for: @joe-lambe (lets get our 1920s babies back together <3)
Allegra thought that her time spent away from Joe when he was off fighting in the war was the hardest thing she ever had to go through. She always thought that she would never experience anything so heartbreaking ever again.
But coming back home after months of being apart from her one true love, only to find out that he was no longer at the estate and nowhere to be found? That was truly heartbreaking. It almost sent Allegra into her room for days, but she had responsibilities now. She was a woman of means and independence; a lady in charge of her own destiny and future. She couldn’t let it slip through her fingers when she had just gotten it.
She had blossomed underneath her father’s wing, learning how to manage the paperwork and the accounts. She studied the ledgers, learned about all of the businesses the Degrays were invested in, and even came up with ideas on newer business ventures that could raise her family’s income and status and keep them around for future generations to come.
She turned a run down home off of the coast of southern France into a beautiful chateau with handmade furniture, beautiful design schemes, and original wall murals in each room, and all while staying within budget. She worked hard to gain her independence and her right to marry who she pleased, and she wouldn’t let anything ruin it.
So now that she was in London and her parents still in Paris, part of her job was to sit in on these monthly board meetings. But first, they all had a drink or two while socializing, and Allegra was fully aware that she was the only woman in the room, but she held her own while the rest of them tried to simultaneously tease and flirt with her. Despite the fact that she was heading up the entire thing.
That’s when she saw a familiar face that made her heart stop. And he was looking right at her. The bright blue eyes. The curly hair. That smile...
“Joe,” she asked softly, eyes wide with hope and adoration. “Is it really you? Oh, please tell me it’s you, or I’ll feel like an utter fool.”