Will and Hope [Formerly Ro and Georgie, slowly editting]

Chapter 20

“This is our stop.” Georgie said quietly and jumped up off the public bus’ itchy seat. They’d been sitting on them for half an hour and Georgie had tried many ways to stop the prickly annoyance even sitting on her hands until she had to stop because of the pins and needles that had erupted. Ro got up and sauntered to the front of the bus saying thank you to the grumpy driver.

“Thank you!” Georgie chirped as she jumped off the bus and landed two footed into a puddle but she was too excited to care about it.

“I don’t see why you are so happy miss.” The driver said in a thick Jersey accent making Georgie bite her lip as not to laugh in the man’s face. The doors closed smoothly on them and Georgie shrugged as she turned to look at Ro.

“Okay so where now?” Ro asked with a wonky smile. Georgie’s grinned developed into a full blown smile.

“Well I think it’s that way. I walked it last time, I didn’t have transport remember?” He rolled his eyes and she grabbed his hand and dragged him to where a post office and a small square were. She spotted a lamppost that had signs pointing in all directions. “There!” she said and laughed at how easy this was. Pointing at five o’clock was ‘CLEVEDON COURT ½ MILES’ and the National Trust sign was next to it. She turned and looked to where it pointed. Tugging on his arm like a little child they ran down the quiet lane that led towards the house.

***

“Holy crap it’s just the same.” Georgie said and laughed half an hour later when they were in the drawing room. It was exactly the same, the walls pale aqua and everything trimmed in gold. The only difference was that the furniture had been moved to make it look more like an exhibition than the slightly sterile room it had been and there were more photos of people from the First World War. Georgie felt tears come to her eyes and she wiped them away feeling stupid. Ro had his arm around her and she turned and rested her head on his head feeling the usual protection that seemed to come off Ro’s skin.

“Come on you wuss.” he said and laughed as he pulled Georgie’s hoodie closer to her face. They had decided it was best just in case everything was real and there were photos of Georgie around the house. He shuffled the two of them into the hall and into the next room. She looked around in confusion, she had b=never seen this room in her life. Not in this one or the last. “I’m guessing you’ve never-” Ro stopped short and Georgie looked up at him smiling slightly and then it fell.

“What Ro?” she asked slightly panicked and looked around the room. She looked back at him not seeing what he was and decided to follow his gaze to see – “Oh my God.” She hissed and a smile split on her. “I told you, I told you.” she started laughing causing some professional parents and their posh upper class children to stare in disgrace. “Oh Ro it’s beautiful.” Ro’s arm tightened around her as they stared at the portrait. It was of a boy and a girl, she was sitting down on the sofa that was in the drawing room and he was standing over her with his hands on her shoulders. At the girl’s feet was a toddler sitting on the floor holding a clump of the girl’s teal dress that was showing off her pale skin, the baby was wearing the palest pink that gave the hint that it was a girl. In the girl’s arms was another baby, this one was wearing a very pale blue both had dark skin. The thing that held the teenaged couple’s attention that the older girl and boy in the photo was the spitting image of the two of them.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” A small, fragile woman asked coming up to Ro and Georgie and smiling kindly. She seemed not to mind that the two of them had their hoodies up and flat caps to hide their faces. “That’s Princess Georgina; she was a distant cousin of George the first.  The boy in the painting was her lover Roland or as she called him Sir Roland. His mother was her nanny when she was young but she died young and Georgina’s father brought him up as his own. Georgina called him a Sir from quite a young age and the address stuck and others called him that too. They ran away together a few months after Georgina’s eighteenth birthday because they were both promised to someone else. It was quite a scandal and the man who was promised Georgina went after them, he ended up shooting Georgina in the stomach and he was sent to prison. Georgina’s father died from the stress and the two moved back so Georgina could look after her sick mother. They had Louisa a year later and then little Henry a year after that.” She smiled and in return Georgie grinned. “Sorry, I guess you two didn’t actually want all that information.”

“No, thank you.” Georgie said feeling like she could hug this perfect stranger. It told her so many wanted answers. There was one question though. “Can I ask, did Georgina have any brothers or sisters?”

“Yes, there was her younger brother Phillip. Oh gosh, I don’t know that much about him. I know that he was sent to school from a young age and that he was quite the dare devil. Getting the cane wasn’t a punishment it was a mark of his rebellion.” She smiled kindly. “Why do you ask?”

“Our homework was to research the royal family, I like the name Georgina and we found the Princess.” Georgie said turning her head away so she wouldn’t be noticed. “I wanted to know about her background.”

“Well there are books in the shop, I’m afraid I don’t know a lot on the family. But Georgina and Phillip’s bloodline are still alive I have heard when they last did a family tree on the two.” Georgie nodded and smiled as she quickly looked at the woman.

“Thank you.” she said and with that they left walking quickly through each room and with a sigh they walked out of the back door ten minutes later. “Can we go there then?” Georgie asked when they were walking on the gravelled path.

“Sure sweetie.” Ro said and kissed her forehead. They walked calmly to the shop even though Georgie felt like she could run a marathon and get first with the energy and determination that was locked inside.

***

“Happy now?” Ro asked as they walked away from the shop twenty minutes now and started towards the gates. Georgie nodded and still walking she got on her tippy toes and kissed him quickly. He grinned down at her his love bursting from every pore of his skin. “So what are we going to do now?”

“Well, there was a place I visited regularly and I promised I would show you once I was with my Sir Roland again.” she said with a wicked grin.

“Please tell.” he said smirking. She shook her head. “Please.” he said prolonging the ‘e’. Instead of saying she took his hand and pulled him into a run through the gates and down a path that was well hidden by trees but back when Princess Georgina was around was the main route to the small town of Felton.

***

She sighed when she noticed the familiar indent in the bushes and carefully trod down on the nettles that tried to stop her route. She smacked her foot down repeatedly and then when she was satisfied she stepped through and turned expectantly for Ro. He gave her a smile and stepped through. He took her hand and interlaced his fingers with hers she smiled and looked down at their hands with his dark brown skin against her ivory.

“Come on.” she whispered and with their fingers still laced up she pulled him through the over grown wildlife to her desired spot. She pulled the netting of weeds that everyone used to call ‘sticky willies’ at school to reveal the nook. She grinned at how it hadn’t changed over the centuries. She pulled on Ro’s hand and he followed her pulling a shocked face when she showed him the beauty of the nook. “What do you think?” she asked and for some reason she was nervous.

“Beautiful.” he whispered and she smiled as he looked down at her. “Just like you.” And with that he leaned down and kissed her.