Accidental Engagement
By SpelCastrMax
DISCLAIMER: Rick O'Connell, Evelyn 'Evy' Carnahan, and Jonathan Carnahan are not mine. If they were mine, I could just make this into a movie instead of writing it down...okay, that's a lie. I probably wouldn't make it into a movie, but that isn't the point.
Rick O'Connell glanced at the sleeping woman whose head rested on his shoulder. Her brother sat across from him, continually turning to the train window as if he was anxious to be back in London.
Suddenly, the man jumped up like an excited child and shook his sister awake. "Evy! Hey Evy!"
Rick tried to shush him with a threatening "Leave her alone, Jonathan", only it was too late. The brunette opened her eyes. "What is it, Jonathan?" she yawned as she sat up.
"You don't think the Hallows will still be in London, do you?" he asked.
The name seemed to awaken the woman. "Oh no! I hope not!" she said with disgust.
Rick cautiously inquired, "Do I want to know about this?"
"Our father was always in..." Evelyn paused deciding on the best word choice. "...friendly competition with another explorer named William Hallow the second."
Jonathan scoffed, "Friendly. I would not call trying to keep someone and his wife trapped in an Egyptian tomb for two hours so you can snag all the glory friendly."
Evy ignored her brother and continued. "Well, we grew up with Hallow's beastly children, Eliza and William the third. Of course, the rivalry moved down to the next generation. Both Willie and Eliza always had to be better than Jonathan and myself."
Jonathan began to laugh aloud. "You should have seen Evy's face when Willie was excepted by the Bembridge scholars and she wasn't." She gave him a death glare and the man stopped his chuckling.
Rick shrugged his shoulders. "So, why should they bother you now? That was all a long time ago, right?"
"Yeah, but I would love to see them again and just rub all this treasure in their face," Jonathan said spitefully.
The train slowed as it pulled into the London station. Evy began to gather her baggage, mumbling, "Not me. If I never see Eliza and Willie Hallow again it'll be too soon.
Jonathan took another peek out the window, then did a double take. "Well, tough luck, ol' mum. There's Duchess Eliza now."
Evy spun around to see the tall, stately blonde standing on the platform looking very regal in her Parisian fashion and feathered hat. She saw them in the window and flashed a smile. She waved. Evelyn politely waved, then went back to her place next to Rick. He put his arm around her and she whined, "Can we just go back to Egypt now?"
"What about the Bembridge Scholars? They're waiting for you, remember," he pointed out, giving her a short kiss.
The three stepped onto the crowded platform, Rick separated from the brother and sister in order to snatch their bags. Eliza Hallow ran to her childhood playmates and gave out light hugs. She was very overdramatic and phony in her actions. "Evelyn! Jonathan! I was starting to think you had followed your parents' footsteps and were planning on moving back to Cairo. But here you are!" Her eyes lost interest in them for a moment as they fell upon Rick who approached the group. When he leaned down to kiss Evy her face fell. "Yes...well, I read that you did very well in Egypt. The Bembridge Scholars had asked my brother to pick you up, but he was detained."
"There was no need. We could have just called a cab," Evy replied.
"Nonsense," Eliza gasped, "Besides, you must meet my husband. He's waiting with the car."
As the woman turned to lead the way out of the station, Evy told her glumly, "Congratulations."
Eliza's smile grew as she boasted, "He's an earl."
Rick whispered in wonderment, "You grew up with her?"
"I didn't say I enjoyed it," Evy told him.
Eliza husband was considerably older than her and one could see that it was marriage based on profit, not love. The "earl" as his wife offhandedly called him, had very little to say. Meanwhile, she yammered the entire car ride, never giving Jonathan any chance to gloat. Even he was thrilled when they were dropped off at the hotel.
"I need a drink," Jonathan grumbled as he headed for the bar next door.
Rick went with him to keep the man out of trouble while Evy went to unpack. They entered the smoky bar. It was a large difference from the seedy places O'Connell was used to back in Egypt. Men were playing cards and casually sipping their beer.
Jonathan caught sight of pretty face he claimed to know. "Why don't you wait for me at the bar while I reacquaint myself."
Being too tired from the trip to argue, Rick did as suggested and simply hoped Jonathan didn't get into so much trouble that they'd have to fight their way out of it. He took a seat next to two men who were discussing loudly. He didn't mean to listen in, but Rick heard the more obnoxious of the two say, "Evelyn comes back today from Egypt today."
"Evelyn?" the second man asked.
"You remember. We went to school with her."
"Oh yes. How many years has it been? Five? Weren't you engaged to her once?" The man followed the question with a long swig from his drink.
O'Connell was surprised when he felt himself hold his breath at the thought of Evy once being engaged.
"No, she always turned me down," the first man replied after releasing a long unattractive belch.
Rick faced the men. "I think I know who you're talking about."
"Oh really," the first man laughed, "Evelyn Carnahan? Curly, dark hair she always wears up, reading glasses, half Egyptian, hides behind a history book?"
"That would be her," O'Connell replied calmly.
"Well, let me buy you a drink, friend. I'm William Hollow. Evy and I grew up together. We were always very close." He waited for his mug to be refilled before continuing. "As I was saying, I asked her a couple of times to marry me, but she said no every time. I can't understand why. It wasn't like anyone else was going to marry her." His drink reached his lips and began to chug.
The words seemed horrible to Rick and that was probably what made him say what he said next. As soon as the sentence came out of his mouth he knew he should have stopped to think.
"Actually, Evelyn is my fiancee." William Hollow the third proceeded to spit out his drink.
By SpelCastrMax
DISCLAIMER: Rick O'Connell, Evelyn 'Evy' Carnahan, and Jonathan Carnahan are not mine. If they were mine, I could just make this into a movie instead of writing it down...okay, that's a lie. I probably wouldn't make it into a movie, but that isn't the point.
Rick O'Connell glanced at the sleeping woman whose head rested on his shoulder. Her brother sat across from him, continually turning to the train window as if he was anxious to be back in London.
Suddenly, the man jumped up like an excited child and shook his sister awake. "Evy! Hey Evy!"
Rick tried to shush him with a threatening "Leave her alone, Jonathan", only it was too late. The brunette opened her eyes. "What is it, Jonathan?" she yawned as she sat up.
"You don't think the Hallows will still be in London, do you?" he asked.
The name seemed to awaken the woman. "Oh no! I hope not!" she said with disgust.
Rick cautiously inquired, "Do I want to know about this?"
"Our father was always in..." Evelyn paused deciding on the best word choice. "...friendly competition with another explorer named William Hallow the second."
Jonathan scoffed, "Friendly. I would not call trying to keep someone and his wife trapped in an Egyptian tomb for two hours so you can snag all the glory friendly."
Evy ignored her brother and continued. "Well, we grew up with Hallow's beastly children, Eliza and William the third. Of course, the rivalry moved down to the next generation. Both Willie and Eliza always had to be better than Jonathan and myself."
Jonathan began to laugh aloud. "You should have seen Evy's face when Willie was excepted by the Bembridge scholars and she wasn't." She gave him a death glare and the man stopped his chuckling.
Rick shrugged his shoulders. "So, why should they bother you now? That was all a long time ago, right?"
"Yeah, but I would love to see them again and just rub all this treasure in their face," Jonathan said spitefully.
The train slowed as it pulled into the London station. Evy began to gather her baggage, mumbling, "Not me. If I never see Eliza and Willie Hallow again it'll be too soon.
Jonathan took another peek out the window, then did a double take. "Well, tough luck, ol' mum. There's Duchess Eliza now."
Evy spun around to see the tall, stately blonde standing on the platform looking very regal in her Parisian fashion and feathered hat. She saw them in the window and flashed a smile. She waved. Evelyn politely waved, then went back to her place next to Rick. He put his arm around her and she whined, "Can we just go back to Egypt now?"
"What about the Bembridge Scholars? They're waiting for you, remember," he pointed out, giving her a short kiss.
The three stepped onto the crowded platform, Rick separated from the brother and sister in order to snatch their bags. Eliza Hallow ran to her childhood playmates and gave out light hugs. She was very overdramatic and phony in her actions. "Evelyn! Jonathan! I was starting to think you had followed your parents' footsteps and were planning on moving back to Cairo. But here you are!" Her eyes lost interest in them for a moment as they fell upon Rick who approached the group. When he leaned down to kiss Evy her face fell. "Yes...well, I read that you did very well in Egypt. The Bembridge Scholars had asked my brother to pick you up, but he was detained."
"There was no need. We could have just called a cab," Evy replied.
"Nonsense," Eliza gasped, "Besides, you must meet my husband. He's waiting with the car."
As the woman turned to lead the way out of the station, Evy told her glumly, "Congratulations."
Eliza's smile grew as she boasted, "He's an earl."
Rick whispered in wonderment, "You grew up with her?"
"I didn't say I enjoyed it," Evy told him.
Eliza husband was considerably older than her and one could see that it was marriage based on profit, not love. The "earl" as his wife offhandedly called him, had very little to say. Meanwhile, she yammered the entire car ride, never giving Jonathan any chance to gloat. Even he was thrilled when they were dropped off at the hotel.
"I need a drink," Jonathan grumbled as he headed for the bar next door.
Rick went with him to keep the man out of trouble while Evy went to unpack. They entered the smoky bar. It was a large difference from the seedy places O'Connell was used to back in Egypt. Men were playing cards and casually sipping their beer.
Jonathan caught sight of pretty face he claimed to know. "Why don't you wait for me at the bar while I reacquaint myself."
Being too tired from the trip to argue, Rick did as suggested and simply hoped Jonathan didn't get into so much trouble that they'd have to fight their way out of it. He took a seat next to two men who were discussing loudly. He didn't mean to listen in, but Rick heard the more obnoxious of the two say, "Evelyn comes back today from Egypt today."
"Evelyn?" the second man asked.
"You remember. We went to school with her."
"Oh yes. How many years has it been? Five? Weren't you engaged to her once?" The man followed the question with a long swig from his drink.
O'Connell was surprised when he felt himself hold his breath at the thought of Evy once being engaged.
"No, she always turned me down," the first man replied after releasing a long unattractive belch.
Rick faced the men. "I think I know who you're talking about."
"Oh really," the first man laughed, "Evelyn Carnahan? Curly, dark hair she always wears up, reading glasses, half Egyptian, hides behind a history book?"
"That would be her," O'Connell replied calmly.
"Well, let me buy you a drink, friend. I'm William Hollow. Evy and I grew up together. We were always very close." He waited for his mug to be refilled before continuing. "As I was saying, I asked her a couple of times to marry me, but she said no every time. I can't understand why. It wasn't like anyone else was going to marry her." His drink reached his lips and began to chug.
The words seemed horrible to Rick and that was probably what made him say what he said next. As soon as the sentence came out of his mouth he knew he should have stopped to think.
"Actually, Evelyn is my fiancee." William Hollow the third proceeded to spit out his drink.