Will Herondale (shadowed_will) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2018-09-26 19:33:00 |
|
|||
Kimberly was quite pleased to have a suitor. Will was very kind to her and she was very happy that he wasn't a miner. She wouldn't have minded if he were a farmer, but he wasn't likely to die as a bartender. Unless there was a fight of some kind, but Kim didn't like to think about things like that. She much preferred to think about how he got her such pretty gifts of ribbons and flowers, and made time for her frequently to take walks or join her while she ran errands. Kim preferred those to conversations had in her parents' sitting room, since those dates usually meant being very closely chaperoned by either her mother or her father. Today, it was a little bit of taking a walk and a little bit of running errands. She'd gone to Mrs Osbourne's to get another book and have tea with the other woman, and had sent a note saying as much to Will so that he'd call on here there when she intended to be done. He didn't let her down and she was delighted to see him headed up the street from where she'd been positioned in Mrs Osbourne's parlor. Kim said her goodbyes and met Will at the Osbourne's porch with a big smile. "It's lovely to see you, Mr Herondale," she greeted warmly. *** It had taken a bit for Will to gather the courage to ask someone at the bar to read the note to him. He really wanted to be able to read it himself, but sadly that wasn’t yet possible. He’d figured out enough to know what his name looked like, but beyond that he still struggled though he managed to keep it hidden from most of the people who knew him. Despite all of that, he felt incredibly lucky to get the beautiful Kimberly to allow him to court her and better yet that her parents approved of the match. She was so pretty and kind - he knew he was very lucky. Once he’d knew when and where to meet her, Will had hurried to finish the chores he needed to complete before going to meet Kimberly. Everything had gone well and he’d even had time to make sure his shirt was neatly pressed and shoes well polished. Feeling presentable and eager to see Kimberly, he’d hustled down the road until he could see Mrs. Osbourne’s front porch. By the time he’d reach that space, Kimberly was standing on the porch. As soon as he saw her, his face creased into a smile. “Miss Milligan,” he replied with a slight bow and a doff of his hat. “It is a pleasure to see you this fine day. Did you find a new book to read?” *** Kim giggled a little, mostly because she was nervous, as he bowed to greet her. She gave him a proper curtsey in response though, pleased that her mother had shown her how. She wasn't always the best or perfectly behaved daughter, but she did try to be. It was just that sometimes running about was much more fun than wearing such pretty dresses that she needed to be extra careful in. Keeping her dresses nice were definitely worthwhile when she got to see the way Will looked at her. "I did," she replied excitedly. It was tucked away in her satchel, but she had already read the first chapter and Mrs Osbourne spoke highly of it. "Mrs Osbourne says it's a romance, but the main characters don't like each other very much so far. I'm excited to see how it develops." Kim always loved to see how stories unfolded, especially if there was action and intrigue. "I have only a few errands left to run, but I was hoping you might walk with me for a while? Tell me how your days have gone of late?" Kim was always interested to learn more about Will. *** “I would love to spend time with you,” Will said with a bright smile. He, as society dictated in his mind, offered her his arm. Just because he worked in a saloon didn’t mean he was uncultured or didn’t want to treat his lady appropriately. He helped her down the stairs, continually reminding himself that this was a lady and he needed to treat her in that way. Will did love listening to her tell him about the stories she was reading. Not being able to read himself meant that he never had a chance to experience the stories on his own. “Mayhap after we finish your errands, you will have some time to read to me from your story,” Will said hopefully. It sounded like the ideal end to a day. He might then be late to work slightly, but it would be worth it for the extra time with the beautiful Miss Milligan. “So where is your first stop?” he inquired. *** Will had a way of making her feel special even when all he did was exactly what he was supposed to do. It just meant a lot to her that he'd take time out of his day to spend with her and get to know her. Kim knew she was the perfect age to be married off and she didn't want to be a burden on her parents any longer than necessary. They probably didn't think that, but she was realistic enough to know that if she didn't get married soon, it would be that much more difficult to find someone who'd let her stay in Madison Valley. Kim brightened considerably when he asked if she would read some of her story to him later. "I would love to!" She had no real concept of how much time he had to spend with her, so she was quite happy with whatever time she could get. "I have to go to the tailor's to pick up my dress for the wedding on Sunday. I grew another inch and it needed to be adjusted." Which sucked, but at least there'd been enough fabric in the hem to allow for it. It was her very best dress though, so she knew she'd have to wear it to the wedding. "Will you be attending?" she asked as they began to walk toward the tailor shop. *** The mention of the wedding made Will nervous. He was thinking a lot about the next steps in his relationships with Kim. He quite liked her and she was everything he wanted in someone to spend his life with. But at the same time, was he worthy of her? Will wasn’t certain he was. But then he knew that if he didn’t try and ask, someone else would realise how amazing she was and steal her away - someone with more to offer. His nervousness at the thought made his hand flex against hers where it laid on his arm. “If you are attending, then I shall definitely attend,” Will said as he gently steered her down the street, making sure she could be on the inside of the sidewalk and protected from the roughness of the street. “But only if you will agree to save me at least one dance.” He gave her a broad grin with bright twinkles in his blue eyes. Carefully he guided her around a large puddle in the sidewalk before continuing. “If you are willing to be seen with me.” His nervousness showed in his face as he looked at her, hoping she would agree. *** Kim was very lucky that Will had taken an interest in her. He was very handsome and while he was a bartender at the Saloon, at least it was steady employment in a perfectly respectable establishment. Plus, it was helpful that they were moving a bit slowly so that she didn't overthink things too much. She had a tendency to do that sometimes, like how she was worried that if she didn't get married in the next year or so, she'd have to leave Madison Valley. It wouldn't be quite so fatalistic, but she tended to go for the worst case scenario. She didn't think that way about Will. Kim beamed when he said he would go if she was going to be there. He had the cutest eyes ever. "Of course I'll save a dance for you," she promised, without any kind of hesitation. His comment about whether she wanted to be seen with him or not struck her as odd, but not in a bad way necessarily. It did, however, cause her to stop and sort of pull him off to the side of the sidewalk so that others could keep walking past them. "If I may be so bold, Mr Herondale," she began a little hesitantly. Kim knew she was taking a risk, but if she didn't, maybe this opportunity would slip away from her. Very quickly, she darted in to press a kiss against his cheek. It was very bold and could potentially backfire tremendously, but she had faith. "I am very happy to be seen with you," she said softly. *** It was quite bold for the street and Will blushed, bright red cheeks highlighting his blue eyes. Will couldn't imagine that she would be so delightfully bold. In return he took her hand and squeezed it tightly. He didn't dare kiss her back because that could definitely get over the top quite quickly. Maybe after their dance... "Then I shall definitely plan to be there and claim a dance," Will said and those blue eyes twinkled, "maybe even two." His eyes showed his pleasure at her answer and knowing that they were agreed on their relationship. Turning back to the walk, Will escorted her down to the dress shop. "I think we are in agreement then - that things between us are as they should be." |