Accidental Engagement: Chapter 8 The Party (2)
By SpelCastrMax
DISCLAIMER: See Previous Chapters to learn something you already know.
This where it all gets a little cliche, but cliches make the happiest endings.
I AM SOOOOOOOO SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO POST THIS!!!!
Eliza Hollow's bright red lips parted in a wicked grin. "As I understand it, our own Evy has finally caught a husband. We always knew you'd find something worth while in that dessert someday." Everyone laughed except the couple.
The woman chuckled in that stereotypical rich way as she went on with the speech. "Well, all joking aside, I would just like to wish you both every happiness. To Evelyn and Rick." She raised her glass and waited for everyone to join her in the toast before taking a sip.
While they all repeated the two names, Rick used the noise as a chance to whisper to Evy. "I don't trust her."
Glancing up at him, Evelyn replied in a light tone, "Trust? That coming from you is funny."
O'Connell saw through the tiny smile she offered him. "What has been with you lately?"
"Why did you do all this, Rick?" Evy questioned, keeping her voice under the din of the constant talking in the room. "Why didn't you stop all this when you had the chance?"
Feeling his mouth go dry, the young man tried to decide on a reason. "I...I guess I thought I was protecting you...I think that was the reason."
Evy tried not to laugh at him outright. "You don't know?"
"Well...a lo...lot has happened since all this s...started," was his excuse.
Rick watched Evy's face. She was amused by his nervous stuttering and his answers were processing in her mind. Her memory wandered to a moment only a short time before that when she and Jonathan had been leaving the museum. He had asked what she had meant when she said Rick wasn't hers.
"We can't expect Rick to stick around forever, you know," she explained as they went to meet the man in question, "I'm sure he's growing tired of helping you fight your way out of trouble by now."
Jonathan rubbed his chin. "True. And the cowboy really doesn't seem the settling down type, does he." Evy didn't reply and her brother, thinking he had made her depressed again, put in, "Sorry, Ol' Mu...um sorry, Evy. It's only...remember. I've met his type. He was just looking for a good time." The rest of the cab ride the two joked about what it could have been that put Rick in jail, although in the back of her mind Evy was searching for something to prove Jonathan wrong.
At last, Rick brought her back to reality when he stated, "Evelyn, I didn't come with you all the way to England just to watch you be persecuted by your so called friends."
Apparently, he had said exactly the right thing. She rewarded him with her true smile and said, "You did come all the way to England with me, didn't you."
All little fed up with her odd behavior, he growled, "I didn't come for the weather, now did I." Seeing her grin widen, Rick sighed, still confused but willing to accept it. He leaned down and in a hushed voice told her, "I came to be with you."
As O'Connell was about to kiss her, a reminder of their current perdicament walked over. Eliza batted her eyes at them and with the sweetness of a child inquired, "Why Evy, honey, where is your engagement ring? Did you loose it?"
The entire room went silent and all eyes fell upon the three standing in the lamplight. Evelyn's eyes grew a little as she tried glancing at Rick, urging him to tell the truth. However, he was too busy glowering at Eliza as she went on with her exposé of their hoax.
"You know, come to think of it. I don't believe I have ever seen you wear an engagement ring," Eliza pointed out, "I hope something didn't happened to it in Cairo. That would be just ghastly." As she spoke every word, her eyes lit up. She knew they weren't engaged. She knew it was just some joke, probably to change Evelyn's reputation. She also knew she had them cornered.
Rick wished he could hit her stuck-up, makeup smeared face, but that would look worse for Evy. What would all the guests think if her "fiancee" gave the hostess a black eye? If it hadn't been for that fact, he would have gladly made an exception to his rule about punching women.
Eliza kept her triumphant expressions hidden from the rest of the room as she addressed her brother. "Oh, Willie. What if it's on the floor someplace? You better check around for it." Her concern, though fake, convinced all the guests even William.
"Trust me, Eliza," Willie replied beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol in his glass, "If there was a diamond on the floor I'm sure Jonathan would have noticed it by now."
His sister went on with her charade, "Oh dear. Evy, darling, what could have happened to your ring? That is...unless there is something you would like to tell all of us?"
Evelyn and Rick looked at one another, then at the other faces about the room. Jonathan was bewildered. He shrugged at them, as if silently saying he had no idea what was going on. Cordielia and her husband were in another part of the parlor. She genuinely smiled at them with complete trust that whatever reason the couple had was a good one.
Taking a deep breath and feeling her own heart beat, Evylen Carnahan knew Rick still hadn't figured out how to explain the truth. It was up to her. She exhaled, blinking once or twice as she decided on the perfect word choice. When the sentence came to her, Evy made sure to hold her head high in confidence, her voice strong and her face un-intimidated.
Staring directly at her childhood rival, she said, "Eliza, kindly shut up!"
With the entire party suspended in a stunned silence, the young woman took Rick by the hand and announced with a giant grin, "I think I need some fresh air. Care to join me?"
Even Rick was surprised by this response. He blindly followed Evy onto the back terrace, where his gawking turned to a chuckle. "How long have you been holding that in?"
Ms. Carnahan only gave him a sweet expression. "You don't need to know everything about me, you know."
"I can try," he replied.
Evy glanced inside, peering through the glass window at everyone recovering from the mere thought of Evelyn Carnahan yelling at anyone, especially Eliza Hallow. The balance of power had finally shifted. "Rick, don't you think it's time we tell them the truth."
"Why?" was his answer as he leaned down, trying to finish their kiss from earlier.
However, she wasn't done talking and dodged his lips. "They are going to be confused when there's no wedding."
Offhandedly and still out for his kiss, Rick stated, "Then we'll have a wedding."
With a roll of her eyes, Evy said, "Be serious."
"I am being serious." The words were casual, but they caught her off guard. Rick realized he had her attention and grew nervous. He coughed a little before going on. "Evelyn, I really don't understand why we have to change anything. This...we...what I'm trying to..."
Evy's breath was trapped in her throat. "Are you proposing to me?" she asked with complete shock.
"Trying to, yeah," he replied with a sigh.
The woman's knees proceeded to give way and she, the one who had told Eliza to shut up a less than a minute ago, nearly fainted. Rick almost missed her, but managed to grab her arms awkwardly, pulling her closer until he knew she was steady. After making sure she was alright, he asked, "Was that an answer?"
In a voice that sound more like a scared question, Evy said, "Yes."
"Was that a 'yes' to both of my questions?" he inquired cautiously.
Regaining some of her composure, Evelyn responded with "I never actually heard you ask the first question."
Rick knew she was teasing. He smiled and she smiled and it turned into a genuine normal, warm, romantic moment between the two of them (there was bound to be at least one of those moments someplace in this story).
As they leaned in to share the traditional kiss, O'Connell stated, "Now that we're really engaged should we go inside and announce it again?"
"I would rather be sacrificed before an Egyptian alter than go back in there," she grumbled.
Rick nodded and reached into his pocket. "Okay, since we really are engaged now I'm going to give you something...just don't faint again." A cool gold band slid onto her hand.
Of course she was stunned. "When...Rick, when did you buy this?"
He slyly replied (as men often do when they know they've done something right), "That's my secret."
"Now I'm curious as to whether or not you didn't just plan out this whole thing." Giving a mischievous glance, Evy assured him "Be warned that I will torture the truth out of you soon enough."
"What's your hurry?" Rick wanted to know as he wrapped an arm around her, "We have the rest of our lives."
For the umpteenth time that evening, Rick tried to kiss Evy. This time they were interrupted by a slightly tipsy Jonathan who stepped onto the terrace. "Oh, I wondered where you lot had got to? What's going on out here? Oh you know, O'Connell, I hope you don't expect me to treat you any differently just because you'll be my brother-in-law. And if you ever hurt my sister I'll find some..."
He continued to rant until Evy finally firmly cut in. "Jonathan, go away."
Her brother looked at the two of them, then at the ring on her finger, then back to the couple. "Did I barge in on something?"
With a slight growl, Rick motioned for Jonathan to leave. "I'd like to spend some time with my fiancee, if you don't mind."
"What? It isn't like I haven't seen you two..."
"Jonathan!" the man and woman snapped.
So, with Jonathan backing off, Rick finally kissed Evy, but no one would ever know that it was their first kiss as an engaged couple.
______________
Okay, so the ending is sorta sappy, but it was about engagements. You couldn't have possibly expected it to end any other way...Thanks for reading!!!!
By SpelCastrMax
DISCLAIMER: See Previous Chapters to learn something you already know.
This where it all gets a little cliche, but cliches make the happiest endings.
I AM SOOOOOOOO SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO POST THIS!!!!
Eliza Hollow's bright red lips parted in a wicked grin. "As I understand it, our own Evy has finally caught a husband. We always knew you'd find something worth while in that dessert someday." Everyone laughed except the couple.
The woman chuckled in that stereotypical rich way as she went on with the speech. "Well, all joking aside, I would just like to wish you both every happiness. To Evelyn and Rick." She raised her glass and waited for everyone to join her in the toast before taking a sip.
While they all repeated the two names, Rick used the noise as a chance to whisper to Evy. "I don't trust her."
Glancing up at him, Evelyn replied in a light tone, "Trust? That coming from you is funny."
O'Connell saw through the tiny smile she offered him. "What has been with you lately?"
"Why did you do all this, Rick?" Evy questioned, keeping her voice under the din of the constant talking in the room. "Why didn't you stop all this when you had the chance?"
Feeling his mouth go dry, the young man tried to decide on a reason. "I...I guess I thought I was protecting you...I think that was the reason."
Evy tried not to laugh at him outright. "You don't know?"
"Well...a lo...lot has happened since all this s...started," was his excuse.
Rick watched Evy's face. She was amused by his nervous stuttering and his answers were processing in her mind. Her memory wandered to a moment only a short time before that when she and Jonathan had been leaving the museum. He had asked what she had meant when she said Rick wasn't hers.
"We can't expect Rick to stick around forever, you know," she explained as they went to meet the man in question, "I'm sure he's growing tired of helping you fight your way out of trouble by now."
Jonathan rubbed his chin. "True. And the cowboy really doesn't seem the settling down type, does he." Evy didn't reply and her brother, thinking he had made her depressed again, put in, "Sorry, Ol' Mu...um sorry, Evy. It's only...remember. I've met his type. He was just looking for a good time." The rest of the cab ride the two joked about what it could have been that put Rick in jail, although in the back of her mind Evy was searching for something to prove Jonathan wrong.
At last, Rick brought her back to reality when he stated, "Evelyn, I didn't come with you all the way to England just to watch you be persecuted by your so called friends."
Apparently, he had said exactly the right thing. She rewarded him with her true smile and said, "You did come all the way to England with me, didn't you."
All little fed up with her odd behavior, he growled, "I didn't come for the weather, now did I." Seeing her grin widen, Rick sighed, still confused but willing to accept it. He leaned down and in a hushed voice told her, "I came to be with you."
As O'Connell was about to kiss her, a reminder of their current perdicament walked over. Eliza batted her eyes at them and with the sweetness of a child inquired, "Why Evy, honey, where is your engagement ring? Did you loose it?"
The entire room went silent and all eyes fell upon the three standing in the lamplight. Evelyn's eyes grew a little as she tried glancing at Rick, urging him to tell the truth. However, he was too busy glowering at Eliza as she went on with her exposé of their hoax.
"You know, come to think of it. I don't believe I have ever seen you wear an engagement ring," Eliza pointed out, "I hope something didn't happened to it in Cairo. That would be just ghastly." As she spoke every word, her eyes lit up. She knew they weren't engaged. She knew it was just some joke, probably to change Evelyn's reputation. She also knew she had them cornered.
Rick wished he could hit her stuck-up, makeup smeared face, but that would look worse for Evy. What would all the guests think if her "fiancee" gave the hostess a black eye? If it hadn't been for that fact, he would have gladly made an exception to his rule about punching women.
Eliza kept her triumphant expressions hidden from the rest of the room as she addressed her brother. "Oh, Willie. What if it's on the floor someplace? You better check around for it." Her concern, though fake, convinced all the guests even William.
"Trust me, Eliza," Willie replied beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol in his glass, "If there was a diamond on the floor I'm sure Jonathan would have noticed it by now."
His sister went on with her charade, "Oh dear. Evy, darling, what could have happened to your ring? That is...unless there is something you would like to tell all of us?"
Evelyn and Rick looked at one another, then at the other faces about the room. Jonathan was bewildered. He shrugged at them, as if silently saying he had no idea what was going on. Cordielia and her husband were in another part of the parlor. She genuinely smiled at them with complete trust that whatever reason the couple had was a good one.
Taking a deep breath and feeling her own heart beat, Evylen Carnahan knew Rick still hadn't figured out how to explain the truth. It was up to her. She exhaled, blinking once or twice as she decided on the perfect word choice. When the sentence came to her, Evy made sure to hold her head high in confidence, her voice strong and her face un-intimidated.
Staring directly at her childhood rival, she said, "Eliza, kindly shut up!"
With the entire party suspended in a stunned silence, the young woman took Rick by the hand and announced with a giant grin, "I think I need some fresh air. Care to join me?"
Even Rick was surprised by this response. He blindly followed Evy onto the back terrace, where his gawking turned to a chuckle. "How long have you been holding that in?"
Ms. Carnahan only gave him a sweet expression. "You don't need to know everything about me, you know."
"I can try," he replied.
Evy glanced inside, peering through the glass window at everyone recovering from the mere thought of Evelyn Carnahan yelling at anyone, especially Eliza Hallow. The balance of power had finally shifted. "Rick, don't you think it's time we tell them the truth."
"Why?" was his answer as he leaned down, trying to finish their kiss from earlier.
However, she wasn't done talking and dodged his lips. "They are going to be confused when there's no wedding."
Offhandedly and still out for his kiss, Rick stated, "Then we'll have a wedding."
With a roll of her eyes, Evy said, "Be serious."
"I am being serious." The words were casual, but they caught her off guard. Rick realized he had her attention and grew nervous. He coughed a little before going on. "Evelyn, I really don't understand why we have to change anything. This...we...what I'm trying to..."
Evy's breath was trapped in her throat. "Are you proposing to me?" she asked with complete shock.
"Trying to, yeah," he replied with a sigh.
The woman's knees proceeded to give way and she, the one who had told Eliza to shut up a less than a minute ago, nearly fainted. Rick almost missed her, but managed to grab her arms awkwardly, pulling her closer until he knew she was steady. After making sure she was alright, he asked, "Was that an answer?"
In a voice that sound more like a scared question, Evy said, "Yes."
"Was that a 'yes' to both of my questions?" he inquired cautiously.
Regaining some of her composure, Evelyn responded with "I never actually heard you ask the first question."
Rick knew she was teasing. He smiled and she smiled and it turned into a genuine normal, warm, romantic moment between the two of them (there was bound to be at least one of those moments someplace in this story).
As they leaned in to share the traditional kiss, O'Connell stated, "Now that we're really engaged should we go inside and announce it again?"
"I would rather be sacrificed before an Egyptian alter than go back in there," she grumbled.
Rick nodded and reached into his pocket. "Okay, since we really are engaged now I'm going to give you something...just don't faint again." A cool gold band slid onto her hand.
Of course she was stunned. "When...Rick, when did you buy this?"
He slyly replied (as men often do when they know they've done something right), "That's my secret."
"Now I'm curious as to whether or not you didn't just plan out this whole thing." Giving a mischievous glance, Evy assured him "Be warned that I will torture the truth out of you soon enough."
"What's your hurry?" Rick wanted to know as he wrapped an arm around her, "We have the rest of our lives."
For the umpteenth time that evening, Rick tried to kiss Evy. This time they were interrupted by a slightly tipsy Jonathan who stepped onto the terrace. "Oh, I wondered where you lot had got to? What's going on out here? Oh you know, O'Connell, I hope you don't expect me to treat you any differently just because you'll be my brother-in-law. And if you ever hurt my sister I'll find some..."
He continued to rant until Evy finally firmly cut in. "Jonathan, go away."
Her brother looked at the two of them, then at the ring on her finger, then back to the couple. "Did I barge in on something?"
With a slight growl, Rick motioned for Jonathan to leave. "I'd like to spend some time with my fiancee, if you don't mind."
"What? It isn't like I haven't seen you two..."
"Jonathan!" the man and woman snapped.
So, with Jonathan backing off, Rick finally kissed Evy, but no one would ever know that it was their first kiss as an engaged couple.
______________
Okay, so the ending is sorta sappy, but it was about engagements. You couldn't have possibly expected it to end any other way...Thanks for reading!!!!