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Post by ~Charlotte~ on Mar 28, 2007 21:40:42 GMT
Nell span around and grinned at the little gathering as they filled the balcony. Gripping Evelyn's hand she gave it a little squeeze. She brought her new friend to the very front, people parting the way to let Nelly through. She beamed as she saw her lover the King on his throne, his little Queen beside him, that obnoxious woman the Duchess of Portsmouth...Louise, her greatest rival, floating nearby, Barbara Palmer and Buckhingham milling in the corner...the Duke of Monmouth sat with his father...
Nell pointed all these out to Evelyn and gave a little breathy sigh...
"In't he 'andsome? The King? I 'ave two sons by 'im you know...I'm so proud..." she couldn't stop smiling at Evelyn...then the crowd hushed as a banging noise was heard...someone was coming into the hall...
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Post by ~~*Buffy Bloom*~~ on Mar 28, 2007 21:45:34 GMT
Evelyn listened intently for once, she grinned at the woman's adoring comments. She cocked an eyebrow, "Have to admit, not bad taste yer have there...that's the King of England eh?" she couldn't help but wince a little with disgust at the title.
The group glanced round to see who was making their entrance...
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Post by ~Charlotte~ on Mar 28, 2007 21:55:24 GMT
The King and Queen stood, Charles began to grin and Catherine gazed up adoringly at him. From somewhere a voice boomed out,
"His Grace, the Duke of Norfolk, and his sister, her Grace, the Duchess of Norfolk..."
From beneath the balcony emerged Victoria, guided by Frederick. She glittered in the lights shining through the large windows.
Nelly gave out a little gasp...
"She's a right lady now! She were but 16 when I saw 'er last!" she whispered...
Frederick stepped aside to allow Victoria to curtsey deeply before the King and Queen. Charles walked forward and put his hands on her shoulders, which quivered slightly with nerves. Whatever he said to her caused her to rise and embrace him like a brother. Many people murmured at the breach of etiquette, but Charles just laughed and turned to Catherine, who kissed the little Duchess on the cheek. The Duke of Monmouth came forward and kissed her hand...
From above, Reginald beamed.
"Well, we always knew that when she came back she'd be popular..." He turned to Will, who was staring at the whole event with a look of deep thought etched on his face.
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Post by ~~*Buffy Bloom*~~ on Mar 28, 2007 22:02:11 GMT
Jack's mouth had gone completely dry. He gawped at the sight of this young...woman, glistening and looking every inch a piece of art. It only made him fall deeper into his infatuation...deeper in...love. She was so exquisite and yet so...delightfully innocent.
Seeing Victoria and Frederick make their grand entrance gave Evelyn a reality check. That could have been her, in the arms of a despicable man whom she would call husband. Well, she certainly wasn't anyone's wife. And certainly no lady. She shuddered at the thought.
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Post by ~Charlotte~ on Mar 28, 2007 22:08:28 GMT
Nell felt Evelyn shudder beside her...she glanced at her and pulled her away...
"Come on...I 'appen to know for a fact you 'ave a date with 'is Majesty!"
She smiled at them all and led Evelyn down another stairwell into the maze-like corridors of Whitehall...
"You allright?" she asked, genuinely concerned, glancing over her shoulder.
Reginald and Will had followed suit, Will slowly making his way towards the woman he adored...
He glanced at Nelly nervously before muttering to Evelyn...
"I can't do this...it's...it's too much..."
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Post by ~~*Buffy Bloom*~~ on Mar 28, 2007 22:12:34 GMT
Evelyn avoided Nelly's question and frowned at Will, "Can't do what? What's the matter?" she then realised what they were doing, "Oh!" he slapped his arm lightly, "Turner, he's just a man. Some fancy title, so what? Come on..." she held out a hand. "I won't bite." she smiled, "Much."
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Post by ~Charlotte~ on Mar 28, 2007 22:15:11 GMT
Will smiled nervously back at her. Reginald coughed awkwardly...Nelly guffawed a little.
"Well I'll leave you lovers alone..." she winked and gave Reginald a kiss on the cheek...
"I 'ave people to see...Rochester is back at court you know?"
"Really?" gasped Reginald, a small smile creeping on his lips. He waved to Nelly as she went, "Now where is Captain Sparrow...the King will be waiting..."
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Post by ~~*Buffy Bloom*~~ on Apr 4, 2007 21:27:33 GMT
Evelyn's eyes widened in shock at the comment and quickly blurted, "We are NOT lovers." she let go of his hand and started walking away, "At all. Of any sort. Ever." She made her way towards the King then stopped. What was she doing? Meeting the bl**dy King of England? Jaysus!
~~
Jack was about to approach Victoria, but froze in his place. He scratched the back of his head and spun round. A man behind him was muttering to who seemed to be his wife. Jack felt rather awkward, knowing that they were speculating him and how very 'odd' he looked. Wonderful. He turned back round and walked to a quiet corner. He twiddled with his beard and searched for a familiar face.
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Post by ~Charlotte~ on Apr 4, 2007 21:34:21 GMT
"Jack!"
A voice rang out across the hall and Victoria stood next to Charles waving her friend over, grinning broadly. The King gave a little smirk and whispered something in his young cousin's ear that made her flush a little and slightly slap his arm. The Queen smiled fondly at her husband as she, the Duke of York and the Duke of Monmouth waited to recieve the man the little Princess had not stopped talking of since she'd met with them...
~~
From the entrance to the hall, Will and Reginald watched nervously as Jack was called before the King.
"Where is...Frederick?" Will asked coyly, curious as to why the Bourbon boy was absent...
"He's gone to see Barbara Palmer and Buckingham and Shaftesbury...now Victoria is back she'll be..." he trailed off and glanced behind at the little group...
"Well...never mind..shall we?"
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Post by ~~*Buffy Bloom*~~ on Apr 4, 2007 22:02:42 GMT
Jack gulped and managed a smile as he walked over, "Vict...Your Grace...how may I...do you service?" he managed, not wanting to sound too informal or...disrespectful...
Evelyn was approaching to Will, whilst scowling at a middle-aged man she was walking away from, was it really that necessary to offer himself in such a pompous way? Mistress to a high lord, you won't get better than that, pffft! Jibberish. "Go n-ithe an cat thú is go n-ithe an diabhal an cat..." she said, a common Irish curse meaning 'May the cat eat you, and may the cat be eaten by the devil.'
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Post by ~Charlotte~ on Apr 4, 2007 22:13:50 GMT
The little group around the throne laughed. Victoria took hold of his hand gently and brought him before the King...
"Your Majesty, this is Captain Jack Sparrow...the man who saved me..." Her dark eyes twinkled as she looked from Charles to the man she adored...
Charles stood and walked slowly towards him. He grasped Jack warmly by the shoulder. He was a handsome man, oozing charm and grace, yet his mouth held something cynical about it, and his eyes spoke of the melancholy he and his family had suffered...
In his soft spoken yet strong voice he spoke...
"You do us a great service Captain Sparrow...bringing back England its Duchess and keeping the world a little bit brighter...we are in your debt. May I introduce my brother, the Duke of York...my wife Catherine...and my son the Duke of Monmouth..."
Charles gestured to them and the little group beamed and nodded at the pirate...though taken aback at his unusual appearance...
"We cannot say our thanks enough Captain..." the Queen piped up in her lilting Portuguese. She smiled at him shyly, her ringlets bouncing, "Veectorrria has told us a lot about your bravery..."
"Where are you from?" interrupted Monmouth rudely, gazing hard at the man before him, flickering his gaze between that of the pirate before him and the adoring Princess...
"Jemmy..." Charles muttered warningly, as Victoria bit her lip and her cheeks flushed to a rosy shade at the Duke's query...
The haughty boy stared pointedly for a moment longer...then his eyes fell upon the approaching red-head behind Captain Sparrow...
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Post by ~~*Buffy Bloom*~~ on Apr 4, 2007 22:23:30 GMT
Jack's eyes twinkled with an air of enigma, "Me? I'm from the great seas of the earth..." he gave a dashing smile to the Queen, regaining himself, "And it was a pleasure to bring the beautiful young Duchess back to her home, I feel it was what any man would have done..." he put his hands together and gave a little nod.
Evelyn threw her hair back and gave a little huff, "English men..I swear..." she muttered. She glanced over at Jack, raising an eyebrow with curiosity, "Looks like our Jack's met the almight monarchy..."
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Post by ~Charlotte~ on Apr 4, 2007 22:30:22 GMT
Will smirked a little, but his face fell as he heard Reginald announce their arrival before the King...his legs suddenly went to jelly. It was stupid really...he being only a man...but the power, and the effect he had on people...Will could do nothing but bow as he heard the voice of Victoria...
"And William Turner...and Evelyn O'Malley....sorry...Captain O'Malley... they also saved my life." Jack had given her a look which made her correct herself...she smiled politely at her two other rescuers.
~~
Will looked up into the black eyes of the King and could not help but smile back at the warm face beaming down on him...then Charles turned to Evelyn.
He had never seen such strange beauty before...she was like Nelly...bright and vivacious but strong...lithe...elegant...a lady in sailor attire...and those bright emerald eyes...
He took hold of her hand and kissed it, his moustache brushing her fingertips...
"My lady...Captain....O'Malley...a pleasure..."
The King looked at her in the eye, smiling...
"Are you perchance a descendant of Grace...that infamous pirate Queen?" His pupils twinkled with mischief...
The Duke of York gasped at the realisation. The Queen smiled nervously whilst the Duke of Monmouth gaped...even Victoria smiled a little at the meeting.
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Post by ~~*Buffy Bloom*~~ on Apr 4, 2007 22:48:12 GMT
Against all her instincts, a disarming smile escaped Evelyn's lips. "Yes, yes she's my ancestor..." her emerald eyes twinkled, and however much she held back, she did feel less...hatred, for this particular man. "You know of her?" she asked, whilst taking back her hand. "It's surprised me, to be honest, that you would acknowledge her existence in the world. God forbid the blessed King of England speak about a Pirate, and an Irish one at that!" she exclaimed, disguising her statement with humour. Her green eyes met his black eyes, and she held the gaze for a moment before making herself look away. No matter how charming he was, he was, at the end of the day, what she detested. He was something she had grown to loathe, and she couldn't cross her own principles.
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Post by ~Charlotte~ on Apr 4, 2007 22:57:05 GMT
Charles noted her hesitation at his advances...and he noted her cynicism. She was like him...she hid her past and all it's horrors with humour...he still continued to smile at her and held her pale hand in his...
"Well...we of England are proud of our pirates...we had Drake...and my brother here is fighting the Dutch using your tactics...and I have another pirate whom I am to honour soon for his services...as for your Irish descent...you heathen you!" He chuckled..."No...the Irish have caused me no trouble...and I hope to cause them none either..." He nodded his head at her and Will...
"And how about in thanks I make you Lady Evelyn O'Malley and Sir William Turner...and what about Jack Sparrow...Earl of Ravenspur?"
Charles grinned.
~~
Monmouth gasped. The Duke of York gasped. Catherine gasped. Victoria gasped, but could not contain her delight as her smile widened and she clasped her bejeweled hands together.
Will opened his mouth in a rather ungainly manner and began to stutter...
"Y-y-you jest, Your Majesty!"
Charles shook his head amusedly.
"I do not Mr. Turner," he turned back to Evelyn...
"...what say you to this Captain O'Malley? I feel a lady of your...calibre deserves nothing less...not to mention the generous pension England would owe you for your service..."
He waited for her response...
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