augustus rookwood is tired of your war (rookishly) wrote in cm_history, @ 2010-01-22 00:21:00 |
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Entry tags: | [1975] march, [char] alice longbottom née bulstrode, [char] augustus rookwood |
I just wanted to speak with you for a moment.
Who: Augustus Rookwood and Alice (Bulstrode) Longbottom
When: 30 March, 1975
Where: Rookwood Manor, Yorkshire.
What: Alice needs to tell Augustus the engagement is off.
Rating: PG
Status: Complete.
It wasn't often that Alice Bulstrode, excuse me, Longbottom was nervous. She didn't regret what she and Frank had done; she loved him and he was a wonderful man so there was no question whether or not their elopement was right. However, Augustus Rookwood was also a good man, and having to inform him a month before their wedding that she had eloped with another man was not going to sit well with the older man. She hadn't even yet told her parents - this was their fault after all - because she felt that Augustus deserved to hear the news first, and from her own lips. His ring, his family heirloom hung on a delicate chain around her neck. She felt odd wearing the piece of jewelry still, given that Frank's ring now graced her left hand, but she hadn't wanted to lose the delicate ring. She also felt it was somewhat respectful to the older man. None of this was his fault, and before she had been thrown into this engagement without her consent, she would have considered him something of a kindred spirit. They had engaged each other in conversation before, and she found him intelligent and pleasant to talk to. She wished him happiness, but was absolutely certain she was not the woman to give it to him. Finally, gloves gracing her hands that held her secret and cloak wrapped around her shoulders, she reached forward and rang the bell. She swallowed hard and then her chin raised slightly in preparation for what was to come. She was Alice Longbottom, strong and proud Auror, wife of Frank Longbottom; she had nothing to regret and nothing to fear. Augustus Rookwood had changed the wards on the house when he'd arranged the betrothal to Alice so that she could come and go as she pleased; she'd be living in Rookwood Manor soon enough. She might as well become accustomed to the house before she moved in. One of the house-elves popped into his study to announce that Alice had arrived. It was some small effort to be a good fiance and attend to the lady's needs, but he put away his work and came out to meet her. "Alice. I'm so glad you dropped by--" he began. Then his eyes fell on her hand, where his mother's ring should be, and the gloves she was wearing. "Scatchy, why haven't you taken the lady's cloak and gloves yet?" A slight frown marred his handsome face; Augustus liked things in order and this was distinctly out of it. The house-elf twisted his ear nervously and began to babble something at him that he really wasn't paying attention to as he moved to assist Alice himself. "I'm sorry, I thought I had him trained better than to leave you standing in the hall in your winter gear. Would you like something warm to drink?" Of course she must be cold. That had to be why she was standing in the hall all wrapped up like that. Alice held up her hand and shook her head, "No, that is all right Augustus. I can't- I won't be staying long. I just wanted to speak with you for a moment." She hesitated for a moment and then decided that it would be rude to tell him such news standing in the hall of his manor. "I'll keep my things, Scatchy. Thank you." She reached up and unclasped her cloak and draped it over her arms, and then looked around the room before her eyes settled back on Augustus. "Can we sit? I promise I won't take more of your time than necessary." "Of course." Augustus gestured her into the parlour of the manor. "Scatchy, fire." The house-elf hastened to start one as Augustus moved to assist Alice into a seat, the picture of solicitous good manners. It took everything in Alice not to move away from Augustus' touch, and though she tensed slightly, she sat down without moving away from him unneccessarily. She smoothed her cloak in her lap and tensed her jaw as she looked down at the smooth fabric. How exactly did one start this conversation? "Augustus, you know I find you to be a good, hard-working man. You're intelligent and pleasant on the eyes, and were things different..." She pursed her lips and then raised her chin again. Young, yes, but not without a wisdom of her own. Drawing this out was only going to end poorly. Though she had an idea that it wasn't going to end well no matter what. "The truth of the matter is, that until a week ago, I had no idea of the plans my parents had for me. Being informed of my wedding a month prior wasn't exactly something I was ready for. I also don't know if you were aware, but I have been seeing someone for just over a year. My parents were aware of this fact but apparently felt the need to proceed with this arrangement despite that fact." She swallowed and paused, hoping for some sort of miracle, where he would break off the engagement. So that she would not have to tell him that she went off and married another man. A slight chance, but she was hoping luck would find her in this moment. "I see." This was not a piece of information to which Augustus had been privy when he'd made the arrangement with the Bulstrodes. Obviously he'd done insufficient research into Alice. This was why he had never bothered with a serious courtship: it was too damned much work. Still, there were three people to blame for whatever was happening just now: himself for not performing due diligence on his bride, and the Bulstrodes for not bothering to mention this material fact. And something unpleasant was happening; it didn't take advanced arithmancy to see that some disaster had occurred. Augustus' mind leapt ahead to the worst possibilities and counted through them, coming up with one that seemed sufficiently likely and awful, and one that he could reassure her that he'd see her through. He did his best to rearrange his features from shock to sympathy. "Are you telling me you're pregnant?" That was not was she was expected, and without hesitation Alice responded, "No!" a hand going to her heart. Sweet Merlin, the idea of her being pregnant right now was terrifying. She shook her head and took a breath, letting the shock wash over her before clarifying, "No, Augustus. I am not pregnant. I believe in the sanctity of marriage and all its priviledges." And she had. When Frank had taken her to their marital bed, Alice was as pure as her mother hoped she would have been for Augustus. "I-" her fingers absentmindedly touched the ring around her neck and the feel of it made her finally say what she had to, "Augustus, I cannot marry you. I am no longer free to marry you as my parents believed. I- I eloped two days ago and just returned today." Augustus had been processing through how he'd deal with a pregnancy, if that was indeed the problem, and it took him half a second to parse what Alice had said. "You're married?" There was an intake of breath that could not quite be described as a gasp, and then Augustus let it out slowly and silently. "You're married," he answered his own question. There was no way to play this but graciously. "May I enquire who the lucky gentleman is?" She almost refused, almost, until she realised that he had every right to know. "Frank Longbottom. He is an Auror and my partner." There was no doubt, despite the Longbottoms being on the edges of society life, that he would know the name. She rolled her lips in and worried them before continuing, "When I told him the news, he refused to let me go. Given my affection for him, I could not imagine refusing." She looked up at him, and with true sincerity spoke in almost a whisper, "I am sorry, Augustus. But I do not believe I could have been the kind of wife to make you happy, especially when I had long ago given my heart to Frank." Gracious. Gracious. Gracious. "Well, then, I can only appreciate your honesty and discretion in coming to me first." Although it would have been more useful if you'd done it before we announced the betrothal, the voice inside Augustus' head said. "I certainly wouldn't want to bind you into a miserable marriage." If nothing else, a miserable marriage would be a distraction from his own work. He was taking this far better than she could have ever imagined. He really was a good man, and she felt herself regreting not her marriage, but the fact that she had to hurt such a good man in the process. "Thank you," she said, "for being so understanding. I do wish you the greatest happiness, but I am certain I am not the woman to give that to you." Slowly, she took off her gloves, well aware he would take in the rings that graced her left hand, but she wasn't about to use her wand to unclasp her necklace and she was unable to do the latch wearing gloves. Her hands went behind her neck and unclasped the delicate chain and held it out in front of her, the beautiful ring glinting at the bottom of it, "This belongs to you." Even if the Bulstrodes had failed Alice in her lessons regarding family duty, they'd certainly schooled her properly in manners. Augustus took his mother's ring in fingers that only seemed to be working by sheer force of will. "I'm sorry that it won't be gracing your finger any longer." Augustus wasn't so uncouth as to ask whether she'd broken this to her parents yet; he assumed not since he'd had no owl from them. Still, he wondered how long it was going to take for them to decide what to do about the news once they'd heard it. Carefully, he unstrung the chain and offered it back to Alice. "But I do appreciate your returning it so quickly." "I know there is not any way I can make this up to you, but please let me know if you need anything. I am at your disposal, as it were," her fingers wrapped around the chain, knowing that the following day Frank's rings were going to grace its length when she returned to work. "Thank you, for being so gracious. The least I could do was return something so important to you in person." She fastened the chain around her neck and then slid her gloves on, "I told you I would not keep you longer than necessary, so I suppose I should go." She pressed her fingers together, smoothing the fingers of the gloves over her own, "Besides, I have to break this news to my family. I felt that you deserved to hear this from me, not from them." "And you have my gratitude for that. Mr Longbottom's a lucky man." Or he was going to be right up until the time when the Dark Lord's Project Utopia came to completion, at which point Augustus was going to take his head on a platter. "We both are," Alice said without thinking about it first, her affection and adoration for her husband taking over her manners of polite society. Though there was no crime in admitting her happiness in marrying Frank. She stood and slid her cloak over her shoulders. After a moment she leaned and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, "I am sorry for doing this to you. You are a good man who deserves better than I." If only she knew his internal monologue - she would not think he was such a good man. No, Augustus was going to take both their heads. "There are some things that one simply cannot deny," Augustus said, and that much he did believe. For him it was service to the Dark Lord, without which he'd never have entered into this ill-fated betrothal. "I'm happy for you that you've found one," he lied. "I hope you find the same," she said genuinely and headed toward the front door. She paused and turned at the doorway, "I do hope you won't think too ill of me. I have enjoyed your company. I will see you around the Ministry, I am sure." And with that, Alice left, the door closing quietly behind her before there was the crack of apparition as she headed to her parents' home to break the news. With the door closed safely behind him and the sound of Alice's disapparation fading behind him, Augustus took a drink from the crystal tumbler of whiskey Scatchy had handed him. This was a setback not to be borne, but bear it he would. He had no choice for the moment. He glared at the empty glass as if it and not Alice were responsible for his predicament and his mood, and took his revenge by hurling it at the fireplace. It shattered against the ancient stone of the mantel, and Scatchy squeaked. Augustus turned on his heel as the house-elf hastened to clean up the mess and headed back to his study. There were letters to write, oh yes, starting with the Bulstrodes and going on from there, and revenge to plan. That revenge might be a long time coming, but, Augustus promised himself, it would be worth the wait. |