Come What May

Chapter 9

The end of the month was fast approaching and Mary could've sworn she'd never felt better, her boots crunched happily through the snow that had remained in London since the original flurry and she smiled beneath the scarf that hid her lips. Bert walked merrily by her side. Life had continued as normal for them, but their private life had become much more of a whirlwind; they were not planning on having an extravagant wedding and even if they'd had all the time in the world they only would've gone for a rather private affair. But they had managed to finalise most of the details, they were to be married in a small church that was secluded from the rest of the city and their guest list was to be small – mostly made up of the chimney sweeps. However, the pair were on their way to hopefully add four more individuals. The Banks family. They had discussed it and decided that they wanted them there for the occasion, not only were Jane and Michael incredibly special to them both, but George and Winifred had helped them immensely since this all began – perhaps the Banks family didn't realise just how much they affected Bert and Mary. If it wasn't for their kindness, Mary would have no job and things would've been so much harder for them – the Banks family had given them a lifeline and they wanted them to know how truly thankful they were and they wanted them to be present at their wedding.

Of course, Jane and Michael were still unaware that Bert and Mary weren't actually married and they knew that explaining it to them would be easier said than done, but those children had always felt like they were family; both Bert and Mary cared from them more than any of her other charges and they wanted to share their special day with them too. They had secretly hoped that Mrs Banks would be the one to explain to them that they weren't married and why they had lied, but they would be more than happy to accept that duty. It was a crisp weekday and the evening was upon them as they strolled onto Cherry Tree Lane and the lightest of snowfalls graced the air – making their vision seem slightly hazed. They gently knocked on the door to Number Seventeen and were ushered in by a flushed Ellen – she clearly was not a fan of the snow. Winifred dashed over to greet them.

"What a surprise! It's so lovely to see you both!" she chirped.

"Long time no see, Mrs Banks" Bert tipped his hat.

"Oh, please, you can both call me Winifred…won't you join George and I for a cup of tea?"

"Well, we don't have much time to spare…" Mary began.

"Surely one cup won't hurt?"

"I suppose not" replied the nanny with a smile.

"Wonderful!"

Winifred lead the pair into the drawing room, George was sat in his armchair and looked up at them as they entered the room. The fire was roaring.

"Afternoon, you two" he greeted – Mary could've sworn that there was a note of happiness in his voice.

"Good afternoon, Mr Banks" Mary replied as she and Bert took their seats. They both graciously took a cup of tea from Winifred.

"It's really lovely to see you again, Bert, it's been such a long time since we last spoke"

"Yeah, it 'as, at least it's just me an' not a crowd of sweeps too" he joked.

Winifred laughed at his comment and even George seemed to produce a slight smile.

"I must admit, it was rather a shock!"