Summary: Drake’s been feeling a little out of his depth during the Unity Tour and Elizabeth decides to approach him about it.
Elizabeth drew in a deep breath, admiring the elegant facade of Kiara’s manor. It seemed, she thought as the rest of her friends gathered on the driveway taking in the view around them. A hand slipped gently into hers and she turned, looking up into the warm brown eyes of her fiancé Drake Walker.
The sight of him immediately brought a smile to her face and she squeezed his hand lightly. Even though the Unity Tour was really about the two of them, it had been harder than she had expected to find time for themselves. In saying that however, Elizabeth had seen a huge change in him these last few weeks. Drake had shedded most of his gruff exterior to give way to a new softer side of him which she had come to love. That didn’t mean she’d stop teasing him for it but it was interesting to observe just how much of a marshmallow he was becoming. His smile turned into a smirk as he noticed her staring at him and she cleared her throat slighly.
‘So this is Kiara’s home.’
‘I was expecting more flags. Maybe signs in a couple dozen languages,’ he shot back.
As Olivia chipped her reply, an understanding passed between Elizabeth and Drake. They both knew that Kiara had displayed some interest in Drake in the past – which he had steadily avoided and turn down all advances – she couldn’t help but feel that, holding the homeport advantage, the diplomat might try something during the visit. Elizabeth wasn’t a jealous person but an unspoken understanding passed between her and Drake that she’d be slightly more protective of her fiancé during this particular visit. The first opportunity came barely moments later when Kiara herself came to greet their party.
‘Duchess Elizabeth, I heard that you and Drake are, ah… engaged.’
The slight pause in Kiara’s tone was not missed by Elizabeth’s sharp mind and she tightened her hold on his hand.
‘Thats right.’ She confirmed, her tone formed carefully to come across as polite but also brooking no argument. She felt Drake move closer to her, taking her hand from his own palm and placing it securely in the crook of his arm.
‘Yep, we are,’ he agreed.
Although her face remained unchanged from its friendly expression, Elizabeth inwardly raised an eyebrow at him. Drake wasn’t one to such physical advances especially in public and she made a mental note to quiz him later on about his sudden expression of affection but not before she caught the wistful look on Kiara’s face as she congratulated them. A flicker of disappointment sparked in her chest as she had been hoping that the three of them could put this awkward situation behind them once and for all. She and Drake needed all the support they could get for their wedding and Kiara would be a valuable ally in the future, if they could end this petty tiff.
Those thoughts were still on Elizabeth’s mind when they were introduced to Kiara’s father Hakim and after pouring herself a whiskey, she made her way to an open spot near Maxwell. As she passed him, Drake grabbed her hand, steering her to the seat next to him. Now that was different, she thought. This was the second time he’d pulled her to him and she knew better than to think it was just coincidental. Elizabeth offered him a quizzical glance but said nothing as Hakim began to address the group. As they talked, she felt Drake’s body tense next to hers and this effect only increased when Hakim addressed him.
‘You’ve risked quite a lot for Cordonia,’ the older man was saying. ‘I only met your father on a few occasions… but I’m sure he’d be proud.’
Elizabeth couldn’t help but grin at his words, so glad that Drake was getting the respect and gratitude he well deserved, feeling herself fill with pride as she turned to glance at him. She was surprised however, to watch Drake mumble out a weak reply to this, attempting to gather his face into a polite smile, immediately understanding that despite the diplomat’s kind words, he had yet to believe them himself. She could sense his discomfort only increase as the rest of the conversation went on, though she couldn’t fathom what brought this on.
During the tour of the chateau, Elizabeth pulled Drake by the arm into a small alcove, gaining a grunt of surprise from him.
‘Are you okay, my love?’ She asked, her tone laced with concern, searching his handsome face for answers. ‘You haven’t been your usual self lately.’
Drake hung his head, studying the floor tiles for a few seconds.
’Nothing escapes you does it Richmond?’ He glancing at her ruefully. ‘I’ve just been feeling out of my depth recently with all this.’ His hands made a wide sweeping gesture. ‘And I guess I’ve just been feeling a little bit useless lately.’
‘Oh Drake,’ Elizabeth began, gently placing a hand on his cheek. ‘You should have said something.’
‘Yeah but you and Liam have been so busy with other issues that I didn’t want to bother you with something so stupid.’ Elizabeth open her mouth to tell him that she would never consider anything he felt stupid but was interrupted by another voice.
‘Don’t fall behind you two. This part of the house can be quite confusing to navigate,’ Ezekiel called from up ahead. She pressed a quick kiss to Drake’s cheek before looking at him pointedly.
‘This conversation is not over okay? We’ll steal a moment later on to ourselves and talk about this.’
He nodded slightly before they rejoined the rest of the group.
That moment only came later on as the wine tasting in the vineyard gazebo drew to a close when Elizabeth spotted Drake standing at the railing and she guessed that probably still reeling from his earlier blunder about the wine. Though she’d reassured him at the time, he was obviously still dwelling on it. She sidled up to him, gazing out across the moonlit rows of vines for a long moment before she spoke.
‘Hey you.’
‘Hey yourself,’ he replied, still not looking at her.
‘Wanna tell me why you’re tragically staring out at the vineyards?’
When he didn’t reply, Elizabeth leaned closer, putting a hand on his arm to get his attention. ‘Something’s different about you tonight, Drake. We’ve been drinking fancy wine for the last hour… And you haven’t once brought up whiskey!’
‘You make me sound like I can’t appreciate anything else.’ His tone was meant to be humorous but dropped flatly at the end.
‘Drake…’ She started, her voice almost apologetic. She didn’t mean to make him feel worse about it and was about to say more when he began to talk.
‘Okay, you got me,’ he admitted ‘I’m so out of my depth with all this fancy wine stuff. And everything else too. But I’m trying Richmond. I’m really trying.’
She opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off.
‘I’m trying to fit in… to be part of this fancy world…for both our sakes. But I gotta tell you Richmond, I never figured I’d end up here.’ His eyes strayed to the foliage rolling out before them.
‘Sipping wine at one of the most prestigious vineyards in Cordonia you mean?’ Elizabeth asked gently, following his gaze. Deep down, she knew that wasn’t the case.
‘Or engaged to a Duchess. Or acting like a fool over a girl. Take your pick.’ He mumbled bitterly, shaking his head in disappointment. Elizabeth’s heart ached for him, hating to see him this way.
‘Drake you know I’d never accuse you of acting like a fool.’
He didn’t answer immediately and she looked at the dejected look on his face, slipping an arm around his waist to rub his back gently. When he spoke again, the words that tumbled out almost brought tears to her eyes. For a moment, she wanted to shake him out of his mood right there and then, grip him by the shoulders and tell him how wonderful he was, how much she loved that he was trying so hard but abandoned that thought.
‘Hey, hey..’ Elizabeth soothed, stepping between him and the railing, reaching up to tip his chin until Drake was looking squarely at her.
‘What you’re saying… all that stuff… It doesn’t matter. None of it matters to me at all ok? The only thing that does matter is you and me,’ She told him, pouring every ounce of feeling into her words. ‘We’re in this together. You and me. If you want, I can teach you some of the basics so you won’t feel out of place next time?’
He smiled at her words mumbling a short thank you and she wrapped her arms around his waist, reassuring him with her presence as well as her words, happy to feel some of the tension leave his frame. His face was inches away from hers and she rose slightly on her toes to give him a gentle kiss. Drake was surprised by the action at first but returned it and she could feel his stubble tickling her face as he smiled finally.
‘I love you,’ he whispered.
‘I love you too.’ She smiled.
When they arrived back at the chateau, Drake tugged her hand gently to get her attention.
‘Are you going straight to sleep?’
’Not really.. I was going to go over some notes for the festival tomorrow,’ she answered honestly.
‘Pfft that can wait,’ He scoffed. ‘We spent the whole day with everyone and I’d like to have more than a few minutes with my fiancee in 24 hours.’
Knowing he was still sensitive from their earlier conversation, Elizabeth readily agreed. ‘You know I’d take any opportunity to spend more time with you so lead the way Mr Walker.’
‘Better?’ she asked as they settled onto the chaise in his room. The light from the bedside lamp cast a warm glow over them and she could see his face relax.
‘Hang on.’ Drake pulled her into his lap, her back against his chest as his arms came around her. ‘Thats better.’
She giggled, placing a kiss on his cheek before snuggling into him. They settled into the comfortable silence. Words were not needed to enjoying each others company in the long moment that stretched out between them. Elizabeth had asked him a question and was waiting for a reply before she detected the steady rising and falling of his chest at her back.
‘Drake Walker are you falling asleep on me?’ She wondered out loud. He jerked out of his doze as she stood up.
‘Wh- sorry Richmond. I guess it was a longer day than I thought.’
Elizabeth’s tone was teasing. ‘Is that so? You sure you’re not getting bored of me yet?’
‘You? Never!’ He declared, rising to press a soft kiss to her forehead. ‘I really did want to spend more time with you tonight…’
‘But?’ She prompted.
‘I might have stayed up all night worrying about today.’ Drake admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.
She laughed good-naturedly at him. ‘Well you better get changed before you fall asleep on your feet then. Unless you plan to roll out of bed in your suit tomorrow morning.’
Drake stuck his tongue out at her playfully before kicking off his shoes to get undressed. Elizabeth noted him struggling slightly with his suit jacket and rose to help him slip that and his shirt off, unable to stop her eyes from roaming the broad expanse of his back.
‘Enjoying the view?’ She could feel him smirking even though she couldn’t see it.
‘Its nothing I haven’t seen before.’ Elizabeth teased, scoffing good-naturedly before her eyes strayed to the wound dressing on his chest. ‘Hows the shoulder?’
‘As good as it can get really. Just the odd twinge here and there,’ he shrugged pulling on a pair of pyjama bottoms.
‘Hmm we might have to get it checked out by a doctor soon just in case because I don’t think my basic first aid skills are enough for a gun shot wound.’ Elizabeth regarded him seriously, chewing on her lower lip in thought.
Drake grinned. ‘Look at you all worried about me…’
‘Hey in sickness and in health right? No harm in a little practice before the big day. ‘Besides,’ she added as he settled into bed. ‘I like taking care of you. ‘
He caught her hand, pulling her close. ‘Stay with me for a while?’
She considered his offer for a moment. ‘You know when you invited me back to your room, I’d expected to be doing more than pillow talk.’
Drake grinned at her sleepily before winding an arm around her waist. ‘Hmm I’m sure we can think of something to do.’
He jerked his arm and Elizabeth pitched forward on to his bare chest, their faces inches away before he leaned up to kiss her deeply. The kiss was cut short when he pulled away to let out a massive yawn.
‘Nuh-uh Walker. Its bedtime for you. I need you wide awake tomorrow.’
Drake pushed his lower lip into a pout. ‘Don’t I get a goodnight kiss?’
Elizabeth rolled her eyes but obliged. As the kiss deepened, she felt Drake’s arms come up around her. She was quite tempted to give in but he needed a good nights rest. Knowing how he took up most of the bed when he slept, she pulled away heading for the door, ignoring his groan of protest.
‘Sweet dreams my love. Lessons begin tomorrow.’