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Miss Katherine Eloise Blythe, age twenty-four was not what most people would consider a suitable match for the young Edward. Edward came from old money: his mother being a duchess, his paternal grandfather an earl, and his maternal great-grandmother had been tenth in the line of succession for the British throne. Miss Katherine, on the other hand, was the daughter of a wealthy fishmonger and his wife, as stated before, members of the /noveau riche/. She wasn’t anything extraordinary, being of less than average intelligence and having an even less than average appearance. She had thick blonde hair that was very unmanageable, a lopsided chin, no neck, and a chubby face that on another person would be considered cute, on her it just made her look slovenly. Her green eyes would’ve been considered quite lovely if not for the fact her eyes were permanently frozen in a squinting position. She had too small a mouth and her teeth were very large, giving the illusion of a heavy picture with a delicate frame; she was short and chubby, with a very dependent and scathing personality. People often wondered what Edward saw in her, but for some odd reason he seemed to have held some kind of affection towards her.
While we are dwelling on Miss Blythe, it is best we bring up her father, Mr. Richard Dillinger Blythe, the fishmonger. Mr. Blythe was the son of a fisherman and a tavern maid, who had made his business catching and selling fish until he was able to buy out the competition and start his own company-Blythe Fish and Co. Mr. Blythe was short and round and reeked of fish and garbage. His hair was a light blonde but it was so thin that it made him look bald and he had his daughter's green eyes, but while her's was a bight, vibrant green, his was darker and oily, like the color of algae. He had a very disagreeable personality and a rather stupid disposition; he was crude and a braggart, often showing off his acquired wealth through lavish and extravagant purchases.
Currently Mr. and Miss Blythe were seated in the parlour along with Edward while Mrs. Allen served tea.
“So, young Edward,” Mr. Blythe was saying as Mrs. Allen handed him a slice of sponge cake, “let us get on with planning this wedding.”
“Of course, Mr. Blythe. Now, what did you have in mind for the wedding?”
Edward asked calmly and Mrs. Allen snorted. Edward knew as well as she did that the Blythes were going for one of the most lavish and extravagant wedding this city has seen since Queen Victoria married Prince Albert.
“Well, Edward dear, I was thinking of a much more religious based wedding. Perhaps we could get Bishop Doyle to officiate.” Miss Katherine suggested and again, Mrs. Allen snorted. The Blythes may have been one of the worst families in England but they were also steadfast to their religion. It was sickening, Mrs. Allen thought, how they could go out and cheat people and then have the gall to show up in church looking like St. Peter himself blessed them. The nerve.
"Of course, Katherine my love, anything for you. As long as you are happy with things then I will be happy." Edward said, holding her hand. One could almost hear the wheels turning in Miss Blythe's head, and she decided right then and there that their wedding would be the talk of London society.
"Now that you've decided on who should officiate, I think we should figure out where to hold the ceremony. Personally, I think St. George's Abbey would be an appropriate place for the wedding." Mr. Blythe said, stirring his tea.
"Edward dear, I remember when you were young, you said you wanted to get married at St. Stephen's Cathedral." Mrs. Allen said, sipping her tea.
"Come now, how would that look? An Anglican priest preaching at a Catholic church? Preposterous!" Mr. Blythe exclaimed.
"St. Stephen's Cathedral was where Edward Wellington I, Earl of Leeds, made Charlotte Windsor, Countess of Wiltshire, his bride. St. Stephen's was also where Edward Wellington II wed the Duchess Henrietta Kensington. I just assumed that Edward Wellington, III would want to get married at St. Stephen's also. How silly of me to make that assumption." Mrs. Allen said sarcastically, taking another sip of her tea.
"Well next time, try and think these things through, Mrs. Allen. So is it agreed that the wedding will take place at St. George's?" Mr. Blythe asked and Katherine nodded excitedly.
"Actually, as Mrs. Allen brought up, I think it would be rather nice to hold the wedding at St. Stephen's. Since it was the site of my mother and father's wedding." Edward said quietly. Miss Blythe and Mr. Blythe glanced at each other and Miss Blythe nodded.
"Now Edward, I don't think I would be happy getting married at St. StephenBut alas, it is just as much your wedding as it is mine and although I did not want to get married there, I suppose I could deal with it." Edward sighed, he didn't want to disagree with his fiancée and her father, but he also didn't want to hold the wedding at St. George's.
"Well, Katherine my love, I suppose we could have the wedding at St. George's, if you really want to. As long as you are happy then I am happy." Edward said, defeated. Miss Blythe and he father smiled while Mrs. Allen sighed.
"Well then, now that's settled, I'll draw up the guest list and submit an announcement to the London Gazette. This wedding will be the talk of the town for years to come!" Mr. Blythe exclaimed. Mrs. Allen decided that she couldn't take this foolishness any more, so she changed the subject.
"Edward, have you opened that letter from the university yet? It might be urgent, you know." Mrs. Allen said coaxingly.
"No ma'am, not yet. I was going to wait until Katherine left." Edward answered and immediately Miss Blythe narrowed her piggy little eyes.
"Now Edward, why can't you open the letter right now, in front of me? Soon we will be married and your business will be my business also." Miss Blythe said. Yet again, Edward sighed and reached for his gilded letter cutter. Slitting the top, he pulled out the letter and slowly began to read to read aloud:
Professor Wellington,
As you may or may not have heard, the Classical Literature Department at The University of Paris has suffered a terrible loss. The head of the department, Monsieur Montfermeil, has recently passed away and they are looking for someone to temporarily take his place until they can find a permanent replacement. They have asked one of your old colleagues, Thierry Barbant, on who he would suggest as a suitable replacement. He has recommended you, and on behalf of Monsieur Barbant, we are asking you to accept this. It would only be for seven months, until they find someone permanent. They will pay you twice the salary they paid Mon. Montfermeil, plus living and travel expenses. If you choose to accept this, please make haste to send them a reply and to be in France by the end of this month.
Thank you in advance,
Dr. Charles Edgecombe, University Head
"They want you to go to Paris for six months?" Miss Blythe exclaimed as soon as Edward finished reading.
"But the wedding! You'll be in Paris the day of the wedding!" Mr. Blythe exclaimed. Miss Blythe chuckled, causing the other three to turn and look at her as though she had grown another head.
"That will be no problem, Father. We will just have to have the wedding in Paris rather than London. Think of it Edward, a beautiful Parisian wedding! Won't it be lovely?" Miss Blythe exclaimed only to see Edward shaking his with his trademarked sad smile.
"Katherine my dear, I would love to take you with me to Paris, but unfortuneately I cannot. I would be gone all the time, alternating between teaching and running the department and you would be so lonely. Besides, how would it look if you and I lived together before we were married? I think it would be best if you stayed here in London until I return." As Edward spoke these words, Katherine's countenance slowly began to fall. Mr. Blythe sensed this and tried in a last ditch effort to force Edward to change his mind.
"But what about the wedding? Perhaps we could move up the wedding and then Katherine would be able to go with you." Mr. Blythe suggested, but Edward still shook his head.
"It would be too short a notice for I am to be in Paris by the end of this month. I think it is best if we just postpone the wedding until I return. Besides, Katherine, you will be able to make all the decisions regarding the wedding preparations without me." Edward said, grabbing Katherine's hand and kissing it. Miss Blythe sighed, seeing how she wasn’t going to get her way, let her hands limply fall from Edward’s grasp.
“It will be hard trying to make plans without you, but I suppose I could manage it.” Miss Blythe said quietly and Edward smiled, he just knew she would understand.
“Well, if we are done here, Katherine and I have some place to be.” Mr. Blythe said as he stood up and Edward looked at Katherine quizzically.
“We’re going to visit my dear Aunt Sophia and my cousin Anne. I promised her I’d show her the gorgeous engagement ring you got me.” Miss Blythe said gleefully, standing up to join her father. Edward nodded and had Mrs. Allen show them the door.
After Mrs. Allen had seen the Blythes off, she and Edward sat in the parlor, discussing the contents of the letter. It was decided that Edward would leave for Paris the following week and Mrs. Allen would see to the house and the wedding preparations. Satisfied, Edward headed upstairs, wrote a letter of acceptance, and began packing for his trip.

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