Poldark: Saving Ross and Demelza

Struggle

From warleggan.... no copyright (to give basis to original story , then added fanfic will resume)

He came out in the east passage. At the end, towards the front of the house, a faint glimmer shivered on the panelled wall. It was the candle on the front landing, just round the corner from the great hall. He went towards it, and was nearly there when a door opened and Elizabeth came out. She gave a scream half stifled, stepped back against the wall. They stared at each other. She looked as if she were going to faint. ‘Ross! . . .’ ‘I came to pay my respects.’ ‘Ross, I thought . . .’ ‘That I was a burglar. So I am as to means of entry.’ She continued to stare at him with great eyes in a white face. She was wearing a green velvet frock, an old one and in better light shiny, but it suited her. Everything suited her. That was the trouble. ‘I heard a noise. How did you get in?’ ‘I came to thank you for your letter.’....
‘Well, yes.’ He moved away from the door, pulled off his gloves and dropped them in a chair, came closer to her. She took a step away. ‘I had a certain impression of how things stood. Tell me, Elizabeth, where I have gone wrong . . . George Warleggan I have long thought of as my greatest enemy. You I have long thought of as my greatest friend. In which particular am I farthest adrift?’ She flushed. ‘It isn’t like that at all, Ross. But it has been a grievous position for me. Of course I’m happy and proud to think of you as my greatest friend—’ ‘Well, it was more than that, wasn’t it? How long is it, not more than twelve months, since we met one evening at the Trevaunances? What did you tell me over the dinner table then? That when you turned me down and married Francis you made a mistake which you discovered a few months after and have regretted ever since. It was a – an astonishment and humiliation to you, you said, that you should have made such a mistake. I remember the words.’
‘No,’ she said. ‘What I told you that night – I’ll not go back on it – though I should never have spoken if I’d thought anything was going to happen to Francis. Please, Ross, understand. I felt that some day I had to tell you, to let you know that if you were unhappy in those early days, it was not long before I was too. I thought it would please you to know that the mistake had been mine and not yours! It was too late, years too late to put things right; but I wanted you to know. As soon as I’d spoken I realized it was wrong to have spoken. And when Francis died . . . then more than ever.’ ‘It explains nothing. Where does George Warleggan come into this?’ ‘Not at all at that time, of course. Only now – much later. He’s been so kind, Ross, so good—’ ‘Do you marry a man out of gratitude?’ ‘Not alone out of gratitude. But you’re far wrong to think of him as your greatest enemy. I think – I believe – that I can bring you together, that truly you can and will be friends. He has no bitterness—’ ‘Are you marrying him for his money?’
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Fanfic:
Demelza continued fast riding into the night, she could scarcely see in front of her, her breath shaky but her determination not so. She reached the peak of the hill and saw Trenwith lit by a few candles; she began the descent into the valley that held the estate in its arms. She prayed she would not be too late.
........
Ross could feel the anger bubbling from within. Searching into Elizabeth's eyes to find justification for her actions, he found none.
Elizabeth hesitated to collect the right words to speak.
Ross stormed out of her chamber , impatient for her answer, downstairs he began grabbing at the ornaments and fiercely tearing at the vast hung tapestries. " These!" He shouted " Are these what you are marrying him for?! So you may salvage, nay, add to your material posessions and the things Francis could never give you!"
" How dare you speak ill of him in this house?" Elizabeth had followed downstairs , she stood on the stairwell looking down at Ross.
"Have I not beckoned to you, these last months? Provided for you, my cousins widow and child,as best as I could and now you accuse me of ill will?"  Elizabeth did not know how to answer.
Ross looked up at her "Have you not reveled in my attentions towards you?, have I not jumped to your every wish and comfort? Have I not loved you since before you were mistress of this estate, do I still not? If this is me showing ill will in your eyes then I have failed you Elizabeth." He walked towards her.
Elizabeth began descending the woven wood staircase, she could feel her heart bursting through her chest with every step "Ross... I " her cheeks now flushed at his admittance to his love for her even after all this time.
Ross could feel the tension rising between them, as if their youthful hearts from a decade past were calling out to one another. Trying to close the gap.
Ross, suddenly felt eighteen again, and the woman, girl,  looking back at him was sixteen year old Elizabeth.
Elizabeth, saw her chance, she could see the absolute effect she was having on him, and though a small part of her inner purity was trying to remind her of Demelza, and what every step closer to Ross could mean, with every step also came another voice, telling her to take back what was originally hers.
Elizabeth could take no more. She raced the final few steps towards him and closed the gap , her lips found his.

Ross startled by Elizabeth's forwardness, embraced her, wrapping his arms around her, taking in the circumstances that deep down he had been secretly pining for in the depths of his soul since he came back from war.
As Elizabeth seemed so lost in their embrace,  Ross briefly opened his eyes, this is what he had sacrificed his life for, this moment, this kiss, as he continued with her in this, inside he was desperately trying to arrange his emotions. He realised that though this had been something he had longed for , for as long as he could remember, the occurance sadly didn't seem to be fulfilling in him what he thought it would.  He closed his eyes again, clutching at memories of their last embraces at teenagers, but as he did this the quick summation was that memories of another woman's eyes, lips, smell and caress had surpassed them all. He opened his eyes a second time.
" Demelza," as if saying her name aloud was bringing his mind and body back to the present,  abruptly pulled away from Elizabeth.
He turned away towards the door, as he did this, through the window, the shine of red auburn caught in the light of moon outside.
Demelza sat mounted upon Verity's horse, tears clearly freely flowing down her broken face.
He stood there staring back at her through the window pane guilt-ridden, one look from her eyes he knew she had seen what had unfurled.
Demelza's eyes hardened, with a large intake of breath, and pull on the reigns she turned the horse around, and began galloping out into the valley once again, wishing she hadn't tried, as she so clearly had no chance of winning, she would leave them to their apparent passion and happiness.
Ross, unfrozen from his state, hastened to chase after her
"Ross? ..." Elizabeth had questioned.
He turned back to face her, "Goodbye Elizabeth, I shouldn't have come." She nodded in defeat, both of them realising they were not teenagers anymore, and that Ross was no longer captive to Elizabeth's charms.
With that she watched as Ross left Trenwith house towards the post he had tied Darkie, taking back with him the piece of his heart Elizabeth had held onto and leaving the piece of hers, with realisation that, he had no need of.