So sorry to have been away for so long. Although, I wasn't really away. I've been rereading some of my favorite Andith fics and found a couple I missed before. I did it in search of my writing faeries. Those darned little trouble makers have gone missing and I can't find them anywhere! But rereading the old stories did give me inspiration. There are some very talented people who have shipped the Andith ship! And even though the fandom is waning just a bit, I think it is one of the best ships ever. So with this little entry, even though I'm not totally pleased with it, I'm taking the wheel and sailing on. Comments/reviews are always welcome and do keep me from wandering off course, by the way.
Anthony texted from the lobby of the hotel the next morning. I'm in the lobby whenever you are ready, my darling girl.
I'm always ready for you, Edith replied as she exited her room.
She was rewarded as she stepped out of the lift by a chaste hug and bright radiant blue eyes shining down at her as Anthony took in the sight of her. "I woke this morning thinking this is all surely a dream," he said softly.
"A marvelous dream," she replied, "Especially since it is a shared one."
"Have you had breakfast?"
"No, I was too excited, waiting for you."
"Shall we get a bite before going to the Registry Office then? Frankly, I was just as excited and couldn't wait to see you this morning," he admitted. So it was that after a light meal, they drove to the Registry Office, Edith's nerves twittering from the excitement and a deep fear that something would happen to spoil it.
"Thirty days," Edith lamented as they exited the office. "We must wait 30 days…"
"Only twenty-eight if an opening occurs," Anthony teased, completely amused and a bit chuffed that she would want to hurry the process.
"Yes, but that's four week, at least."
"Four weeks and two days," he teased again, his smile threatening to become laughter.
"But that is such a long time to wait," she fretted like a pouting child.
"Then we'll just have to fill our time with activity."
"What sort of activity?" The expression on Edith's face told Anthony exactly what activities she had in mind.
"I'm certain you'll want a new dress for the occasion. And there is a honeymoon to plan. "
"And it will give us an opportunity to learn more about one another," she chimed in.
Anthony's eyebrow rose at that not so subtle hint. "Yes, it will. But not in the ways that I believe you are pondering just now. No my dearest darling, we shall do this by the book. "
"Not strictly by the book, I hope. Surely there is room for a little… preliminary reading?"
"My darling girl, you will be the end of me," he chuckled.
Neither was ready to part with Edith back at her hotel and Anthony at his flat, so they browsed a few shops and then lingered over lunch. Afterwards they meandered through Kensington Gardens admiring various memorials and statues.
"Is it time for tea yet?" Edith asked finally. "I'm famished."
"Yes, of course," Anthony replied. "I know just the place, that is, if you don't mind a small shop. But I believe you will like it."
"Oh yes…" And the couple set off in the direction of High Street and then turned onto Church Street. Edith took in every step of the journey, not wanting to forget one moment of their afternoon together. Soon she spied the shop with tables outside and a light brown awning with 'Tea Shop' proclaiming its purpose. She almost giggled when they stepped inside because it was so small. Anthony, with his tall, broad stature, looked like a giant. But he made his way through the space to claim the last table near the wall.
Ever the gentleman, he made certain Edith was comfortably seated before settling into his own chair, which caused Edith to stifle another giggle. His frame was much too large for the chair. "You must feel as if you are in a doll house," she said softly to him.
His eyes twinkled as a crooked smile crept across his mouth. "Or Lemuel Gulliver. But I am used to it. I will confess however, that I rather enjoy meeting people my own size. Very pleasant to be able stand straight and look one in the eye."
"Oh. I must seem like a Lilliputian to you then," Edith replied.
"Oh goodness, no. Not quite so tiny. Besides when you wear heels you are as tall as I would ever wish a woman to be. And you have such lovely legs too."
"Well thank you," she replied. "I never suspected you were a legs sort of man," she teased again.
"My dear, where you are concerned I am an everything sort of man. You really are most beautiful and treasured." Edith blushed but was saved from having to respond by the server bringing their tea and scones.
"What shall we do with our evening?" Edith asked as they exited the tea shop.
"I thought I'd walk you back to the car and then drop you at your hotel. Perhaps you'd like some time to freshen up and rest before dinner?"
Edith stared ahead, her mouth taking on a firmness that had been missing all day. "You're tired of me already," she said disconsolately.
"Not at all," Anthony replied. "Only I thought we might go somewhere posh tonight for dinner, a celebration of sorts. And since we've been out all day…"
"Hmmmm," she murmured thoughtfully. "But just being with you is a celebration for me."
"You're very sweet, my dear."
"I think I'd really rather not bother with all that tonight. Let's just find someplace out of the way, perhaps a pub. We can have dinner and simply enjoy ourselves," she suggested.
Anthony stopped walking and turned to gaze at her. "Whatever my lady wishes," he replied. "But it is a bit soon to be thinking of eating again, don't you think? Or are you hiding a secret from me?"
Secret? You mean like an eating fetish or something? No, I only want an excuse to spend more time with you."
They turned on the high street and Anthony looked across the pavement. "Come with me," he said suddenly as he stepped into the road. Holding his hand, Edith followed.
Once they made the other side, Anthony turned left and followed the street, turning right at the second corner. Stopping in front of a shop, he held the door open for Edith to enter. She gasped when she stepped inside. "Wha…."
"You need a ring, my dearest…"
She looked up into his shining eyes and thought she might melt into the floor just then. "But….."
"We can choose from one of the cases or if you prefer, we'll have one made; something that is exquisitely you.
"I don't know what to say, how to respond to that. I never dreamed of anything so…"
"So what, love?"
Extravagant…. For me."
" Perhaps you should become acquainted with the notion. I plan to pamper and coddle you, bringing you gifts often."
"But I don't understand…why?"
"Why? Because no one has ever made me feel as I do with you. You are most precious to me and I shall never tire of proving it to you."
They perused the cases with Edith selecting three rings she was most drawn to. But as she tried on each one, Anthony frowned slightly. Finally, almost frustrated with his disapproving gaze she asked, "what's wrong with this one?"
"Nothing is really wrong with it, darling. It just isn't…. you are so perfect and it simply isn't. Not as a symbol of my feelings for you, at least."
"Perhaps … if I might suggest ….?' the jeweler asked.
Anthony tilted his head slightly. "What gems are you thinking?"
"Oh, no sir. It's just ,… the lovely lady seems drawn to vintage style settings. I thought perhaps … " He reached into a drawer behind the counter and produced a tray with empty settings. "I thought the lady might like to choose a setting and we can build from there."
Edith studied the tray and pointed to one. "That looks…. Very unusual."
The jeweler pulled the setting from the tray and held it up for the couple to examine more closely. "The lady chooses well. This one is a nature-inspired twist on the classic three-stone ring, this design features entwined vines shimmering with pavé diamonds. One might choose a larger diamond or another gem for the center stone. Or one might like to use the large diamond and exchange the pave diamonds for small but more colorful gems."
" Entwined vines? I like that," Anthony said softly. "What do you think, sweet one?"
"It is beautiful," Edith whispered.
Smiling now, Anthony nodded to the jeweler. "Yes, this is the one."
"And how shall we set it, with diamonds?" The jeweler looked expectantly at Edith.
"I… I would like a diamond as the larger stone but could we…. I mean, I truly love emeralds."
"Emeralds! Ah, yes. With your coloring it would be most beautiful," the jeweler exclaimed. "Perhaps the two smaller stones could be emeralds? Or perhaps the three stones are diamonds and the smaller, pave stones, are emeralds?"
Edith felt Anthony's eyes on her and suddenly changed her mind. "No, not emeralds; sapphires, I think. The two smaller stones are to be sapphires and then the larger a diamond with the pave diamonds."
Are you certain, sweetest?"
Edith looked up into Anthony's blue eyes and smiled. "Yes. The color will always remind me of you, your eyes."
The jeweler smiled and excused himself for a moment. Anthony stood, simply gazing down at Edith as she studied the ring. After a moment or two, the jeweler returned. "I have these," he said as he pulled four sapphires from a gem bag. "But I thought you might wish to consider these," he added as he pulled three other stones from a different bag.
Edith was drawn immediately to stones. "They are beautiful. What are they?"
"Blue diamonds. I thought, since you want to match the color of the gentleman's eyes, these might be better?"
"Oh yes. The sapphires are too dark but these are….perfect." She looked up at Anthony, who was smiling at her, his blue eyes sparkling as brightly as the gems on the counter. Turning to the jeweler, Anthony nodded. "The blue diamonds then. Just as the lady requested."
"I have three here. Perhaps to choose two for the ring?"
Edith studied them closely and chose two. "I think they are the closest match to one another," she explained.
"And now, for the center stone," the jeweler pulled out a tray with several diamonds. Edith and Anthony looked over the stones and agreed on one that was larger than the sapphires. With the jeweler's advice, they settled on the cut of the stones and the man agreed to have the ring ready in two weeks time. Edith frowned slightly at the notion of having to wait so long and the man smiled broadly. "Perhaps I can manage it in ten days time, perhaps even less."
Anthony and the jeweler talked softly and a price was agreed upon. The jeweler wrote out a ticket and Anthony paid a deposit and within minutes the couple was back on the pavement outside. "Oh Anthony, it is going to be so beautiful and so perfect," Edith said happily, excitedly.
"Not as beautiful or as perfect as you," he replied, which made Edith blush.
They began walking toward his car but when they turned a corner, the couple nearly bumped into a woman walking briskly to the corner. "Oh, I'm terribly sor…." She looked up, astonished. "Anthony! I heard you were tucked away in some distant county." The woman was beaming.
"Ah, yes… I was. In Yorkshire," Anthony said, obviously flustered.
Edith studied the woman. She was taller than Edith, long and elegant. She wore a grace about her that few women could truly accomplish. Edith was reminded of some of the more elegant models in a fashion magazine.
"Well, I can't tell you how boring town has been without you. I'm so glad you are back." The woman looked down at Edith with a scowl.
"Celeste, permit me to introduce my fiancé, Lady Edith Crawley." Anthony tuned to Edith. "Celeste Fordyce is an old… acquaintance."
"Oh, we're so much more than acquaintances, Anthony. I thought we'd grown quite close these past few years." She looked at him coyly before turning her attention to Edith. "Fiancé? I thought you might have been a niece … or something. Well, no matter. There is enough of Anthony to go around and you'll find I don't mind sharing."
Edith looked at the woman aghast. Risking a glance up at Anthony, she saw he was fuming, his face coloring angrily and his eyes narrowed. His jaw was clenched and she knew he was biting back what he truly wanted to say. Turning her attention back to the Celeste woman, Edith spoke as calmly as she could. "Oh, but I do. It was very nice to meet you Miss…. um… I'm sorry, I forgot your name."
The Celeste woman glared at her before turning her attention back to Anthony. "When you're finished playing with this child, you know how to find me." She stormed off as Anthony chuckled. "Not bloody likely," he muttered at her back.
Turning his eyes down to Edith, he smiled sheepishly." I'm very sorry about Celeste. She's erm…"
"One of your conquests?"
"Fraid so. I hadn't seen her in over a year until just now though. She's really quite… irritating."
"I suppose it will happen … running into your women, I mean. I just wasn't prepared for it just now. Not after we just…" Edith knew that if she said more the tears that she was holding back would fall.
Anthony took her hand in his and held it firmly. "You shouldn't have to be prepared at all. And I know it was rather…unsettling after we just ordered your engagement ring. I'm terribly sorry, my darling. But Celeste means nothing to me, none of them do. They all were just what she implied, playthings. You my love, you are very dear to me; certainly far more precious than any woman I've ever known."
"I want to be that to you, Anthony. You are certainly the most important person in my life." Giving her one of his crooked smiles, he simply stood there caught in her gaze.
After a moment, Edith realized they were still standing on the corner with passers by going around them. "Perhaps we should…"
Anthony flinched and looked around. "Yes. Where would you like to go, love?"
"Your flat."
"My… erm…. No."
"Why not?"
"As I've explained, I want to do this properly and if we go to my flat, I'm afraid I'll lose my resolve."
Edith chuckled. "If I promise that I'll behave?"
"Will you? But that doesn't account for me. I … don't trust myself with you Edith, not in my flat or your hotel room. "
"But I'd like to see it, see where you live."
"Until you, my sweet, I wasn't living, merely existing. But alright, we'll go there for just a few minutes. You can poke into the cupboards and peek under the …. No, best not go into the bedroom. A quick look around and then we're out. Agreed?"
With an exaggerated sigh, Edith nodded. "Alright. But you are turning into an absolute bore, you know. I don't intend to let this continue indefinitely." She smiled at him as she said it.
"I can see I will not be able to say no to you… a lifetime of succumbing to your every whim." Anthony pulled her closer, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as they walked down the pavement toward his car.
