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3 mermaidhair1461

Elizabeth was shocked at her new choices of outfits. Times had changed drastically since she had last been fitted into a dress. It was two years before the new millennium and gowns had certainly slimed down. She had not noticed a large change in style in James's attire, but in women she had never taken note of their costume. They wore dresses with umpire waists, long yards of gown flowing beneath them, little overcoats fitting the arms and breasts which were somewhat more apparent. One could wear a long riding coat over such a dress and not appear to manly. Everything had simplified somewhat and people were turning into a new era.

This did not bother Elizabeth at all, for Brenna's old gowns were too much of a hassle to manage. No, these dresses were much more to her taste, simple a refined. In twenty four years one would only expect dresses to worsen, but in fact they seemed to improve.

Elizabeth quickly dressed after a bath and pulled her hair up into a twist on top of her head. The dress she donned was of a simple blue and complemented her dark hair and eyes. She quickly ran back down to the room where Oliver had been waiting, only to find stacks of books and an elderly woman who was conversing with the gracious Lord Radcliff.

"My dear little Brenna…dead…" The woman clutched her throat but did not redeem herself to cry. She was pale and much too old to move with great ease, but her eyes were easy to smile at anyone. Elizabeth bowed quickly to them as they glanced at her.

"Lady Turner…I would like you to meet Lady Anna Copley."

The women smiled at each other in a kind greeting. "Is this the one my nephew wishes to marry?" The woman inquired making Elizabeth head rear back in surprise.

"Nephew?"

"Yes, this is the late Admiral Norrington's Aunt. She was also the governess to Brenna…er…I mean Lady Norrington."

Elizabeth's eyes widened. "So, you must know all about this house and how dark it is. You must also know better than anyone why Brenna was so…so…"

"Distant?" The Lady suggested.

"Yes…"

"If you care to hear it, I shall be much obliged to pay my respects to the memories of such a wonderful young woman."

"She was not as wonderful as she was quick to bite." The words were out before she could gather them back into her mouth. She was afraid that now she would never hear the tale of the young Brenna.

Elizabeth almost fell over from shock as the woman nodded and smiled. "I believe you are correct, Lady Turner. Brenna was quick to wit more than to kindness…but when she was younger…it was much different…"

James burst through the door as if he had been listening at the door. "Before you go any further, Aunt Anna, I would like to get myself comfortable for such a story."

Oliver looked exasperated, but agreed. James took a double-take at Elizabeth who was looking through a stack of books. The candles danced across her face as she flipped through pages of books and snickered to herself as she gazed at a picture. He had never seen her so modern, so British, so beautiful. He sat down and propped his feet up onto a coffee table and was ready. He nodded to the Aunt he had only met hours before, approving her wish to continue.

"This house was maintained by the late Baron and Baroness McEllister, Brenna's parents. They were unfortunate as to only have one child, but in doing so they made Brenna into a triple threat. They secured her knowledge in the art of elegance and she became what was to be considered a Princess, for she had all the graces of one. That, my dear friends, is not what made her so…distant as you said, Elizabeth."

"She was tutored strictly by her parents on all the studies young boys were being taught and when she turned seven she met the most insufferable of men…besides you Oliver."

Oliver nodded as he thanked her with a smile. Elizabeth broke out into a laughter that grasped hold of James's heart. Lady Copley continued. "Lord Cutler Beckett was a rising star in politics and trade. His heart was eagerly captured by the young Brenna and paid for her to be his future wife. Brenna had no say in this matter and grew up, quite literally, in Beckett's shadow. He was always near her, suffocating her with his arrogance and manners. Well, it just so happens that on her sixteenth birthday she meets this devilishly handsome and most polite man by the name of James Norrington. She fell in love with him quickly but had to keep it hidden because of what her parents would do to her if they knew. They would surely throw her out of the house and then where would she go? So, I had the fortunate dilemma of holding private meetings between the two in my gardens. Her parents never suspected, or at least they never lead on to expecting, that their own daughter who they had enforced heavy knowledge of her responsibilities as a woman was in love with someone out of her status!"

Oliver and Anna chuckled to themselves, finding so depressing a matter utterly hilarious. James and Elizabeth glanced to one another, but Aunt Anna continued. "It wasn't until the rehearsal dinner that Brenna finally broke free of her senses and ran for the hills towards James's house. Her parents followed reluctantly and decided that letting Brenna marry James was the only thing they could do to save their reputations. James was of small fortune so it wasn't as if she was marrying a person of limited means. The next day she was off to Port Royal with her new fiancé. After that, I don't really know what happened between the two. No one really knows except for when Brenna arrived back at Port Royal with two coffins and a swelling pregnant belly. It has been one of the greatest mysteries of the ton as to what transpired. The Baron can tell you about the last months of James's life, but as far as we know, Brenna and James could have disappeared and we wouldn't know the difference. Though I wrote to many inhabitants of Port Royal, asking what had happened of my nephew they could only reply that the newlyweds were happily married and rarely showed any signs of indecency towards one another. Brenna was the most secretive person I ever knew…"

The Aunt sighed as she remembered the days that had longed passed in the very palace that they sat in.

"What became of her parents?" Elizabeth broke the silence.

"They were murdered by pirates while crossing the Atlantic to go see their daughter."

"What became of Lord Beckett?"

"He continued to pursue Brenna and lost…with his life."

An eerie silence crept over the room. All of them looked at one another until James spoke up. "Do I have any other relatives?"

"Well, your father's brother passed away ten years ago and his wife only three years ago. They have a large estate not but two miles from here. The late Norrington's had five sons, none of them married. The eldest is James's age and the rest ranging in all ages from fourteen to nineteen."

"We shall meet them tomorrow at a private gathering of theirs. It will just be the brother's and us, but what fun we shall have." Oliver smiled as he slammed a book closed. "I believe it is too late for a lesson tonight, Lizzy, so you have permission to retire."

Elizabeth bid everyone goodnight and headed up to her room where she cried herself to sleep. How was she ever going to prove to James that she loved him? It seemed impossible to her…but little did she know that James could not fall asleep because of the thought of her. He wished that he could marry her right then and keep her always…but as she had confessed earlier that day…she couldn't marry him. Not yet anyways…