Intro To My Novel (1) SHE DOEN’T SING?! It was afternoon in the Dae household as Mrs. Mary Dae irately burst through the doors of the frontroom, her face frozen with disdain. “Why had we never known of this?! She is so awful!” “Come now, Mary.” “She’s awful!” “Mary!” “Awful!” she squealed mercilessly. “Mary!” “Awfully, horribly, terribly terrible!” “Mother!” cried the three sisters at once. “We knew she couldn’t sing anyway, Mother.” “I thought it was just a phase as a child that she had grown out of!” “Mary, dear, she is not awful, nor is she terrible….her voice is only average,” explained Mary’s husband in despair. “Perhaps, John, but in this family your voice cannot be average!” “If only she had not refused to take singing lessons…” “She did not want to sing.” Explained Mary in an icy tone. “But Mama,” said Rose (one of her four daughters) “we will still go to Paris to sing won’t we?” “Imagine how embarrassing! We go to France, the people will not hear Celina sing, and they will tell her sing, sing! She must sing then, for the audience demands it. She shall sing and all Paris shall be in shock for our family had a defective child! A child that cannot sing as us….or even sing well for that matter. Humiliating!” “Perhaps she will get training now.” suggested Kiddie. J “Your voice cannot change from average to extraordinary in eleven days, dearest,” explained the sensible Jane, adding, “I suggest we lower out voices, for Celina is in her room, in an awful state as it is.” “This could be the case of the ugly duckling…in a sense. Perhaps she needs a few years for full vocal maturity before her voice will reach an amazing capacity,” suggested John. “Yet, Father, you may have forgotten that Rose, Kiddie, and I had out voices fully developed by sixteen….and poor Celina is seventeen.” “Spite! John, we all know you care for Celina very much, but we all know very well her voice will never be good.” “You are very hard on her Mary!” “I am not hard on her…I have accepted the truth, she is less accomplishes than Jane, Rose and Kiddie. That’s all!” “Less accomplished?! I dare not agree with you on that point!” “Girls….perhaps you should hurry to your rooms now. Father and I are discussing issues….well….you understand. Get gone, please.” The ladies, rather than girls “got gone” quickly. “John, I didn’t mean less accomplishes…only…musically.” “Good. For you know very well Celina is my favorite.” “Favorite! If you will be cruel enough to pick a favorite let it is one of the daughters who can sing!” “Celina is my favorite regardless of any shortcomings involving that. She is the most sensible-” “Jane is the most sensible!” “Perhaps Jane is sensible but Celina is at least twice as much. Celina is the most reformed, polite, intelligent, and, although I hate to compare daughters looks, she is the prettiest. Now before you punish me for that, I will say our daughters are all remarkably pretty. But you must look into her face and you will clearly see everything beautiful and charming in it, more so than any other girl in the town, as well as having the most elegant figure! So do not punish her so!” “Perhaps, she is a reputed beauty, but I have made up my mind, scornful John!” “On what, precisely?” “We will go to Paris without her.” “She will be alone for months in this house! It’s not possible!” “Perhaps a relative will be kind enough to take her in so she will not be lonely.” A Series of Letters Between Mrs. Mary Dae and Mrs. Broadson, the Cheerful Widow In this chapter, the author will relay a series of letter passed between the two ladies, Mrs. Mary Dae (Mary, the wife and mother from the previous chapter) and Mrs. Broadson, a woman later explained. Three days later a letter arrived at the house and the servant announced, “To Mrs. Dae, from a Mrs. Broadson.” Mary Dae took up the letter and furrowed her small brows, leisurely opening the letter. Dearest Mary, Goodness! It has been so long my dear Mary. It would be such a pity to think you didn’t remember me, but I’m sure you will, my dear relative, once told this: I was your sister in law, in a sense that is. Do you not remember a good, handsome stepbrother you once had? He married off, but his wife died of childbirth, tragically, and took the dearest baby with her. He married a second time, and that is to myself, Annie Broadson. You must remember me now my dear sister! It aggrieves me terribly to relay this cold message to you, and I am certain you will be shocked and deeply saddened by the news. Your stepbrother, my dearest husband, died on Tuesday at about eleven o’clock pm. A very stupid hunter with bad aim was shooting about for birds on Tuesday, and mistakenly, terribly mistakenly shot Edward farther off in the field. He went away quietly, and he knew all his relatives loved him so very much before he went. I told him so. We are holding a funeral for dearest Edward in eight days, and Devonshire is a day long trip from where you live, so you may come very soon, I very much hope you do. Edward loved you as much as a brother could possibly love a dear sister, and I very much hope all your family will come to this funeral, I have heard so many wonderful things about them. Word about the town is their singing voices are now nearly as extraordinary as your own, and I hear also of your daughter Celina being a reputed beauty. I must see this beauty! I remain sincerely yours, etc. Mrs. Dae was saddened by the news, and immediately wrote back. Dear Mrs. Broadson, I thank you for your kind words to us. This situation has deeply grieved the family, Edward was a very good man. We were planning on leaving to Paris in two days, but we must postpone our plans in order to attend the funeral of my dear stepbrother. We are very gratified at the invitation. Sincerely, etc., etc. Dear Mrs. Dae, Oh, I could not postpone your trip! You positively must go to Paris when you originally planned it. I had it in my mind that once back from Paris, you should come to Devonshire and stay with me for a month so that we may talk of Edward. It is much less droll to talk of someone then to have a funeral for them! So I have made up my mind that you must go to Paris and visit me in Devonshire when you get back. Adieu dearest relative, etc. Dear Mrs. Broadson, Thank you so very much. However, this trip is by no means more important to me than my own stepbrother! If you ever change your mind before we leave, we will be more than willing to postpone our trip. My second eldest daughter Celina will be able to attend the funeral, she is not accompanying the rest of the family to Paris. Thanks and Adieu, etc. Celina Recieves the News Waking up, Celina found herself wearier then the day before. The pretty coloring in her face had disappeared, and she now seemed pale, not only this, but she seemed frailer. There were two circles around her eyes, from staying up each night endlessly trying to sing in tune, only to hear the croak of her own ordinary voice. Perhaps a beauty, but her voice was nothing like her appearance. Her eyes were wide and blue, her complexion was fresh and charming, she had high cheek bones, with cheeks that were often slightly pink, she had long, wavy orange and golden blonde hair, and her figure was pleasing, womanly, thin wasted, and elegant. Her lips were round and red, and her eyelashes and eye brows were of a darker brown color, despite her light hair coloring. At a young age, Celina had realized she couldn’t sing as well as the rest of her family. The Dae family would travel along in the country, and at one point Celina was asked to sing in Willington. The poor girl endeavored with all her might, yet not a sound came from her voice that impressed a soul, and the family was disgraced. Mary and John Dae, her mother and father, begged her to take singing lessons, but the poor girl apologized to her parents and vowed she would never sing again. Although Miss Celina Dae did not have an extraordinary voice, she loved music with all her heart, and played the pianoforte everyday constantly. She was very intelligent and sensible, but at the same time slightly superstitious, as well as religious. The girls was known to be gentle, making her popular among the animals in the town, being pretty, which made her highly respectable to the girls and ladies of the town, being a talented pianist, making her popular to the musicians, and being ladylike, polite, and caring, which made her a good name to anyone else who cared to judge. However, every night she would dream of all the stories and fairy tails she had heard, of fairies, goblins, and witches, and most of all, she was spellbound by the idea of angels. She would always tell her father when she was very young, “One day, an angel will come to me and give me the gift of song and I will sing once again! I will sing well like you, and Mother, and Jane, and Rose, and Kiddie!” To this her father would always reply, “Ay, little Celina, an angel of song will come and you will sing just like us!” And since then she always believed that an angel would one day come. The now seventeen year old Miss Dae quickly dressed and headed to the pianoforte, waiting, like the rest of the family, for breakfast to be ready. Playing a long slow melody, the time passed slowly before breakfast was served, and the Dae family, Mrs. Dae, Mr. Dae, and the four Miss Daes sat down for breakfast. “Celina, I have not told you this, but the family was invited by a family friend and opera manager to come to the Paris Opera and sing.” “Paris very much enjoys new faces and impressive voices, I hear. Mama, does that mean….I must sing?!” “We would not want you to be embarrassed, dear, you will be going to my stepbrother, Edward’s, funeral, while the rest of the family leaves for Paris.” “Me?! Alone, at your stepbrother’s funeral?!” “Yes dearest, what is so terrible about that?” “He is not my real uncle, Mama! Yet, it would be perfectly natural for me to the funeral of dearest Edward if I was not alone! I did not even know he died! I cared for him very much! Why will you not postpone the trip?” “Mrs. Broadson, his wife, will not hear of us postponing our trip to Paris.” “How long will you be gone?” “More than two months I’d wager.” “Lord, two months! Alone! In this house! I will be returning to this house after the funeral, correct?” “That was the plan, but if Mrs. Broadson offers her hospitality to you, certainly you will not refuse it.” “Excuse me,” crowed Celina as she left the table. “I believe she took it better than I imagined,” said Mrs. Dae with a sad look on her face. “Poor little creature,” sighed Mr. Dae. Miss Celina rushed to her room in a frightful state. And what did she do? Sang, the poor little child sang to God. “ Oh, dear Lord will you not send me an angel? One that may teach me to sing with the deepest passion entrapped within my heart! That all my sorrows, pains, and despondency may unite together and melt into one harmonious melody! Or a gayer song, that I may feel all the love and bliss and happiness in the world as I cry out and sing with my heart! You have heard me sing now to you, so I may say that you are a witness of my venomous voice, you have heard the croaking toad! Now you know me to take pity, God! You have heard the girl with the revolting sound, and now you have heard enough of me! Think only of my dejection! My sisters sing like fine-looking nymphs in a Greek fairy tail….you have heard them, you know. My mother sings like a sweet little nightingale on a sunny afternoon. Oh! If I could have my mother’s sweet voice all would be well. When one hears a beauty as my mother sing they never forget the pretty little nightingale that sang to them on that sunny afternoon! How many times have I heard those stories of men shouting at mother’s window, ‘Oh, rare, sweet little bird, sing again, beauty, sing again!’ Oh, but my father, my strong good father is no nightingale. He sings so strong and mighty, my sisters may be nymphs, but my father is Zeus! Or some Roman God for certain! The world shakes and you hear the deep, strong echoes of my fathers voice as he sings with power and might! People tremble often, after hearing him! Some people believe that it is you, God, singing when hearing such a thunderous voice. Send me an angel….help me…..before they leave, and I am left alone!” It was a theatrical moment for Celina, a religious girl, an emotional girl at heart, and her soul was crying out in desperation. She needed the angel. She believed in the angel. So that she could leave with her family to Paris, so that she would not be alone. What was worst was what Celina had no knowledge of: the family was taking its leave tomorrow. Daytime passed quickly on that day, yet when night time came, Celina was filled with heavy sighs and woes. The poor young woman waited for an angel, but none came that night, and she cried herself to sleep. Miss Celina Dae was not known to be a particularly sensitive or emotional woman. However, if there was one thing that made her sob, it was thinking of her voice, and her family, knowing the two together made a hideous combination. Departure The Dae’s front room was elegantly decorated with roman busts, red carpeting, silk couches, a golden and white staircase, and the beloved pianoforte. The room filled up slowly, starting with Mr. Dae, the usual first, Mrs. Dae, then Jane, Rose and Kiddie together, and those were the family members that attended breakfast. Despite Mrs. Dae’s calls to Celina’s room, she did not attend breakfast, calling back that she was not ready. An hour after breakfast Mrs. Dae called, “For heavens sakes child, how long does it take to freshen up a bit and get dressed? It is not good to miss your breakfast, and we will be leaving very soon!” After this comment was made, Celina Dae opened the door of her bedroom, elegantly walked down the stairs, and joined the rest of the family in the front room. Their eyes were widened upon looking at Miss Dae. The fresh colors in her complexion were restored, her dress was stunning, and her hair was put up in a barrette. She politely smiled to her family as they stared at her. “My, it seems everybody is staring at me!” the young lady laughed. “You look so well, Celina!” cried Rosie. “My, how pretty!” smiled Jane. “Well, at least her cheeks are rosy once again!” laughed Kiddie. “Thank you, I had never noticed, myself! Had I lost my rosy cheeks?” “Your coloring had quite disappeared after you had sung with us a week ago, after that you had looked quite sickly,” sighed Mrs. Dae. After this was said three four person carriages pulled up, one for the parents, one for the three sisters, and one for Celina to Devonshire. Hugging, kissing and affectionate words were passed between the young lady and her family before Celina was separated from her family, and entered the carriage. Perhaps, though what the author portrays seems ardent, it did not seem adequate to Miss Celina before her family left her for months. “To Devonshire I hear?” the coachman yelled from the front. “You are correct, my good sir,” she sighed, “to Devonshire.” As the coach moved at a leisurely pace, the girl had an abundance of time to think of a statement that had been made by her father before entering the stagecoach. It had, although belated, given the young woman a glimmer of optimism before leaving for her “uncle’s” funeral. The final person to wish her well was her father smiling, “The angel may have been a bit late, my girl! Do not fret, he will come!” At this Celina hopped into the coach, beaming at her father. “Thank you father,” she laughed, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. The path which the coach was taking to Devonshire was blistering. The sun beamed down upon the poor driver as he fanned himself with his hat, Miss Dae was in a cooler situation, inside the coach, but still feeling humid, fanning herself with a more appropriate tool: a fan. This heat gave no heed as they traveled throughout the day, panting, sweating, and fanning. The driver would occasionally yell back to Miss Dae, “Are you well, my lady?!” “As well as I can be, thank you,” she would say breathlessly. Edward Broadson, Miss Dae’s mother’s stepbrother, was, as said in Mrs. Dae’s letter, much loved by the family considering the few times he had met with them; Thrice, with his first wife, twice alone after her death, and once after being married a second time. (Annie Broadson was unable to make the trip due to an unyielding fever, and wrote a letter she wanted her husband to deliver to the family, and instructed him to give them all the love she would have showed them had she been able to accompany him) Mr. Broadson had been in the navy long before he retired from his services and settled down in Devonshire, with hunting as his pleasurable pastime. After finding this pastime so enjoyable, he began practicing and shooting regularly, at this point, hunting became the life of him. Little did he realize that hunting would be the death of him as well. ‘It’s a wonder what state Mrs. Broadson is in at this time.’ Celina thought, as she closed her eyes and prepared to take a rest from the unpleasant scenery. Part 2 “Miss Celina?! My, is she asleep? I’d wager the trip was tiring, the weather, so humid!” Suddenly the lady known as Miss Celina opened her eyes to find herself being watched over by a bulky old lady, and the driver, slightly confused, and once comprehending that she had fallen asleep, considerably embarrassed. “Child! Lord, you must be so thirsty! Come, dear, into my home and we can have some tea.” “Mrs. Broadson?” “Oh! Yes! Heavens, I apologize, my dear! Yes, I am Annie Broadson, welcome, welcome! You know, I have been waiting all day for your arrival, in fact, we all have been very anxious! William, George, Thomas, and I that is; the boys have been running absolutely wild! At first it perturbed me terribly, but in the end I just say, ‘Boys will be boys!” How was the trip? Very hot, I’d wager!” “Yes, indeed, it was.” Sighed Celina. “Oh, I remember an awful trip I once took to Egypt, I was quite excited, until I arrived and the heat was simply blistering! Perhaps you rested well, though, Miss Dae?” Mrs. Broadson chuckled. “Yes, thank you. You have son’s Mrs. Broadson?” “Sons?! Heavens no, child. I have never had a child in my life! In fact, I thought I would stay an old lonely spinster until I married your….uncle, may he rest in peace.” “Forgive me, those three boys you were speaking of? William, Thomas, and….” “Oh! Child you make me laugh! William and George are my dogs, little Thomas is my nephew, staying in my care for the next two weeks. He is energetic perhaps….yet not at all spoiled or malicious, like many I’ve seen at his age.” “Oh, how silly of me,” Celina smiled, “the funeral is tomorrow?” “Yes, yes, tomorrow. How droll for a girl your age! Perhaps you thought it very repulsive to come to a man’s funeral? It is not at all merry or gay, and I am very sorry you must come without your family!” “Oh it is none so repulsive for me. I cared for my relative very much, thank you for your concern.” “Oh, you needn’t thank me, my dear! If you will be too sad at the funeral I shall reproach myself for forcing you to attend! So, if you think it too droll for you, you absolutely must tell me so as to not put you at any discomfort. By the way, my dear, why did you not go with your family to Paris? It is very unusual for a girl your age to decline an invitation to Paris! I’m terribly sorry for keeping you outside, I must take you inside for tea that we may talk all about it!” Celina nodded her head thankfully. Once inside the house the two sat at a table and were served tea. “My good Miss Dae, as I was talking of Paris? Yes, yes I was! Now, my dear, I’m quite dying to know you see….why you had not gone. For a girl your age not to go to such a town! Paris, a city filled with adventures, and romances, and beauty! It’s every girls dream you know!” “My family was invited to Paris by an opera manager, a good friend of ours, to sing in the Paris Opera.” “How splendid! Why would you not go to sing in the Paris Opera? That makes it all the more exciting! I have heard of your family’s exceptional talent as singers. It seems your family came into quite a fortune having such large audiences?” “Yes, my family, good lady, not I.” “Are you saying you do not sing with your family?” “No, I do not sing….I…cannot sing, I croak…..my lady.”
Copyright © 2006 Jenelle Marie Dayton |