New Heights

[Tavish MacFusty]

July 9, 1883

As Tavish made his way into the Hog's Head he thought that really it should have been simple. He should have easily been able to find Ethelyn and sweep her off her feet and tell her that it was she he wanted to be with. But he was nervous. Not to the point where he thought he'd back out, but he was nervous still. He asked the tiny Hog's Head worker with a pregnant belly where he could find Ethelyn and she gave him the same snarky response she gave everyone but told her nonetheless where. So he went to her.

He found her in an empty room with the door open cleaning away and smiled instantly. She looked pretty even in an unflattering maids dress and he knew he was making the right decision. Knocking on the door slightly he got her attention before walking over to her and giving her a smile. "Ah was told Ah could find ye here. Got a minute?" He asked, not wanting to disturb her if she didn't want to talk right then. Though he supposed she would want to hear what he say. It was important, after all.

  

[Ethelyn MacFusty]

DATE: July 9th, 1883

TAG: Tavish

OUTFIT: Here

WORDS: 381

NOTES:

For all that it irked Ethelyn that she was back to making beds and scrubbing floors (to the point where she had been considering looking for a nanny position again despite the misery that seemed to bring her every time) she was thankful that the job was repetitive and solitary, it gave her the chance to work herself until she was so tired by the end of the day that she slept almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. She was very thankful for that, it was a blessing in disguise.

It'd been over a week since she'd gone to Tavish and the warm feeling both hope and his arms had given her had abandoned her sometime since. Would he choose Vera and not inform her of that decision? Would he leave her hanging rather than tell her straight up? She wanted to believe he wouldn't but a niggling part of her brain kept trying to convince her that he had made his choice and she clearly wasn't a part of it. She'd managed to keep her hope up so far though it grew more difficult by the day to maintain.

The last occupant of the room she was cleaning had complained about had managed to foul up his sheets quite horrendously and it made Ethelyn grimace with disgust as she peeled back the bottom sheet. She could recognize the cause of the stain but she really wished she were ignorant. Obviously Mr. Quickley had had a lady friend visit though for the sake of said lady friend, she hoped he didn't live up to his name. The person behind the knock she assumed was about to be give her extra work but upon turning around, nearly jumped out of her skin in surprise to see that that wasn't to be the case at all, that is unless Tavish MacFusty had recently taken to ordering maids around. The delight she felt at seeing him twisted into apprehension as she read his words to imply her hearing something she really didn't want to hear. "Yeah," she replied quietly, sounding almost tentative. Remembering that she was still grasping the filthy sheets, she hastily deposited them at her feet and wiped her hands frantically on her apron.

  

[Tavish MacFusty]

She seemed a bit nervous and he felt some relief that at least they were equal on that front. He was nervous too because he was about to ask her to forgive him for all the crap with Vera, to look past the fact that he was something of a manwhore and not at all used to feeling love and take him anyways. He was about to tell her everything she could ever want to know and offer something he never thought he'd offer any woman in his life. It was all very strange to him that only a month ago he never would have thought of marrying anyone and here he was, willing to give Ethelyn his last name if that was what it took to make her his.

So he took in a deep breath and prepared for the tangent he was going to go on that much resembled her own when she'd come into his office a week prior. "Ah was born sometime on March 13, 1852. Ah donnae know what time o' day but Ah came a few minutes after my twin. We were the second and third born tae our parents - respectively - but we have thirteen other siblings. Only one is a girl and she isn't much better than us boys. Ah grew up in Lews Castle in th' Hebrides Isles of Scotland and dragonkeeping was th' family business." He gave a slight shrug, not sure where to go from there. "When Ah went tae Hogwarts Ah was sorted into Gryffindor tae no one's surprise as all MacFusty children worth their stock are Gryffindor. Ah never applied myself tae school but Ah did well enough in Charms and Care of Magical Creatures. Ah played quidditch for four years: two as a beater, two as a chaser. Ah was pretty good but it wasn't somethin' Ah wanted tae pursue past school."

He rocked on his heels slightly. "Ah'm the tallest MacFusty at the moment and that's sayin' somethin' considering we're all tall. Ah always fancied girls but never thought tae marry any of 'em. Had my first crush and kiss by a lass named Dolly when Ah was fourteen and Vera was my close friend and later more-than-friend in school. Ah'm on great terms with all my family. Never wanted tae be a father though Kitten is th' best thing tae ever happen tae me. We're halfbloods and we're from money but Ah like tae think we're good sorts. Let's just say ye won't find any o' us rubbin' elbows with the majority o' Hogsmeade's elite. Never had a pet unless ye count the dragons my family watches after. Torquil - my twin - and Ah hunt dragons which is unheard of in my family." He took a breath, all of it coming out randomly and silly.

He took a step closer to her. "Ah'm not good at things like this and Ah never felt romantic love fer a woman til Ah met ye." He fished into his pocket for a ring he got the day prior and produced it to her. "Ah donnae need marriage tae know Ah wanna be with ye but if ye want my name then Ah want ye tae have it. Ah know it ain't exactly romantic, but Ah love ye Ethelyn and Ah want ye tae be happy with me if Ah can make that happen." He held the ring out to her, not putting it on her finger for fear she'd say no. "That's all Ah can really say." He said it a bit awkwardly, waiting for her response with his nerves going wild.

THIS IS THE RING

  

[Ethelyn MacFusty]

DATE: July 9th, 1883

TAG: Tavish

OUTFIT: Here

WORDS: 406

NOTES:

Her mouth was running dry as she considered the possibilities of what she was about to hear from him. Maybe he didn't want either of them and was calling it quits? She wasn't sure she preferred that idea to him choosing Vera over her, at least if he chose Vera she'd know why as opposed to just outright not being wanted. She waited anxiously as he began talking, realizing soon after he began that he was giving a similar overview of his life as she had given him. She dared entertain a little hope, granted he might be telling her so she knew before he said goodbye and hightailed it out of the join but she doubted anyone would bother to go through it all just to ditch someone.

As Ethelyn listened both attentively and anxiously, she noted with dismay how little she really did know of him, she hadn't even known he had a twin! She then wondered for a brief moment if said twin was identical but dismissed that swiftly. She bit her lip without meaning to when he mentioned Vera. He continued on, however, and she listened with mounting nervousness.

He took a step closer and she felt her heart start racing wildly. This was it, this was the moment she'd been both dreading and longing for, the end result would dictate whether she ought to have dreaded it or not. She very nearly keeled over when he got a ring involved. Unless he was one for giving rings for the hell of it, she had the sneaking suspicion it was what she thought it was. The initial shock at the stunning blue gem staring at her passed quite quickly as his words overshadowed it. He was actually proposing to her! She'd expected a proposal from a man once and not received one but this time she hadn't in the least expected it and here she was being presented a ring. It was accompanied by a speech that would go down in history for eloquence but it was perfect to Ethelyn. "I thought you were here to let me down gently," she confessed, still somewhat startled by the turn of events. She steadily cracked a broad grin and hesitated awkwardly for a moment torn between staying put and embracing him. She stopped dithering quickly and rather ungracefully flung herself at him, seemingly intent on trying to squeeze him to death with her embrace.

  

[Tavish MacFusty]

Tavish had never felt as nervous in his life as he did while he was waiting for her to react. When she finally spoke he felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders because while she hadn't said yes, she hadn't said no either. He was starting to wonder what her answer would be when she cracked a smile and ended up throwing her arms around him. He instantly put his arms around her and gave a chuckle because everything seemed to be falling into place. Sure, he still hurt over the fact that his best friend was no longer that but Ethelyn was surely worth it. He loved her more than he ever thought he could love anyone.

"Am Ah tae take it that yer willin' tae marry me?" He asked, pulling back just slightly to look at her. "After all, wouldnae want this lovely ring tae go tae waste now would we?" He grinned cheekily at her, happy beyond all reason. He never thought that the prospect of marriage would be so appealing to him but then again he'd never met a woman whose name he thought went so well with his. Ethelyn MacFusty. It sounded nice to him and he was suddenly excited at the idea that - if he was inferring things correctly - would become reality.

He couldn't help himself. He didn't care if someone walked by and saw them. He kissed her soundly on the mouth, so incredibly relieved that she seemed to have taken his proposal well. It wasn't the smoothest of proposals but it was all him and that was what really mattered, right? Pulling away he grinned at her. "Shall ye try it on?" He fingered the ring before her eyes, waiting for her go-ahead before he would place it on her finger.

  

[Ethelyn MacFusty]

DATE: July 9th, 1883

TAG: Tavish

OUTFIT: Here

WORDS: 310

NOTES:

Ethelyn couldn't remember ever feeling so happy as she did at that moment. She'd been pretty excited about being able to attend Hogwarts but that paled in comparison to the moment at present. She considered pinching herself to make sure she hadn't passed out on the job and dreamed it all up. But no, she didn't need to pinch herself to know it was really him and everything that had happened since he walked in the room had really happened.

"I couldn't be more willing if you paid me!" she confirmed with an excited giggle. "Not that I often get paid to accept proposals," she added, still grinning to the point where her face was in danger of aching soon.

She was glad he kissed her when he did or else she would have had to have done the honors, it didn't even matter that the door was wide open or that she was stood next to a balled up spunk-covered bed sheet which was really pretty disgusting. Not that anything beside Tavish was on her mind. Unlike the last time they had kissed, this time she didn't feel half so disappointed for it to end for she felt certain there'd be plenty more to come. Not to mention breaking it for a ring wasn't such a bad thing. "Oh- Uh..." She cut herself off to wipe her hands off vigorously on her dress in case there was anything unpleasant on them and paused to run her hands together briefly for a moment. Even with only a couple weeks working at the Hog's Head, her hands felt rough from the work and while she highly doubted that was something he was about to change his mind over, she was still self-conscious about it. There wasn't anything she could do about it though. She extended her hand to him and smiled.

  

[Tavish MacFusty]

When she finally held her hand out, he didn't waste any time in sliding the ring on the appropriate finger. It felt weird to think that the simple motion was sealing their fate for the future. They'd be married. Forever. The thought of it was daunting when he put it that way in his head but there was no going back and honestly he wasn't sure he wanted to go back. He was glad that she was going to be his wife. That meant Kitten would have a proper mother figure. Someone to teach her all about those ridiculous layers women were supposed to wear and help her learn how to do whatever it was girls were supposed to like to do. Not that he cared if she liked that stuff or not.

"Fit okay?" He grinned, hoping it worked. He held her hand, not at all caring about the roughness of them. He didn't care if she was used to working when he'd grown up around money and women who had no reason to work. He loved her no matter what and she was beautiful beyond all reason to him. For all the fears and anxieties he had about the fact that he was going to be a husband, they were balanced and more by the happiness he felt in knowing that he'd be able to give her everything she deserved. She would never want for anything again and while he figured that didn't matter much to her it felt good to know he could provide for her a life that was easier than the one she was used to.

He kissed her again softly before pulling back and looking at the ring on her finger. "Ah donnae know much about jewelry but Ah was told that the stone is a lapis lazuli. Supposed tae symbolize love...or at least Ah think that's what the jeweler said." He gave a nervous sort of chuckle. "At any rate Ah thought ye'd like it." He surely hoped she did at least. Not that the money was a big deal but it had been pretty pricey and he would hate to have spent the money and her not like the ring.

  

[Ethelyn MacFusty]

DATE: July 9th, 1883

TAG: Tavish

OUTFIT: Here

WORDS: 279

NOTES:

Ethelyn watched in anticipation as he put the ring on her finger. It was strangely exhilarating when coupled with the symbolism of it all. He'd really picked her! Most men didn't marry their nanny but it had been obvious from the start that Tavish was anything but most men. Not that she'd ever thought he actually would marry her.

The ring was beautiful in her opinion, she'd always been partial to blue and it was so striking. "Perfectly," she confirmed, tearing her eyes away to beam at him. It was the first time in a long while that she'd had any jewelry. In the instances where she'd been a mistress, there were a few times when she'd been given pretty things that had probably been intended to keep her sweet and willing but she had since sold them, the money was of more use to her than ornaments which would look out of place on someone like her, not to mention they just existed to remind her of what she had done.

Ethelyn hadn't expected him to propose to her, let alone present a ring too and while she was sure she would have been equally happy had he not given her one, she didn't feel any less appreciative of it. It really was beautiful and not just because of who had given it to her. "I love it!" She caaught the nervous edge to his laughter and couldn't help laughing because of it; she didn't think she'd ever caught him nervous before but now that she had, she found it immensely endearing. "And I love you even more." She kissed him through a beaming smile to prove it.

  

[Tavish MacFusty]

He was relieved when she seemed to like it. That was a good sign and he needed those if he had any chance of pulling this whole thing off. He knew nothing about marriage and weddings and courtship. He knew they'd done it all messed up but he was hoping to get something right somewhere along the way. After all it was Ethelyn and she deserved something that wasn't completely messed up. So even if Tavish had no idea where to start he'd try his damnedest to make it good for her.

Pulling away from the kiss slightly, he smiled. "Well Ah'm glad. Ah have no clue where tae start with this but...whatever ye want, Ah'll give it tae ye." It was a promise. If she wanted the biggest wedding in the world with everyone in attendance then he'd make it happen for her. If she wanted to go to Japan and get married on a volcano, he'd do it. Or if she wanted nothing more than the two of them he'd be glad for that too. Whatever she wanted is what he wanted because she was surely the one that had more ideas. He'd never thought of marriage, never really wanted it. But now that he had he wanted it to be exactly what Ethelyn wanted it to be.

"Seems strange tae think we'll need tae make wedding plans." He said it with a chuckle. It did seems strange. Things were all crazy and messed up but he was happy that it had led to that moment. To having her in his arms, wearing a ring he'd bought and smiling because she was happy. He was glad he could make her smile like that. He had no idea why or how she could be so happy just because of him but he wasn't going to question it. He was just pleased that he could give to her an inkling of the happiness she gave to him.

  

[Ethelyn MacFusty]

DATE: July 9th, 1883

TAG: Tavish

OUTFIT: Here

WORDS: 205

NOTES:

Whatever she wanted... Ethelyn hadn't a clue what that was exactly - besides Tavish himself - but the sentiment was one she was grateful for all the same. It was almost surreal, all of it. "You and Kitten are all I need," she confessed with a slight chuckle. If she woke up and found everything had been a dream, she was certain she would never feel happy again.

Wedding plans. The two words were strangely ominous and exciting both at the same time. She'd not really given much thought to her dream wedding besides there being a pretty dress and some flowers - and of course a handsome groom - she had no idea what else they could possibly need. "The word 'wedding' sounds so..." She couldn't find the word to describe what she meant. Strange? Ominous? Scary? It was a mixture of things really. "I don't know but it's excitin' and a bit frightening too, in a way." Ethelyn blushed. There was an underlying girlish desire to jump around and squeal but for the sake of convincing him that she was insane, she held back from doing so and substituted it with the broad grin that was at this point, making her cheeks ache.

  

[Tavish MacFusty]

"Yer tellin' me." He said when she spoke of how the word wedding was exciting and frightening. He never thought to get married. He never wanted to get married and he still wasn't sure he'd make a good husband but if trying was what it took to keep Ethelyn with him then he was willing to do it. He loved her and that wasn't going to change in the foreseeable future so marriage was the obvious next step. People didn't just fall in love and be together without marriage. Though he saw no reason why they shouldn't, he didn't want to be the man that made his family reputation even worse. Because as it was they weren't exactly the most respectable of upper class families.

He was scared of the idea that he was going to marry her. His hand went to her cheek and he brushed a bit of stray hair from her eyes. "Ah donnae know if Ah can be a good husband. Ah donnae know how tae do weddings and all that romance stuff. But Ah love you and Ah'll try to be better if that's what ye need." He said it sincerely, lovingly because it was true. He wanted to be the person that Ethelyn deserved even if he had no idea where to begin. Even if he still loved Vera too. It was all a conflicting situation but he was glad he made this decision. It felt right and he wanted to be with her. He wanted to make her happy because seeing her smile was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

  

[Ethelyn MacFusty]

DATE: July 9th, 1883

TAG: Tavish

OUTFIT: Here

WORDS: 254

NOTES:

He didn't think he could be a good husband? Ethelyn hadn't dared consider how awful a wife she might make. She had been a mistress before but that was in no way the same thing. "If you're anywhere near as good a husband as you are a father then I'll be more than happy. Besides, I'm not exactly what I'd call 'wife material'." She meant what she said and she was still not sure how good a wife she'd be, after all, she doubted her ability to give him children, she wasn't from his social class and couldn't really claim to being a refined young lady, she had no idea what was expected of her besides the whole having children part which she was failing at from the start.

Ethelyn felt like she was going to burst from excitement and the surge of affection she felt for him. It was a wonder she hadn't pounced upon him like some wild creature already. If only her first time had been with him, she would have been beyond happy to give him that but then if she had been a virgin upon meeting him, it was very possible that they wouldn't be where they were at that moment. The most that she could do was be thankful they hadn't actually done the deed when the opportunity had last been for the taking, she wanted the first time with him to be special as opposed to a drunken spur of the moment encounter on his kitchen counter.

  

[Tavish MacFusty]

He chuckled at her words. "Ah'm pretty sure ye'll do better than me at this whole spouse thing." Tavish had never even been in any sort of serious romantic relationship in his life. It'd always just been sex and while some women he consistently had sex with and was friendly with, they were never really romantic. He'd never had experience with being in love and how you were supposed to act when you were such. It was all scary to him but he was determined to do good at being a husband for Ethelyn. He wanted to be her prince charming or whatever else it was she wanted from him. He loved her and he wanted to make her happy even if it took him out of his comfort zone.

"But we can both agree that neither of us know what we're doing." He said with a smile. That seemed like the best thing to do. Though he was still certain Ethelyn would be a better wife than he was a husband. "Ah should probably let ye get back tae work though, huh?" He didn't really want to leave and though she technically didn't need to work anymore he had a feeling she wouldn't really take too kindly to the suggestion that she just quit.

  

[Ethelyn MacFusty]

DATE: July 9th, 1883

TAG: Tavish

OUTFIT: Here

WORDS: 144

NOTES:

She doubted the prospect of marriage would ever not intimidate her, even once it happened but she was sure she could learn as he could though she doubted he'd have any problem.

Ethelyn had completely forgotten until he brought it up and effectively reminded her that she was technically supposed to be working. Her heart sank a little, in light of what had transpired, the last thing in the world she wanted to do was clean and make beds, she felt more inclined to make a lot of squealing noise and jump around. "I guess so... Unless you want to get me fired." She couldn't help a small giggle as she started to absorb the fact that they were engaged, she was actually engaged. "I wish you didn't have to go so soon, I doubt you want to help me make a bed though."