Aubrey/Biebe/Skinner/Thorne: Summer Sojourn
By Atonia
Jack was up early and went out for a walk over Max’s estate, he’d been down in the vineyards and by the pond, and he came onto the patio where Connie sat with a pot of coffee Ludivine had brought out.
“Good morning, Jack, you’re out early.” She poured him a cup of coffee.
“Thank you,” Jack took the cup and sat down. “I’ve had a walk around.”
“Did you get Killick sorted last night?”
“I did, yes he’s all right in his own world, Connie but out here he bears watching.”
“I wonder why you brought him with you, he’s your personal servant isn’t he?”
“He’s my steward,” Jack sipped his coffee.
Connie smiled a little smile, “What does he do for you that you can’t do for yourself?”
“On board he looks after my clothes, knows the uniform of the day and makes sure I am presentable. He cooks my meals and keeps my cabin.”
“Does he shave you also?”
“Yes…he does.” Jack focused his blue eyes on her.
“Do you dress yourself, Jack or does Killick?”
Jack’s eyes became light and teasing, “This interests you…Killick attends my dress. It befits my station to have him.”
“I’ve never met a man who didn’t at least put his own pants on.” She smiled and sipped her coffee.
“I assure you, Connie that I can dress myself and put my own breeches on...as well as take them off.”
Connie laughed a little and wondered if he would shag somebody besides Ton,i not that she was putting herself up for that. No, not at all; she was after all five months pregnant. She actually blushed a little at the thought.
Jack smiled at her discomfort and blinked and looked away.
Later Toni had Jacky out in the garden walking around with him and Max spotted her and hung his head a little and walked over to her.
“Toni, I want to apologize for my behavior last night, we did make a pact between us, the three of us whether spoken or not we know, I know what we agreed to and why. I’m sorry for making it harder for you than it already is.”
“Thank you, Max but it’s not necessary to apologize, it was as much my fault as yours.”
“Terry needs to come home.” Max said and squatted down with Jacky.
“Yes he does and soon, Max…soon.” Toni left Jacky with Max and walked over to the stonewall overlooking the pond and sat down. She could hear Max walking with Jacky in conversation with her seventeen month old son. Over on the tennis court John and Donna were battering tennis balls; she could hear their occasional laughter. Max stopped by a fountain for Jacky to throw stones into. He wondered how many of the stones in the bottom he’d thrown in over the years.
Jack had been in the pool, but he was out now and dried off on a towel Killick handed him and pulled a shirt over his head. He heard something and looked up; another damnable plane he thought, and again dreaded the flight back to England.
Max walked Jacky back to Toni, “I’ve discovered many new things in my garden, wocks, weefs and mools. Mools are where you frow the wocks.”
Toni laughed and peeked in Jacky’s pocket, it was full of wocks.
Max noticed the sound too and looked up at the sky, “He’s flying awfully low…look there he is coming out of the clouds.”
Toni stood up and shaded her eyes, “I see it, is it a military plane?”
“I can’t tell,” Max slipped his glasses back on. “Oh good God what is he doing?” Max grabbed Jacky up as the plane swooped down just skimming the treetops at the back of the vineyards and then went back up.
John and Donna dropped their rackets and came down to watch from the bridge where Toni and Max were standing.
“That guy is crazy.” John said shading his eyes and watching the plane bank and turn.
“Oh I hope he doesn’t crash,” Toni said.
Jack came from the pool area, “Is it French?” he asked.
“No, I saw a flag on the tail, it’s British…I wonder they would allow that in this airspace.”
The plane banked again and leveled out as they watched.
“They’re jumping out.” Donna said.
Connie came running from the back of the house, “What is it, I heard a roar that made the dishes rattle?”
“It’s a plane, love and people are bailing out…I have no idea perhaps we’re being invaded.”
“There are only two so far.” Jack said and watched as the plane wagged it’s wings and disappeared into the clouds.
Toni felt something rise from her chest into the back of her throat as she watched the two parachutes floating downward, she made a little sound and began walking toward the bank and down to the vineyard ignoring the calls from the bridge. Soon she was running as fast as she could.
He hit the ground and rolled coming up on his feet, and quickly got himself out of the parachute straps, he saw her running through the vineyard before he hit the ground. Toni didn’t slow down and hit his chest with a thud, she was taken in his arms and swung around and kissed soundly. She couldn’t speak, her hands were on his face, his neck, his arms, his chest.
“I’m okay, Toni, I’m all here.” He smiled a little and held her to him turning to watch the other jumper as he landed.
“Ya okay, mate?” he called out to Jean Paul and got a thumbs-up from him. Turning back to Toni he just looked in her eyes for a moment and no words were necessary.
“It’s Terry!” John said.
“Leave it to him to make an entrance,” Max shifted Jacky in his arms.
Penny came running up to the group breathless, “We saw the plane from Chambord, and jumpers, what’s going on? I rode over fast as I could on my bike.”
“We have another visitor,” Connie said smiling.
“Looks like two, I wonder who that is with him?” Penny strained over the bridge.
Max looked over at Jack, he couldn’t help himself, “Well, Jack old man, looks like your work here is finished.”
“It was time, Max,” Jack grinned.
When Terry and Toni reached the bridge Max let Jacky down, he knew who that was walking with his mummy. Terry scooped him up and hugged and kissed him. He received a lot more hugs and kisses when he reached the group, his brothers waiting before jumping him about the whole thing.
Terry introduced Jean Paul to John and Donna, and to Penny who couldn’t be still waiting for her turn. He’d already met the rest of them when Jack was rescued in Paris.
“Is good to see you, eh well now.” He spoke to Jack
“I should thank you for the part you played that night.”
Jean Paul gave him a Gallic shrug and smiled.
They all trouped back to the patio, Ludivine had a tray of cold drinks ready and brought them out with a big smile, making sure she got close enough to Terry to give him a little pinch and a wink.
Toni scooted her chair over as close to Terry’s as she could get and Anna came out and hugged Terry and took a protesting Jacky inside.
“Are you gonna tell us what was so important you had to go do it?” John asked.
“I can’t,” Terry swallowed his drink, “it’s confidential, top secret.” He grinned at John.
“You mean after all this you can’t even tell us who you were rescuing and did it go off?”
“No, Max, I can’t and yes it did go.”
“It went like the clockwork, he is good he knows…he is the best.” Jean Paul added.
Penny couldn’t keep her eyes off Jean Paul, he was as tall as Terry and built right, dark almost black hair brushed his collar and curled a little, he was tanned with light blue eyes, the color of the sky, several days growth of beard made his teeth shine when he smiled and he did often at Penny, he was very aware of her and his glance flicked over her from time to time leaving little sparks behind.
“Tell us about jumping, how did you even know Toni was here?” Donna asked.
“I always know where she is” he looked at Toni sending a shiver up her back. “We were supposed to go back to England, but I um, persuaded a member of the family to drop us here. We’ll meet with them later, they’re going to set something up; Jean Paul you’re welcome to stay with us when you come over.”
“What family who are you talking about, Terry?” Connie asked.
Terry looked up at the sky for a moment, “All I can say is they are highly recognizable; I really can’t say anymore.” He lit a cigarette and offered them around, Jean Paul took one and Max proudly produced a packet of his own gaining a grin from Terry.
“Would you like something to eat, Terry, I can get Ludivine…”
“Oh no we’ve been fed pretty good today.”
Jean Paul agreed and rubbed his stomach.
“Do you live near here?” Penny asked Jean Paul
“Non, in Paris.”
“You’ll need a place to stay tonight, “ Terry said, “Max have you got enough room?”
“We do at Chambord,” Penny let roll out of her mouth.
Terry raised a brow and looked at Jean Paul who was looking thoughtfully at Penny.
“I’m full up tonight but John and Donna are leaving tomorrow.”
“Oh, John, I wonder if I might fly out with you, I really don’t think I…”
“Sure, Jack, we can change our flight, you wouldn’t mind a few days in London would you Donna?”
“I’d love it,” she smiled, “I’ve never been.”
Toni hadn’t said a word she’d been concentrating on Terry’s left hand that rested on her thigh. His fingers making slow circles and inching his way up, he finally got as far as he could go with the motion and she made a little sound.
Connie noticed her flushed face and casually glanced under the table, she smiled and quickly looked away. “John do you want me to make the travel arrangements for you, I do speak the language.”
“Oh yeah, Connie, that’d be great.”
“Penny, have you got Jean Paul for the night?”
“I need to call Dad first,” Penny moved away from the table and pulled out her phone.
“Well who is he?” Aubrey Duncan asked.
“He’s Terry’s lieutenant and, Dad, he’s otherwise known as Prince Charming.” She smiled dimples showing.
Connie pushed away from the table and stood up, “Terry, you look like you could use a rest, why don’t you take him upstairs, Toni and um rest him.”
They all chuckled at that suggestion and Terry stood up putting out his cigarette, “I think I will, I need a rest.” He smiled up at Connie and took Toni’s hand.
“John, you want to come with me while I call the airline?”
“Yeah, shouldn’t be a problem changing the flight…” he followed Connie inside and Donna went too.
Jean Paul said his goodbye’s and hopped on the back of Penny’s bike sliding his arms around her waist as they bolted out of the drive.
Max and Jack were left at the table. “I didn’t have the heart to ball him out, “ Max said lighting a cigarette.
“It was not the time for that; let him have his well deserved welcome. This family he spoke of who do you suppose it might be?”
“If I did my calculations correctly, Jack, we may be talking about the royal family.”
“Her Majesty’s family…well I know from personal experience it is good to have a friend in high places.”
Max rolled his eyes over to Jack, “With Terry in the family…we may need a friend in high places.”
TBC