Chapter Text
Falling in lust, as it turns out, is the least of Anne Wheeler’s issues. It feels trival now to call it lust, not after she’s taken the beautiful and painful when it comes the Philip. She wants to fight the feeling, because everything pushes on her to claim its not real, that the pressure of the outside world would one day cost them both their lives. Anne would believe all the cautions if she weren’t leaning against Philip’s bare chest listening to him breathe while his fingers play on her lower back.
Deep into the lust, now love she and Philip were entertaining is when he whispers it and in a room as silent as this, he might as well have been yelling.
“Marry me. Anne” His hands still, long enough to prove he is being serious.
“Pardon?” Anne breathes, keeping her eyes shut.
“We ought to make honest people out of ourselves, let me ask for your hand in marriage.”
A small snicker is released, “We ought to keep ourselves alive. There ain’t a court as far as the eye could see that would marry us. They’d have our heads we dared to try.”
Philip inches his torso up displacing Anne’s head from his chest. “Tell me I haven’t been deceived, but did I not hear a no?”
Anne moves up to her lover’s eye level, “What you heard was that your asking for the impossible.”
“I’m gathering that if we made the impossible happen, you would willingly be my beautiful wife.” He brings up a hand to gentle tuck a curl behind her delicate ear when Anne’s hand moves and stills over his. Her cheek leans into his palm.
“What fools love has made us,” she whispers.
Hidden away in the rafters readying herself for practice, is when she first hears the muted commotion. Here line of sight to the action is obstructed and she’s left to believe that the twins are arguing again and trying to campaign the others to join their side of things. It is a dysfunctional family but a family nonetheless. She takes hold of a rope and gracefully descends downward. It’s when her feet her planted firmly on the ground when Anne realizes how very wrong she was about the nature of the disturbance.
Through the small but intimidating pack of performers she sees catches the eye of Philip’s father . Instinctively she looks down, meekly. She tunes into the conversation just in time to hear Philip speaking, “... I have an office over there, let us speak in there father.” With that the Carlyle boys are gone and the whispers begin. She has no desire to be apart of this anymore, she wants to fly.
“Father I wish I knew you were coming.” Philip began as he took his seat across from his aging father.
“Unfortunately my son, it was not ideal circumstances. I wanted to talk to you. A man to his son.” His father was maintaining the calm demeanor that Philip was growing to mistrust. For it was only a few months prior that his mother had invited home for a dinner. During which, his mother cried and his father swore that he had forever cursed the family namesake with his childlike selfishness. “You have your mother worried ill on your wellbeing. She does not fancy the idea of you here, living by the docks in apartments while working in a tent.”
“Well when you return you can ensure her that I am quite well, as you can see. These tents and apartments have treated me well I assure you father.”
“You get this from me, the rebellion and the need to step out. When I was your age I too wanted to live a life very different from what my parents had dreamt for me.”
“Did you succeed at being different?”
“Not at all, what I thought was difference was a disguise for immaturity. I grew to be man, one that was able to marry happily and provide a satisfying life for my family and our name.” Mr. Carlyle told his story slowly with unwavering eye contact, “You want to believe you have found escape and true love in this life, listen to your words, Phillip, they sound delusional.”
“I do hope you did not spend your precious time coming to convince me to leave this behind. I assure you that your time could have been spent much more productively.”
His father scowls at the tone before schooling his features. “I am here to deliver you some news. My eldest brother, your uncle Daniel has taken ill. It’s quite serious and we don’t expect him to be alive for more than the next week or sooner. His son, James has informed him of your outcasting and his heart was truly broken, Philip.” There was pain in his father’s eyes, an unfamiliar sight for the stoic man.
Phillip rationed the words carefully and his mind settled on James, his cousin. A known brilliant man, whom Phillip fondly could recall good times as children together. He looked up to James when he was still a playwright. James married a young Irish woman who was the daughter of two poor immigrants. Before Philip’s great scandal, James was the designated Carlyle disgrace for not marrying a preselected woman who would of course come from money. However, James continued his father’s business and multiplied his fortune ultimately excusing him from his “transgressions”. Still it was an admirable bit of rebellion that Philip had longed for at the time.
“I mean to cause no one distress, father. However, this is my life and I do certainly intend to live it as such.”
His father rose angrily, “Don’t you see how your selfishness is wrecking the family, have you no shame Philip?” Mr. Carlyle sighed heavily and sat back down, “there is more you need to know, an offer of such. Daniel will give you half of James’ inheritance if you drop this sham of a life and return home, he is calling it his dying wish.”
“Father, I do mourn the fate of my uncle but I’ve a home and love right where am at. Only a fool would turn away from this and I won’t be that.”
“Finding love in that negro,” Mr. Carlyle scoffed, “Your mother and I have failed you.” There was an abrupt exit from Mr. Carlyle heading towards that main entrance where the rest of the crew stood pretending as if they were not eavesdropping. Philip reluctantly moved to see his father out. Before stepping out he took one last good look at the life his son was abandoning his own blood for.
Scaling a silk rope was Anne warred within herself to intently watch Philip dismiss his father or determine to remain oblivious knowing that no good could have come from this visit. Both sides lost when she saw the elder Carlyle point direct at her. Tuning in to his words she caught boldly declaring, “Make sure that colored knows just how far she’s dragged you down.”
“Half of an inheritance like that? Phillip you wouldn't have to work another day in your life.” Anne sat on Phillip's desk astonished by the news attempting to rationalize sums of money beyond what any man should hold.
“All that money would be a burden over a blessing. Why are you trying to make it seem as if I should consider? My mind is more than made up, Anne.” Phillip ran an exhausted hand through his hair.
“I just- I can't be the reason you give up everything you were, even you say you hate it now.” Phillip stands to reach out to this vulnerable side of the strong woman he loves.
“Don't Anne. This is everything I am right now, and everything I worked for. But you, Anne, you are everything need and want. Marry me, Anne” Phillip doesn't mean to plea as he stands inches from her frame. As his hands meet her hips he no longer cares how he sounds.
“I'm certain we've had this conversation before.” She whispers edging closer to his lips.
“I want to hear you say yes this time.” He loses at holding back and let's there lips touch slowly, building up pace and passion. There is a pesky need for air where Phillip stays wrapped around Anne, resting his forehead on her own. “Marry me, Anne,” he repeats as he softly plants kisses on her ear.
“Anne!” A male voice just outside office breaks the intensity. Phillip backs away slightly, neither of them daring to break eye contact. W.D. walks into the office without permission and scowls. He takes one look at their mutually flushed faces and stares heavily on the older man. “ Anne I'm going home, it's late and I don't want you walking alone. Let's go.”
“W.D. I’d more than happy to walk her home safely.” Phillip chimes in well aware that W.D. may actually punch him this time. Phillip knows that he tries, but this is his sister and his closest family. No one is good enough for her, especially a man from a different world.
“Yes,” Anne declares suddenly staring directly at Phillip.
“What?” Both men ask simultaneously.
Anne doesn't dare look away even as her voice lowers, “Yes, Phillip,” a slight smile pulls across her face as Phillip stares, dumbfounded. “Let's go W.D.” In a swift moment Anne is off the desk and following her brother away from the office.
Phillip leans against space of desk where Anne just occupied. An uncontained smile paints across his face. His bride.