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roihcnry:

looking at his son, henry feels warmth grow in his chest. “we can’t keep the guests waiting?” he teased, moving in to smooth down a cowlick in the little boy’s hair. he had surely inherited an unruly head of hair from his father. he knew they couldn't , but the thought of it was exciting.  “wouldn’t that be nice? we could hold everyone off for one day. i’ve been out of the country for six weeks, you know.” he pointed out, half hoping that darcy would agree to his hairbrained plan. as he spoke, he held open the door to the dining room open for his wife, before following close behind. 

“if only we could send everyone off, be just a family for a time. he’s growing like a weed, and soon there’ll be another little one to watch grow” she firmly intends to bring up her pregnancy as often as she can, absolutely shamelessly. she had to go weeks without being able to tell anyone that she was with child and now that there was someone she could talk to about it, she was thrilled. 

“we’ll go in, mingle while the boy eats, sneak away to tuck him into bed, and then entertain the guests for a while.” she sets the child down, giving his pants a tug so they don’t fall down, and kisses the top of his head while they continue walking, though slower as their child attempts to toddle to keep up. she’d been told to not carry him as often so he can learn to walk steadier - but it’s so hard when she just wants to scoop him up.

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roihcnry:

“well, come sit now. i’m afraid i must steal neliie away now, missus.” cordelia smiled lovingly up at the woman who had been so much like her second mother, and wrapped her arm around nellie’s waist. though things had changed, sometimes for cordelia, it was much easier to pretend they hadn’t. so she and nellie would do all the things they always had– chatter and gossip and think about marvelous future plans, just… a bit easier on nellie.

cordelia lead nellie towards the sitting room, a bright smile on her face the whole while. “joseph is out with father right now, but i know the second he comes home he’ll be so excited to see you. and you must tell me everything! how is the north? the awful chilly weather must be awful for your sweet skin. and with the war brewing, it must have been frightful to come back this way! and tell me, how is jefferson?” she blabbered away, helping nellie to an armchair gently. perhaps it was too much speaking all at once, but cordelia did have a tendency to chat away her worries.  

of course, she was exhausted. the stagecoach ride had been a chance for rest, but that didn’t mean the day of travel wasn’t to be felt deep in her bones. there again is the frustrating disconnect between her mind and her body. her mind is full of energy, thoughts and topics of conversation are buzzing around in her head and her mouth is aching to speak for hours. but her body is weary and she can’t decide if she’s shivering from fever or from the chilly rainy weather. 

“oh - i hope he’s not planning on hurrying home. please don’t tell him i’ve said this, but i don’t think i’m ready to see him yet. oh, i’m so afraid of what he would think about me now.” she smiles as she follows her friend into the room over to the armchair. while she doesn’t want to be led or coddled by her friend, she’s nearly weak with the giddiness she’s feeling from being around her friend again. “they have the most marvelous scarves and hats up north, dellia. they keep out a lot of the cold. do tell me, have their been any problems with the war efforts here? up north it’s all anyone can talk about.” she grins at the mention of her cousin, lifting her hand to rest her chin on it. “oh, he’s doing fine. wrote to me just as we were leaving. he’s busy with preparations, but he spoke about missing you dearly.”

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roihcnry:

“please!” henry protested, giving the woman a rare, genuine smile. her laughter was endearing but was she laughing at him? “fine. whatever you want is yours.” he finished his drink in one drink, and waved the bartender over.

“well, i don’t have many other options. i wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.” he said smoothly, leaning his head in his hands as he spoke. “how much of france have you seen? why don’t we get out of here? if you’d… like of course. i could show you the best spots around town!”

the female politely requests another drink as she feels her nerves beginning to sink in a bit. not because of the boy, but because she was about to go out on a late night adventure with a mysterious, attractive, charming guy that she just met in a bar. “whatever i want? that’s a pretty dangerous thing to say.” a smile brightens her face as the bartender’s places the drinks in front of them, she nods her head in thanks. 

“there’s nowhere else you’d rather live? there has to be somewhere. what about just to visit?” she feels the coolness of the glass against her fingertips as she raises it to her lips. she can feel her cheeks begin to burn with blush as she sips on whatever the liquid was. she’s not good at knowing alcohol, she just drinks whatever is handed to her. or in this case, what he ordered for her. “well i’ve seen my apartment, the campus, and this bar. so a decent amount of course.” her drink gets set down on the counter, arms wrapping around her chest before she speaks - “convince me to go with you, and I will.” said with her signature darcy smile. she sticks her tongue out a bit, bites down on the tip and grins.

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roihcnry:

it had been nine hundred and thirteen days since cordelia had last seen her best friend. itfelt like forever, even more than forever and a day. But exchanged letters, and frequent notes kept nellie close on her mind. She loved hearing tales of what happened up north, and getting just a glimpse of nellie’s characteristic personality in the short letters she wrote. But of course, everyone knew what happened. and while cordelia was excited to see her best friend home, she never wanted it to happen like this. she was waiting anxiously in the drawing room, joshua pacing the floor. They were due to arrive any minute… and was that knock at the door? 

before anyone could even think about it, cordelia jumped up, grabbed her skirts in her hand, and darted off to rip open the door, a giant smile on her face. “nellie! oh, how I’ve missed you, do come in, i know it’s chilly outside, please, please come in!” She yelped, moving aside as she allowed nellie and her parents to move forward. “are you feeling okay? Was the journey long? how are you hiding up my dear?”

nellie wants to fight cordelia off with one of her lovely gloves as she instantly buzzes around her like she’s someone who needs to be checked on and taken care of. her body may be crumbling but she knows that she can handle herself - it just doesn’t look that way sometimes. but the sight of her friend, despite her actions, does make her feel a bit brighter. already she can feel the effects of being home on her health, and it’s only been a few hours. though there’s an ache in her body that goes all the way down to her bones. 

“delia - i’m quite fine, you mustn’t worry. please, one question at a time.” she laughs - though it’s clearly not a laugh that resembled her usual. every time she laughed,  nellie used to tilt her head back and her hair would fall over her shoulder. every time. because laughter used to fill her entire body, now all that fills it is aches and a yearning for the past. she reaches out and with one arm, the other still firmly around her mother, grasps her dearest friends arm. “we have so much to talk about, i want to hear all that you could not fit in your letters.”

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roihcnry:

“please!” henry protested, giving the woman a rare, genuine smile. her laughter was endearing but was she laughing at him? “fine. whatever you want is yours.” he finished his drink in one drink, and waved the bartender over.

“well, i don’t have many other options. i wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.” he said smoothly, leaning his head in his hands as he spoke. “how much of france have you seen? why don’t we get out of here? if you’d… like of course. i could show you the best spots around town!”

“it’s a wonderful poem - but by the end of the night i would like to hear a poem that you write. i bet i could learn a lot about you by the types of poems you would write.” his smile brings a sense of warmth to her body and she’s sure it’s not merely because of the drink she had had way too quickly. “whatever i want? that’s a dangerous suggestion.”  

at first she fights an eye roll when he suggests leaving. why don’t we get out of here? isn’t that such a line. they had an entire ten minute conversation before he used that line. but then he mentions going somewhere else, around paris. and she smiles. “i haven’t seen much at all - i got here a few weeks ago and i’ve been studying ever since the plane landed.” she looks over at him, studying for a second -  the first moment of silence she’s allowed this entire time, “alright - but don’t you dare show me any cheesy tourist spots. i want authenticity.” 

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roihcnry:

it is frankly disgusting the press is able to write whatever it wants to write“about this glass?” henry laughs, biting on his lip as he thinks. hopefully, there isn’t a time limit. but he has to say he’s interested while listening to her speak. a foreign girl, and one who is talking to him like any normal boy. he’s almost in love. “economics?” he questions, a smile playing on his features. “that sounds awful, no ffense, of course. I just don’t believe i could do it.”

finally, he comes up with a poem, lignting up instantly. “here we. go,” he begins. “bring me the sunset in a cup, reckon the morning’s flagons up, and say how many dew, tell me how far the morning leaps— tell me what time the weaver sleeps, who spun the breadth of blue!” he recites nearly seamlessly, giving her a grin the whole while. “not my own, unfortunately. i must thank ms. emily dickinson for that one. but it’s close enough, isn’t it? it involves a cup!”

“that doesn’t count - you stole it. that’s not a poem, it’s copyright infringement.” but she’s laughing either way. one thing about darcy is that she never giggles - when she laughs, it’s also a true and full one. “besides - it’s not about a cup, it features a cup. but i guess i’ll let it slide this once. if you buy me another drink.” she feels oddly comfortable talking to him, though she rarely ever had any hesitation in her voice, she always felt as if people weren’t interested in what she was saying but yet she couldn’t stop. here though, she felt as if he was really listening to what she was talking about.

“france is an interesting place to study economics. the french just feel differently about money and the policies around it. money is for enjoyment and for pleasantries, it’s not so nasty and ugly as america. like here, people would spend money to go out on an adventure or buy something nice; home, they would hoard it. do you like living here?”

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HEY ALL ! like for a starter ! :-}

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HEY i got super busy and needed a break from tumblr but i’m BACK and ready to do some plotting! please give this a life if you’re interested in interacting with darcy! 

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( @shelbyrps

my darling delia, 

darling! i cannot even begin to state how grateful i am for the dependency with which you write your letters. it’s lovely hearing your vivid details from home, and hearing about your family. i miss our days of running around causing trouble, though i’m sure both of our parents are happy to have a break from dealing with us! i’ll be coming back for christmas, a few months away, and promise me we will be spending the whole time together? i cannot wait to catch you up on all that has happened - things i have had no room for here in these letters. how are you and jefferson doing? he has been absolutely horrid at writing back to me. but when he does all of his words are filled with such admiration for you. it makes me dreadfully jealous of you two, but filled with such happiness that you two continue to remain dear. how is your brother doing? i often think about him. is he well? does he enjoy reading my letters? i’m afraid i must cut this letter short as i’ve got to rush off to meet a friend, but i wanted to get this letter written before. please, write back soon.

yours truly, nellie 

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( @shelbyrps

dearest joshua, 

joshua, oh how i hope things are well with you. i think about you and your family often, i miss the lovely times we’ve had. perhaps you grow tired of me writing to you, as i merely drown on and on about my life. perhaps it is selfish that i make you read these long letters, but i enjoy knowing you remember me, even if just in the moments you’re reading these. i have gone to see a play in the city, with one of my darling friends here, lawrence, he’s a doll. the plays here are so much grander than back home! i’ve never seen how so many gorgeous people in one place, or a set with such decoration. joshua, i simply must take you to one of these plays. i would love to walk in on your arm! oh how everyone would be jealous. but please do tell me, how is your sister? i’m writing to her as well, of course, but i ask you to tell me anything she might not. i worry that my cousin is not writing home enough, i would hate for her to feel as if he is not present with her. i’m greatly enjoying being a typist, though the work gets dreary i’ve met so many interesting people! i miss home dreadfully, but it’s so exciting here i hardly have time to rest. you know me so well, joshua, can’t you tell how happy i am here? of course, it would be even better if we were all together again. 

yours truly, nellie

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( @shelbyrps

dear del, 

i hope this letter finds you in good health. i’m sorry this letter is a long time coming, you know how i am with letter writing. it was awfully easier when you were near and you could remind me. remember how often you had to remind me to write my letters? no wonder my mother said i would be lost without you keeping my head on my shoulders. would you like to know what reminded me to write this? i was walking with a few soldiers in my unit, on our way to tie the horses before we met in the mess for dinner. one of my comrades was walking on the dirt and he saw a rock, picked it up and threw it with all his might at a wall. only he over swung and the force made him fall over! one girl, an awfully nice lady who was wearing a long purple dress. the same dress you wore the first time we danced at a party. i remember it as closely as it was yesterday, s you looked beautiful. i know better than to bore you with my boring stories of the war - nellie wrote me a long letter on how she’s sure i must be boring you to tears with my talks of logistics. do they bore you del? i’ve never been one for conversation. the two of us used to sit for hours in silence, i wish others understood my quietude as you do. how are things back home? is joshua doing well? your parents? please write to me and tell me news of home. perhaps you bore of hearing what is going on with me, but i could never tire of reading your letters. i anxiously await the day i get to return home. 

yours forever, jeffery 

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roihcnry:

“and if i am, would that be so bad?” he teased in return, his smile growing at her laugh. it was bright in a dingy place like this. and…. he like it. he lifted his glass when she did the same with hers, though in one swift movement, his drink was almost gone. he’d had quite a bit of practice.

“yes, but it can be a bit tiring. sometimes i would forget how home felt.” henry explained, leaning his chin in his hands as he spoke. if his mother could see him now, she would throw a fit. this was not how a prince held himself in public. “i– a student? sort of. yes. yes. I am.” he caught himself quickly, hoping a beaming smile would distract her from his fumble. she truly didn’t know who he was. americans. “and you? what do you study here in france?”

“you know, they say that poets can write a small poem about anything, just from descriptions.” she’ll cock an eyebrow and offer him a gentle smirk before she tilts her head back and finishes her drink. she plops the empty glass down on the counter right in the middle of the two and spoke, “to prove that you are a poet, write a poem about this glass.” her light pink lips form a happy smile. 

“meanwhile - while you think, i can answer your questions.” she marks the stammer in his voice, and internally understands. it’s rough not knowing where you’re going in life. unsure if you’re fit for college or not. at least he’s figuring it out. “my degree is in economics. i know, i know that it’s hard to believe. what would an economics major be studying abroad? well - honestly, i’m not too sure why either.”

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roihcnry:

“lack of faith? i have nothing but complete faith in you.” henry chuckled, smiling sweetly at his wife. he has loved her since the moment they met. well, that’s not entierly true. he hated her at first sight. but the moment they truly saw each other, henry was head over heels. and quite understandably so. he had the best wife in all of the world. 

“he’s got a drive, that’s for sure.” henry chuckled, bending down to press a kiss to his son’s chubby cheeks. the boy had his name, but he looked more like his mother, with those wonderful eyes. wasn’t he handsome? “how would you like some supper, little prince?”

“vous assurez, mon petit prince.” her little prince, how she loves him! she never imagined her heart could be filled with so much love but the sight of her son sends her flying. she looks at him with such pride - in herself as well, as it was not an even task to bring him into this world and yet her husband and her produced the most lovely being. it sends butterflies to her stomach, where their next child was coming to life. she looks over to her husband and her hand automatically moves to set on her stomach as a sigh of comfort and warmth leaves her body. a second child, what a lovely thought. 

scooping up the boy to keep her close to her chest, she begins to make their way. in silence she makes her way to the entrance to the dining room, pausing outside the doors. “a small supper with just the three of us, though we must eat fast. our guests shall arrive shortly, and i’ve promised the child we would both kiss him goodnight tonight before they do.”

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( @shelbyrps

nellie swore up and down that when she returned to her home, it would be a celebration. she would pull up in a svelte looking carriage, handsome horses and one of those beautiful dresses you see in the shop window’s, elegant and purple with satin bows. she would see all of the young men long since become grown who had always had an interest in her and meet them with a bat of her lashes and a laughing toss of her head while she spoke of the fine gentlemen up north. that’s not what happened though. nellie, the proud wild child, arrived home in a dark wagon befitting of her inner monologue. it was rainy, so she was bundled up in the coats of every other rider, insistent upon keeping the young female warm. 

her dress was meager, focused on warmth and comfort as opposed to flash. her mother and father insisted on going straight to see their long term family friends - cordelia and her brother. cordelia, her darling, darling friend. she had refused. but, she wasn’t the one in charge. it wasn’t that she didn’t want to see her friend. of course she did! she just knows that the news of her accident had already spread, that her family would be waiting. perhaps they’re waiting with more coats! how completely unnecessary and predicable that will be. her friend will mean well, but it’d be so different. and then joshua! the sweet boy, he’ll probably find her dull now, though she supposes she is. 

after waiting for the horses to stop, and debating back and forth with her parents about why she should not wait for her wheelchair - she has walked this distance thousands of times, thank you very much - she’s on the way. standing with her arms locked with her father and mother on either side, helping her as she still is working on her strength, she ventures forth as the attendants hold umbrellas hoping to shelter them from the rain. she knocks on the door . . .  

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roihcnry:

“there is a first time for everything. i’ve been around drunk girls. but who says we have to get drunk? maybe just enough to soften the world a little bit.” he suggested, smiling fondly at the bartender when they brought back the drinks. he picked up his glass with a smirk, tapping his glass against her’s. “cheers!”

when she asked if he had ever traveled to america, henry nodded slowly. what was the best way to go about this? “i have, yes. my father travels a lot for… work. so we have followed him all over the world. i haven’t been in quite a long time, though.” this would be something close to the truth, at least. henry wasn’t sure if he wanted to force the whole truth onto his newfound friend just yet.

‘‘well - soften the world a little bit? are you some sort of poet? that’s a pretty sentimental idea.’‘ she says with a small laugh leaving her small lips. the surprise wen he clinks their glasses registers in her face as the liquid in the glass sloshes, though she’s quick to not let it spill. lifting it to her lips, she knocks her head back and lets some of the burning liquid slide down her throat. putting her unfinished drink on the table, she turns once more to him. 

‘‘it must be nice - being able to travel so much. this is the farthest i’ve ever been from home. before this, i’ve only ever been to the city next to us.” she was surprised by how much she was enjoying the other’s company, even though it had only been a few sentences. something about the other was just easy to talk to, she was more comfortable anywhere else then she had been in all of france so far. maybe it was because he could speak english so well. ‘‘and what do you do? are you a student?’

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roihcnry:

“am i  wrong to be cautious?” the king teases, letting darcy pass through before following his wife through the castle. he tended to be… a little overbearing when it came to things like this. but he just wanted to make sure his wife was safe! “this is happy. you’re right.” henry places a hand on her back, smiling when a nursemaid passes by with their child, his steps wobbly, though quick as he moved towards his parents. “and i do believe it will get even better now that we are all together!”

“not wrong - but your lack of faith in my ability to care for the child during pregnancy astounds me.” she says with an obvious joking tone as they walk down the halls of the castle - the home that she loves. at first, this building felt like her prison, keeping her hostage while she strove to escape. but now these walls are filled with so much love and happiness that she hates leaving. she grins and moves to meet their son in the middle, leaning down to catch him just as he stumbles forwards. “his steps are getting a bit more steady, though he gets too excited towards the end!”

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roihcnry:

“that is debatable. i don’t know if i can be trusted without someone to look over me.” he laughs, giving her a charming smile. “i suppose we will just have to look out for each other!” 

“i apologize if i came off as rude, i was only curious.” he interjects quickly, relaxing some as she smiles. “seattle. i’m afraid my american geography is a little subpar, but i think i am familiar. near california?” it’s a total lie- he’s had geography drilled into his head for twenty years, the americans are their strongest allies. but it makes for an interesting conversation. “how long have you been in our lovely country, mademoiselle?” it is a well known fact he can turn on the charm when he wants to, and this is a situation where he really does.

a small blush graces her cheek after his comment before she responds - “you really think you’re prepared to do that?” she turns in her chair to fully face him, one hand going to tuck a strand of loose hair behind her ear. “i mean - just look over at my friends right now, that’s what drunk girls are like.” 

“it’s not rude - i just, forget sometimes that i’m somewhere so different. i’ve only been here for a few weeks now. it’s been a cultural shook, for sure.” she’ll nod and flash him a thumbs up, approving of his geography skills. “have you ever traveled to america before?” that’s one thing she likes to hold over people here - that she’s well traveled now. even though she’s been to the states, and france. and . .  yeah that’s about it. she can already feel the charm.