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dwgmHere's the last of Part 60, 975 words, with profuse thanks to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
herewith for the helpful beta read. Epilogues coming over the next three days, and if anyone has a request for a deleted scene I shall be happy to oblige, just let me know in comments.
Previous bits...
The first part was posted here, earlier today, and the second part is under the cut...
60. Rebirth, continued and concluded
~ An Execrable Business, continued...
Eleanor Carlisle was giving a quiet dinner party, just a few close friends: the Vicar and his sister Agnes, both of them the very soul of kindness; the worthy Squire Padgett and his even worthier wife; and Laurence Grayson, whom she’d known since before he was breeched, now a most presentable gentleman of thirty, whose intelligence and sense of humor were a constant delight to her. She had need of cheering, and still wore the black of deep mourning, for a month past a messenger had brought a letter to her from Harrison Claypool, telling of her daughter's death of some tropical malady and of her granddaughter's decision to stay with him on his plantation.
She had been grieved, but not surprised that her daughter had succumbed. Maria had never been blessed with a strong constitution. But Nell's purported decision disturbed Eleanor greatly. The girl had not liked Claypool, and might have stayed with her grandmother in England if she had not felt it to be her duty to accompany her mother to the Caribbean. No, it was far more than duty, of course. But now that Maria was gone, there was no reason Nell should not return to England, to all the advantages that were due to her as a member of the Carlisle family.
It was possible events had altered Nell's dislike of Claypool, and perhaps his plantation was truly the paradise he had described to them all. But Eleanor had a terrible premonition that something was very much amiss, and that Nell was not only motherless but in desperate trouble.
To this end, she had invited this small group of close friends, and she hoped to have the opportunity to ask their opinion of the matter, and perhaps enlist the aide of the adventurous Grayson. The young man had traveled extensively in pursuit of his avocation of natural philosophy – he and his father had both been colleagues of Nell's father – and the prospect of a voyage to the exotic Caribbean might tip the scales in Eleanor's favor.
They had retired to the drawing room for music, coffee and biscuits when the noise of an arrival drifted up the stairs. Eleanor paid no heed at first, but then sat bolt upright: had that been Nell’s voice? It could not be, her brain must be fuddled from recent worry – but the voice sounded again, and Eleanor fairly leapt to her feet.
“Excuse me, but I must see who has arrived at such an hour,” she told her guests distractedly, and hurried from the room.
At the top of the stairs she halted, looking down at the scene: three people had entered, a tall maidservant who hovered ill-at-ease by the door; a man of middle height and slim build, whose air of authority formed a strange contrast with his youth and appearance; and Nell. It was Nell who had been speaking with James the footman, Nell who, looking more grown up than Eleanor thought possible, had now seen her grandmother standing all agog and was hurrying up the stairs.
“My love!” Eleanor exclaimed, tears springing to her eyes, and she opened her arms wide.
Nell was laughing and crying both as she enfolded her grandmother in a warm embrace. “How happy I am to see you,” she said, and for a long moment they merely held one another.
Presently Eleanor said, “My love, I was so worried. I had a letter from Mr. Claypool a month since. It said you wished to stay with him!”
“The dastard!” Nell said, indignantly, then noticed Eleanor’s guests, who had come out of the drawing room now. “But I will tell you all about it later. Grandmother, I must introduce you to my friend and benefactor, Captain Wainfleet. I owe him a greater debt than I can ever hope to repay.”
Eleanor was escorted down the stairs, Nell lending her a steadying hand, and when they reached the foyer, Nell made the introduction and Captain Wainfleet bowed gracefully. "Your servant, ma'am," he said. Or purred, was more the word. And when he straightened, Eleanor knew a moment of dismay. She had rarely in her long and varied life seen a young man as handsome—no, beautiful!—as this sea captain. And his eyes, when he turned them upon her grandchild… oh, Nell!
Something of her dismay must have shown on her face, for when he looked at her again his expression immediately became more guarded.
Eleanor said, "My granddaughter tells me we are greatly in your debt, Captain, and I cannot but agree since you have brought her to me in so timely a manner. I was about to solicit aid from my friends in her regard, for I have been concerned for her these many days, since I learned of my daughter's death."
"I'm sorry for your loss," said the captain, "but I assure you that returning Nell to your care is its own reward. She has… has become dear to me. To us all."
And here Nell took up the captain's hand, and the look that passed between them confirmed Eleanor's suspicions as surely as a more overt display would have done.
Eleanor said, a little coolly, "Will you come up to the drawing room and take your ease with us, Captain Wainfleet? I have a few guests only tonight, close friends from the village."
To her relief, Wainfleet declined. "I thank you for the invitation, but I must not stay. Nell knows I must not. Your man has unloaded her trunk by now, and much as it grieves me, I must bid you all adieu.” He turned to Nell, and raised her hand to place a brief kiss upon it. “Farewell, Nell Carlisle.”
A tear slipped down Nell’s cheek, but she smiled up at him, her heart in her eyes. “God be with you, Captain… Wainfleet.”
To be continued in three Epilogues...
herewith for the helpful beta read. Epilogues coming over the next three days, and if anyone has a request for a deleted scene I shall be happy to oblige, just let me know in comments.Previous bits...
| 1. Tortuga 2. Happiness 3. Festive 4. Last Minute 5. Calm 6. Truth 7. Bargain 8. Spook 9. Down 10. Wounds 11. Moon 12. Monsters 13. Beauty 14. Name 15. History | 16. Service 17. Advice 18. Captain 19. Awe 20. Cross 21. Mistake 22. Heroism 23. Gold 24. Echo 25. Greed 26. Advance 27. Challenge 28. Adventure 29. Sentence 30. Treasure | 31. North 32. Coat 33. Good and Evil 34. Sickness & Health 35. Lost 36. Court 37. What if? 38. Island 39. That can't be 40. Prophesy 41. Ten Years Later 42. French 43. Deed 44. Tea 45. Scarlett & Giselle | 46. Link 47. Comedy 48. Mothers 49. Fathers 50. Rib 51. Music 52. Magic 53. Pirate King 54. Freedom 55. Sea Shanties 56. Isla de Muerta 57. Tragedy 58. Sickness 59. Port |
The first part was posted here, earlier today, and the second part is under the cut...
60. Rebirth, continued and concluded
~ An Execrable Business, continued...
Eleanor Carlisle was giving a quiet dinner party, just a few close friends: the Vicar and his sister Agnes, both of them the very soul of kindness; the worthy Squire Padgett and his even worthier wife; and Laurence Grayson, whom she’d known since before he was breeched, now a most presentable gentleman of thirty, whose intelligence and sense of humor were a constant delight to her. She had need of cheering, and still wore the black of deep mourning, for a month past a messenger had brought a letter to her from Harrison Claypool, telling of her daughter's death of some tropical malady and of her granddaughter's decision to stay with him on his plantation.
She had been grieved, but not surprised that her daughter had succumbed. Maria had never been blessed with a strong constitution. But Nell's purported decision disturbed Eleanor greatly. The girl had not liked Claypool, and might have stayed with her grandmother in England if she had not felt it to be her duty to accompany her mother to the Caribbean. No, it was far more than duty, of course. But now that Maria was gone, there was no reason Nell should not return to England, to all the advantages that were due to her as a member of the Carlisle family.
It was possible events had altered Nell's dislike of Claypool, and perhaps his plantation was truly the paradise he had described to them all. But Eleanor had a terrible premonition that something was very much amiss, and that Nell was not only motherless but in desperate trouble.
To this end, she had invited this small group of close friends, and she hoped to have the opportunity to ask their opinion of the matter, and perhaps enlist the aide of the adventurous Grayson. The young man had traveled extensively in pursuit of his avocation of natural philosophy – he and his father had both been colleagues of Nell's father – and the prospect of a voyage to the exotic Caribbean might tip the scales in Eleanor's favor.
They had retired to the drawing room for music, coffee and biscuits when the noise of an arrival drifted up the stairs. Eleanor paid no heed at first, but then sat bolt upright: had that been Nell’s voice? It could not be, her brain must be fuddled from recent worry – but the voice sounded again, and Eleanor fairly leapt to her feet.
“Excuse me, but I must see who has arrived at such an hour,” she told her guests distractedly, and hurried from the room.
At the top of the stairs she halted, looking down at the scene: three people had entered, a tall maidservant who hovered ill-at-ease by the door; a man of middle height and slim build, whose air of authority formed a strange contrast with his youth and appearance; and Nell. It was Nell who had been speaking with James the footman, Nell who, looking more grown up than Eleanor thought possible, had now seen her grandmother standing all agog and was hurrying up the stairs.
“My love!” Eleanor exclaimed, tears springing to her eyes, and she opened her arms wide.
Nell was laughing and crying both as she enfolded her grandmother in a warm embrace. “How happy I am to see you,” she said, and for a long moment they merely held one another.
Presently Eleanor said, “My love, I was so worried. I had a letter from Mr. Claypool a month since. It said you wished to stay with him!”
“The dastard!” Nell said, indignantly, then noticed Eleanor’s guests, who had come out of the drawing room now. “But I will tell you all about it later. Grandmother, I must introduce you to my friend and benefactor, Captain Wainfleet. I owe him a greater debt than I can ever hope to repay.”
Eleanor was escorted down the stairs, Nell lending her a steadying hand, and when they reached the foyer, Nell made the introduction and Captain Wainfleet bowed gracefully. "Your servant, ma'am," he said. Or purred, was more the word. And when he straightened, Eleanor knew a moment of dismay. She had rarely in her long and varied life seen a young man as handsome—no, beautiful!—as this sea captain. And his eyes, when he turned them upon her grandchild… oh, Nell!
Something of her dismay must have shown on her face, for when he looked at her again his expression immediately became more guarded.
Eleanor said, "My granddaughter tells me we are greatly in your debt, Captain, and I cannot but agree since you have brought her to me in so timely a manner. I was about to solicit aid from my friends in her regard, for I have been concerned for her these many days, since I learned of my daughter's death."
"I'm sorry for your loss," said the captain, "but I assure you that returning Nell to your care is its own reward. She has… has become dear to me. To us all."
And here Nell took up the captain's hand, and the look that passed between them confirmed Eleanor's suspicions as surely as a more overt display would have done.
Eleanor said, a little coolly, "Will you come up to the drawing room and take your ease with us, Captain Wainfleet? I have a few guests only tonight, close friends from the village."
To her relief, Wainfleet declined. "I thank you for the invitation, but I must not stay. Nell knows I must not. Your man has unloaded her trunk by now, and much as it grieves me, I must bid you all adieu.” He turned to Nell, and raised her hand to place a brief kiss upon it. “Farewell, Nell Carlisle.”
A tear slipped down Nell’s cheek, but she smiled up at him, her heart in her eyes. “God be with you, Captain… Wainfleet.”
To be continued in three Epilogues...
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-03-10 07:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-10 07:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-11 12:32 am (UTC)"And here Nell took up the captain's hand, and the look that passed between them confirmed Eleanor's suspicions as surely as a more overt display would have done." - And she is such a fabulous observer! ^^ I wish
JackCaptain Wainfleet could stay for a couple of days...I can't believe it's the time for them to say goodbye to each other... I SO don't want this story to end :[
Beautiful installment!
no subject
Date: 2009-03-11 01:47 pm (UTC)The first part of the epilogue will be up shortly. Thank you so much for your wonderful comments!
no subject
Date: 2009-03-23 12:15 pm (UTC)Hehe, don't take much, does it, Miss Eleanor?
Great group of OC's and I see you've already lined up a handsome swain to sweep Nell off her feet and
almostmake her forget her wonderfulCaptain WainfleetJack Sparrow."I thank you for the invitation, but I must not stay. Nell knows I must not.
Nice touch with this. A bit of courage and a touch of warning.
I think I need to go have a good cry.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-23 02:02 pm (UTC)