Constantly Unchanging
by Wiltshire_Lady (Morgan)
(CC Webmistress note: Introducing
the first of its kind-- an exquisite new fanfiction that is a Victorian
crossover between
two worlds: Candy Candy and Emma: A Victorian Romance)
Chapter 1: New Year
The room was warming now, as the coal fire, lighted the night before finally spread to the corners. The young woman stretched and yawned in the large guest bedroom and groggily reached for the clock placed on her nightstand. The raccoon, stirred at the foot of the bed, but did not wake. She saw the time and smiled, whispering excitedly to the small creature, curled on the sheets.
“New Year's Day! It’s 1916!”
Standing up, she pulled her robe on and clutched her forehead as a dizzy spell took over her.
“Ohhh, ouch!” she moaned. “My head!” It was the first hangover of the year. The animal squeaked and hurried towards her but she gently shushed it.
“No Kurin, stay here!” she said and blew it a kiss.
Since it was still early, only the kitchen staff was working on the breakfast for the New Year, so the hallways were still empty. She had a lady’s maid assigned to her, but left the room and hurried into the hallway to the room at the other end before she could be found. She paused at the door for a bit before timidly knocking. The soft harmonica music heard from the other end stopped. Before the room’s occupant had time to come and meet her, she pushed open the door and hurried inside with a smile.
“Terry! Happy New Year!”
“Oh, it’s you Freckles,” the young man replied, laughing, his long hair messily tangled from sleep. “I was worried someone had woken up from my playing.”
“You play your music this early?” Walking towards the bed, where he still lay, she took his invitation and got under the covers with him.
“Well, not usually. I haven’t had a cigarette in awhile still, but Richard’s cigars are getting those cravings back.” With a lazy glance at his harmonica, he tossed it on the bed sheets. Candy leaned forward to snuggle into him, but was quickly repelled by the strong tobacco and alcohol smell of him.
“Oh Terry! You smell awful!”
“I know. Those things are ripe.”
“How many did you have?”
“One. With I-don’t-know-how-many brandies.” Leaning in, he kissed her ear before she laughed and pulled away.
“Ugh! How do you stomach those?”
“Mmmm,” he replied looking at her, and twirling a lock of golden curl around his fingers with a teasing expression. “Well, look at that face. Did you get more freckles, Freckles?”
Candy gasped and covered her face. They had been together for a long time, but she still hated the reference to her dotted complexion.
“You stop! I told you I hate that!”
Terry whistled and leaned back into the pillows, grinning. “You have such selective perception.”
“Huh?”
“You get mad over the smallest things and don’t see the ones that are staring you in the face.”
“I don’t! That’s not a bit true!”
How rude and unashamed he was talking about her shortcomings! No one in the world was able to make her this angry so quickly.
But staring her in the face it was. While she had been covering her nose and cheeks, the ring with its lovely, tinted diamond had failed to take her attention. Candy’s mouth went a bit slack as she looked at the jewel adorning her finger that had most definitely NOT been there the night before. He must have slipped it on her finger when she had been asleep…
“Terry…”
“Well, now it’s official,” he said, smiling before grabbing a kiss. “The London Theatre paid me in full for the last performance and I got you the biggest diamond I could find. I didn’t want to wait to ask you to marry me, but waiting until I had the perfect ring, well… I suppose I could do that.”
Candy was still staring at the band on her finger and now turned to her fiancé and hugged him tightly.
“Oh Terry, thank you!”
“Another thing,” Terry said, “I got a telegram last night from Susanna.”
Although Candy’s heart sank a bit, she forced cheer in her voice. “Oh? And how is she?”
“Oh fine,” Terry replied, sounding like he was still teasing her. “She’s been recovering well and married apparently…”
“She got married?”
“Yeah, to some guy who lives in
With the last line, he gave a sigh of relief.
“Terry, that’s great!”
“For her and us,” he nodded slowly. “Definitely good.”
She let the feeling of his hands sink into her skin as he touched her. Shivering at his touch, Candy closed her eyes and nestled closer to him. Suddenly, the clock on Terry’s nightstand chimed and he reached over to turn it off.
“Still have another two hours,” he murmured into her neck. “The New Year needs to be rung in.” His hands embraced her gently as they guided her to lie back down into the sheets.
“Terry, we aren’t married yet!”
He stopped and hovered over her, running his hands into her long blonde curls. “Does that rule out everything, then?”
Candy giggled and pulled at his shirt, letting his body shift on top of hers.
“No,
not at all! But…” She glanced nervously around. “We’re still guests here… we
should try and behave as much as possible.”
“Well, well.” he said, snuggling with
her deeper into the sheets. “
“Oh, Terry… I love you.”
“I love you too, Lady Freckles,” Terry murmured, biting her ear and neck.
Playfully she smacked his cheek.
“Stop calling me that!”
“Then kiss me and I won’t have to talk.”