Victorian Love (closed)

[Sweetandsexy3]

Ellie took a minute to recompose herself before walking back to Cedric and her father. "I am very sorry for my actions tonight. I hope you can forgive me..." She said thinking about what would happen if she just left. She couldn't handle things in her own. If her father threw her out she didn't know what she would do.

 

[Hard_Rom]

Cedric's amused expression just becomes more smug. "Of course, darling Ellie. I understand. It's all this indecision and waiting," he replies, "That will end soon too. I have asked for your hand in marriage and your father has tentatively agreed. He and my father will some minor irritating money things to discuss. But it is hoped that by New Years Eve that we may be able to announce our engagement."

"Won't that be grand, dear dear Ellie?" he asks.

 

[Sweetandsexy3]

"Just grand. It really is something..." She said it wanting to upset her father any further "I just can not believe how fortunate I am that you have chosen to marry me...."

 

[Hard_Rom]

"It is I who am fortunate," Cedric replies with all the charm of a snake, "I... I mean, we will be the talk of London. You will look so beautiful on my arm. All men will be jealous of me. And we shall have many children." He leans close so Lord Darlington will not hear. "Or at least it will be fun try to."

 

[Sweetandsexy3]

"Well we have no reason to worry about any of that yet. There are so many things to deal with. Just planning our wedding will take a while and then we will have to figure out where we will live before we even start thinking about kids."

 

[Hard_Rom]

"We shall live with my father on Bond Street. The baronetcy comes with a small estate and manor house in Yorkshire. It needs a good bit of work but we shall reside there. I of course will keep apartments in London. And when my children and home do not require you, you will join me for the season," Cedric informs Ellie matter-of-factly. "I would hope we can set a date in early April."

 

[Sweetandsexy3]

"Sounds like you have our lives all figured out. I really have nothing to worry about seems like a perfect life for us." Ellie said "It is a bit overwhelming though. It is a lot to take in..." She didn't want any of it. It all sounded awful. Moving around wherever he wanted her when it was convent for him, having his children, Living with his father. It all just was terrible.

 

[Hard_Rom]

"Of course you have nothing to worry about, dear Ellie," Cedric says condescendingly "I am sure Lord Darlington and my father, or at least their lawyers, will attend to all the details. You need not worry your pretty head about them."

Lord Darlington's butler appears and speaks to his lordship and walks away. Darlington speaks out loudly to his guests.

"Ladies and gentleman, dinner is served. If you will take your places please."

"Ellie, go fetch Richard and the major please. The major has been given the chamber next to Richard's," he says to his daughter.

 

[Sweetandsexy3]

Ellie nods and quickly leaves, glad to be able to get away from Cedric. Once she had left the room she took her time as she headed to Richard's room "Dinner is ready Richard.". Heading to the next room she knocked again "Henry..."

 

[Hard_Rom]

The door is opened by an Henry's manservant, an older gentleman with long red sideburns and moustache.

Behind him Henry is just finishing adjusting his, for lack of a better word, costume in a full length mirror. He has changed to regimental tartan kilt. Over the scarlet red jacket he has a sash across his shoulders in the tartan of clan MacClinton. To which are pinned broaches his clan tokens denoting the bearer as a member of Scottish nobility. His dress medals are pinned to his chest including the Military Cross.

"How do I look, Jimmy?" he asks with his back to the door, speaking in his more natural accent.

"Grand sir you do!" replies the old servant in a thick Scottish brogue. The accent is identical to Henry's just a lot thicker. "You have a visitor, sir."

Henry looks up in the mirror and sees Ellie at the door. Taking a deep breath he turns around.

"Miss Darlington, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

 

[Sweetandsexy3]

"I was just sent to tell you that dinner is ready." She said feeling a bit awkward "I should go before I get myself into anymore trouble tonight..." She took a deep breath as she turned to leave, she hesitated knowing what was waiting for her downstairs.

 

[Hard_Rom]

"Perhaps I may the honour of walking with to you dinner... I mean, Richard left after showing me to my room and I don't think I could find my way to the dining hall. I would be much obliged, Miss Darlington," Henry blurts out and explains, walking forward toward Ellie.

He steps out into the hall with her. His manservant keeps a discreet few paces behind.

 

[Sweetandsexy3]

"You could call me Ellie if you like. " she said as she started to walk, leading them to the dinning room "I am sorry about earlier. It was very rude. My future fiancé seems to be jealous of you..."

 

[Hard_Rom]

"An apology is not needed. Appearances must be kept up. Your father cannot allow his daughter to be seen spending time with half-pay army officers, middle class tradesmen such as surgeons. Or, and I do hope I am not doing your father an injustice, Scotsmen whose nobility stops at the River Tweed," Henry replies. "There is a part of me that understands your fiancee's feelings." Looking back as Ellie was led away by Cedric he had felt pangs of envy and jealousy. Why should such a popinjay trumped up dandy be able to put any sort of claim, or at least one over his own, on such a girl as Ellie. Wealth and money. With enough money you can become a noble, even a peer. To become a peer on ability, you would have to be a Malborough or a Wellington. A surgeon teaching medical class at an army school is hardly likely to be made a Viscount. He would be a great catch for a well-to-do farmer or shopkeeper's daughter.

"Ellie," he says just to be able to.

"I'm afraid if your father was to hear me use your name, he would force to to leave for being so forward."

 

[Sweetandsexy3]

"Who cares what my father thinks. His choice of a husband is beyond atrocious. All he cares about is money and how my marriage reflects on him. All Cedric cares about is how I will make him look and making children. Just the thought of it disgusts me." Ellie stopped and turned to him "Honestly, all I want is to run away from this place and never look back... But I know I can not make it on my own. I would not survive."

 

[Hard_Rom]

Henry looks into Ellie's eyes and concedes the battle. Appearance, forms, manners, be damned. He would not see Cedric have her. He can see the utter sadness in her eyes. But a fire smoulders still in those eyes. She wishes to fight against her unfair fate, then he will do all he can to help.

"No, you would not. Not in England. Your father's influence would prevent anyone beneath him from helping. He would ruin them. All well born society would close ranks against a girl who defied her father in the choice of a husband," he sadly agrees. He can even see himself as a simple Medical Officer on a lieutenants salary in some yellow fever riddled garrison in the West Indies. Ellie at best could be a kept mistress of a man of independent fortune. He shudders to think of the worst.

"Let me think a moment. Attacking your father head on will not work. We must have time to make a plan. A delaying action is called for. Have you any idea of how long you have? Will there be an announcement anytime soon?"

 

[Sweetandsexy3]

"He plans on announcing our engagement by New Years Eve." She said "I can not ask you to do this. I can handle myself. If anything goes badly you would have ruined your life and I'm not worth that. You barely know me, why take the risk."

 

[Hard_Rom]

"The risk to me is small. At most I should just irritate your father, if we play it well and with a bit of luck," Henry replies. As for why, even Major Henry MacClinton winner of the Military Cross is not brave enough to say, yet. "New Years Eve is only five days away. That presents the biggest challenge. An excuse must be found to either delay the engagement or the wedding. And it has to be a good one or your father will see through it," he muses.

"School, sir," pipes up the manservant Jimmy, "Could not the young miss go away to school on the continent."

"No Jimmy, there is not enough time to make the arrangements before New Years... But there could be time for something closer... Yes school, that is the answer. Thank you Jimmy!" Henry says with mounting excitement. "Here is what we shall do. After dinner we shall each write letters. You will write a letter to Miss Florence Nightingale explaining that you wish to enrol in some of her courses associated with nursing. Explain how that when you are married you intend to devote your life to working with the poor. I will write a letter of introduction to the commander of Fort Pitt. If I explain that you wish to attend Miss Nightingale's classes. I am sure he and his wife would gladly offer to allow the daughter of Lord Darlington to stay with them. Travelling to Chatham daily would be taxing. You could stay in Chatham during the week and return home on weekends, if you wished to."

"Jimmy will take a horse in the morning and ride to Chatham. Within a two days or three days he should be able obtain a reply from Miss Nightingale and the commander," he carries on breathlessly, "Armed with these replies, you can announce at your engagement your desire to work with the poor once married and therefore need to study now before motherhood and child rearing interfere."

"So? Do you think it might work?"

 

[Sweetandsexy3]

"I do not know. My father would not be happy if I told him I wanted to devote my time to the poor, just that would cause quite the commotion. What if he forbids me from doing that? The entire plan would fall apart..." She said as she continued to walk "we need to hurry and get to dinner before they suspect anything. We should have gotten there by now..." She says as she starts walking faster.

 

[Hard_Rom]

Henry walks briskly to keep up.

"Your father won't care what you do after you're married. It is fitting that a proper married lady devote herself to good causes. A year is hardly too long of an engagement period," He continues to explain. Then in a major breach of ettiquette he takes her arm in his hand and stops her. His touch is light. "Think about it, please Ellie. It may be my... our... your only chance," he pleads, "I fear the other choices lead towards ruination of reputation and career or a long and tedious marriage." He lets go of Ellie's arm and walks ahead, his servant Jimmy follows him.

Walking quickly he puts a respectable time difference on their entering the dining hall. Everyone else is milling about waiting for the last two diners. Henry resplendant in his crimson jacket, kilt, sash and medals draws admiring glances from the ladies in the room. Ladies' fans are all a flutter with messages. Meeting the eye of most ladies in the room, Henry is bombarded with "yes", "kiss me" and "I love you" flirtatious fan gestures. An old woman, richly dressed bearing a resemblance to Darlington, holding a large wine half empty wine glass openly looks him up and down. She gets a big smile in return. The old lady blushes terribly and giggles. A fine looking woman, his age, dressed in the final stages of a widow's mourning just stares at him until he notices then averts her eyes clumsily and blushes too.

Lord Darlington appears with Richard close behind him. Cedric watches from the farside of the room.

"Ah Major! You will of course sit with the family at the head of the table as our honoured guest. My daughter will be your dinner companion," Darlington says. "When she arrives that is. Where can she be?"

 

[Sweetandsexy3]

Ellie walked slowly, taking time to think about what he said and letting it all sink in. As she entered the room she could feel her father watching her, disappointed that once again she was the last one to arrive. Quickly she took her place, avoiding making eye contact with him.

 

[Hard_Rom]

As Ellie takes her place by her chair, everyone else moves to theirs. Liveried footmen assist all to sit. Henry is delighted to be sitting beside Ellie, who sits to her father's left. Richard sits to Darlington's right and the old lady with the wine glass sits beside him. Cedric as custom dictates sits much further down the table. His dinner companion appears to be a plump blonde girl with a large bosom. Cedric divides his attention between the head of the table and her chest.

"Major, may I present my sister the Lady Addling," Darlington says indicating the old lady.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Lady Addling," Henry replies to the introduction.

"And it is a great pleasure to meet you, Major MacClinton. May I personally thank you for saving dear Richard in that dreadful war," she replies smiling brightly.

Magnanimously Henry bows his head slightly and says, "You are most welcome, dear lady. If there is some other service I may render you or your family you have but to name it."

"I may just take you up on that," Lady Addling giggles.

"Ever your servant, milady," Henry smiles back. Turning to Lord Darlington Henry compliments the Lord on his house. "I was much taken by the Hull watercolours. He is very good. Prince Albert has a couple, I believe."

"Does he?!" Darlington remarks. Glad that if the Royal Consort values it, the painting may actually acquire some monetary value, eventually.

"At Balmoral. I do believe I saw Hull's work there. I did not get a chance to inspect the signature though," Henry replies.

"You have been to Balmoral?!" Lady Addling asks.

"Yes, the Queen when at Balmoral loves all things Scottish. Quite a few ancient feudal barons have been invited to shoot. I received an invitation to bring my parents to Balmoral when the Queen presented me with my commission," Henry answers.

In attempting to ingratiate himself with her family, Henry realizes he is ignoring his dinner companion. He reaches for a sherry decanter and turns to Ellie.

"Would you care for a glass, Miss Darlington?"

 

[Sweetandsexy3]

"Sounds lovely." She replied "It must have been exciting to meet The Queen. It really is quite the honor." Ellie tried to make coversation but her mind was still on what he had said earlier. It had sounded almost as if he was helping her not just because he was trying to be nice but also because he was interested in her. Was she really that blind that she hadn't noticed it before.

 

[Hard_Rom]

Henry pours Ellie a full glass. She looks like she needs it.

"It was a grand day. My mother managed to smile and cry at the same time. The Queen and Prince Albert were very kind to my parents," he says smiling. It had been a grand day. The Queen had lent his mother a clean handkerchief of her own and Prince Albert on seeing his father's Battle of Waterloo clasp had talked with him for half an hour.

Henry wonders why Ellie has not been presented at court. Perhaps with her soon to be acknowledged engagement she does not need to be presented to "suitable" bachelors. Could her father's financial constraints make his daughter "unsuitable" to such bachelors?

Servants begin to bring the first course.

"Which dish would you suggest Miss Darlington? The chowder or the vegetable soup." Henry asks making small talk.

 

[Sweetandsexy3]

"Uh..." Ellie looks at him realizing he is talking to her "The vegetable soup is a favorite of mine..." She said "But the chowder is better if you are looking for something a bit more substantial. Either one is a good choice though, everything tonight should be amazing. You might be surprised to find find something you really like..." Ellie carefully took a long sip of her drink.