The Evening From Hell - Part 1
Title: The Evening From Hell
Rating PG-13 (I think)
Setting: Pre-CotBP
Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me, the Mouse owns everything.
Summary: What's your idea of the worst evening ever? For 15-year-old Elizabeth it's this: a dinner party, the company of the so called 'ladies' of Port Royal and a blazing row with her father. And this can mean only one thing: Captain James Norrington to the rescue!
The Evening From Hell
by Lirulin
Disclaimer: The Mouse owns everything. I’m just borrowing the characters and make them do everything I want to...
I’m referring to my other story, ‘The Red Stain’, in here. It’s not necessary that you read it, but a little self-advertisement never hurt... I had a lot of fun writing this, imagining all the ‘proper ladies’... You’ll see what I mean.
Enjoy!
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Today was going to be one of those evenings that 15-year-old Elizabeth Swann despised more than anything: a dinner party at their house. She would have to sit there, smile politely, and talk about such nonsense as the newest fashion from London with people she strongly disliked. And she wouldn’t be able to get out of it earlier either, because it was taking place at their own home, and as the good daughter she was - at least most of the time - she couldn’t just up and leave when it pleased her. It wasn’t ‘proper’, as her father would say.
At the moment Elizabeth was standing in front of her wardrobe, trying to decide on what to wear. Estrella would be here soon, helping her with the corset and the dress. How she hated those dreadful things! She couldn’t move properly, couldn’t even breathe properly, was generally constrained and they were simply a nuisance, but since about two months her father insisted she wear them, because ‘You are now a young lady and have to conduct yourself as such’, as he had explained to her.
But Elizabeth didn’t want to behave like that, because all the so called young ladies in her acquaintance were twittering, superficial fools who did have nothing at all in common with her. Unfortunately, it was impossible to argue with her father about this point and so she resigned herself to wearing the blasted corset - for the time being.
She finally decided on the light blue dress with the lace trimming, which was one of her favourites, when, perfectly timed, there came a knock at her door.
“Come in!”
Estrella entered, a smile on her face, came over to Elizabeth and picked up the corset, her gaze lingering on the dress.
“Is that what you want to wear, Miss Elizabeth? A fine choice, if I may say so. It suits you very well.”
Elizabeth smiled thinly in thanks, then grabbed onto her bedpost as Estrella started tugging on the corset strings. She let out a startled gasp.
“Not that tight! I’m going to die from lack of air!”
Estrella stopped for a moment, frowning.
“But don’t you want a nice, slim waist, Miss? All the ladies wear them like this now.”
Elizabeth just shook her head. “I’m not ‘all the ladies’. I still want to breathe. So, leave it like that. The dress will fit.”
The maid obeyed, helping Elizabeth into the dress while talking about the upcoming evening.
“It’s a grand event for us servants as well, when the Governor is hosting one of his dinner parties. We get to see all those important people in the elegant clothes. And the ladies’ dresses are always so beautiful. The Governor sure has a hand for organizing splendid evenings like this... Such a shame that Captain Norrington won’t be able to come...”
Elizabeth’s head snapped up in surprise and shock. “What?”
Estrella clapped a hand over her mouth and looked quite contrite and apologetic. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Miss. I forgot to tell you. A message was dropped off this afternoon, saying that he had duties to attend to and could therefore unfortunately not come. I meant to tell you, Miss ...”
But Elizabeth wasn’t listening any longer. Suddenly the evening promised to be even worse than what she had initially anticipated. She had hoped for a conversation with the one sane person present for at least a short amount of time, but now James wouldn’t come. She could already hear Mrs. Anderson going on and on and on about how she had decided on the colour of her new curtains or why an ottoman was preferable to a divan or whatever.
How should she ever survive the evening?
“... Elizabeth? Miss Elizabeth?” She came back to reality and looked at Estrella.
“Pardon? I was lost in my thoughts.”
“I said would you please sit down, Miss, so I can do your hair. The guests will be arriving soon.”
Elizabeth slumped down on the chair in front of her dressing table, musing if it would be believable to be suddenly afflicted with a very serious and contagious disease, while Estrella put up her hair in an elaborate bun with a few locks hanging loose around her face.
888
At precisely six o’clock the guests started arriving and Elizabeth, standing beside her father, greeted them courteously with a smile, though she’d much rather scowl at them. It was “How do you do, Miss Wiltshaw?” left and “How nice of you to come, Mrs. Hillingsworth.” right, and Elizabeth, soon tiring of groping for new, meaningless sentences, just repeated the same phrase over and over to everyone. They didn’t care anyway.
After some drinks and small talk in the parlour, everyone proceeded to the dining room, where Elizabeth - much to her horror - was seated between Miss Kaitlyn Wiltshaw and Mrs. Margarete Reynolds, the worst gossips in all of Port Royal, who on top of that saw it as their personal duty to improve the life of others by giving them good advice - meaning they were constantly criticizing everyone in the most superior and annoying manner.
They were decidedly the least liked of Elizabeths’ acquaintances, she already wondered what fault they would find with her today and she honestly began to think that her father wanted to punish her for something. The men were all seated at the other end of the table, so she could bury any hope for an interesting conversation there might have been.
“It was ever so nice of your father to invite us, Miss Swann.”
Miss Wiltshaw started and from there on it went downhill. Elizabeth really tried to restrain herself and be polite, but it was so difficult not to retort with something scathing or sarcastic to the topics they chose to discuss.
It began during the soup.
“The weather was so terribly hot today. I felt so tired, I had to stay indoors all day and was prevented from doing anything.”
Mrs. Reynolds nodded understandingly. “I know what you mean. It is impossible to even lift a finger in this heat. Don’t you think so, Miss Swann?”
Elizabeth gripped her spoon tighter, fishing for the proper thing to say and not finding it.
“Well, I think the weather today has been quite like the weather was on every other day in the past three months. Perhaps you should have stayed in England if it is so displeasing to you. And I believe one can expect the Caribbean to be hot.”
The ladies looked at her quite affronted and were silent, turning back to their soup.
Elizabeth looked enviously down the table to where the men were sitting, chatting amiably. She so wished for James to be there. Of course, they wouldn’t have been able to talk much, he always behaved so very appropriate when they met in a social context, but perhaps they would have been able to trade a few words, something that could surely have lightened her mood.
He really was the only friend she had here, the only one she was able to relate to, because she knew that the ladies of Port Royal did not like her very much. It had been like this since she had met him on board the Dauntless, after she had managed to break through the wall he had erected around him and to see James Norrington behind the Navy officer he showed to the world.
She still remembered the occasion that had shown her she could really tell him everything, three years ago when he had explained to her - with much stammering and blushing - what becoming a woman meant. She still had to always start giggling when she pictured his red face and nervous countenance.
Perhaps she shouldn’t have done so at this particular moment, because she was unable to hold back the sudden laughter... Now everyone was watching her oddly.
“I beg your pardon... I just... thought of something funny.”
Gradually, they all turned back to their own business, but Miss Wilshaw could not refrain from commenting.
“You should keep your thoughts in check then, Miss Swann. A young lady does not laugh out loud.”
Elizabeth felt her self-control slipping more and more.
“I imagine that it shouldn’t be hard for you to keep your thoughts in check...” ‘because there isn’t much up there to check on’.
Miss Wiltshaw was still trying to find the hidden meaning behind Elizabeths’ words and to decide whether to be offended or not, when she was placated by Mrs. Reynolds.
“You mustn’t be angry with her, my dear. It’s quite apparent that she lacks the guidance of a mother in her life. The Governor is much too indulgent.”
Elizabeth gritted her teeth, very much wanting to just tell the ‘lady’ to shut up. “I’m certainly not lacking anything, madam. I’m ...”
Elizabeth was then interrupted as the main course was served, which at first seemed to pass quite uneventful with the usual chatter and gossip: ‘Did you know that Mr. Lambert was seen down in the seedier parts of the town?’; ‘Mrs. Donalds’ dresses have grown in size again, isn’t it shocking?’; and the constant talk about the weather.
But it would have been too much to ask for it to continue in this relatively peaceful manner. Soon enough, Mrs. Reynold’s voice assaulted her again.
“Miss Swann, I really have only your best interests at heart and therefore I have to tell you that you ought to change your table manners.”
Elizabeth looked at her incredulously. What was she going on about now? “Excuse me?”
Mrs. Reynolds adopted a patronizing and what she probably thought was a motherly expression.
“You should stop putting such large bites into your mouth. It is so very unbefitting of your station. A lady has to be dainty and genteel in every circumstance. And the way you are holding your glass! One would think it was a rum tankard.”
Elizabeth gazed at this ... this harpy open-mouthed. She was holding her glass like everyone else! What was wrong with that woman?
Just as she was about to respond, Miss Wiltshaw had to pipe in as well. “It is quite rude to stare like that, Miss Swann. And you should close your mouth, it looks so unbecoming on a lady.”
Elizabeth turned back to her meal, at a complete loss for words, internally seething and thinking she was slowly going insane. And she started cursing James. The bastard, leaving her alone like this. She was by now absolutely convinced that he had no duties to attend to, but that he simply hadn’t wanted to come, because he hated those parties as much as she did. Oh, she would give him a good piece of her mind the next time she saw him!
Finally dessert came and Elizabeth was actually rather proud of herself, she had managed to say nothing too terribly rude, despite what had been flung at her. But things weren’t developing in her favour.
After acertaining Mrs. Reynolds that yes, a tea-service with a floral design was much more the English way of living these days than just plain white china, Miss Wiltshaw turned to Elizabeth.
“Miss Swann, I only mean well for you, so I’m telling you that you should do something about your wardrobe. Your dress is lovely, of course, but it is so very out of date.”
Elizabeth crushed the cherries in her bowl to mush.
Mrs. Reynolds only nodded. “She is quite right, my dear. And your complexion ... Perhaps you should stay indoors a bit more and not go down to the docks all the time. You are already developing a tan! How very unseemly for a Governor’s daughter!”
And with that, Elizabeth reached her breaking point. She had endured their gossiping, their simpering, their inane remarks and little ‘well-meaning advices’ all evening and now she had had enough. She slammed her spoon down on the table and stood up, pushing back her chair so violently that it toppled over.
“Firstly, I like my looks just as they are, and it is none of your concern what I do, when I do it or how often. Secondly, I would never take advice on clothing from someone who wears an absolutely ridiculous red and green striped dress, I like my wardrobe as it is, thank you very much. And thirdly, my table manners are perfectly fine. If I ate like you, Mrs. Reynolds, I would probably starve pretty soon, which you don’t seem to be doing. So perhaps you’re compensating otherwise for your almost invisible bites.
“I don’t care about how you want me to be or about being what you call a ‘lady’, because I’d much rather die than become like you, and there’s very few that matters less to me than what you think about my person.
“I’m not interested in Mrs. Donald’s dresses, for all I care she could go naked and if Mr. Lambert wants to visit a whore or two than he can be my guest. Don’t you have a life, that you have to go meddling in the affairs of others? I’ve really had enough of your mindless talk, don’t invite me to tea again.”
With that Elizabeth stormed out of the Dining Room, up the stairs and into her chambers where she fell upon her bed, breathing heavily.
After some time, when she had calmed down a bit, she started thinking. It had felt extremely good to express all of those things for once and she had meant every word of it, but ... she had probably broken every rule of proper behaviour there was. She would be in deep trouble before the evening was over...
Still, she didn’t regret it. It had been the truth, she wouldn’t take her words back. But Elizabeth also realized that she had embarrassed her father, and that hadn’t been her intention. She loved him very much, he was the best father a girl could wish for, but he was a stickler for propriety and what she had done just now...
Perhaps if she explained it to him... yes, she was sure he would understand her. He knew her temper after all...
She could hear the guests leaving and soon there was a knock at her door.
“Miss Elizabeth? Your father wants to see you in his study.”
888
Elizabeth entered the room and saw her father standing at the window with his back towards her, and his posture exuded barely repressed anger.
“I am very disappointed in you, Elizabeth. I thought I had raised you better. What you did today was completely unacceptable.”
He sounded so cold and Elizabeth swallowed. She really hadn’t meant to...
“I’m so sorry father.”
He turned around then, regarding her with a mixture of veiled fury and cool indifference.
“As you should be. You will visit the ladies in question and apologize to them. Tomorrow.”
Elizabeth frowned, feeling her own anger beginning to rise.
“No, wait! That’s not what I meant. I’m sorry for embarrassing you in front of all those people, I didn’t think about you then, but I’m not sorry for the words I said. And I certainly will not apologize to those ... those ... whatever.”
The Governor’s lips thinned and he now looked about ready to burst.
“Of course you will! Your behaviour was absolutely appalling and improper, not to say disgusting. You completely abandoned politeness and insulted our guests quite severly. It cannot, and it will not, go on like this, Elizabeth. You will do something about your manners, or face the consequences.”
Elizabeth was quickly becoming mad at him. Why couldn’t he see her point?
“I will not! I was telling the truth and I won’t apologize for that. My manners are alright, but can’t you understand that it is torture for me to converse with these people? We have nothing in common and they are always so false and hypocritical! I cannot bear it!”
By now, they were both yelling quite loudly.
“You are a lady of high station and you will conduct yourself as such!”
“But what if I don’t want to be a lady?”
He waved her comment away like one would an annoying insect.
“Nonsense! When will you grow up? You are still behaving like a little child!”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Did he really know so little about her?
“I’m not childish! I’m honest! I’m different from them”
Her father laughed mirthlessly.
“You are impolite and way too wild. Perhaps you really lacked a mother to show you what it means to be lady. If you continue on this way, being so rude and unruly as you currently are, I will never be able to find you a suitable husband.”
Elizabeth took a few steps back. Where had that come from?
“Husband? What do you mean?”
He looked at her disbelievingly.
“You did understand me perfectly well. You’re fifteen already, Elizabeth. Soon you will be of the age to marry and I have to find you a good husband. In fact, I started looking around already, but with the attitude you are displaying, it will be difficult.”
She now felt as if someone had slapped her right in the face. He couldn’t be serious, could he? And righteous indignation was boiling up in her.
“You did what? You are looking for a husband for me ... without even asking me? I don’t want to marry, not yet, and certainly not someone you decide upon. If I marry someday, it will only be for love. Who or what gives you the right to just plot my whole life like that?”
Elizabeth was very hurt and quite a bit furious now. She had never thought her father would do something like that.
“That is ridiculous, Elizabeth. Of course it will not be today or tomorrow or anytime this year or perhaps even the next, but certainly you’ll marry whom I decide on.”
She was gasping for air now. What was going on? She had never seen him like this.
“I will not! I’m not some property you can do with as you please!”
“I am your father, and you will do as I say!”
Tears started to form in Elizabeth eyes. Never ever had he treated her like this. And it hurt very much.
“Never!”, she whispered, then turned around and left the room, running across the entrance hall and out of the front door. She just wanted to get away. Behind her, she could hear her father calling her name, but she didn’t listen, she just kept running, away from the house and into the nightly streets of Port Royal.
TBC
I hope you liked it so far! James will definitely be in the next part!!