Dénouement (Saltburn)

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"Hello Oliver, darling." Elspeth greeted, gracefully stepping over Belle who laid in front of the couch, her head in Felix's lap as his long fingers combed through her hair, the movie super bad holding their attention. "Oh, what beautiful eyes. Oh, how wonderful!" she gasped clasping his arms, pinning him in place.

"Yeah, I told you he wasn't a Minger," Felix said with a scoff as his mother turned to him, her slightly graying blonde hair swishing with the accusatory turn as she moved to grasp Oliver's hands in her own.

"Oh, but darling you are so kind about everyone, you can't be trusted." His mother chided, turning back to Oliver who was growing more and more rigid by the second before her as she studied his features with a judgingly bright smile. "Oliver, I have a complete and utter horror of ugliness, ever since I was very young. I don't know why."

"Maybe because you're a terrible person." Felix teased, sharing a look with a giggling Belle as his mother sent him a look as she returned to her seat on the velvet burgundy couch.

"Has Venetia seen you yet?" Elspeth asked, leaning back onto the pillows with all the elegance Oliver would assume a lady of old money must possess. "Oh my god, she'll die."

"Oh, do stop the poor boy has only just arrived." Sir James said, heaving himself up from his armchair as he interrupted the room's impending degrading remarks for his only blood daughter's sake, he reached out his hand for Oliver to shake. "How good to finally meet you. Trip alright?"

"Yes, thank you, sir." Oliver nodded bashfully, his cheeks growing hot from Annabel's humored heated gaze, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth.

"Oh god don't with the sirs! No, no, no. We won't have anything like that here. "Elspeth exclaimed, pressing her forefinger to her brow melodramatically before gesturing to the small open seat between her and her friend. "Here, come sit by me. This is Pamela, she's been staying with us."

"Heyy." Pamela greeted, a woman with brightly colored red hair and an eccentric outfit that stood out among the richly casually dressed people in the room, she shook his hand as he set himself down between the two women on the sofa, his feet tucked as far back as he could so his Achilles heels could maintain contact with Belle's bare legs.

He looked down shyly fiddling with his fingers as he avoided the young blonde's jewel eyes "Hello Ollie." she spoke, her voice airy, dream-like.

"Annabel." He nodded peaking at her, ignoring the scoff from Farleigh behind him.

"Pamela darling, will you go see Annie about the tea?" Elspeth asked with a pointed look to the woman who seemed to pause taking another drag before muttering to herself as she slowly stood.

"But... which ones that?" Pamela asked, brows furrowing as Elspeth sent her an expectant demeaning look.

"You'll find her, darling, Annie," Elspeth repeated, gesturing with her eyes for her to get a move on as Pamela made a move to ask another question on the way out. "You'll work it out, darling, of you pop." she dismissed.

Oliver ignored the awkward situation and chose to stare at the side profiles of Belle and Felix as he craned his head down to whisper to her, a poorly hidden smile between the two. Belle's foot rubbing so subtly against his he hoped it was with purpose.

"Poor dear Pamela. She's been staying with us while she gets back on her feet. She's had an awful time this year. Hideous." Elspeth said almost immediately after Pamela's stilettos disappeared with a clack as she walked, only lowering her voice by what felt like half a decibel as she spoke, clearly not actually caring if her friend heard. But then, she latched on him eagerly like a reporter desperate for a story. "But oh, Oliver, so have you. God, I'm so sorry to hear about your father. How utterly, utterly tragic. I've lost so many friends to addiction. So, so many dear, dear friends. It's the root of poor Pamela's horrors too I'm afraid."

"And the only interesting thing about her." Farleigh drawled from behind them, his eyes never the screen of his laptop as he spoke, smoke billowing from his lips as he reached over and stubbed out his cig.

"Farleigh!" Elspeth exclaimed, reprimanding him before she turned back to Oliver with an 'I agree' look on her face. "She is rather dull isn't she, but she is so beautiful. You have to admit, she is very beautiful. But it's only ever really been a curse I mean the men Oliver; you wouldn't really believe it." she sighed hopelessly.

Oliver sat victim to what felt like hours instead of moments as Elspeth rambled on about poor Pamela. He couldn't help but think back to her words about him before he had entered the room. it seemed gossip of the harsher kind was what kept the older woman going. He also wondered if she ever had the gall to say it to anyone's face.

But as she spoke, the girl with poorly died and fried hair who he had caught laughing at him down the hall had slipped silently into the living room. Her eyes not once leaving Oliver as she walked in. Venetia, the sister if he remembered correctly.

"But Oliver, you must tell me about your mother. How is she fairing?" Elspeth exclaimed in what seemed to be a sincere tone as she grabbed hold of his clasped hands, a look of pity fell onto her elegantly aged face. "Still drinking?"

"Stop!" Felix exclaimed.

"Ignore him," she ordered waving him off with an aloof tone.

"It's rude."

"Nothing shocks me, Oliver. Absolutely nothing." Elspeth stated squeezing his hands as Venetia lit a ciggie from where she was perched on the arm of the couch. "Tell me everything." 

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