Page 2 of Save You

The noise from the guests is at least twice as loud as when Samuel had walked in, with people whistling, cheering, and generally getting all flushed around him. This includes Pru’s star-struck daughter. Oliver is confident, charming, and manages to silence the crowd with just a slight nod of his head, showing he can control any room with very little effort. Her heart soars when she watches him command his audience with a voice that isn’t much louder than the one that he was just using with Jonah. Everyone wants to know what Oliver Lawrence has to say and will strain their eyes and ears just to achieve that. He is, indeed, destined for great things.

“Now, I won’t keep you much longer, my father has done enough talking for the both of us,” he smirks as the crowd softly chuckle, with Samuel feigning insult before smiling at his son with a grin that has far too many teeth on show. “However, I would like to thank you all for coming tonight. I’d also like to thank my parents, for bringing me into the world and giving me every opportunity, they could afford to offer. Thanks to my best friend, Jonah, for always being there for me, even if it was to lead me astray!” Again, the crowd laugh and cheer, all while glancing over to the man in question, who is still standing behind Pru. “But I would also like to thank a woman who taught me how to be the man I am today, who practically brought me up from such a young age, and who never tired of telling me countless bedtime stories; thank you, Pru!” He beams and gestures toward where she is now standing with crimson cheeks and a thoroughly shocked expression. “I’ve missed my beloved nanny and hope that she might share a birthday drink with me?”

Everyone is now looking at her for an answer which she’s still too bewildered to give, not until Edward comes over and nudges her arm. The people around Pru giggle over her timidity, prompting her to cough, if only to give her a few extra moments to think.

“Of course,” Pru finally replies in a small voice, smiling nervously at his beaming expression and icy blue eyes. “You know I could never refuse that grin, Oliver.”

On his signal, everyone claps and cheers for him again, after which he gestures for the crowd to continue with the festivities. Pru turns her attention back to Faye, who is still gushing over her pre-teen crush, and now looking at her mother like she’s someone special; a look she hasn’t given her since she turned nine last year. Edward leans in to give his wife a kiss on the cheek, now appearing proud of her for making an impression on a little boy all those years ago.

“Pru!” Oliver’s commanding voice says from behind her, prompting Edward to turn and face him with admiration. He offers his hand to Oliver, who smiles appreciatively before shaking it. Being as charming and successful as he is, Oliver doesn’t fail to notice the girl next to her, frozen solid in complete reverence for the man before her. He slowly and carefully lifts her hand to plant a small kiss to the back of it, causing her to practically melt onto the floor. She soon shuffles over to Edward where she remains, looking both shocked and embarrassed. Oliver and his old nanny smirk over his effect on the young girl before they’ve even properly said hello.

“Happy birthday, Oliver,” Pru wishes him quietly, to which he curls his lip up with an affectionate smile. “How does it feel to be considered a man?”

“Very strange in front of the woman who raised me,” he replies. “I was hoping we might have a quiet chat and drink together. But not here…not in the crowd. Do you fancy a stroll around the gardens? You must remember how beautiful they are, even if there were some ugly aspects to this place,” he says rather strangely, leaning in so only he and Pru can now hear the conversation at hand. He then turns back to look at Edward, as if asking for his permission. “Only with your husband’s consent of course.”

“I’m sure Pru would love to join you, wouldn’t you, Pru?” Edward beams with encouragement. If this were Samuel instead of Oliver, Pru would be glaring at her husband’s penchant for sucking up to higher ranking Mayfield members, but seeing as it’s only his son, she lets it slide.

“I would love to. Now?” she asks.

“Why not?” Oliver smiles as he offers her his arm.

Before they leave, Pru leans into Edward, eyeing him in such a way, he knows her next words are not to be ignored.

“Do not let Faye out of your sight!” She then stares at him until he nods to show he has understood. “I won’t be long.”

As soon as they hit the rose gardens, Oliver has managed to put her anxieties to rest. With only his charm, sense of humor, and a smile he’s had since childhood, Pru begins to feel more relaxed in his company. He tells her about his days at college, which he is very close to completing, and his plans to go into business with Jonah, much to his father’s disapproval. He doesn’t yet have a girlfriend because he is far too busy, even though his parents are pushing for a match to happen. Oliver is very much his own man and won’t be talked into doing anything he doesn’t want to.

In return, Pru tells him about her life at home, looking after Edward, Faye, and their two sons, Jack and Peter, who are currently being looked after by her mother. Being only six years old, they had decided not to bring them tonight, which Oliver more than understood.

“Do you think you will ever work again, Pru?” he asks. Pru is nowhere near in the same ranking as Oliver, so not working for the foreseeable is not really an option.

“One day, when the boys are at senior school, perhaps,” she answers with a small shrug of her shoulder. “Probably as a housekeeper or something to that effect. I don’t have the qualifications for anything professional, and Edward doesn’t want my life being consumed by a job. My work will have to stay at work, if you catch my drift?”

“I understand,” he says with a warm smile, “but make sure you contact me when you do want something, Pru. I still trust you more than anyone I know. My parents included.”

“Thank you, Oliver,” she replies with genuine happiness over his offer. “Who knows? You might be a father by then, in need of a nanny for your own children.”

“I would like to think so,” he says with a far-off look in his eye. “In fact, I already have someone in mind for their mother, though, she doesn’t know it yet.”

“Oh really? I’m sure she’ll consider herself a lucky girl when you tell her of your intentions. Does she go to school with you?”

“No,” he replies with a soft laugh, “she’s a little younger than me. But enough about that, Pru, I’ve been thinking about something, the same something for a number of years now. Do you remember telling me that bedtime story about Mayfield?”

“When you were seven?!” She laughs nervously because why would he be wondering about such a thing for all these years?

“Yes,” he replies, “you see, recently, Carl Steele has been trying to…recruit me. Jonah too, though I think he knows my whimsical friend isn’t altogether too serious about politics. But something has been stopping me from going along with him, to committing myself to his offer…an apprenticeship, if you will.”

Pru’s heart rate has already begun to beat rapidly over the sound of this man’s name, though she refuses to show Oliver her fear. She does not want him to think that it is fear making her say things just to frighten him. Whatever she will say will be the truth and nothing but.

“You told me that story, but I don’t think you finished it, Pru.” He gestures over to an ornate-looking bench for them both to sit on. The smell of lavender growing nearby, together with the soft lighting emitting from one of the opulent fountains, eases her anxiety once more. As the sound of sprinkling water filters through her ears, Oliver pauses, as if giving her time to calm herself before he finally asks, “Will you tell me now?”

“I don’t know, Oliver, are you sure? If anyone were to find out, I would be in a lot of trouble!” She sighs nervously, knowing that to say anything would be putting herself in a precarious situation, however, she still hates to deny this boy. “Can I trust you, Oliver?”

“Pru, look at me,” he says, taking hold of her hands and giving her those deep, blue eyes; the ones she’s never been able to say no to. “Everything you tell me is in the strictest confidence; you have my word.”

For a while, she just stares at him but eventually concedes by giving him one nod of her head.

“Mayfield worked for a while, the way it was intended to, but after five years or so, Abraham Boone died without a male heir. Steele and Lawrence already had quite the partnership, favoring stern rulership which kept them heads above the regular members. They argued that the organization needed strong leadership, meaning that there would be one central president who would make the final decisions. Said president could not be seen as the same as the others, he needed to be viewed upon as an elite member of society, with those serving him coming a close second. Fox and Boone had never agreed, arguing that this would lead Mayfield down a very dangerous path, one which would lose sight of its members and what it was intended for.”

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