#milesrichards

[aoibhs]

Introduction To Elizabeth Shaw

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from The Riot Club/Posh, and all OCs were beautifully crafted by @club-riot

She fidgeted with a loose strand of her hair. Nervous. Elizabeth was chosen to be a member of the society. She knew that. She understood that she was wealthy and smart. That was what was expected of each member. It was highly flattering, seeing as only ten would be chosen for the Socialite Society of Oxford University. Still, she was very nervous to be meeting with her fellow club members for the first time since her initiation. What if they didn't like her? Elizabeth mentally scolded herself for thinking like that. Here she was, in her first year of university, yet she was worrying herself with events that hadn't happened yet like a child on their first day of school. Not that she could help herself. She always made her anxieties worse by feeding them with paranoia and over thinking the situation entirely.

They were meeting outside the library. She was nearly disappointed that she wouldn't get to go inside. She quite liked the library. But it was clearly for the best. There was no need for the society to go and have their meeting in there. Plus, Honora had told her that Victoria and Meredith often got rowdy when they were together. So, a strictly silent library was not the ideal place for a club meeting.

But obviously, Elizabeth just had to get lost first. She had been to the library twice since Freshers' Week had come to a close and had admittedly been putting it off seeing as it took her an hour and a half to find it the first time.

"You okay?"

She spun around to see three young men. They were at least in their second year. All of them were taller than her, had dark hair and were very attractive. Elizabeth felt her pulse quicken and her face heat up. She cringed internally at the thought that she had been caught getting lost by older, male students.

"I'm.. um, just looking for the library," She gave them a nervous smile, "I've just lost my way is all,"

"We'll help you!" The tallest of the three exclaimed. He seemed so very eager, grinning ear-to-ear.

"Oh, well, if you could just point me in the right direction, I would be ever so grateful," She was taken aback by his keen smile.

"Nonsense, we'll take you there ourselves," The one with the beige trench coat decided to lead her away by her elbow.

"What? No no no, you don't have to," Elizabeth nearly laughed out of disorientation.

"We're going there anyway, so... yeah we do," The shortest one with curly hair said, walking in front of them and facing them as he walked in reverse down the pathway.

"Don't mention it," The one in the coat basically sighed, as if he was trying appear humble.

"I.. didn't..," Elizabeth's eyes flickered around their sockets, as she tried to recollect whether or not she had thanked them.

"Ooh! You just got completely rinsed!" The curly haired one snorted, gaining a laugh from his tall friend and an eye roll from the one in the coat.

Elizabeth blushed for a number of reasons then. 1. Because she felt she was the center of attention and 2. Because she finally noticed that the one in the coat still had his hand upon her elbow.

"So.. what's going on in the library?" The tall one leaned over to get a better look at her, since his friend was blocking his view, "Got an essay you need our help finishing?"

Elizabeth actually laughed at that. They didn't even know what she was studying.

"Umm, no," She chuckled, "I've just got a club meeting outside it,"

"Oh really?" His face filled with childish glee, "What club is that?"

"The Socialite Society," She nodded, staring at her black shoes walking on the path.

"Oh my wow, seriously?!" The coat guy stopped walking, forcing her to a stop, "That's like the best club for any young woman to be a part of,"

"You must've really impressed them to be nominated," The curly haired one nodded in agreement, smirking at Elizabeth.

"Well, I'm still trying to get my head around that myself," Her free hand reached up to tuck that loose strand of hair behind her ear while she released some nervous chuckles, spurring her to start walking again.

"I'm gonna guess.. successful family?" The tall one pointed at her assumingly, only to get his hand swatted away by the coat guy.

"I suppose," She merely chuckled because she did not know what else to do, "My father the manager of several accountancy firms, my mother is an editor with this publishers company and my eldest brother has started an internship in Downing Street,"

"Fuck," He seemed surprised by the great length of her reply.

"What's the name of the accountancy firm? I might know it," The coat guy asked her.

"Shaw's" She replied.

"No way!" The curly haired one gasped, "Didn't Leighton have an interview with them last week?"

"So which of the lovely Shaw family to we have the honor of escorting to the library?" She didn't need to look up to see the smirk on the coat guy's lips.

"Elizabeth," She muttered, embarrassed suddenly. She wasn't completely sure why though. Maybe it was the mention of her family. Maybe it had just dawned on her that she had held the attention of three good looking males for over two minutes.

"Ed Montgomery!" The tall one reached across the coat guy again, much to his annoyance, to shake Elizabeth's hand. The coat guy was somewhere between giving out to Ed and trying to introduce himself when he was cut off.

"I'm Toby Maitland!" The curly haired one beamed at her, grabbing her hand to shake it before Ed had even finished.

"Pleasure to meet you," Elizabeth spluttered, becoming disorientated again by all the sudden action.

"Guy Bellingfield," The coat guy's name actually was Guy and Elizabeth had to try her very best not to laugh. She was quickly distracted anyway when he took ahold of her hand, "And the pleasure is all mine, Miss Shaw,"

Elizabeth literally had no idea how to respond, her face burning red and her heart on the verge of ninety miles an hour.

"Okay," She nodded, biting at her bottom lip furiously, trying to keep herself from saying anything that might further embarrass herself. That's when she noticed the library that was nine feet in front of them, "Well, I do appreciate you escorting me here. Goodness knows where I'd have ended up if you hadn't have come across me,"

"Maybe we could do it again sometime," Ed grinned hopefully.

Elizabeth only giggled slightly,walking ahead of them, breaking the contact with Guy's hand and hers.

"Well, thank you gentlemen, I really do appreciate this," She said looking back at them as she began to walk up the steps leading to the library's double doors. Poppy was already up there at the entrance with Josephine.

"Don't mention it," Guy smiled as they followed her.

"Evening ladies," Ed said to her friends waiting at the top of the stairs.

"Boys," Poppy nodded them in response.

That's where they parted ways. Ed was the first one to go through the doors.

"Till we meet again," Toby gave her a cheeky wink before he followed Ed.

"Lovely to meet you, Elizabeth," Guy decided to wait there to shake her hand again, but he lingered with an awkward smile on his face for a few seconds. And only after that did he go into the library.

"You've been busy," Poppy teased, a pink smirk on her lips.

"Oh shush," Elizabeth waved her hand, then used it to cover the lower part of her face. Not that it would cover up the red gracing her cheeks.

"They're pretty though, aren't they?" Poppy leaned towards the double doors, trying to look at them through the glass, "Those Riot boys,"

"Wait, they're from The Riot Club?" Josephine basically jumped with her gasp, "I would've smiled at them had I known that!"

Poppy just laughed. Elizabeth understood why they had become so interested in her once she had mentioned being a member of the Socialite Society.

"Oh, there's Honora and Louisa," Poppy nudged Elizabeth's shoulder, both of them turning around to greet their friends.

"The fuck is Sunniva?" Louisa said before they even got to the steps.

"Not here," Josephine laughed.

"She texted me to say she was leaving her flat about fifteen minutes ago," Poppy unlocked her phone to check what their club's chairperson had said.

The doors to the library burst open and Ed and Toby scurried out, dragged another male behind them.

"Excuse me ladies, make way!" Guy's voice called from just inside the doors before he emerged as well.

"Hi Miles," Poppy waved to the boy on the ground jokingly.

"Let go! The stairs hurt my fucking back!" Miles yelled at Toby and Ed, who were laughing uncontrollably.

"Don't mind us," Guy waved his hand dismissively.

"Initiations?" Poppy smiled, understanding what was going on, "I thought you would've done that ages ago,"

"You only did yours last week as far as I've heard," He smirked at her, "No need to be smug,"

Honora scoffed and rolled her eyes at that.

"Come on, Bellend!" Toby called from down the path.

"Duty call, ladies," He nearly bounced down the steps, following the other Riot boys.

Chapter Two

[aoibhs]

Good Morning Oxford!

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from The Riot Club/Posh, and all OCs were beautifully crafted by @club-riot

"Well..," Elizabeth looked around, noticing that all her fellow club members had already left. Even Poppy. They were probably all so drunk that they either forgot about her, thought she had gone home or thought that she was, in fact, still with them. She exhaled at the thought and did her best to keep calm. She wasn't going to fly off the handle in front of all these beautiful boys, even if alcohol usually had the emotional effect on her. She was determined not to start crying over something stupid like that, "It's getting late. I should be getting back," "Where would you go? The night's only starting," The pretty boy, Harry, said. There was a childish quality to his smile in that moment. "The girls have disappeared," Elizabeth shrugged a laugh, "It seems we've been talking for longer than I thought," "No no no, have another drink!" Toby hugged her waist, in both a protective and highly clingy fashion. "It's late guys, I can't," She shook her head, trying to pry Toby's arms from her torso. "Are you staying on campus?" Dimitri asked before downing the remaining dregs of his drink. "Yeah," She finally got him off, but wound up spinning around in a circle in the process, nearly falling over. James stepped in to steady her. She noticed George leaning against the wall, pointing at her with his mouth ajar, as if he was just about to tell someone to catch her but the alcohol had slowed his reactions down quite a bit. When he realized that James had already stepped in, he just slowly and awkwardly lowered his hand and looked away, completely bewildered. "Do you need a lift?" Dimitri didn't even notice that she nearly fell over, he was too busy straightening out the cuffs of his shirt. "Oh no, I'll be fine walking," She smiled, taking a step back towards the nightclub that was beginning to empty. "It's two in the morning, Lizzy," James furrowed his eyebrows. "Anything could happen to you out there!" Guy leaned towards her, trying to get past Ed who was, once again, blocking his view of her. His eyes were wide with alarm. Elizabeth wondered if he opened them any widen if they would pop right out of his head. "It's a scary world out there," Harry smirked over at her. "I'm not afraid of a few muggers," She rolled her eyes, knowing Harry was just attempting to spook her for the fun of it. "Well, you should be," Guy said curtly, stepping forward properly, "And if you're going to be that reckless then I insist on walking you back," As he finished speaking, he fixed his hair, which wasn't particularly messy in the first place. "Oh you've done it now," James chuckled. "But I-" "No," Guy held his hand up to cut her off, "I'm going with you," "Either he goes with you or we all do," George slurred slightly from the wall. Ed actually looked at Toby with genuine excitement. Dimitri and Harry just started laughing, knowing how the situation would play out. "Let's go, Guy," She tapped him on the shoulder and swiftly turned on her heel to walk back into the club. "Are you ashamed of us!?" Dimitri jokingly called after her. "Give me a reason not to be!" She called back, laughing, "Goodnight!" There was a chorus of goodnights from a mixture of Toby, Ed and James and then there came a faint one about twelve seconds after, Elizabeth figured that one was George. She waited at the main door for Guy to get his coat from the cloakroom, he didn't take too long thankfully, so they got to walking quick enough. The streets were ridiculously empty. The people of Oxford were sound asleep. And the silence was a little unnerving between the two of them. He kept turning to her, about to say something but then turning away. He did this at least four times before Elizabeth began to pity his intoxicated mind. "You didn't have to do this," She looked down at her black high heels clicking against the carefully cobbled street. "Of course I did," He scoffed, "Are you cold?" "Hmm?" Her eyes snapped up to his at the question, "What?" "Are you cold?" He gestured to her hands that were clutching her forearms. "Oh no, I'm fine," She chuckled nervously. She was lying and it was very obvious but she wasn't going to demand anything from him. He was already walking her back to her dorm as it was. She was caught off guard when Poppy invited her to go out. She told her to get ready quickly, so she ran out of her dorm as fast as she could once she had applied that last bit of cherry red lipstick, and completely forgot her jacket. "Alright," He said, looking on ahead. There was a short spell of quiet again. But Guy figured that he should say something this time, since she spoke first the last time, "What school did you go to? Cheltenham?" "No, um.. Actually I went to Cambridge," She smiled awkwardly. "Fuck off. Seriously?" He pulled a strange shocked face that caused Elizabeth to burst out laughing. "Yeah, my family is pro-Cambridge," She tucked a lock of her dark hair behind her ear, nodding as she spoke. "But you're at Oxford.." He was so confused, it was nearly adorable. In fact, it was. "Yes," She laughed, "Yes, I am," "Wouldn't your family prefer it if you were a Cambridge student?" "Very much so," She sighed, rubbing her arms again self-consciously, "I'm, eh.. I'm the family disappointment, if you will," She joked. "So, your parents went to Cambridge?" "Yeah and my older brothers," "So, why Oxford?" "I liked the course better, I liked the university better," She shrugged, smiling a little. "That's remarkable!" He beamed at her. "Is it?" Elizabeth snorted slightly to herself, tucking another non-existent strand of hair behind her ear. "Do you want my coat?" "No!" Elizabeth wasn't prepared for the abrupt subject change and panicked, trying to keep him from doing anything else for her. So, her panic-fueled mind forced her voice to come off far more defensive and aggressive than she would ever hope. She blinked, shocked at herself, "I.. I mean.. What?" Guy, laughing, began to remove his beige coat. "You're clearly freezing. Here," He draped it over her shoulders before she could push him away. "Guy, I'm honestly fine," Her protests were pointless. "It's October in England. Don't tell me you're not freezing," He smirked, knowing he had won. "You are just impossible, Guy Bellingfield," She shook her head at him, smiling and reaching up to hold the coat in place. "Oh stop it," He waved his hand in quite a girly way, causing Elizabeth to go into a fit of giggles. "Do you have a dorm here too?" She managed to ask after she finished laughing. "No, Dimitri and I have our own flats in the area," He said. "What? They're probably on the other side of the city," Elizabeth's eyes widened, "You can't be walking me home, you'll be walking miles to get home," She grabbed the coat from her shoulders and held it up for him to take. "Lizzy, relax. I told you I'd walk you back and I intent to do so," Why was he smirking? "But you'll have to walk back.." She trailed off. Another argument lost. "I will give Dimitri a call who will be by shortly to drive me back," That's why he was smirking, "What else is a Greek useful for anyway?" Elizabeth laughed grimly, shaking her head disapprovingly, but still laughing nonetheless, "Now, will you please put the coat back on?" Elizabeth looked down at the coat and nearly groaned, "Dear God, the things I have to do," Guy shook his head and grabbed the jacket from her, forcing it back onto her shoulders. "You didn't have to do any of this," She huffed, but playfully. In fairness, she was still laughing. "You are the one who wanted to walk home alone on a cold October night," He poked her shoulder, "Shaw, you left me with no choice," "Oh, I do apologize," Her sarcastic words gained a false glare from Guy. "There's no need to attack me," He placed a hand on his chest as if she had literally attacked him, "I'm just a good citizen, doing what any nobleman would do," "Yes, I would've had an entire entourage of Riot Club members if I wanted," She looked into the distance with a dreamy smile of her lips. "Yeah? Well, I offered first," He nodded, almost proud of himself. "Nothing about 'I insist on walking you home' is offering," She smirked. "Go back to Cambridge," He shoved her playfully. Of course, this spiraled into a full-fledged play fight. It had to stop when Guy nearly pushed Elizabeth into the fountain in the square. When he was helping her up,both of them laughing like children, barely inches between them, Guy's phone started ringing. He smiled apologetically and stepped away to answer it, leaving Elizabeth to stand there, a blushing mess. "Bellend, where the fuck are you? Did you die?" It was Dimitri. "We're nearly at the University grounds, no need to worry about me," He chuckled in a haughty manner. "You're only getting there now?" Dimitri sounded both shocked and disappointed, but also massively baffled, "Mate, it's four in the morning," "Oh... well, good morning!" As he spoke, he looked over at Elizabeth sitting by the fountain and smiled at her. She chuckled and looked at her feet. "I'm not coming to get you, Bellend," "Yes, you are," He said. "I'm fucking tired, mate. Walk home," "But I'm.... lost and scared, Dimitri, you have to help me," He searched his brain for excuses. "....Okay fine, meet me back at the club in ten minutes, Bellingfield," Dimitri sighed and hung up. "Is everything okay?" Elizabeth's voice drifted over from the fountain. "I need to go," He smiled awkwardly, not entirely happy with the outcome of the evening, "Is your dorm far from here?" "It's literally just inside there," She pointed over to the main gates of the university, "Why? What's happened?" "The Greek's having a revolution," He rolled his eyes. "I told you not to walk me home!" She slapped his shoulder. "Ow!" "Here," She handed him his coat. "Thanks, but I'm really sorry, I've got to run," His face filled with dread, "Will you be okay from here on your own?" "I'll be fine, now go!" She gave him a slight push. "See you later!" He called as he started to run down the road again. He hated running. He kept finding himself glancing back at her and she was still there each time, waiting for him to be out of sight. Once he was gone, Elizabeth sighed and brought her palms up to touch her cheeks. She was surprised her skin hadn't burned right of her flesh. The heat radiating from her face could probably be sensed miles away and be mistaken for a burning house. "Yeah.." She began to walk towards the gates and sighed, smiling to herself, "See you later,"

Chapter Four

[aoibhs]

Initiations

Chapter One

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from The Riot Club/Posh, and all OCs were beautifully crafted by @club-riot

Throughout the following week at Oxford, Elizabeth and her new friends had witnessed the Riot boys on several occasions trying to sneak about in a very conspicuous manner. Poppy explained to her what the club's initiations entailed. Elizabeth was on her way to a Drama Society meeting one of the days when she saw Miles running out of the choir room drenched in port. Of course he was eagerly followed by Toby, Ed and Guy, as well as Honora's cousin Dimitri and some other guy called Hugo. Whenever she told Poppy anything about Miles, she would get very excited and ask Elizabeth countless questions. That made her a little suspicious. She wondered if Poppy knew how obvious she was acting. She wondered if Poppy cared. The other girls of the club weren't like Elizabeth. They didn't care about hurting feelings or ruining friendships. They cared about reputations. They cared that they always looked their best. They never let much get under their skin, unless a peasant mistreated them. Elizabeth had been told multiple times that she was too nice for the club. Meredith openly told her that being polite would get her nowhere. At first, it worried her. She felt out of place. But it was fine really after a short while. Poppy nominated her, Sunniva approved, she got into the club. Meredith was just one opinionated girl. And she still liked the others. They had begun going out to the nearest nightclub and Poppy would invite her to come along before anyone would let her just go back to her dorm to study. Poppy was good to her like that. She was basically a roommate to her. They were only across the hall from each other. They nearly had a ritual every morning. Elizabeth would meet her on the floor below them just as she finished talking to the tall, earnest first year. Elizabeth was admittedly quite intimidated by him and not a little afraid. Ryle was his name according to Poppy. Alistair Ryle. Good looking boy. But still a bit intense. Once they met in the hallway, the girls would make their way outside and find the nearest coffee shop. They'd get their usual orders of coffee, with or without some sort of pastry, and then find a bench within the grounds to drink and converse. Those conversations were mainly about how great a guy Miles was, in Poppy's opinion. Elizabeth just usually quoted over and over how nice the boys were to help her when she was lost. But that always just made Poppy wink and wiggle her eyebrows, which just embarrassed Elizabeth and made her instantly regret saying it.

But a nightclub was a very different setting altogether. The girls loved their nights out. Elizabeth was excited to be a part of it but wasn't sure if she would drink much or not. She had been branded with the title lightweight the last time she went out. It didn't take her long to get drunk. She didn't want to make a fool of herself not after only just getting accepted into the club. A few glasses of rosé seemed like the best option for her before going for the stronger stuff later on, because at that stage the others would be smashed anyway. She was helping herself to a glass of rosé at the bar, taking a rest from all the dancing. She couldn't help but admire all the energy Honora and Louisa had on the dance floor. They just never grew tired. According to Sunniva, Josephine was already vomiting in the ladies room with only Imogen to help her, who then also started vomiting. Yeah, Elizabeth was happy sticking with the rosé for a bit longer. Poppy tried to get her up to dance to some Rihanna song a few times but then eventually got the idea that she was wrecked and wasn't drunk enough to pretend to like the song. "Oh my God!" Elizabeth could barely hear the gasp over the pounding music, "Tubes, look!" "Shaw!!" She turned around and saw Ed and Toby slouching over the bar with excited grins on their faces. "Hey," She smiled before taking another sip of her drink. "Are you lost? Cause we found you again!" Ed shouted over the music. Elizabeth pretended to laugh. It didn't matter really though, they wouldn't be able to hear her regardless. "Are you alone? You can come sit with us if you want?" Toby leaned over to her, so she could hear him better. "Thanks but I'm here with friends," She nodded in the direction of the dance floor. "You sure? There's room over here!" Ed copied his friend, leaning in as well. "Where are my two favourite rascals?!" Another one of them forced them apart, slinging an arm around each of their shoulders and joining in on the conversation from in between them. It was Guy. "Look who's not at the library?" Ed pointed at Elizabeth, who went for another mouthful of rosé. "Lizzy Shaw! Great to see you!" He reached across to shake her hand, catching her off guard. She nearly spilled her drink. Why was he so keen on shaking her hand anyway? He already did that twice when they first met. Was it really necessary? But, oh yeah, he was probably drunk. "Hello," She smiled awkwardly, hoping the dark club would hide her growing blush. "Come over and meet the others!" Ed began tugging at her hand as soon as Guy was finished, which was at a weird angle since he was the furthest away from her, "They'd love to meet you!" Elizabeth immediately downed her drink, praying that it'd just give her enough of a boost to step away from the bar, but of course, without falling flat on her face. "Come on!" Toby didn't wait for a reply from her and pulled on her free hand, leading her through big metal doors that were wide open. It was just a smoking area, nothing special. Well, there were at least four well dressed and gorgeous young men standing around. Some had a cigarette between their lips but most off them were just talking and drinking. When Toby let go of her, she stopped suddenly, causing Guy and Ed to bump into her, nearly knocking her off her feet. "What's this?" One of the smokers said, and God, he had perfect hair. "This is our good friend, Lizzy!" Toby grabbed her hand again, waving it around this time. "Elizabeth is fine," She chuckled awkwardly, trying to ignore all the eyes on her. "She's in the Socialite Society!" Elizabeth had to look up to see who had decided to grip her shoulders suddenly. It was Ed, who also decided to rest his head on the top of hers. She stifled a laugh. "She's my friend!" Guy announced loudly, gaining some odd looks from a few of them, including Elizabeth. "George Balfour, how do you do?" The doe-eyed, sandy haired one stepped forward to shake her hand before he stepped back again. "Very well, thank you," She smiled, "Elizabeth Shaw, nice to meet you," "You're not a relation of-?" "The accountancy Shaws, yeah," She nodded, cutting the blonde with the amazing cheekbones off, knowing exactly what he was going to ask, "My father manages it," "I didn't know they had a daughter," The pretty smoker said. "Do you know my family?" Elizabeth furrowed her eyebrows. "We only know of them," The blonde interjected before the other got a chance to speak again, "I had an interview with your father a few weeks ago," "I've been told," She shrugged a little, forgetting that Ed was still clinging to her shoulders, "If you'd like, I could put a good word in for you?" "That's awfully kind of you, Lizzy, but I'd prefer to earn my place there," "Oh no, I understand entirely," She chuckled awkwardly again. How many boys were looking at her? Six? Seven? It was definitely a record for her anyway. "Would you like a drink?" When the blonde asked her that, she felt the heat on her cheeks rush to her forehead. She felt dizzy. This was a new experience. "...Sure, yeah," She stood there with her mouth agape before she remembered how to speak and gave a nod, knocking Ed off from her head. He went ahead through the metal doors again, she didn't hang around and followed him, weaving in between Guy and Ed. "What would you like?" He asked her, just before the music blotted out all normal talking voices. "A...," She trailed off, looking around at the girls falling around the dance floor, "A vodka black, please," He leaned in to the bar man, handing him the money. Then there was only to wait. "I didn't catch your name," She said. "James Leighton-Masters," He smirked slightly. "Thanks for the drink, James," "You haven't even got it yet," He laughed. Elizabeth just shrugged, looking back to the crowd of drunken dancers. She was astonished to see Honora and Louisa still dancing with as much gusto as they had been hours before. "Are you in The Riot Club as well?" She turned back to ask him. Then he chuckled to himself, "What?" "I'm actually the president," "Oh, very fancy," She laughed, feeling a little embarrassed but it wasn't too bad. She was still getting a free drink. "Do you want to stay here or go back outside?" James asked once their drinks were placed on the bar's counter. "Outside is fine," Elizabeth smiled, nearly keen to go talking to the boys now. "Lead the way," He picked up both glasses so she could go ahead towards the smoking area again. "Shaw!!" Toby basically tackled her once she got back outside. "Hello," She awkwardly sang, taken aback completely. "I thought you and Leighton went for drinks?" Guy look at her confused. "Relax Bellend," The tanned one that was Honora's cousin, Dimitri, rolled his eyes at him. "Here, this is yours," James handed her the right glass and stepped back to where he was standing before. "Thank you," She smiled again and took a quick sip. "So tell us, Lizzy," Dimitri said after finishing off his own drink, "What's a girl like you doing at a place like Oxford?" "I'm sorry?" "Are you going to be the next big accountant from the Shaw family?" The pretty boy spoke up. "Oh, um.. no. I'm studying literature," Elizabeth fixed her gaze on her glass. "Not even finance or business?" George tilted his head. "Afraid not, I've never been good with numbers," She shook her head, feeling embarrassed again. "Oh well, can't have everything," The pretty one shrugged. "You write?" Guy asked, stepping a bit closer. "Try to," Elizabeth spluttered a laugh, then took a big swig from her glass. She felt the alcohol go buzzing straight to her head, it nearly caused a headache straight away. "I'd love to read some of your masterpieces," That was a bit weird. It wasn't just Elizabeth who noticed. Everyone was giving Guy funny looks. Even Toby. But, oh yeah, he was probably drunk.

Chapter Three

[aoibhs]

Coffee

Chapter One 

Chapter Eighteen

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from The Riot Club/Posh, and all OCs were beautifully crafted by @club-riot

"Rise and shine!" Toby clapped his hands several times until everyone was awake. Honora rubbed the sleep from her eyes and yawned. She had overslept. She was usually awake far earlier than ten in the morning. She went to rub her eyes again and realized she was restricted. Then the weight against her shoulder and back registered to her head. "Morning dearest," A groggy male voice peered over her shoulder. Honora looked down to see he was hugging her. She turned her head to see a shirtless Harry Villiers smirking down at her. "Get off!" She pushed his arms off her and sat up on the floor, flustered. If there weren't so many others around or if she were drinking, she definitely wouldn't have pushed him away. She didn't realize how cold the room was until she lost the contact with his warm chest. She'd never admit it out loud though. "Elizabeth's not waking up," Guy looked at the sleeping girl hesitantly. "Just wait till her alarm goes off, you could hit that girl with a chair and she wouldn't wake up," Poppy laughed, "She'll wake up when she wants," "Come on, I smell toast and I am hungry!" Ed looked as though he was about to jump down the staircase with eagerness. "Calm down, calm down," George patted his shoulder lightly. They made their way downstairs, Harry rebuttoning his shirt as they went, leaving the ones who were still asleep in their unconscious states. "Oh! You're all up!" Elena excitedly chirped from the massive breakfast table. "You look so awake," Miles marvelled at her energy. "I really love the morning," Elena basically yelled. "Mum, inside voices please," Honora sat down at the table, pouring herself some juice. "You little shit," Elena smirked as she buttered her toast, "There's fruit and toast and croissants, feel free to coffee and juice," "And Greek yogurt?" Guy smirked, waiting for a laugh. "Yes actually, right there," Elena nodded, pointing to a tray on the table. Guy awkwardly felt obligated to take one then, having mentioned it. He really brought it on himself. "Thank you for letting us all stay here," Poppy smiled at Elena, picking at a croissant. "Oh it's nothing. I'm glad to have you here," She smiled back. "Where's your dad?" Harry asked Honora. "Working," She said, "He and my uncle, Dimitri's dad, work together, he only comes home for big events," "A charity dinner isn't a big event?" Imogen shot her a sad look. "Dear, we're very grateful for all the work he does for us and the business," Elena cut in before Honora could say anything, "He makes his time off count, he's always here when it matters," "She organized the entire dinner alone," Honora looked at her mother with a small smile. "Now hang on," Dimitri raised his hand, "What about my mother?" "Your mum bought the Greek yogurts," Guy stated as he ate said yogurt. "Yes, Sophia was very good to order those in," Elena nodded, taking everything so seriously, "I knew you kids would like them," Just then the remaining members of the group dawdled down the stairs, still sleepy looking, particularly Elizabeth. "Ah you're awake," George grinned as they sat down at the table. "Elizabeth's alarm went off, scared the shit out of me," James laughed. "I said sorry," She pretended it was a life or death situation, something that made him laugh more. "Morning," Dimitri greeted Tamsin who sat next to him. "Morning," She smirked, kissing his cheek. "Get a room," Toby snorted. "Uh, this is a room," Dimitri rolled his eyes as he and Tamsin intertwined each others fingers. "It's a room in my house and I support my nephew's choices," Elena dabbed a napkin over her lips and got up from her chair, "Tamsin comes from a fine family, they may behave as they please," She touched Dimitri's shoulder as she left the room. "My family is fine," Tamsin beamed with clear smugness. "What is the plan for today?" James asked as he grabbed an apple for himself. "We get dressed," Ed almost immediately answered. "Yes, Ed, well done," James nodded, "I mean, do you need us to go at a certain time, Honora?" "I can stay as long as you like," Harry touched her arm as he spoke, sending shivers jolting up her spine. "I say we go for a walk," George spoke up, shoveling bacon and toast into his mouth as if it were his job. "Splendid," Miles nodded in agreement, "It's a lovely area," "Okay so, we're eating breakfast, getting dressed and then going walking?" Toby summed up. "But how can we?" Imogen looked genuinely concerned, "I don't have the appropriate footwear," "You're already wearing my pajamas, I'll lend you some boots," Honora shook her head. "Can you pass me the coffee please?" Elizabeth turned to Guy and asked. "Yeah, sure," He put the yogurt down and it fell on its side and he tried to put it up again but it fell over from the weight of the spoon. "Here, Lizzy," Dimitri handed her the glass jug of hot coffee, fed up of watching Guy failing to complete a simple request. "Thank you," She smiled, somewhat weakly, pouring herself a cup of the piping hot beverage. "You alright, Lizzy?" Toby asked her. "Just tired," She replied, "I didn't get much sleep," "Did you not bring your-?" "I didn't think I'd need to," Elizabeth stopped Poppy from asking her question. She already knew what she was going to ask, "It's a simple mistake on my behalf but some caffeine should fix me right up," "Sorry, what's this?" Alistair looked at her with mild interest. "They're just...," Elizabeth trailed off, noticing how everyone was paying attention to her. Guy's eyes were glued to her, unblinking, "Um.. They're just tablets that help me sleep. I left them in my dorm," "Ah, an insomniac," Alistair nodded, reaching for his juice. "It's normal," Elizabeth shrugged it off, acting like the blush on her face wasn't there and growing. "It is you know, my mum is one too," Ed pointed at her. Toby scoffed and Ed looked at him funny, "What?" "Since when is your mum normal?"

Chapter Twenty

[aoibhs]

Girlfriend

Chapter One

Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from The Riot Club/Posh, and all OCs were beautifully crafted by @club-riot

"You look lovely by the way," Upon hearing that, Guy's entire face twitched. Dimitri just laughed, being the only one who noticed. "Oh, no.. I mean thanks," Elizabeth stuttered in response, nerves suddenly kicking in, "It was rushed, Honora helped with most of it," "The black suits you," James went on, smiling softly at her. "Will he just stop?" Guy muttered, gripping his knife and fork tightly. "Do you disagree?" Dimitri smirked at him as he put his fork him his mouth which previously had a piece of chicken on it. "No! Of course, not," "Something wrong, Bellingfield?" Poppy asked from the other side of the table, she was directly in front of him. "I'm fine," His smile was rushed and frustrated. Dimitri nodded his head in the direction of the head of the table. Seeing her friend and The Riot Club president submerged in conversation, Poppy understood why Guy was annoyed. "Just talk to her or something," She leaned across the table to him. "Yeah, whenever he isn't," He grumbled. "Don't be a child," Dimitri rolled his eyes. "It's okay, we can all get a little jealous," As she finished, her eyes glanced over to Miles chatting to Sunniva about Lauren. Her eyes then fell on Alistair. He looked like he wanted to kill someone. Probably Miles. It was no secret that they hated each other. Or more that Alistair hated Miles. He despised him. It was odd that Poppy managed being friends with both of them. "Honestly, Montgomery," Tamsin began, leaning back in her chair with her wine glass balancing between her fingers, "When was the last time you had a girlfriend?" "Umm... What?" Ed was taken aback and Toby went into fits of giggles. "A girlfriend, when was the last time you had one?" She repeated, calm. "B-boarding school," He spluttered, going to take a sip from his glass. "Liar," Toby laughed, earning a look of horror from his best friend. "I am not!" "You've never had a girlfriend?" Imogen talked across the table as soon as she heard. "No, I have," Ed argued. "What was her name then?" Tamsin raised an eyebrow. "...I don't remember, it was a long time ago," Ed shook his head, "And besides, there's been so many over the years," "Oh, has there?" She smirked. "Yes," He smiled, proudly, assuming he was actually getting his way. "You remember how old you were, right?" Imogen asked, leaning forward and hoping for more gossip. "Pffft, of course I do," He scoffed. "I do too," Toby could've fallen out of his chair with laughter. "Shut up," Ed muttered. "Did you kiss her?" Tamsin winked, leaning forward again. "What else would I do with a girl?" He laughed, shrugging. "Did you go any further then?" She had no problem with prying for entertainment's sake. "Yeah well..," He trailed off. "They were nine," Toby snorted. "You haven't had a girlfriend since you were nine!?" Josephine laughed, overhearing from across the table. "Excuse me, but I was twelve," Ed corrected him. "Yes, massive difference," Alistair stated in a monotonic voice, earning a giggle from Poppy. "Just because I haven't had a relationship since her doesn't mean that I haven't been popular with the ladies," He tried to reason with them but it just resulted in more laughed. "We went to boarding school, mate," Toby shook his head, "You can't talk yourself out of this one," "First year wasn't bad though," Ed continued to stick up for himself. "Didn't you sleep with Victoria during Fresher's week?" Tamsin recalled, while Victoria's eye widened with anger. She aggressively slaps Tamsin's arm. It hurt but Tamsin was too busy laughing to care. "Oh my god, that's where I've seen you before," Ed gasped, "Hi, how are you doing?" He held out his hand to her across the table to shake. She slapped it away and got up. "I need a cigarette," She snapped, heading for the door. "Victoria, wait!" Meredith melodramatically got up and ran after her. "Wow, you can say a girl touched your hand today," Harry joked from the end of the table. While Victoria and Meredith were absent, Poppy arose from her seat and sat in between Tamsin and Imogen, where Meredith was previously. "Hi," She greeted Miles and Alistair, beaming. "Hi," Miles smiled back. Alistair just nodded with a small smile, happy to see her but still wildly unhappy to be beside Miles. "You're all looking nice, I love the suits," She giggled. "Thanks," Miles said, "That's a nice dress. Remind me to ask for a photo of it later on. I know that Lauren would love it," "Yeah, right," Her face fell, but she nodded. It would never not be unpleasant to talk about Lauren. "I like the red," Alistair said, in such a tone that made it sound like he was pretending Miles hadn't said anything, that Miles wasn't there, "...It suits you," "Thanks Alistair," Poppy noticed. A few seats away, Dimitri had given up on talking reason into Guy and was trying to get his cousin's attention. "Honora?" He began, "Is there a particular reason that Villiers is staring at you right now?" "No, he's not," She just shook her head. "Yes, he is. He has for several minutes now and it's getting weird," Dimitri sighed, "Is something going on between you two?" "Nothing you don't already know about," It was her turn to sigh as she went for another mouthful of wine. "You snogged him last month," He nodded, knowing that. "And this month and two weeks ago," She summed up. "Jesus Christ, Honora," He laughed slightly in an exasperated way. "What?" "Nothing," He chuckled, "It just makes sense now. You're leading each other on," "He's not leading me anywhere," She said, picking up the bottle to refill her glass. Her words earned a laugh from Louisa. "Well, he's certainly following you around," She chuckled, turning to see Harry gazing at her best friend with a pensive expression. "Villiers? Are you listening to me?" George asked, tapping his arm slightly. "No," He replied halfheartedly, then looked at him, "What were you saying?" "I was just telling Josephine about the tourists at your house and the problems with the roof," George explained. "My house has the same problem," Josephine nodded, gesturing to herself as she spoke. "You have tourists as well?" Harry asked, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah," The redhead nodded, "We don't have great artwork or anything. It the architecture that the people love," "Ooh, do tell me more," George grinned excitedly. "Old styled Georgian house with a chapel on our grounds, a Gothic church," She said, "It was there long before the house was built," That's when Hugo got up, hoping to get a chance to talk to Miles. Tamsin had moved up a few seats to sit beside Honora, so Hugo sat beside Poppy. Guy saw an opportunity. "Excuse me," He got up and sat right in front of Elizabeth. He looked at both her and James and placed his hands on the table, "So, what are we talking about?"

Chapter Eleven

[aoibhs]

A Ball?

Chapter One 

Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from The Riot Club/Posh, and all OCs were beautifully crafted by @club-riot

"So.." Honora started once a meeting had finished. Most of the girls had already left the pub to go clubbing and it wouldn't be long until the rest of them followed, "Mum is having a charity dinner if any of you want to go," "Really?" Elizabeth grinned, already excited. "Well, yes," She shrugged a chuckle. "Elizabeth!" Poppy grabbed her by her arm roughly, sinking her long glossy nails into her pale skin. "Agh!" She made a noise that symbolized both pain and disorientation. "We've got to go dress shopping!" She jumped up and down repeatedly, with her grip on Elizabeth's arm still strong. "Is anyone else we know going?" Louisa asked, an unlit cigarette dangling between her fingers, waiting for her impatiently. "Are any of the other girls going?" Elizabeth asked, not even bothering to try and shake off Poppy's talons in her arm. "I'm not inviting them," Honora simply said, downing the last of her cocktail and standing to put on her coat. Enough was said on that question anyway. "Anyone else though?" The cigarette in Louisa's hand twitched as she spoke, eager to be lit. "Yeah, well, mum has invited the entire Riot Club," She heaved a sigh. "Oh my gosh, Elizabeth we're going to a ball!" Poppy sang, twirling around as she put on her scarf. "Dinner," Honora corrected her, "Don't get too carried away," "I look forward to seeing you waltzing with Harry," Louisa smirked on her way towards the exit, pushing the doors open before Honora could pummel her. "What about you and Miles?" Elizabeth asked Poppy, with genuine interest. After all, Poppy was constantly talking about how much she admired the honourable first year, "Any progress there?" "Ahaha," Her blonde friend laughed nervously, "No, he's gotten himself a girlfriend actually," "Oh fuck," Louisa shot her a sympathetic look as she lit her cigarette, "I'm sorry, Poppy," "It's fine, it's just a bit awkward. I hear she's nice but I thought he could do better," She looked at her hands buttoning her coat up with a glum expression. "Well, don't give up hope," Honora said, smirking, "Something truly horrific might happen to her," The girls' laughter echoed down the cold Oxfordshire street. There was another night spent dancing aimlessly around a nightclub, wallowing in drunken revelry. It was a Sunday night too, which meant an early start the next morning. Elizabeth awoke on Poppy's couch, still in her clothes from the previous evening, with no memory of how she got there. "Morning sunshine," Poppy's voice cooed from the doorframe, a smirk on her lips. "Okay, for starters, you're practically screaming," Elizabeth whispered, clutching her head. "Get yourself some coffee and go to your lectures," Poppy said, to which she groaned in response, "I know you, and you'll be furious with yourself if you don't go to class," "Stop being right," Elizabeth grumbled, rolling off the couch and onto the carpeted floor. "Text me when you're all finished and I'll meet you outside the main gates," "What for?" She wrinkled her eyebrows as she picked herself up from the floor and reached for her shoes. "We're going shopping for Honora's ball, I thought that would be obvious," Poppy grinned wickedly, looking like she could just burst with excitement. Elizabeth did her best to look mildly presentable and left Poppy's dorm. She had just three lectures, all within the same building. It was only a challenge to keep herself awake, no matter how interesting the class was. A hangover was still a hangover. No amount of Victorian poetry could change that. "There she is!" Poppy looked so perfect as Elizabeth approached her at the college gates. She had the luxury of only one lecture and had enough time to freshen herself up. It was like she had never even had a drink the night before. Although Elizabeth didn't look particularly broken down, she did look exceedingly tired. "Here I am," Elizabeth shrugged, giving her friend a small smile. "Don't look so worried," Poppy linked arms with her, guiding her down the road, "We're going to find you the most extraordinary gown," "Nothing too over board though," Elizabeth interjected, "Honora has said that it's a dinner and not a ball," "All I know is that we are going to look gorgeous and that all the Riot boys will be there," Poppy couldn't hide her smug smile. "Yeah, I'll need to see if I can even go at all," Elizabeth said casually. "Don't be absurd, you're going!" "But what if my parents want me to come home or something," She tried to reason. "Elizabeth, I am sure that Cambridge will manage another few weeks before you return," Poppy gave her an assuring smile, "Besides, if you do not go to the Ball, Oxford will fall," "That's a bit dramatic," "You're an actress," "I never said it was bad," They laughed as they walked into a boutique. Elizabeth could already feel the heaviness lift from her head. Poppy and the others had that affect on her. As well, they were older students, so they knew what they were doing to an extent. "I'll either go for red, pink or blue," Poppy grinned, running a hand allow a rack of long gowns. "Yeah, those colours suit you," Elizabeth nodded. "What did you have in mind?" "Black probably, unless there's something blue or purple that catches my eye," She said, "But like, they'd have to be really nice to beat black dresses," Poppy laughed as she was already picking out dresses to try on. She was carrying seven by the time she walked towards the changing rooms. There was only one that she emerged from the room content with. It was a long red dress with thick off-shoulder straps and a slight v-neck. Elizabeth could already imagine her with her blonde hair pinned up nicely with some striking red lipstick and dangling earrings. "What do you think?" "You're so beautiful, Poppy," Elizabeth gave her friend a warm smile. "Thank you," She gave a twirl, looking at herself in the large mirror, "I'll look in some other nice places but so far this is my top choice," "Oh, I agree wholeheartedly," Elizabeth nodded, "It truly is stunning on you," "Well, that's all very well but we've got to get you a dress," Poppy clapped her hands excitedly. Just then in that moment, Poppy's phone began to ring. Elizabeth, who was holding her coat and bag for her, handed her bag back to her so she could reach in to answer her phone. "Who is it?" "It's Sunniva," She answered the phone and switched the speaker on, "Hey girl, I'm here with Elizabeth. What is going on?" "Emergency meeting," Sunniva's voice was urgent but not distressed. "What time? Now?" Elizabeth asked, confused. "In an hour at the pub, the usual spot," Sunniva said, "I've just got some breaking news and I want to share it with the whole club as soon as possible," "Okay, don't worry, Sunniva," Poppy nodded, even though she was well aware that Sunniva couldn't see her. "Yeah we'll be there," Elizabeth chimed in. "Great, don't dawdle, this is big news," Then she hung up. "I mean..," Poppy looked up from her phone, "We've still got time to get you a dress, right?"

Chapter Six

[aoibhs]

Back To Traditions

Chapter One

Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from The Riot Club/Posh, and all OCs were beautifully crafted by @club-riot

The hotel was grand and glamorous, as expected. And the ten girls were ushered into a room that was usually reserved for weddings. It was massive. But it would need to be if twenty people were to sit, eat and drink around one table. One table. What a long narrow table it was. But, it was a rather large room, so the quantity didn't matter at all. When the girls walked in, one by one, they saw the boys already standing around the table, waiting. James was at the very end, the furthest away. Sunniva would be sitting on the opposite side of the table. Once the presidents were seated, the rest of the club were in the order of how long they had been members. Elizabeth already knew that she would be sitting beside James with Josephine on the other side. At the very end, on either side of Sunniva, was Imogen and Miles. "Evening gentlemen," Sunniva smiled, clearing her throat a little. "Ladies," Ed winked before James even got to say anything. Of course, that got them all laughing. Even Ed, but he was more laughing at how perfectly suave he was. "Ladies and Gentlemen," James grinned as he looked down the table, "Tonight we make history," "Tonight we sit as one," Sunniva continued, "The Socialite ladies and the Riot boys of Oxford will drink and eat as one singular company for the first time in fifty years," "We promise not to rape any of you," Ed nodded, "Well, I do. I can't speak for any of them," "Thank you, Ed," James sighed slightly, "Now I hope you will raise your glasses with me to toast what will be a monumental evening," They all picked their champagne flutes up and held them in the air. "Here's to us," Sunniva smirked. The girls went to down their drinks but just as the glass touched their lips, the boys decided to yell Huzzah enthusiastically, nearly causing Imogen to drop her glass. Once all their glasses had been thoroughly emptied, Sunniva cleared her throat once again, indicating that the speech section of the evening had not finished yet. "Before we receive our starters, myself and James have decided to revive an old tradition of these dinners," There was a mischievous smirk creeping up on her face, which automatically made Elizabeth paranoid. What were they up to? "Every proper lady and gent should know the basics of ballroom dancing," James stepped away from the table and walked into the empty floor space beside them. "We are a ballroom dancing club after all," Sunniva reminded them of the cover story as they laughed and nudged Ed for his ingenious idea. "We have assigned a partner for everyone, and we all have to do it because we said so," James said, a little smugly. Elizabeth wondered what he was feeling smug about. Maybe it was because he was president of The Riot Club and was very wealthy. That would be a good enough reason to feel smug. "Okay, Hugo and Victoria, Imogen and Toby, Poppy and Alistair," Sunniva paced around the table, beginning to match them all off. "Will you calm down?" Dimitri muttered to Guy. "I'm nothing but calm," Guy Bellingfield's voice was high pitched and heard through clenched teeth. There was never a more obvious lie in the history of the earth. Ever. Dimitri just shook his head. "Dimitri, you're with Louisa," James told him as he walked over, "Balf, you are with Meredith over there," He pointed George in the direction of the blonde. "What about me?" Guy asked him hopefully. His facial expression gave everything away and it made Dimitri want to burst out laughing. "Oh, Bellingfield! Yes, you are with Sunniva," James pointed over to her and walked off. "...What?" "Haha," Dimitri didn't bother masking his amusement. Guy had already made enough Greek jokes to give him the privilege of making fun of his little admiration for Elizabeth for the rest of his days. "Ah, Lizzy. You're with me," James said, approaching her and taking her hand while he was at it, leading her into the space of the room. "...What?" "Well well well," Honora turned to see Harry's content smirk coming towards her, "Looks like we're partners," "Looks like it," She shrugged, pretending not to care. Oh, all she could think of was how much she wanted a drink at that time. But of course, she remembered what happened on the last occasion she got drunk in the presence of Harry Villiers. The alcohol would always rejog those memories instead of erasing them. But oh well, she lived for the idea of a good cocktail. "You okay?" James waved his hand in front of Elizabeth's distracted face. "Umm, yeah. Sorry," She bit her lip, looking back at him. The speakers came on, crackling to live as some music began to play. "We couldn't get ahold of any orchestral musicians at such short notice," James looked down apologetically as he took her hand in his. "It's fine," She chuckled a little, placing her other hand on his shoulder. She noticed that all the other pairs were getting into waltz position just as she felt James' other hand perch itself on her waist. She jumped at the contact. It wasn't even sudden. So by the time she looked back at him, he was laughing. "What's he laughing at?" Guy said, looking over Sunniva's shoulder at them. "Stop sulking, Bellingfield," She scolded him. The last three beats passed and everyone commenced the dancing. Four seconds later and Elizabeth felt dizzy. She wasn't used to dancing like that. With other people. With a partner. "Nothing like a good old Russian waltz," George smiled once they had finished. "Indeed," Harry smirked back at him, his hand knowingly traveling up and down Honora's hips. That is until she finally snapped out of whatever trance she was in and swatted his hand away. "I would've assumed it was a tradition for the two presidents to be partners," Louisa said as they all returned to their seats, their food beginning to arrive. "It was," Hugo answered, clearly stifling his laughter as much as he could. "Then why...?" Elizabeth creased her eyebrows, confused. "What's wrong, Shaw?" Harry looked at her, grinning, "Scared he'll walk someone else home?" "I'm perfectly capable of walking myself places, thank you, Harry," Elizabeth sighed, huffing slightly. It was starting to feel like that was Harry's favourite topic of conversation.

Chapter Ten

[aoibhs]

All Dressed Up

Chapter One 

Chapter Sixteen

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from The Riot Club/Posh, and all OCs were beautifully crafted by @club-riot

"Tamsin?" Dimitri turned to her. They were just after finishing the main course and were waiting patiently for pudding, "What have you been doing all night? "How do you mean?" Tamsin was still leaning her chin against her propped up hands, gazing at him innocently. "This is what I mean," He gestured to her entire being, "Why are you acting like a crazy person?" "No, I'm not," She shook her head. It was exceedingly unconvincing and she knew it. "I'm not-" Dimitri stopped himself, and sighed, "What do you want, Tamsin?" "What?" She straighten her back, sitting upright again. "Is it money?" "No," "Then what?" Tamsin didn't reply straight away. She paused. Then picked up her glass of red wine and knocked it back. Then she placed the empty glass back on the table and reached over the corner of the table to get ahold of both sides of Dimitri's face and kissed him, full on the lips. They didn't break away or stop or anything. It just went on and on and on. "Oh wow, gosh," Elizabeth looked at the table, avoiding eye contact with anyone and blushing ferociously. "You're married, Lizzy," George laughed, "Surely, you and Leighton are used to this sort of thing," "Only every Tuesday," Elizabeth couldn't help but smirk a little at her own comment. "What do you have on Tuesdays?" James looked at her. "Well, I-" "She has two English lectures from ten until twelve, followed by a tutorial in modern English literature at three and then drama rehearsals from half six to half eight," Guy said. He said it as if he were the most clever person on earth. He said it as if he had just cured Cancer. "I'm impressed," George's eyes went wider than usual, surprise evident on his face. "I'm not," Elizabeth frowned looking at Guy, "How did you know that?" "..You're looking lovely tonight," He replied solemnly, his clever imagine of two seconds beforehand had been shattered. He was now reduced to a creepy stalker. "Guy," She didn't look impressed. Not scary. Just not impressed. And Guy had to mentally slap himself because there was a point where all he could think of was how cute she looked. "Umm..," He began to shrug. Over her shoulder, he could see James looking like he was about to burst with the containment of his laughter. Guy had really dug a hole for himself. "It was me," Poppy waved her arms slightly, getting Elizabeth's attention, "He asked where you were once and I just gave him a copy of your timetable," "What?" "I didn't think you'd mind," Poppy scoffed, both her and Alistair laughing at the situation. "Do you.. mind?" Guy looked at her so awkwardly. So awkwardly. Like a child in trouble. "I mean," She raised her hand to her burning face, "Next time don't make it sound like you follow me around," "He does," Dimitri briefly broke away from Tamsin. "I do not," The look of panic was hysterically evident in Guy's face. "God, I hope not," Elizabeth chuckled, reaching for her glass of gin and lemonade, "You'd be so bored if you did," "Don't put yourself down," George said sadly from in front of her. "Yes. I'm sure loads of people would love to stalk you," Alistair said in a very calm voice. Poppy burst out laughing. Elizabeth wasn't sure how to react. "That is not what I meant," George tapped the edge of the table with his index finger as he spoke. "It's fine," Elizabeth shook her head, wishing that would be the end of the conversation. "Dimitri dear, stop that please," Elena touched her nephew's shoulder as she entered the room again, "Or at least go upstairs," "Mum!" Honora's one word argument told her mother to stop talking. No one needed a translator for that. Not that Elena cared. "Now pudding will be out shortly. Is anyone still thirsty?" "Wine please, madam," Ed actually fell off his chair once he had finished speaking. "Are you sure?" Elena grinned at the state he was in. "It's collective wine, Mrs. Honora's mum," Toby added, "He's asking for all of us," "Very well, I'll have someone bring in two or three bottles," Elena went to leave. "Did you finally realize you've got employees?" Honora snorted. "Honora, do you want to be sent to your room without pudding?" Elena turned back around again, "I can do that. You live here, you know?" Then she left the room again, leaving the group to tease Honora about being sent to bed early at twenty years of age. "Lauren would love all this," Miles said to no one in particular as he looked around the room. After drinking quite a lot already, Poppy was fed up with listening to him rambling on about Lauren. She began to face away from him, speaking to Alistair instead and letting Hugo deal with all the Lauren talk. "He's not worth the effort, Poppy," Alistair said to her, almost coldly, "He's blinded by the commoner," "It's just annoying, Alistair," Poppy pouted, looking like she was about to cry but she wasn't, "I got all dressed up and he doesn't even care," "You do look nice though," He nodded in reference to her navy swing dress. It was different in comparison to what she usually wore to fancy dos. She generally picked brighter colours as well. The darker blue was charming to see on her. And Alistair noticed. She smiled and reached up to hold his hand lightly. She appreciated that he said it, even if he didn't mean it. Alistair was never the type to give out compliments. But he did mean it. "Ooh! Pudding!" James' face lit up when the staff put a selection of cakes, tarts and merengues. "I love chocolate cake!" Elizabeth squealed, "It's literally my will to live," "Would you like to try some cheesecake?" Guy held up his fork of Bailey's cheesecake. "Mmm hmm," She nodded, about to take the fork off him but he instinctively shoved it into her mouth, feeding her, "Mm, it's delicious!" James, George and Hugo exchanged glances, smirking, feeling it wouldn't be long till the Leighton-Masters/Shaw marriage would be forgotten about.

Chapter Eighteen