Hello once again! I am terribly sorry for the delay, but here is the next chapter! I made it a bit longer than usual, so I hope you enjoy it.
31 reviews???? Just for little old me??? WOW! You all are awesome! Really, your reviews are great ego-boosters. You have no clue how happy I get to see another review come through my email (unless it's a flame, but I haven't gotten any of those yet). I appreciate each and every one!!
Anyway, the story. You know how I said that there would be only two flashback chapters? Well, I lied. This is part 2 of the flashbacks (hence the italics), and the next one will conclude this little flashback segment. Then we will get on with the main story, savvy? Anyway, here you go! Enjoy!
------------------
Chapter 4
"There you two are! It was very rude of you to keep your father and me waiting." Jack rolled his eyes at his mother's typical nagging greeting as he and his sister entered the parlor. Lady Stanton sat upon the sofa, daintily fanning herself as she sipped tea.
His father sat at the desk in the room, writing one of many letters to, undoubtedly, an important person. As Marie sat next to her mother on the sofa, and Jack was about to take a seat in the chair, he looked up from his work and said, "Francis, I would like to have a word with you in my study." He stood and marched hastily through the doorway into his study, and Jack, not wanting to press the envelope any further, followed quickly. He entered the large, exquisitely-decorated room in his usual half-stagger, and shut the doors behind his back.
Sir Francis Stanton III gave his son a cold glance as he took his customary seat behind the large mahogany desk in the back of the room. Jack plopped himself in a chair and proceeded to prop his feet up on the desk, much to his father's dismay. He grinned as his father sighed loudly and closed his eyes in dismay. There was nothing quite as amusing as annoying someone and watching his reactions. Especially when the person being annoyed is one's own father.
His father proceeded to shove his son's feet off the desk, and began his lecture. "Francis, tomorrow is your wedding-"
"Very astute observation, sir. I never would've guessed." The older man sent his son a fiery glare at the interruption, then continued with his speech.
"Miss Rutherford is a lovely, polite young woman, and it is a privilege that you will be wed to such a fine lady. I know that you do not exactly see eye-to-eye with her-" Jack rolled his eyes at both his father's severe misjudge of character and at the blatant understatement, "-But nevertheless, you will be married tomorrow. And you will accept that fact. You are already a Duke, and the time has come that you will grow up and accept your responsibilities. And marriage will help with that."
"This marriage was also a well-made arrangement between Sir Rutherford and myself. I needn't remind you of the new business alliance this marriage will build, and the wealth it will entail."
'No need to remind me,' Jack thought bitterly. 'After all, isn't that the whole point of this?'
His father's tone turned much more harsh as he warned his son. "If you upset this arrangement in any way, I will see to it that your life will be made as unpleasant as possible." This last part caught Jack's attention. He and his father never had really gotten along very well, and more often than not he was in hot water with his father over one of his latest tricks, but the older man had never openly threatened something like this before. And Jack had little doubt that he was capable of fulfilling his promise.
However, if his father considered the life he was living right now to be "pleasant," Jack wondered what "unpleasant" would be like. 'Probably would be preferable to living with the Prude,' he thought to himself.
Anyway, he had already made up his mind earlier that day about what was to be done. And his plan would be put into action that evening, despite anything his father had said.
"Yessir," was all he said, as he tried to keep a straight face. The mental image of his father's expression when he would realize what had happened was almost too much to bear.
"So, do not even think about playing any more pranks on Miss Prudence today," he said very threateningly to his son. Once again, Jack had a hard time not laughing at the thought of his and Marie's prank at Prudence's previous visit. He wondered how long it took her to realize that her teeth had turned black. Amazing how she did not even taste the ink that they had slipped in her tea. . .
Once again, he could only manage a tight-lipped "Yessir," because any more words would surely be accompanied by a fit of hysterical laughter. And that, surely, would not at all please his father.
The "man-to-man talk" was shortly interrupted by the entrance of a butler. "Excuse me, Sir, but the Rutherfords have arrived."
"Thank you, Jenkins. We will be out shortly." As the butler exited the room, Jack and his father stood up and began to walk out to the parlor. Right before they opened the door, Sir Francis Sr. pointed a finger at his son's face and said sharply, "Remember what I said, boy." He then threw open the doors and the two walked out to greet the guests.
'Here we go again,' Jack thought sarcastically as he stepped into the parlor for a final visit with his Ôfavorite' people.
------------------
"Sir Rutherford, Lady Rutherford, how good to see you again!" Sir Francis Johnathan Henry Stanton III rushed up to greet his guests. He shook Sir Rutherford's hand heartily and gallantly kissed the chubby, bejeweled hand of Lady Rutherford. Jack wanted nothing more than to throw up at his father's sucking up.
His father then turned to Prudence the Prude, whose nose, as always, was stuck high in the air, with a haughty look on her face. The fat girl was dressed in an incredibly frilly yellow dress, with ruffles and bows galore. Her ratty brown hair was done up in curls, an adorned by a gigantic yellow bow on the back of her head. Jack thought she looked like an overdecorated cake, or frilly drapery, or a mixture of the two. Her face, which was covered with typical seventeen-year-old pimples, was coated with an excessive amount of powder, eye coloring, and lip coloring. She wore her engagement ring over her white gloves, and was fanning herself vigorously with her lacy fan. She looked just about the same as she did two weeks ago when he last saw her; however, this time her mouth was not stained black.
"Why, Miss Prudence, you look as lovely as ever." Once again, Jack's father elegantly kissed her hand, as she smiled arrogantly to herself. Jack looked over at Marie, who had an expression of disgust on her face.
"Why thank you, Sir Stanton. It is a pleasure to see you again," the girl said in her most stuck-up voice, as she attempted a curtsy. She then turned her attention to Jack, and her expression changed to one of distaste. "Why, hello again, Francis," she said with a slightly turned-up nose.
Jack was happy with just standing in the back corner and watching this scene take place, but his father gave him a nudge which he took to mean, 'You better go greet them, or else.' So he pulled back his shoulders, stuck his head high up, and walked with a stereotypical elegant gait over to his fiancZ. He performed an exaggerated bow, and kissed her proffered hand. "Good day, Miss Rutherford," he said, slightly mocking her arrogant tone. "So lovely to see you again. I am glad to see that you have recovered from your incident of. . . tooth decay," he said with a smirk, as Prudence shot him a fiery glare. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw his sister sitting upon the sofa trying to stifle a laugh.
This time, Prudence made no effort to hide her expression of distaste. "Why you miserable little worm!" she shouted, and delivered a surprisingly hard slap on Jack's cheek. The girl then turned to her father, ruffles and bows swishing, and gave him her best puppy dog look. He fell for it every time. "Father," she said, in her whiniest voice, "Make him stop being so rude to me!" Her thin, red-painted lips formed into a pathetic pout, and it was plain to see Sir Rutherford's hard stare soften. 'I do have to give her credit,' Jack thought to himself, 'She sure has that man wrapped around her finger.'
Sir Rutherford looked as if he had no idea what to do. His chubby face twisted into a mixture of confusion and dismay at seeing his beloved daughter upset. He wanted to appease her, which he spent much of his time doing, but he did not feel right about disciplining his daughter's fiance. So, in a slightly nervous voice, he said, "Don't worry, sweetheart. How about I buy you a new lace shawl on the way home?" Prudence smiled sweetly and Sir Rutherford looked relieved.
Sir Francis now stepped in to mediate the situation. "Why don't we go to the dining room for tea?" he suggested as he ushered the three guests through the parlor doors. Marie and Lady Stanton followed the Rutherfords, where they all took a seat at the extremely long table. Before Jack could follow them in, however, his father grabbed his shoulder and pulled him aside. "No more of that behavior, do you hear me?" he asked harshly.
"O'course not, sir," Jack answered in the most dutiful voice he could manage. However, right now he only wanted to explode from frustration. The Prude was obviously acting like her typical self today, and it was enough to drive anybody crazy. Life would not be fun if he did actually marry her.
However, Jack did have in mind a master plan of escape; one that would ensue this very evening. It would, indeed, work out very well, if all went according to plan. He would escape marrying Prudence and start a completely new life: the kind of life he always wanted to live.
But before he was to "disappear," Jack wanted to see to it that Prudence the Prude would meet a terribly embarrassing end. 'This is going to be interesting,' he thought as he smirked to himself.
-------------------
Jack and his father entered the dining room. Sir Rutherford was seated at one of the host seats, and Sir Stanton quickly took his place in the other. Next to Sir Rutherford was seated his wife, and next to her was Lady Stanton. On the opposite side of the table, Marie was seated, and there were two other empty chairs. Behind one of those chairs stood Prudence, arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently. "Francis, pull out my chair for me," she commanded.
Jack sneered at her. Who does she think she is, anyway? Stupid brat cannot even seat herself. "Why should I? Can't do it yourself?" he asked, both for self-satisfaction and to see her reaction.
Her chubby face turned red with anger as her stubby sausage fingers curled into tight fists. "I SAID," she nearly yelled, "Pull out my chair for me!"
As he was about to make another sarcastic refusal, Jack saw his father send him a warning glare. For the sake of keeping peace, he sauntered over and pulled the chair out from the table. Prudence and her gigantic dress walked daintily in front of the chair. But as soon as she began squatting down to seat herself, Jack "accidentally" knocked the chair over, and Prudence found herself seated on the floor with a gigantic thud. Everyone gasped, and Sir Rutherford and Sir Stanton immediately rushed over to help her up.
"Well, I'll never!" Prudence said in annoyance as the two older men helped her to her feet. She stood up and attempted in vain to smooth her rumpled appearance. She turned around to look at Jack, with the fires of wrath blazing in her eyes. "Francis Stanton, I demand an apology immediately!"
"I'm terribly sorry about that," Jack said, in as serious a voice as he could manage. It sure took a lot of willpower not to burst out in laughter, though.
Once the incident had passed, everyone took their seats at the table once again. Jack noticed the glares that were being sent to him from his mother and father, as well as the Rutherfords, but he did not care in the least. When he sat down, his sister nudged him with her elbow and whispered, "That was brilliant." The siblings always enjoyed playing tricks on the Prude, even if it was thought by some to be a bit immature.
A few butlers now entered the room with trays of sandwiches, scones, and pastries, as well as teapots full of piping hot English afternoon tea. As soon as the trays of food were set on the table, Prudence immediately filled her plate with four eclairs, three scones, a strawberry tart, and two cucumber sandwiches. By the time a butler had poured her tea, one eclair was already gone, and she was chewing on her sandwich in a most unsavory fashion. As their parents conversed with the Rutherfords about such things as land, money, and servants, Jack and Marie sat quietly sipping their tea while watching, wide-eyed, the eating spectacle unfold.
The conversation was suddenly stopped when a loud, frustrated groan escaped Prudence's mouth as she proceeded to hurl a half-eaten scone across the room at Sally, one of the maids. "You imbecile!" the Prude yelled at the woman, who was bending down to pick up the mess. "I specifically asked for raspberry jam, and you gave me strawberry! This is an outrage!" She stood up and stamped her foot to emphasize the point, as Sally rushed over to her side.
"S'sorry, m'lady," she said as she took Prudence's plate. "Shall I prepare you another?" Sally had been working for the family since Jack was only a small boy, and they had become friends over the years. So it was that Jack could see through her subservient facade, and know that the woman really wanted nothing more than to strangle the brat. Which wouldn't bother him in the least.
So Jack decided to relieve Sally of her duties of appeasing the Prude. "Miss Rutherford," he mumbled while standing up, "Would you care to join me on a walk through the garden?" When he first saw his sister raise an eyebrow at him, he thought to himself, 'What on Earth am I doing?' But seeing Sally, with grateful eyes, mouth "Thank you" to him as Prudence stood and took his elbow justified his out-of-character actions.
Prudence gave him a distasteful smirk as she stood and took his elbow. "Why, that would be delightful, Mr. Stanton," she said, in a less-than-enthusiastic tone. "It shall save me the bother of having to deal with the incompetent help you have around here." Jack saw Sally's face redden and twist from anger as he and Prudence walked out the back door, into the garden. He only hoped that he could resist throttling the bitch until they returned.
How was that? Not the most humorous chapter in the story, but it had to be done. So, what is next? How will Jack escape his wedding to the Prude? And what will this "terribly embarrassing end" entail for our dear twitch Prudence? Tune in next time to see!
Now, click that "submit review" button. I know you want to. . .
31 reviews???? Just for little old me??? WOW! You all are awesome! Really, your reviews are great ego-boosters. You have no clue how happy I get to see another review come through my email (unless it's a flame, but I haven't gotten any of those yet). I appreciate each and every one!!
Anyway, the story. You know how I said that there would be only two flashback chapters? Well, I lied. This is part 2 of the flashbacks (hence the italics), and the next one will conclude this little flashback segment. Then we will get on with the main story, savvy? Anyway, here you go! Enjoy!
------------------
Chapter 4
"There you two are! It was very rude of you to keep your father and me waiting." Jack rolled his eyes at his mother's typical nagging greeting as he and his sister entered the parlor. Lady Stanton sat upon the sofa, daintily fanning herself as she sipped tea.
His father sat at the desk in the room, writing one of many letters to, undoubtedly, an important person. As Marie sat next to her mother on the sofa, and Jack was about to take a seat in the chair, he looked up from his work and said, "Francis, I would like to have a word with you in my study." He stood and marched hastily through the doorway into his study, and Jack, not wanting to press the envelope any further, followed quickly. He entered the large, exquisitely-decorated room in his usual half-stagger, and shut the doors behind his back.
Sir Francis Stanton III gave his son a cold glance as he took his customary seat behind the large mahogany desk in the back of the room. Jack plopped himself in a chair and proceeded to prop his feet up on the desk, much to his father's dismay. He grinned as his father sighed loudly and closed his eyes in dismay. There was nothing quite as amusing as annoying someone and watching his reactions. Especially when the person being annoyed is one's own father.
His father proceeded to shove his son's feet off the desk, and began his lecture. "Francis, tomorrow is your wedding-"
"Very astute observation, sir. I never would've guessed." The older man sent his son a fiery glare at the interruption, then continued with his speech.
"Miss Rutherford is a lovely, polite young woman, and it is a privilege that you will be wed to such a fine lady. I know that you do not exactly see eye-to-eye with her-" Jack rolled his eyes at both his father's severe misjudge of character and at the blatant understatement, "-But nevertheless, you will be married tomorrow. And you will accept that fact. You are already a Duke, and the time has come that you will grow up and accept your responsibilities. And marriage will help with that."
"This marriage was also a well-made arrangement between Sir Rutherford and myself. I needn't remind you of the new business alliance this marriage will build, and the wealth it will entail."
'No need to remind me,' Jack thought bitterly. 'After all, isn't that the whole point of this?'
His father's tone turned much more harsh as he warned his son. "If you upset this arrangement in any way, I will see to it that your life will be made as unpleasant as possible." This last part caught Jack's attention. He and his father never had really gotten along very well, and more often than not he was in hot water with his father over one of his latest tricks, but the older man had never openly threatened something like this before. And Jack had little doubt that he was capable of fulfilling his promise.
However, if his father considered the life he was living right now to be "pleasant," Jack wondered what "unpleasant" would be like. 'Probably would be preferable to living with the Prude,' he thought to himself.
Anyway, he had already made up his mind earlier that day about what was to be done. And his plan would be put into action that evening, despite anything his father had said.
"Yessir," was all he said, as he tried to keep a straight face. The mental image of his father's expression when he would realize what had happened was almost too much to bear.
"So, do not even think about playing any more pranks on Miss Prudence today," he said very threateningly to his son. Once again, Jack had a hard time not laughing at the thought of his and Marie's prank at Prudence's previous visit. He wondered how long it took her to realize that her teeth had turned black. Amazing how she did not even taste the ink that they had slipped in her tea. . .
Once again, he could only manage a tight-lipped "Yessir," because any more words would surely be accompanied by a fit of hysterical laughter. And that, surely, would not at all please his father.
The "man-to-man talk" was shortly interrupted by the entrance of a butler. "Excuse me, Sir, but the Rutherfords have arrived."
"Thank you, Jenkins. We will be out shortly." As the butler exited the room, Jack and his father stood up and began to walk out to the parlor. Right before they opened the door, Sir Francis Sr. pointed a finger at his son's face and said sharply, "Remember what I said, boy." He then threw open the doors and the two walked out to greet the guests.
'Here we go again,' Jack thought sarcastically as he stepped into the parlor for a final visit with his Ôfavorite' people.
------------------
"Sir Rutherford, Lady Rutherford, how good to see you again!" Sir Francis Johnathan Henry Stanton III rushed up to greet his guests. He shook Sir Rutherford's hand heartily and gallantly kissed the chubby, bejeweled hand of Lady Rutherford. Jack wanted nothing more than to throw up at his father's sucking up.
His father then turned to Prudence the Prude, whose nose, as always, was stuck high in the air, with a haughty look on her face. The fat girl was dressed in an incredibly frilly yellow dress, with ruffles and bows galore. Her ratty brown hair was done up in curls, an adorned by a gigantic yellow bow on the back of her head. Jack thought she looked like an overdecorated cake, or frilly drapery, or a mixture of the two. Her face, which was covered with typical seventeen-year-old pimples, was coated with an excessive amount of powder, eye coloring, and lip coloring. She wore her engagement ring over her white gloves, and was fanning herself vigorously with her lacy fan. She looked just about the same as she did two weeks ago when he last saw her; however, this time her mouth was not stained black.
"Why, Miss Prudence, you look as lovely as ever." Once again, Jack's father elegantly kissed her hand, as she smiled arrogantly to herself. Jack looked over at Marie, who had an expression of disgust on her face.
"Why thank you, Sir Stanton. It is a pleasure to see you again," the girl said in her most stuck-up voice, as she attempted a curtsy. She then turned her attention to Jack, and her expression changed to one of distaste. "Why, hello again, Francis," she said with a slightly turned-up nose.
Jack was happy with just standing in the back corner and watching this scene take place, but his father gave him a nudge which he took to mean, 'You better go greet them, or else.' So he pulled back his shoulders, stuck his head high up, and walked with a stereotypical elegant gait over to his fiancZ. He performed an exaggerated bow, and kissed her proffered hand. "Good day, Miss Rutherford," he said, slightly mocking her arrogant tone. "So lovely to see you again. I am glad to see that you have recovered from your incident of. . . tooth decay," he said with a smirk, as Prudence shot him a fiery glare. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw his sister sitting upon the sofa trying to stifle a laugh.
This time, Prudence made no effort to hide her expression of distaste. "Why you miserable little worm!" she shouted, and delivered a surprisingly hard slap on Jack's cheek. The girl then turned to her father, ruffles and bows swishing, and gave him her best puppy dog look. He fell for it every time. "Father," she said, in her whiniest voice, "Make him stop being so rude to me!" Her thin, red-painted lips formed into a pathetic pout, and it was plain to see Sir Rutherford's hard stare soften. 'I do have to give her credit,' Jack thought to himself, 'She sure has that man wrapped around her finger.'
Sir Rutherford looked as if he had no idea what to do. His chubby face twisted into a mixture of confusion and dismay at seeing his beloved daughter upset. He wanted to appease her, which he spent much of his time doing, but he did not feel right about disciplining his daughter's fiance. So, in a slightly nervous voice, he said, "Don't worry, sweetheart. How about I buy you a new lace shawl on the way home?" Prudence smiled sweetly and Sir Rutherford looked relieved.
Sir Francis now stepped in to mediate the situation. "Why don't we go to the dining room for tea?" he suggested as he ushered the three guests through the parlor doors. Marie and Lady Stanton followed the Rutherfords, where they all took a seat at the extremely long table. Before Jack could follow them in, however, his father grabbed his shoulder and pulled him aside. "No more of that behavior, do you hear me?" he asked harshly.
"O'course not, sir," Jack answered in the most dutiful voice he could manage. However, right now he only wanted to explode from frustration. The Prude was obviously acting like her typical self today, and it was enough to drive anybody crazy. Life would not be fun if he did actually marry her.
However, Jack did have in mind a master plan of escape; one that would ensue this very evening. It would, indeed, work out very well, if all went according to plan. He would escape marrying Prudence and start a completely new life: the kind of life he always wanted to live.
But before he was to "disappear," Jack wanted to see to it that Prudence the Prude would meet a terribly embarrassing end. 'This is going to be interesting,' he thought as he smirked to himself.
-------------------
Jack and his father entered the dining room. Sir Rutherford was seated at one of the host seats, and Sir Stanton quickly took his place in the other. Next to Sir Rutherford was seated his wife, and next to her was Lady Stanton. On the opposite side of the table, Marie was seated, and there were two other empty chairs. Behind one of those chairs stood Prudence, arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently. "Francis, pull out my chair for me," she commanded.
Jack sneered at her. Who does she think she is, anyway? Stupid brat cannot even seat herself. "Why should I? Can't do it yourself?" he asked, both for self-satisfaction and to see her reaction.
Her chubby face turned red with anger as her stubby sausage fingers curled into tight fists. "I SAID," she nearly yelled, "Pull out my chair for me!"
As he was about to make another sarcastic refusal, Jack saw his father send him a warning glare. For the sake of keeping peace, he sauntered over and pulled the chair out from the table. Prudence and her gigantic dress walked daintily in front of the chair. But as soon as she began squatting down to seat herself, Jack "accidentally" knocked the chair over, and Prudence found herself seated on the floor with a gigantic thud. Everyone gasped, and Sir Rutherford and Sir Stanton immediately rushed over to help her up.
"Well, I'll never!" Prudence said in annoyance as the two older men helped her to her feet. She stood up and attempted in vain to smooth her rumpled appearance. She turned around to look at Jack, with the fires of wrath blazing in her eyes. "Francis Stanton, I demand an apology immediately!"
"I'm terribly sorry about that," Jack said, in as serious a voice as he could manage. It sure took a lot of willpower not to burst out in laughter, though.
Once the incident had passed, everyone took their seats at the table once again. Jack noticed the glares that were being sent to him from his mother and father, as well as the Rutherfords, but he did not care in the least. When he sat down, his sister nudged him with her elbow and whispered, "That was brilliant." The siblings always enjoyed playing tricks on the Prude, even if it was thought by some to be a bit immature.
A few butlers now entered the room with trays of sandwiches, scones, and pastries, as well as teapots full of piping hot English afternoon tea. As soon as the trays of food were set on the table, Prudence immediately filled her plate with four eclairs, three scones, a strawberry tart, and two cucumber sandwiches. By the time a butler had poured her tea, one eclair was already gone, and she was chewing on her sandwich in a most unsavory fashion. As their parents conversed with the Rutherfords about such things as land, money, and servants, Jack and Marie sat quietly sipping their tea while watching, wide-eyed, the eating spectacle unfold.
The conversation was suddenly stopped when a loud, frustrated groan escaped Prudence's mouth as she proceeded to hurl a half-eaten scone across the room at Sally, one of the maids. "You imbecile!" the Prude yelled at the woman, who was bending down to pick up the mess. "I specifically asked for raspberry jam, and you gave me strawberry! This is an outrage!" She stood up and stamped her foot to emphasize the point, as Sally rushed over to her side.
"S'sorry, m'lady," she said as she took Prudence's plate. "Shall I prepare you another?" Sally had been working for the family since Jack was only a small boy, and they had become friends over the years. So it was that Jack could see through her subservient facade, and know that the woman really wanted nothing more than to strangle the brat. Which wouldn't bother him in the least.
So Jack decided to relieve Sally of her duties of appeasing the Prude. "Miss Rutherford," he mumbled while standing up, "Would you care to join me on a walk through the garden?" When he first saw his sister raise an eyebrow at him, he thought to himself, 'What on Earth am I doing?' But seeing Sally, with grateful eyes, mouth "Thank you" to him as Prudence stood and took his elbow justified his out-of-character actions.
Prudence gave him a distasteful smirk as she stood and took his elbow. "Why, that would be delightful, Mr. Stanton," she said, in a less-than-enthusiastic tone. "It shall save me the bother of having to deal with the incompetent help you have around here." Jack saw Sally's face redden and twist from anger as he and Prudence walked out the back door, into the garden. He only hoped that he could resist throttling the bitch until they returned.
How was that? Not the most humorous chapter in the story, but it had to be done. So, what is next? How will Jack escape his wedding to the Prude? And what will this "terribly embarrassing end" entail for our dear twitch Prudence? Tune in next time to see!
Now, click that "submit review" button. I know you want to. . .