The Persuasion Parallel, Chapter Four
Title: The Persuasion Parallel
Author: mrssnape13 (immortalbeloved13)
Spoilers: None
Rating/Warnings: G/ AU
Word Count: 2,359
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Summary: Sheldon learns a few things about Penny as she is now
Chapter Four: Not Miss Elliot, but Penny
Come, and trip it as ye go,
On the light fantastic toe.
….Come, knit hands, and beat the ground,
In a light fantastic round.
--John Milton, “L’Allegro” and Comus
Penny was just finishing up at the pianoforte and preparing to rejoin the others upstairs when Stephanie and Bernadette burst into the room.
“Oh, Penny!” Bernadette cried, approaching her friend with a skip in her step. “Play us something jolly to dance to!”
Stephanie echoed her sister’s sentiments.
“Oh, yes! Penny, will you? Something jolly!”
The rest of the party had come into the room. They must have heard Penny playing.
She nodded her acquiescence and struck up a light-hearted, gamboling tune.
. . .
Sheldon had run into the others in the stairwell.
“Captain Cooper! There you are!” cried Leslie, descending the stairs slowly with Leonard’s assistance.
He suspected that, although she had been legitimately ill the day before, the greater part of her many illnesses were created by her own hypochondriac tendencies.
“I was just taking a turn about the house,” he explained, reversing his direction and going back down the stairs.
He gave his sister an inquiring look.
“The girls wish to dance and are intent on begging Miss Elliot to indulge them with a song,” she said, smiling at him.
Stephanie and Bernadette ran on ahead in the direction of the conservatory.
Sheldon, Missy, and Raj ambled along, bringing up the rear.
“You must have heard her playing, Sheldon,” Missy said.
“Yes. Miss Elliot plays quite well,” he allowed.
“It’s such a shame,” Raj sighed.
“What is, my dear?”
“That such a pretty woman should be so given to melancholy.”
“Yes, it is. The poor dear really is very kind though; most obliging.”
Sheldon was glaring daggers at Raj over Missy’s head.
Raj was pretending not to notice.
. . .
Miss Elliot was already playing a more uplifting tune when they entered the room.
Leonard and Leslie began the dance and the others formed the rest of the line in the center of the room.
Sheldon asked Stephanie if she would like to dance and they took their places at the end of the line.
. . .
Penny tried to keep her eyes on the keys; she really did.
Her eyes betrayed her though, and strayed to Captain Cooper at every possible opportunity.
Much to her relief, he never returned her glance. She was apparently safe from him, for the moment.
For once, she was grateful that the people around her were so used to being oblivious. None of them had any idea of her discomfort. She used their self-absorption as a shield.
A moment or two passed, then she thought she heard Captain Cooper mention her name.
She shook her head and returned her full attention to the keyboard.
The next time, she definitely heard him say her name to Stephanie.
“Does Miss Elliot never dance?”
She saw Stephanie glance her way and pretended to be wholly engrossed by her sheet music.
“Oh no, never; she has quite given up dancing. She had rather play. She is never tired of playing.”
Penny was very grateful when the evening came to an end shortly thereafter.
. . .
Several days later, Penny was out walking the grounds around Jersey with Leonard and Leslie, who were arguing over which of the Musgrove girls Captain Cooper preferred: Stephanie or Bernadette. Leslie argued that it was Stephanie, but Leonard disagreed, on the grounds that Stephanie had an understanding with a neighbor’s son, one Charles Hayter.
Penny was doing her best to ignore their quarrel.
Just then, Stephanie, Bernadette, and Captain Cooper crossed their path, as people whom one was just speaking of are wont to do.
They all exchanged warm greetings, except Penny and Captain Cooper. He made her a polite bow.
She barely managed to nod in return. While she could appreciate his attempt at civility, the cold politeness he had been extending her the last few days or so was worse than anything else so far.
She forced herself to pay attention to what Bernadette was saying.
“We’re just going over to Winthrop to visit Charles Hayter, Stephanie’s intended,” she said.
Stephanie glared at her sister.
Clearly, subtlety did not foster into their competition for the affections of Captain Cooper.
Bernadette continued.
“Why don’t you all come with us? I’m sure the Hayters would love to see you again.”
“Capital idea, Bernadette! We shall go,” Leonard replied.
He turned to Leslie and took her arm in his. Moments ago, she had been accusing Charles Hayter of being nothing but a bumbling country curate and declaring such a match to be beneath the inherent dignity of a girl like Stephanie Musgrove.
“I know Leslie’s been in a fine sweat to see Mr. Hayter again,” Leonard said, glaring at his wife.
. . .
It was only about three miles to Winthrop, so they went along at a leisurely pace.
They came to a stile and were forced to climb over. Captain Cooper went first, closely followed by Bernadette. She paused at the top, waiting for him to set foot on the other side.
“Captain Cooper!”
“Hm?”
“Catch me!”
She leapt lightly into his waiting arms, laughing happily. He smiled at her and set her on her feet.
Penny averted her gaze.
They crossed another meadow and came to a stream. There was a fallen log that stretched from one bank to another that they decided to use as a bridge.
Captain Cooper assisted Stephanie and Bernadette across. Leonard helped Leslie and Penny was left to fend for herself.
She was still reeling from Bernadette’s behavior toward Captain Cooper. He had played along so obligingly, and really seemed to enjoy her company. She had to admit to herself that it pained her exceedingly to watch them together.
Penny was so absorbed in her own wayward thoughts that she had not been paying attention to her footsteps. Her skirts snagged on a piece of wood, causing her to lose her balance and topple over onto the bank.
She let out a small cry of pain as she landed and for a moment she swore she saw stars.
Then Captain Cooper’s face was hovering over hers. She felt a pair of strong hands-his hands, she realized-seize her by the waist and lift her back up to sit on the log.
She thought for a moment that he had asked if she was alright, so she said, “It is nothing, I am quite well. It is really nothing.”
By the look her gave her, she could tell that she had been answering a question he hadn’t even asked.
She felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her.
His eyes were so impossibly blue. They-
Whatever they were, she didn’t get to finish her thought, because Captain Cooper walked away and Leonard now occupied the space the Captain had been in just a moment before.
“Penny, are you sure you’re unharmed?”
She nodded, still feeling a little breathless.
“I think perhaps I better stay here and rest a little while.”
Leonard sat down on the log next to her. The others began to move on.
“Then I shall remain with you.”
“No, please, I…would hate to inconvenience you and I know my way to Winthrop perfectly well,” she said pleadingly, her breath still catching in her throat just a little. “I shall catch up with you directly.”
He looked unsure.
“Please, Leonard.”
“Very well. If you insist.”
Penny nodded as firmly as she could.
Leonard stood and handed her her bonnet, which had been knocked loose from her head when she had fallen.
She took it gratefully with shaking hands and stared forward as he walked away, trying to compose herself.
She didn’t see that Captain Cooper had been watching their entire exchange.
. . .
Sheldon went on with the others to Winthrop, but his thoughts were elsewhere.
She was far too thin. When he had lifted her up he had barely felt the effort of it.
He worried for her health.
While he was busy fussing over Miss Elliot, the others were arguing.
Leslie was refusing to enter the house and would not listen to reason. Leonard finally gave in with a huff and went on with Stephanie, leaving Sheldon to keep an eye on Leslie and Bernadette.
Leslie turned to Sheldon, clearly seeking an outlet for her frustration.
“It is most unpleasant, having such lowly connections, Captain Cooper, but I assure you I have never been in that house above twice in my life.”
He could not think of a suitable response to such impertinence.
Leslie, completely unaware of his contempt, began to look around the area anxiously.
“I wonder where on earth Penny has got to?”
She wandered off in search of her sister.
Neither Sheldon nor Bernadette raised any objection.
They began to walk about the clearing together, stopping now and again for Bernadette to pick a stray flower.
“I’m afraid I must apologize for my sister-in-law. Leslie is good-natured enough in my respects, but she does sometimes provoke me excessively by her nonsense. She has a great deal too much of the Elliot pride.”
Sheldon managed to offer her a small smile. Unfortunately, he knew all too well the dangers of the Elliot pride.
“You know we all wish Leonard had married Penny instead.”
Sheldon felt as if someone had delivered a blow to his stomach.
“Penny-I mean, Miss Elliot?”
“Oh yes. Did you not know he wanted to marry Penny?”
“No, I did not.”
Although Sheldon enjoyed Leonard’s company immensely, he could not help but feel glad that Penny-Miss Elliot-had avoided the match. Unless, of course, there had been other extenuating circumstances.
“Do you mean to say she refused him?” he asked.
“Oh, yes, certainly.”
He knew that this was absolutely no affair of his, but he could not help pressing Bernadette for more information.
“When did this happen?”
“I do not exactly know, but perhaps a year before he married Leslie. They have been married these last six years.”
That meant it had been a year after he…
He could not bear to think of it. Not now.
“Did Miss Elliot say why she would not marry him?”
Bernadette looked around, making sure that no one was coming in their direction.
“Well, Papa has always said it was her great friend Lady Ramona’s doing.”
Lady Ramona again. The mere mention of the meddlesome woman’s name made Sheldon’s blood boil.
“Papa has always thought that Leonard was not bookish enough to please Lady Ramona, and so she persuaded Penny to refuse him.”
Sheldon could only nod. He did not trust himself to speak.
So, once again, it had not been Penny’s decision. If she had ever had any feelings for Leonard Musgrove, Lady Ramona had obviously made sure that they were eradicated.
What if they had not been though?
What if Penny, for he could not call her Miss Elliot, when he was thinking of her thus, had not been pining away for him these last eight years, as he had previously supposed?
His own arrogance astounded him.
Perhaps her wretched state was the result of her heart aching for Leonard, and the succeeding pain of seeing him wed to her sister, and remaining so close, but unreachable.
He could not work out why, but the thought made Sheldon feel cold.
. . .
They came upon Penny on their way back to Jersey. She had been heading their way, but her progress had been impeded by an unfortunate limp, no doubt a consequence of her fall.
Leonard immediately offered her the use of his arm.
Sheldon would not allow himself to ponder the implications of that action.
Just as they reached the road, his sister and Raj came upon them in Raj’s barouche. He and Missy had been out for a ride about the surrounding country.
Leonard explained to them that he and the others had just been to pay a visit to the Hayters.
Missy noticed Penny’s red cheeks and labored breathing.
“Miss Elliot, you must be very tired. Do let us have the pleasure of taking you home to Jersey.”
Penny immediately demurred.
“Oh, no, thank you, no. It is too much trouble.”
This made Sheldon angry; with the others and with himself.
Penny was so used to being taken advantage of by those she loved and being treated as a nuisance by her family that she would rather continue to walk on what was an obviously twisted ankle than feel that she was causing anyone any bother.
She did not deserve his pity-that would be insulting; he knew that now-but she could have his compassion.
Missy apparently felt the same, as she continued to press her offer.
“No. No, we are returning in any case by that road and there’s plenty of room.”
Sheldon needed no other impetus.
He took Penny’s arm and led her to the back of the barouche, where there was an extra seat for a person of about Penny’s size.
“You are too kind,” she murmured in Missy’s direction.
Sheldon seized her by the waist for the second time that day and hoisted her onto the seat.
Penny gave a breathy little gasp of surprise and her cheeks colored.
“Thank you,” she whispered, looking everywhere but at him.
Raj told the horses to walk on and the barouche began to pull away and out of sight.
Sheldon once more took Bernadette’s arm and steadfastly ignored his heart pounding in his chest.
Author: mrssnape13 (immortalbeloved13)
Spoilers: None
Rating/Warnings: G/ AU
Word Count: 2,359
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Summary: Sheldon learns a few things about Penny as she is now
Chapter Four: Not Miss Elliot, but Penny
Come, and trip it as ye go,
On the light fantastic toe.
….Come, knit hands, and beat the ground,
In a light fantastic round.
--John Milton, “L’Allegro” and Comus
Penny was just finishing up at the pianoforte and preparing to rejoin the others upstairs when Stephanie and Bernadette burst into the room.
“Oh, Penny!” Bernadette cried, approaching her friend with a skip in her step. “Play us something jolly to dance to!”
Stephanie echoed her sister’s sentiments.
“Oh, yes! Penny, will you? Something jolly!”
The rest of the party had come into the room. They must have heard Penny playing.
She nodded her acquiescence and struck up a light-hearted, gamboling tune.
. . .
Sheldon had run into the others in the stairwell.
“Captain Cooper! There you are!” cried Leslie, descending the stairs slowly with Leonard’s assistance.
He suspected that, although she had been legitimately ill the day before, the greater part of her many illnesses were created by her own hypochondriac tendencies.
“I was just taking a turn about the house,” he explained, reversing his direction and going back down the stairs.
He gave his sister an inquiring look.
“The girls wish to dance and are intent on begging Miss Elliot to indulge them with a song,” she said, smiling at him.
Stephanie and Bernadette ran on ahead in the direction of the conservatory.
Sheldon, Missy, and Raj ambled along, bringing up the rear.
“You must have heard her playing, Sheldon,” Missy said.
“Yes. Miss Elliot plays quite well,” he allowed.
“It’s such a shame,” Raj sighed.
“What is, my dear?”
“That such a pretty woman should be so given to melancholy.”
“Yes, it is. The poor dear really is very kind though; most obliging.”
Sheldon was glaring daggers at Raj over Missy’s head.
Raj was pretending not to notice.
. . .
Miss Elliot was already playing a more uplifting tune when they entered the room.
Leonard and Leslie began the dance and the others formed the rest of the line in the center of the room.
Sheldon asked Stephanie if she would like to dance and they took their places at the end of the line.
. . .
Penny tried to keep her eyes on the keys; she really did.
Her eyes betrayed her though, and strayed to Captain Cooper at every possible opportunity.
Much to her relief, he never returned her glance. She was apparently safe from him, for the moment.
For once, she was grateful that the people around her were so used to being oblivious. None of them had any idea of her discomfort. She used their self-absorption as a shield.
A moment or two passed, then she thought she heard Captain Cooper mention her name.
She shook her head and returned her full attention to the keyboard.
The next time, she definitely heard him say her name to Stephanie.
“Does Miss Elliot never dance?”
She saw Stephanie glance her way and pretended to be wholly engrossed by her sheet music.
“Oh no, never; she has quite given up dancing. She had rather play. She is never tired of playing.”
Penny was very grateful when the evening came to an end shortly thereafter.
. . .
Several days later, Penny was out walking the grounds around Jersey with Leonard and Leslie, who were arguing over which of the Musgrove girls Captain Cooper preferred: Stephanie or Bernadette. Leslie argued that it was Stephanie, but Leonard disagreed, on the grounds that Stephanie had an understanding with a neighbor’s son, one Charles Hayter.
Penny was doing her best to ignore their quarrel.
Just then, Stephanie, Bernadette, and Captain Cooper crossed their path, as people whom one was just speaking of are wont to do.
They all exchanged warm greetings, except Penny and Captain Cooper. He made her a polite bow.
She barely managed to nod in return. While she could appreciate his attempt at civility, the cold politeness he had been extending her the last few days or so was worse than anything else so far.
She forced herself to pay attention to what Bernadette was saying.
“We’re just going over to Winthrop to visit Charles Hayter, Stephanie’s intended,” she said.
Stephanie glared at her sister.
Clearly, subtlety did not foster into their competition for the affections of Captain Cooper.
Bernadette continued.
“Why don’t you all come with us? I’m sure the Hayters would love to see you again.”
“Capital idea, Bernadette! We shall go,” Leonard replied.
He turned to Leslie and took her arm in his. Moments ago, she had been accusing Charles Hayter of being nothing but a bumbling country curate and declaring such a match to be beneath the inherent dignity of a girl like Stephanie Musgrove.
“I know Leslie’s been in a fine sweat to see Mr. Hayter again,” Leonard said, glaring at his wife.
. . .
It was only about three miles to Winthrop, so they went along at a leisurely pace.
They came to a stile and were forced to climb over. Captain Cooper went first, closely followed by Bernadette. She paused at the top, waiting for him to set foot on the other side.
“Captain Cooper!”
“Hm?”
“Catch me!”
She leapt lightly into his waiting arms, laughing happily. He smiled at her and set her on her feet.
Penny averted her gaze.
They crossed another meadow and came to a stream. There was a fallen log that stretched from one bank to another that they decided to use as a bridge.
Captain Cooper assisted Stephanie and Bernadette across. Leonard helped Leslie and Penny was left to fend for herself.
She was still reeling from Bernadette’s behavior toward Captain Cooper. He had played along so obligingly, and really seemed to enjoy her company. She had to admit to herself that it pained her exceedingly to watch them together.
Penny was so absorbed in her own wayward thoughts that she had not been paying attention to her footsteps. Her skirts snagged on a piece of wood, causing her to lose her balance and topple over onto the bank.
She let out a small cry of pain as she landed and for a moment she swore she saw stars.
Then Captain Cooper’s face was hovering over hers. She felt a pair of strong hands-his hands, she realized-seize her by the waist and lift her back up to sit on the log.
She thought for a moment that he had asked if she was alright, so she said, “It is nothing, I am quite well. It is really nothing.”
By the look her gave her, she could tell that she had been answering a question he hadn’t even asked.
She felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her.
His eyes were so impossibly blue. They-
Whatever they were, she didn’t get to finish her thought, because Captain Cooper walked away and Leonard now occupied the space the Captain had been in just a moment before.
“Penny, are you sure you’re unharmed?”
She nodded, still feeling a little breathless.
“I think perhaps I better stay here and rest a little while.”
Leonard sat down on the log next to her. The others began to move on.
“Then I shall remain with you.”
“No, please, I…would hate to inconvenience you and I know my way to Winthrop perfectly well,” she said pleadingly, her breath still catching in her throat just a little. “I shall catch up with you directly.”
He looked unsure.
“Please, Leonard.”
“Very well. If you insist.”
Penny nodded as firmly as she could.
Leonard stood and handed her her bonnet, which had been knocked loose from her head when she had fallen.
She took it gratefully with shaking hands and stared forward as he walked away, trying to compose herself.
She didn’t see that Captain Cooper had been watching their entire exchange.
. . .
Sheldon went on with the others to Winthrop, but his thoughts were elsewhere.
She was far too thin. When he had lifted her up he had barely felt the effort of it.
He worried for her health.
While he was busy fussing over Miss Elliot, the others were arguing.
Leslie was refusing to enter the house and would not listen to reason. Leonard finally gave in with a huff and went on with Stephanie, leaving Sheldon to keep an eye on Leslie and Bernadette.
Leslie turned to Sheldon, clearly seeking an outlet for her frustration.
“It is most unpleasant, having such lowly connections, Captain Cooper, but I assure you I have never been in that house above twice in my life.”
He could not think of a suitable response to such impertinence.
Leslie, completely unaware of his contempt, began to look around the area anxiously.
“I wonder where on earth Penny has got to?”
She wandered off in search of her sister.
Neither Sheldon nor Bernadette raised any objection.
They began to walk about the clearing together, stopping now and again for Bernadette to pick a stray flower.
“I’m afraid I must apologize for my sister-in-law. Leslie is good-natured enough in my respects, but she does sometimes provoke me excessively by her nonsense. She has a great deal too much of the Elliot pride.”
Sheldon managed to offer her a small smile. Unfortunately, he knew all too well the dangers of the Elliot pride.
“You know we all wish Leonard had married Penny instead.”
Sheldon felt as if someone had delivered a blow to his stomach.
“Penny-I mean, Miss Elliot?”
“Oh yes. Did you not know he wanted to marry Penny?”
“No, I did not.”
Although Sheldon enjoyed Leonard’s company immensely, he could not help but feel glad that Penny-Miss Elliot-had avoided the match. Unless, of course, there had been other extenuating circumstances.
“Do you mean to say she refused him?” he asked.
“Oh, yes, certainly.”
He knew that this was absolutely no affair of his, but he could not help pressing Bernadette for more information.
“When did this happen?”
“I do not exactly know, but perhaps a year before he married Leslie. They have been married these last six years.”
That meant it had been a year after he…
He could not bear to think of it. Not now.
“Did Miss Elliot say why she would not marry him?”
Bernadette looked around, making sure that no one was coming in their direction.
“Well, Papa has always said it was her great friend Lady Ramona’s doing.”
Lady Ramona again. The mere mention of the meddlesome woman’s name made Sheldon’s blood boil.
“Papa has always thought that Leonard was not bookish enough to please Lady Ramona, and so she persuaded Penny to refuse him.”
Sheldon could only nod. He did not trust himself to speak.
So, once again, it had not been Penny’s decision. If she had ever had any feelings for Leonard Musgrove, Lady Ramona had obviously made sure that they were eradicated.
What if they had not been though?
What if Penny, for he could not call her Miss Elliot, when he was thinking of her thus, had not been pining away for him these last eight years, as he had previously supposed?
His own arrogance astounded him.
Perhaps her wretched state was the result of her heart aching for Leonard, and the succeeding pain of seeing him wed to her sister, and remaining so close, but unreachable.
He could not work out why, but the thought made Sheldon feel cold.
. . .
They came upon Penny on their way back to Jersey. She had been heading their way, but her progress had been impeded by an unfortunate limp, no doubt a consequence of her fall.
Leonard immediately offered her the use of his arm.
Sheldon would not allow himself to ponder the implications of that action.
Just as they reached the road, his sister and Raj came upon them in Raj’s barouche. He and Missy had been out for a ride about the surrounding country.
Leonard explained to them that he and the others had just been to pay a visit to the Hayters.
Missy noticed Penny’s red cheeks and labored breathing.
“Miss Elliot, you must be very tired. Do let us have the pleasure of taking you home to Jersey.”
Penny immediately demurred.
“Oh, no, thank you, no. It is too much trouble.”
This made Sheldon angry; with the others and with himself.
Penny was so used to being taken advantage of by those she loved and being treated as a nuisance by her family that she would rather continue to walk on what was an obviously twisted ankle than feel that she was causing anyone any bother.
She did not deserve his pity-that would be insulting; he knew that now-but she could have his compassion.
Missy apparently felt the same, as she continued to press her offer.
“No. No, we are returning in any case by that road and there’s plenty of room.”
Sheldon needed no other impetus.
He took Penny’s arm and led her to the back of the barouche, where there was an extra seat for a person of about Penny’s size.
“You are too kind,” she murmured in Missy’s direction.
Sheldon seized her by the waist for the second time that day and hoisted her onto the seat.
Penny gave a breathy little gasp of surprise and her cheeks colored.
“Thank you,” she whispered, looking everywhere but at him.
Raj told the horses to walk on and the barouche began to pull away and out of sight.
Sheldon once more took Bernadette’s arm and steadfastly ignored his heart pounding in his chest.