"Raised platform in a church." Sir James mumbled to himself erasing his previous answer on the morning crossword in the newspaper.
"Lectern" Farleigh answered, biting into his bacon, his own paper in his hands.
"Tried that" Sir James mumbled in thought.
"Pulpit." Belle offered before taking a bite of her sausage as Felix peeled hers and his hardboiled eggs.
"Oh, right right." Sir James smiled scribbling in the word.
"Morning." Oliver greeted walking into the dining room.
"Morning." everyone greeted back, minus Farleigh.
"You sleep well, mate?" Felix asked, setting Belle's peeled egg on her small side dish.
"Erm ya." Oliver nodded, fiddling with his fingers nervously as he approached the only other open chair, once again right next to Pamela. He looked around at the moving staff, expecting a plate to be put in front of him like last night.
Venetia looked down biting her lip to avoid laughing, nudging Belle who was too engrossed in her mumbles of praise to Duncan who had once again gotten her morning tea just right. "Hey, Oliver, have some breakfast." Felix nodded to the side table against the wall, moving his hands as Duncan turned to him to top off his tea.
"Er, can I get a full English breakfast too please?" Oliver asks Duncan as the man stands to his full height. Everyone halted their movement, Sir James looking between Oliver and Duncan confused. And Duncan's ever-passive face bristled in offense for just a moment before returning to a blank slate.
"Breakfast is on the side darling," Elspeth spoke up. "Just help yourself."
Oliver turned to the table right behind him, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment. "How would you like your eggs?" Duncan asks cooly.
"It's fine. I can get them." Oliver dismisses.
"Not the eggs. The eggs are made for you." Farleigh cuts in already done with Oliver's bullshit for the day.
"Exactly. And everything else is on the side." Elspeth waved cheerily.
Oliver looked to Belle and Felix for help, the latter licking the jam from his fingers, their eyes flicking to Duncan and him expectantly. Oliver cleared his throat "Fried over easy please." He answered Duncan.
"Ollie love we were just talking about the Shelley biography, with your shared love of Lit what is your take?" Belle asked before taking a bite of her chopped tomatoes and mushroom.
"Shelley who? Shelley, Belinda's sister Shelley?" Pamela asks confused. As Oliver gets up and starts fixing his plate.
"Oh, Percy Bysshe Shelley. The poet." Sir James answers rather bristled by her lack of knowledge about the arts. "The Romantic Poet." He elaborates when her face shows she has no idea who he is talking about.
"Oh," Pamela replies downtrodden.
"Do you know the story about Shelley's doppelganger?" Venetia asks getting off the subject of the poet's work.
"His doppelganger?" Sir James asks intrigued, his paper forgotten.
"mmm yeah dreadfully beguiling." Belle hummed, her eyes flashing in childlike wonder.
"Shelley's housing keeper was cleaning one of the rooms when Shelley walked past the window and waved at her. So, she waved back before she realized that Shelley was in Italy. And she was on the top floor of the house." Venetia explained.
"Oh vee, stop, stop, stop. I won't sleep." Felix whined covering his ears.
"It's not like you do anyway. A few hours later, Shelley was found, drowned." Belle added biting back a smile as she and Venetia shared a look.
"Oh! Oh, that's just given me goosebumps." Elspeth gasped pulling up her flowy sleeves "Look, Pamela."
"Oh, no." Pamela sighed, eyeing her friends' arms.
"I heard he fucked his sister," Farleigh said.
"Oh, for god's sake!" Sir James scoffed.
"I think that was Byron." Oliver cut in holding Farleigh's eyes with a silent challenge.
"Was it really?" Belle asked leaning forward, Felix quietly snickers to himself next to her as he also waited for Oliver to Answer her.
Oliver smiled warmly at her, eagerly launching into his depth of knowledge.
That was of course till runny eggs were placed in front of him.
・❥・
Oliver Walked through the field, his swim trunks swishing with every step as he walked, the sun blazing on his bare skin. He didn't understand why the need for a change of clothes when there was no pool way out here. well, he didn't understand until he got closer.
"We're over here Ollie." Venetia waved from where she was lying on her towel. She was naked.
They were all naked.
"Hey, Mate" Felix waved before dropping his arm back down on Belle who was sprawled between Felix's legs, her back acting as his loincloth as she was laid bare for all to see. For Oliver to see.
"Hey," Farleigh smirked, lowering his glasses. wanting to see Oliver's embarrassment.
"Lose the trunks, Ollie." Belle sang, lowering her book, her breasts no longer hidden.
Oliver thickly swallowed, keeping his eyes solely on her behind his shades, before doing what he was told and dropping his trunks, leaving him bare to them all.
"Well, well, well." Farleigh tsked pleasantly surprised, a smirk on his face.
"Leave him alone." Felix scolded, nudging him as Belle and Venetia looked at each other giggling.
"Good for you." Farleigh praised. "What a twist" he laughed, as Oliver started walking towards them. more confident in his steps at the look on Belle's face, she couldn't remove her eyes with every step he took.
"Watch out for thistles mate," Felix shouted at him while he moved Belle's book back up obstructing her view.
・❥・
Belle's body acted as an anchor between Oliver's and Felix's floaties as they all read Harry Potter, her torso on Felix's lap, and her legs in Oliver's. His fingers lightly traced the incline of her thighs before moving down and then back up, the words on the pages hardly being acknowledged as he fought the urge to firmly grab hold of her thighs and place her right on his lap for all to see.
"Do you think Harry, Hermione, and Ron all have three threesomes?" Felix asks suddenly.
"What?" Venetia asks from the shore, adjusting her bright pink cowboy hat so she could see them.
"Oh, without a fucking doubt." Farleigh scoffs like it's the most obvious answer.
"You think they all fuck?" Felix scrunches up his face.
"They are sorely missing out if they don't." Belle hums biting her lip and looking up at Felix with knowing eyes.
"You, scandalous slag" Venetia laughs
・❥・
Oliver was on his way back in from having a smoke, the night air feeling good on his buzzed skin, and happened to look up at the library noticing the light was on. He would have assumed it was Sir James.
hoped it was Sir James.
wished he was seeing just Sir James instead.
He rushed back inside and ran through the halls bursting through the doors of the library just as Belle was just about to leave the room. She flinched with the sudden intrusions, spilling a tad bit of wine on her hand.
"Jesus Oliver." She gasped, blowing out a breath to steady her heart, holding her red wine far from her stark white silk nightgown. "What on earth are you doing?"
his eyes searched all over the room. It was just her. no additional blonde man.
"Was someone just in here with you?" he asked instead of answering her.
She looked around confused "No?"
Oliver ran a hand through his dark hair, blowing out a puff of air, his heart not slowing down. "I saw through the window." He nodded not able to form a full sentence he was so out of breath.
"You saw someone else. thru the window?" She asked, her brows furrowing.
Oliver nodded staring at her, his eyes demanding her to answer him, to bend to his will. He flinched when a sudden laughter left her lips. "Oh, Ollie. You really can't let the ghosts get you this way." she giggled.
"Ghosts," Oliver repeated slowly.
"This is a very old estate love." she teased stepping close to him. "Here, looks like you need this more than me." she offered handing him her wine.
He took it, his mind reeling in disbelief. that wasn't a ghost. it was the same man from the forest he was sure of it. "Do try and get some sleep, Ollie." Belle cooed, kissing his cheek before leaving him alone.
Oliver huffed, glaring at the room before downing the remains of Belle's wine.
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