown out and lacquered nails drumming on the dark wooden surface, surrounded by piles of papers and ledgers.

"I need something." Gen mutters, eyes looking over the organized mess like it will give her any answers.

"Things are on the up. The visits have assured the contracts and I've heard no complaints from clients. The staff are all up to the raised standards, yield is higher... You're in a perfectly good spot, Gen."

"Clients May have stopped taking but the rest of London hasn't." Gen quickly snaps back and Claire has no retort as it's only the truth. "I need something to reestablish myself. I don't want to be good, I want to be the best. I should be who everyone wants to work with. I need the clout, I need the power and the bragging rights to shut down this talk of me being weak and passé." Gens eyes bore into a section of grain on the top of the polished desk. "I have to do something drastic."

—————

"This certainly is drastic." Claire says with pursed lips as she sits next to a very professional and expensive looking Gen in her new town car. She had come to play with the people who had been speaking ill of her in cowardly whispers. She was here to make a move to change their minds.

"I have to be bold, Claire. Nothing less than high risk is acceptable."

"And you're certain this is what you want to do?"