Out of the Night
Chapters: 4/40
Fandom: All Creatures Great and Small (2020)
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Siegfried Farnon/Audrey Hall
Characters: Siegfried Farnon, Audrey Hall, Tristan Farnon, James Herriot, Helen Herriot, Charlotte Beauvoir, Sister Rose, Richard Carmody
Story Summary: A snowstorm leaves Siegfried and Audrey alone at Skeldale—Tristan is with Charlotte planning their wedding; James is with Helen and the children at Heston—and, with his health compromised, Siegfried must decide whether to accept the love Audrey could offer or return to a solitary life.
Chapter Summary: Siegfried raids Mrs Hall’s bedroom in an attempt to secretly treat his unpleasant side effects and, later, is forced to take a stroll down memory lane to “take his mind off things.”
Excerpt:
As soon as he shut the door of her room, he knew he should leave. In all the years she had been here, he had entered her room only four times. Twice because she’d asked him to close the window. Once because a cat had darted inside and he’d had to retrieve it. And once because, when she’d been ill, he’d brought her tea and soup. This felt—because it was—entirely different. He did not have her permission. It was not within the scope of his work. But he could not—he simply could not—ask her for help, not for such a personal and private malfunction. He would be awash with shame. Possibly forever.
Standing at the foot of the bed, he scanned the room. These were not salacious items—did Mrs Hall even keep salacious items? And, if so, what would she possibly—
No. Heat flooded his face—another flush of shame—but he shook away the thought and refocused.
