Screen Captures Courtesy of Swoopes For personal use and select distribution only © April 2002 by Amber Stockton Affair at Bromfield Hall - tagalogueWritten by Juanita Bartlett (excerpts from the episode belong to her)
"Amanda, I will take care of this through MI-5, believe me." She nodded. "You won't have anything to worry about." He moved his arm with his trenchcoat draped over it outward slightly to punctuate his statement. "Okay?" She wanted to believe him, but this trip hadn't exactly gone according to plan, for either of them, and that kept her from being fully reassured by his words. However, there was no need to show that small amount of doubt to him. "Okay." "This will be a security operation from here on out. No press, no publicity..." He laughed. "I..." He paused as Lord Bromfield returned, and they both turned to face him. "Well?" Bromfield shook out his umbrella a little, then made a wavering motion with his hand. Amanda repeated the gesture and gave him an encouraging smile as she nodded several times. "It's better than nothing!" Bromfield reachd for her hand. "Good-bye, Mrs. King." She placed her hand in his and watched as bent over it. "Good-bye." All of sudden, at least half a dozen reporters with cameras popped up from behind the parked cars and started to set off their flashes as they snapped picture after picture of the polite gesture. Amanda and Lee reacted and turned their heads, lifting their hands to shield their faces. Bromfield froze as he looked at the reporters, still bent slightly with his empty hand in the air. "Not again!" Bromfield exclaimed. The reporters disappeared almost as fast as they had appeared, and Amanda hesitantly lowered her hand. "Is it safe?" She saw Lee lower his hand and turn to face her. "They're like bloodthirsty jackals, the lot of them!" Bromfield waved his arm in their direction in dismissal. "Oh, who bloody cares about them, anyway? By now, everyone knows the truth, so there's no cause for concern." Amanda started to interrupt, but he held up his hand. "Besides, I think the story of Wood and Pridemore will be infinitely more interesting news to plaster on the front page than anything connected to our affair." He smiled and winked, and she couldn't help but smile in return. "Lord Bromfield, I really do appreciate all you've done to help get this situation resolved," Amanda stated. She shifted her left arm to rearrange her trenchcoat that had slipped in the attempt to escape from the prying lens of the reporter's cameras. "And I'm sorry for anything I might have said or done that would be considered impolite or improper." Bromfield dismissed her apology with a wave. "Mrs. King, think nothing of it. Having you here made this weekend quite entertaining." "Well, I..." She dipped her head in embarrassment, then glanced back up in time to see him change his focus. "Mr. Stetson." Bromfield turned to face Lee. "Thank you for coming and for all your help in getting to the bottom of this blasted scandal, not to mention the threat of the sale of the North Sea Defense Strategy." Lee grasped his hand and shook it. "It was my pleasure, Lord Bromfield." "You're...uh...'secretary'," he said with a knowing grin, "is quite the assistant." Amanda saw Lee glance at her out of the corner of his eye, and she could see that he barely managed to contain a grin. His dimples were even more pronounced than usual, and she fought to control a grin of her own as she imagined what he was thinking at that moment. "Yes, she is that," she heard Lee say. "Well, I won't keep the two of you any longer. I'm sure you're eager to be on your way back to the States." Bromfield shook his umbrella again then gave them both a mock salute and returned to join his wife on the steps of their estate. Amanda turned again to lean on the door of the car and watched Lee's gaze follow Bromfield all the way to the steps before he turned back to face her. He shifted his coat on his arm, then gestured towards the car and came around the door to where she was standing to offer his hand in assistance. "Shall we?" She grasped his hand and lowered herself into the seat, then waited for Lee to close the door. As he walked around the front, she followed him with her eyes and thought about this weekend. It was another typical assignment, as least typical for them. However, she still wasn't happy with how Lee continually insisted on treating her like she was expendable and that anyone else could have easily filled the part she played. As soon as he closed the door and started the car, she let him have it. "Lee, I've been thinking about this case. In fact I've been thinking about a lot of our cases recently, and there's something that's bothered me a little. I figure now is as good a time as any to mention it, since it's just you and me and we're going to be heading back home soon, and it needs to be said before we get back home and start working on another..." "Amanda..." His voice contained that familiar warning tone she had come to know so well. She stopped and looked at him. "Will you just get to the point?" She turned her head back towards the window. "I think it's time you stopped treating me like the window-dressing you called me at the start of this assignment. I know you told me you didn't mean it, but you wouldn't have said it if you hadn't, and I really feel that I should be recognized for my contributions." "You're right." "I mean, I know what I do to help on the case isn't much, but it does help you some, and there's been times when I've..." She paused as she turned to look at him again. "What did you say?" "I said you're right," he repeated. "I already apologized earlier for calling you that, but you're right. You really did help out a lot on this assignment, and you somehow manage to help out on most of the others, even when you don't try to get involved." He paused and grinned. "Of course, trouble also seems to follow you at every turn, even when you're doing something as simple as sight-seeing." "I honestly don't understand it. My life used to be pretty normal, and I was never involved in scrapes like I have been in the past year since I've been working at the Agency. It's almost like the Agency has caused this trouble." She pinned him with her gaze. "Then again, maybe it's just you!" She wasn't necessarily accusing him, but more venting her frustrations and confusion. The surprised and innocent expression on his face almost causing her to laugh. "Me?" "Yes, you! I'm not the only one who gets into trouble on our assignments, you know, but with you, it's all part of your job. When it happens to me, it's a setback or it throws in a wrench to upset the plans." "Well, I'm not the one who winds up in the middle of a sex scandal or whose involvement with volunteer organizations just happens to be connected to espionage rings all around the world!" "And that's my fault?" She was incredulous. "You know, before I ran into you, all of my work was harmless, and I never got involved in any of this. So, why don't we look at the real reason behind all the problems that I cause!" "The real reas..." He paused, and she could see him visibly force his features to relax as he took several calming breaths. "Why are we arguing about this?" This time, the tone of his voice was much softer. For a brief moment, she wanted to continue the argument and get to the bottom of things, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that they really weren't getting anywhere with their raised voices. "I don't know." She sighed and dipped her head. "I guess I wanted to feel more needed and less like I was just along for the ride." "You are needed, Amanda." Her head popped up at his admission, and she met his gaze. "Then, why do you...." He ran his left hand through his hair and sighed. Amanda almost laughed at the way some of the strands stood on end. She had the almost irresistible urge to reach up and smooth them back into place, but fought it. "I guess it's because I've spent so many years working alone, I've gotten used to it. I do still work alone," he said and gave her a pointed look, "but it is sort of nice to have someone along on the assignments I can trust." "Thank you, Lee. That really means a lot." She smiled. "And I understand about you being used to working alone. You could try to be a little nicer when I do help with a case, though." "Point taken." He nodded, then grinned. "It would be nice if you would try to not get into so much trouble, too." "Lee, I told you, that wasn't my..." "Fault," he finished for her, and she smiled. "I know, I know. I guess I should be used to it by now, though." "Well, at least I know you'll always be there and concerned about my reputation." He nodded. "This is true." "Just a quite weekend in the country, huh?" she observed, remembering how often that phrase was used over the past two days. "Actually, I think I prefer Lady Witherspoon's take on it all." She waited for him to continue, her one eyebrow raised in curiosity as she tried to think of how Lady Witherspoon had described everything. Just as he started to speak, she remembered, and a knowing smile formed on her lips. "An unforgettable weekend," they said together. Lee reached out and took her hand in his and shook it a little as if reaffirming those last words, and for a moment, the two of them sat there, their gazes locked. His thoughts were hidden from her, even though his eyes usually gave her some idea. Hers were clearly recalling the conversation on the bridge after they had left Scotland Yard, and she could feel a flush steal into her cheeks at the memory. He released her hand so fast, she couldn't help but wonder if he had been thinking the same thing. However, he turned to face forward, and all hope of finding out fled as he put the car in gear and guided it slowly onto the road leading away from Bromfield Hall. He was very focused on his driving, and she smiled at his attempts to ignore the awkward feelings that crept in between them more and more often these days. If that was how he wanted to deal with it, fine. She, on the other hand, spent more time thinking about those feelings and remembering the situations that caused them. It helped her remember to maintain a safe distance and gave her time to form her own conclusions about their relationship while she sorted out the more confusing feelings. This weekend certainly was unforgettable, and right up there with the events was the way Lee's eyes had often sought out hers to either reassure her or persuade her to agree to his suggestions. She remembered the way his eyes had held a hint of teasing when she mentioned that sight-seeing couldn't result in much trouble, the way they reassured her when he told her he had called in a few favors with the newspapers, and the way they had shifted to hers at the restaurant when Bromfield had suggested they were involved on more than a professional level. His eyes were like windows into his soul, and she could easily get lost in them, if she allowed herself. So much could be said with just a look or a glance from him. When he had said he was lucky she was there to alert him to the cement urn falling, he had sent a look her way meant only for her. At Scotland Yard, when she had wanted to interrupt the talk of the case, he had shushed her with small sound and a warning look in his eyes. Then, the look he had sent her on the bridge, when she reached out and touched his hands to demonstrate why she felt Lady Bromfield didn't love her husband, had caused her heart to beat at twice its normal pace. Even now, she could feel a slight flush as she recalled that moment. She had told him that there was nothing in Lady Bromfield's eyes, nothing in her manner that showed she cared. Then, she had reached out and gently caressed his hands as she told him that people who care about each other want to be near each other and touch each other. They both realized the implications of both her words and actions at the same time, and had separated almost immediately. In an attempt to regain her composure, she had simply stated that Lady Bromfield didn't love her husband. When he'd remarked about her fascinating theories and said they should head back, she had been relieved. Now, however, those thoughts wouldn't leave her mind, no matter how hard she tried to focus on something else, anything else. It didn't help that he had admitted a few minutes ago to noticing that Lord Bromfield was in love. That only made her wonder how many other things Lee noticed, even though he didn't often comment, and she returned to how telling his eyes were. He hid it well, but there were times when she caught a glimpse of something that set her mind whirling with thoughts; thoughts that were better left alone and forgotten; thought that could lead to a difficult situation. Danger was something they faced on a regular basis, so when dealing with her professional relationship, she needed to keep it safe. Despite that knowledge, she did receive a small amount of pleasure from letting her imagination run its course, especially where Lee was concerned. After all, what was the harm in that? She smiled. "What's that smile for?" Lee's voice interrupted her somewhat long-winded musings, and she nearly jumped in her seat. Feeling like a deer caught in headlights, she took a breath and calmly turned to face him, then shrugged, mustering as much nonchalance as she could. "Just thinking about how much I've enjoyed this visit, despite the scandal." "You mean there's actually something you liked about being here?" He sounded surprised that she could look past the events that had transpired and find the good, but he should know her by now. "Yes, how could there not?" He glanced at her. "I mean, this is a gorgeous manor, the parties were everything I imagined they could be, and the people I met were very charming. All things considered, this weekend was almost like a dream." The look in his eyes softened, and he cast quick glances back at the road. "Yeah, I think dream would be a good way to describe some of it." Then, almost as if he realized he had revealed too much, he cleared his throat and returned his attention to the road. Not another word was said for several moments, and Amanda smiled. Yes, this weekend certainly was unforgettable. (THE END) |
