Come for Tea? Stay for Inspection?

[safinnigan]

Date: Saturday, 23 March 2001
Time: Afternoon
Location: Finnigan’s in Kenmare
Characters Involved: Seamus Finnigan, Charlotte Aurelius, NPC’s Beven and Cian Finnigan
Rating: G

Comments

[beven_finnigan]

Beven was quick to assure the young witch that Cian would indeed be more than willing and quite honoured to escort her down the aisle at her wedding. This young lady, Beven decided, was in need of a family around her.

“Aye, lass, ‘twood be an honour for my Cian. He would be right pleased and quite touched to escort the bride of his son to their wedding. He’s not got the privilege of escorting his own daughter then, more’s the pity, so be certain he’d jump at the chance, my dear Charlotte.” She spoke both sincerely and sweetly, wanting Charlotte to feel totally secure in asking Cian to stand with her. Then she finished up her tea, noting with some worry that time was slipping away from her here. Seamus would be back to collect the lass soon.

“Aye, should your brother be wishing the honour now or even at the church on your very wedding day, lass, Cian will understand. He’s a jewel, my Cian, a man amoung men - and wizards too, truth to tell.” Beven was fiercely proud of her husband and family, and loved Cian completely - even if she had kept her magic a secret from him until they were married.

As if on cue, her son and husband came wandering back into the kitchen, no doubt eager to see if Charlotte was safe from all harm. She mildly smiled in to them both in greeting, giving them no satisfaction for their supremely irritating lack of trust in her ability to appreciate the girl. Men thought they knew everything, but it was just an illusion she mostly allowed them to keep. Today, though, they might be surprised.

She put an arm around Charlotte, walking her off to the back kitchen so the young couple could Floo back to Diagon Alley, but gave the girl a most heartfelt hug before even allowing Cian to bid her good-bye. Then she assured the lass that all the wedding plans would be just as she wanted and sent her off by Floo first.

Seamus was quite surprised when, as soon as Charlotte was gone, his witch of a Mum turned around to task him with taking better care of the girl.

“You be after minding your Charlotte, now Seamus. That girl has your best interests at heart then, so’s you be after listening to her with your deft Irish ears. And be bringing her here for dinner on Sundays. The girl deserves family, a lot of it, so don’t be keeping her all to yourself now.” Then she gave him a perfunctory hug and shoo’d him off towards the Floo.

It was not until he had gone, too, that she turned her eye upon Cian. With her hands on her hips and a stern look on her face, only her eyes belied the truth of her words.

“It’s time, Cian Finnigan. We need to be after giving that property to Seamus for his wedding gift, and I’ll hear no more ‘gainst it!” With that bit of fiction she turned on her heel and left the room.

Cian, a man who understood well the benefits of a quiet victory, said nothing to his volitale wife in retort. They both knew who it was who had objected, and vehemently. He was more than willing to let her relent with grace, allowing their son and Charlotte to benefit in the bargain.

[safinnigan]

Seamus, being considerably younger than Cian and far less wise in the ways of women and wives, kept no corresponding silence at the other end of the Floo in Diagon Alley. Instead, he had barely brushed off the last of the soot before he exclaimed to Charlotte.

“Aye, Char love, so what spell did you then on me Mum, lass? And how soon canst you be after teaching it to me?” He laughed, all the while looking at her with a degree of incredulity he could not have imagined. Whatever she and his Mum had discussed had left Beven a newly strong and vehement supporter of her new daughter-in-law to be. Seamus was at a total loss to explain her sudden conversion to his Charlotte’s best cheerleader. Beven had been agreeable and content with the match, but now his overprotective mother was actually enthusiastic. He could not help but wonder what had caused such a dramatic change in one afternoon.

[beautesolitaire]

"I... I don't t'ink zat I did anyt'ing special, ozer zen stumbling over my sentences like a stupid person." she said, quietly as she hung up her coat, dusting it off. She smoothed her hand over her hair, just to get all the little stray floo dust.

She gave him a small smile as she moved over to him. "We talked about ze wedding and flowers... and I told 'er zat we 'ad discussed enfants and a 'ome." she added before she kissed his cheek lightly, "She seemed to be nicer after zat."

"We decided zat wildflowers in ze church was best and zat zey would be around before ze wedding. And I told 'er zat I was getting my dress in Paris wit' Fleur."

[safinnigan]

Seamus reached out to flick a last bit of Floo dust from her blonde hair, watching as it fluttered off into nothingness. He protested as she hung up her coat.

“Aye, Sweetheart, no one in Kenmare thinks you stupid, least of all me own Mum.” If her last comments were any indication, she might have Charlotte confused with the Second Coming. Then she came toward him, listing off some of the things she and his Mum had talked about.

“We talked about ze wedding and flowers… and I told ‘er zat we ‘ad discussed enfants and a ‘ome.”

She reached up to give him a kiss on the cheek. That distracted him enough to keep him from sputtering his surprise out at her.

”She seemed to be nicer after zat.”

Bloody likely, Seamus thought, but he just asked in his mildest voice. “Aye, love, you used the word ‘enfants’ with me Mum?” Plural. There it was again. He was really going to have to ask Charlotte about whether twins ran in her family, but not right now. Charlotte just continued with the rest of her list…wildflowers, her dress in Paris with Fleur. That all sounded very good. He sighed internally waiting for her to answer him. If she had really mentioned “enfants” to his Mum, that would certainly catch her Irish attention. She was probably back in Kenmare digging out his old pram as they spoke.

[beautesolitaire]

"Well yes... children...." she explained. He asked about that word a lot, perhaps he didn't understand its meaning? "Not all at once, non, but enetually." she added, not wanting to overwhelm him. He looked sort of like a deer in the hunter's sight.

She didn't know why he looked so surprised, they had talked about children and she thought that they had agreed to leave things to how they would come. They had been practicing a good bit on the making of them, but he seemed like this was the first time that she had brought it up.

Perhaps he was having second thoughts? She didn't know what to say. She bit her lower lip and just looked at him.

[safinnigan]

He watched her as she explained that yes, she had spoken of children with his mother. Not all at once? Well, that explained the plural. Ok, so she wanted more than one child. That was fine with him.

“Aye, love,” he reached out and pulled her close, not happy at all when she bit her lower lip as she returned the favour and watched his reactions. “’Twas the right thing to say then, the best thing in me own Mum’s opinion. Well then, she’d like nothing better than a chance to correct all her mistakes with this Seamus, that witch. Like as not she’d be finding herself some longer apron strings.” He smiled as he hugged her, kissing her on the forehead

“Right, Sweetheart, just don’t be after letting her talk you into moving to Kenmare. Your Seamus would be lonely without you.”

[beautesolitaire]

She slipped her arms around his waist and gave him a small smile, once he reassured her that things were okay. She smiled softly for a moment, "Non, mon amour. I will not be leaving you for Kenmare.... going wit' you, maybe, but never going alone." she said, quietly, nuzzling his shoulder.

At least his mother seemed to approve of her now, not that she needed Beven's approval, but it was a nice thing to have. She wanted very much for his family to like her, "So your mozer said zat Briget was not fairing very well in her pregnancy. Per'aps we s'ould send her somet'ing to occupy 'er? Books or... somet'ing, per'aps some flowers...."

[safinnigan]

He was not surprised when Charlotte insisted she was not going off to Kenmare without him. But then she didn’t know his mother like he did. Charlotte seemed fairly oblivious to the impact her casual statements about children might have had on her mother-in-law to be, and Seamus decided he might as well leave it that way. She’d already told his Mum they’d agreed to have children. He doubted she’d remember anything said after that in any case.

When Char expressed her concern for Bridget, Seamus was pleased. Another girl, perhaps one less sure of his love for her, might not have been so solicitous of someone she knew to be a former girlfriend. He was glad when she suggested some books or flowers. They would be more welcome coming from her, and he knew all the Finnigans were concerned for Bridget in her delicate condition.

“Aye, love, ‘twood be best to send both to my thinking. Canst you be after seeing to that for us?” He kissed her again on the forehead, and the brief thought that he'd be frightfully anxious if it was his Char in confinement and not Bridget crossed his mind, scaring him just a bit. Neither human nor wizarding medicine could cure everything. “Well then, would be a most welcome and thoughtful gift from you lass, and might help Bridget pass the time more easily.”

[beautesolitaire]

"Oui!" she chirped and smiled to him, "I will make ze carepackage and send it to 'er immediately." she said, moving to pull away to go find some things to send to Bridget. She pulled out a brightly colored blanket out of the trunk that she had placed at the end of the bed. It was brightly colored and she had edged the linings with white. She was rather proud of it and was sure that it would make Bridget feel more cheerful, "Zis one?" she asked, turning to him and showing it to him.

She had some books at the apartment that she would send for entertainment. She liked fiction books and hoped that Bridget would appreciate them as well. She knew that it had to be hard on the woman to be on bedrest because of the child. She was newly married and young and she had seemed so vibrant at the wedding. "I t'ink zat it's pretty." she said, smoothing her hand over the soft yarn.