With the news of the impending visit from Lucy's Mother the pair sprang into action. Not only did they have to prepare their home but themselves as well. As ever, Andrea was the more organised of the two. She prepared a seemingly endless list of things to do before the evening of Good Friday. Lucy both applauded and cursed her partner in the project. Applauded for the way Andrea just didn't panic and got on with it without much fuss. Cursed because Lucy had a lot to do just when she should be working on her dissertation.

Nevertheless, Andrea stepped up and did many of the tasks that were originally assigned to Lucy but there came a point when they had to do things together.

"Come on girl. We have to get to the shops before they close."

"I know. I'm just putting my shoes on."

Twenty minutes later the pair were scouring the second-hand shop for clothes. Not just any clothes by good quality ones suitable for impressing Lucy's Mother, Katherine.

Luck was with the girls and it didn't take long before Lucy had some really nice clothes by designers that would impress her mother. Andrea on the other hand only managed to purchase a Paul Smith suit. It wouldn't do for the weekend but would be great if she ever actually went into business as a decorator/designer.

Thursday night came all too soon for them. Lucy took a long bath and went to sleep almost immediately. For Andrea, it was a different proposition. Sleep just wouldn't come to her. Around 1am, she gave up and went downstairs and began to do the only jobs that would make her sleep namely cleaning, dusting and ironing.

Lucy awoke just after dawn with the sun shining in her eyes. In an instant, she realised that she was alone. She leaped out of bed and went in search of her partner.

Lucy found Andrea slumped in a chair in their sitting room fast asleep. All the ironing had been done and she could see that Andrea had been cleaning literally everything in sight.

It was right then that Lucy realised that she really cared for Andrea. She dashed into the kitchen and sat down with her hands shaking. She'd never felt like that before in her life. This worried her. She'd embarked on this 'project' purely to make a statement to her parents and now… Was she in love with Andrea? That hadn't been the plan at all yet… here she was shaking like a leaf and caring about someone who really cared about her.

She began to weep silently.

Lucy was still sitting there when Andrea woke up and came into the kitchen.

"Good morning Lucy. Have you been up long?"

"Oh… Sorry. I was miles away. Yes. No. Not long."

Andrea saw Lucy's puffy eyes.

"Have you been crying?"

"Crying no. What gives you that idea?"

"Your eyes. They are red and puffy. They only get like that when you cry."

"Nonsense. Just difficulty sleeping that's all."

"Really? You were snoring like a train when I came down here."

"Oh, and what time was that?"

"Around one."

"Hmmpph"

"Breakfast?" asked Andrea trying to sound cheerful.

"You did all the ironing?"

"Yes. I also cleaned the silver and dusted everywhere."

"Why?"

"I couldn't sleep so I did some cleaning. That helps me clear my head. Then I can sleep."

"Why didn't you come to bed?"

"It was after four and I didn't want to wake you."

"I was worried when I woke up and found you gone," replied Lucy.

Andrea took hold of Lucy's hand and squeezed it.

"That is one of the nicest thing that anyone has ever said to me. Thank you."

Then Andrea leaned forward and kissed Lucy lightly on her lips.

Over breakfast Andrea broached how they should approach the meeting with her mother.

"I've been trying to get my head around that as well."

"Do we glam up tonight? Do you know where are we going?"

Lucy sighed.

"That's the problem. I don't know. All I know is that she's coming up today. I assumed that she'd drive but now I not so sure. If she doesn't then it is either a plane or the train."

"Why not call her?"

Lucy shook her head.

"She won't appreciate it. It will be seen as a sign of weakness. I should have sorted it all out when she told me that she was coming."

Andrea though carefully before replying,
"I take it that you were never very close to her then?"

"That is a bit of an understatement. I got packed off to prep-school aged 5. Then to boarding school. One year, I only saw them for three days and that was over Easter."

"That's crazy."

"Now in all likelihood, they want to marry me off to someone I don't know. Then it will be 'project Lucy' all done and dusted."

Andrea smiled. She was used to Lucy's fairly sanguine opinion of her parents.

"What deviousness are you cooking up?"

"Or my 'grand plan'?"

"Whatever it is, I'm sure that I won't like it."

"Don't be so hasty."

"Ok smartarse out with it?"

"Why don't we make it obvious to her that you are taken once and for all?"

"And how will we do that?"

"We wear engagement rings."

Lucy sat back in amazement.

"I didn't see that one coming."

"No, I'm serious. Marry me for real," said Andrea.

"Now you are joking."

The smile disappeared from Andrea's face.

"I wasn't joking. We are good together."

Then she hesitated a second.

"Of shit. I love you. There I've said it. Lucy, I love you and want to be with you for the rest of my life."

"Yes," said Lucy in a voice hardly above a whisper.

"Eh?"

"Yes. I realised that I wanted to be with you forever today. That's why I was crying when I you weren't in bed when I woke up."

"This wasn't the in the grand cunning plan, was it?"

Lucy shook her head.

"No, it wasn't. I didn't even consider that living and working with you would make me fall in love with you."

Andrea squeezed Lucy's hand again.

"I come with a lot of complications you know."

"I do but for now, I don't want to think about them. We have a bigger problem about to arrive."

"I know," replied Andrea.
"Time hit the shops then?"

"What will we do for money?"

Andrea smiled back.

"Do you remember that set of six chairs I bought last month for a fiver a piece?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I stripped them, re-varnished and re-covered them. I sold them yesterday for just over two hundred. A clear profit of well over a hundred quid."

"You…. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well," said Andrea grinning,
"I was going to buy you a ring. But it looks like we will now need two."

Lucy grinned back at her partner. She gave Andrea a kiss before running upstairs.
"Bags first for the shower!"

An hour later the two were browsing the second-hand shops as well as the pawn brokers looking for two identical rings. Sadly, their quest was fruitless.

Over lunch, Lucy said,

"It looks like I'll have to put them on my Credit Card. I can pay it off with you know what."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes. We'll need the cash you have for tonight."

"Won't your Mother pay?"

Lucy laughed.

"Mother has what I call her 'Queen' habit. She always seems to leave her purse behind. That means we will have to pay."

Andrea laughed.

"Mine was like that as well. One year she took the money that my gran gave me for my birthday to pay for a lunch for all of us. I was 'not amused'."

Lucy smiled back.

"Families… who needs them eh?"

"Indeed."

With two rings purchased the two girls headed home to get dressed for the evening. However, by seven there had been no word from Lucy's Mother.

"Give her a call," suggested Andrea for the umpteenth time.

Lucy just glared at her partner but in the end and with the clock showing 20:05, she picked up her phone and called her Mother.

"Hello Mother."

"Eh? We are at home waiting to hear from you?"

"You are? Well that's news to us. When did you tell us where we were supposed to meet you?"

"No, we didn't get your letter. Why didn't you call me? And where are you exactly?"

"No, we can't be there now. Your hotel is right on the other side of the city from us. It will take us at least forty minutes to get there."

"Fine. We'll see you tomorrow. When and where?"

"Yes, I know it. We'll see you at one."

"Goodbye Mother," said Lucy with a hint of distain in her voice.

"That went well didn't it?" remarked Angela who had been listening from the next room.

"She claims that she sent me a letter telling me where she would be staying and where we should meet tonight."

"But we never got it…. Enough said."

"Then we were commanded to be in her presence that instant."

"Which we couldn't."

"Exactly."

"So, where and when tomorrow?"

"Harvey Nicks at one."

"Sounds expensive."

"Yes. I think I had better get a little cash from our stash. What do you think?"

"Well, we are going to have to look a million dollars and …"

Then Andrea grinned.

"And why don't I carry the money. You don't carry anything that could contain any money. That way it would be obvious that you mean for your dear mother to pay."

"What about you? Your Handbag could contain the titanic, it's so big."

They both laughed.

"I'll keep it tucked into my stockings."

"You???????? You can't be serious?"

"I am perfectly. I've been waiting for the opportunity to get really glammed up. Which includes some nice fully fashioned seamed stockings I bought for a quid a pair when Jenkinson's closed down last month."

Lucy glared at Andrea.

"When where you going to tell me?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise for you next week. Friday to be exact."

"Next week?"

"On your birthday silly. Had you forgotten?"

Lucy looked at Andrea and wondered why she deserved someone like her in her life.

"Sort of. With everything in such a tizwas with my Mother's visit it slipped right out of my mind."

"Will your Mother mention your birthday?"

"I don't know. Somehow, I doubt it. She was never very good on that front."

Andrea was saddened at Lucy's evaluation of her Mother.

The girls arrived at Harvey Nicks in plenty of time. Andrea was glammed up as she put it and very proud of her outfit. Lucy was not bad either. Their regular searches in the second-hand and Charity shops had turned up some real gems.

Andrea was dressed in a simple black dress, knee length and very much in the style of 'Breakfast at Tiffanies' even though this was a much more modern garment. A short bolero style jacket also in black was accompanied by elbow length opera gloves and a small hat complete with a light veil that just covered her eyes. The seamed stockings and 4in black court shoes with a golden heel completed the outfit. The whole thing had cost her less than £100 from four different charity shops.

Lucy was in turquoise blue. Her dress was actually pretty short for Lucy. Black tights and shoes with a matching blue coat slung over one arm completed her look apart from the makeup. Andrea had insisted that Lucy wore False Eyelashes on both top and bottom. She kept complaining about the weight on her eyes.

Andrea just smiled and said, 'get used to it'. Lucy had no idea what Andrea really meant but the glint in Andrea's eyes told a very different story.

Lucy was wearing shoes with a very small heel. She complained about anything over 2in. Andrea had plans for Lucy in this area. She thought that Lucy had great legs and it was a shame to hide them. Nevertheless, the pair turned more than a few heads as they strolled nonchalantly through Harvey Nicks on their way to meet Lucy's Mother.

Lucy's Mother was to Lucy's surprise waiting for them as they emerged from the lift on the 4th floor.

"Hello Darling," said her mother as she gave Lucy two fake kisses on the cheek. Andrea felt relieved that they'd really dressed for the occasion.

"Hello Mother. Nice to see you again. Mother, this is my partner Andrea."

Andrea got a thrill to hear Lucy describe her as 'my partner'.

"Hello Mrs Parker. I'm so pleased to meet you," said Andrea as she gave a tiny curtsey.

Lucy's mother just glared at Andrea.

"Come on, before they give away our table to someone else," said the mother ignoring Andrea.

Lunch was very enjoyable for Lucy's Mother. For the girls, it was agony. In the end, Lucy had had enough. Despite Lucy's best efforts her mother refused to recognise that Andrea was even in her presence.

"Mother, are you going to talk to Andrea or not? She is the person that I'm going to spend the rest of my life with so you'd better get used to her. If you aren't going to include her then we are out of here."

As Lucy said that she took hold of Andrea's gloved hand. Their matching rings were there for all to see.

There was a stony silence for some 10 seconds.

"Come on darling," said Lucy
"I can't stand this any longer. Goodbye Mother and don't forget to pay the bill when you leave."

Then Lucy literally dragged Andrea from the Restaurant and into the lift. The last image that she of her mother was her sitting at the table open mouthed and a lot of other diners looking at her. Lucy knew that someone was in for it in a big way. When her mother lost it, people and things suffered damage.

"We are better out of there," said Lucy as the lift descended.

"That was hard work."

"But worth it. The look on my mother's face was worth it."
Then Lucy gave Andrea a kiss on the cheek.

Out in the street, they hailed a Taxi to take them home and hang the expense. At least they had not had to pay for lunch.

When they got home, Lucy took Andrea to bed and made love to her partner for the first time. For both of them it was the right time and the right place to take their relationship onto the next step.

[to be continued in part 6]

[Authors Note]
I'm posting today as I'm going away for the weekend. Norfolk (Minsmere for a spot of Birding) and then over to the Severn Valley Railway for their Gala.
Part 7 will be posted next Friday.