Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters since Eloise at Christmastime and all the characters are the property of Disney and Kay Thompson. I make no money from this work of fiction!
Wilkes wanted to kick himself, thoroughly and as hard as he could. How could he have behaved in such a way to this ... this magnificent woman? In front of so many witnesses, most of whom were still smirking at him? It was just, well, dash it all, her actions had been so ... so unexpected! When her lips had touched his cheek, he had been so staggered by the feelings of ... of LUST that had rushed over him that his face had reflected his shock! Only for a split second, of course, but long enough that he had seen Bill's wicked grin and, worst of all, Nanny's cringing humiliation in the face of Miss Stickler's sneer, Mr. Peabody's astonishment, Miss Thompson's knowing little smile and Mr. Salomone's despairing 'what-next?' attitude.
As the group around them continued to sing the Christmas carol, Wilkes wondered if Nanny would EVER forgive him if the hotel staff teased her as mercilessly as he rather expected they WOULD after tonight. All in fun, of course – their fun, to be sure, not Nanny's. Eloise had witnessed the kiss but had not noticed his expression since she had been occupied making a horrible face of her own. Just then, her adored mother had come into the hotel, and thankfully the kiss Nanny had given him had been relegated to the back of Eloise's mind.
WHY had she kissed him? Wilkes, befuddled beyond belief and grasping for normality, simply could not fathom her motives. They had been singing ... she had bent down to speak with Eloise ... then, upon straightening, had said something to him he hadn't quite caught ... and then KISSED him! What was really bothering him the most, he now acknowledged, besides the fact that he had betrayed his surprise for all to see, was that he had not been aware of her intentions in the slightest. Not to mention the fact that he was fighting down the unwelcome niggling wish that she had kissed his LIPS instead of his cheek! Had he the nerve, he really SHOULD return her kiss – and not simply to prove to her and the others that he had not detested her touch!
"SIR WILKES!" Wilkes suddenly realized that someone had been shouting at him above the sound of the singing, and tugging on his arm. He looked down at Eloise, then realized Nanny was half-heartedly attempting to introduce him to Eloise's mother, Kay Thompson.
He shook the woman's hand, seeing the amusement which had flashed into her eyes when Eloise had introduced him as Nanny's 'friend', and fought the sudden, inexplicable urge to smooth his hair and announce that, far from being merely Nanny's FRIEND, he wished to be her BEAU! Good heavens, where had THAT come from? It had to be the shock of the unexpected fascination which had flooded him the instant she had touched her lips to his cheek.
Then Eloise was speaking again, and saying that Mrs. Thornton was probably coming to their suite for Christmas dinner tomorrow and since absolutely no one should be alone, ESPECIALLY on Christmas, would he come, too?
Wilkes had barely managed to stammer an agreement when he was accosted by Mr. Peabody who shook his hand and thanked him profusely for providing the payment to keep Mrs. Thornton at the Plaza. By the sudden jerking of Nanny's head towards him and the widening of her lovely blue eyes as they met his momentarily, he knew that she had overheard the hotel owner. Hastily he muttered something about it being a secret, a gift from a mysterious Santa, and Mr. Peabody grinned and nodded, clapping him on the back and turning away.
Under cover of the singing, Nanny drew nearer. "YOU paid for her room, Sir Wilkes, so she will not have to move?"
Wilkes cleared his throat, knowing he looked wretchedly guilty. Before he could say a word, Nanny smiled at him again, her face lighting up. "What a dear, dear, dear man you are!"
"Dear enough to rate another kiss?" he found himself asking, then blushed as vividly as Nanny did at his words.
"If ... if that's what you want ..." she faltered, not looking him in the eye but smiling brilliantly. "I ... wouldn't say no, for sure, sure, sure!"
Wilkes was amazed at how uplifted he suddenly felt. He hadn't felt so ... adored ... since his sainted mother had passed on ten years earlier! Very daringly, he leaned closer and said meaningfully in her ear, "I'll collect it later ... when we are alone!"
Nanny shivered in delight, her mind doing emotional cartwheels in an effort to diminish the incident. She NEVER should have kissed him, no matter how much she had been longing to do just that for months now! She would never live this down, she realized, seeing the twinkle in William's eye as he caught her gaze and winked at her teasingly. She turned a deeper red than before.
Eloise, who had been vibrating happily between her mother and Bill and Rachel and Nanny, now took command of the situation again, and announced that they HAD to go back up to their room so she could go to bed soon, or Santa would never come, for Lord's sake! Her mother graciously invited Wilkes to join them for a Christmas drink, and, somewhat to his surprise, he accepted with alacrity.
All the way up in the elevator, Eloise chattered away to her mother, who replied lovingly, to Nanny who answered absently while staring at the floor as she stood stiffly in a corner, and to Max, who was back to being his taciturn self – except for a little knowing wink at Wilkes as the younger man rolled his eyes to Nanny and back to Wilkes. Obviously he had seen the kiss, too! Wilkes groaned inwardly.
"And then Nanny KISSED him, Maman! Right there in front of ALL of us!" Eloise's shrill voice broke through the inner musings of both Wilkes and Nanny, and they stared at her in horror. The little girl wrinkled her nose in disgust then continued, "It was absolutely awful to see, but I bet Nanny wishes Sir Wilkes would kiss HER next!" She grinned and started to chant teasingly, "Nanny and Sir Wilkes, sitting in a ... no, wait ... that's too long. I know! Nanny and Willy sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
Kay Thompson's silvery laughter filled the elevator, and Max snorted. Wilkes felt his face heating up again. He had never HEARD such a ... such a foolish rhyme!
Nanny promptly began to scold Eloise, but her face was scarlet. "Eloise, you are being rude, rude, rude!"
The elevator door opened, and Eloise danced out, still grinning as she looked back at Wilkes. "I'm sorry, Sir Wilkes, I know I shouldn't call you Willy, but the other didn't fit in the rhyme!"
"That is NOT what I meant, young lady, and you know it, for sure, sure, sure!" Nanny hurried after her.
"She's ... exuberant," Wilkes ventured as he waited for Eloise's mother to leave the elevator first.
"She's just excited that I'm home and that it's Christmas," Kay smiled. "I do hope you'll forgive her behaviour and still come for a drink now and for dinner tomorrow."
"I can't think of anything I'd rather do than ... stay and visit with you all now. Although, if I may be so bold, I would like to ... speak with Nanny privately later ..."
"I imagine you might," Kay's eyes twinkled.
Wilkes suppressed a groan, and managed a weak smile in return. He wondered where his self-confidence and dignity had gone. He was not usually so timid and unsure of himself! Had a mere brush of Nanny's lips on his cheek, not to mention the unspoken promise of another and hopefully a somewhat more ... passionate ... encounter later, caused this strange aberration in his character?
O o O o O o
The rest of the evening was actually quite pleasant. Wilkes sat stiffly on the sofa, and Eloise bounced around from beside him over to her mother in one of the armchairs, then to Nanny in the other chair, then back again to Wilkes' side. The yule log was lit in the seldom-used fireplace, and the cheerful crackle set them all at ease. They shared some of the chocolate fudge from the coffee table and drank the eggnog that Nanny had mixed up earlier in the day. Wilkes gradually recovered his aplomb and began to talk more, drawn out by Kay who seemed genuinely interested in what he did every day. Noticing that Nanny was hanging raptly on his every word, although she looked away every time he glanced directly at her, Wilkes felt his confidence begin to soar.
At last Kay told Eloise to say goodnight, and, reminding him of the dinner the following day, mentioned to Wilkes that he could stay and speak with Nanny here, or perhaps she could walk him to his door. In spite of her sudden panic, Nanny couldn't figure out how to evade the upcoming interlude, so she smiled weakly at the gentleman and preceded him out the door after Eloise had made her rounds of hugs.
After the latter part of the evening which had greatly eased the tensions between them, Nanny wondered what was possessing her to behave once more like a teenager with a crush. Admittedly, she had behaved like that since first seeing Sir Wilkes last year, but she was even WORSE tonight! She had been kissed and had kissed a man before! Well, yes, perhaps without any expertise, but still ... she WAS over sixty, after all. Would Sir Wilkes kiss her tonight? Her heart fluttered at the thought. Or ... her heart stopped with a dull thud ... or would he expect HER to initiate the next kiss too? Oh, my LORD! She couldn't do it, not again!
Sensing that he was watching her, and not knowing why he wasn't speaking, Nanny finally raised her eyes to his and rawther thought she could drown in his admiring gaze. When he smiled slightly, she was afraid she might cry. Sir Wilkes was absolutely the sweetest, kindest, most DIVINE man she had ever met, and he was looking at her as if he was the one who should be counting his blessings.
"I really didn't have much to say tonight, Nanny, although I do find there's always that one idea that seems more ... lovely than the rest for that ... certain person ...you know? Mostly I was wondering if, well, per - perhaps this might be a good time to claim my kiss?" He stammered slightly in his eagerness, his admiration and shy desire warring with his sense of propriety.
"Oh ... yes ... quite ... quite ..." Her voice was a hoarse whisper as she inwardly acknowledged that she could deny him nothing.
Taking her face in his hands, lightly stroking her cheeks with his thumbs and filling her with warm anticipation, he tentatively kissed her lips ... then again when she didn't protest ... then again when her lips moved in response ... then suddenly he was crushing her to him, burying his hands in her hair and angling her head to fit his mouth to hers more securely, his fingers twisting and tangling in its thickness as he dislodged it from the loose knot at the back of her head. Her arms went around him and she strained closer, then closer still.
Just then, they heard the 'ding' of the elevator bell followed by a sharp bark as Mrs. Thornton and her blue poodle came back upstairs from the lobby. Nanny pushed away from Wilkes and frantically tried to straighten her hair, knowing she was looking miserably guilty.
Mrs. Thornton's sharp eyes peered at her, noting her dishevelment, then darted to Wilkes' sheepish face before she sniffed haughtily. "Not even the pretence of mistletoe? Well, I knew it all along! Don't think you fooled ME about your carryings-on!" She marched on to her own suite. Just before entering, she stopped and turned. "I almost forgot," she said grudgingly, obviously feeling obliged to speak. "I WILL be coming tomorrow ... if I'm still invited ... if you're still having Christmas dinner ... and if you'll forgive me for interrupting your romantic moment." Her brisk tone softened at the last. "I wasn't going to come ... but it IS Christmas ... and my son ... my son ..." Tears gathered in the older woman's eyes, but she pressed on doggedly, "My son would want me to celebrate with someone ... for the miracle that ... that I am still to live here ..."
The poodle yipped again and licked at her mistress' face. Mrs. Thornton proudly and regally vanished into her own suite and closed the door firmly. Wilkes and Nanny looked at each other for a moment in silence.
"She's happy again ..." Nanny said at last, trying to smile. "Because of YOU, Si..."
"Tosh, tosh, tosh!" He interrupted her, and gingerly put his arms around her, moving slowly in case she objected strongly. She remained acquiescent, and his chest expanded again with his happiness. "Please, Nan, call me Willy. I haven't been Willy in years, but ... but you make me feel ... young again. It's a wonderful thing to feel young again. Young people don't know what an immensely marvellous feeling it is to be young AGAIN!" Then his voice turned urgent and he drew her closer. "Nan ... I want to kiss you some more."
Nanny swallowed, then threw caution to the wind and her arms around his waist. "Yes, yes, yes!" and she leaned in to him yearningly.
His mouth was soft on hers at first but very possessive. Nanny gave a small, shocked moan and opened her mouth when his tongue hesitantly touched her lips, and when the barrier was breached, the kiss deepened. Another moan rose in her throat, a soft cry of need and longing, and her tongue touched his lightly. He tasted of rich chocolate and creamy eggnog. Oh, my sainted Aunt Fanny, I could become accustomed to his kisses quite easily, she thought dazedly. At long last she felt him rawther reluctantly ease his mouth from hers. For a long moment, she couldn't bear to open her eyes, but when she finally did, she found him staring at her. He blinked. So did she. Then his mouth was on hers again.
This next kiss was long and thorough and the sweetest, most passionate kiss she had ever known. Nanny felt as if she had spent her lifetime in Willy's arms, and as if she was meant to spend the rest of her life here as well. Nothing less would suit her. Her hands crept up and tightened around his shoulders so she could lean into his strength since her legs were wobbly and her head spinning with confusion.
When he at last lifted his head again, she was speechless as well as breathless. She waited until her heart stopped thumping so wildly in her chest, then opened her eyes and stared into his for a moment before looking down and backing away from him, then turning to the door of her suite. "Per - perhaps we should say goodnight, Sir Wilkes," she whispered, her fingers on the knob of her door.
"Perhaps we should, but ... Wait, Nan! Err ... Merry Christmas," he said softly, taking her hand in his and lifting it to his lips, never taking his eyes off hers as she slowly turned back to face him.
"Merry Christmas to you, Sir Wilkes." Her voice was barely audible, her eyes expressive as they met his, the memory of the wonder and rapture of his kisses lingering in their depths.
"I'm still invited tomorrow?"
She nodded wordlessly. His lips moved gently on the hand he still held up to his mouth. His moustache tickled the skin on her palm when he turned her hand over to kiss it there. She couldn't move away from him, although she knew she should.
"Even if I must confess that, well, I didn't manage to find a gift for you?" He smiled somewhat deprecatingly at her.
Nanny relaxed somewhat, and a faint smile crossed her face. "Even then. I ... didn't find one for you, either. Nevertheless, I do trust that you will receive all that you have been hoping for this year."
"It's quite possible that I already have ..." his fingers tightened on hers, and his gaze dropped to her lips. "Nanny ..."
With a quick yet gentle tug, Nanny pulled her hand out of his and slipped into her room. "Good night ... Willy," she whispered, and closed the door firmly. She could not bear to stay out there a moment longer. If he kissed her again, she would be begging for him to take her to his bed, and she had been taught to behave much better than that, much, much, MUCH!
He stood there staring almost foolishly at the wooden barrier keeping him on the outside. Then he sighed. If ONLY he hadn't betrayed his earlier astonishment to her and everyone else in the lobby of the Plaza! Then his expression firmed. Christmas was not over yet! Who knew what might happen next? After all, it WAS a time for love and miracles!
The End