Eliza Doolittle: The Life and Times of a Good Girl

Chapter Sixteen: Now/Later/Soon

"Now, as the sweet imbecilities

Tumble so lavishly

Onto her lap,

Now, there are two possibilities:

A, I could ravish her,

B, I could nap." -

'Now/Later/Soon' A Little Night Music

The days leading up to the wedding flew by in a dizzying blur. Eliza was removed from 27A, and deposited in Mrs. Higgins' home, much to Henry's sulking disgust.

"Well, that's just damned absurd! How am I supposed to find anything around here with you being spirited away to Mother's?" He railed at Eliza, as she descended the front stairs, suitcase in hand.

"I assume, or rather hope, you really mean you can't do without me for two days because you will miss me," Eliza replied coolly.

"Of course I will miss you! Who is going to fetch my slippers?" He asked, teasingly. Eliza huffed in offense, dropped her suitcase, and threw a well-aimed fist at Henry's arm. He laughed, even though it actually hurt.

"I do love your fire, woman." Eliza's blazing eyes dimmed and softened at his words, she nearly winded him when she threw herself into his arms. Henry felt frustratingly emotional when her tears began to dampen his shirt. "Come now, Eliza. It's only two days after all. Mother and that ridiculous Glenna will keep you so busy you won't even have time to miss me. After that, we will be married and off to Beaulieu-sur-Mer, where I can have you all to myself for however long you wish it."

Henry prided himself on his choice of honeymoon spot. Not that he particularly cared for Southern France, but he was so looking forward to seeing Eliza in her bathing suit again, this time in the privacy of their own honeymoon cottage. Perhaps she would even lose that ridiculous bathing cap, and allow her rich, dark curls to fall wantonly down her back. He smirked at the mental picture.

"I wish we could just leave now, and elope. I don't need a lavish ceremony in a church filled with people I don't know; I just need you." Eliza's confession made Henry's heartbeat quicken. He felt the exact same way.

"Now, Eliza, would it really be worth it having Mother and Glenna never speak to us again?" Yes.

"I suppose you are right." Eliza smiled through her tears. "I shall have to persevere." She lifted her head and kissed Henry softly on the mouth. "But I can't wait to find out what being your wife entails." Eliza's smile widened when she saw that Henry was blushing ever so slightly.

"Run to Mother's, you silly girl, or I shall lose my resolve to let you go."

The next two days for Eliza were a whirlwind of last minute fittings, approvals on floral arrangements, and constant other questions regarding the ceremony. Any time she found a moment to rest, it was interrupted almost immediately by either Mrs. Higgins or Glenna. It was enough to make her want to tear out her own hair. Many a time she would have violent fantasies of shrieking, "Hang the wedding!", into their sweet older faces, before running out the door and into her beloved's waiting arms. Eliza could only dream.

Finally, it was the day of the wedding. Eliza stood nervously in her white satin gown, as Jane Higgins dutifully adjusted her veil. Jane had been designated to be Maid of Honor, since she was the only one out of Eliza's wedding party that Eliza was really acquainted with. The rest were cousins of Henry, and a daughter from Glenna Doolittle's previous "marriage". Jane and Edward's daughter Julia was a flower girl, although finally settling on her as one had been a bit of a bloodbath for the other children. Out of Edward and Jane's six children, only two of them were boys, and the rest, excluding baby Catherine, were violently set on being Eliza's flower girl. Ultimately, Eliza let Jane decide, because the decision was too difficult.

"You look so beautiful, Eliza," Jane complimented in a breathless voice. Eliza glanced at the mirror. The gown was exquisitely gorgeous. The lace that made up the long sleeves and mermaid train was delicate and embroidered with butterflies and flowers. The neckline was a low V, with a little bit of the beautiful lace draped over it. Eliza's hair had been curled and expertly designed, although it was hard to admire it at the moment, with the veil covering her head. Eliza's gloved hands shook slightly as she clutched her bouquet of lilies.

"It's time!" Sang Mrs. Higgins as she rushed into the dressing room. Eliza barely had time to process, before she was being hauled by the arm down the hallways of the church, towards the chapel.

Henry Higgins resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the procession before him. Surely, Eliza hadn't had the time to make the acquaintance of some of his more obscure relatives. It just wasn't possible. Another one of his mother's orders, no doubt. He smirked at the ridiculous creature with unnatural blonde hair he assumed was Glenna's spawn. She stood out, most definitely. Good for her, let her bring some color to the proceedings. His smirk disappeared at once when Eliza appeared at the archway of the chapel, her nervous eyes cast to the floor, one small hand clutching the crook of her father's arm. He swore he could hear her heart pounding from across the room, but realized it was his own. She was to be his wife. Hang the bachelorhood!

He repeated his vows in a daze, unaware that the entire time his face was fixed in an undignified stare. Eliza refused to lift her eyes from the floor, although she did repeat her vows in a strong, controlled voice that belied her shy face. Henry lost patience with her timid stance, and when they were finally pronounced husband and wife, he gently cupped her face, tilting her head so that he could look directly into her soulful brown eyes, and kissed her quite passionately before God and the congregation. He knew full well that many preconceived notions of him were thrown on their ear in that one uncharacteristic gesture, but he didn't care.

The reception was long, and in Henry's opinion, tedious. He and Eliza had insisted it be a simple affair of no more than dinner and cake, and for once, they got their way. However, there were many, many mouths to feed and the two of them had to endure many congratulations.

Edward pulled Henry aside, the younger man's face contrite. "Brother, I just wanted to apologize for what a beast I've been lately. Jane practically worships Eliza, and I think it would be in our best interest to put on a solid front for our wives. We won't be able to avoid each other, the way those two get on." Both pairs of eyes turned in the direction of the ladies in question. Sure enough, Eliza and Jane were deep in conversation. Eliza laughed heartily at something Jane said, and then turned to Henry and Edward with a fond smile.

"I suppose you are right, and I accept your apology." They shook on it.

"Oh, and Henry? If you wouldn't mind, I would like the address to your cottage."

"Whatever for? You aren't going to crash my honeymoon, are you?"

"Oh, no. I just wanted to make sure you received your wedding gift."

"Well, why don't you just give it to me now?"

Edward shook his head. "No, it's… it's being ordered. Anyway, I think it would do you better there then here."

Henry nodded. "Very well, remind me to jot it down before you leave." He looked about the room. "Do you suppose people will be going soon? I hope so."

Edward roared with laughter.

After dinner, Anson Webster approached Henry with a proposition. Webster was organizing a lecture tour of Universities across Great Britain, and the continent, and felt that Henry would be perfect as a guest speaker. The wage he was offering was substantial, but the tour dates cut in to Henry and Eliza's honeymoon and would take him away from home for at least a year. Henry steadfastly refused, even when Webster argued that he would be more than welcome to take Eliza with him and treat it as an extended honeymoon.

"What sort of honeymoon would that be, with one of us gone most of the day? Sorry, old friend, but I intend to enjoy being married for a year at least. Ask me again to tour Europe when I've tired of being married to a woman in her twenties." Henry's eyes twinkled mischievously, and was relieved when Webster relented.

"Very well. You do have at least a month to change your mind."

Eliza squeezed Henry's hand. "Darling, I am quite fatigued," she whispered in a voice that suggested she was anything but.

Henry nodded. "I will fetch a taxi to take us back home. The guests will simply have to entertain themselves." Within minutes they were bidding their adieus, and fleeing his mother's home with a haste that many of the guests disapproved of.

Eliza paced behind her privacy screen, wringing her hands nervously. Beyond the screen was Henry, waiting for her to emerge. Eliza felt as though her lungs were being crushed, her breath coming out in short, anxious huffs. He was going to see her in her nightgown, with her hair loose! He is going to see rather more than that, teased her inner voice. She had been so eager for this moment mere hours ago, and now she felt as though she was going to faint.

"I say, Eliza, are you alright?"

Eliza shook out her hands, as though they were wet, the breeze generated from the action cooled her burning cheeks slightly. "Fine, Henry." She took a deep breath, and emerged from behind the screen, willing herself not to stare at the ground like a despondent child. He was dressed for bed as well. Their eyes met, and Eliza boldly held her gaze.

"You look very fetching in that nightgown, Eliza."

"Thank you. Your mother bought it for me the other day when we went shopping for my trousseau. I wanted to save it for the honeymoon, but your mother said…" Eliza trailed off, and her pink cheeks turned to crimson.

"What did Mother say?"

"Well, she and Glenna were drinking sherry so she was a bit more liberal with her comments; She said that it would be so hot in the Mediterranean that I wouldn't need nightwear."

"Tosh, she never said that!" Now Henry was blushing.

"Truly she did!" The two of them had a bit of a laugh, before the mood became serious once more.

"Eliza?"

"Yes?"

He crossed the room, pulled her into his arms, and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "If you are too nervous, my sweet-"

"No, Henry. We've come to far for me to back down now. Even if I am not quite sure what to expect."

"Did no one tell you?"

"Well, yes, parts of it. There was that letter Freddy gave me-" Henry cut her off with a searing kiss that raised the hairs on the back of her neck, and curled her toes. It was unlike any of the other kisses that they shared, even the intoxicating one they shared in the parlor the day Mrs. Eynsford-Hill had upset her. This was one of possession, of pent up emotions that bordered on anger.

"Forget that damned letter, Eliza. I am going to show you things that stupid boy couldn't even conceive of." His hard gaze softened when he took in how frightened she appeared. Henry took a deep, shuddering breath, and planted a much more gentle kiss on her slightly swollen lips. "If you will let me."

She let him.

It was everything he had imagined. Eliza had been terribly shy at first, but slowly, and patiently, he broke past her timidity, and her subdued whimpers became passionate cries. Henry found himself wishing he had his notepad, so that he could fill it with reports of Eliza's responses to his love-making, and keep it locked away for his eyes only. She was a marvel, a goddess, his bride.

Later in the evening, Henry found himself unable to sleep, so he studied Eliza's slumbering form. Her curls were deliciously tumbled; He pushed a few errant strands away from her face, tucking them behind her delicate ears. Eliza seemed almost childlike when she slept; resting on her side, her knees tucked beneath her, her mouth slightly slack. Her snoring was anything but childlike, however.

"Ridiculous creature," Henry pronounced before pulling a pillow over his head to muffle the sound.