Opening her amenities bag, she was pleasantly surprised that amongst a couple of her bralettes was a black bikini that had gotten mixed up in the wash.  Ellie touched it with a strange feeling of remembrance as it was the swimsuit she had shot a calendar campaign in when she had still been popular. Now as a Baroness, she really wouldn't be allowed to do that type of shoot anymore. She wondered if Henry would have liked her then as she began to change.  Her figure was still bony and thin, she had yet to regain healthy fat on her body even though she had been eating aggressively. It just slipped off her no matter what she did.

She had just slipped into the water when she heard the quiet almost imperceptible click behind her of her partner.  Ellie turned her head back to see Henry as he had brought a white plastic bag with a Tesco's logo on it from the close by chain grocers.  His hair was soaked as well as his clothing. Ellie moved to the side of the tub closest to him and threw him one of the white towels that had been stacked into a small cabinet close by.  Henry reflexively caught it before wiping his hair.

He tore open the wrapped bag and took out a plastic tray with cheeses and meats as well as two bottles of wine.  He ran into the kitchen and behind the island countertop began to take off his wet clothes before throwing them into the dryer.  Even as he moved suggestively, Ellie couldn't help starting to laugh as he really was too serious of a man to be anything but powerful and stern.

Before he moved closer to her, he tore the plastic tag off of some swim trunks with his teeth.  Using the island for cover he changed quickly before bringing her his hastily a.s.sembled cheeseboard where two gla.s.ses of wine were balanced precariously.  As the jacuzzi was built into the floor, he could just place the tray beside them. It would be within arms reach of the two of them.

As he entered the water, Ellie's arms reached up around his neck as her hips slid on top of his.  He was lost in her gaze as she reached behind him for a sip of her winegla.s.s. Ellie brought the gla.s.s with her, but didn't move from the circle of his embrace.  The change between them had almost been unconscious that this distance was now acceptable. She no longer s.h.i.+ed away from him like she usually would after touching him.  Ellie was content to stay in this position, even unbothered by the things he could do with her in such little clothing.

He didn't want to keep looking at the bits of flesh that he had a magnificent view from so he gesture out to the trees blown from the storm.  "This area must be beautiful when there is better weather, but seeing we have the gloomy kind, what did you do in Stanford Hall when you couldn't go outside?"

"When I couldn't go outside?  Well my mom was still around then as I was much younger, but we used to have this horde of cats that were always breeding no matter how often they were spayed.  We had maybe a dozen cats and my mom would read to me while I was cuddled with them. Nolan was probably off playing video games, while my sisters were in boarding schools.  It was rare for me to get mom by myself, but sometimes managed it." She smiled easily before feeding him a bit of cheese. He made a face so she exchanged it for an unoffensive cheddar.  "I was horrified to hear that in the years we were gone that the cats all moved or died out as no one was allowed to feed them. It's such a shame as we had a rare Stanford Hall breed that we could have probably adopted out to have something else we could have been known for.  Maybe a tenant or someone who lives on adjacent land will have some kittens soon so we can restart our brood. I miss having them around."

Sensing it was his turn to fill the silence, Henry took a sip of her wine before she pulled it back with indignation.  He squeezed her playfully as she made a mock noise of helplessness. He wished there was no Stanford Hall visible as a smoky ghost from their vantage point.  "I hate cats you know. Talking about animals is making me miss my very trusted Corgi companion. I can't believe sometimes that someone as wonderful as you can have such an aristocratic background.  You're so completely all-American to me that I had trouble believing Lopez when he told us of your parentage. But now I've seen the lull of this land, I really can't get the stillness out of my head.  The remoteness is incredibly calming. You'd forget in a second that the bustle of a city like New York even is out there."

"You can have the best of both worlds, you don't have to choose if you don't want to.  Both have their benefits. Why live with a single detriment? So I have decided that I'll live between here and there.  I can visit Nolan when I'm in the city and tend to my estate when I'm back in the country. I can use my dual citizens.h.i.+p to its full advantage." She sighed as she looked off dreamily. Henry rearranged the cheeses on the plate to make it look more appetizing. Ellie explained, "The label on the box says all of these are local cheeses so we could make them if you really like anything.  The meats I have no idea."