Breakfast:museli
Chocolate
Lunch: Two cherrios and bread
Afternoon: Apple, chocolate, museli bar, coffee.
Dinner: Quiche
Not enough water but some.
Exercise: Housework, ironing.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
What I want
This woman existed back in 2004. Can she return nearly 7 years later. Funny that she thought she was a bit fat.
Indeed she didn't have any children and she wasn't having to divide her time up so much and worry about what everyone else was eating too but she did consider what she put in her mouth, she didn't eat leftovers from her children's plates and she moved and walked a lot.
Let's not let ourselves get away with eating the wrong thing anymore just because no one else will ever know. Lets keep ourselves honest and commit to a healthier diet and lets get up and move.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Chapter 10
When George got down to the breakfast table in the morning he was surprised to see Elizabeth, William and Timothy all there. The rest of his family were there too but everyone else lived there, Elizabeth and William must have gotten up exceptionally early just to be here, was it just to see he off to training or was there another purpose in mind.
“Good Morning Elizabeth, my dear sweet sister and what a lovely surprise for you to join me for breakfast on the morning before I leave”, he gave her a great big hug and squeezed her quite tightly. She squeaked from the embrace and pulled herself out of his arms.
“Don’t tease”, she huffed, “You know that I would never miss saying goodbye to my brother”.
“Is that why you’re here?” George quizzed “The only reason then? Fantastic lets eat then, shall we? I know I won’t taste eggs as good as Henrietta’s for a very long time.”
“That sounds like an excellent idea” chimed in Maggie, who was oblivious to all the goings on last night. She wasn’t particularly happy to see her sister or Timothy this morning as last night they were exceptionally officious towards her. First Elizabeth had virtually dragged her off the floor in front of John and her other friends and then she along with Timothy started lecturing her about the protocols of engaged women. She was just happy when William declared that Maggie had endured enough for the day and that he and Elizabeth would walk her home as Timothy would miss the next train if he took any detours. When she heard Timothy’s voice coming from down stairs this morning she thought she was still dreaming. She cringed at the thought of waking up every morning next to someone who would probably start making the bed before Maggie had even got out of it.
“There wasn’t anything that you wanted to mention first?” Timothy enquired.
“Oh...umm... I am sorry about my behaviour last night and that ti won’t happen again”, Maggie said on auto-pilot while heaping a spoonful of eggs on to her plate.
“I wasn’t talking to you”, Timothy said, “although there is a few things I thought we should discuss at a later point today. In fact I was talking to your brother who left the dance rather early with Anna”.
George sat himself down next to Maggie and took her plate full of eggs, grinning from ear to ear. “Thanks Maggie, how nice that you have learnt to serve others before yourself. This one is going to make a great wife someday, hey Father”, George goaded Maggie, he figure that this was a good line of defense and that Maggie although annoyed with him now would be understanding when he explained to her in private later on. George had decided that it was Timothy that he was particularly upset with in this matter, he even figured that maybe this would be a good way of getting rid of Timothy for Maggie. He was going to keep his plans and thoughts to himself until the very last minute, he knew this would annoy Elizabeth simply because she liked to know everything that was going on around her, he also knew that it would be torturous for Timothy because he liked to be in control of all things and the thought that George could upset his plans by marrying a wanton woman just might be enough for him to call off his engagement to Maggie.
For the rest of breakfast George discussed other issues such as his training program with William and what he thought the next plans for his battalion might be. Maggie asked when he thought the nurses would be mobilised and if her pay would only increase after war had been declared. Maggie was being a lovely distraction, and talking about all sorts of things that she heard about from John last night. She mentioned that because John had been accepted into medical school that he was asked to join the medical division, he expected to be working with the surgeons and doctors and that he might end up being sent to the same place. George knew that this sort of talk would normally rattle Timothy but this morning all he seemed to do was to direct the conversation back towards George.
Once breakfast was over George stood up to leave the table but before he could go anywhere his mother asked him if there was anything that he wanted to share with the rest of the family.
George looked over to his father and smiled, he walked over to his mother and kissed her on the cheek. “Yes Mother, there is. I just wanted to say that I love you all, very much.” He then leaned over towards his mother’s ear and whispered “Soon, we need to make this dramatic”. George then went around the room kissing his sisters and Henrietta and shaking the hands of the men. When he came to Timothy he looked him straight in the eyes and squeezed his hand in a firm grasp.
“And how was you talk with Annabel, last night?” Timothy asked, he decided that he had needed to be with direct with George now as he was clearly being taken for a ride.
George, unused to Timothy cutting the social graces, could help but enjoy keeping him in the dark for longer simply said “Enlightening”. George then grabbed his duffel bag and went to open the front door. He looked around at the faces of his family and pretended that he had only just thought of the idea. “I have a good idea, why doesn’t the family walk with me to the train platform. It’s still early for a nice morning walk and yet late enough for you William to catch the train to work.”
“Oh yes nothing like getting to work early on a Monday morning”, William joked.
“Yes I’ll come too”, said Elizabeth a little too enthusiastically.
“But you hate exercise”, laughed William as he grabbed his coat.
“Well”, hesitated Elizabeth, “Maybe it’s time that I changed that, you are always saying that I should go walking”.
“Well have a nice time you lot, I’m back to bed again, I don’t start my shift at the hospital until two”, said Maggie who was clearly trying to get away from Timothy and her sister.
“Oh come on Maggie”, pleaded George, “It’s not all the time that I ask you to walk me somewhere. Who knows”, he added, “You might just get to find out a interesting bit of news”.
Maggie sighed dramatically but got her coat all the same. “This had better be exceptionally interesting, I need to work out how I am going to break my news to the Matron”.
“Are you coming Father?” George asked.
“I think I will wait back here” he said, “For the fall out” he then whispered into his son’s ear as he hugged him goodbye. “I’ll do what I can here, my son, I look forward to seeing you again very soon”.
“Soon indeed”, whispered Mother into George’s ear as she kissed him and held him close to her. “When will you tell them?”
“Soon”, he said with a wink and he held the door open for everyone to leave.
Father watched them all leave knowing that it wouldn’t be long until he saw them again, this time he imagined that Timothy would be leading the charge back into the house. Father didn’t particularly think it was a good idea to reveal the truth in this manner, he had felt somewhat deceitful but George asked him to let him have a little fun, at Timothy’s expense. Well, thought Father, if Timothy did want to be a part of this family then I suppose he needed to get use to our odd sense of humour. He doubted that that would happen and went and poured himself a strong cup of coffee and headed to his study to wait for their return.
Even though the group walked reasonably fast to the station the train was already waiting at the platform, William mentioned that he had never been early enough for this train before and kissed Elizabeth goodbye and hopped on board. Elizabeth kissed him back and quickly returned he focus to George.
“Out with it”, demanded Maggie, and then said in a hushed tone to George “This had better be good, because now I have to walk all the way back home with these two”.
Oh dear, he then thought, I hadn’t really thought about that for Maggie’s sake, but he thought the news would considered good on both his sisters part that Elizabeth should be bearable for her. Timothy on the other hand, he knew would be quite aggravated by the news, although by now George suspected Timothy knew what he had to say. Just then the train attendant let out the whistle which caused George to jump, he realised that they were cutting it fine but this made the announcement even more dramatic. He jumped on board and stuck his head out of the carriage window.
“Do you remember how I told you that I asked Anna to marry me and she said no?” George began.
“Yes” shrieked Elizabeth half knowing what was coming next.
“Well I changed her mind”, George beamed. He could see the aghast look on Timothy’s face. He felt a little mean in shocking Timothy’s moral standards but once Timothy knew the truth he hoped that Timothy would give them his support, then they would be better rid of him. Elizabeth looked delighted, she always loved to be right and William quickly stuck his head out the window to see her elated expressions and gave a short laugh in appreciation of her exultant deposition. It was Maggie that made him laugh most of all, as he could see that she hadn’t quite understood the news yet.
“Changed her mind about what?” George heard her say.
“Anna’s going to be my wife”, George yelled back.
George could see Maggie and Elizabeth giving each other a hug and looking very happy on George’s behalf. He knew that they trusted his judgement, even though this was all happening so quickly, his sisters knew that once George had made a decision that he would stick to it and they would have a new sister-in-law very soon. He could also see Timothy already on his way out of the station and heading home. He knew that Timothy would waste no time in telling Father what he knew. But Father already knew- the truth. Father would sit down with the rest of the family and let them know Anna’s sad story and they would all pitch in to help things happen.
“Good Morning Elizabeth, my dear sweet sister and what a lovely surprise for you to join me for breakfast on the morning before I leave”, he gave her a great big hug and squeezed her quite tightly. She squeaked from the embrace and pulled herself out of his arms.
“Don’t tease”, she huffed, “You know that I would never miss saying goodbye to my brother”.
“Is that why you’re here?” George quizzed “The only reason then? Fantastic lets eat then, shall we? I know I won’t taste eggs as good as Henrietta’s for a very long time.”
“That sounds like an excellent idea” chimed in Maggie, who was oblivious to all the goings on last night. She wasn’t particularly happy to see her sister or Timothy this morning as last night they were exceptionally officious towards her. First Elizabeth had virtually dragged her off the floor in front of John and her other friends and then she along with Timothy started lecturing her about the protocols of engaged women. She was just happy when William declared that Maggie had endured enough for the day and that he and Elizabeth would walk her home as Timothy would miss the next train if he took any detours. When she heard Timothy’s voice coming from down stairs this morning she thought she was still dreaming. She cringed at the thought of waking up every morning next to someone who would probably start making the bed before Maggie had even got out of it.
“There wasn’t anything that you wanted to mention first?” Timothy enquired.
“Oh...umm... I am sorry about my behaviour last night and that ti won’t happen again”, Maggie said on auto-pilot while heaping a spoonful of eggs on to her plate.
“I wasn’t talking to you”, Timothy said, “although there is a few things I thought we should discuss at a later point today. In fact I was talking to your brother who left the dance rather early with Anna”.
George sat himself down next to Maggie and took her plate full of eggs, grinning from ear to ear. “Thanks Maggie, how nice that you have learnt to serve others before yourself. This one is going to make a great wife someday, hey Father”, George goaded Maggie, he figure that this was a good line of defense and that Maggie although annoyed with him now would be understanding when he explained to her in private later on. George had decided that it was Timothy that he was particularly upset with in this matter, he even figured that maybe this would be a good way of getting rid of Timothy for Maggie. He was going to keep his plans and thoughts to himself until the very last minute, he knew this would annoy Elizabeth simply because she liked to know everything that was going on around her, he also knew that it would be torturous for Timothy because he liked to be in control of all things and the thought that George could upset his plans by marrying a wanton woman just might be enough for him to call off his engagement to Maggie.
For the rest of breakfast George discussed other issues such as his training program with William and what he thought the next plans for his battalion might be. Maggie asked when he thought the nurses would be mobilised and if her pay would only increase after war had been declared. Maggie was being a lovely distraction, and talking about all sorts of things that she heard about from John last night. She mentioned that because John had been accepted into medical school that he was asked to join the medical division, he expected to be working with the surgeons and doctors and that he might end up being sent to the same place. George knew that this sort of talk would normally rattle Timothy but this morning all he seemed to do was to direct the conversation back towards George.
Once breakfast was over George stood up to leave the table but before he could go anywhere his mother asked him if there was anything that he wanted to share with the rest of the family.
George looked over to his father and smiled, he walked over to his mother and kissed her on the cheek. “Yes Mother, there is. I just wanted to say that I love you all, very much.” He then leaned over towards his mother’s ear and whispered “Soon, we need to make this dramatic”. George then went around the room kissing his sisters and Henrietta and shaking the hands of the men. When he came to Timothy he looked him straight in the eyes and squeezed his hand in a firm grasp.
“And how was you talk with Annabel, last night?” Timothy asked, he decided that he had needed to be with direct with George now as he was clearly being taken for a ride.
George, unused to Timothy cutting the social graces, could help but enjoy keeping him in the dark for longer simply said “Enlightening”. George then grabbed his duffel bag and went to open the front door. He looked around at the faces of his family and pretended that he had only just thought of the idea. “I have a good idea, why doesn’t the family walk with me to the train platform. It’s still early for a nice morning walk and yet late enough for you William to catch the train to work.”
“Oh yes nothing like getting to work early on a Monday morning”, William joked.
“Yes I’ll come too”, said Elizabeth a little too enthusiastically.
“But you hate exercise”, laughed William as he grabbed his coat.
“Well”, hesitated Elizabeth, “Maybe it’s time that I changed that, you are always saying that I should go walking”.
“Well have a nice time you lot, I’m back to bed again, I don’t start my shift at the hospital until two”, said Maggie who was clearly trying to get away from Timothy and her sister.
“Oh come on Maggie”, pleaded George, “It’s not all the time that I ask you to walk me somewhere. Who knows”, he added, “You might just get to find out a interesting bit of news”.
Maggie sighed dramatically but got her coat all the same. “This had better be exceptionally interesting, I need to work out how I am going to break my news to the Matron”.
“Are you coming Father?” George asked.
“I think I will wait back here” he said, “For the fall out” he then whispered into his son’s ear as he hugged him goodbye. “I’ll do what I can here, my son, I look forward to seeing you again very soon”.
“Soon indeed”, whispered Mother into George’s ear as she kissed him and held him close to her. “When will you tell them?”
“Soon”, he said with a wink and he held the door open for everyone to leave.
Father watched them all leave knowing that it wouldn’t be long until he saw them again, this time he imagined that Timothy would be leading the charge back into the house. Father didn’t particularly think it was a good idea to reveal the truth in this manner, he had felt somewhat deceitful but George asked him to let him have a little fun, at Timothy’s expense. Well, thought Father, if Timothy did want to be a part of this family then I suppose he needed to get use to our odd sense of humour. He doubted that that would happen and went and poured himself a strong cup of coffee and headed to his study to wait for their return.
Even though the group walked reasonably fast to the station the train was already waiting at the platform, William mentioned that he had never been early enough for this train before and kissed Elizabeth goodbye and hopped on board. Elizabeth kissed him back and quickly returned he focus to George.
“Out with it”, demanded Maggie, and then said in a hushed tone to George “This had better be good, because now I have to walk all the way back home with these two”.
Oh dear, he then thought, I hadn’t really thought about that for Maggie’s sake, but he thought the news would considered good on both his sisters part that Elizabeth should be bearable for her. Timothy on the other hand, he knew would be quite aggravated by the news, although by now George suspected Timothy knew what he had to say. Just then the train attendant let out the whistle which caused George to jump, he realised that they were cutting it fine but this made the announcement even more dramatic. He jumped on board and stuck his head out of the carriage window.
“Do you remember how I told you that I asked Anna to marry me and she said no?” George began.
“Yes” shrieked Elizabeth half knowing what was coming next.
“Well I changed her mind”, George beamed. He could see the aghast look on Timothy’s face. He felt a little mean in shocking Timothy’s moral standards but once Timothy knew the truth he hoped that Timothy would give them his support, then they would be better rid of him. Elizabeth looked delighted, she always loved to be right and William quickly stuck his head out the window to see her elated expressions and gave a short laugh in appreciation of her exultant deposition. It was Maggie that made him laugh most of all, as he could see that she hadn’t quite understood the news yet.
“Changed her mind about what?” George heard her say.
“Anna’s going to be my wife”, George yelled back.
George could see Maggie and Elizabeth giving each other a hug and looking very happy on George’s behalf. He knew that they trusted his judgement, even though this was all happening so quickly, his sisters knew that once George had made a decision that he would stick to it and they would have a new sister-in-law very soon. He could also see Timothy already on his way out of the station and heading home. He knew that Timothy would waste no time in telling Father what he knew. But Father already knew- the truth. Father would sit down with the rest of the family and let them know Anna’s sad story and they would all pitch in to help things happen.
Chapter 9- sorry I think I am getting a bit confused on chapters
Anna was trying hard to look into George’s eyes, looking for some kind of reaction. It was hard to see in the little amount of light there was. They had decided to sit on a chair down by the river Thames. It was a good spot she decided because rather than have to look at each other as she told him her story they could sit and watch the swans settling down on the banks for the night. It was amazing to see these beautiful graceful swimmers waddle their ways out of the water and up the boat ramps. Their long black slender necks gave them a elegance in the water and yet as they toddled up into the park land they looked quite humorous. Anna couldn’t help but feel akin to these creatures, she knew that people who didn’t know her circumstances thought her to be sophisticated and elegant, those who knew her better saw that although she could be graceful she was waddling under the added pressures of her own life.
“I don’t really know what to say”, George began, “actually yes I do. Marry me!”
“George, please don’t be silly. Does everything need to be a joke to you.” Anna was cross with him now. She had poured her heart out to him telling him the sordid details, some things she had never told anyone before now and he was mocking her.
“A joke! No Anna, I am very serious, listen I understand you are not the type of girl who would take advantage of a simple man, like myself. But here is the thing, you need this more than anyone and I’m not just offering myself out of pity or charity. The first words you spoke sent tingles up my spine, when I looked at you I knew the that I had met a woman capable of challenging me, a woman who would encourage me to become a better man.”
Anna was stunned, what could she say to that. If all that had happened to her over a series of months would seem fast to her, it happening over a few short hours sent her stomach churning.
“Marry me, Anna? I know this is fast but this is exceptional circumstances. I know you love your sister and what happened to her was tragic. If I ever met the man who got her pregnant and then abandoned her I would want him drawn and quartered. But now that she is in the mental hospital you need some means of keeping Charlotte with you. You said yourself they want to take her away and if they won’t let you adopt as a single woman then you need a husband” George was speaking at a fast pace. He knew his idea would drive his own family over the edge after their morning, he now understood the conversation with Timothy too. But George knew that this was a good idea, not just for Anna but also for himself too. “Let me be that husband?”
Anna just sat there looking at George’s sweet face and then back at the water and then back to George again to be sure that he really was sitting next to her on the wooden chair.
“I...I just can’t get you involved” stammered Anna. “There is more than just me involved”.
“Anna, look at me”, George demanded, lifting her face gently to look him straight in the eyes. How am I supposed to explain this, George thought, how can I open her eyes that this is just what is meant to happen. George was never sure about love at first sight but he did believe that God did open doors for those in trouble and he strongly felt that he was an open door for Anna. “Would your mother deny you happiness with a man you loved? Would she be happy at the chance to keep your niece in a beautiful family environment? With a mother and a father? Would your father not be wishing from the grave that your niece be given a loving family home like the one that you grew up in?”
Anna knew he was right that those were things that her parents would want, her sister too but she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was wrong to marry a man just because he presented himself as her life preserver. She didn’t want to take advantage of George, she didn’t want him to do this out of charity.
“And if you have any doubts about my feelings for you” George kissed her, their lips were barely touching at first and gradually the kiss deepened. Not in the physical sense but emotionally Anna could feel herself gasping for breath. “And if you have any doubts about your feelings for me”, George kissed her again and this time Anna felt herself applying the same amount of lean as George. This time the kiss met right in the middle, she was not being kissed as a few boys had tried before, this time she was kissing too.
“Oh George”, Anna whimpered. “I just can’t do this, it doesn’t feel right. I feel like I am taking advantage of you”.
“Anna, I am a grown man. I make my own decisions and in this case I feel like I have made the right decision”, George smiled “I am going to make you my wife”.
George didn’t know the details yet but he had already decided that this would be something his father would approve of. George knew that it would be seen by his mother as a rash decision but all the family were believers in love and rash decisions were not always bad ones.
As George walked Anna home through the streets of Windsor he was feeling on top of the world. He walked Anna to the train station, he wanted to escort her all the way home but she insisted that she would be fine. With the threat of war there were plenty of watchmen around on the lookout for planes, she had also wanted to use the journey as a time to think and gather her thoughts.
Was she really going to do this? George had been very definite in his response, she hardly felt like she could say no to him, but she knew that she didn’t want to say no. It was a lightning speed courtship but she wasn’t a girl who was naive of true emotions, George wasn’t a man who promised one thing in order to get another. Anna wanted to laugh and cry both at the same time. How would her mother respond? How would George’s family respond? She couldn’t help but laugh at the next thought- How would Timothy respond?
“I don’t really know what to say”, George began, “actually yes I do. Marry me!”
“George, please don’t be silly. Does everything need to be a joke to you.” Anna was cross with him now. She had poured her heart out to him telling him the sordid details, some things she had never told anyone before now and he was mocking her.
“A joke! No Anna, I am very serious, listen I understand you are not the type of girl who would take advantage of a simple man, like myself. But here is the thing, you need this more than anyone and I’m not just offering myself out of pity or charity. The first words you spoke sent tingles up my spine, when I looked at you I knew the that I had met a woman capable of challenging me, a woman who would encourage me to become a better man.”
Anna was stunned, what could she say to that. If all that had happened to her over a series of months would seem fast to her, it happening over a few short hours sent her stomach churning.
“Marry me, Anna? I know this is fast but this is exceptional circumstances. I know you love your sister and what happened to her was tragic. If I ever met the man who got her pregnant and then abandoned her I would want him drawn and quartered. But now that she is in the mental hospital you need some means of keeping Charlotte with you. You said yourself they want to take her away and if they won’t let you adopt as a single woman then you need a husband” George was speaking at a fast pace. He knew his idea would drive his own family over the edge after their morning, he now understood the conversation with Timothy too. But George knew that this was a good idea, not just for Anna but also for himself too. “Let me be that husband?”
Anna just sat there looking at George’s sweet face and then back at the water and then back to George again to be sure that he really was sitting next to her on the wooden chair.
“I...I just can’t get you involved” stammered Anna. “There is more than just me involved”.
“Anna, look at me”, George demanded, lifting her face gently to look him straight in the eyes. How am I supposed to explain this, George thought, how can I open her eyes that this is just what is meant to happen. George was never sure about love at first sight but he did believe that God did open doors for those in trouble and he strongly felt that he was an open door for Anna. “Would your mother deny you happiness with a man you loved? Would she be happy at the chance to keep your niece in a beautiful family environment? With a mother and a father? Would your father not be wishing from the grave that your niece be given a loving family home like the one that you grew up in?”
Anna knew he was right that those were things that her parents would want, her sister too but she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was wrong to marry a man just because he presented himself as her life preserver. She didn’t want to take advantage of George, she didn’t want him to do this out of charity.
“And if you have any doubts about my feelings for you” George kissed her, their lips were barely touching at first and gradually the kiss deepened. Not in the physical sense but emotionally Anna could feel herself gasping for breath. “And if you have any doubts about your feelings for me”, George kissed her again and this time Anna felt herself applying the same amount of lean as George. This time the kiss met right in the middle, she was not being kissed as a few boys had tried before, this time she was kissing too.
“Oh George”, Anna whimpered. “I just can’t do this, it doesn’t feel right. I feel like I am taking advantage of you”.
“Anna, I am a grown man. I make my own decisions and in this case I feel like I have made the right decision”, George smiled “I am going to make you my wife”.
George didn’t know the details yet but he had already decided that this would be something his father would approve of. George knew that it would be seen by his mother as a rash decision but all the family were believers in love and rash decisions were not always bad ones.
As George walked Anna home through the streets of Windsor he was feeling on top of the world. He walked Anna to the train station, he wanted to escort her all the way home but she insisted that she would be fine. With the threat of war there were plenty of watchmen around on the lookout for planes, she had also wanted to use the journey as a time to think and gather her thoughts.
Was she really going to do this? George had been very definite in his response, she hardly felt like she could say no to him, but she knew that she didn’t want to say no. It was a lightning speed courtship but she wasn’t a girl who was naive of true emotions, George wasn’t a man who promised one thing in order to get another. Anna wanted to laugh and cry both at the same time. How would her mother respond? How would George’s family respond? She couldn’t help but laugh at the next thought- How would Timothy respond?
Chapter 8 or maybe third part of 7
George had been watching the conversation between Timothy and Anna. He couldn’t really understand what had been going on. He couldn’t help himself and had started to let the jealous side of his nature to expose themselves. He had started to run through all sorts of scenarios through his head. Had they once been in a relationship before Timothy and Maggie, or worst still had it happened during. In a normal frame of mind George would have thought this completely out of the question but for some reason seeing them together he couldn’t help but be jealous of any man that had ever been in Anna’s life. It was true that this afternoon he had told her that it didn’t matter that he didn’t know anything about her but now it wasn’t just that, now he didn’t want to know anything about her past because he knew that as bad a thing as jealous was he just couldn’t stomach the thought.
Now Anna was coming towards him with a look that he knew was about to rock his world.
“We need to talk”. Those few words were always the last words any man would want to hear, and hearing them out of Anna’s mouth right now, George had to fight his instinct to quickly run all the way home.
“Are you okay, what is it you look pale, are you feeling sick?” George stammered. He knew that this wasn’t the case and tried to catch Timothy’s eye from across the other side of the room. George wondered what it was that Timothy had said to her to make her look so off-colour. There was a number of times in the past that George had wanted to clout Timothy for some of the things that he had said to Maggie. He always claimed that he said those things out of love, but where did he get off by upsetting Anna, what was his excuse this time, was it love?
“We need to go somewhere quiet, things are a bit difficult to talk about in such a... flamboyant atmosphere.” Anna could see the look of dread in George’s eyes. Was she really doing the right thing, this wasn’t only her own secret, there were other people involved, as Timothy had put it. Then George put a reassuring arm around her shoulders and gave her a sheepish grin.
“Any excuse to get me alone, hey Anna?” George joked.
Anna didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Was George trying to make her feel better or was he so oblivious to her feelings. In most circumstances Anna wouldn’t had dared mentioned any of her family issues but considering George was off to finish his training tomorrow she felt like she didn’t have too much to lose.
As they walked out of the room Anna could feel lots of eyes on them. Anna wanted to scowl at Timothy but she thought she saw him looking at her with sympathy. What was it that he wanted, she never really found out why he had waited until now to reveal what he thought.
Elizabeth was looking quizzically towards her brother an her friend, what was going on, what was it that Timothy knew and why wasn’t anyone telling her, after all she was the one who had organised this blossoming relationship didn’t she then have a right to know what was going on. She was about to stride over to Timothy and demand an explanation but before she had a chance William was at her side.
“Lets just leave it for now, my love”, William insisted.
“But leave what! Is what I want to know? Don’t you think I deserve an explanation from someone?” Elizabeth demanded.
“No” William said with a firmness in his voice. He was aware of Elizabeth interest in other people’s affairs when they got married. He thought it was just a common interest in gossip like most girls but with Elizabeth it went further. William was trying to help her with these tendencies but when it came to family matters it was more difficult.
“But George is my brother and Annabel is my friend”, she whinged.
“And still that does not give you any more entitlement to know about every little detail of their private lives. Really Elizabeth why do you need to know everything about everybody else’s lives, is our life not interesting enough for you.” William could see that Elizabeth was shocked by his words, he too was shocked by his bluntness but he was tired by all the drama of today’s events and he was hopeful of an early night with his wife but he could see now that tonight may be just as eventful as the day.
Elizabeth was shocked that William would accuse her of that and so to avoid any further conversation about her she said.
“Would you just look at that girl, does she not realise that she is making a spectacle of herself. Really someone needs to talk to her and stop her from embarrassing poor Timothy” and she marched off on to the dance floor in the direction of Maggie.
“Oh yes, poor Timothy”, William said. William knew that Elizabeth loved him but it was trying to see the way Elizabeth and Timothy flirted in their own unique way. He knew it was because they were very much akin to each other and that they both felt like they didn’t quite belong in this modern world. It was August 1939 and with women working and going to university pursuing their own careers it was difficult for Elizabeth to fit in when all that she said she desired was to be a wife and mother. William was never sure if this was what she wanted or if it was said to her often enough by her mother that now she just believed it to be true. In any case he certainly didn’t mind trying to help her to become a mother, although he would never admit it to any of his friends or really anyone for that matter but he thought that it would have happened by now. It may be the fact that Elizabeth always seemed to be over-excited all the time, there was always something to stress about. He knew this too was inherited from her mother. Watching her make a beeline for her younger sister he could help but feel sorry for Maggie in most situations, not poor Timothy.
Now Anna was coming towards him with a look that he knew was about to rock his world.
“We need to talk”. Those few words were always the last words any man would want to hear, and hearing them out of Anna’s mouth right now, George had to fight his instinct to quickly run all the way home.
“Are you okay, what is it you look pale, are you feeling sick?” George stammered. He knew that this wasn’t the case and tried to catch Timothy’s eye from across the other side of the room. George wondered what it was that Timothy had said to her to make her look so off-colour. There was a number of times in the past that George had wanted to clout Timothy for some of the things that he had said to Maggie. He always claimed that he said those things out of love, but where did he get off by upsetting Anna, what was his excuse this time, was it love?
“We need to go somewhere quiet, things are a bit difficult to talk about in such a... flamboyant atmosphere.” Anna could see the look of dread in George’s eyes. Was she really doing the right thing, this wasn’t only her own secret, there were other people involved, as Timothy had put it. Then George put a reassuring arm around her shoulders and gave her a sheepish grin.
“Any excuse to get me alone, hey Anna?” George joked.
Anna didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Was George trying to make her feel better or was he so oblivious to her feelings. In most circumstances Anna wouldn’t had dared mentioned any of her family issues but considering George was off to finish his training tomorrow she felt like she didn’t have too much to lose.
As they walked out of the room Anna could feel lots of eyes on them. Anna wanted to scowl at Timothy but she thought she saw him looking at her with sympathy. What was it that he wanted, she never really found out why he had waited until now to reveal what he thought.
Elizabeth was looking quizzically towards her brother an her friend, what was going on, what was it that Timothy knew and why wasn’t anyone telling her, after all she was the one who had organised this blossoming relationship didn’t she then have a right to know what was going on. She was about to stride over to Timothy and demand an explanation but before she had a chance William was at her side.
“Lets just leave it for now, my love”, William insisted.
“But leave what! Is what I want to know? Don’t you think I deserve an explanation from someone?” Elizabeth demanded.
“No” William said with a firmness in his voice. He was aware of Elizabeth interest in other people’s affairs when they got married. He thought it was just a common interest in gossip like most girls but with Elizabeth it went further. William was trying to help her with these tendencies but when it came to family matters it was more difficult.
“But George is my brother and Annabel is my friend”, she whinged.
“And still that does not give you any more entitlement to know about every little detail of their private lives. Really Elizabeth why do you need to know everything about everybody else’s lives, is our life not interesting enough for you.” William could see that Elizabeth was shocked by his words, he too was shocked by his bluntness but he was tired by all the drama of today’s events and he was hopeful of an early night with his wife but he could see now that tonight may be just as eventful as the day.
Elizabeth was shocked that William would accuse her of that and so to avoid any further conversation about her she said.
“Would you just look at that girl, does she not realise that she is making a spectacle of herself. Really someone needs to talk to her and stop her from embarrassing poor Timothy” and she marched off on to the dance floor in the direction of Maggie.
“Oh yes, poor Timothy”, William said. William knew that Elizabeth loved him but it was trying to see the way Elizabeth and Timothy flirted in their own unique way. He knew it was because they were very much akin to each other and that they both felt like they didn’t quite belong in this modern world. It was August 1939 and with women working and going to university pursuing their own careers it was difficult for Elizabeth to fit in when all that she said she desired was to be a wife and mother. William was never sure if this was what she wanted or if it was said to her often enough by her mother that now she just believed it to be true. In any case he certainly didn’t mind trying to help her to become a mother, although he would never admit it to any of his friends or really anyone for that matter but he thought that it would have happened by now. It may be the fact that Elizabeth always seemed to be over-excited all the time, there was always something to stress about. He knew this too was inherited from her mother. Watching her make a beeline for her younger sister he could help but feel sorry for Maggie in most situations, not poor Timothy.
Chapter 7- 2nd half
Timothy was turning into the exact man that she feared him to be. She was surprised that this conversation had not happened a long time ago, she always lived with a certain amount of fear at university wondering when her secret would be exposed. Timothy certainly kept her guessing, just a few days ago when Elizabeth had asked her over to celebrate Timothy’s engagement she had begun to think that maybe Timothy wasn’t the man she thought he was. She had hoped that he would be able to put his prejudices aside and thought that maybe he would keep her confidence. Now it was clear to Anna, that seeing her with George, Timothy would use his knowledge against her.
“Anna, there is something that is troubling me and I thought that rather than discussing the matter with anyone else that we could resolve things between ourselves”, said Timothy. Timothy was awkward in most social situations; in discussing matters of a delicate nature he really was inept.
“I think it is very clear as to what you are talking about Timothy. But I really don’t see where your interests in my private matters are concerned.” Anna was on the defence. She thought people like Timothy were becoming a thing of the past and that people were becoming more understanding on matters such as these. It was just her luck to run into Timothy a few months back when she was out walking in the park. She knew Timothy had jumped to his own conclusion on the matter, that he had assumed the worst about her. It wasn’t just Timothy who had assumed the worst which was why a long time ago Anna had shut herself off from most society. She never went on dates and had few friends; she had only befriended Elizabeth because it was clear that she was in need of a friend herself. Anna had resigned herself to a life of solitude; she had not expected to meet anyone who would be understanding enough of her situation to ever expect anything more. That was why it was all the more difficult to find herself in this current situation, with George, with Timothy and with her own stupid self for letting herself get so involved with a man that she forgot to guard her heart.
Anna could felt the tension within herself building. The more she thought about it the angrier she became. She was looking at Timothy and thinking how dare you presume to interfere in my affairs, how dare you try to tell me that I am not good enough for your fiancée’s brother, how dare you try to take away my chance of happiness with a man that I never dreamt that I could meet.
“Actually Annabel, I do believe it is of my concern. George is soon to become a member of my family. I do not believe that it would be appropriate for your relationship with him to move anywhere past that of acquaintance.” Timothy stated.
“Well, Timothy”, Anna was now seething, “I think it is what George thinks is important, not you.”
“And does George know?” Timothy enquired. Timothy stood there looking at Anna. He was tall and somewhat heavy, not what you would consider overweight but there was no muscle definition although even without it he was still much wider than Annabel as well as a good head above her. His hair was a chesnut brown and curled into ringlets which was obviously a point of frustration for him because he tried to use oil to slick it back in the modern style but it would dry and spring into little ringlets on the top of his head. His light brown eyes were big and round and along with the smattering of freckles across his nose gave him the appearance of someone much younger than his twenty-six years. It was the way he held himself rigid and as stiff as an ironing board that revealed his true personality. Timothy had the appearance of a gentle giant but it was his manner that ended this charade. Timothy was serious and very conservative in his beliefs and world views. He held tight to the formality of yester years and it was clear that these beliefs were instilled in him by his parents. Both of them were from families who were considered old money, neither had a title but both claimed one through family connections.
Anna was not going to be intimidated by him. If George was going to find out it was going to be on her terms, not some pompous man who wouldn’t know what compassion looked like.
Anna stared straight back at Timothy; Timothy had not wanted the conversation to take such an unfriendly tone. He had sympathies for Anna but it really would be a better outcome for all if she ended her relationship with George now. There were selfish reasons for this such as what his parents would feel about such a family connection but there were also unselfish reasons, he didn’t want to expose Anna or the child to such scrutiny.
“Alright Timothy, George doesn’t know, not yet anyway. But it is up to me to tell him, not you.” Anna was ready for a fight but she was surprised that it was not what Timothy was looking for.
“If you think that is wise, then you go right ahead. But you need to remember that no matter how George reacts, there is others still involved. His parents for example, do you think they will be ready to welcome a grandchild into the family which isn’t their own.” Timothy didn’t want to hurt her but he thought it necessary to open her eyes to the situation. After all a young single mother could not expect that she would be welcomed into a well-to-do family without any ramifications. They were not going to extend their arms out and welcome her and her fatherless child and to imagine so would just be as foolish as getting into the immoral situation as itself. Timothy was surprised at Annabel, he had always found her to be an intelligent girl to find out that she was slightly delusional didn’t seem to fit with the same girl. He understood that some cad had probably persuaded her against her better judgement into the unfortunate mess but he thought her clever enough to accept that her life circumstance would not be the same again.
Anna sighed. “I do understand Timothy. People do not accept people making mistakes.” With that she turned to walk away.
“Annabel, I’m not ...” Timothy started but did not finish. It was clear that she didn’t want his advice. Timothy hadn’t planned on this being the current situation. He had thought that he would recommended that they all enjoy the rest of the night together and that at the end of the night Annabel would say her goodbyes to George and that would be the end. He hadn’t thought that it would have been necessary for Annabel to out herself, he admired her bravery and felt sorry for her naivety, he had also felt the same way about her choice to keep the child.
“Anna, there is something that is troubling me and I thought that rather than discussing the matter with anyone else that we could resolve things between ourselves”, said Timothy. Timothy was awkward in most social situations; in discussing matters of a delicate nature he really was inept.
“I think it is very clear as to what you are talking about Timothy. But I really don’t see where your interests in my private matters are concerned.” Anna was on the defence. She thought people like Timothy were becoming a thing of the past and that people were becoming more understanding on matters such as these. It was just her luck to run into Timothy a few months back when she was out walking in the park. She knew Timothy had jumped to his own conclusion on the matter, that he had assumed the worst about her. It wasn’t just Timothy who had assumed the worst which was why a long time ago Anna had shut herself off from most society. She never went on dates and had few friends; she had only befriended Elizabeth because it was clear that she was in need of a friend herself. Anna had resigned herself to a life of solitude; she had not expected to meet anyone who would be understanding enough of her situation to ever expect anything more. That was why it was all the more difficult to find herself in this current situation, with George, with Timothy and with her own stupid self for letting herself get so involved with a man that she forgot to guard her heart.
Anna could felt the tension within herself building. The more she thought about it the angrier she became. She was looking at Timothy and thinking how dare you presume to interfere in my affairs, how dare you try to tell me that I am not good enough for your fiancée’s brother, how dare you try to take away my chance of happiness with a man that I never dreamt that I could meet.
“Actually Annabel, I do believe it is of my concern. George is soon to become a member of my family. I do not believe that it would be appropriate for your relationship with him to move anywhere past that of acquaintance.” Timothy stated.
“Well, Timothy”, Anna was now seething, “I think it is what George thinks is important, not you.”
“And does George know?” Timothy enquired. Timothy stood there looking at Anna. He was tall and somewhat heavy, not what you would consider overweight but there was no muscle definition although even without it he was still much wider than Annabel as well as a good head above her. His hair was a chesnut brown and curled into ringlets which was obviously a point of frustration for him because he tried to use oil to slick it back in the modern style but it would dry and spring into little ringlets on the top of his head. His light brown eyes were big and round and along with the smattering of freckles across his nose gave him the appearance of someone much younger than his twenty-six years. It was the way he held himself rigid and as stiff as an ironing board that revealed his true personality. Timothy had the appearance of a gentle giant but it was his manner that ended this charade. Timothy was serious and very conservative in his beliefs and world views. He held tight to the formality of yester years and it was clear that these beliefs were instilled in him by his parents. Both of them were from families who were considered old money, neither had a title but both claimed one through family connections.
Anna was not going to be intimidated by him. If George was going to find out it was going to be on her terms, not some pompous man who wouldn’t know what compassion looked like.
Anna stared straight back at Timothy; Timothy had not wanted the conversation to take such an unfriendly tone. He had sympathies for Anna but it really would be a better outcome for all if she ended her relationship with George now. There were selfish reasons for this such as what his parents would feel about such a family connection but there were also unselfish reasons, he didn’t want to expose Anna or the child to such scrutiny.
“Alright Timothy, George doesn’t know, not yet anyway. But it is up to me to tell him, not you.” Anna was ready for a fight but she was surprised that it was not what Timothy was looking for.
“If you think that is wise, then you go right ahead. But you need to remember that no matter how George reacts, there is others still involved. His parents for example, do you think they will be ready to welcome a grandchild into the family which isn’t their own.” Timothy didn’t want to hurt her but he thought it necessary to open her eyes to the situation. After all a young single mother could not expect that she would be welcomed into a well-to-do family without any ramifications. They were not going to extend their arms out and welcome her and her fatherless child and to imagine so would just be as foolish as getting into the immoral situation as itself. Timothy was surprised at Annabel, he had always found her to be an intelligent girl to find out that she was slightly delusional didn’t seem to fit with the same girl. He understood that some cad had probably persuaded her against her better judgement into the unfortunate mess but he thought her clever enough to accept that her life circumstance would not be the same again.
Anna sighed. “I do understand Timothy. People do not accept people making mistakes.” With that she turned to walk away.
“Annabel, I’m not ...” Timothy started but did not finish. It was clear that she didn’t want his advice. Timothy hadn’t planned on this being the current situation. He had thought that he would recommended that they all enjoy the rest of the night together and that at the end of the night Annabel would say her goodbyes to George and that would be the end. He hadn’t thought that it would have been necessary for Annabel to out herself, he admired her bravery and felt sorry for her naivety, he had also felt the same way about her choice to keep the child.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Chapter 7- 1st half
Oh this was a great idea of George’s, thought Maggie. After all that had gone on through the last day and a half Maggie really felt like letting loose. She even didn’t mind that it was Timothy as her dance partner, although later she did plan on begging George to have a dance with her or better still to introduce to one of his army buddies. A few months ago she would not have been able to dance with another man with Timothy around but when a young officer made a big scene saying that how could one man deny another man a pure innocent dance with his girl when that man may be at death’s door in just a few short days. Other officers who had asked Maggie previously for a dance started to jeer on the young officer and Timothy had quickly relented, saying that it wouldn’t hurt just the once. But fortunately for Maggie this only spurred on the other young officers and before long there was quite the line up of partners for Maggie although she knew that more than a number of them were doing it to put Timothy’s nose out of joint rather than for Maggie herself.
It wasn’t long before John; a boy that Maggie had gone to school with had asked Maggie for the next dance. Timothy looked him up and down and decided that he didn’t look like too much trouble and told John that he would permit John the next dance with his fiancee.
Oh no thought Maggie, she had conveniently forgotten about that dreaded news. Would Timothy be telling every person that they saw tonight?
“Perhaps, Timothy, we should be keeping this...umm...exciting news a secret for a little while longer”, whispered Maggie.
“What nonsense Maggie, I thought you would be like a lot of those girls and showing off your ring to all your girlfriends”, Timothy looked down at Maggie’s hand which she tried to quickly hide behind her back. “Maggie, where is your ring?” asked Timothy with much annoyance in his voice. “Maggie, I hate to be pedantic about this, but that ring did cost me a lot of money and I would hate for you to loose it Maggie. Honestly Maggie it isn’t very responsible of you to ...”
“Timothy, it’s alright. I took it off when I went to enlist this morning. It is safe at home in my jewellery box.”
“Your engaged? To Timothy?” Maggie’s friend John was surprised.
“Oh course to me, who else would Maggie be engaged to?” Timothy snarled at the young man. Timothy was beginning to have second thoughts about letting Maggie dance with this youth but luckily for John the music stopped and then struck up another song with a quicker tempo. Timothy would have told Maggie that she should dance with him again but Timothy really didn’t feel comfortable in dancing the quick steps of the dance.
“Umm, maybe you might like to get me a refreshment for when we finish this dance” Maggie suggested. She was happy to dance with John; he was always a lot of fun in school. She was surprised to hear that he had joined the army, he had been accepted into medical school at Oxford, she knew that Timothy didn’t recognise him because Timothy wouldn’t be able to help himself and make some critical comments, Maggie was very thankful when Timothy left the dance floor.
“Are you really going to marry Timothy?” John puffed as he kicked his feet up to the music.
“Well we are engaged, so I suppose we might get married, someday. You see I’ve joined the Nurses Army and my father said that Timothy and I needed to wait until after the crisis is over”. Maggie loved this dance, she wasn’t really in the right outfit to dance it well as her skirt was much to long to really be able to kick her legs high but even with those restrictions she was able to impress her partner. John smiled a huge smile at her; he was obviously impressed by her decision, although it did look a bit of a cheeky smile.
“Did you join up after you got engaged to Timothy?”
That’s why his smile looked so cheeky, Maggie thought. Trying to be respectful of Timothy was sometimes difficult. So many people would poke fun of his reserved manners and well-to-do ideals, sometimes she felt obliged to defend him but she knew she couldn’t say too much in his defence to John. John knew what she had been like in school and he would see through any phony defence of Timothy.
“Well”, she smiled “It was actually the very next day, now that you ask.” The song was taking on an even faster tempo so it was getting difficult to keep talking even for an experienced dancer like herself but you could see from the look on John’s face that he wanted to say something more but he was clearly struggling to keep up. Maggie just smiled at him keeping eye contact knowing that it was a good thing that the music made it challenging to talk, she knew that her own tongue was difficult to tame and when she was around her peers she was almost a lost cause. She wouldn’t consider herself cruel but she had on more than one occasion been chastised by Elizabeth for comments about Timothy that could be construed as mocking.
Elizabeth was currently standing next to Timothy closely watching her younger sister openly flirt with a boy she had seen on one or more occasions. Really it was unkind that Maggie would treat Timothy this way, she thought that Timothy was looking in Maggie’s direction as well and looked over at him and was surprised to see his eyes looking straight back at her. Elizabeth didn’t know what to say, maybe Timothy hadn’t even noticed Maggie’s indiscretions, and she didn’t want to hurt his feeling if he hadn’t so she thought of something else to point out.
“Doesn’t George look happy? I just knew that he and Annabel would get on like a house on fire”, she smugly nodded in their direction on the dance floor. If Elizabeth thought Timothy’s reaction would be one of mutual glee she was in for a rude shock. Timothy’s mood changed from one of admiring glances at Elizabeth to a slight sneer at Annabel.
“Listen Elizabeth I wanted to talk to you about this idea of yours”, Timothy said. “There are a few things we don’t really know about Annabel, I mean how well do you really know her?”
“Whatever are you talking about Timothy? Annabel is just lovely, a bit too career minded in my opinion but that is the sort of girl George likes”, Elizabeth replied. “I think she is going to be a sweet addition to the family”.
“Addition to the family? Lets not get ourselves carried away shall we” Timothy stammered.
“Well you heard him this afternoon. From George’s very own mouth said that he had asked her to marry him but she said no. I don’t think it will take George too long in my opinion to change her mind. As a family people are useless against our charms”, Elizabeth smiled her sweetest smile at Timothy. His reaction however was one that made her feel quite embarrassed as it was clear she was seeking for a compliment and Timothy would normally have replied that she indeed was very charming but tonight all Timothy did was stare in the direction of George and most specifically towards Annabel.
“We might need then to figure out what Annabel intentions are then in this matter”, Timothy thought out loud.
“Annabel’s intentions?” Elizabeth laughed “Whatever are you like Timothy. Most people would be more concerned with George’s intentions, not the girls”.
“I am about to become a part of your charming family”, Timothy replied “Therefore I feel it necessary to guard the family and keep its social and moral fibres, shall we say pure.”
“Timothy, you are sounding very strange. Is there something you are not telling me?” Elizabeth asked.
Timothy thought about telling Elizabeth all that he had known about Annabel but he thought that maybe it was not necessary to publicly make known all the details. And if he needed this as evidence in the future he would expose it then. He was hoping that when he pointed his knowledge out to Annabel, she would kindly let George know that there was no future for them. Annabel was a good student and she would get herself a good job to support herself and whoever else. George would find a nice morally wholesome girl and settle down himself.
“There isn’t much you need to know, at this point”, Timothy answered, and “You just need to trust that I will look out for us and all of the family”. He knew now what he needed to do and the quicker this was done the less pain involved for all, even Annabel, Timothy thought. “I have an idea”, Timothy continued “Why don’t you have one last dance with George before he goes away. I can occupy Annabel, after all it looks that Maggie is enjoying herself in more juvenile company”. Maggie’s behaviour would be something else he would need to address later on; he would need to make a note in his notebook to remind himself.
As soon as Anna saw Timothy and Elizabeth coming towards then she could sense the change in the air. She knew that this was not going to be a social chit chat or a simple change of partners, she saw that Timothy had very clear intentions in mind. George sensed Anna’s tension and looked up to see his sister and soon to be brother-in-law coming their way. He knew that Timothy wasn’t the funniest guy to be around but couldn’t really understand why Anna would be feeling apprehension about a dance with Timothy.
“Dear George”, Elizabeth said “How about a last dance with your big sister”, she grinned looking up at her brother.
“Oh you don’t want to dance with me when you could have such a fine partner in Timothy here. Where is that husband of yours anyway?” George replied, he wasn’t too eager to give up his partner, he was even less enthusiastic when he knew that Annabel would be in the unfortunate company of Timothy.
“Oh, William is over talking to some of those officers over there” Elizabeth pointed, “And you know that it will be our last chance in a long time.” Elizabeth knew George couldn’t say no, she knew that all he wanted was to be with Annabel but sometimes he needed to make sacrifices for other people, this was something he would definitely learn going into battle.
“I don’t mind”, Anna lied “It would be wrong to deny your lovely sister a dance. I can find out just how well Timothy can dance, he often would say that he was quite the professional on the dance floor”.
“That only because Maggie make him look good”, George remarked. No one else was able to get another remark in as the song began to play. It was one with quite the rapid tempo and just the excuse that Timothy was looking for.
“I am afraid I am not one for the quicker dances”, Timothy said to Anna, “Perhaps we can take a walk over to the refreshment stand”. This was exactly what Anna had been afraid of and it seemed to all go wrong in the exact way that she imagined it would.
“If that’s what you wish” Anna complied. She wasn’t surprised by this, not at all.
It wasn’t long before John; a boy that Maggie had gone to school with had asked Maggie for the next dance. Timothy looked him up and down and decided that he didn’t look like too much trouble and told John that he would permit John the next dance with his fiancee.
Oh no thought Maggie, she had conveniently forgotten about that dreaded news. Would Timothy be telling every person that they saw tonight?
“Perhaps, Timothy, we should be keeping this...umm...exciting news a secret for a little while longer”, whispered Maggie.
“What nonsense Maggie, I thought you would be like a lot of those girls and showing off your ring to all your girlfriends”, Timothy looked down at Maggie’s hand which she tried to quickly hide behind her back. “Maggie, where is your ring?” asked Timothy with much annoyance in his voice. “Maggie, I hate to be pedantic about this, but that ring did cost me a lot of money and I would hate for you to loose it Maggie. Honestly Maggie it isn’t very responsible of you to ...”
“Timothy, it’s alright. I took it off when I went to enlist this morning. It is safe at home in my jewellery box.”
“Your engaged? To Timothy?” Maggie’s friend John was surprised.
“Oh course to me, who else would Maggie be engaged to?” Timothy snarled at the young man. Timothy was beginning to have second thoughts about letting Maggie dance with this youth but luckily for John the music stopped and then struck up another song with a quicker tempo. Timothy would have told Maggie that she should dance with him again but Timothy really didn’t feel comfortable in dancing the quick steps of the dance.
“Umm, maybe you might like to get me a refreshment for when we finish this dance” Maggie suggested. She was happy to dance with John; he was always a lot of fun in school. She was surprised to hear that he had joined the army, he had been accepted into medical school at Oxford, she knew that Timothy didn’t recognise him because Timothy wouldn’t be able to help himself and make some critical comments, Maggie was very thankful when Timothy left the dance floor.
“Are you really going to marry Timothy?” John puffed as he kicked his feet up to the music.
“Well we are engaged, so I suppose we might get married, someday. You see I’ve joined the Nurses Army and my father said that Timothy and I needed to wait until after the crisis is over”. Maggie loved this dance, she wasn’t really in the right outfit to dance it well as her skirt was much to long to really be able to kick her legs high but even with those restrictions she was able to impress her partner. John smiled a huge smile at her; he was obviously impressed by her decision, although it did look a bit of a cheeky smile.
“Did you join up after you got engaged to Timothy?”
That’s why his smile looked so cheeky, Maggie thought. Trying to be respectful of Timothy was sometimes difficult. So many people would poke fun of his reserved manners and well-to-do ideals, sometimes she felt obliged to defend him but she knew she couldn’t say too much in his defence to John. John knew what she had been like in school and he would see through any phony defence of Timothy.
“Well”, she smiled “It was actually the very next day, now that you ask.” The song was taking on an even faster tempo so it was getting difficult to keep talking even for an experienced dancer like herself but you could see from the look on John’s face that he wanted to say something more but he was clearly struggling to keep up. Maggie just smiled at him keeping eye contact knowing that it was a good thing that the music made it challenging to talk, she knew that her own tongue was difficult to tame and when she was around her peers she was almost a lost cause. She wouldn’t consider herself cruel but she had on more than one occasion been chastised by Elizabeth for comments about Timothy that could be construed as mocking.
Elizabeth was currently standing next to Timothy closely watching her younger sister openly flirt with a boy she had seen on one or more occasions. Really it was unkind that Maggie would treat Timothy this way, she thought that Timothy was looking in Maggie’s direction as well and looked over at him and was surprised to see his eyes looking straight back at her. Elizabeth didn’t know what to say, maybe Timothy hadn’t even noticed Maggie’s indiscretions, and she didn’t want to hurt his feeling if he hadn’t so she thought of something else to point out.
“Doesn’t George look happy? I just knew that he and Annabel would get on like a house on fire”, she smugly nodded in their direction on the dance floor. If Elizabeth thought Timothy’s reaction would be one of mutual glee she was in for a rude shock. Timothy’s mood changed from one of admiring glances at Elizabeth to a slight sneer at Annabel.
“Listen Elizabeth I wanted to talk to you about this idea of yours”, Timothy said. “There are a few things we don’t really know about Annabel, I mean how well do you really know her?”
“Whatever are you talking about Timothy? Annabel is just lovely, a bit too career minded in my opinion but that is the sort of girl George likes”, Elizabeth replied. “I think she is going to be a sweet addition to the family”.
“Addition to the family? Lets not get ourselves carried away shall we” Timothy stammered.
“Well you heard him this afternoon. From George’s very own mouth said that he had asked her to marry him but she said no. I don’t think it will take George too long in my opinion to change her mind. As a family people are useless against our charms”, Elizabeth smiled her sweetest smile at Timothy. His reaction however was one that made her feel quite embarrassed as it was clear she was seeking for a compliment and Timothy would normally have replied that she indeed was very charming but tonight all Timothy did was stare in the direction of George and most specifically towards Annabel.
“We might need then to figure out what Annabel intentions are then in this matter”, Timothy thought out loud.
“Annabel’s intentions?” Elizabeth laughed “Whatever are you like Timothy. Most people would be more concerned with George’s intentions, not the girls”.
“I am about to become a part of your charming family”, Timothy replied “Therefore I feel it necessary to guard the family and keep its social and moral fibres, shall we say pure.”
“Timothy, you are sounding very strange. Is there something you are not telling me?” Elizabeth asked.
Timothy thought about telling Elizabeth all that he had known about Annabel but he thought that maybe it was not necessary to publicly make known all the details. And if he needed this as evidence in the future he would expose it then. He was hoping that when he pointed his knowledge out to Annabel, she would kindly let George know that there was no future for them. Annabel was a good student and she would get herself a good job to support herself and whoever else. George would find a nice morally wholesome girl and settle down himself.
“There isn’t much you need to know, at this point”, Timothy answered, and “You just need to trust that I will look out for us and all of the family”. He knew now what he needed to do and the quicker this was done the less pain involved for all, even Annabel, Timothy thought. “I have an idea”, Timothy continued “Why don’t you have one last dance with George before he goes away. I can occupy Annabel, after all it looks that Maggie is enjoying herself in more juvenile company”. Maggie’s behaviour would be something else he would need to address later on; he would need to make a note in his notebook to remind himself.
As soon as Anna saw Timothy and Elizabeth coming towards then she could sense the change in the air. She knew that this was not going to be a social chit chat or a simple change of partners, she saw that Timothy had very clear intentions in mind. George sensed Anna’s tension and looked up to see his sister and soon to be brother-in-law coming their way. He knew that Timothy wasn’t the funniest guy to be around but couldn’t really understand why Anna would be feeling apprehension about a dance with Timothy.
“Dear George”, Elizabeth said “How about a last dance with your big sister”, she grinned looking up at her brother.
“Oh you don’t want to dance with me when you could have such a fine partner in Timothy here. Where is that husband of yours anyway?” George replied, he wasn’t too eager to give up his partner, he was even less enthusiastic when he knew that Annabel would be in the unfortunate company of Timothy.
“Oh, William is over talking to some of those officers over there” Elizabeth pointed, “And you know that it will be our last chance in a long time.” Elizabeth knew George couldn’t say no, she knew that all he wanted was to be with Annabel but sometimes he needed to make sacrifices for other people, this was something he would definitely learn going into battle.
“I don’t mind”, Anna lied “It would be wrong to deny your lovely sister a dance. I can find out just how well Timothy can dance, he often would say that he was quite the professional on the dance floor”.
“That only because Maggie make him look good”, George remarked. No one else was able to get another remark in as the song began to play. It was one with quite the rapid tempo and just the excuse that Timothy was looking for.
“I am afraid I am not one for the quicker dances”, Timothy said to Anna, “Perhaps we can take a walk over to the refreshment stand”. This was exactly what Anna had been afraid of and it seemed to all go wrong in the exact way that she imagined it would.
“If that’s what you wish” Anna complied. She wasn’t surprised by this, not at all.
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