Passionfruit 18 [Divide and Rule]
Title: Gambit
Author: lost_spook
Story: Heroes of the Revolution (Divide & Rule)
Flavor(s): Passionfruit #18 (Temptation had its way with my companions), White Chocolate #4 (corruption)
Toppings/Extras: None
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 1284
Notes: 1960. Edward Iveson, Julia Graves, Diana Foyle.
Summary: Julia thinks Edward has gone too far this time - she thinks they both have.
***
Julia often threatened to throw things at Edward, and while she didn’t usually follow through, today had been exceptional and so she threw the bookend at him. She was still furious at him for letting Hallam blackmail him in the first place - for what he was prepared to do to cover up their mistakes. It wasn’t getting any better, and this latest incident was outside of enough. Throwing things, she felt, was about the only thing anyone could do in response.
“Oh, don’t look like that, Ned,” Julia said, folding her arms against herself. “It was nowhere near you - more’s the pity.”
He picked up the bookend and replaced it carefully on the shelf.
“And it’s an awful old thing anyway,” she said, with a nod at the object, as if that was the point.
Edward said nothing then, but when she turned to walk out, he surprised her by catching hold of her wrist and pulling her back. She looked up at him, uncertain suddenly, as if seeing him anew for the first time in months.
“Julia,” he said, not raising his voice. “I won’t make excuses, but this isn’t only about Hallam. I reported Diana’s conduct for reasons that I think she will understand, even if she doesn’t want to thank me for it. I didn’t invent the incident, you know. Diana did misappropriate those funds. Do you think I wanted to do this? Do you think I like working out which member of the cabinet to attack next?”
She pulled her arm away from him, finding herself no longer steady. “I don’t know, Edward. Do you? Because sometimes I think you might. And I don’t care what other reasons you have. You may have forgotten what I owe Diana, but I haven’t!”
Edward closed his eyes and when he opened them again, he looked away from her, over at the picture on the wall. “I’m doing the best I can,” he said and then gave a slight, weary shrug. “You’re right - it isn’t enough.”
Julia wouldn’t answer now: she knew that angry as she was at him - despite everything, she expected him to have come up with a solution by now - much of her rage was directed at herself. If Edward had bowed to Hallam’s demands rather than take the fall, then she had equally refused to act, and their reasons were the same, she knew.
“I need to say something to Diana, actually,” he said. “I was wondering if you would call -?”
Julia glared, and wished she hadn’t already thrown the bookend. “No, Edward, I wouldn’t. I don’t know if I ever can again! If you’ve got something to say, then you had better go and tell her yourself, if she will listen to you. Apologise if you can, and just hope she doesn’t feel as inclined to throw things as I do!”
*
Diana Foyle, now ex-Minister of Housing and Local Government, raised her head to look at her visitor. “You’ve got a nerve.”
“Yes, sorry. I’d imagine I’m the last person you’d want to see right now.”
Diana shrugged. “No, no, the last person I’d want to see right now is Stephen, the same as ever.”
“You know why I did it, don’t you?”
She closed her eyes. “Yes. Damn you.”
“What were you thinking?” he said. “After last time, didn’t you think that people would be keeping a closer eye on you? To even contemplate it a second time - if it is only the second time -”
Diana leant back against the sofa. “I know. Alex - Alex was in trouble. It was to hand, easy to pay back later. And I would have done. I know as well as you do that I’d be asking for trouble after last time.”
It would be useless and unkind to say that as far as Edward could see, her son was about as bad as her husband. It might also be untrue, so Edward kept quiet and instead held out a hand towards the nearest chair, raising an eyebrow in query.
“Oh, yes, do sit down,” she said, opening her eyes again. “If you must.”
He did so. To reveal her previous indiscretion allowed Fields to request Diana’s resignation and there might be an enquiry, but the fact that the missing funds had been repaid would mitigate matters. To have given the full truth would have resulted in a much more drastic fall from grace for her, and inevitably arrest and prison. That didn’t make his actions any better, however, and he knew it.
“I need to tell you something,” he said. “I’m afraid that what I did had very little to do with your interests - and there’s nothing praiseworthy about it.” Then he gave a slight smile, inclined his head slightly to one side as he looked at her. “But first, how would you feel about moving to Birmingham?”
That caught her attention. She lifted her head again, arching an eyebrow. “Is that a joke? Would you say things are that dire?”
“It’s not a joke,” Edward said, though he gave a smile. “And I’m afraid things might be far worse than most of us care to imagine.”
Diana lit a cigarette. “Well, congratulations, you certainly have my attention, Edward. Go on.”
“Bear with me,” he said. “It’s something of a long and complicated story.”
She shrugged. “Thanks to you, I’ve got nothing better to do for the foreseeable future. And, all right, I know, I know - it’s thanks to me and thanks to Stephen -”
“And thanks,” said Edward, leaning forward, “to Mr Hallam.”
*
Julia waited for Edward to come back, sitting straight up in the armchair, not doing anything. When he walked in through the door, she shut her eyes.
“While you were gone,” she said, “I phoned the police. I decided that this has gone on for long enough and no matter what happens, we have to stop it now, before Mr Hallam uses you for anything worse.”
She opened her eyes again, then, and looked over at him, in time to see him stop where he was, the blood draining from his face.
“And then I hung up,” she finished. “I couldn’t do it.” She’d heard the voice on the other end and couldn’t speak. She couldn’t tell anyone what they’d done, not knowing what would happen when she did. If she could have told them it was her, only her, she might have managed it, but it was too late for that.
Edward crossed over and crouched down in front of her. “Julia! You mustn’t do that. I told you - I am doing what I can, enough to try and damage Mr Hallam’s plans. And I won’t remain in this position any longer than I have to, but I hope to get you and Emily out of here at least. Promise me you won’t try that again - not yet, anyway, not yet.”
“I can’t do it anyway,” she said, and leant forward to hold him, bridging now a divide that had been growing between them ever since Thomas Hallam had first made his threat to reveal their crime. She let herself slide off the chair in front of him, and tightened her hold on him, burying her head on his shoulder, her hands in his hair. “I despise myself, but I can’t. I thought, even if I could make them believe it was only me, they’d shut me away from you and Emily - for the rest of my life. And more likely, they’d take both of us away -”
Edward tightened his hold on her in return, kissing her hair. “I know, I know. I won’t let it come to that. I promise, Julia, I promise.”
***
Author: lost_spook
Story: Heroes of the Revolution (Divide & Rule)
Flavor(s): Passionfruit #18 (Temptation had its way with my companions), White Chocolate #4 (corruption)
Toppings/Extras: None
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 1284
Notes: 1960. Edward Iveson, Julia Graves, Diana Foyle.
Summary: Julia thinks Edward has gone too far this time - she thinks they both have.
***
Julia often threatened to throw things at Edward, and while she didn’t usually follow through, today had been exceptional and so she threw the bookend at him. She was still furious at him for letting Hallam blackmail him in the first place - for what he was prepared to do to cover up their mistakes. It wasn’t getting any better, and this latest incident was outside of enough. Throwing things, she felt, was about the only thing anyone could do in response.
“Oh, don’t look like that, Ned,” Julia said, folding her arms against herself. “It was nowhere near you - more’s the pity.”
He picked up the bookend and replaced it carefully on the shelf.
“And it’s an awful old thing anyway,” she said, with a nod at the object, as if that was the point.
Edward said nothing then, but when she turned to walk out, he surprised her by catching hold of her wrist and pulling her back. She looked up at him, uncertain suddenly, as if seeing him anew for the first time in months.
“Julia,” he said, not raising his voice. “I won’t make excuses, but this isn’t only about Hallam. I reported Diana’s conduct for reasons that I think she will understand, even if she doesn’t want to thank me for it. I didn’t invent the incident, you know. Diana did misappropriate those funds. Do you think I wanted to do this? Do you think I like working out which member of the cabinet to attack next?”
She pulled her arm away from him, finding herself no longer steady. “I don’t know, Edward. Do you? Because sometimes I think you might. And I don’t care what other reasons you have. You may have forgotten what I owe Diana, but I haven’t!”
Edward closed his eyes and when he opened them again, he looked away from her, over at the picture on the wall. “I’m doing the best I can,” he said and then gave a slight, weary shrug. “You’re right - it isn’t enough.”
Julia wouldn’t answer now: she knew that angry as she was at him - despite everything, she expected him to have come up with a solution by now - much of her rage was directed at herself. If Edward had bowed to Hallam’s demands rather than take the fall, then she had equally refused to act, and their reasons were the same, she knew.
“I need to say something to Diana, actually,” he said. “I was wondering if you would call -?”
Julia glared, and wished she hadn’t already thrown the bookend. “No, Edward, I wouldn’t. I don’t know if I ever can again! If you’ve got something to say, then you had better go and tell her yourself, if she will listen to you. Apologise if you can, and just hope she doesn’t feel as inclined to throw things as I do!”
*
Diana Foyle, now ex-Minister of Housing and Local Government, raised her head to look at her visitor. “You’ve got a nerve.”
“Yes, sorry. I’d imagine I’m the last person you’d want to see right now.”
Diana shrugged. “No, no, the last person I’d want to see right now is Stephen, the same as ever.”
“You know why I did it, don’t you?”
She closed her eyes. “Yes. Damn you.”
“What were you thinking?” he said. “After last time, didn’t you think that people would be keeping a closer eye on you? To even contemplate it a second time - if it is only the second time -”
Diana leant back against the sofa. “I know. Alex - Alex was in trouble. It was to hand, easy to pay back later. And I would have done. I know as well as you do that I’d be asking for trouble after last time.”
It would be useless and unkind to say that as far as Edward could see, her son was about as bad as her husband. It might also be untrue, so Edward kept quiet and instead held out a hand towards the nearest chair, raising an eyebrow in query.
“Oh, yes, do sit down,” she said, opening her eyes again. “If you must.”
He did so. To reveal her previous indiscretion allowed Fields to request Diana’s resignation and there might be an enquiry, but the fact that the missing funds had been repaid would mitigate matters. To have given the full truth would have resulted in a much more drastic fall from grace for her, and inevitably arrest and prison. That didn’t make his actions any better, however, and he knew it.
“I need to tell you something,” he said. “I’m afraid that what I did had very little to do with your interests - and there’s nothing praiseworthy about it.” Then he gave a slight smile, inclined his head slightly to one side as he looked at her. “But first, how would you feel about moving to Birmingham?”
That caught her attention. She lifted her head again, arching an eyebrow. “Is that a joke? Would you say things are that dire?”
“It’s not a joke,” Edward said, though he gave a smile. “And I’m afraid things might be far worse than most of us care to imagine.”
Diana lit a cigarette. “Well, congratulations, you certainly have my attention, Edward. Go on.”
“Bear with me,” he said. “It’s something of a long and complicated story.”
She shrugged. “Thanks to you, I’ve got nothing better to do for the foreseeable future. And, all right, I know, I know - it’s thanks to me and thanks to Stephen -”
“And thanks,” said Edward, leaning forward, “to Mr Hallam.”
*
Julia waited for Edward to come back, sitting straight up in the armchair, not doing anything. When he walked in through the door, she shut her eyes.
“While you were gone,” she said, “I phoned the police. I decided that this has gone on for long enough and no matter what happens, we have to stop it now, before Mr Hallam uses you for anything worse.”
She opened her eyes again, then, and looked over at him, in time to see him stop where he was, the blood draining from his face.
“And then I hung up,” she finished. “I couldn’t do it.” She’d heard the voice on the other end and couldn’t speak. She couldn’t tell anyone what they’d done, not knowing what would happen when she did. If she could have told them it was her, only her, she might have managed it, but it was too late for that.
Edward crossed over and crouched down in front of her. “Julia! You mustn’t do that. I told you - I am doing what I can, enough to try and damage Mr Hallam’s plans. And I won’t remain in this position any longer than I have to, but I hope to get you and Emily out of here at least. Promise me you won’t try that again - not yet, anyway, not yet.”
“I can’t do it anyway,” she said, and leant forward to hold him, bridging now a divide that had been growing between them ever since Thomas Hallam had first made his threat to reveal their crime. She let herself slide off the chair in front of him, and tightened her hold on him, burying her head on his shoulder, her hands in his hair. “I despise myself, but I can’t. I thought, even if I could make them believe it was only me, they’d shut me away from you and Emily - for the rest of my life. And more likely, they’d take both of us away -”
Edward tightened his hold on her in return, kissing her hair. “I know, I know. I won’t let it come to that. I promise, Julia, I promise.”
***