Veronica 'Still a Virgin' Avery (ladylessons) wrote in blurred_lines, @ 2009-01-28 15:25:00 |
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Entry tags: | ! [1980-01] january, aquila avery, veronica avery (née parkinson) |
Who: Aquila Avery and Veronica Parkinson
Where: A large, frozen lake.
When: Wednesday, January 28th, around 4pm.
What: Ice skating, and a very important question.
Rating/Status: G, Completed Log.
She whizzed past Aquila, laughing. Her hair had fallen out of the bun a good half hour ago, but with her hands carefully mittened, she hadn't bothered to fix it. Veronica was too happy to race about on her skates, laughing gently as she skated circles around Aquila. Veronica skated away from him for a few minutes, lifting one of her legs up in the air as she glided, her hands out to keep her balance before she set that leg down, and then lifted the other. She had a bit of fun trying out different moves, imagining that she was flying, instead of being on the ice. Since her mother told her that she was not to fly for sport any longer, she was glad that she could expend energy and fly on the ice. She skated back to Aquila, coming to a halt right in front of him, her cheeks red from the cold and her high spirits. "This is so very fun," she said, smiling up at him. Aquila was content to watch her as she moved across the ice, gloved hands resting in his pockets. His palms gathered anxious sweat as he stood there, balancing on his skates. Part of him wished they could simply skate the day away and enjoy their courtship a little longer but the greater part of him knew it was his duty to fulfill his father's wishes, even if it meant accelerating his way toward marriage much sooner than he had hoped. It was not that he found Veronica lacking by any means, only that his isolation from society had left him sorely yearning for time that was his own to do with as he wished. But this was the way of things. Still, he skated in a leisurely way across the ice to meet Veronica and smiled at the natural blush the cold gave her. She really was beautiful. "I'm glad you're enjoying the day," he said, and it cheered him that he was certainly going to make her day even better. At least, he thought, he did not have that particular uncertainty that some men did, which was that she might not accept. "Oh, yes, of course I am," Veronica said, her smile growing. She knew that her mother was growing impatient, and Georgia Parkinson's anxiousness had added to Veronica's. She knew that the two of them had not been courting for so long that people in society would be wondering at them, but she could not help but remember that she would very shortly be twenty-one. With so many girls younger than she being married, and even having children, Veronica wanted to be sure that she was not found lacking. And, of course, the more she had gotten to know Aquila, the more she enjoyed his company. And she had grown certain that she could be fond of him, and perhaps even grow to love him. "You aren't skating very much," she said, and with a slight hesitation, she reached out her gloved hands to take his, perhaps to lead him across the ice. "Are you tired?" His smile turned to a grin. Though he would never say it, sometimes he grew tired just watching Veronica. She had more energy than he could understand, and it had always been what had most intrigued him about her. He released one of her hands and began to move his feet in a set pattern to skate slowly by her side. He didn't have the balance or, indeed, the interest in skating as fancily as Veronica did, but he could hold his own. He was silent for a moment more, before he realised he was stalling and forced himself to speak. "Not tired. Just thinking," he replied, then chastised himself internally. Still stalling, only this time with evasive speech instead of silence. He took a breath as they skated along. "I was wondering something. Do you suppose the ice is particularly cold on the knees?" Veronica watched Aquila carefully. She had confidence in his ability while they skated, but he seems so preoccupied she was a bit worried that he might fall. His question about ice and knees made her brow knit together as she looked at him, unable to keep her smile away -- she was never really able to hide it, although she did practice keeping her expressions serene. "I would think so," she said, giggling a little. "But don't worry, I won't let you fall." "Oh, I'm not worried about that," Aquila said, laughing softly and tucking his hands in his pocket. He came to a slow stop again, swallowing the rapid heartbeat crawling up his throat. He looked briefly down at the ice and back up again. "I suppose some sacrifices will have to be made for propriety and tradition, that's all." He paused, took a long breath, and without further ado, knelt before her. Veronica stared at him curiously as he moved, and then as he knelt down she felt her own heart in her throat. She trembled a little, her skates clinking against the ice as she regained her balance. One of her hands moved to her mouth, the wet woolen mitten resting against her lips as she stared at him. Her eyes were round and she could not speak. A part of her thought that he must only be teasing her. Despite all that her mother had made clear she wanted, Veronica had not thought that he was this close to proposing to her. And yet, as a gentleman, it would have been unspeakably unkind for him to kneel before her in such a way. Still unable to speak, she only blinked at him. Aquila cleared his throat quietly, and took another breath to steady himself. He was usually well-spoken, and it would not do to fumble over his words at this most momentous of events. "Veronica," he began, and his hand was closing over the small velvet box in his pocket. He had thought long and hard about what he was going to say, but it all seemed to disappear from his brain. All he could think to say was the truth. "I should like to be able to go skating with you every winter for the rest of my life." And it was the truth, no matter how much he might have had misgivings about proposing so soon. He withdrew the box from his pocket and flipped it gently open to reveal a ring, glinting softly in the cold light of winter. "It would honour me greatly if you would be my wife." Veronica's hand trembled in her glove, and her lashes grew wet with tears as she nodded dumbly. She stared at the ring, transfixed. All her life she had wondered when and if she'd ever find someone who loved her and wanted to marry her. For so long she had thought that she'd wind up living with her brothers and their wives, an old maid who educated her nieces and nephews and romped about with them. A few months ago Aquila had begun to change the picture of her future, and she had begun to look forward to a much richer and fulfilling life. The fact that he even mentioned the skating made Veronica laugh, a few tears streaking down her cheeks, her eyes shinning. The laugh made her almost lose her balance again, but then she had it, and she looked Aquila in the eyes and nodded vigorously again, finding it difficult to make her mouth form the words that she needed to speak. She took a deep breath, and then another, and finally was able to say it, "Oh, yes, Aquila," she whispered. It was unexpectedly exhilirating to hear her accept. He smiled readily and stood, now not even aware of the wet patches of cold on his knees. "I'm glad." It wasn't, perhaps, the most eloquent expression, but he no longer thought it mattered. He grasped her left hand gently and made to tug off her glove. "May I?" Veronica felt silly with her hand still touching her mouth, and found that she was losing feeling in her legs. As soon as he touched her left hand she felt her knees start to give way, and quickly put her right hand on his shoulder as she fell against him, blushing bright red at her inability to stay balanced on her skates, and falling against him, and of course, that she was very quickly becoming engaged. "Yes, of course," she said, her voice higher than usual as she tried to steady herself and wiggle her fingers out of her glove as he tugged, swallowing hard. Aquila caught her elbow quickly with his free hand. "All right?" he asked, but he couldn't help but smile. Maybe skating wasn't the best choice for this sort of occasion, after all, but he thought it had a certain sentimental value. Once he was certain she wasn't about to pitch over, he divested her of her glove and slowly slid the ring on her finger. He felt a funny little jolt in his stomach. This was it, really. No one really ever broke off an engagement in their society. It was too much scandal. But he found he didn't mind that fact as much as he thought he might. "Yes," Veronica said, feeling out of breath, and as though her head were very light. She tightened her grip on his shoulder for a moment before she was completely upright, and then kept her hand there as she looked down at the ring. The diamond seemed to glow as the light shone on it, and she felt a new rush of tears springing to her eyes. She was engaged, and soon she would be married. It did not hit her completely yet what it would mean to be married, to leave her parents and to live with Aquila and take care of him. She was still in shock that they were engaged. She looked up at him, a few tears still wet in the edges of her eyes. She was suddenly struck by the understanding that she and Aquila did not know each other completely. The walks and the chats had allowed them to see their compatibility. Veronica was confident of his character. But she had her own secrets, and feared that he might discover some of them. She wondered if he had his own, and what she would think if she were to find them. But she pushed those thoughts out of her mind, for now, and despite the tears, she was smiling brilliantly at him. "I am more than all right," she said, her hand still on his shoulder. "Much more." He supposed it was only natural to feel good about being the cause of her happiness; after all, was that not at least partly the function of a man - a husband? To keep his wife happy? As such, he could not keep himself from practically beaming, and he didn't particularly care if there were others around the ice when he leaned down to kiss her softly for the first time. Let them see. He was a free man, now. Veronica was glad to see him beam, and, cheeks bright red, she lifted her face and kissed him. It was her first kiss, and her heart was beating so hard she thought it was going to burst out of her chest. She leaned gently against him, hoping that she was not being improper. Veronica moved her left hand to twine with his right as they kissed, hoping that she wasn't rubbish, and marveling at how wet a kiss could be. Veronica nestled her face against his shoulder for a moment, her cheeks still flaming. He pulled gently away from her after their moment had passed, altogether pleased with himself and indeed, with her. He had been foolish, really, to dodge about the notion of engagement in his mind for as long as he had. After all, it was not as if that much would change right away, would it? It was only the engagement, and not the wedding. That should be a little further off, especially now that their society was won. He raised his eyebrows at her. "I feel that champagne is in order, but barring that, there is always hot cocoa." Veronica nodded, blinking back happy tears. "Oh, yes," she said. "I do think you are right." She wove her fingers into his, taking a long, joyous breath. He had never appeared to her to be so handsome and good. Veronica felt that this must be the happiest day of her life, and she was eager for it to continue on, and to be able to spread the news to her mother. |