Accidental Engagement: Chapter 4 The Guilt
By SpelCastrMax
DISCLAIMER: All of these characters belong to me! I also live on the planet Zarflon with a blue beaked mammal as my only companion!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry this is taking me so long. There doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to write fan fiction, study the Roman Emperors, and memorize the different kinds of sand dunes (yes, there is more than one kind of dune). I'm trying though. So, don't give up on me yet, I swear there will be more to come.
Sorry, this is so short.
"Oh come on, O'Connell!" Willie's voice accused, "Don't tell me you're that quick to just give up your freedom and strap on the ball 'n chain."
"Yeah, I guess I am!" Rick's voice shouted at him.
Evelyn looked up from what she had been writing. She had only been half listening to the recoded conversation Rick had given her earlier that week, every now and again rolling her eyes at what the three men said. Yet, those words caught her off guard. She started to think upon it, realizing she'd never expected O'Connell to say anything that would mean giving up his freedom. She couldn't help daydreaming a little about if he really was going to marry her.
"Evy!" Jonathan called as he entered the hotel room without knocking.
Surprised and feeling guilty, like she had just been caught reading someone else's diary, Evy jumped up and squeaked, "Jonathan!" She shut off the recording and tried to hide what was going on. "What do you want?"
He inspected her for a moment, then shook his head. "Is it just me or have you and Rick been acting weird lately?"
"Maybe it's the English air?" Evy lied, "Is that what you came to bother me about?"
"No, actually I came to ask about tomorrow night. Why are we suddenly accepting party invitations from Eliza Hollow?" He spoke the words with disgust as if he were about to vomit.
Evy avoided his eyes and tried to seem nonchalant. "Since when did you turn down a party?"
"Me? Never. But I know you, Evy. You can't stand one of Eliza's parties, even those cutesy little teas she used to have on her birthday when you were little." He leaned on the back of a chair and stared his sister down. "What's going on?"
Taking a deep breath, Evelyn decided to fess up. "Alright, I'll tell you." She paused to make sure she was ready for whatever her brother's reaction would be. "You see, Rick met up with Willie in the bar the night we arrived. Then, he got mad and told everyone he was my fiancee. Now we have Eliza throwing us an engagement party, my old friends are starting to nose into my private life, and Willie tried to blackmail Rick."
Jonathan blinked at her once or twice, then his face twitched. In another second he had burst out laughing. "Fine. You don't want to tell me. Okay." He caught his breath and tried to control his fits of chuckles. "I'll tell you, baby sister, you should become a writer."
As he started to leave, Evelyn stood motionless from shock. As she sunk into a chair she bumped the phonograph. The cylinder began to play again. Loud and clear came Rick's voice, "If I'm marrying her, I'm not a bachelor anymore or are the rules different here?"
As Jonathan turned, his sister covered the player with a sheet. He gave her a puzzled expression. "Radio?" She said it more like a question than a statement. "In the next room. They always play the radio too loud."
Just giving a confused nod, Jonathan let it go and exited the room. As he exited, a woman entered. He didn't notice her, he had started laughing again. The woman only shook her head slightly. "Hmm, some things never seem to change," she muttered.
"Cordelia Wentford!" Evy greeted with a sigh of relief. It was nice to see a familiar face that wasn't Eliza or her brother, "It's about time you came to see me."
"Cordelia Porter, thank you very much," she replied with a grin, holding out her hand to show off the gold band that seemed to glow in the sunlight.
Evy couldn't help laughing out loud. "Porter! As in Colin Porter, the little boy that used to try and gross us out with his insect collection?"
"Oh, I made him throw that out years ago," Cordelia joked as she took a seat across from her old friend, "I've heard you're soon going to join the ranks of us married women."
Evelyn nervously gave a quick nod. She hadn't expected the rumor to cause her to lie so much. Still, she wanted Rick to suffer some more, so it wasn't time to tell the truth.
Cordelia glanced around the room. "What are you going to wear tomorrow night?"
With a tolerant sigh, Evy told her friend, "You and clothes. You're right, some things never change."
As the two women began to go through Evy's suitcases they caught up on life. Cordelia was happily married, despite the usual quirks that married couples tend to find annoying, but only discover after the first month as husband and wife. She and Colin were planning to start a family. She filled in Evelyn on what had happened to some of the people they had grown up with, telling each story with humor and excitement.
Meanwhile, Evelyn explained about her time in Cairo, even mentioning the fact that she had yet to break herself of her clumsiness. "Remember how Mrs. Dougal used to call me a destructive storm. Well, I appear to have gone from storm to hurricane."
"Was it one of your accidents that caused you to meet Rick?" Cordelia asked, her eyes shining with the want of a good romance story, "I asked Rick about how you met and all he said was that you saved him."
Without thinking, Evy confessed, "He was being hung."
"Hung!" her friend cried out, "For what?!"
"I asked once; I didn't receive a proper answer, but I've decided that I don't want to know."
"I would have never guessed him for a...criminal," Cordelia pointed out, "He seems so chivalrous and...well, he most certainly loves you."
"Wait, when did you meet him?"
"I had a talk with your Rick the other night," Cordelia confessed, "He's...not the sort of man Eliza and I would have expected you to marry..."
Feeling defensive, Evy began to say, "Yes, well I am...."
Cordelia cut her off. "I'm glad he's not that sort of man." For the first time in her life, Evelyn saw her friend with a solemn expression. "Honestly, Eliza was always telling me that you'd end up with someone like her brother who'd spend all his time keeping you in your place. I'm happy that she's wrong."
At first Evy wasn't sure of what to say back. She smiled at Cordelia and responded with, "Thank you." As a second thought, the woman added, "You two talk about me?"
The bright smile returned to Cordelia's face. "You weren't here to speak up for yourself, so you can't blame us for gossiping a little." She lowered her voice, "Quite frankly, I think Eliza is jealous. You've met her husband."
"You mean the man with the personality of a pocket book?"
"That would be him. She thought she had the greatest catch of them all. Then you come along with a dashing ex-legionnaire on your arm and new fortune in your procession. She's always been trying to prove she's better than the rest of us. It's about time someone put her in her place and I'm glad you are the one to do it, Evy. She's given you more trouble than any of the rest of us." Cordelia took out a dress and held it up to Evy, then shook her head 'no'. "Now you know she's going to try and talk you out of marrying Rick. Don't you let her do it."
Evelyn could feel the guilt set in. Her friends wanted her to marry Rick, not only for her own good, but for the good of their sanity. If Eliza wasn't one-uped soon she was going to drive them all mad. Yet, it was all a lie and they were going to disappointed to find out. She wanted to prepare her friend for the truth, without actually telling the truth (that was Rick's job). "Actually...I'm not entirely sure Rick and I are ready to marry. I mean, we've barely known each other and I still want to go back to Egypt for a little more studying..."
"That is not the sort of attitude I want to hear from you, Evelyn Carnahan...I mean future Mrs. O'Connell," Cordelia scolded, "You and Rick are going to be very happy, I can feel it. The party tomorrow will be beautiful. That is, of course, as long as we keep our eyes open. Do you think Eliza may set out any nasty surprises?"
Sinking into her chair, Evy replied glumly, "Trust me, it will be a night for surprises."
By SpelCastrMax
DISCLAIMER: All of these characters belong to me! I also live on the planet Zarflon with a blue beaked mammal as my only companion!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry this is taking me so long. There doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to write fan fiction, study the Roman Emperors, and memorize the different kinds of sand dunes (yes, there is more than one kind of dune). I'm trying though. So, don't give up on me yet, I swear there will be more to come.
Sorry, this is so short.
"Oh come on, O'Connell!" Willie's voice accused, "Don't tell me you're that quick to just give up your freedom and strap on the ball 'n chain."
"Yeah, I guess I am!" Rick's voice shouted at him.
Evelyn looked up from what she had been writing. She had only been half listening to the recoded conversation Rick had given her earlier that week, every now and again rolling her eyes at what the three men said. Yet, those words caught her off guard. She started to think upon it, realizing she'd never expected O'Connell to say anything that would mean giving up his freedom. She couldn't help daydreaming a little about if he really was going to marry her.
"Evy!" Jonathan called as he entered the hotel room without knocking.
Surprised and feeling guilty, like she had just been caught reading someone else's diary, Evy jumped up and squeaked, "Jonathan!" She shut off the recording and tried to hide what was going on. "What do you want?"
He inspected her for a moment, then shook his head. "Is it just me or have you and Rick been acting weird lately?"
"Maybe it's the English air?" Evy lied, "Is that what you came to bother me about?"
"No, actually I came to ask about tomorrow night. Why are we suddenly accepting party invitations from Eliza Hollow?" He spoke the words with disgust as if he were about to vomit.
Evy avoided his eyes and tried to seem nonchalant. "Since when did you turn down a party?"
"Me? Never. But I know you, Evy. You can't stand one of Eliza's parties, even those cutesy little teas she used to have on her birthday when you were little." He leaned on the back of a chair and stared his sister down. "What's going on?"
Taking a deep breath, Evelyn decided to fess up. "Alright, I'll tell you." She paused to make sure she was ready for whatever her brother's reaction would be. "You see, Rick met up with Willie in the bar the night we arrived. Then, he got mad and told everyone he was my fiancee. Now we have Eliza throwing us an engagement party, my old friends are starting to nose into my private life, and Willie tried to blackmail Rick."
Jonathan blinked at her once or twice, then his face twitched. In another second he had burst out laughing. "Fine. You don't want to tell me. Okay." He caught his breath and tried to control his fits of chuckles. "I'll tell you, baby sister, you should become a writer."
As he started to leave, Evelyn stood motionless from shock. As she sunk into a chair she bumped the phonograph. The cylinder began to play again. Loud and clear came Rick's voice, "If I'm marrying her, I'm not a bachelor anymore or are the rules different here?"
As Jonathan turned, his sister covered the player with a sheet. He gave her a puzzled expression. "Radio?" She said it more like a question than a statement. "In the next room. They always play the radio too loud."
Just giving a confused nod, Jonathan let it go and exited the room. As he exited, a woman entered. He didn't notice her, he had started laughing again. The woman only shook her head slightly. "Hmm, some things never seem to change," she muttered.
"Cordelia Wentford!" Evy greeted with a sigh of relief. It was nice to see a familiar face that wasn't Eliza or her brother, "It's about time you came to see me."
"Cordelia Porter, thank you very much," she replied with a grin, holding out her hand to show off the gold band that seemed to glow in the sunlight.
Evy couldn't help laughing out loud. "Porter! As in Colin Porter, the little boy that used to try and gross us out with his insect collection?"
"Oh, I made him throw that out years ago," Cordelia joked as she took a seat across from her old friend, "I've heard you're soon going to join the ranks of us married women."
Evelyn nervously gave a quick nod. She hadn't expected the rumor to cause her to lie so much. Still, she wanted Rick to suffer some more, so it wasn't time to tell the truth.
Cordelia glanced around the room. "What are you going to wear tomorrow night?"
With a tolerant sigh, Evy told her friend, "You and clothes. You're right, some things never change."
As the two women began to go through Evy's suitcases they caught up on life. Cordelia was happily married, despite the usual quirks that married couples tend to find annoying, but only discover after the first month as husband and wife. She and Colin were planning to start a family. She filled in Evelyn on what had happened to some of the people they had grown up with, telling each story with humor and excitement.
Meanwhile, Evelyn explained about her time in Cairo, even mentioning the fact that she had yet to break herself of her clumsiness. "Remember how Mrs. Dougal used to call me a destructive storm. Well, I appear to have gone from storm to hurricane."
"Was it one of your accidents that caused you to meet Rick?" Cordelia asked, her eyes shining with the want of a good romance story, "I asked Rick about how you met and all he said was that you saved him."
Without thinking, Evy confessed, "He was being hung."
"Hung!" her friend cried out, "For what?!"
"I asked once; I didn't receive a proper answer, but I've decided that I don't want to know."
"I would have never guessed him for a...criminal," Cordelia pointed out, "He seems so chivalrous and...well, he most certainly loves you."
"Wait, when did you meet him?"
"I had a talk with your Rick the other night," Cordelia confessed, "He's...not the sort of man Eliza and I would have expected you to marry..."
Feeling defensive, Evy began to say, "Yes, well I am...."
Cordelia cut her off. "I'm glad he's not that sort of man." For the first time in her life, Evelyn saw her friend with a solemn expression. "Honestly, Eliza was always telling me that you'd end up with someone like her brother who'd spend all his time keeping you in your place. I'm happy that she's wrong."
At first Evy wasn't sure of what to say back. She smiled at Cordelia and responded with, "Thank you." As a second thought, the woman added, "You two talk about me?"
The bright smile returned to Cordelia's face. "You weren't here to speak up for yourself, so you can't blame us for gossiping a little." She lowered her voice, "Quite frankly, I think Eliza is jealous. You've met her husband."
"You mean the man with the personality of a pocket book?"
"That would be him. She thought she had the greatest catch of them all. Then you come along with a dashing ex-legionnaire on your arm and new fortune in your procession. She's always been trying to prove she's better than the rest of us. It's about time someone put her in her place and I'm glad you are the one to do it, Evy. She's given you more trouble than any of the rest of us." Cordelia took out a dress and held it up to Evy, then shook her head 'no'. "Now you know she's going to try and talk you out of marrying Rick. Don't you let her do it."
Evelyn could feel the guilt set in. Her friends wanted her to marry Rick, not only for her own good, but for the good of their sanity. If Eliza wasn't one-uped soon she was going to drive them all mad. Yet, it was all a lie and they were going to disappointed to find out. She wanted to prepare her friend for the truth, without actually telling the truth (that was Rick's job). "Actually...I'm not entirely sure Rick and I are ready to marry. I mean, we've barely known each other and I still want to go back to Egypt for a little more studying..."
"That is not the sort of attitude I want to hear from you, Evelyn Carnahan...I mean future Mrs. O'Connell," Cordelia scolded, "You and Rick are going to be very happy, I can feel it. The party tomorrow will be beautiful. That is, of course, as long as we keep our eyes open. Do you think Eliza may set out any nasty surprises?"
Sinking into her chair, Evy replied glumly, "Trust me, it will be a night for surprises."