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tamingthemuseTitle: Purple Drapes
Fandom: Original Fic
Prompt: Gingery
Warnings: none
Rating: PG
Summary: A precocious six year-old asks some difficult questions.
23rd January 1901
The purple drapes held a gingery smell, reminiscent of Christmas gatherings and yule logs smouldering in the fireplace in the Great Hall. They’d gone up last night after
Charlotte had been put to bed. She ran through the corridors to the day room.
“Mummy? Why have you changed the curtains? It’s not spring for ages yet.”
Melissa put down her knife and fork before gathering her daughter into her arms. “You’re up early, darling.”
“Jenny said I had to get up to pay my respects but I haven’t got any money.”
Melissa laughed and sat the child onto her knee. “You don’t need money, Charlotte. Paying your respects means being nice about someone who’s died.”
“Who’s died?” Charlotte accepted a sausage and held it in a chubby fist. “Mr. Plumber?”
“Good heavens no,” said Melissa. “Whyever would you think that?”
“Because he always puts out the jug for washing and empties the chamber pot and it was still full when I got up.”
“He’s been busy darling, putting up the black curtains.”
“Then who?” Melissa finished the sausage and reached for a piece of bread.
“The queen died. Now we have a king on the throne.”
“Is a king better than a queen?”
“No, Charlotte, just different. I’m sure King Edward will continue to bring prosperity to England.” She turned to the butler. “Peters? Would you ask Jane for some tea, please?”
Peters inclined his head once. “Very good, M’lady.” He left the room with barely a sound.
Charlottes waited until the door had closed behind him. “Will the king want to marry you?”
“What?” The absurd question brought Melissa’s attention sharply back to her daughter.
“You said you wanted to marry the king.”
Melissa’s face creased in perplexity. “When?”
“When that man in green came to visit.” Charlotte licked butter off her fingers. “I was playing in the garden and I heard you talking to him. You said that you’d love to marry the prince but couldn’t at the moment. Well now he’s king and you can get married.”
“Oh darling.” Melissa hugged her daughter tightly. “That was a different prince. King Edward is sixty and already has a wife, Alexandra. He wouldn’t be interested in me nor I, him.”
“Who was the prince you didn’t marry then?”
“Nobody you need concern yourself with.” Charlotte looked up. “Here’s Peters with your breakfast and Jane with my tea.” She leaned back as the plates were set down. “Scoot over, Charlotte, and give me some elbow room.
Her daughter did as she was told, sliding off Melissa’s lap onto before climbing onto the other chair. She looked up as she sliced off the top of her boiled egg. “If you don’t marry the prince then I shall,” she said. “I want a castle and a horse and a hunting hound.”
Melissa shivered at the mention of the hound, hoping that her daughter was not referring to the creatures that beset her with regular nightmares. “We’ll see,” she said. “When you’re a grown up you’ll meet him. You might not even like him.”
“Where is he a prince of?” Charlotte asked. “Is it America?”
“They don’t have a royal family there,” said Melissa. She poured her tea, lost in thought. “He’s a prince of Faery.”
Fandom: Original Fic
Prompt: Gingery
Warnings: none
Rating: PG
Summary: A precocious six year-old asks some difficult questions.
23rd January 1901
The purple drapes held a gingery smell, reminiscent of Christmas gatherings and yule logs smouldering in the fireplace in the Great Hall. They’d gone up last night after
Charlotte had been put to bed. She ran through the corridors to the day room.
“Mummy? Why have you changed the curtains? It’s not spring for ages yet.”
Melissa put down her knife and fork before gathering her daughter into her arms. “You’re up early, darling.”
“Jenny said I had to get up to pay my respects but I haven’t got any money.”
Melissa laughed and sat the child onto her knee. “You don’t need money, Charlotte. Paying your respects means being nice about someone who’s died.”
“Who’s died?” Charlotte accepted a sausage and held it in a chubby fist. “Mr. Plumber?”
“Good heavens no,” said Melissa. “Whyever would you think that?”
“Because he always puts out the jug for washing and empties the chamber pot and it was still full when I got up.”
“He’s been busy darling, putting up the black curtains.”
“Then who?” Melissa finished the sausage and reached for a piece of bread.
“The queen died. Now we have a king on the throne.”
“Is a king better than a queen?”
“No, Charlotte, just different. I’m sure King Edward will continue to bring prosperity to England.” She turned to the butler. “Peters? Would you ask Jane for some tea, please?”
Peters inclined his head once. “Very good, M’lady.” He left the room with barely a sound.
Charlottes waited until the door had closed behind him. “Will the king want to marry you?”
“What?” The absurd question brought Melissa’s attention sharply back to her daughter.
“You said you wanted to marry the king.”
Melissa’s face creased in perplexity. “When?”
“When that man in green came to visit.” Charlotte licked butter off her fingers. “I was playing in the garden and I heard you talking to him. You said that you’d love to marry the prince but couldn’t at the moment. Well now he’s king and you can get married.”
“Oh darling.” Melissa hugged her daughter tightly. “That was a different prince. King Edward is sixty and already has a wife, Alexandra. He wouldn’t be interested in me nor I, him.”
“Who was the prince you didn’t marry then?”
“Nobody you need concern yourself with.” Charlotte looked up. “Here’s Peters with your breakfast and Jane with my tea.” She leaned back as the plates were set down. “Scoot over, Charlotte, and give me some elbow room.
Her daughter did as she was told, sliding off Melissa’s lap onto before climbing onto the other chair. She looked up as she sliced off the top of her boiled egg. “If you don’t marry the prince then I shall,” she said. “I want a castle and a horse and a hunting hound.”
Melissa shivered at the mention of the hound, hoping that her daughter was not referring to the creatures that beset her with regular nightmares. “We’ll see,” she said. “When you’re a grown up you’ll meet him. You might not even like him.”
“Where is he a prince of?” Charlotte asked. “Is it America?”
“They don’t have a royal family there,” said Melissa. She poured her tea, lost in thought. “He’s a prince of Faery.”
no subject
Date: 2007-10-20 12:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-20 01:01 am (UTC)It should prove to be interesting. Lots of skeletons in the closets of Laverstone Manor.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-21 07:38 am (UTC)I loved the question about America - so much the land of the exotic to English children - and the details of the need to demonstrate national mourning and the chamber pot and changing the curtains in the spring. Interesting also that the child associates princes with hunting hounds.
I hope you will continue this. And welcome to Taming the Muse. I've seen your name on
no subject
Date: 2007-10-21 08:12 am (UTC)I thought I might use this forum to write the bones of a prequel to the series of novels I usually write, so expect more flashes of these characters.
Stephanie and I share a mutual love of each other's writing, though the styles are vastly different.