Puddleducks

By: Lady Arre

Chapter Nine: Annabelle and Katie Wood

Dear Katie and Oliver,

If you're reading this it means that I have passed away, and that you, Katie have finally married my baby boy. I really do love being a witch; to be able to leave a letter like this for you my dears really is very special thing.. I dearly hope that my passing has not been painful for you all.

Katie, you really are an amazing girl. No ordinary lady could take two men such as Oliver and your brother Thomas, who are both stubborn and spirited , and make them into what she wanted them to be. You are only five now while I write this, and you already have them at your beck and call. You share the charisma of queen Boudicca who led her people in a revolt on the romans.

My dear children, I wish you all the best in your marriage. And offer you this advice, live everyday as if it were your last, love each other as if you were watching them die, and remember what made you fall in love in the first place.

Ollie? Treat her as if she was a queen, and she will honour you as a hero.

All my love and best wishes

Annabelle Wood

I fold the letter up and wipe my teary eyes. You sleep so well Oliver; I don't have the heart to wake you. I never knew that your mother wrote this. I wonder if your father did. None of our family seemed surprised when you told them we were to be married. I'm under the impression that they all knew before we did that we were meant for each other. Perhaps Annabelle even knew off her own death. It would not surprise me. For her to have seer talents would have been the only way she could keep you out of trouble as a child.

I do hope though that all of our sons will grow up like you, I cannot believe there is a better bred man, a more dear man in all this world.

I move back down to the bed and curl up to you, it is cold outside of the bed and I am surprised at how wonderfully warm it feels lying next to you. In your sleep you move your arms around me and pull me closer. There is nothing I want more in the world than to be the perfect wife for you. To keep the name of Wood going for ever.

"obbilla puddleduck" I murmur, even in your sleep you grin as you hear that. But perhaps you aren't asleep… I think I see your eyelids flutter. you aren't! you trickster! You have been awake the whole time.

you grin broadly then roll on top of me. Its sounds odd, but the pressure is comfortable, falling in all the right places.

"Mrs Wood" you drawl, planting kisses on my neck.

But I am trickier than you my dear obbilla. I hold you tighter to me and run my hands over that spot on your back. You retreat in a laughing fit. You are only ticklish in that one spot and I know exactly where it is.

"I love you too puddleduck" we both say, as a retorting jest. You laugh at me and come back again to my side.

Oh I do love you Oliver Hamish Wood…

Authors note: that technically is the end of the story, but you will notice that it does not say 'complete' - i did promise you all their will be a surprise. its on its way.

please review and tell me if you liked it or it needs something. i intend to go and fix up things after the surprise chapter is up, so if their is a scene you'd like put in, tell me and i may write it!

in the meantime, you are invited to go and read 'merely the brutal truth' which is a companion piece to this story all in sixteen year old oliver's point of view.

thankyou to all those who reviewed! i love you all!

Disclaimer: see all previous chapters.