Reading Room - The Secrets Beneath by Sally Fell

[nypagan.livejournal.com]

A country estate, a Roman villa. Conflict, comfort, passion, love.

"Christ, I’m sorry Bodie. I’m not thinking straight. I’m sorry.” As he spoke Doyle’s head sagged forward and came to rest upon Bodie’s shoulder. That one small movement was all it took to pierce Bodie’s armour of self-control totally and he gathered Doyle towards him, wrapping his arms around him as he did so and feeling Doyle’s arms snake around his back in response.

“Ray, I’m so sorry,” he murmured, holding him tightly. “I wish there was something I could do.”


This story follows a familiar theme in AU PROS. Initially, the lads don't get on well. Bodie is typically scornful and brusque, while Doyle is equally obstinate. In a short time, they develop a working relationship, which leads to mutual attraction and eventually... well, you know.

Secrets is a slow paced story, with plenty of emotional turmoil, and mental angst. I like authors who feel comfortable giving Bodie a softer side, without making him too maudlin. Doyle is believable as well, his persona not much different than series Doyle, IMO.

I know AU's aren't everyone's cup of tea. I enjoy them. I think it is easier for me, since I came late to PROS fandom, to see the lads in different personas or characterizations. Granted there are some AU's out there that don't work for me either. I find this one believable. It does not throw the boys far out of character or into outrageous scenarios. It’s a normal, everyday story, with a little crime on the side. A romantic read whenever you’re in need of one.

Comments

The Secrets Beneath by Sally Fell - pt I

[fiorenza-a.livejournal.com]

I love the picture you went with; it's perfect for the story :0)

As I shall say again about another fic, this got off to a rocky start for me. Only a couple of pages in and I was already struggling, it seemed, as you point out, to be developing along very formulaic lines; a gruffly off limits Bodie just waiting to be melted by an irresistibly feisty Doyle. Real B picture stuff.

In addition to which, it seemed to be riffing on some sort of Lady Chatterley theme, with Bodie all tricked out like a latter day Mellors, and I had to wonder what kind of heat wave they were having which had Dr Doyle in shorts and Bodie in a tweed suit? 'Doyle snorted, taking in the tweed suit, checked shirt and leather brogues worn by the land agent and then looking down in amusement at his own scruffy t-shirt and shorts.'

I had begun to think I had inadvertently stumbled into some kind of bucolic steampunk wonderland, where the only method of long distance communication was the telegram. 'Dan advancing across the field towards him, a sheet of paper fluttering from his hand. “Telegram from his Lordship,” he said' and where all the (presumably) forelock tugging locals were apparently suspicious of intellectuals 'Bodie smiled and joined in with the banter of the locals regarding “bloody intellectuals”'


I still can't fathom the assumption that the locals be would be against 'intellectuals'; Britain isn't Kampuchea. Britain has been in love with its own history since there were mouths to tell the story. Brits like archaeology and archaeologists. (They even put in an appearance in the farcical and decidedly low brow Carry On Behind (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carry_On_Behind)). The town vs gown antipathy is about class and the resentment of privilege, not intelligence.

I don't know what Sally Fell's nationality is, and perhaps therefore it's a regional thing, but neither did I recognise the reference to the historical urban myth of 'droit du seigneur' as being a particularly British preoccupation. As far as I can tell, it seems to have been a custom honoured more in the breach than the observance and, practiced or not, as far as I know, has never been a part of British mythology about its own history. If you say 'Lord of the Manor' to the average Brit, I'd hazard that they're more likely to conjure an image of Audrey fforbes-Hamilton in To the Manor Born (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_the_Manor_Born)
(or even, dare I say, Sir Henry Baskerville (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hound_of_the_Baskervilles_(1983_film))) than the sexual exploitation of their virgin brides.

Not only that, but I was being overwhelmed by the minutiae of life as an archaeologist, to the point where I fully expected Tony Robinson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Team) to pop up and do a piece to camera.

However, having said all that, the ensuing love story started to unfold with a refreshing realism. The device of giving Doyle socialist tendencies, and implying his sexuality therefore has a political element, lends a credibility to his readiness to proclaim it which is missing from a lot of fic.

And I thought these two sentences resonated with particular truth about the early days of a relationship:
- 'They walked the rest of the way in silence, Doyle cursing himself for allowing the fact that Bodie had visited Fishbourne without him to affect him like this, and Bodie wondering what the hell had suddenly happened to Doyle’s buoyant mood.'
-'Settling back with the phone in his lap [Bodie] dialled the number and waited, enjoying the slightly fluttering sensation in his stomach as he anticipated Doyle’s greeting.'

The Secrets Beneath by Sally Fell - pt II

[fiorenza-a.livejournal.com]

I also appreciated the author's call and answer approach in such instances as this:
'Bodie allowed himself a rueful smile as he wondered which of them would win if Doyle ever had to make a choice between him and the dig. Would he find himself taking second place to a muddy field? He suspected that it would be a close-run thing.'
Interesting, because by this stage in the story Bodie has already made it clear that he has made a choice, he won't move to Oxford with Doyle, and Doyle accepts that Bodie will stay on the estate, 'taking second place'.
This call is then answered by Doyle after he returns from Oxford to be with the injured Bodie:
'“What about your family? And your job?” he asked, trying to keep his voice steady but not succeeding. “It’d tear you apart if you had to move away from here. You love this place.”
Bodie’s expression softened as he gazed steadily into Doyle’s eyes. He lifted their joined hands to his face and brushed Doyle’s knuckles across his lips. “I love you more.”'

Which brings me to another point I believe deserves mention, despite the AU setting, I thought the language that the lads use rang true to their canon selves.

Unfortunately, the story's pantomime villain Rick Deakin didn't live up to the gentle realism of the love story. We are left with Dan to ponder the wherefores of a confident attractive man like Doyle managing 'to live with him as long as [he] did' or having 'even contemplated a future' with him, nor are we told what harm Deakin does Doyle which impels Dan and Alison to take 'it upon themselves to look out for me. Self-appointed guardian angels'.

To me, it seems improbable to the point of implausibility that, despite Doyle being momentarily suspicious enough of Bodie to accuse him of complicity when the mosaic is destroyed, no one thinks to put Doyle's practically moustache twirling, vindictive, ex-boyfriend, who's just had his contracted terminated, in the frame until almost the end of the story:
'Things were suddenly starting to gel in Bodie’s brain. So what have we got - a vindictive bastard with a grudge against Ray and a grudge against the University who’s suddenly found himself not as well off as he’d like to be. Bodie was suddenly as sure as he could be that Deakin was somehow involved in the raid on the site and the destruction of Ray’s precious mosaic.'

So my verdict is this, a refreshingly realistic romance unfolding against a lukewarm backdrop of archaeology and anachronism.

RE: The Secrets Beneath by Sally Fell - pt II

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

nor are we told what harm Deakin does Doyle which impels Dan and Alison to take 'it upon themselves to look out for me. Self-appointed guardian angels'
I took that just to be ordinary emotional harm after a break-up when one half turns out to be a bit of a bastard for whatever reason - we see Doyle cut up about various people who turn out to have betrayed him in the eps (Shelley in HtN, comes to mind) and even about Ann Holly who didn't betray him, because despite everything he decided he was going to love her, a bit like Doyle did with Deakin's sexual chemistry here in the story. So yeah, Rick's perhaps a bit too evil, but not in a way that's unlike the various girlfriends-who-turn-out-to-be-the-villains/conduits-to-the-villains in the eps.

To me, it seems improbable to the point of implausibility that, despite Doyle being momentarily suspicious enough of Bodie ... no one thinks to put Doyle's practically moustache twirling, vindictive, ex-boyfriend
But Bodie's a stranger - they've not known him long, and he was aggressively against the dig at first. Rick's worked with archaeologists for years and has known the people on the dig for years - for all that he might have been a bad boyfriend, and Dan thinks he might have been a bit shady with it, people don't assume that people they know and have known for a long time can do something as serious as vandalism and theft....

Ack, I wasn't going to get into other comments, cos I might not get back until late tomorrow (if then), but... *g*

what kind of heat wave they were having which had Dr Doyle in shorts and Bodie in a tweed suit?
The kind where Doyle's in a very casual-uniform kind of job, and Bodie's in a very formal job for an old-fashioned employer... I'm always amazed at what people feel they have to wear when it's hot - suits and ties and tights (well, not always together *g*) and all sorts!

Brits like archaeology and archaeologists .... The town vs gown antipathy is about class and the resentment of privilege, not intelligence.
Oh, you'd be surprised. Yeah, archaeology's currently popular on telly etc., but town vs gown is just that - a town thing. Things are different in more rural areas. And there definitely was (and still is) a certain amount of antipathy from "ordinary people" against those who went away to university. I've seen it in cities - whether it's based on the idea of privilege or simply on the idea of non-locals - but I've seen it even more in smaller towns and in the country.

droit du seigneur
Well I've certainly come across it as "myth" in various novels - mostly those written pre-1980s, but I absolutely recognised it. And in this sitch it's pissed-off-academic-Doyle having a pretty unrealistic grump anyway - I didn't take it for a moment that he really thought that... *g*

I was being overwhelmed by the minutiae of life as an archaeologist
Interesting - I thought there was just enough to show the actual, realistic setting rather than a token - look we're on a dig sort of set-up. But then I like it as a setting to start with, so... one girl's meat, and all that. *g*

RE: The Secrets Beneath by Sally Fell - pt II

[fiorenza-a.livejournal.com]

Deakin; I just find it hard to believe that a normal break up would lead to a grown man being 'adopted' by his mates. It must have been very rough, and a bit more meat on those bones would have made Deakin a bit more of a believable villain to me.

It's a good point that Deakin was previously known to the dig; but by this point Deakin is already persona non grata, and Doyle was ready to cry on Bodie's shoulder. I think the reveal should have come a little earlier.

Heat wave I still think it's odd, I have a tweed suit, Bodie would be feeling it. No mention is made of that.

Town vs gown goes back to the founding of Cambridge University and is largely a class antipathy. Resentment of returning students 'as getting above themselves' is another phenomena entirely. The traditional village distrust of outsiders has nothing to do with their intellectual capabilities, they're just 'foreign'. It's to do with new blood of any description.

And as for the popularity of archaeology; there's a direct line in British popular culture from Howard Carter through Sutton Hoo, Hew Wheldon's tenure at the BBC, to the early days of the Jorvik Viking Centre and on to Time Team itself.

Droit du seigneur - I recognised it, it not only appears in books but was popular in Hollywood 'historicals', Charlton Heston gets very wound up about it at one point, and I don't suppose for one moment that it was a serious thought, I was just surprised that it was any thought at all. It's not a part of British culture, Doyle's an archaeologist, he may have a slightly different take than your average British punter, but his specialism appears to pre-date the existence of the custom by several centuries. If it doesn't, then why give such an important find (not to mention precious funding) to a man who's not an expert in his field?

one girl's meat Definitely! :0). I like my exposition and scene setting a little less to the foreground. Others, I know, appreciate this sort of detail. It was very well done, so in this case my quibble is simply a matter of personal preference.

RE: The Secrets Beneath by Sally Fell - pt II

[nypagan.livejournal.com]

I was being overwhelmed by the minutiae of life as an archaeologist.
Interesting - I thought there was just enough to show the actual, realistic setting rather than a token - look we're on a dig sort of set-up. But then I like it as a setting to start with,

I agree. I thought there was just enough background without being overwhelming.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

This is one of my favourite Pros fics, and I think one of the reasons for that is how it rings so truly, both by being Bodie and Doyle themselves, in character from the series despite it being an AU, and because the external story is so well done. It's solidly written too, so there's nothing to distract me from the story itself, I could just curl up and enjoy the journey. I loved the detail of the archaeology - not enough to be dull, not a hint of look-how-much-research-I've-done in the author's voice, just enough background knowledge, lightly written, to know that its real - and of life in the nearby village and on the estate. It was a little odd at first to think of Bodie dressed in tweeds, but actually that's what series one Bodie would have worn in that AU situation, and when I thought of it like that it was with an oh yeah... kind of smile. *g* I liked Doyle as an archaeologist too, because that fits with wants-every-bit-of-the-puzzle-Doyle that we see in eps, working out the mystery and the thinkiness of things. And of course his passion for things in general, and Bodie's being more laid-back, but actually focussed on the things that matter to him when they do matter (loss of land/income to the estate vs the way he focuses on Krivas/Keller/King Billy etc. - and in fact even the fact that he goes alone to Fishbourne is a nice Bodie-like touch, cos that's what Bodie in the eps does. Doyle waits for Bodie to join him in whatever deal he needs solving, whereas Bodie goes off on his own to sort things out).

I liked the original characters - okay, if the villain was going to be someone we knew, then it had to be Rick really, but again that's relatively true to Pros - all the girlfriends they date who turn out to be the villains, or at least the villain's access to CI5! Dan was fun, and drunk-Doyle is a joy, especially seen through Dan's eyes. *g* The villagers were good and neutral - ready to be snotty about "incomers" who buzzed in and then buzzed back to their fancy big-city life, but in a good-humoured kind of way, rather than as the cheap ignoramuses they're sometimes turned into in stories.

Oh, and our lads... *vbg* Okay, I suppose it's a relatively familiar theme in Pros/romance stories in general - a couple don't get on when they first meet, then something throws them together, they battle it out and realise they're in love... but that's not entirely how this story goes, and if there are only six story-themes in the world (or whatever it's supposed to be *g*) then I think this author does a good job of making it hers - or the lads'. *g* And did I mention the lads? So nice to see them moving from the whole two-confident-males-facing-off-competition to liking each other, and then when they realised it was okay to giving in to the pull between them... *sighs happily*

Realistically I can't imagine a dig going from aerial photos to volunteers-in-place-digging quite so quickly, but that's really my only niggle, and it's a pretty ordinary story-convention, so I have no problem passing it through. Oh no, one more - would the Prof really have addressed Doyle and Dan as "Doctor"? Not in my experience, but then this is set a bit before my time so maybe they would have been a bit more formal back then, or maybe he was just that sort of bloke... But I'm really trying very hard to find some balancing critique in what I just think is a really nicely written story in pretty much every way... *g* Maybe a slightly soppy ending for me, but actually it's do-able, cos it's balanced with enough lads-as-lads that I can wave it through... and it's quite nice to have a proper happy ending. *g*

All in all, as you say, it's a nice gentle read that goes from one end to the other in a way that makes sense, gives happy imaginings, and is utterly our lads. So glad you chose to rec this one! *g*

aerial photos to volunteers-in-place-digging

[fiorenza-a.livejournal.com]

I wondered about that, but I took it that the significance of the find, along with Doyle and the team's enthusiasm, drummed up sufficient diggers to at least get test pits or something of the sort going, if not a full dig.

These days, you usually expect that sort of speed with a threatened site, inner city development, for example, working between the wrecking ball and the new build.

Either way, I didn't find it particularly jarring - the site's supposed to be another Fishbourne, if not better, I would have expected some 'special treatment', my only surprise is that the media didn't turn up.

Big finds are usually a three ring circus.

RE: aerial photos to volunteers-in-place-digging

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Big finds are usually a three ring circus.
Only when people are told that something's a big find. It can take years until a dig appears in the papers, even these days, even when there's a major discovery made. Too much well-we-won't-be-able-to-tell-until for the media, they don't want to know until someone's prepared to go out on a limb with we-have-evidence-that... Tony Robinson and that ridiculous Bonekickers are just a wee bit fast-paced compared to the real thing... *g*

you usually expect that sort of speed with a threatened site, inner city development, for example, working between the wrecking ball and the new build
Yeah, but that kind of rescue dig wasn't par-for-the-course back then. Now developers have tame archaeologists on hand to start with, but that's relatively new practice. And even when there is a find it's got to be exceptional to start this kind of full-scale dig. And it's definitely not how university digs tend to work, even now!

But like I said above, I only mentioned it in an effort to add a wee quibble to my comment - I was perfectly able to hand-wave it through with joy. *g*

[heliophile-oxon.livejournal.com]

Your entire first paragraph - yes, absolutely, QFT! *g* I didn't think in such detail about how they sit so well with canon B&D, but you've noted several excellent parallels there.

[heliophile-oxon.livejournal.com]

Ah, I really planned to wax lyrical about how much I love this fic - it's an early and enduring favourite of mine - but I'm afraid I've only got time for the condensed version for the moment!

As others have noted above, the lads' voices ring beautifully true here. Their politics too, seem to me a good fit for the lads in canon - Doyle's anti-establishment streak and the way Bodie on the other hand is so comfortable with working within a traditional hierarchy. And the relationship just feels real and unforced - I can really believe in it.

For my part I love the author's obvious familiarity with archaeological digs. It doesn't feel detail-heavy to me, to be honest - just brings the background to life; if there are discrepancies (as the others have noted - how fast they get moving, for example) they don't jar.

My only major complaint is that the author has never written a time-stamp or a sequel *g* - I've always wondered how Bodie's parents would take the news, and what sort of reaction they would get from other locals.

(oh, and I love the picture you picked too! It really is a perfect match for this story :-)))) )

time-stamp or a sequel

[fiorenza-a.livejournal.com]

You know, I would never have read this story if it hadn't been for the Reading Room (doffs cap to BSL and nypagan); as I said it got off to a fairly bad start with me, but I'm glad I stuck with it.

Left to my own devices, I would have just thought, formulaic AU, not for me, bring on the capris.

But I promised myself I would try and read everything that was recc'd, to gain an insight into how other folk do.

And although the AU side of things left me, as I say, lukewarm, I thought the love story was very well done. So, I too, would have liked to know how Bodie coped with his family and his fish-out-of-water lifestyle with Doyle. Bodie's been so closeted and Doyle has been so open. It would be lovely to see those tensions play out, with or without the capris!

[nypagan.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the compliment about the picture! I like to have visuals with my recs. I agree with your assessment, and could have 'waxed lyrical' about the story as well. I wondered about Doyle being able to wear a t-shirt at university, (was it Oxford or another school in Oxford?) I think Bodie working within the 'hierarchy' comes from growing up on the estate, being in the military and returning to the estate. The tenants and locals expect a certain air or attitude as well as a visual representation as the Lord's agent. His parents were considered working class, and Bodie has achieved a higher level of standing within the estate.

I did not find the story detail heavy either, which I appreciate. That would have been tedious. I don't think Bodie's parents are still alive. No mention of siblings are made, but if his parents worked there most of their adult lives, it doesn't seem plausible that they would leave in their retirement years.

Thanks for your comments!

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

I’d read and enjoyed this story when it was posted a few years ago and because it was long, I didn’t think I’d get the chance to read it all again and thought I’d just skim over it reminding myself, but lo and behold I found myself devouring it page by page, totally immersed again in the world of ‘the dig’ – their world - and as so often happens when I’ve finished a story I’ve loved, really missing them and this world (sometimes it’s good to get out of London...). I love AU’s and felt Doyle was a convincing, slightly alternative archaeologist - not that I’ve met many but it’s how I imagine one of them to be... if I met him. Alternative in some ways (as only university teachers can get away with being) but also slightly edgy and under pressure given all the time constraints and finance problems/responsibilities which go hand in hand with a major dig and one which looks like becoming a new ‘Fishbourne’ i.e. pure Doyle but one who's been magically transformed into something else, very cleverly done. And I thought the author got the balance just right when creating this universe for people like me who know absolutely nothing about archaeology. With a few well-placed sentences she managed to transport me into the world of the archaeologist, a world where the academic can, untypically, actually practice their intellectual discipline and she managed to convey the excitement they would feel to me, the novice reader, without weighing me down with too many tedious details.

And Bodie in his tweeds – his current outdoor uniform for the former man of action - maybe a bit hot but even canon shows him being fairly well covered up most of the time. And I can’t imagine an estate/land manager in an ordinary office suit because he’s not stuck in some over-centrally heated office but out and about in the country where, let’s face it, the weather’s more iffy than not. And perhaps wearing tweeds in the country is like wearing a tie, a mark of respect and a sign that you’re taking the job seriously, which Bodie obviously does. Shrugs. Just thinking aloud, I know nothing about the country.

And the shorts? I was OK with that and thought well it *is* summer, he's working hard and so getting sweaty, jeans are very constricting and if he’s on all fours a lot (steady on….) *digging*, shorts will be more comfortable. Then I thought will he be able to protect his knees in shorts and then I thought, well it’s probably on soft earth anyway.....and this all goes to show how much I was involved in the story and the characters because I wouldn’t usually bother asking myself these questions if I wasn’t.

I thought the love story was very well done.

Yes! I agree. Even though I feel I’ve read more than enough sex scenes I absolutely loved the ‘first kiss’ scene! I loved the build up to it and the way the kiss evolved so naturally from concern and caring into something more….. And then the way Doyle’s feeling that day: the combination of fury, dejection, worry and sick to the stomach disappointment over the dig pitted against his walking on air euphoria over Bodie. The writing was so realistic and *somehow* I knew how he felt!

And yes, a sequel, please! When I finished the story I thought exactly the same thing. There’s a lot of scope for a sequel, more intrigue e.g. from Bodie’s point of view, up at the hall? All kinds of things…..

Thank you so much for the review and for reminding me what a great read 'Secrets' is and thanks for the photo, it really helped set the scene!

Bodie in his tweeds

[fiorenza-a.livejournal.com]

You're right about the weather, but the story seems to suggest exceptional heat, hence the crop markings. The summer of '76 did a lot for aerial archaeology.

Bodie would have to be very cold blooded to favour Tweed (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweed_(cloth)) and brogues (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brogue_shoe) in T-shirt and shorts weather. (For some reason I see Doyle's shorts as skimpy denim cut downs...)

Although there are lighter weight tweeds he might have gone for, and I agree that he is likely to have chosen something traditionally formal for the role he occupied, but not a business suit, which wouldn't stand the strain. So perhaps it's not so odd a choice, but I still struggle to see it.

[paris7am.livejournal.com]

I loved this story when I first read it, and like S2K, I was thinking about time crunches an worrying i might have to just skim and review it this time... but NO - was drawn in, could not stop, read it all, was very very happily lost in it again.

My time crunch is going to have to come out of my posting about it :( I agree with what has been said about the characterization - it is very thoughtfully and cleverly done! So many little details, transposing the characters we love into this new world. I think what stands out to me is how beautifully the author picks and chooses the bits of their characters that I love the most! That even though there is drama and twists and heartache, it's not the men who are psychologically fragmented, or breaking apart - things around them are, while they remain remarkably positive and honest and strong. If that makes sense? I like having a openly gay Doyle, passionately involved with what he loves, and a Bodie who is so strong but careful, who faces his feelings and follows them all the way, love shining bright. It's lovely.

Thank you for the recc, for the perfect photo to go with it, for the interesting conversations.

[nypagan.livejournal.com]

Thank you for your comments!

positive and honest and strong - if that makes sense

[fiorenza-a.livejournal.com]

It does, I think the setting is AU, but I didn't have the feeling that the lads were :0)

[nypagan.livejournal.com]

I wasn't sure how everyone would react to this story. Good to see that it inspired some lively conversation! TBH, when I picked the story, I had forgot how long it is, and was considering changing my choice. I'm glad everyone made it through and enjoyed it. Thanks for the commentary!

considering changing my choice

[fiorenza-a.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you didn't, as I said, I'd never have read it, left to my own devices, and I'm glad I read it. Thank you for recommending it :0)

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Like, apparently, many others, I did not like AUs when I came to Pros. Circuses, alternative beginnings, historicals, supernaturals (*especially* supernaturals), scifi, Wiccan Bodie, fucked up Irish Catholic Doyle, sheikh of the desert, concussed fiction writer...no. No to any of them.

But I ran out of canon universe fics to read. So had a look at some. And surprise: some of them were rather good. Some because of the skill of the writer - I still maintain that Arabian Nights is entirely out of character, but the writer knows what she's doing and is having such fun that she drags me in. And some few because the author managed to create recognisable Bodies and Doyles despite the changed environment. The best example there is is that DVS scifi, with Doyle as a Pro, short for Protector, who must maintain Bodie's cover by going on a honeymoon trip with him. Bodie is only too pleased about this...

Anyway, back to Secrets. Even in my initial plunge, I loved it right from the start! I had read a lot of very non-UK stories in a row and this was next and it was so much more a background and enviroment I felt familiar in. I was confident that the author knew her subject(s) and settled down happily to read it. It's one I return to often.

It really doesn't feel AUish to me. Bodie as a factor or estate manager, I can see that. Goes with his canon military background to me, somehow. Bodie in tweeds: yes! Has noone else been watching 'All Change At Longleat' recently? We see a lot of some of the estate staff there, and there's one whose clothes would be a perfect pattern for him. (I shall try not to get onto how mad that entire place seems!)

Doyle is a harder sell for me, but when he is portrayed *not* as a weepy coltish lad, I forgive much. Too angry, too focused, too health-obsessed, fine. Anything but lissom lads with wide eyes and tears. And he is anything but that in this, and it's a portrayal I like, so, yay.

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

It's all coming back to me......I've not heard of this Longleat programme but you've just reminded me of the film The Shooting Party and various other images of grouse beating (sounds rude) where there does seem to be a lot of tweed around....

And I agree with everything you say re AUs' and (me) loving Arabian Nights. In theory I wouldn't normally have read that kind of story, let alone loved it, but I've read it again and again and it never disappoints.

[nypagan.livejournal.com]

I am happy you loved the story. It is one of my favorite AU's.

'All Change At Longleat'

[fiorenza-a.livejournal.com]

Nope, not seen that, but then I hardly watch any telly these days.

Circuses, alternative beginnings, historicals, supernaturals (*especially* supernaturals), scifi, Wiccan Bodie, fucked up Irish Catholic Doyle, sheikh of the desert, concussed fiction writer...Doyle....as a weepy coltish lad...

You may have just listed every reason I'm not a fan of AU's...or crossovers come to that, I like my Bodie and Doyle to come with capris and Cowley.

I like my Doyle gloriously ratty, unreasonable and ready to punch Bodie, or cry over him, with equal enthusiasm. I like my Bodie implacable, irrepressible, irresponsible and primed to go off at half cock whenever some dodgy old mate turns up. And I like Cowley, full stop.

However I have read the odd AU I like, and the odd crossover, and who has never wanted to see Cowley and Gene Hunt split a bottle of single malt?

I have no objection in principle to tweed, or even Bodie in tweed, although I'm struggling, but tweed in a heat wave? I'm thinking I'll never see that...

Perhaps a dose of that Longleat thing is in order?

[heliophile-oxon.livejournal.com]

DVS' Suitable Gravity, yes! A huge favourite of mine too :-))).

I'm pretty much with you on AUs in general; my first preferences were all for canon settings (and I still cannot be doing with the supernatural in Pros. I'll never say never, but I really doubt I could ever get into it). But there are quite a few I like now, AUs where either the writing is enormous fun or the characterisations are just spot on. Or both, of course, like here!

(I find I may be getting pickier in my old age ;-) - there are old stories I still enjoy, but where things I happily skated over before get under my skin now)

The characterisation in Secrets Beneath matches canon very nicely, just as you point out - they just feel and sound like them. Doyle's brief moment of unthinking anger, lashing out at Bodie when the mosaic gets destroyed. Bodie looking at the way Doyle is dressed and saying it's a pity they won't be going to the dinner then. Bodie on the way back from the dinner, pretending that Doyle is going to sleep in the car.

And yes, there may be a place somewhere for lissom lads with wide eyes and tears, but it sure as hell ain't anything remotely like the Doyle we see on the screen!

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed reading all the comments, although other stuff meant I wasn't ready to participate. I do have one quick thing to add, however.

I had to wonder what kind of heat wave they were having which had Dr Doyle in shorts and Bodie in a tweed suit?

I think that Bodie covering himself up has been a "needs no explanation" trope in the fandom - that's not to say it shouldn't be challenged occasionally *g*. On the more practical side however, my father, a NZ farmer, tended to wear wool trousers most of the year particularly on the farm. Wool has excellent properties for outdoor wear - the fabric is tough, breathes, absorbs moisture, and is generally pretty comfortable to wear across seasons. After Dad died, my mother couldn't bear to throw out one pair that had hardly been worn, in a worsted twill fabric - she persuaded my partner to take them, and he found they were actually better than poly-wool blends for anything short of an Australian summer heat wave.

It does depend on the weave, weight, and the lining.

Also, I started collecting some pictures of 70's male clothing, beginning with tweeds, which some may find interesting:

https://www.pinterest.com/kiwisue100/70s-clothes/