August 1944 - Say Yes Darling
The girl tiptoed up the staircase, heading towards her father's study. She stealthily avoided the last step which she knew would creak before she hauled herself to the second floor.
By chance, the door was left ajar and Annabel flattened herself against the closest wall to eavesdrop on the hushed conversations.
Her grandmother was there, which was not unusual, but what was quite odd was the solicitor's presence. And the matchmaker's. Rather, it was the gathering of those three people together which was utterly bizarre. Especially on the day of the farewell party her parents were throwing for celebrating the retirement of one of her father's colleagues.
It was a few days now that her parents were acting strange, conversing in low voices, interrupting whenever Annabel stepped in the room in which they were.
Her mother's brow was constantly furrowed, as if something was troubling her and Annabel sometimes spotted her awake at night, sitting alone by the fire, gazing at the three tarot cards she had pulled out from the deck that stood before her.
There were strange comings and goings also, a druid, a seer. Her father's colleagues but also Alastair, about a week ago, which she had first believed was meant to say goodbye until he had professed that he had come to talk to her father. In private.
Certainly, something was going on and Annabel well-intended to figure out what.
She wished she had a pair of extended ears as she tilted her head at an uncomfortable angle in the hope to grasp snatches of the ongoing discussion. The sound was muffled by the heavy wooden pane, yet, she managed to at least catch what the conversation topic was about.
It was question of a new trainee her father had just put to the test at the Ministry, a boy her age, a Slytherin.
"He has been withs us for only a week and he has already solved a few cases we have been working on for months. He is incredibly gifted, leaving aside his work ethics. In all honesty, I think I have never met anyone with such amazing faculties…"
"You'll excuse me but I don't see why your new intern requires our presence" quipped her grandmother and a heavy silence fell upon the room.
Annabel stooped ever so slightly, to bring her ear closer to the crack of the door as she heard her father began to beat around the bush, until her mother chimed in.
"He had a pretty… startling request"
She held her breath, to find out what that request was all about until the door suddenly opened and the strict face of her mother appeared in front of her.
"You, should be getting ready young lady" she scolded her before she sent her away and slammed the door shut behind her.
—
Annabel glanced at herself in the mirror, her hand moving from one piece of jewellery to the next.
She should wear pearls, she thought as she picked a pair of earrings that she placed against her skin. She tilted her head to the side, hesitating before her eyes wandered on the unopened envelope that lay on her dressing table. It was turned around, so she could avoid staring at the elegant handwriting that had given her sender away.
She had not opened it, of course, for Annabel had forbid herself the very thought of Tom during the past few weeks, going as far as to burn their past correspondence and destroy the notebook he had once gifted her.
She was not sure such mental exile proved to be working, considering the many times she found herself waking up in the middle of the night, her skin itchy and her core damp, because she was dreaming of him, again, and of that one kiss she had once stolen him…
She swallowed as she remembered how she had pressed herself against the wall near her father's study earlier that day, to eavesdrop on her parents and their guests' conversation.
Her father had a new trainee…
Such a news had been bothering her the entire afternoon, because of a well-mannered and truly gifted Slytherin her age, Annabel could only think of one...
Was it why Tom had written her?
After weeks of radio silence, was it what he meant to tell her? That he had been offered a prestigious position at the Ministry, and would be working with her father? That he had traded his pipe dream for a far more reputed job, which he had obtained without even lifting a finger, thanks to Slughorn or Alastair? A job she could have done as well if only her father dared hiring witches…
Had Tom dropped a line in that letter, about her forthcoming marriage? Did he congratulate her in a salute tinged with mockery, like he was certainly capable of, to wish her good luck in her future life in which she would do nothing but change diapers?
Was he not what he had told her once, that marriage went with servitude?
Multiple knocks jolted the girl out of her thoughts.
"Are you done yet? Everyone's here" asked her mother through the door while she kept hitting the wooden pane, as if such upbeat rhythm would help her daughter come down quicker.
Annabel shouted that she was ready and with a decisive gesture, she seized the unopened letter and threw it in the garbage bin before she left her room, chin up, ready to embrace the world and to keep her thoughts about the young man at bay.
—
Annabel exited the living room through the French windows and grabbed a flute on her way to the marquee. She stood near the buffet for a while, her eyes scouring the crowd that casually chatted with a glass in hand, while she searched for the new retiree.
Certainly, decorum expected her to go greet her father's colleague before she could hopefully sneak back into her room and read.
She spotted the man with ease, for he stood next to her father, and to someone else she could not quite manage to see, for they were hidden by another circle of guests, and as the girl stepped forward, the small gathering moved to the side, thus revealing the third person her father was talking to.
She froze up.
Tall, dark-haired, all spruced-up in his black suit.
Her heart skipped a beat, and when she saw him move his eyes to look at her, and dart her one of his long and audacious glances, she felt the sudden urge to hide, and she would have retreated inside if it would not have been for her mother to suddenly materialise next to her and place her hand on the small of her back, thus pushing her towards the conversing trio.
"Annabel, darling, let me introduce you to Mr. Riddle, your father's new trainee"
Of course, she thought bitterly as her father introduced her, and she stiffened when Tom took her hand in his to bring it to his mouth and brushed her skin with his lips.
"What a pleasure to see you again Miss Selwyn"
Oh, that inflection in his voice.
"You two know each other I suppose?" asked her mother with a smile.
"We were partners in Potions a few years back" replied Annabel coolly, her jaw strangely cramped.
"It is hard not to notice your daughter Mrs Selwyn. Her excellent reputation precedes her"
The girl fought back the need to roll her eyes.
"Oh, you're being too kind" giggled her mother as she placed a hand on his arm, before she whispered in confidence: "Don't let yourself bewitched by her angelic air, I can assure you that Anna was no easy child"
"I do believe you. She's certainly used to having her own way" Tom smiled before he shot her a glance full of innuendo and Annabel stiffened.
"And yet Mama I've been more than accommodating lately" she quipped.
Her mother shot her a look which meant something like "don't you dare embarrass me in front of our guests" and she clapped her hands, trumpeting that they should give the youngsters some room.
The small group departed before Annabel could pay her respects, and soon enough, she was alone in company of the Slytherin.
"What a surprise to see you here Mr. Riddle" she grumbled, bitterness numbing her tongue. Memories came back to her in waves, from the first time when she had met him to the night she had seen him last. She did not know why she was so resentful, and if he truly deserved her wrath, but Annabel could not care less about the young man's feelings, for she had enough to deal with with her own emotions.
"I wasn't aware that you'd be honouring us with your presence tonight. No one ever told you that it was quite rude to showing up unannounced?"
"I see that you haven't read my letter" he replied and she looked away. She stood there for a while, contemplating the various faces of the people around them before she glanced back at Tom and noticed that he was watching her.
"I heard you're leaving" he said, casually as if he just meant to make small talk. She remained quiet and he took a sip of his drink, which made the ice cubes clink in his glass. He waited for a while, patient, before he pursued:
"I've heard some rumours about your fiancé…"
"Such as?"
"His lineage leaves a lot to be desired"
"What is that supposed to mean?" she hissed and he snorted contemptuously.
"Well, a girl like you must see this as a rather disheartening choice"
Her chest tightened suddenly as she remembered the day she had uttered those words, how everything had been so much simpler back then.
He continued, his tone light as if he was just thinking out loud.
"Perhaps if you had not make such a mystery of your engagement, far more decent boys would have queued up to propose to you Annabel"
She scoffed before she spitted:
"Perhaps I kept it a secret because me getting married is nobody's business"
Her voice broke at the last sentence and she turned around, suddenly struggling to breathe. She excused herself, her eyes prickling with tears as she headed back to the house, well-aware that she was making a fool of herself but she was too close to cry now, and worse than running away was certainly starting weeping in front of an entire crowd.
Fuck him, she thought as she finally reached her bedroom and slammed the door, exhaling slowly to prevent the tears to ruin her make up.
—
A lump grew in his throat as he watched Annabel walk away, and he mentally cursed at her for being such an insufferable girl.
Tom had not liked having to gatecrash at the retirement party of some random guy he did not even know, only to get the chance to talk to her, since she had not replied to his letter, in which he had apologised for his behaviour, almost imploring her to meet, sooner rather than later, for time was running out.
He had despised having to beg her parents to give him a chance, exert all of his diplomatic talents to make them reconsider her engagement, send Alastair on his behalf, only to find himself subjected to a thorough interrogation by the matchmaker, give in to all her upsetting questions, some by far too private, about his family and his childhood.
Oh, and how much he had hated that she, just now, acted like if her latest wish was to see him, making him feel unwelcome despite him coming to rescue her, in spite of all the obstacles he had faced to do so...
Swiftly, he followed her, determined to confront her incoherences, but when he made it to the first floor and pushed the door of her bedroom open, to find her sitting by the window, her face turned away from him but from which he imagined the delicate features, he found himself strangely appeased.
"I would like to be alone" she whispered, as if she was holding her tears but he walked in and shut the door behind him.
He glanced around, intrigued, for it was the first time that he was in her room, and he found himself strangely overwhelmed at the thought that he got to stand among her belongings, where she might have taken her first steps as a toddler, experienced her first excitements as a teen.
Slowly, he began to pace inside the room, acknowledging the pile of cartons that stood against the wall, and which could have made his heart constrict if he had not known that soon enough, she might have to unpack, and such thought lifted his mood.
He headed towards her bedside table, picked up the book that was laying on its front to read the title, stepping over a bunch of clothes on his way. The room was untidy, like he had imagined her to be and Tom suddenly realised how much of his alter ego she was, his perfect other self, for if he was neatly organised and disciplined, Annabel was incredibly messy and chaotic.
"I asked you to leave" he heard her ask, louder this time and he peeked over his shoulder to find her beautiful eyes still turned away from him.
He put back the book - a good one, he acknowledged appreciatively - before he turned around.
"I was at the Ministry today"
She was still peering through the window but her absolute stillness hinted that she was listening.
He walked back to the middle of the room, his voice calm, measured. He took his time as he looked around some more, found his letter in the garbage bin. His heart tightened at its sight, and he quietly casted a spell for the envelope to fly towards him, which he placed in his pocket.
"Alastair introduced me to your father who said that he might have an interesting position for me"
"He said that the job was initially intended for whoever would marry his daughter..." he began, knowing he had he piqued her interest when she turned her head ever so slightly in his direction.
"... whom he said was proving particularly difficult to satisfy"
She humphed and looked at him:
"Oh, I'm sorry, are we here to discuss each other's amazing future plans? Because as you well know, mine will sound very dull in comparison to yours"
Tom stopped moving as he met her glaring eyes, unfazed by her sarcasm.
"Why didn't you tell me that your parents were opening the bids Anna?"
She looked away, her fingers suddenly fidgety.
"Why?! By Merlin Tom, because it's embarrassing"
She turned her face towards the back of the room as if she could not bear to look at him any longer, and her voice was shaky when she spoke.
"Do you know what it feels like, to have people coming everyday just to look at you? To ask, how healthy you were as a child, if there is any illness running in your family? How tall you are, how much you weight, if you eat well and sleep deep, like if you're some kind of prized beast traded for auction?!"
She was loud suddenly, words escaping her lips in a rising anger.
"I have no privacy, no freedom. Some even dared to ask at what age I first began to bleed… "
Her cheeks reddened at the last words and seeing her like that strangely hurt him. He liked her proud and combative, ready to block every attack but there she was, nothing but the shadow of her own self, a young woman who had no other choice but to comply to their patriarchic society.
"Why did you come to me Annabel? That night in June" he found himself uttering as he took another step towards her, finally coming up with the question that had gnawed away at him for weeks.
"I thought I could-"
She inhaled and made a small squeaking sound, her face a bright crimson.
"I thought that if I… gave my virginity to someone, I could exchange it against someone else's life. I thought that if I… if you… you know, that it would allow me to cast a death spell on my betrothed"
He stopped for a second, puzzled by her words, before he gasped with wide eyes:
"You were planning on killing your fiancé?! By having sex with me?"
Tom bursted out in laughter, which he knew was incongruous given the situation, but he could not believe that a girl so gifted would believe in such a thing as sex magic...
"You can laugh all you want" she retorted with a glare.
"I tried, at least. If you had not dismissed me..." she pursued with a sulk, which he found adorable and for a split second, he contemplated walking over to her and take her in his arms, whisper in her ear the sweetest things but there was more he needed to know, and so he took another step in her direction, now towering over her when he asked:
"Why me?"
She bit her lower lip and shook her head, unwilling to disclose more and so he sat down next to her on the window seat. He took one of her hands in his, stroked her knuckles with his thumb.
"Why me?" he asked again as his palm moved to her face and grazed her cheek, his eyes searching hers eagerly.
"You're the only one I trust" she whispered after a while and Tom did not respond, because for what he felt, words were missing.
And when his lips grazed hers, Tom discovered that Annabel tasted like the sun after the rain, like bright and hopeful mornings.
"Marry me Annabel" he groaned against her mouth, his tongue stroking hers in an exquisite embrace as he realised that he had waited for far too long to finally claim what was his.
"Say yes darling. I promise to give you all the freedom you need" he sighed as he pulled away to peek at her face but she whined.
"Yes, I say yes" she hastily moaned with swollen lips before she pulled on his shirt, and he resumed to kiss her some more.