You Never Said - Part 3 To The Producer (A Ricky Wilson Fan-fiction)

Bath Wedding

Taking a seat, Ricky turned the stand of cakes round so that the macaroons were facing Laura. She smiled knowingly at him.

"Mine?" she asked.

"I wouldn't dare touch them!" he replied. "Who was on the phone?" He helped himself to a miniature lemon meringue pie.

"I don't know. I didn't get there in time. The number was withheld anyway." Laura put a macaroon on her plate. "I don't know why companies do that." She sat back in her chair and breathed out deeply. "I love holidays."

"You could be on one permanently, if you wanted." He pushed another cake in is mouth after he spoke, giving what he'd said time to sink in with Laura. She looked across at him.

"How?" Her eyebrows narrowed. Ricky shrugged.

"You don't need to bring a wage into the house do you." He sat back, holding her gaze.

"You're expecting me to be a kept woman?" Her voice had gone a little higher. Another shrug.

"I'm just saying, you don't need to." He filled his mouth with coffee this time.

"Ricky! I don't expect you to provide for me! We're not living in the stone ages, you hunter-gatherer, me the stay at home wife!"

Ricky cleared his throat. "We're not married...!"

"You know what I mean. I pay my way!" She wasn't cross, just insistent. She put another cake on her plate. "But thank you for the offer anyway." She blew him a kiss.

They caught a cab to the country house the following day. Ricky could tell Laura seemed a little nervous. She'd done her usual act of trying on a variety of clothes, but had taken longer than usual to decide on the final outfit. In the cab, she was restless, fiddling with her handbag, asking Ricky to check her mascara or that she didn't have lipstick on her teeth. She tidied his jacket up too; pushing his hankichief slightly down in his pocket and straightening his tie.

As they left the cab - Laura paying to prove she wasn't a kept woman - they made their way up the drive. After only a few steps they heard a voice shriek out, "Laura Martin, I don't believe it!" Ricky sensed Laura holding her breath and his hand a little tighter as she turned around.

"Hi, how are you?" Laura asked. The owner of the voice came closer and Ricky could have sworn she looked Laura up and down.

"Fabulous! And you? You've scrubbed up well!" The woman was talking to Laura though not looking at her at all. She was more interested in Ricky, who was observing her through his sunglasses.

"I'm very well thank you. Elizabeth, this is..."

"Charles," Ricky interrupted,"pleased to meet you Elizabeth."

"Likewise," Ricky shook her hand, "Well Laura, you've done very well to find such a gentleman." Laura opened her mouth to speak, but Ricky continued.

"Oh be under no illusion Elizabeth, I found Laura!" At which he nodded and offering his arm to Laura, they carried on walking.

"Oh my God Ricky, you have just upset the school girl who tried as hard as she could to make my life hell!" Laura smiled from ear to ear.

"That was the plan!" He pulled her to him. "No one treats my girlfriend like that." He kissed her cheek.

"There could be a few others here like her," she warned him.

"Then why are we here Laura?" he asked, confused.

"I'm here for Helen. She was my friend at school. She stuck by me. She understood my situation at home and there weren't many people I shared that with. It's just she was sort of friends with Elizabeth too. They're cousins." They climbed the sweeping steps up to the house. "Just one question. Why Charles?"