| Details for A Moody Engagement |
| Summary: | Tim pulls out all the stops to really truly propose to Annie on Valentine's Day. |
| Date: | February 14th 1938 |
| Location: | Wizarding Library |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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Wizarding Library London
Mon Feb 18, 1938 ((Thu Jan 10 22:44:50 2013)) (D,4 NW - N)
It is a winter day. The weather is cold and snowing.
The Wizarding area of the Library is of course for wizards only and is hidden from muggle sight. Every imaginable book a wizard could want can be found here, or most likely acquired upon request. During the day many wizards mill about at the shelves or are seated at the available tables in the circular space in the center of the surrounding shelves that ladders and stairwells wind about for stories above the floor. A dome of iron and glass high above the stacks at the top of the tower of knowledge allows the day light in. Some windows can be found scattered amongst the shelves.
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Afterhours on Valentine's Day, Tim has gotten special permissions and seemingly had things planned with an accomplice because Annie was asked to run an errand just before closing time. When she returns everyone is gone and the lights are dim. The only person still there is Tim in a tux with wizarding flares to it. He smiles to her and then hands her a large flat dress box that has a library index card on it like a gift tag. 'A Change Will Do You Good' by Tim Moody is the title of the book and the location seems to be 'Ladies Powderroom'. "See yee soon." Is the only thing he'll say to her.
If she follows the dewey card she'll find in the gift box a lovely blue dress that's all the straight line fashion that has gold flecks in it, in he box is also a smaller box that has the blue stone necklace he brought her from his Himalayan trip. Upon the mirror in there is a large bow that also has a dewey index card on it. This card has the title, 'The Lovely Life of Annie Taylor.' by Dorothy Frost. The location of this book is much more Library-esk and is definitely located in the Romance Section.
The aisle the card leads her to is decorated in garlands of all of Annie's favorite flowers. In the center of the aisle is a table for two a few books from the musical section on a rack close by, one of them already opened and playing a lovely bit of romantic background music. If she looks at the exact spot the last index card pointed to, there's a wrapped present of a book shape tucked between the books. Tim is sitting at the table, he is looking a bit please with himself too.
Annie's surprise is obvious as she arrives back to find low lighting and a dashingly handsome wizard waiting for her. Knowing how good he is with keeping a secret, unless he happens to be dying on the hall floor, Annie doesn't attempt to drill him about his scheme, but she gives him a soft kiss before she goes on as instructed. The dress draws a gasp of delight, and before she returns to the next card she changes into it, charming her shoes to match and fastening the beloved necklace around her throat. When she finds Tim again in the library aisle the young witch pauses, taking in all the care he has taken for her. The scent of the flowers drift through the air, mixing delightfully with the familiar smell of books. She doesn't immediately look to where the card directs, instead letting her eyes settle on Tim with warm affection. "It's just grand, my Tim," she says, meaning everything: the dress, flowers, music and, especially, his tuxedo'd self.
Tim stands and moves to the back of her chair, standing there to help her get settle. "Very 'appy yee like it m'Annie. I love yee, 'Appy Valentine's Day." He leans in to give her a soft kiss. Then he lifts up the little silver dome and it is of course her favorite dinner. But then he stands right by the present on the shelves and gives his throat a little 'what could this be!?' expression as he clears his throat.
The kiss is returned, accompanied by a tender, "I love yeh, Tim. Happy Valentine's Day." Annie settles into her chair, eyes widening when their dinner is revealed. "Cor, yeh think of everything, my darlin'." There is delight in her eyes, turning back to her curiosity as she rises again, looking at Tim with a slightly narrowed gaze. "An' what have yeh there?" She crosses to him and reaches for the gift on the shelf, chastising him lightly and with absolutely zero sincerity, "Tim, yeh've already done so much, what more can yeh have thought of?"
Tim smiles and shrugs, "Suppose'n yee'll have to open it an' find out." He does keep her from getting up with a wave of his hand and he plucks up the book and places it on the table beside her setting, "Save that for aft.t.ter dinnah." He gives her a wink and chews on his tongue a bit as he sits down in his own place and starts to eat.
The momentary return of his stammer brings a question to Annie's eyes, but she does not voice it and make him even more aware of his falter. Their meal is rather inelegant, fish and chips, but aside from Tim's own scotch egg sandwiches, it is her favorite, reminding her of her mother and father, and her own version of 'comfort food'. Greasy, artery clogging comfort food, complete with salt and vinegar. She laughs softly, "So yeh give me a pressie an' make me wait t' open it? Yer a cruel man, Tim Moody."
Tim laughs and blushes a bit, "Aye, dat's me, cruel to the bone. Worst boyfriend evah." He nods agreeing with her with that big boyish grin. "Yee can open it now." He sounds excited and anxious about her opening it, but at least this time he doesn't stammer. He pops a chip in his mouth and chews on it trying to mask the nervousness.
"Heartless," Annie teases, looking across at him with open affection. As soon as permission is granted she reaches for the gift, meaning to waste no time in seeing what it inside.
Within the present is as probably expected, a book, a small short story book. It is actually written by Dorothy Frost, a short story of a beautiful Librarian that fell in love with a mysterious stranger, and him with her, they had to work through some hard times as both were uncertain if their ways of life will be compatible, but in the end their love is stronger than any doubt and then in the end, he proposed to her in her own library and they got married and lived happily ever after. After the last page the back cover is thicker than it appears and there is the long velvet ribbon bookmark that at it's end is an antique platinum engagement ring that must be an heirloom. In fact she's seen the ring before in several pictures of Sarah Moody. When she flips the last page he's slid down onto one knee beside her. "Annie Taylor. Ah dinnae need a year an' a day to know tha ye are my wife for all eternity. Will ye do me the honor of allowin' me ta marry ye in a way tha will have Mr. an' Mrs. Taylor smilin' down at us from above?"
Annie reads through the book with a beaming smile, only speaking as she nears the last page. "Tim, I've never had anything so thoughtful in my life. An' they live happily ever after." She finally turns that last sheet of paper, finding the ring at the end. Her fingers touch it gingerly, blue eyes turning to Tim as he proposes on bended knee. For a moment she looks simply stunned, but his words of her parents see a tear course down her cheek. She leans forward, hand raising to softly caress his cheek, tenderness in her eyes as she nods. "Yes."
Tim's hands are trembling a little and he's chewing on his tongue as he works the bookmark loose of the ring and then more trembling as he moves to work the ring onto the proper finger. Then he's lunging up wards to scoop her out of her chair in his arms and kiss her with the flood gates of his love for her swung wide open.
Annie watches and doesn't attempt to help, because if she moved her hands she fears they would tremble more fiercely than Tim's own. There's only a slight push over the knuckle needed, and then the ring is seated well and properly on the third finger of her left hand. "It's beautiful," she breathes, barely finishing the words before she's in Tim's arms, her own around his neck, twin tracks now marking their paths down her cheeks.
Tim nuzzles and kisses at her cheeks to his those tracks. "Like the rope. That's been on four…now five generations o Moody lady's fingers." He looks like he could burst with happiness. "Ah love yee." He whispers over her mouth before sealing his lips against hers once more. He's crying to but doesn't seem to notice or care.
His kiss is returned with tenderness, but by the time it ends Annie is left breathless and flushed. She rubs her nose against his softly, whispering to him, "I'll try t' make a good wife for yeh, Tim. I promise. I want t' make yeh happy."
Tim shakes his head nuzzling against her face still as he does. He even shaved! So he's baby smooth and not scratch as he nuzzles. "Ye dinnae hafta try m'Annie. Jus be 'appy an' I'll be 'appy. Aye? Tha's all yee hafta promise me."
Annie's thumb sweeps across one smooth cheek, catching a tear and whisking it away. "I'm not afraid any more," she tells him softly. "As long as yeh love me, that's all that matters, my Tim. We'll be the happiest pair ever." With her hand still gently cupping his face her lips find his once more, drawn to their warm sweetness.
Tim gives her said warm sweetness in little nippy soft kisses as he draws her back to the table. He sits down and just looks at her, lost in her beauty and smiling the happiest she's ever seen. Even more so than under the bridge, because he knows that this is real for her, this is meaningful and sure this time. "Ah wanta take yee 'ome." There's a velvety tone to his voice that holds promise that he wants to make love to her tonight.
The array of small kisses has Annie smiling against Tim's lips before her teeth lightly capture his lower lip, giving it a playful, gentle tug. There's a reluctance to the parting as she moves to sit again, a soft sigh coming as she looks across to him. A shiver courses up her spine, more at the tone of Tim's words than what he says, velvet touched with a surety that makes her grateful to have sat back down with the sudden weakness that turns her knees to jelly. She barely glances down at her plate, instead lifting her eyes to regard him as her head stays tilted downward. "I don't think I could eat another bite." Despite the fact that at least half of her fish and chips remain untouched.
Tim licks his lips and then stands right back up. "Bowie." Name called the little house-elf arrives and starts to coo and fawn over the fact that she's wearing the Moody ring! He's very excited and jumps up and down. Tim gives his shoulder a squeeze. "We're going to be going home now." Bowie responds with a cheerful. "I'll tidy up!" He then waves and blows kisses to Annie before he's snapping his fingers and the garlands are unhanging themselves.
Annie proudly displays the ring on her slender finger to Bowie, enchanted as she always is by the little elf's sweetness. "Ta, Bowie love," Annie chimes in as she stands and steps over to Tim. As the garlands start to come down she reaches out and plucks a white daisy from among the flowers, holding it in her fingers as she moves close to Tim. Her hands come to rest on the lapels of the tuxedo jacket, taking purchase lightly, face tilted up to him. "I've never seen a man look more handsome in my life."
Tim blushes at her high compliment and then leans in to kiss her one more time before he slings his arm over her behind her shoulders and leads her outside. Where waiting for them is a horse and buggy all garland up as well. He kisses her cheek and then helps her up into the buggy. A blanket is pulled over their laps and Tim spends the first part of the ride just looking at her, marveled.
The flower dangles from Annie's fingers as the pair exit the library, and the sight of the horse and carriage earns Tim a delighted kiss on the lips as she outmaneuvers his aim at her cheek. She giggles, stepping up easily with his assistance and getting comfortable, her hand finding his under the blanket, fingers twining with his. It's a bit before she stops looking around at how different everything looks from a carriage before she puts her finger on exactly why. Already close to Tim, she tilts her head up, letting her chin come to rest on his arm as she regards him. "I feel like a princess."
Tim reaches up his free hand to tickle her cheek with one fingertip. "Yee are a princess. My princess. I've nae told yee yet…how beautiful yee look. Yee have mah 'eart thumpin' an' racing away." He moves their joined hands so he can press her fingers against the starched front of the tuxedo bib. Indeed his heart can easily be felt thumping away.
Annie's smile is easy on her lips as she teases lightly, "If I'm a princess, then yeh must be Prince Charmin'. It's only fittin' t' the story that yeh take me back to yer palace and marry me." She lets her hand stay pressed to his chest, his heartbeat just beneath, and she leans in to press closely against him. "Kiss me, Prince Charmin'," she invites softly.
Tim leans in and kisses her, long and drawn out. So much so that the kiss only ends when they arrive to the house. "Our Palace m'Princess." He smiles and gets down out of the carriage and then moves to scoop her up to carry her to their front door. He even pauses, smiles up at her and purposefully takes a step into that pesky pot hole in the sidewalk. Then he takes squishy steps up and into the house. That is decorated much in the same way, with garlands and flowers and Bowie peeks out only so far as to wave, give Tim's shoe a drying spell before they whisk upstairs to the Master Bedroom. It's been redecorated, pictures of their time together all over the walls. A lot of the things she brought are now in this room, put as close as to how he thinks she'd like them. But also it appears that he's left plenty for her to do. He just wanted to do the beginning bits as part of her Engagement Present. Boy would it be awkward if she said no!
The gesture with the pothole draws a laugh from Annie, clear in the crisp air, followed by a soft murmur, "My daft Tim, I love yeh." She fits well in his arms, cradled against him with her arms around his neck. As he progresses upstairs the newly engaged witch dips her head forward, laying a soft kiss to Tim's throat just above the starched collar. When they arrive in the room, Annie's eyes widen as she takes in the changes. "It's wonderful," she says simply.