Coral

You\'ve got your ball



you\'ve got your chain



tied to me tight tie me up again



who\'s got their claws



in you my friend



Into your heart I\'ll beat again



Sweet like candy to my soul



Sweet you rock



and sweet you roll



Lost for you I\'m so lost for you



You come crash into me



And I come into you



I come into you



In a boys dream



In a boys dream---





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When they had Apparated to Eloise\'s doorstep, Edward took out his wand.



" Now, watch this..." he said slyly, and with a quick maneuver he had unlocked her basic wards, " Nothing irritates her quite so much."



Amanda laughed, for she had heard this mentioned many times before. Eloise ,and Winter as well, both insisted that there was some sort of devilry in his magic that he could unlock any ward. Even Eloise\'s.



With the arrogance that only old family friends are allowed to have, he let them into the foyer, anticipating with glee the tight -lipped look Eloise would have as soon as she learned they had not bothered to knock.



Edward helped Amanda from her light cloak with the delicate touch of a man convinced she were fragile enough to break in two. Hanging the garment on the rack, alongside his own, he reached for the inner door to knock, only to draw up short at the sound of his wife\'s name being spoken from within.



" Amanda?" Oh, well...she is just ambitious." the voice belonged to Agnes. " If the law is repealed it won\'t be any concern to her; she has done a fine job of placing herself."



" I don\'t see it that way." Another woman commented. " I don\'t see how a squib could have the brains to be ambitious."



" It doesn\'t take brains to be ambitious, Gladys." a throatier woman declared." The law was in her favor. Being an un-marriageble spinster, with a fortune behind her, the law was practically doing her a favor; setting the chance to marry someone at death\'s door, and gain two fortunes, practically in her lap. To be ambitious, all you need is greed and the appropriate female attributes."



" And you would know that, wouldn\'t you Becca?" a man chortled



" I was never an ugly un-marriageble spinster, so no, I wouldn\'t know. But you can bet your galleons that as soon as he is gone, it will be fine clothes and young lovers. That\'s how nature intends it, really."



" I don\'t think you should generalize. I feel sorry for her." yet another woman declared.



" Whatever for, Evangeline?" The throaty woman laughed.



" Well, she was basically a child compared to him. It was practically enslavement. Lord knows what perversions and abuse she is forced to withstand."



Amanda opened her mouth to object, but Edward clapped a hand over it.



" Shh..." he wore a very odd expression.



" Ha! Well, if she does, she no doubt brings them on herself. I was at the wedding. The girl is a simpleton, couldn\'t speak a coherent line." said the chortling man.



" Charles, if simpletons deserved abuse, your father would have done away with you long ago. " someone commented.



" I wouldn\'t say that simpletons deserve abuse." the second lady commented. " But I don\'t think squibs deserve rights, either. They are just too...I don\'t know blah, if you know what I mean."



" Well, she is just odd. Half witted, half blooded. Not very attractive either, possibly greedy. And certainly a troublemaker, judging by all that row at the Ministry. My, my."



Another man spoke up then.



" I agree with Evangelina. She had no choice, and she was an outsider. Didn\'t know enough people to choose wisely."



" My aunts did keep her rather imprisoned here." Agnes said in a low voice. "Didn\'t they Philo?" her voice had a mean edge to it that suggested she had already paid her obeisance to a few cocktails.



" I wouldn\'t know." Philo\'s familiar voice said softly. " I believe she was just as free as any of us, and she seemed happy enough the last time I saw her."



" We weren\'t discussing her happiness." Agnes retorted. " I believe we were discussing how much of a stir her misbehavior has caused. "



" She must have been a lot more clever than people suspected," the one called Rebecca spoke up. " To drop Ashwell, the moment she heard of his outstanding debts. I say she was connected."



" I don\'t see how a squib could be connected." one of the other women commented.



" Well, she wouldn\'t have been any better off with him!" Charles laughed. " I can\'t see it myself, she was such a plain thing, compared to Ashwell\'s other amours. She\'s a fool if she thinks anyone of good status would marry someone of her looks and bloodline just for love. It\'s the money they want."



" You would know Charles. How is your new bride?"



" She\'s a damn fool." he grumbled.



" So what is it Agnes...?" drawled another man. " Is she an innocent enslaved in a cold marriage, or a scheming half-blood spy in our midst? Tell us all the details, and speculate on what you don\'t know. I hear there is an author here among us, and he might just be needing fodder for his newest, gothic sensation."



" Oh Desmond, how droll you are!" Agnes simpered. " How I see it is-"



Edward turned to Amanda, who was blinking away tears of indignation.



" I want to go home!" she whispered. He shook his head.



" No. I have a word or two for someone in there. " He took her hand and tucked it in the crook of his arm, patting it reassuringly before reaching for the knob.



" Hold up your head, but don\'t say anything just yet, understand?"



She nodded warily.



He wrenched open the parlor door, and strode through arrogantly, as though he and Amanda had every right to barge in whenever they felt the urge.



They were met by several faces. One by one, the faces experimented with surprise, before progressing to embarrassment. Every person in the room, including Agnes, looked around at each other, to see if their companions thought he might have overheard their words. They weren\'t worried about offending Amanda, but it was bad form to insult the wandmaker to whom they might take their future children, or themselves if in need of that most indispensable of magical instruments.



Edward\'s expression seemed amiable enough, and a few dared to release a silent breath of relief. Only Philo seemed un-agitated.



Agnes stood, nervously smoothing her skirt.



Edward, you did come out of that musty old shop for the evening!"



" Just for a moment." he smiled. It might fool the others, but Amanda could feel the tension and anger seeping through his sleeve.



" Edward, I believe you know everyone here? And everyone knows you, am I right?" Agnes was awkward as hostess, a part she rarely ever played. She swayed slightly on her heels. " Mr. Fenwicke, Gladys, Evangeline Badger...?"



The group managed something unintelligible, and a few coughs, but they seemed to relax under Edward\'s smile.



" And of course," Edward piped up, before Agnes could continue. " You have all heard of my enslaved child bride, Amanda?"



Every face went instantly magenta.



" I just brought her out for her weekly airing, isn\'t that right darling?"



Amanda suddenly felt herself fighting down a smile. It might be embarrassing to stand on display on front of a crowd that had recently been insulting her, but she would at least have the pleasure of witnessing Edward sear them with a little scathing wit.



She did as he had asked, and kept her head held high, and granted them all what she hoped was a smile both self-confidant and haughty, as though she cared little for their opinions of her. As she did so, she began scanning the room, examining the faces of her accusers and slanderers. She intentionally ignored Agnes, gave a brief smile to Philo Fenwicke, who appeared very morose and ashamed, suddenly.



Her gaze raked over several strangers, and came to rest on a splendid creature seated on the large settee.



As if Amanda\'s gaze was what the woman needed to animate her, she unfolded herself from the settee, and strode toward the newcomers. Amanda stared.



The woman was nearly three inches taller than Edward,and since Amanda only came to his shoulder, the woman was, to her, impossibly tall.



She had too, a slender frame, so willowy it seemed she might have contained less bones and organs than the normal woman, she carried it as though she were immortal, and the guest of honor at everyone\'s\' table.



" Edward! " the woman exclaimed, and her rich voice was both appealing and commanding.



" Rebecca." Edward answered, his own voice suddenly flat.



Rebecca.



The one who had accused her of being a greedy spinster. This woman who had probably never had anyone call her unbeautiful. This woman who had never been anything less than perfection.



And she was the very image of perfection, Muggle and Wizarding alike. Every aspect of her person suggested great care and diligence. Short dark hair stylishly arranged behind her ears, make-up applied in such a way as to seem non-existent except for the wide crimson mouth and the huge brown eyes that were smokily lined to cause them to burn in in her pale, angular face.



Amanda noted that the woman\'s body was no doubt partly a gift of nature, but also appeared to be purposefully leaned out by careful diet and regimen. It was clothed in a black silk pantsuit, the tunic shirt of which fell low off of one square shoulder, and was belted sharply around her very narrow waist. She stood barefoot, as though defying anyone to correct her. Her shoes were tossed carelessly to the side of the settee.



Ignoring Amanda\'s presence, this woman, Rebecca, took both of Edwards hands in her own well manicured grasp, and tilted her head ever so slightly so that her long earrings brushed against her bare neck.



" Isn\'t it good to see you again!" she said.



Edward extracted his hands a little forcefully, and took out his handkerchief. Dramatically, he wiped his fingers in the linen, while glaring down at Rebecca, wearing the same expression he might if he were dissecting a mermaid.



Amanda was suddenly overcome by a new, raw sensation.



Jealousy.



A great surge of jealousy that sprang directly to her breast making her feel angry, protective, and powerless. This woman had touched her husband...and she was powerless to do anything about it. Or was she?



The room suddenly felt too warm, and her stomach began to roll about greasily. She became aware of the many colognes and perfumes mingled in the heavy air; the fragrances of the soot in the fireplace, alcohol fumes, and the reeking richness of the appetizer tray.



Taking a step closer to Edward, she replaced her hand on his arm. He paid no attention, as he was used to the gesture, but Rebecca did, and she smiled icily. Amanda had instinctively drawn herself up, and quickly assessed that the only feature she had more of than Rebecca was bosom, and even that was due to her present condition. She drew in a great breath to accentuate it, just the same.



Rebecca narrowed her eyes.



" And this is your new...wife. Isn\'t she a cute thing? And is that her real hair color?" she reached for Amanda\'s hair, and Amanda drew back suddenly.



" Oh, now...I won\'t bite. Will I, Edward?" she leaned close to whisper to Amanda." He can tell you, I\'ve never bitten anyone too hard."



Turning back to Edward, she nodded her head at Amanda.



" Does she speak English? Agnes said she came from some heathenish jungle place."



At that moment, Eloise entered the room. Amanda had never been so relieved to see her tall, dry aunt, in her eccentric purple robes.



Eloise looked thoroughly startled to see her niece and Edward, standing in the parlor. A quick glance around the room must have told her something was dreadfully amiss, for she smiled in a dazzling fashion, and hastily sat down whatever she had been carrying so that she could encircle Amanda\'s waist.



" So glad you could be here. How are you Edward? Amanda...Have you met everyone? I see you have met Rebecca, yes. And of course you remember Mr. Charles Bumpp? He was at your wedding. And this Evangeline Badger, Lodric Badger\'s daughter, that is. And Gladys Whetstone, the artist. And young Desmond Dooley, his father is into brooms, you know. And being shy in the corner, is Philo Fenwicke, of course, talking with Gottfried Inkerbach, the author. Now if you will all excuse Amanda and I for a moment, I have something I have been dying to show her." the group made another non-committal noise, that sounded a lot like a groan of relief.



" Edward, I won\'t keep her a minute, I promise. Help yourself to a drink, and do tell Philo about the convention in Geneva."



Eloise ushered Amanda out of the door, and through a series of rooms, not halting until they reached the kitchen.



As soon as the door closed, she rounded on her niece.



" Amanda Rookwood? What are you doing here?"



" You invited m-me!" was this room hot too? She felt very dizzy.



" I what? I did no such thing! It isn\'t even my party. It is something Agnes devised."



" Oh...but your owl...she brought me an invitation three days ago. You said it was a small...small dinner with yourself, mother, grandmother, and Francy Suttlecomb." Amanda covered her mouth, trying to fight down the dizziness and nausea.



" It wasn\'t I!" exclaimed Eloise. " Why, Francy is in Antartica at the moment. Writing some book about icicles! And I would never have subjected you to...that woman for one thing. And none of the others either. Oh, well, excepting Philo and Geoffrey."



" Who is that woman?" Amanda asked. " She\'s horrible."



" Which woman dear?"



" The tall one, in black...talking to Edward."



Eloise was thoughtful a moment.



" You know, I bet it was Agnes." she declared.



" No, not Agnes, the other woman."



Eloise pushed Amanda toward a chair.



" Sit down child you look a bit peaked." she sat as well." I mean that I believe Agnes must have set this ruse up, inviting you just because Rebecca was going to be here."



" I honestly don\'t understand. I have no idea who Rebecca is, or why Agnes go through the trouble to invite me. And why is she here anyway?"



" First of all, Agnes is still convinced you took away her best chance at being married. Secondly, she blames you about poor Demogene. She took it much harder than anyone would have imagined. And Amanda...Rebecca is Dinah Blackmoor\'s sister."



Eloise waited as Amanda searched through all of the Wizarding names she had been bombarded with over the last three years. It sounded awfully familiar, but-



" Oh!" she exclaimed, sheepishly. How stupid, to have forgotten the name of her husbands first wife. She recalled then the letters in the upstairs bureau. She had given them no thought since that day; but now a little un-suppressed shudder coursed through her as she remembered some of the words written by the hand of the woman called Bec. Rebecca.



" Apparently he doesn\'t mention her too often!" Eloise said with a dry laugh. " yes, Rebecca was Edward\'s sister-in law. She isn\'t dangerous, but she can be verbally cruel. I think Agnes may have wanted to embarrass you in front of her \' friends.\' What she sees as a sophisticated joke, no doubt, a scenario from one of those novels she is always reading."



She summoned them both a cup of tea.



" She is absolutely the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Did...does Dinah look like Rebecca?" Amanda asked tentatively.



Eloise was taking a long drink, and replied absently.



" Mmm...That was one of life\'s little un-fairnesses to the rest of us women. Dinah was even lovelier, in her day.They called her the Beauty of Blackmoor. She had..." Eloise trailed off at Amanda\'s crestfallen expression.



" Now don\'t start feeling all jealous!"



" But she is so beautiful." Amanda said, shaking her head. " I want to go home."



" You are going home. I\'ll go find Edward and explain everything.You shouldn\'t let yourself get so excited, you look all-"



" I don\'t feel well..." Amanda declared." I\'m going to..." she stood, wobbling as the room began spinning and her stomach roiled.



Her aunt caught her as she was about to fall, and helped lower her to the cold kitchen floor. Quickly she wet a towel, and began wiping her niece\'s face.



" You are taking this too strongly. Edward cannot stand Rebecca, he never could. Besides, you have nothing to fear, for all of her talk. Rebecca tastes have always been voracious, and only for, shall we say, unripened fare? Do you understand?"



Amanda nodded, but didn\'t really care at the moment.



The kitchen door opened just then, and Stella entered. She carried a half eaten bowl of popcorn in one hand, and an open book in the other. She had not been invited to Agnes\' party, and was incredibly thankful. Reading, she did not immediately take in the scene before her, and had to tread on Eloise\'s robes.



Surprised, she hastily deposited the book and bowl on the table, and knelt beside her aunt.



Amanda blanched as the buttery smell of popcorn enveloped her.



" Amanda? Amy dear? " Stella cooed." What\'s the matter with her? Are you all right? Where is her husband?"



" I think she is fine." Eloise said. " She just met Rebecca Blackmoor in the parlor. "



" Yes, yes. But what are you doing here Amanda? Wait, what do you mean Rebecca? Is she here? Oh great lords above. What did she say to you honey?" Stella began brushing Amanda\'s hair back.



Amanda choked back her nausea, but couldn\'t answer.



" Where is Edward? Did he bring you here? What was he thinking?"



" Stella...don\'t jump to conclusions. Agnes invited Amanda in my name, and...under false pretences."



" False pretenses?" Stella raised a disbelieving brow.



" She told her it was a small dinner with Francy Suttlecomb. Edward doesn\'t even know the truth yet, I saved Amanda as quickly as I could when I saw that Rebecca had already sprung." Eloise flexed her fingers in imitation of claws when as she spoke the last word.



" She called me...an ugly, greedy...spinster. Dim wit..." Amanda shuddered." Soo...sick..."



" Her nerves are too weak for things like this." Stella declared. " I\'m going to send for Doctor Scuttlebeam...would you like something for your nerves, Amy?"



Amanda fought down the bile, and took her mother\'s hand. " No...I\'m fine. I just got too overheated. "



" Rebecca upset you though. " Stella soothed. " Something for your nerves would help."



" Yes...she upset me, but really I don\'t need anything." she tried to sit up.



" Nonsense. At least take a glass of wine.."



" Ohhhh mother, I wish you hadn\'t mentioned wine." Amanda groaned, and lay back down.



" Well, cold champagne then? " Stella offered hopefully. She already had a glass of something in her hand, and was trying to press it Amanda\'s lips. Amanda pushed it away rather abruptly.



" Honestly, I can\'t drink anything!" she snapped in exasperation. Then added when she saw Stella\'s rather hurt expression, "I\'m pregnant!"



Eloise and Stella both stared at her in disbelief.



" What!? Again, so soon!?" Stella exclaimed, bewildered. She sat back on her heels and bit her lip.



" Well, this isn\'t how wanted to tell you. We were going to t-tell you after dinner."



" Excuse me a moment." Eloise stood, handing the towel to Stella. " I\'ll...just see if I can save Edward as well."



As soon as her Aunt had gone, Stella, became agitated.



" Amanda...this really shouldn\'t have happened again so soon."



" May I have a glass of cold water?" Amanda asked." Thank you. It isn\'t so very soon, mother. It\'s been...a few months. " Though not many she added to herself after a hasty mental calculation. " I was hoping you would be happy."



" Well, I am happy. But I also worry. I want you to have beautiful healthy children, but I wanted you to be strong and well recovered first. Edward should have understood that. Surely the Ministry would take into consideration the health of the mother involved before they start pushing that damnable contract! "



" Oh, mother...it doesn\'t have anything to do with the contract! This was a surprise for us, too."



" A surprise." Stella repeated.



" Yes. The Ministry gave us word that considering the...circumstances they were extending our time a full year. "



" Amanda..." Stella lowered her voice in the manner she always assumed when approaching a delicate subject. Amanda instantly squirmed. " I\'ll only ask one question, in the best way I know how. And it\'s only my concern for you that prompts me, because you know that you are my only baby. Your husband, he isn\'t treating you in any inappropriate fashion is he? Because if you were ever...if there was ever force or you needed help any of us would-"



" No! Edward would never do anything like that.Please believe me!" Amanda laughed nervously, coloring under her mother\'s scrutiny. " Not at all. " she lay back and covered her crimson face with the cold towel.



Stella nodded resignedly.



" Very well. But you aren\'t going home tonight. Tonight, you stay here, and let your mother take care of you again."



" That isn\'t necessary." Amanda protested. " I\'ve been doing quite well...I just got upset."



" I insist. Now what are we hoping for, a girl, or a boy?"



" Edward predicts it will be a girl, with curly hair. I am inclined to wish for that as well. I can make so many pretty things for her."



The door opened again and Edward rushed in, followed closely by Eloise.



" Geneva convention..." he was saying in exasperation, " what was that all about?"



" A sort of code if you thought it over properly. " she replied pointedly.



" Philo?" he inquired. " Are you certain?"



" Yes!"



Edward dropped to his knees on the floor beside Amanda.



" Not again..." he murmured.



" I\'m fine, really." she insisted holding up a hand to stave off any questions or comments. " I just felt ill, that\'s all."



He closed his eyes and breathed in a sigh of relief.



" But she is staying here tonight." Stella stated, before Amanda could protest once more.



" Why?" he countered.



" Because, I am her mother, and I say so. She needs rest."



" I am not a slave driver, she can rest at home, where she doesn\'t have to worry about Agnes."



" It\'s not a bad idea Edward, to let the girl rest here overnight." Eloise interjected. " I am going to see that Agnes, and Ms. Blackmoor are sent away early. Amanda is going to bed, and you will have a chance to meet Geoffrey Inkerbach properly."



He shared a look of defeat with Amanda, who didn\'t care where she slept so long as she suddenly got to a bed. With the abating of the nausea a content sleepiness had settled over her.



" I\'ll stay the night. " she said, and tried to sit up again.



" Here." Edward stopped her and placed an arm under her knees and another under her shoulders.



" Edward!\' she cried out, seizing his lapels suddenly. " I\'m too heavy!"



The other women made a noise of fearful disapproval, and he fixed them with a menacing glare.



" When I am no longer capable of carrying my wife, I will cast the Avada Kedavra on myself. " he said, standing easily.



Eloise watched with one hand on her hip.



" Stella, would you see if I have any of that morning sickness draught left in the cupboard? It will only take me a minute to disband this little fête. Her room is at the top of the stairs Edward. Of course, all the rooms are at the top of the stairs...it wouldn\'t do any good to put them in the middle, would it? she said playfully.



After a stern look from Edward, she added;



" It\'s the fifth door down on the right hand side. What\'s wrong with a little humor occasionally? That\'s what I want to know." she muttered as he began climbing the kitchen staircase.



He took her up the stairs, and as soon as they were out of sight of Eloise and Stella, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.



" What is that for?" he asked.



" Standing up for me." she replied, kissing him again. He had to pause as he couldn\'t see over her head. " You did stand up for me, didn\'t you?"



" Even if I hadn\'t I would lie about it under these circumstances." he said, tasting her lips. " No, I defended you. If I were not a gentleman...I would have said a great deal more."



" I like you more as a gentleman."



When he lay her down on her bed, she was suddenly regretful that she had agreed to stay here overnight. He had never carried her to bed before, and she wanted nothing more than for him to join her. She pulled him down twice for a kiss, and briefly his hand fell to rest on the bare skin revealed by the dress\' vee neckline.



" I have to go back down." he said, nuzzling the side of her neck. That was a cruel thing to do, and he knew it. Her neck was very sensitive, and even with that small caress, her pupils dilated and she began to breathe heavily, curving her breasts up against his hand.



" I want to go home..." she said huskily.



" And I want for you to rest." he said, pulling away reluctantly. " Are you sure you don\'t want me to send for a healer?"



" Are you sure you won\'t need me to send for a healer?" he asked.



" I\'m sure. I was just very angry. And jealous." she admitted softly.



" Jealous of what?" he asked, as he tried to pull the covers down while she was lying on them.



" Of you! Well...of Rebecca. "



Edward dropped the sheet and a forceful, surprised laugh escaped him. She pouted.



" That is very flattering, but I assure you, you have nothing to worry about where Rebecca is concerned. I hear she only likes very young boys."



" That is what Eloise said." Amanda yawned delicately behind her hand. " Doesn\'t change a thing. At the risk of not sounding like a lady, I hate Rebecca."



" I\'ve never liked her myself, not even enough to hate her. But she has insulted you, and now I shall hate her too."



" Thank you. "



" I wouldn\'t take a score of her for one of you." he murmured, so that she might not hear. He had never been proficient at expressing emotions, and having them sound sincere. Whether or not Amanda heard, she did not let on, but tried again to tempt him with her eyes.



He thought how lovely she was in a way Rebecca and Dinah had never been. Fresh, milky, and sweet. And more than anything, she was pure and virtuous in a world that had long been bathed in malice and rot; he asked himself again if a person such as himself had ever done a thing, a single good thing to deserve such a reward? He should have taken Agnes, he thought mournfully, he would have never loved her. And Amanda would never have suffered so much.



He shuddered to think of what would would happen to him, what he would be like now without Amanda.



" Aren\'t you coming back to me after you talk to Mr. Inkerbach?" her sleepy voice intruded on his thoughts, his memories in which he found no redemption.



He regarded her heavily. Her breathing had slowed somewhat, and her eyelids were heavy. She looked utterly tempting still. She had kicked off her shoes, and had one leg raised slightly to rest on the edge of the bed. The sight of her bare feet was more alluring to him than the thought of rampant nakedness. One of his many weaknesses.



" No...I don\'t think that would be wise. " He only tucked the sheet up around her chin and kissed her again. " Sleep well, Amanda. I\'ll rescue you tomorrow."



She smiled sleepily at him, and though she struggled against it, she was already dreaming before the door had closed behind him.



When Stella came up with a bottle of anti-nausea draught, she found Amanda slumbering peacefully, a half smile curving her lips. Checking that her daughter was alive and well, she extinguished the light and closed the door.

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Crash-Dave Matthews