Chapter Text
Of course she knew his name. The youngest sibling of the Guinness family. Edward . She was doubtful about his help though. He was just 21, and born in a wealthy (to say the least) family, what could he do? What could he know about anything? At 20, Ellen could say she had lived for centuries, done and seen unspeakable things. But she was different. There was a whole universe between them.
That said, she was really surprised when her eyes met his. He was… pretty. His lips were pink, soft, well designed. And his restrained smile made her swallow hard. She tried to stay in guard, ready for combat as always. He asked the waiter for a guinness without her saying anything, how pretentious was that? But then he explained his idea to her like a mother talks to a toddler. Not in a way that made her feel underestimated, just… he was kind. Patient.
Like a beer, he waited for her to expel the rage and distrust and when she calmed down a little, he gained her. She was actually mad inside at how easily he convinced her. Everything about that man was a great surprise, and Ellen didn’t know how to react to that. She felt like she could do anything he asked and, boy, that is scary.
It was difficult to persuade Patrick to go to Arthur’s wedding with her, but she had to go. She wouldn’t admit even to herself but she wanted to look at that pretty face of Edward again. Being thrown on a corner table was a little disappointing at first, but she had to control her expectations. She was just a girl from the docks without a penny in the pocket, afterall. There were some beautiful young ladies there that were possibly waiting to be courted by him. She couldn’t expect that.
When Arthur came to them instead of Edward, she felt sadness and relief at the same time. “Remember why you’re here, Ellen, you fucking bonehead”, she said to herself. Tried to negotiate with that cocky, arrogant, son of a bitch, even stopping her brother to beat the crap out of him - it would be well deserved. All of that to be compensated with his presence.
He came to her table and grabbed Arthur by the balls, argued with words, being smart, maintaining composure, making his brother eat out from the palm of his hand. She could identify with that. The little smile that came with that thought scared her a little more, and then they were left alone. He asked about a husband and she couldn’t help but provoke. He was the only man to ever take her seriously.
♥
Ellen Cochrane. A woman leader of the fenians. He wouldn’t expect for her to be easier to bend, just the opposite. To fight that war, she had to be tough. But then why, for God's sake, she had the face of an angel? Her name meant light, a torch. And it certainly suited her. He was so shocked when that beautiful girl came downstairs, everyone looking at her, talking about who she was, and he couldn’t understand how come they weren’t just talking about her beauty. He was mesmerized, but he was used to hiding his feelings so he did.
And when she opened her mouth, oh my Lord, another revelation. She had that raspy, deep voice that immediately grabbed his attention. There it was, the fierceness of a survivor, a girl who might have a sweet side, but was never allowed to show it. He didn't think he could ever explain how happy and proud of himself he was after she agreed with him. Or how enchanted he was when she drank that guinness in one gulp. He managed to disarm her and when they locked hands to seal the deal he felt something. The urge to be with her again.
So he wasn’t exactly surprised when he catched his eyes looking for her at the wedding. He knew he had to be looking among the nobles for a bride, and tried to do so, but as soon as Benjamin took the job, he went to Ellen. Arthur was already being a dick to her, so he had to step in and when he saw the look on her face after that he knew he was gone. He never met anyone like her and he couldn’t believe any other man never perceived that, that any man had never been smart enough to just marry her and make her happy day after day.
“I’m waiting for someone to take me seriously”. Oh, sure. Of course not just any man could marry a woman like Miss Cochrane. He felt like a god when he realized that he had treated her as an equal from the beginning, and that she had probably appreciated it. Many men possibly tried to tame her, and oh boy, how stupid these men were. Didn’t they realize that the best of her was that boldness? The way she just knew what she wanted and how to ask for it, shameless, unapologetic. He would be delighted to spend the rest of his night drinking champagne and talking to her, but he had to leave that table. And hope for an opportunity to see her again.
The days ran by and Edward was trapped in the brewery business. So much work to do, deal with Arthur’s irresponsibility, caring for poor Anne, worrying with news from Benjamin. None of that stopped him to think of Ellen every night in his bed. The image of her coming to his mind as soon as he closes his eyes. The memory of her voice, of her laugh of disbelief… what would it be like to make her laugh for real? To break a little of that shield of bravado that she constantly wears and just… listen to her?
He knew he couldn’t. He should be thinking and dreaming of tasteless Adelaide. The ideal lady, the bride that Anne had carefully chosen for him. But Ellen was so unique. She moved something in him, touched parts of his soul that he didn’t know he had. Edward has always been a sensitive boy, but as he started to think about Ellen’s life, a new wave of empathy hit him. An orphan who only had an older brother to care for her, had to learn everything on her own and still chose to fight for the cause, be a leader and take the risk.
All he wanted was to take care of her, even knowing she wouldn’t let him. God, he had to stop thinking about her, at least make an effort to do so. It was an impossible love, he couldn’t afford the price. But yet he couldn’t help but ask himself if she was feeling the same. And when the awful news from New York arrived, and a mention of a fenian leader was there, he knew he had the perfect excuse to come for her.