6Chapter 3: Voyage of the Damned
There was a knock on the closet door. Eyes wide, the two lovers locked eyes with each other, both praying that they had imagined it. They hadn't.
"Monsieur Alexander?" Both hearts started beating rapidly.
"Monsieur, I know you are in there, with Vanessa," An annoyed French voice at the other side of the door could be their end.
"Yes?" Alexander ran his hand through his hair, looking pleadingly at Vanessa.
"Your father wants to see you," Shit.
"Now?" Alexander began to redress himself, buttoning up his rumpled shirt.
A perverse thank you crossed his mind – at least Vanessa hadn't ripped it apart.
"No, whenever you feel like it," her sarcasm was duly noted and not appreciated.
Kissing Vanessa on the forehead, Alex made his way through the empty halls of the house, down to the dreaded room; his father's study. Entering the room, he was filled with nostalgia as he remembered the days his father used to bring him into the room to be "punished" for "disobeying him".
Seven years ago.
The office smelled of old spice, whisky and cigars. It was positively covered in brown oak book selves, with a grand desk and two chairs being the only furniture in the room. The carpet was plush and cream, so soft that its occupant often preferred it to the chairs.
"But father, she's my friend!" a young boy with raven hair and navy blue eyes pleaded.
"She's a daughter of a maid. She is not fit to be a friend of any son of mine," the young boy's father glared back with his own navy blues.
"But I like her," a stomp of the foot was heard.
Sighing, the father drank from his whiskey glass. The young boy's father often did this, but he never appeared drunk.
"What do you feel when you see her?" a slight smirk appeared on the older man's face.
"Happy, like Christmas Day or when I eat chocolate or whe-" the young boy never finished his sentence.
The ringing sound in his ears was more than enough.
"You wanted to see me father?" Alexander poked his head into the study, not really wanting to enter the room.
"Yes Alexander, I want to talk about your conduct at this morning's polo match," his father didn't even bother to look up from his paper work.
Mentally slapping himself, Alex sat himself in front of his father, looking at the paperwork he was intently working on. Property. Of course.
"I'm very disappointed with the attitude in which you handled your date, you know she left with one of your friends?" He should really consider Botox, Alex noted, looking at his father's deep frown lines.
"Which one?" Alex tried to look interested.
"That matters little, the point is, you can't hold onto dates, even ones that are organised for you," scribble, scratch of the pen.
"Maybe I'm not interested in dating," Alex yawned, wondering what Vanessa was doing right now.
Stumbling out of the closet, Vanessa cursed her rotten luck. No doubt her mother would find out and lecture her on the nature of her relationship with the Duke's son. Not that they'd even had sex yet.
Yet being the key word there.
Though God have mercy on her if she could keep fighting off Alex's advances. And there were plenty of them. Self control and slight paranoia were the only things that kept her from ravaging him every time she saw him.
"Are you a homosexual, son?" his father finally looked up from his paper, a look of deep concern on his face.
Alexander nearly died of laughter.
"Why on earth would you come to that conclusion?" wait till he told 'Nessa about this.
"Well," his father looked very uncomfortable, "you've never seemed interested in any of the girls I've sent to you, and quite frankly you never make an effort to be interested."
"Well, none of them are my type," Alexander deserved should have received an Academy Award for his poker face.
His father turned slightly green, "so.. what you're saying is.."
"Father, I like girls with brains and boobs, not walking skeletons," Alexander's mouth twitched.
A slight chuckle from my father, "I'll consider that next time then."
Alexander took that as his queue to leave, shaking his head at a man who shared half his DNA.
"Awex?" A pair of big, silver eyes looked at him through auburn eyelashes.
"Go away," Alex rubbed his nose, wiping away the snot and tears from his face.
"Why? Did I do somefink wong?"A small, warm hand touched his.
"My dad doesn't like you," Alex sniffed, his round blue eyes red-rimmed.
"Well I don't wike him either," she huffed, wiping away one of his tears.
Alex looked at Vanessa, at her rose-red ringlets, at her gap teeth and decided at that moment, that nothing, not even his bad father, could keep them apart.
She put her arm around his, resting her head against his shoulder.
"You smell phunny," She giggled.
Alex ran towards the kitchen, sliding down the staircase and grinning like a madman. He couldn't wait to see the smile on Vanessa's face when he told her about his most recent encounter with his father. But as he went down the hall, kitchen bound, all he could hear was yelling.
"He's the son of the Duke! Son of my boss! What was going through your head when you decided to engage in intercourse with him lassie? Obviously nothing," Clang, bash.
"Mother," Vanessa's sweet voice.
"It's never going to work! You're a maid! He has to marry his cousins praticically!" Peaking in the kitchen door, Alexander saw Georgina chasing her daughter around the kitchen, wooden spoon in hand.
"Mother!" Vanessa ducked as her mother swung at her, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Alex began to chuckle, leaning against the doorframe lazily. Both mother and daughter heard him, both looking at him with a mixture of gratefulness, incredulity, awe and.. Rage.
"You! YOU!" Georgina stormed at him, wooden spoon against his chest.
"Me," Alex nodded in acknowledgement.
"You defiler of flowers! You popper of cherries!" Georgina raged, enunciating every syllable with a prod of the spoon.
"I have done no such thing," Alex's eyes widened in mock-horror.
"..What?" Georgina glared up at him, terrifying at 5'4'.
"I have not defiled nor popped your daughter in any shape or form," Alex's mouth twitched madly, catching Vanessa's eye and watching her double over with silent laughter.
"Well," Georgina frowned, deep in thought.
Alex smiled at Vanessa, knowing the battle was won. Or so he thought.
Smack, "then why were you snogging her in some closet?"
"Because I wanted to," Alex said gleefully, watching Georgina turn various shades of red.
He pushed past her, making his way towards Vanessa, a playful look in his eyes. Vanessa recognised that look, shaking her head vigorously, her grey eyes frightful. He smirked and put his arm around her waist, cupping her face with his other hand. Her cheeks turn a light shade of pink, and she licked her lips nervously. He pressed his own soft lips to hers, teasing them gently. Drawing a gasp from her, his tongue slipped into her mouth, deepening the kiss. Vanessa lost herself in his gentle caresses, his soft mouth and the feel of his skin against hers.
"You love her," Georgina whispered, horrified.