Then Face to Face (Sequel to Now In a Mirror Dimly – end of trilogy beginning with LinZE's Before a Mirror Dimly) - Crossover PD/Eloise
Co-authors, Betas, suggestion offerers, etc. ... LinZe and Sue – Thanks, you two!
We don't own any of these characters since Princess Diaries 1 & 2 and Eloise at the Plaza and Eloise at Christmastime, and all their characters are the property of Disney, Buena Vista, Meg Cabot (for the Princess Diaries) and Kay Thompson (for the Eloise movies). We make no money from this work of fiction. Also, a lot of credit must go to Kay Thompson because I had her book Eloise open in front of me to get some of Eloise's exploits and expressions right ...
She came awake slowly, aware that her shoulder and arm were numb from being slept on and that she needed to find a bathroom. Then she realized that her cheek was NOT pressed into the softness of a pillow, but rather the soft, warm skin of someone's chest that moved rhythmically with the faint sound of snoring she was hearing. Oh, my Lord! She was in bed with Sir Wilkes! And he was waking up! Oh, my Lord ... In the same position they had been the time they had woken up in each other's arms in Genovia. That time, however, had been innocent. Innocence did NOT enter the picture here in New York. Oh, my Lord ... she had asked Sir Wilkes to marry her, he had accepted ... and she had slept with him last night! Oh, my Lord!
"Nanny?" his voice was hesitant, husky.
Putting back her head so she could look at him, Nanny couldn't say a word, she could only look mutely at him. She must look a fright! Her hair all over the place, never having been braided last night ... crease marks on her face from sleeping on him, with him ... oh, my Lord! For a moment she lay still, then nature's call became too much to bear any longer, and she got to her feet and rawther unsteadily made her way to the bathroom, thinking as she went that a body could certainly get very, very, very used to being adored!
Having completed her necessities, Nanny peered into the mirror over the sink, and smoothed her hair back into some semblance of order. Her mind was still overwhelmed at all the events of the past few days. She had lived in a PALACE, for Lord's sake, had been mistaken for a queen, had met again the dearest friend she had ever had when Joe came back into her life ... had asked Sir Wilkes to marry her, had been accepted and they had already pre-empted the wedding and consummated the marriage vows! Was she really still just plain and simple old Nanny? What had come over her? How would she ever be able to find herself again when Eloise came back? Would she ever be satisfied with the life she had had, after this taste of something so much, much, much more?
Hearing a persistent knock at the outside door, Nanny froze. She heard Sir Wilkes grumble as he got out of bed, fumbled for something to cover himself, then his footsteps, then the opening of the door. She heard and recognized William's voice, not needing Sir Wilkes' forced hearty greeting, "Bill! How are you?"
"Sir Wilkes? I was told you were home, so thought I would resume bringing up your breakfast and tea as usual. This is Frank – he's learning the ropes on room service with me this morning before starting in the restaurant."
"Nice to meet you, Frank," Sir Wilkes murmured.
Nanny grinned to herself. Sir Wilkes didn't sound very enthusiastic about this young man. Frank? Where had she heard that name befo...? Wait ... wasn't Frank the young man Eloise had told her had started in the laundry section when Nanny was in the hospital, then had moved to help Walter with mail and packages, then had been transferred to the janitorial section to wash the lobby floor, walls, etc.? Eloise had said the poor man couldn't seem to get the hang of any of the jobs he had had to date. Obviously they were still trying to find his niche.
"Sir Wilkes," Frank said.
"Thank you for the breakfast and the tea." Sir Wilkes then added, "But why the worried expression, Bill?"
William spoke quickly. "Well, we brought some coffee and breakfast for Nanny as well, and I knocked at her door, and there's no answer. I tried a couple of times, and we were practically banging the door down and calling her name, and there wasn't a sound from her suite. What if she's sick again and CAN'T answer? Do you think we should ...?"
"Nanny? Oh, I ... No, not sick, she ... er ..."
At that point, Nanny's breath caught in her throat, and she started to cough. At first she tried to smother it, but, as always seems to happen in such cases, it got the best of her, and she had to hang on to the sink while she coughed and coughed.
"Err ..." Sir Wilkes hesitated only a moment, then was tapping on the bathroom door. "Are you all right in there, Nanny?" he asked urgently. "Do you need help? Should I come in?"
"No! No, I ... I'll be fine, fine, fine," Nanny's voice was small as the coughing died away.
"Nanny's here? HERE? In YOUR ...?" came William's incredulous voice. There was silence for a moment, then he cleared his throat. "I assume Nanny found the paint fumes too much last night in her own place. Well, then ... I can, er, leave her coffee ..."
Frank was obviously chortling at the thought. "Enjoying a little hanky-panky with the nanny while the kid is ... ooph!"
Nanny's eyes narrowed. She disliked him already. She hoped the noise at the end of his rawther nasty insinuation meant that someone had silenced him roughly.
"No, it's, it's not what you think!" Sir Wilkes said desperately. "Not ... er ... hanky-panky! I have, that is, well, honourable intentions. As a matter of fact, Nanny, er, I, well, what I mean to say is, Bill, and, uh, Frank, well, we ... we're going to be married!"
"MARRIED? You and Nanny? That's ... that's WONDERFUL news!" William sounded stunned, but delighted. "So your trip together accomplished something, I'm glad to see!"
Nanny closed her eyes. Oh, my Lord. William wouldn't tell anyone, he was a very well-mannered young man, but she didn't know anything about this Frank who was with him. She wished she had some clothes so she could go out to meet Frank for herself. She wished she was in her own suite ... no, she was GLAD she was here with Sir Wilkes, but so very, very, very sorry that they had been discovered!
"I do hope your holiday was a good one, Sir Wilkes," William was saying as he and Frank went about putting the breakfast on the table.
"Do you want these glasses of beer kept, Sir Wilkes, or should I throw them out?" Frank asked, a hint of laughter in his voice.
"Er, yes, the beer. Oh dear, I hadn't realized we just left them. We must have, er," Sir Wilkes' voice died away as he fumbled for the right words to say.
"Must have been quite a party you two had last night," The laughter was even more evident in Frank's voice. "Got so carried away you forgot to dr – ooph! Come on, Bill, I'm just teasing ..."
"We, er, got back rather late ... actually, we were ... er, terribly tired ... we just ... well, went to bed ..." Sir Wilkes sounded almost miserable. "What I mean to say is, well, it just ..."
"Well, as long as you're going to make an honest woman of her," Frank chuckled.
Nanny cringed. How embarrassing! It must be even worse for poor, poor, poor Sir Wilkes having to FACE the man! Why, if she had some clothes, she would be out there to support him, but as it was, she was NOT going to parade in front of William and this ... this FRANK wearing only a towel, for Lord's sake!
"Please," Sir Wilkes suddenly spoke up desperately, "Please, don't say anything to anyone about this. Please ...?"
"Don't worry, Sir Wilkes, I won't say a thing. Not even to Rachel." William said gently. Nanny would have kissed him had she been out there. He really was a dear, dear boy.
Before Sir Wilkes could close the door behind William and Frank, Nanny heard Frank's guffaws and comments about the old geezer making out with an old bird. The door slammed shut with more force than Sir Wilkes used normally, then he was at the bathroom door. "Nanny? Are you really all right? I ... I am really terribly, terribly sorry about this. It ... it is inexcusable of me to have tarnished your reputation ..."
Making sure the skimpy towel was covering as much of her as possible, Nanny opened the door to find a very red-faced Sir Wilkes wringing his hands. She tried to smile reassuringly. "Aoww, Sir ... er, Wilkes, it's not, not, NOT your fault! If anyone should be blamed, it's me for coughing."
"You ARE sure ...?" Suddenly Sir Wilkes seemed to really notice her attire, and he lost his voice for a moment.
Afraid she had shocked his sensibilities, no longer seeing desire or adoration in his eyes, Nanny turned away quickly and hurried into the bedroom, shutting the door. "I'll just get dressed and ..." She couldn't finish her sentence. What if he regretted the night before? What if he regretted accepting her offer of marriage? What if he had only done so to ... to have the night, and now that he had been humiliated by that, that Frank, he only wished to have her out of his life? What could he possibly see in HER anyway, after he had known elegance and femininity such as Queen Clarisse portrayed so beautifully?
"Well, hurry," he said, rather helplessly, outside the door. "Your coffee will be getting terribly cold. Yes, yes, quite so ..."
O o O o O o
When Nanny had pulled on yesterday's clothes, grimacing at the thought and vowing to shower and change the moment she got back to her own suite, she hesitated momentarily before gathering together all her courage and stepping out of the bedroom. Unable to look Sir Wilkes in the eye, she allowed him to usher her to the table, seat her, and pour her a cup of steaming coffee from the thermos. "Thank you," she said, rawther faintly.
He sat down himself, and poured his own tea. The uncomfortable silence stretched. Then both started talking at once. "Nanny ..." "Sir, er, uh, Wilkes ..." Both stopped abruptly. Then Sir Wilkes stood up. "Excuse me. I do feel at a disadvantage when I am not properly attired. I'll be right back, Nanny!"
He scurried into the bedroom and closed the door. Nanny shut her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, then began to drink her coffee. If they were to REALLY marry, it was more than obvious that they had to do a great deal more 'getting to know one another', preferably in activities other than the bedroom! She blushed at the thought, and squirmed in her seat, privately thinking that Sir Wilkes had certainly surprised her by surpassing her expectations in that area! Not that she had ever really DREAMT of expecting such wondrous events unfolding in her life, not at this stage, and certainly not with a knight, for Lord's sake!
When Sir Wilkes re-appeared, it was obvious that along with his clothes he had donned a bit of self-confidence. He smiled somewhat nervously at Nanny. "I feel like a new man, now." Sitting down, he picked up the plate of toast and offered it to her. "Here. You must eat ... we need to feed you up, to build up your strength if you're going to keep exer ..." The plate trembled as he realized what he had just insinuated.
Nanny struggled not to laugh hysterically. This could NOT be happening! "Thank you," she murmured at last, keeping her eyes fixed on the plate as she took a slice of toast.
"Now, Nanny," Sir Wilkes cleared his throat, then began to speak firmly. "As I am forced to accept the fact that, because of the, er, dreadful blunder I made this morning allowing Bill and, uh, Frank into the suite, I must say that I am more than willing to do what I can to make up for any unfortunate misunderstandings that might have arisen. As we are going to get married ..." he paused for a moment, then leaned forward and asked urgently, "We ARE still going to get married, are we not, Nanny? It wasn't just a dream that I had?"
Colour swept over her face. "I ... yes, last night we said ..."
"You haven't changed your mind?" he questioned anxiously. "I must say, I am not usually so ... undignified ... but Bill caught me off guard ..."
"I was afraid YOU might have changed your mind," Nanny admitted, looking at him nervously. "I was ... rawther forward ..."
He beamed in relief. "Tosh, tosh, tosh! It's settled then. We will be married. I confess I am relieved. I have found that I miss you when you are not in the bed with me at night. That other night in Genovia when we were apart, I could not sleep well at all. I cannot wait too long before you are in my bed every night and we have no need to worry what anyone else thinks. We must go shopping for a ring today."
Caught off guard, Nanny stammered, "Oh, but, but, but ... S ... Wilkes, it's ..."
"No shopping?" He looked crestfallen for a moment, then brightened. "I say, I ... will you excuse me a minute again?"
Nanny's eyes followed him as he hurried into the bedroom and rummaged in the top drawer of his bureau. She took a sip of her rapidly cooling coffee and tried to calm her racing heart. A ring? He was talking about buying a ring already? Oh, my sainted Aunt Fanny! He was serious! Truly serious! He wanted to marry her! HER! She gulped more coffee.
Then Sir Wilkes was back. He came up to Nanny and got down on his knee, wincing a little as he did so, and teetering a bit. Her hands went out to steady him, and he caught her left hand in his. "Nanny? Nanny, I'm going to do this properly. I've never asked anyone to marry me before, but I've never wanted to marry anyone until I got to know you. Nanny, will you marry me?"
She gaped at him.
He shifted a bit, holding her hand tightly until his knee was in a more comfortable position, then he fumbled for the ring he had unearthed from his drawer. "This was my mother's ring. I'd ... like you to have it." He tried to push it clumsily onto her middle finger.
Nanny gasped, "WILKES!" as she stared at the glittering ring which wouldn't go past her first knuckle for all he was trying to force it on. "Oh, Wilkes," she repeated, tears coming to her eyes.
"Is that a yes?" he asked hopefully.
Nanny stopped his fingers from working with the ring, slid it off the wrong finger then onto the proper finger where it settled in place as if it belonged there. Then she leaned forward and put her arms around him, helping him to his feet and standing close to him. "That's a definite yes, yes, yes, Willy!" she whispered, her lips meeting his.
Then a knock sounded at the door. The two stumbled apart and Sir Wilkes staggered over to the door and opened it.
"Sir Wilkes?" Miss Thompson stood there, smiling uncertainly. She looked past him, and her eyes met Nanny's. "Nanny? We, er ... welcome back, first of all, and well ... Frank has been talking ... I understand that, well, that is ..."
Nanny sighed. Frank! But she DID like Miss Thompson. "Yes, Miss Thompson, it is quite, quite, quite true. Sir Wilkes and I are to be married." and she held out her hand to show off her engagement ring.
Miss Thompson's smiles overflowed, as did her tears. "Oh, it IS true! I'm so happy for you, Nanny! For you BOTH! Oh, it's just wonderful!" She hugged Nanny, then, to his consternation, hugged Sir Wilkes as well before hugging Nanny one more time. Then, wiping her eyes, she said, "Since it is true, Mr. Salamone entrusted me with the message that a table has been reserved for the two of you in the Rose Room for six o'clock this evening ... compliments of Mr. Peabody. We are just all so happy for the two of you!"
"Th-thank you, Miss Thompson," Nanny said when Sir Wilkes appeared to be speechless. "But Eloise ..."
"Oh, and that's another reason I came up. Eloise's mother tried phoning your suite earlier, but you didn't answer. She was quite worried, as were we, until Frank told us that you had spent the night with ..." Miss Thompson coughed, turning a little red at the indiscreetness of her words. She rushed on, "Anyway, those two have been delayed and will not be here until late tomorrow morning. She hopes that you will not be too inconvenienced by this ..." then Miss Thompson's smile broke out again, "and I would hazard a guess that you probably will not be! Remember, six o'clock tonight in the Rose Room, and the meal will be on the house, compliments of the Plaza Hotel!" Miss Thompson hugged Nanny quickly one more time, then rushed out the door.
Nanny and Sir Wilkes looked at each other with a bit of uncertainty in their demeanor. Nanny offered a faint smile, then said, "I'm ... rawther nervous, waiting for someone else to come in ..."
"Quite so," he agreed, his eyes dancing. "Perhaps we should remove ourselves from the temptation ..."
Her eyebrows arched. "Oh? And what did you have in mind?"
Taking her elbow, he whispered, "We COULD always go hide in YOUR suite!"
O o O o O o
When they arrived in the lobby at noon, Mr. Salamone greeted them with a deferential smile and more apologies for not having had Nanny's suite ready for her the previous night. "It can't possibly have been comfortable, even WITH the windows open!" he insisted. "It should have been ready. It should have been aired out! Yes, it should! But it wasn't. Yet, out of my failure, you both have managed to forge success. It is wonderful to hear your news, it is uplifting! Yes, it is. I'm so happy, so happy for you both!"
At the entrance to the Palm Court Café, Henry was also effusive in his welcome. "Nanny. Sir Wilkes. May I say how happy I am to hear your good news? What a joy to hear! How well I remember the first time you came in here to the Palm Court at teatime looking for Sir Wilkes, Nanny," Henry greeted them.
Nanny's eyes met Sir Wilkes' and they shared a hint of laughter. They remembered that tea as well, one which had started out rawther uncomfortably until realizing that Eloise had set them up, then had continued to be uncomfortable when Mrs. Daniels joined them, yet had turned around when Sir Wilkes had returned almost immediately from giving the other woman's purse to Henry to deliver and had approached Nanny to find her peering into her purse.
"I was not trying to make you pay for this tea, Nanny!" Sir Wilkes had said, making her jump.
"Aoww, I know, Sir Wilkes, I just ..."
"So put your money away." He had put his hand out intending to shut her purse with a snap, but she had jerked it at his movement and his hand had gone inside and his eyes had widened. "That ... THAT is what ... what touched that dreadful woman?" He had peered into the depths of the purse, then had looked back at Nanny who was flushing.
"Eloise," she had sighed.
Sir Wilkes' lips had twitched, then he had begun to chuckle, then had roared with laughter. When he had finally regained some semblance of control, he had wiped his streaming eyes with his handkerchief and had repeated, "How remarkable! I mean, for such a small child ..."
"We certainly must not underestimate her!" Nanny had said grimly. "I HAD thought she would behave much better than that! Much, much, much!"
"Tosh, tosh, tosh. Come, Nanny, sit down. Let's have tea, and enjoy it this time, without that dreadful woman to spoil things." Sir Wilkes had said gallantly, and they HAD enjoyed it.
Now, with Henry beaming at them, Sir Wilkes and Nanny could only smile feebly back at him and allow him to usher them to a table 'in a romantic, secluded corner for our two lovebirds'. When their waiter arrived, Sir Wilkes almost choked on his water. Nanny looked at him curiously. The moment the waiter spoke, however, she recognized him.
"Why, if it isn't Sir Wilkes! And this must be your blushing intended," Frank grinned. "I'm glad you see you two finally made it downstairs."
Nanny's face suffused with colour and she buried it in the menu. Sir Wilkes shifted uncomfortably in his seat but said nothing.
"Have you lovebirds decided what you wish to eat, or are you planning to live on love?" Frank continued, in a loud, amused voice.
Sir Wilkes hunched further down in his seat. Nanny had had enough. She put the menu down on the table deliberately and, recalling how Queen Clarisse had spoken and acted, she said quietly but firmly, "If we are to be subjected to this throughout our entire meal, I'm afraid we will have to ask for another waiter or we will have to find another place to eat."
Frank looked astonished, then shamefaced. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I, well, when I'm nervous, I tend to talk too much and too loud ... and this is my first day here. I really don't want to screw up again. Please, forgive me and don't say anything? I'll try to do better, really I will!"
Sir Wilkes straightened up, and looked at Nanny with dawning respect in his eyes. "Nanny? I defer to you. Shall we stay, or shan't we?"
Nanny studied Frank a moment longer, making the young man sweat as he waited, then she nodded regally. "Very well, we will stay. This time."
The implied threat was enough to keep Frank on his toes, and he behaved impeccably through the rest of the meal. When he had taken their order and vanished, Sir Wilkes leaned closer to Nanny and said, "I DO apologize, Nanny, for not defending your honour more suitably, both this morning and now. I'm afraid I, well, I get tongue-tied when I sense that someone is making fun of me. I shall endeavour to mend my ways in the future, if you will say you forgive me now. Your imperiousness with that young upstart was just the ticket!" Then he flushed. "And it suits you!" he added feebly. "You are lovely when you do that! Quite so, quite so!"
"Aoww, it was nothing," Nanny murmured, blushing fiercely, but warmed by his praise.
The food was delicious, and Nanny and Sir Wilkes managed to chat lightly about Eloise and life in New York City and other impersonal subjects for quite a while. As they rose to go, both had to struggle to stand up as they had sore muscles and joints from the unaccustomed activity the night before as well as sitting for a long time on the rawther hard chairs.
Nanny was laughing as she massaged her hips, saying, "One disadvantage of being ill and losing weight is that I no longer am carrying around my own cushion for chairs!"
Sir Wilkes chuckled as he retrieved his cane and rubbed his own thigh with a grimace. Then Frank was beside them again, seeing them moving awkwardly as they tried to work out the kinks, and he said, "Might I suggest that the two of you make use of the new hot tub and whirlpool which we had installed in the pool area a few days ago? I understand it is working today. Hot tubs are great for soothing sore muscles that haven't been used for a while ..."
Trying to control their rising colour, both Nanny and Sir Wilkes murmured that they hadn't heard that the Plaza had installed a hot tub.
"It's the renovations, you know. Kids love it, and so do adults. Hot tubs are a great way to relax and work out the kinks from strenuous exercise." declared Frank.
"Oh, no, I do not think that is for me," Sir Wilkes shook his head. Then he looked at Nanny, and asked gravely, "Nanny? Might you be interested?"
"No," Nanny said, decidedly. "There is no, no, no way I am going to bare myself, bathing suit notwithstanding, before everyone in a public pool area!"
Not phased by their refusal of his suggestion, Frank winked and said confidentially, "Well, after all, the bathtubs in the suites here ARE plenty large enough for two and they'll probably work if you're careful not to move too quickly once you're in ... Have fun, you two!" and he turned away before the shock of his words could fully sink in to Nanny's brain.
Nanny stared after Frank, her mouth open, then felt Sir Wilkes shaking slightly at her side. Her eyes snapped back to him, and she saw that he was trying valiantly to suppress his amusement. The moment their eyes connected, he lost control and his laugh burst out. Nanny's lips twitched then, too. Oh knickers, it really WAS rawther funny, wasn't it? Soon her raucous laughter joined his, and, taking Sir Wilkes' arm, Nanny walked out with him, still chuckling.
They strolled leisurely around the park that afternoon, enjoying the warmth of the sunshine. They walked as they talked, and Nanny found out more about his background and shared a bit of hers. When she thought about it, she could scarcely believe that she was the same woman who, a mere few weeks ago, had been hardly able to get a word out of her mouth when he was around. Now she was out walking on his arm, knowing exactly what his elegant hands felt like as they caressed her and sent her senses whirling madly. She blushed at the memory, sneaking little glances at him as they walked, thinking he looked so very proper and dapper in his three piece suit, bowler and cane, and wondering if he would be horrified to know the direction of her thoughts. What if people in his class always had their minds on higher things? Would he think her ill-bred and vulgar if she were to mention that she would like a kiss? Was that too shameless a desire, being that they were outdoors in a public park? She sighed inwardly. Would she ever be fully relaxed around him or his friends?
Then Nanny realized they had come to a halt. She looked up to find Sir Wilkes staring at her, a peculiar expression in his brown eyes. "What?" she asked. "What are you thinking?"
He smiled slightly. "That I can't think of anything I would rather be doing right now except ..."
"Except?" she almost whispered. What would he rather be doing if he were not walking around the park with her?
"I'm thinking I want to kiss you."
"You want to ...oh!" she turned red, then had to chuckle. "I was thinking the same, same, same thing."
He hugged her close, and his lips touched her nose, then both cheeks.
"No, Willy, I want you to KISS me," she whispered, tossing her doubts aside, reaching up to cup his cheeks and gently guiding his mouth so that his bashful kiss landed on her lips. Wrapping her arms around him, Nanny sighed into his mouth as he took the hint and began to kiss her thoroughly and most satisfactorily. That was much better, much, much, much!
O o O o O o
That evening, almost breathless with excitement, Nanny held onto Sir Wilkes's arm tightly as they walked in to the Rose Room. "Aoww, I know this isn't much for you, Willy," she whispered, "but I've only eaten in here a handful of times, for sure, sure, sure. It's not as fancy as the Queen's palace, but it's close."
"Nanny, you are delightful," he beamed at her. He had been beaming since this afternoon. Nanny smiled inwardly. Charlotte had been quite right in her assessment a few days ago. Sir Wilkes DID watch her a lot, and it made him ridiculously proud and happy when she said or even hinted that she thought he was wonderful.
"Ah, the happy couple!" Thomas greeted them, a wide grin on his face. "Sir Wilkes, Nanny, may I offer my congratulations and best wishes on your union?"
Nanny shyly accepted his hand, wondering why everyone seemed to be making such a big thing out of the fact that she and Willy were going to get married. When Lily had popped in with clean towels, she had been happy for Nanny as well. In fact, Lily had urged her to get married as soon as possible! Nanny had secretly wondered if Lily was thinking that they were so old, they had better tie the knot before they forgot what to do! Little did the other woman know ... little did ANYONE know or even suspect what she and Sir Wilkes had managed to accomplish over the course of last night! Well, Nanny felt a wave of heat wash over her at her thoughts, they probably DID suspect!
Once again, the meal was spectacular. A bottle of champagne had been opened with a flourish. The chef, Patrice, had outdone himself, and had come up personally to offer his best wishes as well. He had created a special chocolate confection for dessert, just for the occasion. Nanny closed her eyes to savour every mouthful of the sinfully delicious concoction. She happened to catch Sir Wilkes' visage as she was licking the spoon and stopped with her tongue protruding and her mouth open. His gaze was hot as he followed every movement of her mouth and tongue, and he licked his lips with an expression of longing on his face. Rawther puzzled and about to offer him a spoonful of her dessert, she realized that he hadn't touched his own which was sitting right in front of him.
"Sir Wilkes?" she questioned tentatively. "Willy? Your ... dessert?"
"Hmm? Oh! Right! My dessert! Yes, I must eat it ..." but he made no move to pick up his spoon. He watched closely as she lifted the spoon to her mouth again, and again he licked his lips, this time allowing a small groan to escape.
Nanny swallowed the suddenly tasteless mouthful. Oh my Lord, was he thinking what she THOUGHT he was thinking? Oh, my Lord! Heat swept over her, and her skin tingled. Carefully she set her spoon down and wiped her mouth. Sir Wilkes smiled shyly at her, and she returned the smile tentatively. Did he ...?
He jammed his spoon into his dessert, to make it look as though he had at least tried it, then stood up abruptly and held his hand out to her. "Shall we go, Nanny?"
She almost melted inside at the heat of his fingers. Oh, yes, he WAS thinking precisely that!
They hurried out of the Rose Room, Sir Wilkes not releasing her hand. Nanny kept her head down as they crossed the lobby, afraid she would catch the knowing looks of everyone around. Did they all have to be standing around gawking, for Lord's sake? The elevator doors opened, and Sir Wilkes charged in, Nanny close behind. Max acknowledged their presence with a slight nod, then pressed the button for the sixteenth floor.
They stood circumspectly at the back of the lift, then, seeing as how Max was staring straight ahead as usual, Nanny twisted her fingers free and slid her hand casually down Sir Wilkes' back and over his butt. He tensed, then his hand copied hers, and he smoothed over her botto. She pinched him gently, and was rewarded with a little nip from him. They didn't look at each other, but Nanny risked a quick glance and saw that he was smirking much as she felt herself doing. Oh, my, but he was fun to tease. Her fingers danced lightly over the bottom of his spine, and he stiffened even more, smothering a choking sound with a brief cough.
The elevator slowed down, then stopped on the eighth floor, and three women got on, chattering noisily amongst themselves. Sir Wilkes hastily put his hands on Nanny's hips and moved her solidly in front of him, but not before she glanced down to see why he needed her protective cover. Colour swept up into her face, and she eased away from him slightly. The elevator was suddenly very warm, warm, warm!
At the sixteenth floor, Max opened the door and Sir Wilkes was out in a flash, tugging Nanny with him. "Have a good night," Max said, deadpan, as the doors closed.
"Sir Wilkes!" Nanny pretended to be shocked, but her heart was racing and her breathing was speeding up. She fumbled in her purse for the keys to her suite which was right in front of them. She opened the door and he almost pushed her through before shutting the door behind them and dragging her into his arms. "Sir Wil..." she squeaked, then his mouth was on her and he was kissing her frantically.
"Eloise and her mother are back tomorrow, so this is our last chance until we can get married," he groaned, his lips moving down her throat. Her head fell back and she clenched her fists in his jacket to keep herself upright, desire flooding through her so rapidly she found it hard to stand.
Frantically they tore off their clothes, then fell on the bed, tangled together in passion and pleasure. Then, as they rested and tried to calm down after their exertions, he sighed, and slid his hand down her arm. "Nanny? When can we be married? Next week?"
"Oh, Willy, you absolutely muddle, muddle, muddle my thinking!"
"Tis only fair, for you have muddled mine for a long time. Marry me tomorrow?"
She laughed weakly, pressing a hand to her heart. "Oh, Willy, I love you, but no, we cannot get married tomorrow. I ... I'm not ready, for Lord's sake!"
"Not ready?"
"Please, Willy ..." she begged, "give me time to get used to the idea ... to try to be the kind of person you should marry. You're a KNIGHT, for Lord's sake!"
"I don't want a certain kind of person to marry! I want to marry you!" he said softly, twisting the ring he had placed on her finger just that morning. "I love you, Nanny, just as you are ..."
"Oh, Will ..." her voice died away as he moved closer. She would worry about everything else another time. For now, all that mattered was Wilkes and their love for one another.
O o O o O o To Be Continued