damn, damn, damn
I had a (long) post all written up and saved at tumblr, and it's just ... gone. WHY.
Eurgh. I declined to rewrite the whole thing and wrote an indulgent AU fic instead. I'd already plotted out P&P + lightsabers; this time I went for SW + Regency.
title: Bast Castle
verse: Regency Star Wars
In his final years, Lord Vader had exhibited interest only in his personal comfort and the company of inappropriate women, leaving the management of his estates and his political interests to the care of assorted brothers-in-law, cousins, nephews, and even one son-in-law. They all knew that he would have mortgaged his estates to the hilt, if left to his own devices. So did Lord Vader himself, and they could only thank the Lord that he tolerated their interference so well.
There was no heir. His cousin Yaxley stood to inherit, should he survive Vader, but it seemed unlikely; Yaxley was ninety if he was a day and indisposed more often than not. Moreover, even if Yaxley were not killed by a stiff breeze, it was perfectly possible that Vader might change his will before he died. Bast Castle was not entailed and although Vader had always provided Yaxley with a generous allowance, he'd never liked him. He might very well disinherit him out of sheer pique; it would be like him.
The difficulty was that Vader didn't much like anyone. There was a young man he occasionally called son-the child of his wife's first marriage, but he hadn't liked his wife, either, nor seen her child as anything like his own son in actuality. The boy, marked for the law from an early age, had been largely left to the care of Mr Quigley, a once-poor cousin who had made his fortune in the Courts. If Vader were to pass over Yaxley in anyone's favour it would be young Oberlin's, but that eventuality seemed doubtful.
Lady Vader had never provided him with any children of his own. Her early death came as a relief to much of the family, as a man of his temper seemed likely to marry again. Yet in this one matter, he did not permit himself to be managed by his relations. He paid little attention to any of the debutantes, heiresses, and wealthy widows they paraded before him. His attentions were confined strictly to the unmarriagable.
Given his proclivities, they would not have been surprised had he produced any number of bastards. Yet no rival appeared from those quarters, either, and after some time Mr Yaxley and Mr and Mrs Winthrop conceded that they had likely been unjust to the late Lady Vader. No marriage of his lordship's would have produced children.
It came as a surprise, then, to discover that there did seem to be a child. Not a legitimate one, of course, but a son who Lord Vader acknowledged in his last will, and to whom he left Bast Castle and the largest part of his income. Quigley brought the boy to them.
“His mother,” he said, with an expression of superhuman discretion, “has recently passed away. She, ah, seemed to be under the impression that she was, in fact, Lord Vader's wife.”
“Nonsense!” said Mrs Winthrop stoutly. “Why, if they were married, should he have gone about it in such a havey-cavey manner? He certainly did not with poor dear Peggy.”
She had cordially despised Lady Vader in the latter's lifetime. Lady Vader-Margaret to her first husband, Meg to her second, and your ladyship to everyone else-had fully returned the favour, and would have been astonished at the approbation she now received from her husband's family.
“Mrs Schuyler, unlike Lady Vader-who, you may remember, was one of Lord Derby's daughters-comes of exceedingly humble circumstances,” said Quigley.
“Mrs Schuyler indeed!” Mrs Winthrop said. Winthrop scowled.
His sister, Lady Williams, simply pinched the bridge of her nose.
“But the boy,” said Yaxley, his voice creaking. “What about the boy? Is he at all promising?”
Andrew Schuyler, standing beside Quigley, stiffened.
“I am right here,” he said.
Yaxley's bleary eyes focused on him. “Hm, he speaks well enough. The mother must have had an allowance for him.”
Except for Quigley, there was only one friendly face among the lot-Patricia Nabry, Lord Ormond's fifteen-year-old niece. Even Oberlin, the only other one under forty and Quigley's protégé, eyed him with suspicion.
Miss Nabry looked uncomfortable. “I'm sorry about your mother, Andrew. I am sure her life must have been very difficult.”
Half-grateful, half-defiant, he said, “It was easier after Papa found us, and she didn't have to wait on people any more.”
The Winthrops, Mr Yaxley, Lady Williams, and another cousin, Lady Adelaide, exchanged alarmed glances. Even if the boy had acquired some rudimentary address, only God knew from where, he clearly retained an attachment to his disgraceful parent. Likely her regrettable influence went much further than that.
Miss Nabry stared. “Your mother was a maid?”
“She was a person,” said Andrew, trembling under Quigley's reassuring hand. “And her name was Charlotte.”
-------------
in case it's not clear:
(1) son-in-law: stepson in Regency-speak.
(2) Lord Vader himself: in case it's not clear, this Vader is emphatically not Vader, but Anakin/Vader/Andrew's natural father. The virgin birth thing doesn't really work here and my vague inklings of plot required a pre-existing title. This Vader is roughly analogous to the Force - well, the Dark Side-clogged Force of the PT era, anyway.
(3) Yaxley: Yoda. As an elderly hypochondriac. idek.
(4) Quigley: Qui-Gon
(5) Oberlin: Obi-Wan
(6) Mr and Mrs Winthrop: Mace Windu/the Council
(7) Peggy, aka Margaret, Lady Vader: Darth Plagueis? lol
(8) Schuyler: Skywalker; family name of Lord Vader
(9) Charlotte Schuyler: Shmi
(10) Lady Williams: Depa Billaba
(11) Andrew Schuyler: Anakin Skywalker
(12) Patricia Nabry: Padmé Naberrie
(13) Lord Ormond: Bail Organa
(14) Lady Adelaide: Ki-Adi-Mundi
Eurgh. I declined to rewrite the whole thing and wrote an indulgent AU fic instead. I'd already plotted out P&P + lightsabers; this time I went for SW + Regency.
title: Bast Castle
verse: Regency Star Wars
In his final years, Lord Vader had exhibited interest only in his personal comfort and the company of inappropriate women, leaving the management of his estates and his political interests to the care of assorted brothers-in-law, cousins, nephews, and even one son-in-law. They all knew that he would have mortgaged his estates to the hilt, if left to his own devices. So did Lord Vader himself, and they could only thank the Lord that he tolerated their interference so well.
There was no heir. His cousin Yaxley stood to inherit, should he survive Vader, but it seemed unlikely; Yaxley was ninety if he was a day and indisposed more often than not. Moreover, even if Yaxley were not killed by a stiff breeze, it was perfectly possible that Vader might change his will before he died. Bast Castle was not entailed and although Vader had always provided Yaxley with a generous allowance, he'd never liked him. He might very well disinherit him out of sheer pique; it would be like him.
The difficulty was that Vader didn't much like anyone. There was a young man he occasionally called son-the child of his wife's first marriage, but he hadn't liked his wife, either, nor seen her child as anything like his own son in actuality. The boy, marked for the law from an early age, had been largely left to the care of Mr Quigley, a once-poor cousin who had made his fortune in the Courts. If Vader were to pass over Yaxley in anyone's favour it would be young Oberlin's, but that eventuality seemed doubtful.
Lady Vader had never provided him with any children of his own. Her early death came as a relief to much of the family, as a man of his temper seemed likely to marry again. Yet in this one matter, he did not permit himself to be managed by his relations. He paid little attention to any of the debutantes, heiresses, and wealthy widows they paraded before him. His attentions were confined strictly to the unmarriagable.
Given his proclivities, they would not have been surprised had he produced any number of bastards. Yet no rival appeared from those quarters, either, and after some time Mr Yaxley and Mr and Mrs Winthrop conceded that they had likely been unjust to the late Lady Vader. No marriage of his lordship's would have produced children.
It came as a surprise, then, to discover that there did seem to be a child. Not a legitimate one, of course, but a son who Lord Vader acknowledged in his last will, and to whom he left Bast Castle and the largest part of his income. Quigley brought the boy to them.
“His mother,” he said, with an expression of superhuman discretion, “has recently passed away. She, ah, seemed to be under the impression that she was, in fact, Lord Vader's wife.”
“Nonsense!” said Mrs Winthrop stoutly. “Why, if they were married, should he have gone about it in such a havey-cavey manner? He certainly did not with poor dear Peggy.”
She had cordially despised Lady Vader in the latter's lifetime. Lady Vader-Margaret to her first husband, Meg to her second, and your ladyship to everyone else-had fully returned the favour, and would have been astonished at the approbation she now received from her husband's family.
“Mrs Schuyler, unlike Lady Vader-who, you may remember, was one of Lord Derby's daughters-comes of exceedingly humble circumstances,” said Quigley.
“Mrs Schuyler indeed!” Mrs Winthrop said. Winthrop scowled.
His sister, Lady Williams, simply pinched the bridge of her nose.
“But the boy,” said Yaxley, his voice creaking. “What about the boy? Is he at all promising?”
Andrew Schuyler, standing beside Quigley, stiffened.
“I am right here,” he said.
Yaxley's bleary eyes focused on him. “Hm, he speaks well enough. The mother must have had an allowance for him.”
Except for Quigley, there was only one friendly face among the lot-Patricia Nabry, Lord Ormond's fifteen-year-old niece. Even Oberlin, the only other one under forty and Quigley's protégé, eyed him with suspicion.
Miss Nabry looked uncomfortable. “I'm sorry about your mother, Andrew. I am sure her life must have been very difficult.”
Half-grateful, half-defiant, he said, “It was easier after Papa found us, and she didn't have to wait on people any more.”
The Winthrops, Mr Yaxley, Lady Williams, and another cousin, Lady Adelaide, exchanged alarmed glances. Even if the boy had acquired some rudimentary address, only God knew from where, he clearly retained an attachment to his disgraceful parent. Likely her regrettable influence went much further than that.
Miss Nabry stared. “Your mother was a maid?”
“She was a person,” said Andrew, trembling under Quigley's reassuring hand. “And her name was Charlotte.”
-------------
in case it's not clear:
(1) son-in-law: stepson in Regency-speak.
(2) Lord Vader himself: in case it's not clear, this Vader is emphatically not Vader, but Anakin/Vader/Andrew's natural father. The virgin birth thing doesn't really work here and my vague inklings of plot required a pre-existing title. This Vader is roughly analogous to the Force - well, the Dark Side-clogged Force of the PT era, anyway.
(3) Yaxley: Yoda. As an elderly hypochondriac. idek.
(4) Quigley: Qui-Gon
(5) Oberlin: Obi-Wan
(6) Mr and Mrs Winthrop: Mace Windu/the Council
(7) Peggy, aka Margaret, Lady Vader: Darth Plagueis? lol
(8) Schuyler: Skywalker; family name of Lord Vader
(9) Charlotte Schuyler: Shmi
(10) Lady Williams: Depa Billaba
(11) Andrew Schuyler: Anakin Skywalker
(12) Patricia Nabry: Padmé Naberrie
(13) Lord Ormond: Bail Organa
(14) Lady Adelaide: Ki-Adi-Mundi