Dirty Work

"I'm... not his boyfriend to them," he reminded quickly. Even in his drunken state did he know that mentioning their relation would be social and quite possibly literal suicide. He didn't have much to lose, being some random Irishman who decided I just plant himself around, but Joseph? He was a successful anatomist doing right by the world. "I am a... close companion, that is all."

Sitting up reluctantly, Ricky groaned almost instantly as his stomach churned. He hadn't had much to eat bar some soup and he was immediately regretting it, his cheeks flushed. "Perhaps I should rest a bit. That whiskey - why does Beatrice have whiskey to begin with?" He slurred, his moments of brief clarity cutting in and out.
 
"Yes, well, she's obviously not supposed to have it; not when she's had that medication. I... didn't mean to be harsh, Ricky; by warning you against befriending her. I'm just concerned, I suppose I'm too protective. Joe and I care a great deal about her; it's all purely platonic, of course. Joseph isn't inclined towards ladies, even ones as beautiful as Bea, and... I suppose I'm not either. We just care for her and... well, you won't wish her harm, so of course you can befriend her. Joe knows that too, he's just protective," he explained quietly, taking the chance to do so now, rather than in the morning when Bea stood a chance of overhearing them talk about her.

"Anyway, get some rest. I'll see you in the morning; we can paint some more and maybe take a ramble in the countryside. Joseph enjoys his walks and a bit of fresh air will clear our heads, so that's on the agenda, I suppose."
 
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Come morning, Ricky felt like proper shit. He was a trained drinker but even he wasn't able to handle as much whiskey as he consumed. Once rolling out of the bed, his stomach was fine but what hit him was the hangover. Slipping out of his close and into a button up and underwear, he headed down the stairs with a deep groan when the light illuminated through the home.

"I need some tea," he murmured once in the kitchen. "Ah, fuck... what the hell happened last night?" He asked out loud, his cheeks flushed as he took a seat and buried his head in his hand. "Is anyone awake?!" He called.
 
"You got drunk and made a complete and utter fool of yourself in front of every influential person I know - after encouraging me to invite the cream of the crop, might I add. It did me no favours having you storm in and confront me in front of all my guests, Ricky; in front of our guests, seeing as I more or less outlined how dear a friend you are to them. Of course, you're more than that, but I couldn't come out and tell them all of that," sighed Joseph, the doctor strolling into the kitchen to prepare himself some tea. He could wait for the servants to do that for him, but he had no intentin of making them do everything - he was quite capable of stewing some tea for himself. Friends of his might let their staff serve them at every second of the day, but Joseph wasn't fond of that sort of service. It felt exploitative when he could easily do most of the jobs himself.

He lowered his voice when Beatrice shushed him, however, having guided the woman in gently with a blanket wrapped around her. Without her makeup and her fancy dress, she did look much younger and, perhaps most noticeably, more vulnerable than she did the night before. She wore her makeup and her fancy items as a protective shield. In reality, she was far from okay, having gone through so much and then had to witness old friends turn their backs and gossip about her at the party. However close she was to a breakdown, she forced a smile on her face at the sight of Ricky.

"Oh, I made a fool of myself, didn't I? Trying to kiss you-- I do apologise," she laughed lightly, carefully taking a seat at the small wooden table the servants often sat at when food was being prepared at the kitchen area. "I... Well, you're a handsome man, but we both realise it was a mistake for me to even attempt such a thing. I'm not in the right mind to be chasing after men-- especially men so much younger than I am. I'm almost 30, you know. It's not a good look for me to be kissing 19 year olds. The newspapers would have a field day with that gossip."
 
"I'm sorry, Joseph. I was just... incredibly upset that you would lie as much as you did," he admitted, his head still pressed against the table, groaning the more his head pounded. It only added to his feelings of embarrassment when he remembered he had such an influential woman in his presence, his face only growing whiter.

"I may be young but I promise I'm... not usually this childish," he tried to defend once lifting his head, offering an apologetic smile. "Ah... I suppose I should know better. I should have known that such high quality whiskey would have done such horrors to me. I'm... sorry. If I must make it up to you both, I will. I just wish to keep the lies between us all to a minimum," he pleaded.
 
"...Yes, well, not let's blame you entirely. I upset you and you clearly an expressive person, so I should have known the consequences of my actions. Similarly, Beatrice shouldn't have had alcohol so it's really not all your fault. I... don't know if I can forget about last night, it... you don't understand how damaging it is. I may not care for being in those circles but it certainly pays to--"

"You don't need to apologise to me, I made a fool of myself and it's my fault entirely," declared Beatrice loudly, her shaky hands and forced smile indications of how little she liked the tension and emphasis on what had gone wrong the night before. She hardly needed that sort of atmosphere brewing, so coming across as desperate to leave it behind didn't matter to her, so long as the message got through that they didn't need to talk about it.

"Charles said we're going for a nice walk along the grounds today. We might see some deer-- or some wild rabbits. I find them utterly delightful. Not when they get hunted, of course. I can't abide hunting. Joe and Charles have done it -out of social obligation- but I never could, morally. Besides, the sight of blood gets me awfully squeamish," she laughed, her erratic behaviour being clear as she jumped from topic to topic, though Joe knew that it was better than the alternative of seeing her lie in bed, crying or screaming. At least she was happy right now, which was all he could ask for. "Oh, you'll be coming, won't you, Richard? On this ramble? We could pick wild berries, make a nice pie... My husband would do that. Not with me, course not. With his mistresses. It always looked like such a sweet activity, I always wanted to try."
 
"I will after I get something in 'me gut," he reassured with a halfhearted smile, sighing in relief once handed over the tea. Taking a long sip, he let his eyes drift to the window with a squint from the bright weather. "After That then sure. I need some time to get some proper blood flowin' lest I get ill on Joseph's property."

Watching Beatrice speak, he did grow a bit uncomfortable, though kept his discomfort hidden. Pretending everything was fine was never a good idea, his mother had taught him that when he was younger. If you ignore problems, they'll just get worse and he didn't want to have to get into a fight with Joseph later when he could calmly speak to the other now.
 
"...Why don't you go and sit by the fireplace? Ricky and I will bring you in your tea and some eggs in a little while," smiled the doctor as he gently ushered his friend out of the large space. He would have relaxed, knowing she was taking his advice, but turning to Ricky only made his posture stiffen again, the tension fixed on his face.

"We need to talk, about the... work situation. You have to stop with the... corpses, Ricky. It's in the national press. I will not risk you being imprisoned. I'll figure something out. You can come and work for me in the school if you want to keep an income coming in and feeling like you earned it - I'm always eager for an extra set of helping hands in the lab, or just in the general upkeep of the building. You can come and work doing that. I'll figure out another way of getting the cadavers I need," the man nodded as firmly as he could, taking the other's hands in his own. "I mean it, you can't do this for me anymore. It's too risky."
 
"... are you sure?" He whispered, staring up at the other from his seat. "I... can stop, sure. I don't want to be some labor boy cleaning everything up, I can already see your students looking down on me. I already ruined my reputation in front of your friends, I don't particularly want that happening with your students, too," he reminded, grimacing in disgust with himself. Shaking his head, he instead forced a smile.

"I'll think about it, yeah?" He reassured and, after a quick glance around, he moved to offer a quick kiss as he got to his feet. "Let's not think about that right now, right? This is all supposed to be relaxing and enjoyable and so far that hasn't been the case. Let's go for that walk, perhaps sneak off together just you and I...?" He suggested, brows raised.
 
"I... don't think that's at all wise, do you? Charles is out there right now, finding inspiration or whatever it is he does out there. He might be aware of us being an item, but I think it'd be awkward for us all if he stumbled across us getting... intimate," he shrugged, though did dare to offer another kiss, that being as far as his adventurous streak seemed to take him. He would protest until he was red in the face that he was an adventurous man, and in many cases that was true, but he was far from being as wild as he liked to think. Just kissing Ricky like this was wild for him - sneaking off into the grounds without informing anyone about his movements (so they knew he wasn't missing or in trouble) just seemed ludicrous.

"We can go out later; all of us. I'll show you around the grounds, before we head back to the city. I'm clearly more of a city man, but I suppose the country has its benefits. It's much quieter, obviously - and there's more privacy."
 
"I'm not a big fan myself, it's not as loud and as exciting as I'm used to, but I'll revel in the quiet for a little bit if I must," he drawled teasingly, pouting at his rejection at his idea. "Not to mention I want Charles to work more on my painting. I think he's taking some creative liberty, I'm not nearly that handsome... close, though," he bragged.

"Life the city means I can be alone with you for a short while, I will," he urged, a hand entangling with Joseph's affectionately. "I don't mean to be obnoxious but I want to be close with to you, perhaps at least share a bed."
 
"With my staff all around? They bring me tea in bed every morning, Ricky. They'd find it odd if I rejected the offer and instructed them not to enter my bedroom. I could demand them, but I'd feel bad doing that. They're like family, and you don't order family around, right? I... let's just wait until we're back in Edinburgh to do all that, it's better to be safe than sorry," he reminded as he quietly eased away from him, in constant fear that a servant might walk in and discover them. When they were technically in the servants' quarters, there was clearly a high chance of that.

"So he's still painting you, is he?" He absently murmured, sipping at his tea with a faint smile. "That's... generous of him, to do all this for free. I know Charles. He's free-spirited, but he's also got two homes he regularly decorates - and he needs money for that. He wouldn't go offering to paint you for free unless-- oh, of course, he likes you, doesn't he? I'm not saying he's in love -he doesn't fall in love- but he probably admires you. Which is fine. I suppose many people would, you're clearly handsome, hm?"
 
"Don't be ridiculous, Joseph. I'm sure that he's just being generous to a broke soul like me. It isn't like I'm keeping it, got nowhere to put it," he reminded dismissively as he took his own tea, finishing it with a sigh. Setting it to the side, he got to his feet and groaned as he snapped his back.

"Perhaps you're right about the job, my back shouldn't be like this. I'm 19, I at least have another 20 years on me," he teased with a roll of his eyes. "Oh, I could go for a nice bath or a dip. Perhaps we could do that together, then?"
 
"I don't think it's particularly smart of us to do anything whilst we're here; not with my staff around. I'd rather not risk it. Besides, if last night was rough on you, you ought to be aware that it's harder on me. I'm older than you are; I can't deal with the effects of alcohol as well as I used to. I'd rather not pile more stress on myself by engaging romantically with you while we're staying here, you should understand that," he mumbled as he again rejected the idea. It wasn't because he didn't want to; he wanted nothing more than to relax in the bath with the guy he was slowly falling for. It just wasn't wise to follow his heart over his head, knowing that ignoring his desires until he was safely back in his private home in the city was the only way to ensure the secrecy of their relationship. There was no guarantee of that here; not when he had staff who could grow suspicious of their closeness.

"It's just another day, Ricky. It's not that long to wait. Then we can go back and you can have a new job and... I'm always happy to let you stay at my home too, where we can do what we like without worry."
 
"For starters, you... aren't that old," he urged, that being the one thing that seemed to really irk him about everything. He was surrounded by older people, he always has been since he was the youngest of his brothers. It only irked him when his age was brought up because unsurprisingly enough, it made him feel childish. He could definitely be just that but that didn't mean he liked to hear that he was. "You're a young, spry man whose gotten his life together well. Besides, age is simply a number, Joseph, and I adore you despite that." He reminded with a softened smile.

"Secondly, I don't... I don't want to seem like I'm leeching off of you like some urchin. If I stay at your home, I feel as if I'm taking advantage of you and I don't want to do that, naturally. I want you to know that I don't enjoy your company solely because of your finances. I already feel like bullocks after all of this, making your reputation fall down the river so easily."
 
"I'm not that young and I'm also really not that rich, Ricky. You seem to think I'm marvellously wealthy, which... well, it's not the case. I'm not denying that I'm well-off, but really, nobody would say you were leeching off me. Not when I'm generally not considered for my wealth. The offer is there if you want to take it, okay? Don't feel obligated, but I... would like that. It gets lonely and I suppose I'd like to share my home with my... boyfriend, if I had to pick anyone," he smiled, his voice dropping to a whisper at the confession, but he decided it was risky enough to say aloud when Ricky clearly needed the confirmation.

"We can discuss this back in the city, can't we? Just let me reassure you that my reputation has suffered worse than this and I've been fine. A little drunkenness isn't going to ruin me, Ricky. Those people will forget about it by the time the next party comes around anyway."
 
"... it's been worse? Oh, do tell," he pressed, his eyes brightening at the mention as his curiosity singled in. "You can't do that to me, Joseph! I need to know what other devious little things you've done. If you don't tell me, I'm sure I can ask Charles at the very least."

With a deep yawn, Ricky decided to set his dish to the side and head past the kitchen into the main hallway, ready to at least get dressed and shake off the hangover once and for all. If he was going to act on his best behavior around Beatrice and Charles, he needed to act a bit more put together.
 
"I'm sure I've told you about the scandal at the university I went to? There was a rumour going around that me and another man were in a romantic relationship; it was all true, of course, and my reputation took a hit because everyone there assumed it was true too. Eventually they decided it was all balderdash, but it affected me for a long time. I couldn't go into a room without people shuffling away from me, it... wasn't a good time," he shrugged awkwardly, forcing a smile as he began to trail after him, holding his tea carefully.

"There was also the time I-- well, Beatrice's husband wasn't a nice man, but he was very influential so he carried around a lot of supporters. My reputation suffered for a little while after I... got into a fight with him. I was drunk, but I think it helped with my confidence; and the man deserved it. He was awful to Beatrice, he deserved everything he got. Nobody seemed to agree with me hitting him so that didn't do my reputation any good - but I bounced back from it. Like I'll bounce back from last night; it's really not that big of a deal, Ricky."
 
"I don't see you being the type to get physical, Joseph, but I suppose I don't know enough about you, eh?" Commented Ricky with raised brows as he headed up the stairs to his room. "You're very, Ah... well-built, I would say, though I still wouldn't have expected you to get into a fight. I wish I was there to see," he admitted before searching through his things once up. It was apparently going to be chilly so it was no surprise that he would adorn his favorite sweater over his usual button-up, slacks, and suspenders. It made him look like the commoner he was, he knew that, but he only had one suit jacket available and he didn't really enjoy wearing it if he needn't.

"I do hope our walk won't be too long, the air is a bit chilly. I also hope Charles won't make me wear the same thing as I did before because I will catch my death of cold," he commented from his room as he undressed, not really caring much if anyone saw. Being raised with a large family in a small house meant that getting changed wasn't really a big deal, especially when there was no deeper sensual reason behind it.
 
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Joseph, however, did mind and promptly shut the door behind himself, frowning at his boyfriend's carelessness. He didn't emphasise it, of course, having had enough of bickering with him - starting another potential conflict really wasn't worth it, so he quite rightly kept his mouth shut and smiled instead.

"Charles has a wonderful memory and an even greater imagination. I'm sure he could finish your portrait without you sitting for him again, which I imagine is tedious," he drawled as he wandered over to the window to take in the view of the grounds. "It's cold out, so you have to bundle up - whether Charles likes it or not is irrelevant. I won't have you getting sick and landing yourself on my table as a cadaver, Ricky. That'd be dreadful."
 
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