chocolate chip mint pocky chain
Story: Timeless { backstory | index }
Title: Ups and Downs
Rating: PG
Challenge: Chocolate Chip Mint #16: superficial
Toppings/Extras: pocky chain
Wordcount: 900
Summary: Edward Ashdown and Verity Whitehall’s marriage from the beginning.
Notes: I want to do a ton of character pocky chains, I’ve decided, once I finish all of my milkshakes!
He wanted to marry her because everyone else did. This wasn’t a good reason for marrying someone but Edward didn’t really have anything else to go from. He wasn’t sure what one was meant to find attractive in a possible wife, but seeing as so many people wanted to marry her, he assumed that Verity Whitehall was The Best.
Of course, he didn’t really know much about her at that point but he began his charm offensive immediately. It wasn’t a method he was used to but women suddenly seemed interested in him when he started talking sweetly to them.
-----
She wanted to marry him because he was charming and struck at her heart with deadly accuracy. It was a nice feeling, being so ruthlessly pursued, and so obviously. Other men tried to tempt her into their beds: Edward showed no hint of that whatsoever.
It was refreshing. It was just nice. He didn’t suggest clandestine meetings or stare at the crack of her bosom or leer and make innuendos. Whenever he touched her it was gentle, and he could weave such charming compliments when he wanted to. He seemed to listen to her.
Also, he was filthy stinking rich.
-----
The novelty wore off after about a week-not very long at all. Verity had been told it would happen but she was amazed at how quickly it did. His demeanour changed almost instantly after their wedding, but after one week he stopped even pretending to find her interesting.
Edward had realised quickly that he had married a superficial idiot. Some of the things she said tortured his sensitive intellect and the amount of money she expected was bizarre. He has also found sex to be awkward and slightly unpleasant... and therefore humiliating. This was unexplainable so he resented it.
-----
By the end of their first year together it was an all-out war. The first few months were the worst: Edward was constantly exasperated and-bitter at his lack of affection-Verity would snipe that she wished she had never married him. He would return her sentiments.
It was worse after the arguing though: then it was only coldness, vast and empty and blank. He let her spend however much money she wanted to and buried himself in his work. They moved to the Caribbean and Verity blended well with the fashionable society there. Edward was always at sea, working.
-----
Sometimes they were happy together... or if not happy, close. Verity had realised that trying to tempt him with sex didn’t work for whatever reasons and stopped trying. This eased the circle of destruction somewhat.
They would talk tentatively when they crossed paths in their vast manor house, especially if both were licking their wounds from a particularly nasty quarrel. Edward slowly resigned himself to the fact that he had unwillingly become attached to her as to a stray dog, and Verity hid her blushes when his grey-blue eyes stilled on her face.
She was madly in love with him.
-----
This didn’t stop her having her affairs though.
Ah, yes. Lady Verity Ashdown became known throughout all of the colonies not only for her remarkable beauty but her huge sexual appetite. Her husband provided her with no satiation and she started hoping that he would notice her straying and become jealous.
He didn’t. Even when she made it clear she was bedding other men, he scarcely reacted.
Of course, Edward was always good at hiding his feelings: it did sting a little to discover his wife was being unfaithful, and so noticeably, too. Pride and bitterness stopped him from responding.
-----
By the time Newson kidnapped Verity to blackmail her husband into doing what he was told, they had been married four years. She was hurt Edward he had no sexual interest in her and was always suspecting that he was having affairs more secretive than hers-and he lost all respect for her for suspecting such a thing.
Their marriage was, to say the least, entirely dysfunctional.
Edward didn’t truly care about the kidnapping, not to the extent Newson had hoped. Verity was locked up. And then Edward discovered something about himself with the help of a certain Pia Rees...
-----
Telling Verity had been far more difficult than he felt was fair or necessary. Suddenly, when he threw open the doors and let it all in, things began to make sense. And when everything clicked into place, he looked back at the series of disasters that had been their marriage...
And he felt rather bad.
Perhaps the middle of a sea battle wasn’t the perfect time to declare to one’s wife that one was in actual fact a homosexual, but she was very understanding about it. And then she had told him she still loved him, like she always had.
-----
It was a strange few days. Newson died. Pia also died. Things changed.
And then they stayed together. They came out of that day with an Understanding, because Verity loved Edward and Edward loved Verity too. After four years together, the attachment had somehow crept unbidden deep into his heart. Marriage was almost a dead practise in the year 2984 and divorce hugely common for those that did marry, but the Ashdown couple believed in marriage and they didn’t believe in divorce, and most of all-most importantly, really importantly-they didn’t believe in not being married to each other.
Title: Ups and Downs
Rating: PG
Challenge: Chocolate Chip Mint #16: superficial
Toppings/Extras: pocky chain
Wordcount: 900
Summary: Edward Ashdown and Verity Whitehall’s marriage from the beginning.
Notes: I want to do a ton of character pocky chains, I’ve decided, once I finish all of my milkshakes!
He wanted to marry her because everyone else did. This wasn’t a good reason for marrying someone but Edward didn’t really have anything else to go from. He wasn’t sure what one was meant to find attractive in a possible wife, but seeing as so many people wanted to marry her, he assumed that Verity Whitehall was The Best.
Of course, he didn’t really know much about her at that point but he began his charm offensive immediately. It wasn’t a method he was used to but women suddenly seemed interested in him when he started talking sweetly to them.
-----
She wanted to marry him because he was charming and struck at her heart with deadly accuracy. It was a nice feeling, being so ruthlessly pursued, and so obviously. Other men tried to tempt her into their beds: Edward showed no hint of that whatsoever.
It was refreshing. It was just nice. He didn’t suggest clandestine meetings or stare at the crack of her bosom or leer and make innuendos. Whenever he touched her it was gentle, and he could weave such charming compliments when he wanted to. He seemed to listen to her.
Also, he was filthy stinking rich.
-----
The novelty wore off after about a week-not very long at all. Verity had been told it would happen but she was amazed at how quickly it did. His demeanour changed almost instantly after their wedding, but after one week he stopped even pretending to find her interesting.
Edward had realised quickly that he had married a superficial idiot. Some of the things she said tortured his sensitive intellect and the amount of money she expected was bizarre. He has also found sex to be awkward and slightly unpleasant... and therefore humiliating. This was unexplainable so he resented it.
-----
By the end of their first year together it was an all-out war. The first few months were the worst: Edward was constantly exasperated and-bitter at his lack of affection-Verity would snipe that she wished she had never married him. He would return her sentiments.
It was worse after the arguing though: then it was only coldness, vast and empty and blank. He let her spend however much money she wanted to and buried himself in his work. They moved to the Caribbean and Verity blended well with the fashionable society there. Edward was always at sea, working.
-----
Sometimes they were happy together... or if not happy, close. Verity had realised that trying to tempt him with sex didn’t work for whatever reasons and stopped trying. This eased the circle of destruction somewhat.
They would talk tentatively when they crossed paths in their vast manor house, especially if both were licking their wounds from a particularly nasty quarrel. Edward slowly resigned himself to the fact that he had unwillingly become attached to her as to a stray dog, and Verity hid her blushes when his grey-blue eyes stilled on her face.
She was madly in love with him.
-----
This didn’t stop her having her affairs though.
Ah, yes. Lady Verity Ashdown became known throughout all of the colonies not only for her remarkable beauty but her huge sexual appetite. Her husband provided her with no satiation and she started hoping that he would notice her straying and become jealous.
He didn’t. Even when she made it clear she was bedding other men, he scarcely reacted.
Of course, Edward was always good at hiding his feelings: it did sting a little to discover his wife was being unfaithful, and so noticeably, too. Pride and bitterness stopped him from responding.
-----
By the time Newson kidnapped Verity to blackmail her husband into doing what he was told, they had been married four years. She was hurt Edward he had no sexual interest in her and was always suspecting that he was having affairs more secretive than hers-and he lost all respect for her for suspecting such a thing.
Their marriage was, to say the least, entirely dysfunctional.
Edward didn’t truly care about the kidnapping, not to the extent Newson had hoped. Verity was locked up. And then Edward discovered something about himself with the help of a certain Pia Rees...
-----
Telling Verity had been far more difficult than he felt was fair or necessary. Suddenly, when he threw open the doors and let it all in, things began to make sense. And when everything clicked into place, he looked back at the series of disasters that had been their marriage...
And he felt rather bad.
Perhaps the middle of a sea battle wasn’t the perfect time to declare to one’s wife that one was in actual fact a homosexual, but she was very understanding about it. And then she had told him she still loved him, like she always had.
-----
It was a strange few days. Newson died. Pia also died. Things changed.
And then they stayed together. They came out of that day with an Understanding, because Verity loved Edward and Edward loved Verity too. After four years together, the attachment had somehow crept unbidden deep into his heart. Marriage was almost a dead practise in the year 2984 and divorce hugely common for those that did marry, but the Ashdown couple believed in marriage and they didn’t believe in divorce, and most of all-most importantly, really importantly-they didn’t believe in not being married to each other.