Chapter 30.
While Lindsay and Lee were over at the Victoria's Secret store buying a little 'surprise gift' for Marie, at the same time, Edd was at a jeweler's store looking approvingly at the necklace that had been ordered by him earlier.
"Everything okay, Guv'?" the store clerk asked. Edd nodded, then pulled out his wallet and handed over to the clerk a wad of bills. Thanks to cartoon physics, the bills – totaling approximately 250 English Pounds – were not a hinderance.
"I must say that your firm has done an excellent job is fulfilling this order, Sir", Edd replied. The necklace was a gold chain with a gold heart-shaped pendant. In the center of the front of the pendant was engraved 'Annamae'. The other side of the pendant was engraved 'With love from Ed'.
"Well then, I'll find a box for it. Glad you like it", the clerk said with a smile and nod. Thanking him, Edd waited for the clerk to finish things up…
Those words were almost the same that the store clerk at Victoria's Secret said to Lee and Lindsay as they paid for the item: a frilly pink negligee that left very little to the imagination.
"How do you think Marie will take this, LeeLee?" Lindsay asked with a smile. She had noticed Lee grinning.
"Actually, Lizzy", Lee replied, "I'm more thinking of visualizing the reaction on Double-Dee's face when he sees Marie wearing it!"
Lindsay giggled at that. The negligee was sexy, yet not trashy. As both Lindsay and Lee were pretty good judges of sizes and figures, they knew that this particular item would complement Marie's curves beautifully.
"I thought you'd get something for Eddy to feast his eyes upon while we're here", Lindsay commented as the clerk brought them the negligee – wrapped up in a nondescript box so as not to twig Marie to its contents too soon. Lee thanked her and they both left the store to join up with the other girls.
"I'm saving buying that kind of thing until we're in Paris", Lee said as they left the store, "I was going to do this for Marie there, but the look on her face as we passed this store earlier made me reconsider that. How about you, Lizzy?"
"Rolf has interesting tastes, thanks to his Lapland upbringing, so I'd rather hold off until I have a better idea. From what little I do know, there is not much tolerance for what his people consider 'acceptable' in this regard", Lindsay explained. Lee nodded. Rolf's cultural upbringing was strange, but was still something he took seriously and Lindsay did not want to unintentionally offend him.
"I'd have expected Nazz to come in with us", Lindsay said next, "but given that she, May, and Sarah are keeping Marie distracted while we do this, perhaps she'll find time later".
"I wouldn't worry about Nazz", Lee replied, "after all, you only have to look at her. She'd look good even wearing a potato sack!"
"True, True", Lindsay agreed, "but this kind of stuff is more for impressing the significant other. How do you think Kevin would react seeing Nazz in one of these?"
"Probably the same as Double-Dee", Lee said with a laugh, "Men are so easy to manipulate when they see their girlfriends dolled up. Kevin would certainly be no exception, despite his tough image".
"So you gonna get Nazz over later today?" Lindsay pressed? Lee thought about it, then shook her head.
"Actually, when we're in Paris, I'll get with Nazz on this", Lee said, "But in keeping with our plan, Marie will need to kick things up a notch pretty soon. Their sleeping together back in Ventnor was a good first step. Now Double-Dee needs to understand and appreciate 'eye-candy', so to speak!".
Both laughed at that as they headed over to a music store situated by the McDonalds where they had lunched, where Marie had been taken to by the other girls.
It was at about the same time that the subject of their discussion had rejoined the other boys. Unlike the negligee that Lee and Lindsay had bought for Marie, the box that the necklace was contained in was gift wrapped with a bow and card that said "To Annamae from Ed". The box was in his jacket pocket so as not to alert Ed.
The teens were waiting for him at the entrance to the underground. They had decided to take the purchased cricket items back to the hotel, then head back out. Ed had purchased the t-shirt that May had ostensibly wanted. As Edd joined the others, he subtly nodded to Eddy.
"Hey, Lumpy!", Eddy said, "Why don't you show Double-Dee the t-shirt?"
"That I will, Eddy", Ed said in his usual dopey tone as he passed Edd his shopping bag that held the recently purchased t-shirt.
Edd took out the t-shirt from the shopping bag. Opening it up, he saw a depiction of the TARDIS from the 'Doctor Who' TV Series. As he knew that both Ed and May liked science fiction shows, he was sure that May would like it.
"I applaud your choice of t-shirt design for May, Ed", Edd said, "given your tastes in science fiction and that 'Doctor Who' is not only British, but also the longest-running science fiction show on television. It is eminently acceptable".
Ed looked with a confused expression at Edd. Eddy sighed and said, "Translated, Ed: Double-Dee thinks you did good!"
"Aw, thanks, Double-Dee!", Ed replied, pulling Edd into a bear hug.
"Let me put this back into the bag, Ed", Edd said after the hug was broken. Edd quickly folded up the t-shirt, then looked at Eddy.
"Look, Ed!". Eddy exclaimed as he pointed down the street, "an advert for gravy on a double-decker bus!"
As Ed quickly looked in the direction that Eddy had pointed, Edd quickly put the box with the pendant inside the folds of the t-shirt, then put the items in the shopping bag.
"Uh, where was it, Eddy?" Ed said in a confused voice, "I don't see a bus anywhere".
"It just turned the corner. You just missed it", Eddy glibly replied. Ed pouted, but nodded.
Suppressing grins, Kevin, Rolf, Jimmy, and Johnny 'consoled' Ed for his loss. Eddy gave Edd a thumbs-up.
"Here is your shopping bag, Ed", Edd said as he handed it over, "so let's get back to the hotel, drop off the items that we have purchased thus far today, then work out what we're going to do next, shall we?
"Will you and the other be breaking off from us and going over to a local Urban Rangers chapter, Rolf?" Edd asked.
"Not today, brainy Ed-Boy. But after the cricket match tomorrow, Rolf, Jimmy, and Johnny will do so. The Grand Poohbah had told us where a nearby chapter is operating and their meeting time is tomorrow evening", Rolf replied.
"Great, so all we'll stick together then for the rest of the day. That okay with you, Ed?", Johnny asked
"Yup!", Ed said with a smile, "Lets go, everybody!"
So while the boys headed into the Underground – Edd commenting on how the Underground still somewhat reminded him of those sewers that they had explored in New York City last summer – Lee and Lindsay had gone to the music store and saw the girls looking into what looked like a booth at the back of the store.
Inside the booth, Marie was having a great time. This store had – in addition to a lot of CD's and old LP and single records – a karaoke booth where people could record songs. Marie was taking full advantage of it.
"That would be a great thing for you to give to Double-Dee", May had suggested, "your own personalized CD of favorite songs personally recorded for him!"
The others had nodded at the suggestion. Marie blushed a little but nodded. She had spent several minutes selecting various songs from the store karaoke listing, then she went into the booth and started to record herself. She had been singing Shania Twain's 'That Don't Impress Me Much' when Lee and Lindsay had rejoined them.
"Are you going to be able to drag her outta there before we have to get back for dinner?" Lee said with mock exasperation. Secretly, she liked the way that her sister was being distracted, and Marie did have a wonderful voice. Edd would love getting a CD with her voice, but there was a time limit and she for one didn't want any long delays…
"She knows, and she is doing only five songs, Lee", May said, "So did you get what you wanted? Don't worry: she can't hear us", she finished, pointing to the closed door to the recording booth.
"Yeah, no problem, May", Lee said with a nod, "but you shoulda been there with us, Nazz", she finished.
"Hey, as Marie's BFF, I had to make sure she didn't twig to your plan", Nazz said defensively, "but maybe later, okay?" she finished with a smile.
"I don't see how that kinda stuff would make guys go nuts at times", Sarah grumbleed. She was still carrying the remnants of the crush that she had had for Ed, and was thinking at how Marie would look wearing such clothing for Edd, but she did realize that Marie was the girl who truly was in Edd's heart, and she was Jimmy's girlfriend after all…
"When you get a little older, you'll understand better, Sarah". Lindsay said, "and besides: apart from this stuff making us look pretty, it gives us that extra little bit of control over our boyfriends. The 'fairer sex' can be a lot tougher than they think or can comprehend!"
Sarah nodded. She was already having a good idea of Lindsay's statement. She had spent some time looking in a mirror at her spa makeover. Sarah was – despite her love of ballet - a tomboy at heart and didn't go into dresses and makeup, but she could see that she really looked beautiful with her styled hair, makeup, and manicure. She hoped that Jimmy would like her look, but she could not see herself wearing anything from Victoria's secret… even to please Jimmy!
"I'm going to look at some of those LP's", Lee said, "I'll see if there's anything here that Eddy would like".
"His disco tastes are definitely weird, not to mention his clothing at times", Lindsay said, "but you might get lucky. I'm going to see if there's any music I like. Might as well make the most of things while Marie is recording".
So while Marie finished up her recording session - Apart from Shania Twain, she also sang 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' by Cindi Lauper, 'Dance little Lady, Dance', by Tina Charles, 'this Kiss' by Faith Hill, and 'All I Wanna Do' by Sheryl Crow – the other girls looked around and bought some CD's. In Lee's case, she found an original copy of the LP 'Dancing and Loving' by the Spinners, and an original copy of the LP 'Freedom of Choice' by Devo.
"Eddy's gonna love these!" Lee breathed as she went to the register with those LP's, along with classical CD's of 'Swan Lake' and a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta: 'HMS Pinafore' that she had gotten for herself. Lee loved ballet, but also enjoyed operettas. She hoped to get Eddy onto those after his notable lack of enthusiasm at the Globe Theatre a few nights ago.
"I think my Oven Mitt will love this CD", Marie said to the others when she finished. She had gotten her picture taken by the booth operator for a picture that would go on the CD cover and was looking at the finished product approvingly.
"I'm glad that you didn't take too long, Marie", Lee said, "we've still got a lot to do today".
"I know, Lee", Marie replied, "and I'm grateful that you and the others allowed me the time to do this".
Silently breathing a sigh of relief that Marie did not seem to be any the wiser for Lindsay and Lee's visit to Victoria's Secret, the girls headed out of the store and down the street…