Disclaimer: Again…I don't own them.
A/N: Uwaa…no more break and it's back to teaching the little Japanese chibis how to speak English…hopefully I still have time to continue writing!
It was either very late or very early when Mary remembered that she should be in her own bed and not lying on the floral covered ground of the garden. But it was so comfortable, more comfortable than she had ever felt before because her new pillow was not made of feathers and linens, but of Dickon. She memorized his sleeping face as she leaned over to watch him sleep. His arm protectively still around her as he lay in a deep slumber of blissful happiness.
Until Mary sneezed. He woke up quickly and told her she needed to go to her warm bed. Besides, it wasn't exactly the best idea to be staying alone with the gardener at this time of night. Reluctantly, Mary returned to the manor sniffling the whole way. She snuck back to her room, after years of practice of sneaking around the giant house it was no problem for her now and she crawled in her bed to dream of Dickon.
Dickon, on the other hand, did not have sweet dreams of his Mary like he had wanted to. He dreamt of fire and bullets and the sights of his comrades in arms that had fallen into death's shadow. He was running. Running ever so fast to try and reach the garden but the faster he ran the further it got away from him. He heard a distant roar of laughter and above him was the giant face of the Duke laughing down at him. Suddenly Dickon felt a chain around his neck and the Duke was pulling him back from reaching the garden. He could hear Mary calling to him but he couldn't break free. The Duke then stood before him as an enemy on the field holding a gun to him.
"Mary is mine." He rushed forward and held the gun to Dickon's stomach. "Forever." He fired.
Dickon awoke in his small cottage in a cold sweat. He held his head at the thought of the dream. It had been so real but it was still just a dream. Everything was fine. It had to be. He was going to go to Lord Craven today about asking his permission to marry his niece and he would consent, he said he would if Mary chose him. There was no problem here. There couldn't be.
When Dickon arrived at the manor he had found he had loads of work to do and talking to Lord Craven would have to wait, especially since he was still entertaining their guests.
Mary woke up late that morning. She gave a great stretch when she finally did, having had the best dreams since her return to Misselthwaite and the knowledge that the dreams would be able to continue sooner or later in real life. She had not even noticed Martha stand above her with her hands on her hips.
"Mornin' Miss Mary." She said with a smirk causing Mary to jump.
"Oh, Martha. Good morning." Mary tried to compose herself.
"And where hath tha been all las' nigh'?" Martha smiled and crossed her arms.
"What do you mean? Of course I went to bed as soon as we came home from the opera." Mary was terrible at lying.
"Oh really? Is tha' so? Tha wasn't with me brother now weren't tha?" Martha smiled and a blush crept up on Mary's cheeks.
"Uh? No?" Mary could barely contain her joy.
"Oh Miss Mary! Tha is a scandalous lass!" Martha sat with her and tickled her. "Dickon tol' me jus' this mornin' he wa' gonna talk to Lord Craven 'bout it."
"Please don't say anything to Colin, Martha! I want to tell him myself."
"As tha wishes." Martha smiled.
"Oh Martha! I'm so happy. Everything is just perfect."
"Tha only thin' that's not perfect is tha guest's nose." Martha pointed at her own nose.
"Oh dear, the Duke must be furious but he deserved it!" Mary folded her arms.
"So far he's coughin' it up to tha being ill. Which by the looks of it, may be true." Martha noted as Mary gave another sneeze.
"I suppose Dickon was right, it was a bad idea to be out that late in the cold." Mary sniffled.
"Does tha need anything?"
"No, I'll be fine, it'll pass." Mary said and finally got out of bed. "I suppose I should go smooth things over with Duke Bother." Mary opened her wardrobe to pick out something to wear. Martha couldn't help but smile and smirk at her soon to be sister.
Meanwhile downstairs, Colin was doing damage control.
"I do apologize for my cousin's behavior last night." Colin apologized again as he stared at the bandaged Duke's nose.
"Oh, the fault is all mine. With her feeling ill and everything, I can't blame her for being so jumpy when that snake showed up. She tried to step on it but it was all just a terrible accident." The Duke had been telling this story over and over again it had almost become fact in his mind.
"Still, she should be more careful." Colin said.
"Well there's the pretty little thing, now." Anne said happily as Mary walked in.
"My apologies for coming down so late, I am not feeling well." Mary curtsied as she entered the dining room. The Duke immediately stood up to pull her chair out for her. Mary thought it was the least she could let him down seeing his nose may never be straight again. Colin simply stared at his cousin with disbelief and tried to push down his amusement.
"Mary, the Duke and his family will be staying a little longer. It seems they've all enjoyed the fresh air here." Colin said.
"It's not the fresh air I'm enjoying." Mrs. Buescher said bitterly but it was ignored by mostly everyone.
"Lovely." That was the only word that would come out of Mary's mouth that sounded half-believable. Colin stifled his snort.
"Miss Mary, I was wondering later if you could show me the gardens. I haven't really seen them all and your cousin has told me wonderful stories of them." The Duke smiled.
"I suppose I could. But I may not feel well enough to show you all the gardens." Mary covered. She did not want to show him her garden. She knew Colin must have been talking about it as he always does now that the garden has been opened even though it is still their Secret Garden and not many people are allowed in it besides herself, Dickon, Colin, her uncle, Martha, and Ben. But Ben hardly came anymore now that he is retired and Martha only came when invited. Her uncle still tended to stay far from it due to the memory of the loss of his wife and no one else dared enter in fear they might get in trouble.
After they had finished their breakfast Mary pulled Colin aside to speak with him. They entered into the library to speak alone, hoping no one would follow.
"Colin, I have something very important to tell you. Please don't be upset or anything by it." Mary bit her lip in anxiousness to tell him but her cousin beat her to the punch.
"You're marrying Dickon." Colin smiled.
"What? How did you know?" Mary stood completely floored. She had told Martha not to tell him!
"No one told me, I overheard some of the maids early this morning. Besides, I know my father told him he could if you chose him. I figured it was only a matter of time before this." Colin smiled brightly at her.
"Then you are not angry with me?"
"Why would I be angry with you?"
"Because, I thought," She stuttered. "I thought you wanted me to marry the Duke. You seemed to be pushing me that way."
"Well father and I had a discussion about it. We both want you to be secure in life but we also want you to be happy. We brought the Duke here to see if you could possibly love another man and if your affection to Dickon was simply a temporary infatuation. Seeing as we were wrong we have no objections as long as you're happy. Dickon's a good man and he will take care of you. We were just worried that you might not be able to accept the way he lives and thus provided you with another option."
"Colin! I'm not sure whether I should be furious or grateful about this." Mary's emotions seemed to be fighting within her head but Colin leaned over and placed a kiss on her forehead.
"I'll take the gratitude as long as I know you truly love him."
"I do, Colin. I truly and incandescently do love him."
"Then there is nothing I can do on the matter." He took his cousin's hands and wished her joy when they were interrupted by a slow clapping. They both turned to see the Duke leaning against a bookshelf.
"Congratulations, Miss Mary on finding such a fine lad for a husband." His words were congratulatory but his eyes were filled with Malice.
"Th-thank you." Mary felt herself shaking.
"I look forward to the wedding." He walked to her and took her hand to kiss it. "Oh but don't forget, you still have to show me around the gardens later." He let go of her hand and sauntered away.
"Mary?" Colin looked to his cousin. She seemed to be shaking.
"I'm alright, Colin. He'll be gone soon." Mary said and shook her hand as to rid it of the germs from Duke Bother. "He'll be gone soon." She didn't know if she repeated herself out of comfort or worry.
A/N: I am not looking forward to the next chapter…it's going to be very painful to write.