Drabble Series: 'An Execrable Business' - Concluded
The third part of the Epilogue and the conclusion of the story, 1500 words, with my deepest thanks to herewith whose input and eagle eye added so much to this story.
The main story...
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. History16. 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. Treasure31. 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 & Giselle46. 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
60. Rebirth
The first part of the Epilogue was here, the second part here, and the last of the story is under the cut.
Epilogue 3
~ An Execrable Business, concluded...
“Nell! They’re here, darling!”
“So soon? I shall be down directly.”
Nell rose from the chaise where she had been resting and almost immediately her maid entered the room.
"You'll not go down there without a shawl, ma’am," Jane said, firmly, and went to fetch her warmest wrap.
Nell rolled her eyes. Between her maid and her husband one would have thought she was an invalid. "Jane, I have never felt better in my life!" she protested.
But it was useless.
"There's an east wind blowing, and you know very well how the draft comes into that drawing room. Remember, you need to be wise for two now," Jane said, quite severely.
The truth of this was undeniable, and Nell submitted to being draped in the shawl, and even had the grace to say meekly, "Thank you, Jane," before leaving the room and walking with stately tread down the hall.
There was a mirror on the wall opposite the staircase and Nell caught a glimpse of her pregnant self reflected at full length and thought, Oh, my goodness! What would Jack think of me now?
It was very odd. Jack Sparrow was often in her thoughts lately, more than he had been for many months past.
It was now two years since Jack had delivered her home to her grandmother and sadly drove away, leaving her bereft. She had missed him dreadfully at first, though in company she had carried on with dogged stoicism. Unthinkable, and abominably ill-bred, to inflict one’s melancholy on all and sundry! In private, however, it had been another matter, and Nell had shed many tears over the loss of her dear friend and lover. There would never be another like him. Never.
Yet over the next year it was gradually born in upon her that someone different would not necessarily be undesirable. With much stealthy encouragement from her grandmother, and against her own better judgment, she had fallen in love once more, and this time with a man she'd known most of her life: Laurence Grayson.
Laurie had been there that night and had seen Jack, and had even (she found out later) suspected she and Jack had been lovers. Yet almost from the moment of her return he'd set his sights on her and began to make up to her quite shamelessly. This was, of course, against her wishes, for she could never marry, she was most resolved on that point. She was no longer an innocent maid, and moreover it seemed as though her heart had been lost to Jack along with her maidenhead. Laurie's attentions had upset her extremely, particularly when she sensed that she had begun to return his regard.
It would not do. So she told him everything.
Well, not everything.
But most of it. And instead of washing his hands of her the absurd creature had begged her to marry him!
She had of course refused.
They had continued friends, or so she thought. But several months later, when he surprised her by asking again, she realized that her liking had altered to a much warmer sentiment, and she would be churlish to continue to refuse his suit on the grounds that she was no fit wife for him when he knew very well what she was and yet persisted in his fond adoration.
Accordingly, they were married and, after a honeymoon during which she discovered that her new spouse was also most happily conversant with Books of India, he brought her home to Linden Park, his estate that bordered on her grandmother's, and to a life of wedded bliss.
Now they awaited the birth of their first child, and Nell had never been happier. But certain things had recently brought Jack Sparrow much to mind. Perhaps it was her longing for sunshine and warmer weather. It was March, and winter was proving very tedious. Or perhaps it was the fact that Laurie's good friend, Weatherby Swann, had been appointed Governor of Jamaica and would be taking ship for that exotic isle in less than a week, along with his young daughter, Elizabeth. Nell had been wholly envious since she had heard of Swann's appointment.
Swann's daughter, however, was less happy and it was for this reason that she and her father were paying a visit today.
Swann had dined with them a few months ago and his prospective appointment had been a topic of discussion. The conversation had then drifted to the delights and trials of the entire West Indies. Nell had entered into this with some enthusiasm, for over the course of time the difficulties she had encountered during her sojourn had begun to fade into the background of memory, leaving the remainder bathed in a golden glow of sun, sea, and Jack's smile. She did not, of course, mention the latter except in remarking favorably on the agreeable nature of individuals she had encountered and the population in general, but she had been able to give more detailed praise of the region's natural history.
When Swann’s appointment was confirmed, and little Elizabeth expressed her dissatisfaction, the indulgent father remembered Nell's account and asked her to speak to the child. Nell felt she could not refuse, and it had been arranged that the pair should come to dinner.
Now father and daughter were standing in the foyer as Nell descended the stairs, Swann elegantly dressed in puce velvet and gold lace, and Elizabeth prettily gowned and standing very straight as she looked up at Nell’s husband, who was greeting her with his usual charm and the deference due a lady, which must gratify the child.
“But here is my wife coming to join us!” Laurie exclaimed, and hurried over to give Nell his arm down the remainder of the steps. “Nell, here is our friend, Governor Swann-“
“Indeed. How do you do, sir?” Nell smiled.
“Very well, I thank you,” Swann said, bowing over her hand. “And you look charming this evening, my dear.”
“You are too kind,” Nell said, meaning it, for though there was another month before her lying in she was feeling somewhat unwieldy already. There would be no mounting to the Pearl’s fighting top in this state!
This facetious thought sent a warmth to her cheeks, even as her eyes met the wide ones of Elizabeth Swann. The doting father introduced them, and the girl sank in a creditable curtsey.
“I am so happy to finally meet you!” Nell told her. “Would you care to step upstairs to my rooms. We have an hour before dinner is served. I shall have tea brought up and we can be comfortable. My husband is most anxious to show your father our new greenhouse and his achievements in the cultivation of epiphytes and bromeliads, but I daresay you might prefer sitting warm by the fire, and meeting my beautiful French cat.”
“Oh, yes, if you please!” said Elizabeth, glancing at her father and Nell’s husband with a wondering, almost horrified expression.
A few minutes later, Elizabeth was seated in the blue wing chair petting Giselle, who had deigned to be held.
“She likes you,” Nell said.
“I like her, too! Did you get her in Paris?”
“No. In the West Indies.”
Elizabeth’s face grew solemn. She said, after a moment, “We are going to live in Jamaica.”
“I know,” said Nell, gently. “You are so fortunate! It’s a most beautiful place!”
“You’ve been there?”
“Yes, and to several other islands. I liked it immensely.”
“Then why did you not stay?” Elizabeth asked, cocking her head like some curious bird.
A most intelligent bird.
Nell said, “I accompanied my mother to the islands, but she died, and I felt that it was my duty to return to England, to my grandmother. If circumstances had permitted… but alas, they did not.”
“You would have stayed?”
“I might have done. I loved the islands, and the people. Some of them.”
Elizabeth fell silent for a minute, continuing to stroke the cat. Presently she said, “Giselle is French?”
“Yes. Her previous owner was from France. But she was given to me by a pirate!”
“A pirate!” Elizabeth’s eyes grew round. “You met a pirate?”
“I met a great many of them, as it happens,” said Nell, smiling.
“Do you think I will meet any? What are they like?”
“It is possible you may meet a pirate. They are thick on the ground in some areas of the West Indies.”
“Oh, tell me about them! Are they very wicked? But no: you said Giselle was a gift from one!”
“She was.” Nell grew misty, remembering. She said to Elizabeth, “There are pirates and pirates. They are all different, every one of them, just as are other men. They come in all shapes and sizes, some wicked, others less so, though none are paragons of virtue. But there are a few that, though they would have you think otherwise, are kind and brave and true. Good men. Very good men, indeed.”
Finis!
The main story...
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. History16. 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. Treasure31. 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 & Giselle46. 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
60. Rebirth
The first part of the Epilogue was here, the second part here, and the last of the story is under the cut.
Epilogue 3
~ An Execrable Business, concluded...
“Nell! They’re here, darling!”
“So soon? I shall be down directly.”
Nell rose from the chaise where she had been resting and almost immediately her maid entered the room.
"You'll not go down there without a shawl, ma’am," Jane said, firmly, and went to fetch her warmest wrap.
Nell rolled her eyes. Between her maid and her husband one would have thought she was an invalid. "Jane, I have never felt better in my life!" she protested.
But it was useless.
"There's an east wind blowing, and you know very well how the draft comes into that drawing room. Remember, you need to be wise for two now," Jane said, quite severely.
The truth of this was undeniable, and Nell submitted to being draped in the shawl, and even had the grace to say meekly, "Thank you, Jane," before leaving the room and walking with stately tread down the hall.
There was a mirror on the wall opposite the staircase and Nell caught a glimpse of her pregnant self reflected at full length and thought, Oh, my goodness! What would Jack think of me now?
It was very odd. Jack Sparrow was often in her thoughts lately, more than he had been for many months past.
It was now two years since Jack had delivered her home to her grandmother and sadly drove away, leaving her bereft. She had missed him dreadfully at first, though in company she had carried on with dogged stoicism. Unthinkable, and abominably ill-bred, to inflict one’s melancholy on all and sundry! In private, however, it had been another matter, and Nell had shed many tears over the loss of her dear friend and lover. There would never be another like him. Never.
Yet over the next year it was gradually born in upon her that someone different would not necessarily be undesirable. With much stealthy encouragement from her grandmother, and against her own better judgment, she had fallen in love once more, and this time with a man she'd known most of her life: Laurence Grayson.
Laurie had been there that night and had seen Jack, and had even (she found out later) suspected she and Jack had been lovers. Yet almost from the moment of her return he'd set his sights on her and began to make up to her quite shamelessly. This was, of course, against her wishes, for she could never marry, she was most resolved on that point. She was no longer an innocent maid, and moreover it seemed as though her heart had been lost to Jack along with her maidenhead. Laurie's attentions had upset her extremely, particularly when she sensed that she had begun to return his regard.
It would not do. So she told him everything.
Well, not everything.
But most of it. And instead of washing his hands of her the absurd creature had begged her to marry him!
She had of course refused.
They had continued friends, or so she thought. But several months later, when he surprised her by asking again, she realized that her liking had altered to a much warmer sentiment, and she would be churlish to continue to refuse his suit on the grounds that she was no fit wife for him when he knew very well what she was and yet persisted in his fond adoration.
Accordingly, they were married and, after a honeymoon during which she discovered that her new spouse was also most happily conversant with Books of India, he brought her home to Linden Park, his estate that bordered on her grandmother's, and to a life of wedded bliss.
Now they awaited the birth of their first child, and Nell had never been happier. But certain things had recently brought Jack Sparrow much to mind. Perhaps it was her longing for sunshine and warmer weather. It was March, and winter was proving very tedious. Or perhaps it was the fact that Laurie's good friend, Weatherby Swann, had been appointed Governor of Jamaica and would be taking ship for that exotic isle in less than a week, along with his young daughter, Elizabeth. Nell had been wholly envious since she had heard of Swann's appointment.
Swann's daughter, however, was less happy and it was for this reason that she and her father were paying a visit today.
Swann had dined with them a few months ago and his prospective appointment had been a topic of discussion. The conversation had then drifted to the delights and trials of the entire West Indies. Nell had entered into this with some enthusiasm, for over the course of time the difficulties she had encountered during her sojourn had begun to fade into the background of memory, leaving the remainder bathed in a golden glow of sun, sea, and Jack's smile. She did not, of course, mention the latter except in remarking favorably on the agreeable nature of individuals she had encountered and the population in general, but she had been able to give more detailed praise of the region's natural history.
When Swann’s appointment was confirmed, and little Elizabeth expressed her dissatisfaction, the indulgent father remembered Nell's account and asked her to speak to the child. Nell felt she could not refuse, and it had been arranged that the pair should come to dinner.
Now father and daughter were standing in the foyer as Nell descended the stairs, Swann elegantly dressed in puce velvet and gold lace, and Elizabeth prettily gowned and standing very straight as she looked up at Nell’s husband, who was greeting her with his usual charm and the deference due a lady, which must gratify the child.
“But here is my wife coming to join us!” Laurie exclaimed, and hurried over to give Nell his arm down the remainder of the steps. “Nell, here is our friend, Governor Swann-“
“Indeed. How do you do, sir?” Nell smiled.
“Very well, I thank you,” Swann said, bowing over her hand. “And you look charming this evening, my dear.”
“You are too kind,” Nell said, meaning it, for though there was another month before her lying in she was feeling somewhat unwieldy already. There would be no mounting to the Pearl’s fighting top in this state!
This facetious thought sent a warmth to her cheeks, even as her eyes met the wide ones of Elizabeth Swann. The doting father introduced them, and the girl sank in a creditable curtsey.
“I am so happy to finally meet you!” Nell told her. “Would you care to step upstairs to my rooms. We have an hour before dinner is served. I shall have tea brought up and we can be comfortable. My husband is most anxious to show your father our new greenhouse and his achievements in the cultivation of epiphytes and bromeliads, but I daresay you might prefer sitting warm by the fire, and meeting my beautiful French cat.”
“Oh, yes, if you please!” said Elizabeth, glancing at her father and Nell’s husband with a wondering, almost horrified expression.
A few minutes later, Elizabeth was seated in the blue wing chair petting Giselle, who had deigned to be held.
“She likes you,” Nell said.
“I like her, too! Did you get her in Paris?”
“No. In the West Indies.”
Elizabeth’s face grew solemn. She said, after a moment, “We are going to live in Jamaica.”
“I know,” said Nell, gently. “You are so fortunate! It’s a most beautiful place!”
“You’ve been there?”
“Yes, and to several other islands. I liked it immensely.”
“Then why did you not stay?” Elizabeth asked, cocking her head like some curious bird.
A most intelligent bird.
Nell said, “I accompanied my mother to the islands, but she died, and I felt that it was my duty to return to England, to my grandmother. If circumstances had permitted… but alas, they did not.”
“You would have stayed?”
“I might have done. I loved the islands, and the people. Some of them.”
Elizabeth fell silent for a minute, continuing to stroke the cat. Presently she said, “Giselle is French?”
“Yes. Her previous owner was from France. But she was given to me by a pirate!”
“A pirate!” Elizabeth’s eyes grew round. “You met a pirate?”
“I met a great many of them, as it happens,” said Nell, smiling.
“Do you think I will meet any? What are they like?”
“It is possible you may meet a pirate. They are thick on the ground in some areas of the West Indies.”
“Oh, tell me about them! Are they very wicked? But no: you said Giselle was a gift from one!”
“She was.” Nell grew misty, remembering. She said to Elizabeth, “There are pirates and pirates. They are all different, every one of them, just as are other men. They come in all shapes and sizes, some wicked, others less so, though none are paragons of virtue. But there are a few that, though they would have you think otherwise, are kind and brave and true. Good men. Very good men, indeed.”
Finis!