Work Text:
It starts simply, Charlotte Wingrave exchanges homes with Olivia Crain for the holidays, needing to get away for a while. At first Poppy Hill, Olivia’s housekeeper seems completely uneasy about communicating with her, surprising Olivia with her quiet awkwardness even as Olivia charms her. Charlotte meanwhile loses her voice entirely, nursing it with the help of her new housekeeper who, despite her inability to speak, seems to take to her.
Love blossoms slowly, both Charlotte and Olivia spend much of their time with their new housekeepers for the season in soft silence, content to relax. Both women pack when their time comes to an end and yet, when the time comes, neither can follow through.
Olivia is the first to break, turning to run back to the taxi rank and make her way back home to Hill House, to Poppy, to love. Charlotte runs almost under Owen’s car before he can stop, begging him to take her back to Hannah. It’s only then, when they are both finally home with their loves that either thinks to call the other, the discussion full of awkward giggling and both women agreeing to find a way to swap houses legally.