Us
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
Felicity thought that there was no fun in waiting for the days to roll by like the clouds which slowly drifted across the plain blue sky. She had never been so fond of Spence complete with its busy corridors, the unkempt gardens and the eerie silence of the East Wing. And there was also Pippa. How she had missed her dearest friend. How she wanted so desperately to tell her friend about that afternoon.
The name came in a package which was wrapped in blue paper and tied with silver string. Blue was her favourite colour but she thought that silver was just a distraction.
Felicity simply could not keep up with her mother as she visited dress shop after dress shop. It seemed most convenient that when she came out of her fifth dress shop she noticed the person who had occupied her thoughts all morning.
Felicity's mother seemed to be the first to notice as she approached Lady Denby with Simon at her side. Formalities were exchanged with forced enthusiasm whilst Felicity stole a glance or two of Simon Middleton.
"Lovely weather today", Simon remarks cordially.
"Simon, the sky looks like it's about to suffocate London. Those clouds are so thick that if you were trapped in one you probably wouldn't be able to fight your way out", Felicity says. Simon is speechless.
"Was she quoting from books again?" he thought. But he remembered Felicity only read minds and she was particularly good at reading his mind.
"Don't you find it frustrating how we've never had a proper conversation. Only when we were little. But we talked about nonsensical things which didn't matter such as being able to fly and not wanting to take a walk in the woods because they were haunted".
"Yes, I agree. We've lost touch. Did I tell you that there's a pot of gold waiting at the end of each rainbow? Will you come with me to find it?" Simon adds with a smile. It was hard to escape the feeling of nostalgia which suddenly hit him like a thousand bricks.
Felicity rolled her eyes. Simon, always the charmer. Or so he thinks he is.
Felicity and Simon ponder this silently before stopping at a jewelers. It was a small shop that was wedged in between a shoe shop and a barber shop. Felicity admires a diamond ring which had been propped up on a stand. A sparkling spectrum of colour was splattered across the diamonds when it caught the light.
"The diamond certainly captures the many facets of your character. One can view you at various angles at their leisure and never be truly content", Simon says smugly.
Was Ms Worthington always a complicated girl? He may have upset her but he told the truth. Or the truth as he knew it to be. When they were five he found the young Felicity to be rather difficult. And now they were fifteen. He could not win for he felt that he was challenging a million different Felicitys at once.
"I beg to differ Mr Middleton. I forget that your incapability to understand me or anyone for that matter is most eminent", Felicity says bluntly.
She shows him a ring with a straight cut stone. "Do you see any embellishments? Intricate designs? An unusual cutting?"
Simon pretends to examine the ring. His brow furrows in mock concentration and Felicity looks away with an expression of utter annoyance.
"Why, no Ms Worthington". Simon's tone is frank. He waits apprehensively for a response. He was sure that Felicity was not at all convinced that he would make a fine companion when she visited the boutiques of London. If only he had an honest opinion. For Simon Middleton breathes with relief every time he has offered an adequate if not appropriate comment. He was always scavenging for something clever to say. Some say that he had a gift although Simon believed that it is pure luck that he hasn't stumbled over each hurdle of words, grazing his knee and his reputation along the way.
"I see you take a liking to this ring. A ring for a simple mind". Felicity says meekly. Her eyes did not betray her but something convinced him that she was reveling in the realms of victory. And she had just shut the door in his face. He touched his cheek as if he could still feel the impact of the door and the bitter echo of defeat.
Simon realised that he had fallen straight into her trap and chuckled softly. If he could not defeat Felicity with words he had decided to steal the last laugh from her. Literally. He continued on undeterred striding up the length of Oxford Street, never looking back.
His heart skiped a beat when he noticed Felicity, who had materialized beside him. But..he couldn't hear her, nor could he feel her approaching. Perhaps she was a magician's assistant equipped with a most commendable vanishing act. He could imagine Felicity leading two very different lives. Again, the mystery. The mystery was such a temptation and he was ever so vulnerable to it
"Mr Middleton you do know that it is most improper to leave a lady behind to pursue your own interests", Felicity chides.
"Of course", he sighed. This was going to be a long afternoon.
Through the bustling streets of London they could smell the rich aroma of pastries. Simon inhales deeply. The tantalizing aroma of pastries always warmed his heart.
"Shall we buy one?" Simon seemed distant as if he were speaking to no one in particular. He only needed one look of approval from Felicity.
Simon enters the shop without Felicity who has decided to wait outside. She catches the eye of a newspaper boy and scrunches her face up like a paper bag when she looks past him at the sun. She tries not to imagine the licentious thoughts that were running through his small mind as she was reminded of young men who had scoured the streets of London for susceptible young women. She shivers at the thought of a sharp blade being held at the base of her throat. She is almost overcome with relief, until Simon disrupts her after thought with a tactless comment of his own.
"Ms Worthington, please stop pulling faces or you won't be able to escape the eager eyes of the ringmaster who's recruiting for that circus across the road", Simon says in a nonchalant manner.
Felicity's eyes burn with such contempt that she could have pushed Simon into the gutter. She would watch him struggling along as he watched the pastry that he has just purchased sink into the murky oblivion of the sewage system.
"You only bought one pastry?" Felicity asks.
"I asked you whether I should have bought one pastry and you agreed". Felicity opens her mouth in protest and immediately closes it again. Although she would have loved to admonish Simon she was starving.
"I thought you meant any amount of pastries as long as you purchased a pastry".
"Here". Simon breaks the pastry in half and offers Felicity the larger half before changing his mind and offering her the smaller half. Even though he was convinced that she would have no trouble maintaining the size of her waist, those corsets seemed like a pain. She needed any source of consolation.
"Did you…" Simon trails off after taking a bite of pastry.
"I received your gift this morning", Felicity says rather officially.
"Excellent".
"You do know that it's not my birthday. Nor is it Christmas or any other special occasion", Felicity chides playfully. She loved the broach that Simon had given her although she did not want to give him any sense of satisfaction. Her friendship could not be bought with gifts nor with good looks.
Simon knew Felicity better than that. "A gift is only a thought".
Felicity and Simon stop outside a seamstress' shop. They have come to the end of the street.
"Look Felicity, those two mannequins in the shop window bear an uncanny resemblance to us", Simon laughed.
The female mannequin had blonde hair which glowed underneath the translucent veil and wore a beautifully tailored dress. The male mannequin was wearing an immaculate suit and tufts of brown hair were noticeable underneath his fashionable top hat. The two mannequins were most appropriately dressed for a wedding.
Felicity only had to look into those familiar blue eyes to notice that Simon Middleton was sharing an honest opinion with her. There was nothing more to be said.
Even though it's never really mentioned in the books I love the Fee/Simon pairing. Let me know how it went by reviewing.
purple.skivvy