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Tweak says, "bird in the hand can be messy"

Daphne Wexley (daphnelovering) wrote in toujoursliberer,
@ 2008-06-06 20:44:00

Entry tags:

aime_laurent, amandine_devereux, charles_hurst, christopher_blake, daphne_wexley, demetri_blake, lucas_blake, lysander_mountford-miles, olivia_blake, tobias_hurst

THE FUNERAL
Subject: Lord John Wexley IV's memorial.
Where: The Wexley family home.
Who: Daphne Wexley
Warnings: N/A
Open to: everyone who would have attended the funeral.

"...Lord John Oliver Wexley IV was buried today, but his spirit will live on in the rest of us... Amen.." finished the priest as he crossed the grave and then there was silence for a few moments. The first noise came from Lady Wexley, letting out a bellow of sobs that was obviously for show but no one would dare confront her about it. Daphne stood in between her brother, Johnny, and Daniel Perkins, trying her best to hold in any emotions that were fighting their way to the surface. Tears streamed down her face, but she made no noise, simply stared straight ahead and made eye contact with no one.

The party moved to the Wexley's family home where the guests were able to meet, discuss, and remember the passing of a very important man. Refreshments had been set up next to a rather large painting of John Wexley IV. Plenty of chairs and sofa's and places for people to sit and converse. Though, the object of the after party was to uplift the deceased and speak about him, but like any other party, everyone had their own objectives as to being there.

Daphne stood at the picture of her father, holding the glass of wine that Daniel had given her, not moving. She didn't to move, show emotion, talk, eat or drink. Knowing, though, that her mother was pretending to be completely beside herself, it was up to Daphne to be the hostess. Thank God for Johnny, though. He took up most of the duties himself.

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missella
2008-06-10 06:52 pm UTC (link)

Ella didn't know what to do with herself. She knew she should feel something. Miserable. Sad. Distraught. Sorry for herself. Relieved. But instead she felt nothing, which was even more odd. Usually she was full of some kind of emotion. But not today.

Even at the party she couldn't seem to convince herself to do much more than courtsey at people and say a weak hello, or thank you for their condolences. She kept alternating from glaring at her mother, who was being completely horrendous, and glaring at the portrait of her father.

How dare he die before Ella could prove her worth to him by marrying well!? The gall!

And finally, there it was, some time into the party she felt emotion. Anger! Annoyance! And... freedom. Freedom from her father's petty preferences. It was her most favourite feeling of all.

Ella marched over to the refreshment table and grabbed a glass of wine. She downed it in one, long inelegant gulp, then traded it for a second. She only drained half of the second glass before slowing down. Then it was time to mingle.

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only_daughter
2008-06-10 08:09 pm UTC (link)

"You really shouldn't drink like that," Patience said, appearing almost out of no-where but in fact she had come straight from her father's side. "People will think you most uncouth and no young man will look your way. You should look distraught, I'm sure someone will take pity on you and comfort you. Many a young woman met her future husband at a funeral, or so mother says."

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missella
2008-06-10 08:17 pm UTC (link)

Ella nearly dropped her glass as she whirled around to face the sudden voice. Of course it was her dear friend, Patience, ready with valuable advice. She felt she should listen to it, but now that she'd experienced one little bout of emotions it was as if the floodgate had been lifted. She hiccuped into her free hand and frowned.

"I should be crying. Why am I not crying?" she asked emphatically, whinging more than asking. She sipped at her wine this time, then looked at her friend with wide eyes. Suddenly she was feeling panicked. If she didn't act like she was full of grief no man would want her! They'd all think her broken! Emotionless! "Would someone notice me if I started wailing like my mother, do you think? Should I pretend to faint?"

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only_daughter
2008-06-10 08:44 pm UTC (link)

"You shouldn't behave like your mother, no, but fainting might be a good idea." Patience said, glancing around the room. "I'm sure there is an eligible young man here who might catch you. I can see...Miles Rochester and Demetri Blake. You should swoon first so they might know what you intend. You wouldn't want to end up on the floor, it would be too embarrassing." She said as if she had pretended to faint a great deal of times to attract amours attentions which in truth she had.

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missella
2008-06-10 09:06 pm UTC (link)

Ella sipped at her wine nervously, her eyes scanning the room for the gentlemen in question. She had never been very accomplished at pretending to faint. The last time she had tried it, she had ended up on the floor and it was embarrassing! What if it happened again? What if no one caught her because they were too busy worrying about her ridiculous mother and chatting with one another about how much they were going to miss her "perfect" father?

Forgetting her friend's good advice, Ella drained the rest of her wine and set the glass heavily back on the refreshment table. It was then that she realised how close she was to the portrait of her father. She wanted to pick up another glass of wine, not to drink from, but to throw at his painted face!

Instead she started to feel as if she couldn't breathe. Oh God! she thought frantically, a hand to her chest, I really am going to faint and no one will catch me! But it was more than that, as the emotions finally welled in her chest and she let out a heaving sob. No matter how much she might have disliked her father, she had loved him on some level. She imagined he had loved her too, in a small way, but now she would never know. She couldn't ask his portrait how he truly felt about her. All she could do was be angry at him and at herself. She put her hand tightly over her mouth to stifle her cries and turned to Patience again. Ella shook her head rapidly, making her hair come partially undone.

"It's this dress!" she said in a whisper to her friend. It was insult to injury, the dark mourning dress meant no one would notice her in a crowd. She didn't have the beauty of her sister, let alone her dear friend. How would she ever stand out if she weren't wearing happy colours? "How could this happen? I already look like a dowdy spinster woman!" --her tone increased as she started to cry in earnest-- "I'm too young for this! I'm only fifteen!"

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only_daughter
2008-06-10 09:12 pm UTC (link)

"Come away from the wine," Patience hissed, taking hold of Ella's arm and moving her away. "You do not look like a spinster! Not at all! And you are meant to look dowdy, it is a funeral after all. No-one here looks the slightest bit less dowdy. It would be unseemly." She said, worried now by Ella's fretful words. "Maybe you should have a lie down in a quite room?"

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missella
2008-06-10 09:35 pm UTC (link)

Ella was led away willingly, the flow of tears pausing for a moment. She disliked crying anyway. This was a time to be distraught and demure, not a wailing mess! "I'm sorry Patience." Ella hiccuped again from having swallowed too much air while trying to keep in her sobs. "I would rather stay here with everyone else. I shouldn't like to be alone just now, especially not somewhere quiet and boring. You'll stay with me?"

She daubed at her eyes with the handkerchief one of the maids had insisted she would need that morning. Then she took a few calming breaths. She felt much better now that she'd had her little outburst and hoped it wouldn't happen again. She could be sorry for missed opportunities without being a baby about it. But that thought alone made the tears form again and she tried to blink them away.

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	only_daughter 2008-06-10 09:38 pm UTC (link)
	"Of course I'll stay." Patience said kindly, fishing in the pocket of her gown for her own handkerchief least Ella need that in a moment. "I understand it can be very hard. I would be simply besides myself if daddy died." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

missella
2008-06-10 09:44 pm UTC (link)

Ella nodded and frowned, looking off to the side for a moment. She went to stand beside Patience properly and linked arms with her for comfort and solidarity. That way they could both look out over the room of guests and whisper whatever the liked about any of them.

"Now there's no one to care if I marry a Duke, a Baron, a merchant or some servant boy," she said absently in a soft voice. Ella was now undecided as to whether or not this was a good thing. Perhaps now she could marry for love, as Daphne had tried to do, without having to leave everyone else she cared about behind. The only problem with that was that she wasn't in love with anyone.

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	only_daughter 2008-06-10 09:47 pm UTC (link)
	"Well, I would care if you married a servant." Patience said a little stiffly. "And only a Gentleman merchant I would hope, I would not want you to fall out of society. I would miss you terribly and I would have no-one to gossip with." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

missella
2008-06-10 10:46 pm UTC (link)

Ella actually smiled slightly. She let her eyes wander over the gentlemen in the room. Most of them were too old or too boring to catch her attention.

"If only I could marry one of your brothers, then we could be sisters and we would never have to miss one another," she said with a little giggle. The idea was hilarious to her. Certainly the Hurst boys were good looking, but the elder two were terribly droll, and Crispin was just a child. Ella sighed, rather contentedly, feeling rather comfortable suddenly from the wine she'd drunk.

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loverofliberty
2008-06-11 01:25 am UTC (link)

Robert walked around the room, trying to look as mournful as possible. "Yup, mourner, that's me," he muttered, scanning the crowds. " I completely belong at this funeral. I'm not Robert Lovering at all! Just plain old Richard Brinsley, MP. Mourning Personnage." He could do this.

Everyone would get out of the funeral alive.

Well, except for Daphne's father.

However, since it was his funeral, Robert accepted it as an unavoidable casualty.

Full of confidence, Robert turned to walk in a different direction, and promptly bumped into someone. "Oh, I beg your apology, Miss."

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missella
2008-06-11 01:34 am UTC (link)

Ella promptly disentangled herself from Patience, unsure of what to do with her hands (and her arms felt so delightfully... ribbony) once she'd been bumped. She touched her hair and could tell it had fallen out of place at some point. How dreadful! And here was this handsome fellow standing before her that she'd not noticed before.

Or had she? He'd been at the church, she thought. She'd noticed someone there who didn't seem to belong. But who was she to know who her father's friends were?

"You will be entirely excused, sir, if I could have the pleasure of knowing your name?" she said with a slightly cheeky smile. But one quick glance at Patience and she shot the man a more mournful look. She needed comfort. And the idea of some stranger potentially offering such was exciting, even if he might be some family friend or acquaintance she wasn't aware of.

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	loverofliberty 2008-06-11 01:40 am UTC (link)
	Robert blinked. That was a display of emotion so mercurial even Robert had trouble following, and he, at times, could be fairly schizophrenic. However, Robert affected a polite smile. "Richard Brinsley, miss." He couldn't help but bow with a flourish. The flourish- it came with the bow. It could not be seperated. "And you are?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

missella
2008-06-11 01:56 am UTC (link)

Ella curtsied politely in response, mindful to keep her smile in check. It was twitching threateningly at the corners of her mouth, and honestly how could she not smile at such a dramatic flourish? She put her hand to her mouth to hide her smile until she could get herself under control.

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Brinsley. I am Ella Wexley," she said after she'd dropped her hand again. Youngest daughter of the deceased, she thought. And this time the saddened look was genuine. Those pesky tears were back again and she sniffled lightly while blinking them away. She should've thrown the wine on the portrait when she had the chance!

The next obvious question should have been about how well Mr. Brinsley knew her father. However, Ella just did not feel like talking about him just then. There had to be something else. Something more interesting than the blasted weather! Maybe she did need a break from the party as Patience had suggested? But she didn't want to be cooped up in some room in the house.

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loverofliberty
2008-06-11 03:10 am UTC (link)

Robert lit up. Wexley! Ella Wexley! Daphne's sister! Robert could have danced a jig, and almost did, if it hadn't been for the fact he was at a funeral. Perhaps he could pretend to be deranged with grief? Anyone who knew him in London would assume he'd gotten suspicious laudanum somewhere and overdosed at a bad time.

"My sincerest condolences," Robert replied, trying to school his features into a convincing and appropriate expression. "I am... so deeply sorry for your loss. Your father was a good man."

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missella
2008-06-11 03:37 am UTC (link)

"Yes," Ella said simply, finding it more difficult this time to keep the bitterness out of her voice. She tilted her head to the side slightly, which gave her a bit of a woozy feeling. She liked it. The whole world felt warmer and softer than usual, and really she wanted another drink. "Thank you."

She made the mistake of glancing at the refreshment table again. The portrait of her father was staring at her! In his most demeaning way! She couldn't do anything truly fun with his visage bearing down on her like that.

It was the time for action, before their conversation went stale and she was left in a mixed state of emotion with her level-headed friend. Patience was a darling girl, to be sure, but she was far too sensible sometimes!

"I think I'd like some fresh air," she said and fanned herself with her hand. She shot Patience a look that she hoped said I'll be right back and tell you everything that we discuss! "It's rather stuffy in here, is it not? Would you mind escorting me to the garden, Mr. Brinsley?"

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	only_daughter 2008-06-11 09:35 am UTC (link)
	"Oh, I should just go and check on your mother." Patience said, giving Ella a small smile before she all but skipped off into the guests, slowing when she reminded herself it was not proper to look happy at a funeral. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	loverofliberty 2008-06-11 09:42 pm UTC (link)
	"Er, bye," Robert said, a little belatedly. He offered his arm to Ella. "Why yes, of course Miss Wexley. I ah... yes, well... sad, really, that your father's gone to meet his maker and join the choir invisible and all that, but at least you have the blessings of a kind, compassionate family, to ah... relieve your distress. I suppose you've got a sister?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

missella
2008-06-11 11:45 pm UTC (link)

"Why, yes, I have got an elder sister. Daphne," Ella said with a rather prim smile as she took Mr. Brinsley's arm. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. She was pleased that a gentleman was asking after her sister, but would much rather the attention be on herself. Besides which there was Dr. Perkins to consider, as he and Daphne had grown quite close. "I... need another drink."

Hopefully Patience wasn't looking as Ella steered Mr. Brinsley gently towards the refreshment table on their way out and grabbed another full wineglass.

"Would you like one, Mr. Brinsley?" she asked, looking up at him with heavily lidded eyes. Then she took a long sip from her glass.

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loverofliberty
2008-06-12 12:16 am UTC (link)

"Of course," Robert said,never one to turn down free alcohol. It did not distrub him in the slightest that he ws drinking while higher than a hot air balloon with all the opium he had injested in some form or another. What good was an expendible income if one didn't use it to buy opiates?

He took a glass and held it up. "A toast to you and your family, Miss Ella. I hope that your sister supports you in this difficult time." Robert drained the glass. Mm, there was nothing like chugging port.

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missella
2008-06-12 12:38 am UTC (link)

Ella grinned broadly, the greatest smile she'd worn all day, as she watched Mr. Brinsley down his glass of wine. She knew she liked him already!

"Yes! To my family, thank you." Not one to be left completely in the dust, she downed the wine in her glass, albeit more slowly, before gesturing vaguely with it towards the door. What little wine was left trickled out of the glass unnoticed by her. "Shall we? I fear I will drink all of the refreshments meant for the guests if you are not kind enough to... whisk me outside."

She deposited her empty glass on the table and giggled while leaning slightly against Mr. Brinsley. It wasn't proper, but she was happy and he was her escort and so that meant they must be fast friends!

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	loverofliberty 2008-06-12 12:49 am UTC (link)
	Hm, perhaps he was setting a bad example? Naaaaaah, chugging expensive wines was always a good idea. "But of course, Miss Ella! Shall we?" Robert, who now possessed the alcoholic tolerance of an Irish dockworker, offered her his arm with his usual fluid grace. "Are you and your family all doing well?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

missella
2008-06-12 01:00 am UTC (link)

Unfortunately Ella was not so lucky to have much of an alcohol tolerance and the third glass of wine seemed to have set her on a proper course to drunkenness. She was practically beside herself with glee as they walked through the mingling mourners and towards the garden. The world had grown fuzzy around the edges, and every step made her feel like she was made out of feathers. The feeling was intoxicating! She giggled at the ironic thought.

"Oh are we?" she said with a half shrug and a vague flourish of her free hand. She was suddenly very aware of how elegant her hand motions looked and sighed. Hopefully Mr. Brinsley noticed! But she reminded herself to answer his question. She bit her lip while trying to recall what he'd just asked her. "Mm my family... Mother is faring horribly! Did you see the way she was acting? Caterwauling! Like a cat! ... in heat!" --she giggled into Mr. Brinsley's arm-- "Daphne's miserable. She was the favourite. ...John's ...well he's a man. A gentleman!"

Ella felt that explained everything.

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	loverofliberty 2008-06-12 01:09 am UTC (link)
	Robert nodded as if that entire exchange had made sense. "Of- of course Miss Ella. I am sorry to hear about your mother and especially your sister. Are you... close with them?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)