The Flesh and the Spirit: Chapter 8
Title: The Flesh and the Spirit
Fandom: Beauty and the Beast
Rating: K+
Summary: This is madness! England is my home. I believe in the future of our Empire. I believe in the sanctity of the crown. I have done everything that is required of a good and proper Englishman. How could I be exiled to France? - A historical Cogsworth. Fifth in the "Letters to a Loved One" series.
The Flesh and the Spirit
Chapter 8
February 10, 1716
Dear Lord Denbigh,
I am aware that I am probably the last person in this world that you would wish to converse with. I know that my departure for France must have seemed as though I were in connection with the rebels, but believe me that is not true. I know that I have shamed this family, that my actions have cast doubt on your loyalty to the King, but I am still your grandson - commoner or not, exiled or not - and I hope that still means something to you.
There is a favor that I must ask of you. I have a friend who was involved with the rebels: John Howard, the son of the Duke of Norfolk. Though I suppose he is no longer the Duke's heir; his actions have no doubt removed him from the line of succession, whether by exile or imprisonment or, God forbid, death. He is the reason I am writing to you now. I have no right to ask this of you and you are no doubt already under suspicion because of me, but he is my friend and I must. I have heard no word from John since the old Pretender gave up the rebellion and sailed back to France some days ago. If you could find him for me and help him, in anyway that you can, I would be forever indebted to you.
He sent me letters throughout the rebellion. He told me how he and the Jacobites took Aberdeen, Iverness and Dundee in the early months of the revolt. In September, only a few days after the fighting begun, he described the failed attempt to take Edinburgh Castle. He and a party of one hundred Loyalists approached the castle in the dead of night, careful not to alert the guards to their presence. Their comrades who had been posing as guards inside the castle lowered a rope ladder for them, only to discover to their chagrin that the ladders were much too short. While John and the others were jumping up and down, trying in vain to reach the ladders, the real guards noticed something was wrong. They managed to flee before they were captured, and John had seemed so amused by the adventure, though I did not find it funny in the least.
When the tide began to turn in December, I started to receive fewer and fewer letters from him. I heard about the arrest of Sir William Wyndham, the leader of the English faction of Jacobites, and the Battle of Sheriffmuir. The last letter I have of him tells of King George's forces marching into Scotland with heavy artillery. He spoke of the sounds of canons firing at their heels as he and the other Jacobites fled deeper and deeper into the Scottish Highlands. To ward off the militia, the old Pretender and John's commander, the Earl of Mar, ordered that the villages they passed through be burned. He told me about how he had personally set fire to people's homes, leaving them without any means of shelter in the dead of winter. He seemed so contrite. I know that he has had a change of heart and that he regrets his rash actions. I am sure of it. I know that might not seem like much to you. His side lost, after all, of course you would think that he only regrets what happened only because he must now face the consequences, but it is more than that. You do not know him like I do. It would be a waste for him to spend the rest of his life locked away in some horrible prison. He is a good person, despite his faults.
I do not know if he survived the rebellion. He has not returned to France, at any rate, and so I know something terrible must have befallen him. He might have already been tried and executed, though I am sure I would have heard about that if it was true. He might be in prison, he might be in hiding somewhere in the Scottish wilds. I simply do not know. If you could find out what has happened to him I will be grateful.
Do tell Mother and Father not to worry. I have made something out of my life here in exile. France is not all bad, I suppose, though I miss England terribly. The French air seems to be very agreeable to Mary, at the very least, so you can give her well wishes to her kin as well.
If you wish never to hear from me again, I would not blame you. Just know that I never meant for any this to happen.
Sincerely,
William Cogsworth, your grandson
Fandom: Beauty and the Beast
Rating: K+
Summary: This is madness! England is my home. I believe in the future of our Empire. I believe in the sanctity of the crown. I have done everything that is required of a good and proper Englishman. How could I be exiled to France? - A historical Cogsworth. Fifth in the "Letters to a Loved One" series.
The Flesh and the Spirit
Chapter 8
February 10, 1716
Dear Lord Denbigh,
I am aware that I am probably the last person in this world that you would wish to converse with. I know that my departure for France must have seemed as though I were in connection with the rebels, but believe me that is not true. I know that I have shamed this family, that my actions have cast doubt on your loyalty to the King, but I am still your grandson - commoner or not, exiled or not - and I hope that still means something to you.
There is a favor that I must ask of you. I have a friend who was involved with the rebels: John Howard, the son of the Duke of Norfolk. Though I suppose he is no longer the Duke's heir; his actions have no doubt removed him from the line of succession, whether by exile or imprisonment or, God forbid, death. He is the reason I am writing to you now. I have no right to ask this of you and you are no doubt already under suspicion because of me, but he is my friend and I must. I have heard no word from John since the old Pretender gave up the rebellion and sailed back to France some days ago. If you could find him for me and help him, in anyway that you can, I would be forever indebted to you.
He sent me letters throughout the rebellion. He told me how he and the Jacobites took Aberdeen, Iverness and Dundee in the early months of the revolt. In September, only a few days after the fighting begun, he described the failed attempt to take Edinburgh Castle. He and a party of one hundred Loyalists approached the castle in the dead of night, careful not to alert the guards to their presence. Their comrades who had been posing as guards inside the castle lowered a rope ladder for them, only to discover to their chagrin that the ladders were much too short. While John and the others were jumping up and down, trying in vain to reach the ladders, the real guards noticed something was wrong. They managed to flee before they were captured, and John had seemed so amused by the adventure, though I did not find it funny in the least.
When the tide began to turn in December, I started to receive fewer and fewer letters from him. I heard about the arrest of Sir William Wyndham, the leader of the English faction of Jacobites, and the Battle of Sheriffmuir. The last letter I have of him tells of King George's forces marching into Scotland with heavy artillery. He spoke of the sounds of canons firing at their heels as he and the other Jacobites fled deeper and deeper into the Scottish Highlands. To ward off the militia, the old Pretender and John's commander, the Earl of Mar, ordered that the villages they passed through be burned. He told me about how he had personally set fire to people's homes, leaving them without any means of shelter in the dead of winter. He seemed so contrite. I know that he has had a change of heart and that he regrets his rash actions. I am sure of it. I know that might not seem like much to you. His side lost, after all, of course you would think that he only regrets what happened only because he must now face the consequences, but it is more than that. You do not know him like I do. It would be a waste for him to spend the rest of his life locked away in some horrible prison. He is a good person, despite his faults.
I do not know if he survived the rebellion. He has not returned to France, at any rate, and so I know something terrible must have befallen him. He might have already been tried and executed, though I am sure I would have heard about that if it was true. He might be in prison, he might be in hiding somewhere in the Scottish wilds. I simply do not know. If you could find out what has happened to him I will be grateful.
Do tell Mother and Father not to worry. I have made something out of my life here in exile. France is not all bad, I suppose, though I miss England terribly. The French air seems to be very agreeable to Mary, at the very least, so you can give her well wishes to her kin as well.
If you wish never to hear from me again, I would not blame you. Just know that I never meant for any this to happen.
Sincerely,
William Cogsworth, your grandson