Work Text:
James has had a wretched day. One of those days where he wonders if the promotions he’s worked so hard to achieve were even worth the effort.
Well, in all honesty, he’s had a wretched month, but today has been particularly awful.
It seemed like every time the door of his office opened, it was another emergency. One of the newly arrived officers fell off a dock and nearly drowned. The man was so shaken that James had sent him home. After that, he was informed that one of the cooks had spilled an entire barrel of red wine all over the floor and the stains wouldnt come out. Plus, now there’s no wine for the officers’ dinner in three days. A gull had flown into his office while he was dealing with that mess and proceeded to eat James’ lunch. By the time the late afternoon had rolled around, a recruit had been injured during a spar, a ship had sprung a leak, and a pirate in the cells had attempted an escape.
So, James was very much ready for the day to be over.
He was ready to go to his new home and see his adoring wife greet him with a bright smile. He was ready to sit at the dining table and enjoy a delicious meal prepared by Emma, who knew how to cook all his and Elizabeth favorites. He was ready to relax in the sitting room with a book and let the stress melt away.
Except…he should have known better. Considering how the day went and all.
When he opens the door to his home, there is no wife to greet him. There is no smell of cooking food. There is no happy or relaxing atmosphere to be seen.
Instead, there is an acrid smell permeating the entire house.
Fearing the worst, James takes off at a run—not even pausing to remove his hat.
When he bursts into the kitchen, he’s met with a very sad sight. His wife is seated at the kitchen island, crying her eyes out. He can see some pots and pans on the stovetop and counter. Those seem to be the source of the smell, but his first concern is Elizabeth’s state. He rushes to her side. “Elizabeth, darling, what is the matter? Is it your father? Are you ill?”
Elizabeth brings her hands away from her face and sniffs pitifully. “F-father is fine,” she chokes out. She uses her sleeve to wipe the tears from her face. “I just…I just wanted to make dinner for you and I ruined it!” His wife dissolves into another fit of tears, and James finds himself at a loss.
He didn’t think Elizabeth knew how to cook. Most ladies of her standing wouldn’t bother since housekeepers and cooks and the like took care of that. She would choose their menus, of course, but she wouldn’t cook the actual food. What would make her want to cook for him?
He feels he shouldn’t ask that though. That more than likely wouldn’t end well with her current state. They’re nearly out of the newlywed stage, but he still isn’t confident in his ability to navigate situations like this. “I’m sure it can’t be so bad,” he soothes. “I, uh, I would love to try what you made for me.”
“James, it’s an absolute disaster,” Elizabeth wails. “I just wanted our anniversary to be special!”
Oh.
Oh no.
Ohhhhh nooooooo.
James has forgotten their anniversary.
It’s been two years since they got married and James /forgot.
There’s only one thing to do: he’s going to have to eat the dinner she made.
Internally panicking but externally calm, he wraps his wife in an embrace. “Don’t cry, Elizabeth. I’d be happy to eat the food you made me. I’ll go sit in the dining room while you get it around for me, and then we’ll have a lovely anniversary together, okay?”
Elizabeth leans into him. “James, I don’t think it’s fit to eat,” she says with a sad hiccup.
“Nonsense,” he argues with a conviction he most certainly doesn’t feel. “I’ll be waiting.” He presses a kiss to her temple and walks out of the kitchen. Before he walks into the dining room, though, he rushes into his study. There’s a necklace in his desk that he planned to save for Elizabeth’s birthday, but it will have to be an anniversary present now. Breathing a sigh of relief when the box is clasped in his hands, he beelines for the dining room and sits at the head of the table, attempting to look cool and collected.
A few minutes later, Elizabeth brings a plate into the room and places it in front of him. She sits down in the seat to his right, fresh tears falling down her face at the sad sight on the fine china.
James looks down and surveys what she has given him. The biscuits are a bit…on the black side. And the fish is a tad, ah…black. And the gravy is rather lumpy. But it is fine. Totally fine. He’d eaten worse as a young officer. Probably.
He looks up into the still-teary face of his wife, and he knows what he has to do.
He braces himself, says a quick prayer of protection to the Almighty, and scoops the food into his mouth.
So…it turns out he had not eaten worse.
He chews deliberately, trying to ignore the burnt crunch of the fish in his mouth. The taste is just terrible, but Elizabeth tried so hard that he just can’t bring himself to spit it out. He powers through the bite and swallows and wishes he had that barrel of wine right about now. “It’s,” he pauses to cough, “it’s very good.”
Elizabeth shocks him by bursting into laughter. “Oh, James. It’s truly terrible. You don’t have to lie to me.”
James is a bit unsure of how to proceed. “Uh,” he says, too afraid to say anything.
“You can be honest,” she replies, a smile spreading across her tear-stained face. She wipes at the tears with a napkin and finally looks calm.
James sighs. “It was slightly burnt,” he admits.
“That is a kind way to put it,” she laughs. “I might as well have served you a plate of soot from the fireplace.” She looks down at the box by James’ elbow. “And I know for a fact that was supposed to be my birthday present. I saw the notation in the account book.”
James’ face burns with mortification. “Elizabeth, I am so very sorry. I completely forgot what today was.” He stops and wipes his hand down his face. “It has been such a stressful month, and I am ashamed to admit I forgot about our anniversary.”
Elizabeth just releases a slow breath. “We’re quite a pair, aren’t we?”
James reaches across the table and clasps her hand. The candlelight glints off her chestnut hair and makes it seem almost golden. Even splotchy-faced from the crying, she’s breathtaking. “Indeed. How about we take tomorrow and do things properly?”
Elizabeth smiles at him. “I’d like that. But I would like to give you your present this evening, if you’d permit me.”
James raises an eyebrow. “The dinner wasn’t my present?”
Elizabeth giggles but is still embarrassed about the whole ordeal. “No, it was just intended to be an extra special surprise. If I ever do this again, I’ll make sure I take some lessons first. I’d rather fight a ship full of pirates than go through that trouble unprepared a second time.”
James just shakes his head in fond amusement. While he wouldn’t put it past Elizabeth and her feisty nature to try and fight a ship full of pirates, he can’t imagine a scenario where that would be necessary. “Then I will accept whatever you have for me, and I will beg your forgiveness for my forgetfulness. I promise I will make it up to you.”
“I know you will,” she confirms. “And this is your gift.” Elizabeth reaches over to the chair next to her and picks up a small, wrapped parcel that James hadn’t noticed before.
He takes it from her hand and wonders what it could be. It’s not heavy. Perhaps a new handkerchief? He unties the string around the paper and unfolds it, revealing the item inside.
His breath catches in his chest.
Inside the paper is a small pair of white baby shoes.
He looks up at his wife, eyes wide and heart in his throat. “Elizabeth?”
A full, genuine smile breaks out on her face—the one he was so looking forward to seeing when he got home. “Surprise!”
James stands and gathers his wife in his arms. He can feel himself trembling. “You are carrying our child?” he asks, barely reining in the emotion.
“I am,” she confirms, voice thick with joy and happiness. “Happy anniversary, James.”
James buries his face in her hair and lets the elation flow through him. This is everything he could have wanted. His Elizabeth. His child. His home. He can’t even taste the burnt fish anymore.
Did James say he’s had a wretched day? He was wrong. Today is a wonderful day.