Intro To My Novel (3)
“I cannot say I am as excellent as you, Miss Dae, but I have been practicing.” “Oh thank you, I am sure you will do very well. Excuse me, but I do not believe I have been fortunate enough to come to your acquaintance.” “Sarah Warrington, I am new to this town.” “Oh, certainly, I have heard! It is my understanding you have ten more members of your family?” “Yes indeed, it is my understanding you do not live here.Whereabouts are you staying Miss Dae ?” “With my good hostess, Mrs. Broadson….but I mustn’t keep you,” and she bowed to Miss Warrington before departing. Celina had not walked very far before being caught by Mrs. Broadson’s old friend, Mrs. Harington. “Why, hello, my dear! I am Mrs. Harington! I have heard much about you Miss Dae, and you are such an exceptional pianist!” “I thank you, ma’am, you are too kind.” “And what a beauty! Have you danced with any gentleman?” “Not yet, my lady.” “I must find---” “It really is not necessary Mrs. Harington, I thank you.” Miss Dae knew the tactics of Mrs. Broadson too well to let Mrs. Harrington finish the sentence. She bowed and went on. Mrs. Broadson had introduced Miss Dae to six people that evening, and she had met two now herself. A young man came up to Miss Dae and the young lady was relieved to meet with a familiar face. “Miss Dae, you are quite a pianist!” “You are too kind Mr. Brendan, whereabouts is your elder brother? It is quite a pity I have not yet seen him,” Miss Dae smiled and tried not to laugh at her little lie. “He is over…right over there, sitting at the table.” “My, all alone!” exclaimed Celina, trying her best to pretend to be surprised. “Indeed, my brother is not one to converse easily with strangers.” “I would have never been able to tell by the meeting this afternoon,” said Miss Dae icily. This comment made both uneasy and a pink color rose into her face. “Forgive me! I did not mean to seem rude!” “Not at all Miss Celina, not at all…I was…hoping to request the next dance with you.” “Certainly sir,” she said. “Thank you. Oh! Miss Celina, I was slightly curious how you are related to Mrs. Broadson.” “She is the wife of my mother’s stepbrother.” “Why did your family not attend the funeral, if the question is not at all intrusive, my lady.” “Not in the least. They are all in Paris.” “All but you?” “Yes, they went to the Paris Opera…to sing, they were invited by the manager. Unfortunately, I cannot sing as the rest of my family. I stay in fear of public humiliation. My family has a great and valuable reputation.” “What you tell me is….sad, Miss Celina. Perhaps if you had training….?” “I would now have training, yes.” “Excellent! I will see you on the next dance!” Celina, confused at the sudden departure, walked on without a word. The minutes before the next dance went on without excitement. Miss Dae met new faces, was amiable and courteous, and curtsied and smiled as a young lady was thought fit to do. Then, came the next dance, she met with young Mr. Brendan, his face was beaming more than usual. The dance began and Mr. Brendan immediately began to speak. “Miss Dae, I believe I have a very good solution! A very, very good solution!” “Sir! You have been most peculiar! What on earth do you mean?!” “Forgive me, Miss Dae, I am speaking of your…’voice trouble’.” “What solution?! You are acquainted with a teacher?” “Indeed I am Miss Dae! We are very well acquainted! Perhaps I also out to tell you Their name, is in fact, Brendan!” Celina’s eyes nearly popped out. There were two possibilities, two possibilities of what he meant by Brendan. Or perhaps three? His mother?! “Not yourself I presume?” “I am no soprano! My brother, Robert Brendan, has a very good voice, and has trained many people! Although he is here for only three weeks…that is quite a start. He has taken many classes at the academy of music in London, in fact he won an award….perhaps you should speak to him about it…” “Sir! I….I thank you for your consideration, but I cannot intrude upon your brother’s…..kindness…I mustn’t….forgive me!” “Oh, nonsense! Miss Dae, he is an excellent teacher, one of the best, I assure you!” “Oh….no, no forgive me!” “May I at least inquire as to why you refuse?” “I….you see…..forgive me sir, I cannot give you a reason. You and your brother are very kind to offer me such help, I….I am very sorry!” The dance went on in silence until it was over. “As a friend, Miss Dae, please consider my plea.” Miss Dae said nothing, but looked humiliated that she had rejected his attempts to help her so quickly. The young Mr. Brendan was a good man, a very good man! If only he had a brother that was amiable, at least a worthy teacher! At this moment Mrs. Broadson approached, overhearing Mr. Brendan’s plea, and quite inquisitively she came up to him and inquired, “Consider what plea Mr. Brendan!?” “I am nearly begging Miss Dae to take voice training from my brother.” “Goodness sir! I had never been informed of your brother’s experience!” “Certainly! He graduated from the Academy of Music in London! He has successfully trained many people!” “Miss Dae you must!” Miss Dae only groaned. “You must! You must! I will never allow you to surpass this opportunity! You are very fortunate, my dear girl! She accepts, Mr. Brendan, she accepts!” “Do you accept Miss Dae?” “I’m so sorry….” “You will!” cried Mrs. Broadson. “I cannot….” “You will my dear and I will never hear of it any other way! Mr. Brendan, tell your good brother that she accepts!” “Please, Mrs. Broadson, I am pleading with you to understand the circumstances….” “Oh silly child! Look here! I am asking you to put aside all these silly circumstances for a bit and only think only of how happy your poor mother and father would be! I know your voice is very important to you and I will not let you make a foolish choice!” “Foolish choice?! No, no Mrs. Broadson!” “It would be an absolutely splendid surprise!” the old woman exclaimes. “I---” “I will tell my brother the good news immediately Mrs. Broadson!” stated the excited young man. “This has been forced upon me! Oh! Mrs. Broadson!” moaned Miss Dae. “Capital! I will tell him!” repeated young Mr. Brendan. Mr. Brendan quickly left. “Mrs. Broadson how could you! You know very well Mr. Robert Brendan and I are not on good terms!” “Put that silly thing aside and think of the good that will come out of it! Think of how surprised your family will be!” “That is, if he is of any help at all.” “He will be! He will be!” “How are you certain?” “Trust me!” The old woman scurried away, and Celina was left alone to regret those fatal words that were nearly forced upon her. ‘I have no other option.’ She very well realized she had an option. Celina cursed her kind and pleasing nature wishing she would do things to please herself, as often as she sought to please others. “How will I sing….to humiliate myself in front of a man who already dislikes me?! To a man as offensive and judgmental as he? Oh! Curse this all! I already despise him, how can I despise him so soon? I feel unjust to despise him! Why should I feel unjust? He has insulted me without knowing me well enough to do so! He had no right!” “Miss Celina….forgive me, you do not look so well.” The voice was now Miss Sarah Warington’s. “Oh, I….hello.” stuttered Celina. “Perhaps I surprised you? Forgive me!” “Oh, no…no not at all! Perhaps I do not look so well because I have received quite a shock!” From this point Miss Dae opened up to Miss Warington about her dilemma, every detail, starting from her family’s reputation, and her voice, onto the point at the present moment. Sarah listened to every detail without interruption. Miss Dae opened up so very much one would have guessed they had been the best of friends for a very long time. “All I have to do is look upon him at this moment and he is none too friendly. Look at his face! He looks very unhappy to be here!” “In fact,” said Miss Dae, “he has not danced with one woman since he entered. I find it very rude when you see all these ladies sitting all around him, talking to him! They are nearly begging him for a dance!” “He is proud and arrogant, yet women seem so fascinated by him!” “Certainly they are…he is very rich!” “Perhaps handsome as well.” “What my point is is that Mr. Robert Brendan is judgmental, conceited, and anything but amiable, yet his assets keep him well respected!” “Miss Celina!” the voice was now Colonel Wentworth, a good friend of the younger Mr. Brendan. He had come to her acquaintance earlier that evening, and made a good impression, he was a kind and respectable man in his early thirties. “Colonel Wentworth, what a pleasure! This is Miss Warington, if she is not already of your acquaintance.” “How do you do, Colonel?” “Very well, Miss Warington, I assure you. I have heard your family is new to these parts?” “Indeed we are, you live here in Devonshire?” “No, I do not. I came up recently with my relatives.” “To whom do you speak of?” asked Miss Dae. “I speak of the Brendans, my lady.” Shock Indeed! “Mr. Brendan had never told me you were related!” exclaimed Miss Dae. “Indeed, we are! My father and their mother are related.” “I see….” Miss Celina sighed before saying, “excuse me, I must get a breath of fresh air.” She quickly slipped away, pretending not to hear they’re recommendation of coming along with her. Colonel Wentworth was an amiable, pleasing, and respectable man of four and thirty. He was more handsome than Edward Brendan yet not as handsome as Robert Brendan, was more civil than Robert and not half as much as Edward, but all had similar statures: tall and slightly muscular. All three were brunettes, brown eyed, and affluently dressed, and had known each other all of their lives, and now, there was all too much familiarity of one another’s dispositions to show for it. All three had unpleasing traits that they would have perhaps, terribly loathed one another for had they not become accustomed to these behaviors of each other. Mr. Robert Brendan was drowned in self importance, as Mr. Edward was often jittery and nervous, as the Colonel was, at times, very stubborn. Colonel Wentworth had confirmed it very achievable to be pleasant and obstinate simultaneously, and therefore was not disliked, for if he had been only obstinate and none so friendly and cordial, regards for him may have been much lower. There was one delightful quality the colonel had which made Mr. Robert Brendan seem extremely disagreeable, that is, the Colonel’s spirits always remained outwardly high whenever and wherever he went, though he had had many difficulties in his life, yet Mr. Robert was often in low spirits, yet as for complexity within his life, he had very little, if none at all. Wentworth had always believed Brendan could be the happiest of men had he been matched with a respectable lady, for he had never been in love, and therefore was never esteemed in such a way in return. It was one day which Mr. Brendan was told by his cousin, “Brendan! You must have some idea of a young woman you will like to marry! You have known no true bliss until you have loved, and even better, been loved in return.” “Then why have I never seen such a woman who could tempt me in such a manner? Perhaps I have no plausible equivalent in the world, and if that indeed is the truth, perhaps it is better to remain a bachelor.” “You must be jesting your elder cousin Brendan! Have you not ever seen a pleasing woman, one of beauty, and character, and taste, and perhaps elegance?” “No, not I. I am not at all bashing the character and beauty of women, yet I have known not of one that could compare to the beauty described in poetry, or the elegance described in books or the rank in which is suitable for myself.” Miss Dae walked down a long, great hall adorned with paintings and tapestries that she felt she owed all the admiration she could give to. Ones of love and loss and tragedy, mostly, yet her favorite was a woman laying on the ground asleep, as a man, perhaps intended to be a minstrel, sang what was assumed to be a sweet melody with an instrument in hand. She, the young lady asleep on the ground, and he, to her, an angel, yet no such immortal being had come for her and taught her how to sing, she still believed there was an angel meant for some such a thing. It had abandoned her and left her with him. Slowly she walked toward the door to the outside, and once finding herself there, she saw another figure off in the distance. “Thomas!” “Hello Miss Celina….balls are so droll I cannot stand them!” “I would not expect you to, Thomas. Perhaps you will take a walk with me in that forest area….of in the distance, if that is not as droll,” she suggested and pointed. “Aunt Annie never allows me to go very far in there alone, but with you I am sure I can.” He then ran quickly across the grass to reach the forest, with a Miss Celina, looking none so lady like, chasing right after him. It was then that they entered, and Miss Dae hesitated a moment before saying, “Are you certain you want to go in? It is very dark.” Thomas raised his eyebrows. “You suggested it!” “You are right,” said she, “come along then.” Thomas followed her obediently into the forest in which he had never entered. They had not walked far in the tree filled atmosphere, about one minute or so, before coming upon a little pond, an unexpected detour! The two looked down upon the pond uncertainly. “I love to sit at ponds, it is very tranquil…I have always loved the water very much, what say you Thomas?” He shrugged. “I suppose girls prefer tranquility, but I would like to see if I could catch a fish!” “With your bare hands Thomas!” “Yes, with my bare hands, I’ve seen someone do it once, in fact!” “My….it would seem very difficult…but I will sit, perhaps dip me feet….I feel a bit sweaty…” Little time went passed before Celina felt completely at ease from her troubles, yet any comment from another would abruptly stop it. Thomas grabbed for fish unsuccessfully for a few minutes, and to Celina’s dismay, he had little patience. “I want to go now!” She groaned. “Thomas I have done much walking today! What with going to town and back, and-” “Then I will go, not very far, so as long as you can see me.” “So as long as I see you, you give me your word.” “I give you my word!” he yelled to her, for he had already passed the stream while she had spoken. For some minutes after the young boy had passed the creek he was still in her view. Yet if you know young boys, and their tendencies, you have surely predicted what circumstance had unfolded. Thomas was soon in her view no longer, and Celina, though slightly frustrated, did not worry to the extent where she forced herself up, no, she was very comfortable in the position she was in to have time to inquire to herself about the past events in the Broadson household. This self inquiry came about for approximately five minutes before Celina heard a yell, the yell of a boy, a boy who had been frightened out of his wits. “Thomas!” she yelled and jumped up immediately.
Copyright © 2006 Jenelle Marie Dayton |