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He holds onto that note, the one where Eloise agrees to spend her life with him, with ferocity and unbridled fondness. His envelope of the precious scraps of papers has long ago changed into an empty fudge tin, leaving the missives Eloise has given him smelling sweetly of caramel and scotch, the number of them too big already. The tin has its place of honour among the books, sitting on the entire bibliography of Mary Wollstonecraft, something that they managed to make complete together, haunting book stores all over London for the individual issues. Theo can feel Eloise's eyes on his back every night he goes through his pockets and adds new pieces in his collection. She's always smiling when he looks back at her, soft and pleased and then she proceeds to put his notes to her into her stash as well.
Theo is pretty sure that should their flat catch on fire one day, those are going to be the things they will try to save (beside each other, of course).
He lets his mind and heart soar over the thought of the evidence of their relationship, neatly compiled to comb through whenever the fancy strikes. But this one, this one Theo keeps in his wallet, safely enclosed in a makeshift wrapping he made from discarded clear plastic paper folder. He catches himself staring at it at least five times a day in those first few weeks, grinning like an idiot in meetings, on the tube, in the grocery stores. People roll their eyes on him or chuckle and shake their heads and Eloise teases him mercilessly when she catches him too, only to kiss him breathless in the next second every time.
***
She's actually excited to share the news, wants to shout it from the rooftops. They agree to tell their families first, but both Eloise and Theo fail at this challenge at the first opportunity. All it takes is Cressida asking “What's new?” on the next Friday night the friends meet up and Eloise is spilling the beans to her best friend, while Theo is accepting heartfelt congratulations from John and Tom Harris. By the time Marina and George join them, there is round of celebratory drinks on the table.
Eloise still believes that they will be able to give the news to their respective parents on their own, but this notion is taken from her the very next morning when she's woken up, slightly hungover and with Theo wrapped around her, completely dead to the world around. She pats around the floor for the insistently ringing phone, not even checking who's calling as she picks up with a disgruntled:
“What do you want?”
“Are you getting married?” Hyacinth's shrill voice stabs her ears and Eloise winces in pain. Her sister is so loud she can be heard well outside the phone speaker, making Theo jerk out awake, blearily looking around and trying to understand what is happening. Eloise runs her fingers through his hair, soothing him. Hyacinth is still rambling something into her ear, but Eloise looses focus momentarily when Theo cranes his head under her hand, twisting so his lips could gently graze the underside of her wrist. Only her name being shouted into her ear through the phone makes Eloise snap back to attention.
“Wh… how do you even know?” She finally manages to ask and Hyacinth is more than happy to relay this news as well, describing the game of telephone that went from George to his brother Phillip and from Phillip to Colin, who, despite not even being in the same hemisphere, didn't hesitate to call their mother. Hyacinth finds it all simply hilarious and to be completely fair, if she were just a bit more conscious, Eloise would probably too. However, this way she can only muster another groan when her little sister signs off with a completely unapologetic:
“By the way, mum and dad are on their way.”
***
Eloise's parents bring them fancy coffee and fresh pastries and they look just so genuinely happy for them that there is simply no place for feeling guilty about not telling them first or the fact there is actually no ring on Eloise's finger. (She didn't want one, so Theo didn't get one. He got her a beautiful leather bound copy of her favourite poems instead.) They are not yet decided if they even want to wear rings after the wedding, something that makes Violet pause momentarily before she hides it behind a wide smile and excited questions about how do they imagine their wedding to go.
They both participate at first, but only couple weeks in, Theo notices that Eloise is starting to get rather fatigued with it all, so he does the best thing he can think of at the moment – calls his mother. (John did him solid and not rattled them out, so he and Eloise did actually tell his parents on their own.) In hindsight, it might not have been the brightest idea he could have came up with. While meeting of their respective families goes wonderfully well, it goes to (Theo's personal) hell the moment his dad invites Eloise's father to check his stamp collection, leaving the couple's mothers alone to plot.
And plot they do.
Violet Bridgerton and Mary Sharpe get on like a house on fire and Theo can only watch in horror as the day that he is looking towards more than anything else in his life slowly takes shape of a monster in their mums' ideas. He doesn't dare to speak, only chances a quick look at Eloise sitting next to him on the sofa. She watches it all unfold with a mouth hanging slightly open and the a look of terror similar to his in her eyes. He doesn't have a paper on him, but there is a pen on the table, so he grabs it and then takes Eloise's hand, tugging it closer, scribbling “Elopement?” into her palm while she giggles.
***
One would think that after marrying off four children already, their mother would be somewhat tired of it by now. However, the very opposite seems to be the truth and so Eloise is left with no other option but to sit her mum down and with Theo's help firmly set her straight. Their wedding will be done according their wishes and that is something non-negotiable. Thankfully, it goes over rather well and when repeated to Theo's mum too, they can actually start planning and not deflect the dozens texts and calls a day about centrepieces and ice sculptures and cupids peeing champagne.
To Eloise's disgruntlement, the notes that she and Theo keep exchanging as of late are much less of a romantic and meaningful variety and more in line of “Don't forget to call the catering company”. Sure, not all of their previous ones were gold, there was an occasional “Buy the milk” sneaked between teasing barbs, juicy remarks and tender declarations. But the medium of communication that has been basically a core of their relationship now threatens to turn into a trivial gabble and once again, she will not allow that to happen. Eloise catches Theo sneak badly disguised longing glances to his tin when several days in row come where she doesn't have time to give him anything new for his collection and she makes up her mind.
Very next morning they board the tube together as usual and the door is barely closed when Eloise is reaching into her pocket and giving Theo carefully folded piece of paper. The way his face lights up upon reading it, when realising that the words on it are not centred around any duties or tasks to finish, makes any potential negative fallout worth it thousands times over.
She's already holding a pen for him to write his answer and Theo does, using her shoulder as a writing board. And then he's kissing her, kissing her so enthusiastically that someone in the car wolf-whistles and someone else grumbles in disgust. Eloise doesn't register either of it, so wrapped in Theo – both physically and emotionally – that she completely misses her stop.
***
Theo never expected to be friends with a bona-fide socialite, but he will die defending Cressida Cowper from anyone who would dare to ridicule her for her lifestyle or interests. She is their saviour, their angel of mercy, happily accepting the challenge when Eloise asks her to take over the planning so they could have a little get-away before the wedding. Cressida grins, teases them about turning their shindig into a “proper” affair and then patiently listens as they give her the list of numbers and names that need to be kept an eye on. Most is done already, it's just the finer details now and setting everything in motion at the day and hour. Despite her snarky comments, Theo is fairly sure Cressida won't try to sneak any of her own ideas into their day, as either of their mothers might be tempted to.
So his heart is light and his mind worry-free as they board the train north, one week before the wedding. October just started, the outside air is crisp but still warm and Theo can't wipe a content smile off his face. He's comfortably buried in his seat, book he was intending to read forgotten for now in favour of just silently staring out of window, watching the countryside run by, long stretches of autumn fields and forests accentuated by occasional town or village.
Eloise is curled on the seat beside him, head resting in his lap as she is still reading. She turns her face up from time to time, however, and without fail he always notices, even if not paying attention to anything else that goes on on the train. He can feel her gaze on him and looks down, their eyes meeting and smiles exchanged, followed by words of love, told in gentle whisper or with just their lips connecting, be it for just a second or a minute.
“Pre-wedding holiday should become the new norm.” Theo murmurs, once again appreciating the brilliant idea this brilliant woman next to him came up with. Eloise makes a face, one of many, many expressions Theo loves, her nose scrunching as she grins widely, her whole being radiating with how happy she is with herself and with him, with them and Theo can only echo the sentiments.
***
She turns off the sound on her phone, so she misses all the frantic calls from her mum. Some of them are from dad's number, but Eloise is pretty sure that should she pick up, it wouldn't be Edmund's voice she would hear on the other end. There is a little whiff of guilt upon seeing it, but a text from Cressida assures her that she took it upon herself to smooth things out with Eloise's parents.
When Eloise wakes up the next morning, wrapped around Theo and not the other way around for a change, their bodies pressed together so tightly she could swear she can hear his heartbeats, there is only couple of texts from their friends wishing them a good time, her mum's vaguely apologetic message about being so intense and Benedict's four-part essay where he expresses his support for whatever she and Theo are planning to do while away, before concluding with a “but you know this isn't 19th century, you don't have to run away to Scotland to get married”, meant in all probability as a joke. (Despite his age, Ben never quite managed to grasp the concept of texts, not capable of restraining himself under required number of characters.)
Eloise chuckles and then throws her phone away, turning her attention to Theo who is just starting to wake.
Her phone ends up on the floor and there it stays for most part, Eloise much too busy doing nothing at all to check for the remainder of their stay. They spend their mornings lazing around in bed, the owner of the B&B they found kind enough to leave their breakfast on the tray behind the door. No talks of weddings are allowed in their little safe cocoon of floral duvets, books and serious lack of clothing. Just peace, a lovely echo of their early days together.
They wonder around the small town they are in, checking bookshops and flea markets and going for walks. They take a train couple of times, get on the first one that comes to the station, no destination in mind, just enjoying sitting beside each other once more, reading and talking, discussing everything and nothing at once.
It's on one of these trips they come across a little church, neatly tucked in the valley behind the village where they get off the train. The path leading to it is completely covered by fallen leaves, red and orange and golden hues mixing together, creating beautiful carpet under their feet, rustling with every step they take. The church – or maybe a chapel would be a more appropriate name for it – is completely empty, the three rows of seats on each side of the aisle abandoned. Flowers on the altar are slightly wilted, suggesting that nobody was here in at least couple of days to change them.
Neither of them ever even considered a church wedding, but there is something about this place that makes their minds work similarly. Without a word, just a look shared, they walk together down the aisle and then stand there for a moment, holding hands. There are no vows exchanged and no sudden officiant appears to tempt them. But in their hearts, they both think of that moment as the start of their marriage for the rest of their lives.
***
Train back is late and so instead of the afternoon they arrive back in London late in the evening. Before they manage to get to their flat, rain starts, catching them unprepared and leaving them drowned like rats within seconds. That much more endearing it is to come home and find their fridge stocked and a note form his parents on the table about John being so kind and lending them his spare key so they could deliver a care package. Theo is pretty sure he will get a talking to in the near future from his mum, about being reckless and going for a trip just few days before his own wedding, but at that moment, the gesture of support and love makes him all warm inside.
They heat the soup they find in the jar in the fridge, not bothering with plates and eating it straight out of the pot, their spoons clicking against one another as they fight over the dumplings. Their laughter follows them even as they wash the dishes and then take a shower together, changing into a startled shrieks only when they inevitably run out of hot water and get splashed by the freezing one. They both set up the alarm, not wanting to oversleep, for tomorrow is a day neither wants to miss.
(They don't have to worry about missing their own wedding, because strike seven, there are knocks on their door and first Marina comes with breakfast and then John arrives and then Eloise's sisters to supposedly help her to get ready and then Tom and Cressida and George with kids and Theo's sister Lily and rest of Eloise's brothers, they all descend upon them, crowding the place and quite literally tripping over one another in the cramped space their flat is, creating the loveliest, most heart-warming chaos Theo has ever witnessed.)
And then they are finally standing in the rented reception hall, the clerk reciting her prepared speech. Only peripherally Theo can see his and Eloise's parents sitting side by side, weeping openly with joy. He looses focus about anything but Eloise soon enough though, needing to be actually poked in the ribs by his best man to snap back to attention when the time for the vows comes. He sees Eloise chuckle and gives her a wink before reaching into his breast pocket and taking out his latest note for her.