Secrets and Social Graces
Title: Secrets and Social Graces
Author: Angel Leviathan
Disclaimer: Wicked, the characters, concept, etc, aren't mine.
Rating: PG
Verse: Book
Prompt Name: Letters
Summary: Something inside the envelope had slid and rolled to the corner, weighing it down, and she had immediately torn into the letter in quite the indelicate fashion.
Notes: Continues on some time later from By All Appearances and Pretence and Theatrics.
The letter was enclosed in a crisp, white envelope, folded twice in perfectly neat lines and would have seemed thoroughly impersonal, where it not for the little dent in both letter and envelope revealing further contents beyond mere paper.
Shenshen had taken the letter from the maid and held the envelope up to the light, trying to see through it before opening it. She had not sent out any correspondence recently, nor was she expecting anybody to contact her by such means. Something inside the envelope had slid and rolled to the corner, weighing it down, and she had immediately torn into the letter in quite the indelicate fashion.
Dear Lady Shenshen,
I regret to inform you of the death of-
And that was about as much of the letter as she had read before the rest had seemed to make no sense - no sense at all - and already some of the words had become illegible and smeared as tears audibly hit the stiff paper.
Please do not take it as a slight that you were not informed of the date of the funeral; it was a family-only affair and immediate family at that.
“Why are you crying, Mother?”
She glanced up, panicked that her eldest daughter should see her in such a state, and managed only, “Go and play inside.”
“But-“
“Go and play inside!”
The girl picked up her skirts and ran, shocked, and Shenshen tracked her progress all the way across the lawn and back to the house before she let more tears fall. She dropped her gaze back to the letter and attempted to get the lines of swimming text to stay still and co-operate. More polite phrases, condolences and kind words that meant little but gave off all the right signals, as would be expected. She was not, however, expecting what followed.
Miss Shenshen - you will have to forgive me for calling you so, for it is all I have ever known you as - my sister-in-law gave quite clear instructions that this was to be sent to you after she died. For as long as I have known her she has worn it always, longer even than the wedding ring my brother placed on her finger many years ago. I admit to being uncertain as to what it means or its significance, but she deigned to tell me that you would know and that was what mattered. I will trust that you are aware in that case and I will not be so rude as to demand answers, though I confess to being quite curious.
Shenshen reclaimed the envelope and tipped it a little so that the gold and silver ring tumbled out and into her palm. She simply stared at it for a good while, then moved to cast the letter aside and to the seat beside her. Reaching for the chain around her neck, she tugged hurriedly at it in her haste to remove the overly-elaborate pendant and replace it with the simple ring. Her breathing calmed and slowed even as she did so; as she closed her fingers around the recently strung ring and gazed at its matching partner on her other hand.
She has worn it always.
Perhaps there had always been more to it.
Longer even than the wedding ring.
Bound by convention; the false language and social graces of their class.
I will trust that you are aware.
Maybe, just maybe... Pfannee had not thought her a fool.
Maybe she had loved her after all.
Fin
Author: Angel Leviathan
Disclaimer: Wicked, the characters, concept, etc, aren't mine.
Rating: PG
Verse: Book
Prompt Name: Letters
Summary: Something inside the envelope had slid and rolled to the corner, weighing it down, and she had immediately torn into the letter in quite the indelicate fashion.
Notes: Continues on some time later from By All Appearances and Pretence and Theatrics.
The letter was enclosed in a crisp, white envelope, folded twice in perfectly neat lines and would have seemed thoroughly impersonal, where it not for the little dent in both letter and envelope revealing further contents beyond mere paper.
Shenshen had taken the letter from the maid and held the envelope up to the light, trying to see through it before opening it. She had not sent out any correspondence recently, nor was she expecting anybody to contact her by such means. Something inside the envelope had slid and rolled to the corner, weighing it down, and she had immediately torn into the letter in quite the indelicate fashion.
Dear Lady Shenshen,
I regret to inform you of the death of-
And that was about as much of the letter as she had read before the rest had seemed to make no sense - no sense at all - and already some of the words had become illegible and smeared as tears audibly hit the stiff paper.
Please do not take it as a slight that you were not informed of the date of the funeral; it was a family-only affair and immediate family at that.
“Why are you crying, Mother?”
She glanced up, panicked that her eldest daughter should see her in such a state, and managed only, “Go and play inside.”
“But-“
“Go and play inside!”
The girl picked up her skirts and ran, shocked, and Shenshen tracked her progress all the way across the lawn and back to the house before she let more tears fall. She dropped her gaze back to the letter and attempted to get the lines of swimming text to stay still and co-operate. More polite phrases, condolences and kind words that meant little but gave off all the right signals, as would be expected. She was not, however, expecting what followed.
Miss Shenshen - you will have to forgive me for calling you so, for it is all I have ever known you as - my sister-in-law gave quite clear instructions that this was to be sent to you after she died. For as long as I have known her she has worn it always, longer even than the wedding ring my brother placed on her finger many years ago. I admit to being uncertain as to what it means or its significance, but she deigned to tell me that you would know and that was what mattered. I will trust that you are aware in that case and I will not be so rude as to demand answers, though I confess to being quite curious.
Shenshen reclaimed the envelope and tipped it a little so that the gold and silver ring tumbled out and into her palm. She simply stared at it for a good while, then moved to cast the letter aside and to the seat beside her. Reaching for the chain around her neck, she tugged hurriedly at it in her haste to remove the overly-elaborate pendant and replace it with the simple ring. Her breathing calmed and slowed even as she did so; as she closed her fingers around the recently strung ring and gazed at its matching partner on her other hand.
She has worn it always.
Perhaps there had always been more to it.
Longer even than the wedding ring.
Bound by convention; the false language and social graces of their class.
I will trust that you are aware.
Maybe, just maybe... Pfannee had not thought her a fool.
Maybe she had loved her after all.
Fin