Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Cranford don't belong to me
It's In His Kiss
It all happened so fast; Mary Bennet wasn't even sure how it had happened.
One minute she was standing on the platform – fifteen minutes early for the 6.37 train to Longbourn – thinking idly to herself how the man standing near the steps at the end of the platform looked remarkably like the famous actor Tom Bertram.
Tom Bertram was the actor who was playing Dr. Frank Harrison in the BBC Drama Cranford that was currently showing on the telly. Of course, this man had a beard, longish dirty brown hair and he was wearing a hat that sort of masked his features. He must be in disguise, although who he thought he was fooling, she wasn't sure of.
The next minute, Tom Bertram, the famous actor was telling her; "it means nothing," and then he kissed her.
000
"It's not him," the photographer said to his friend.
"But my source was so sure he would be on the 6.37 train," the second man replied.
"Clearly he was wrong," the first man said, "Tom Bertram would not be caught dead looking like that and he certainly wouldn't kiss a woman who looked like that."
"So much for good information," the second man said, and they left the train station.
Luckily for Mary, she didn't hear any of that. She was lost in the kiss.
Tom Bertram had kissed her.
000
Tom Bertram thought he had lost the photographers – he had worn clothes that were different from his usual style and he even had a wig and a fake beard. He was standing at the end of the platform giving them time to get tired and go away. He hoped that everyone who saw him would be fooled and so far it was working.
Nobody was giving a second glance.
Nobody, that is, apart from the slim, black-haired woman standing on the platform waiting for the train. Although she was not beautiful in the classical sense of the word there was something about her that intrigued him. In spite of his better judgment he moved towards her.
From her expression he could tell that her disguise had fooled her, her expression clearly said who do you think you're fooling with that getup?
Without really thinking about it he walked towards her and when he spotted one of the photographers who had been chasing him he said, "this means nothing," and he kissed her.
He wasn't prepared for his reaction to the kiss. It made his heart flutter, it was an old-fashioned expression. But was no other word for it. Before he could register anymore the train pulled into the station and the woman run off into it.
Tom smiled to himself. He had to find out who she was.
000
Mary nearly missed her stop, she was so busy thinking about Tom Bertram and how he had kissed her.
Her sister Elizabeth Darcy and her children were visiting for the weekend and usually Mary loved to spend time with her niece and her nephew but not tonight, she was too distracted.
"Mary, Cranford is about to begin," Kitty called to her. The whole family loved the show – her father was an English Literature professor, and they were watching it together.
Mary wondered what her family would say if she told them that she had not only met but kissed Dr. Harrison from the show.
000
Mary was angry.
How dare he? How dare he tell her that it means nothing and then kiss her?
Who gave men the right to say that to women?
She doubted that it had meant nothing to Martha when the Doctor kissed her in that Dr. Who episode.
She doubted it had meant nothing to Jane when Ethan Hunt had kissed her in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.
And she knew it hadn't meant nothing when Tom Bertram kissed her on that train platform.
Her phone vibrated distracting her from her thoughts.
You're one hard woman to track down, Mary Bennet. Tom
How had he found out her name and her number? She wondered.
The phone vibrated again.
I'll see you at Marco's at ten.
How had he known about her Saturday plans?
Stopping thinking and go to sleep.
The cheek of the man, Mary thought to herself as she turned out the light.
000
What do you think?