Chapter Text
Bewildered: PART I
Walking in and out of the general store on nearly a daily basis was second nature in Pepperinge Eye, namely for Miss Eglantine Price. It wasn’t that she was there everyday; there were rations to watch out for after all in that particular day and age in the second world war. It was simply because it was one of her routine, mundane tasks she would make a habit out of at least a few times a week, just like any regular citizen of the town of Pepperinge Eye. Only this time, for the first time in over twenty years since her father passed, Eglantine actually had company.
This was the first time that the children she had taken in, Charlie, Carrie, and Paul Rawlins, tagged along with her throughout their first week of staying with her. Needless to say, the looks on their faces said it all the minute their new-found guardian pushed the door open and the small clanging of the bell chimed; their eyes were widened in wonder no matter how simple and mundane the store’s setup was. Little things such as these, especially amidst difficult times, easily enamored and delighted them. The children’s reactions certainly weren’t lost on Eglantine, and she couldn’t help but give a small and fond smile as she watched them. Short as the time was that she had known them, she couldn’t deny that their disposition endeared her, something she believed utterly impossible before she first met them.
Eglantine then turned to the children and clapped her hands together in a prim fashion.
“Now, you’re free to browse anywhere you like, but you may each take only one item for yourself,” she said in a matter-of-factly tone, looking each of them in the eye, “And nothing too expensive, alright?”
The children give their own responses, mixed with nods and the usual “Yes, Miss” without a hint of protest that she had grown accustomed to over the last seven days.
“Remember, our resources are limited for the time being, especially in times like these,” Eglantine added.
Her eldest charge, Charlie, then shook his head with a good-natured smirk.
“ Don’ worry, Miss! We travel light, remember?” he remarked casually, then shot a mischievous smirk towards Paul. He then gently took him by the shoulders and ruffled his hair. “ Now all I gotta do is make sure lil’ Paul ‘ere doesn’t stick ‘is nose into everything in sight.”
Little Paul, who appeared clearly displeased with his older brother’s teasing, shot back with a glare, staring up into his eyes.
“Oi, no I don’t!” the young boy retorted, as if he were hardly in the mood for any sort of wisecracking attempt from Charlie. All Charlie could do was widen his eyes at his younger brother.
“Really now? Well, ‘ow about the last time you—”
“—Wot do you mean?!” Paul yelled more loudly, eyebrows furrowed and hands on his hips.
Eglantine decided then and there to intervene before a simple brotherly banter could easily transform into a screaming match at any point in time.
“Boys, boys…” she called out, raising her hands to capture their attention, ultimately causing the boys to stop in their tracks and turn to their guardian, “Might I remind you that we are indoors and there are customers who would appreciate their peace and quiet?”
Charlie rolled his eyes and pursed his lips before speaking with a shrug. “Sorry, Miss.”
Paul, who didn’t seem to care much about halting the banter, continued to glare up at his brother, loudly whispering his response.
“ ‘E still started it!” Charlie couldn’t help but glare back, opening his mouth as if to protest. Thankfully, Eglantine was well-equipped and ready to stifle the rather loud discussion from further escalation, shooting them a firm and unrelenting look in her eye.
“Now, if you two intend to scuffle loudly, I guarantee you that we will leave this store with you two empty-handed,” she said straightforwardly, folding her arms together in a manner that proved she wouldn’t be changing her mind anytime soon, a trait true to her nature as she knew it. “Do you want that?”
Both boys’ gaze fell towards the ground, darting around and not daring to meet Eglantine’s eyes, resulting in them shaking their heads simultaneously and muttering a “No, Miss.” Paul was the first to break the awkward silence, walking a few steps towards Eglantine and looking up at her with a nearly pitiful look in his eyes, a slight pout appearing in the corners of his lips.
“But Miss Price, you promised I could buy something.”
The puppy-eyed look on Paul’s face was enough to melt Eglantine’s rightfully icy demeanor, causing a small yet genuine smile to appear on her face. This wasn’t the first time she was endeared by the youngest Rawlins child with the little things he had said and done in their seven days of knowing one another. Clearly, she couldn’t stay upset with him–or even his incorrigible brother–forever.
“Only if you behave yourself, Paul,” she said gently yet firmly, placing a hand on one of his shoulders, the smile still on her face. Eglantine then turned towards Charlie, the smile fading slightly at the sight of the older boy. He was the one who began the unnecessary argument after all. “And that goes for you as well, Charles.”
The young man’s eyebrows furrowed as he shrugged with slightly flailed arms. Just as every thirteen year-old was, Charlie was still inclined to silently sass his superior, and Eglantine hadn’t failed to notice it.
“So, does this mean we can go now?” he questioned with a hint of attitude.
“Yes, you may, young man,” Eglantine said firmly with a nod of approval. Without hesitation, Charlie and Paul turned towards the nearby wooden shelves further into the store without looking back. She then shook her head and the eager briskness of their leaving her sight and called towards them once more. “And not a quarrel out of you.”
With a sigh, Eglantine turned to her left, meeting the eyes of the silent spectator of the four, the middle child and the only girl among the Rawlins siblings, Carrie. She then acknowledged her with a light smile, grateful for the one child who seemed to promise to behave herself every single time, whether in or out of the house.
“Why don’t you keep an eye on your brothers, Carrie?” she requested, her eyes darting from her eye contact with the girl to her brothers already further engrossed with browsing, “Make sure they don’t wreak havoc or—shall we say— ‘flip over tables?’”
At her last remark, both Eglantine and Carrie shared a genuinely lighthearted chuckle. It felt rather nice to have another young lady in the house that, despite their differences in age, she could relate to, especially when it came to dealing with boys who could easily cause a ruckus when left unattended.
“Oh, not while I’m around, they won’t,” Carrie reassured in a calm and confident manner, smiling up at her guardian, then turning around to follow her brothers.
Eglantine’s smile lingered, not only as she watched the young girl walk away, but as she watched all three of them. For whatever reason, simply looking at them seemed to fill her heart and her being with a surge of warmth, much like the one she felt when they first arrived at her house, hugging their total stranger of a guardian, and describing their lifelike dream and everything they have been through.
No matter how many times she would tell herself that these feelings of warmth and strong affection were simply in the heat of the moment, there were many times in the last seven days that proved that that wasn’t completely true. Seeing them happy was enough to make her smile. Seeing them vulnerable was enough to make her empathize with them. These were things she hardly felt before, especially as she was unaccustomed to having people in her corner. Nevertheless, she wasn’t complaining at the fact that besides taking them into her home for a time in the war, she was slowly opening her heart to doing life with them.
All in all, Eglantine felt content just having them near, and in a way, she couldn’t ask for more–at least–until she completed shopping for the items on her list.
She then rushed towards the shelf closest to her left-hand side, glanced at the canned goods level with her eyes and hastily pulled a few of them at a time, filling her basket that was looped around her left arm. Eglantine’s eyes continued to dart up and down the six-story shelf, picking up two items each and placing them into her basket at breakneck speed, then instinctively inching towards the left. She continued to do so absentmindedly for a few more seconds, her pace growing quicker by the second until it was stopped by her heels accidentally digging into a small mound of leather, causing her to trip and fall backwards.
“Whoa, my!” she exclaimed mid-air, then feeling an unexpected pair of arms catch her back, yet to no avail, falling in the same direction as she was: on her back.
“Ogh!” a male voice yelled directly behind her, falling backwards the same time as she did.
Both Eglantine and the mystery person holding onto her fell on the floor with a thump, her back leaning against what felt like a polyester coat and strong arms clinging to the sides of her hips. Thankfully, her basket and cans landed safely on the ground, all still intact and inside the basket. However, what concerned her even more was the well-being of the person her back had fallen on top of.
“Oh, I beg your pardon! I didn’t mean to—” she started, struggling to push herself up and grunting in the process, her eyes still away from the mystery person.
“—No, not at all, Madam,” the male voice said with a chuckle, still holding onto her.
Eglantine then turned slightly to her left to meet the eyes of this mystery man, and the sight before her caused her eyes–and his–to widen, and their jaws dropped. She knew this man, and judging by the similar look on his mustached face, he was possibly thinking the same thing as well.
“Mademoiselle…” the man breathed out softly, still staring into Eglantine’s eyes with his mouth agape.
The two kept their gaze for a few seconds, the corner of her lips forming into a subtle smile. Eglantine could swear she felt an unusual rush creep up in her cheeks as she stared into his crystal-blue orbs. Why the sensation was there, she didn’t know. She just knew that it was there, and she couldn’t wish it away even if she tried. It didn’t help that his hands were still loosely touching her hips. If anything, noticing that made the blush in her cheeks burn a little stronger.
“It’s you…” she breathed out in turn, attempting to keep her tone straight and in check yet speaking slowly and choppily, “ the gentleman at the—”
“–evacuation center,” they spoke simultaneously, their eyes widening once more at the sudden connection.
The gentleman chuckled and blushed, the pink shade evident on his cheeks. “The very same.”
For a few seconds more, the pair continued to stare at each other until the man briskly shook his head as if attempting to snap out of his gaze. He then abruptly pulled his hands away from Eglantine’s hips, yet slowly extended one of his hands to her.
“Oh, please…erm…allow me,” he spoke quickly. His flusteredness effortlessly caused Eglantine to chuckle, yet despite his outward jitteriness, he still managed to behave like a gentleman. She then shot him a smirk before speaking.
“Oh, that won’t be necessary,” she said, casually brushing off his offer, then attempting to push herself up with both arms on her sides and her palms against the carpeted floor, “I’m perfectly capable of…”
No matter how many times her palms pressed against the ground, Eglantine could no longer push herself up as she continued to grunt amidst her efforts. Her eyes stared absently at the ground, then she shook her head, and turned her eyes toward the man once more. Her look of defeat all of a sudden transformed into one of sheer determination as a smile returned to her face.
“Better yet, why don’t we do this together?” she suggested, then instantly extended her hands with open palms toward the gentleman. He then takes her hands gladly without hesitation, holding them gently yet with a mildly tight squeeze.
“ Ah, yes, together…erm…” he responded, sounding tongue-tied as his cheeks hadn’t ceased to blush, “…on the count of three?”
Eglantine nods as they keep their gaze on each other, both simultaneously tightening the grip on each other’s palms. They nod at each other once more, signaling the start of their count.
“One, two, three.”
With that, the pair collectively pushed the weight of their legs and tightly grasped hands combined off of the floor and landed in an upright position. Their footing was still rather off-balance, Eglantine’s heels swerving from side-to-side, the gentleman’s leather shoes pressed against each other, and both of them still swaying feebly to-and-fro. After a few seconds of swaying and finding their feet planted on the ground, both darted their eyes aimlessly, then simultaneously dusted their clothes with their hands.
As for Eglantine, she particularly made sure her eyes lacked a steady gaze, especially as the burning flush in her cheeks remained. For whatever strange reason, throughout the entirety of her being around this gentleman she tripped on, it seemed to have an effect on her–a spell, really. What it was exactly, she couldn’t figure out. But if there was one thing she knew, she perhaps felt something there that wasn’t there before.
A few short moments passed, and the two locked eyes once more with small, awkwardly giddy smiles, both blushes apparent on their faces. The gentleman chuckled lightly while Eglantine cleared her throat and pursed her lips, suddenly self-conscious of the grin that appeared on her face out of nowhere, seemingly beyond her control.
“There, you see?” she said, attempting a firm voice yet retaining her smile, “Elementary.”
The man chuckled once more, just like the numerous times he had in his short time spent with Eglantine.
“Quite. We make a good team, don’t we?” he remarked straightforwardly, then widened his eyes at the last few words, “ I mean—picking each other up from off the ground, that is.”
He then grinned sheepishly at Eglantine, the blush a darker crimson than before. All the woman could do was nod, followed by a chuckle at the gentleman’s awkward yet endearing antics. She didn’t remember the last time a man in town behaved in such a manner, all tongue-tied and flustered in her presence. She could even hardly remember having that particular effect on people–men specifically, except maybe in her late teenage years. As far as it went with her being an adult, this mysterious man was certainly the first of his flustered kind around her.
“Indeed,” she said. Eglantine then paused, then furrowed her eyebrows slightly towards him, a more serious expression gracing her face. “But really though, Sir, I apologize for my clumsiness. It just seems to have gotten the best of me whilst in a rush of some sort.”
The smile in the gentleman’s face and eyes hadn’t faltered once at her apology, and with that, he shook his head and gave a smirk.
“Oh,” he began casually, brushing her apology off, “it happens to the best of us.” His eyes widened yet again at his last few words. “ I mean—it gets the best of us at times, rather.”
The man’s lips press together even harder as if he were attempting to seal his lips from the ability to speak. Eglantine had never seen a man so self-conscious and overly-mindful of his words. This wasn’t like most men she knew; in fact, as far as she remembered, they were quite the contrary.
“Indeed it does.” After speaking, she couldn’t help but stare at him once more, her mouth slightly agape and a smile forming once more. She didn’t even have to force her features to smile for her; it just appeared naturally as if by magic. “And…ah…thank you for the catch—I mean—for catching…me…”
This time round, it was her turn to catch herself with her words. Perhaps it was contagious, speaking to someone who spoke in such a way and naturally mimicking their pattern and habits of speech. Once again, she felt as if she were under a spell. The gentleman then slightly opened his mouth to speak.
“Ah…heh…thank you for being there for me to catch—ahm—not that I wanted you to fall or anything,” he began to ramble aimlessly, his eyes darting from place-to-place as he spoke, “Ah, what I meant to say was, had you fallen and had I not been there to catch you, it would have been far more serious on your part and you would have—”
The gentleman pauses and his eyes go wide once more, and his mouth, this time instead of pursing his lips together, gritting his teeth together.
“Oh, bother…”
He then stuffs his hands in his pockets, the seams tightly protruding. Once more, Eglantine chuckled at his overly self-aware antics and shook her head out of amusement; there was no way she would forget this facet of this man anytime soon.
“No bother at all. Not on your part, at least,” she reassured, “Most people I’ve met have been a bother, but you’d be pleased to know that you are—I mean—your case is a rare exception.”
The man’s gritted teeth loosened, then morphed into a small, open-mouthed smile as he looked straight into Eglantine’s eyes.
“ Well—ah—I don’t mind being a rare exception to the rule. Knowing myself, that’s often who I am, that is.”
For the umpteenth time within the past few minutes, his eyes widened again and he shook his head briskly as if to snap himself out of a trance.
“Oh, uh, speaking of who I am—I mean—who you, who we are, ahm, please forgive me…”
He then cleared his throat, turned his eyes toward the ground, a darker shade encapsulating his cheeks once more, then back at Eglantine, looking her in the eye again.
“What is your name?”
Hearing him speak these words so briskly as if he had to think about them caused Eglantine to chuckle and smile even wider. The more his self-consciousness grew around her, the more adorable she found him–wait–was that the word she was looking for?
The grin on her face then grew a little wider as she looked straight into his sapphire orbs.
“Miss Price,” she muttered absently. Her eyes then shot wide upon hearing what she said. Why, oh why would she accidentally give her surname to a man she just casually met before her first name? She couldn’t understand it one bit.
“I MEAN Eglantine.” She paused to sigh briefly, then shook her head before speaking. “My first name is Eglantine.”
The bright smile then returned to her face as she swiftly stuck out her right hand for the gentleman to shake. It seemed that upon hearing her name, his eyes seemed to lighten and his smile grew even wider. It was as if just hearing her name had an effect on him. Perhaps he was under that same spell Eglantine was under.
“Emelius Browne,” he said amidst his grin, “The pleasure is all mine, Miss Eglantine Price.”
He then extends his hand to reach for hers, and leans in to kiss her hand in a gentlemanly fashion.
The sensation of his lips against the back of her hand caused Eglantine to freeze up all over, both inside and out, feeling a wave of goosebumps and butterflies in the core of her being. The heat she felt on her cheeks then deepened and pressed against her features. Not once did her eyes leave Emelius’ for a second.
She couldn’t help but wonder, what was this feeling, rather sudden and new?
Emelius’ features darkened slightly, his brows furrowing and his mouth agape, appearing as if he were concerned for whatever reason.
“Oh, I’m terribly sorry; I didn’t mean to—” he spoke briskly, then swiftly pulled his right arm back towards himself.
“—No, no!” Eglantine exclaims, absentmindedly yet instinctively reaching out and pulling Emelius’ hand back in hers and gently holding it, “ No harm done. It’s quite alright—um—perfectly alright, Mr. Browne.”
The warm smile returned to her face the moment her right hand made contact with his. Somehow, it felt right having her hand on his and vice versa. Eglantine then noticed Emelius’ eyes dart towards their hands and back at hers, a lighthearted chuckle escaping his lips. She couldn’t help but chuckle herself.
“Perhaps it would be even more perfectly alright if you just simply called me Emelius.”
Eglantine wondered, “how does he do it?” The smile this man had on his face was enough to light up a whole room–or rather–a whole store. At this point, she barely cared about the sunshine peering through the windows. Another thing she noticed was, mere sunlight couldn’t make her heart flutter; something else did. Someone did.
Brushing off her thoughts quickly, she then smiled and smirked at Emelius’ direction.
“I might be agreeable to that, Emelius, but only if you settle for calling me Eglantine.”
“Well…it’s settled then, Eglantine,” he said in a more confident manner, though speaking her name tenderly. There went the butterflies in Eglantine’s stomach yet again.
The pair kept their smiles towards each other again, hands still gently holding onto the other without a care. The blushes on both their faces are still apparent, but what was even more apparent was the fact that they retained their ear-to-ear grins from the moment they heard each other’s names. What was in a name, as the great William Shakespeare said? Not a magic spell that caused two individuals to instinctively stare at one another and blush profusely for no clear reason, that was for certain. However, at this point, neither of them were complaining; Eglantine and Emelius, individuals who were no longer strangers held their gaze tenderly, contentedly, and quite apparently–
“Ahem,” a young teenage voice muttered from behind Eglantine, causing her to jump and her reverie to break, her head then abruptly shooting upwards.
Her head then turned slightly to her left to meet the eyes of Charlie, who had an unusually mischievous smirk planted across his face…and for what? Eglantine could only wonder.