Dénouement (Saltburn)

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Oliver stumbled into the bathroom the next morning, tired, but ready for the day after last night's activities. He smirked to himself, remembering Farleigh at his mercy before looking up into the bathroom mirror. his body and mind screeched to a halt; it was perfect, unscathed. He knows he punched it last night; he remembers the glass shattering around his hand. His finger traced the frame of the glass, zero sign of it being changed, fingerprints still here and there. He did in fact punch it last night. didn't he?

His head snapped to the side as loud shouting came from the hallway. He followed it all the way to the spiral stairs where he found Venetia, Felix and Belle looking below.

"I wouldn't do this." Farleigh pleaded.

"James is very upset." Elspeth tried to diffuse.

"You know that.. why would I do this?" Farleigh shouted at her.

"I don't know." Elspeth shouted back.

"I swear to god, this has to be.." Farleigh tried.

"Enough!" Elspeth yelled cutting him off.

"There must be some kind of mistake here." Farleigh pleaded as Elspeth guided him down the stairs, Duncan right behind her.

"What is going on?" Oliver asks as he moves to the group, also looking down below.

"Shhh" Venetia hushed Oliver "It's Farleigh."

"What happened?" he pressed.

"He tried to nick something." Belle mumbled.

"he's a fucking idiot." Venetia mumbled going back to watch the scene below.

"Move." Duncan ordered, pushing the boy down the rest of the steps.

"Fuck" they all cursed and jumped back as Elspeth looked up towards them.

・❥・

Belle and Venetia laid side by side on the dock in matching white bikini's, their blond hair dipping into the pond, one more fried and chaotic like its owner and the other silky and calculatedly well maintained with expensive shampoos and oils. 

The radio playing in the background, not that anyone was listening over their rambling to one another. "I mean it's outrageous!" Venetia scoffed.

"What actually happened?" Oliver asked, his eyes hardly leaving the girls.

"He sent an email to Sotheby's to say that he'd "come by" some Palissy plates." Felix explained.

Venetia and belle both scoff at the absurdity, their freshly painted red nails intertwining on the deck between them.

"I mean, the idiot. He had to have known that dad went to school with the chairman." Felix scowled, tossing the weed he picked off to the side. 

"Of course he did." Belle spoke, leaning up on her elbows. "Your father only rambled on about it several times last night as he showed them off. "Oh, how jealous Sotherbys with be he said." she mimicked, before lighting a cig.

Venetia also sat up on her elbows "I mean, talk about biting the hand. And mum and dad would give him anything he asked for." Venetia added.

"Yeah, well, obviously he got sick of asking." Felix mumbled.

Venetia ripped out Belle's freshly lit cig in frustration "That's ridiculous. He's more spoilt than we are." She scoffed before taking a drag.

"I mean, come on, Vee. you have to admit. it's a little bit dark, him having to go to mum and dad with a begging bowl." Felix defended.

"The begging bowl?" Belle scoffed " the only time our darling Farleigh considers something so low is when he has to do something for someone else. Meanwhile he mentions something casually to Elspeth and she has it here for him with in the week."

"Fine, it was incredibly fucking stupid.."

"Guys, guys." Venetia shushes them nodding the approaching Elspeth and James.

"Oliver, don't mention it okay?" Felix whispered.

"What happens if they bring him up?" Oliver asks, peaking at them as they grew closer.

"They won't" he said simply.

"What a glorious day." James sighed, looking all around. "Never known a summer as hot as this one."

"Sweltering." Elspeth added.

"I think it's even hotter than last year. I didn't think that was possible, but here we are again." He continued. Belle tipped her head towards Oliver who was already staring, despite her dark shades he could feel her gaze in his core.

"It's hotter than Barbados, apparently. Barbados!" James exclaimed in disbelief, waving his arm thru the air.

"I can believe it darling, really. Honestly, I don't think I've ever been hotter in my life." Elspeth sighed, collapsing in a wicker chair.

"Oh, I need to check with Robert, to make sure he's being extra vigilant with the hydrangeas." Sir James explained.

"Very well my love." Elspeth nodded him off, before making herself more comfortable in her seat. "Oh bliss." she sighed, stretching her arms to rest on the chair. "Oh, this song. God, I haven't heard this song in forever. I Used to hang out with them all actually, when I was modeling. Britpop, Blur, Oasis." All the kids shared a hidden snicker between each other as Elspeth began to ramble about the good days again. "God, the parties. Oh, but then, of course, common people came out and everybody thought it was written about me. which was completely mortifying and ridiculous. I mean, I barely knew Jarvis."

"What?" Venetia asked confused, biting back a laugh.

"She came from Greece. She had a thirst for knowledge. it couldn't have been me. I've never wanted to know anything." She explained, with a dismissive wave of her hand. "God, I wish we didn't have to go to London." She sighed.

"I didn't know you were going to London." Felix chimed in.

"Pamela's funeral." She explained.

"Pamela died?" Oliver asks suddenly intrigued; she had just been at the house.

"Yeah." Felix mumbled.

"She'd do anything for attention." Elspeth added carelessly.

"Will you be leaving tonight?" Belle asked not lifting her head.

"Yes, back in the morn." She answered with a pause, her gaze focused on the blonde. "The house will remain intact; I refuse to have to hunt down replica wallpaper again." she ordered.

"Of course, mum." Felix said softly, turning his molten brown puppy dog eyes towards her.

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