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| Am I not the only one?; Cat | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 16 2011, 11:12 PM (326 Views) | |
| William Spencer | Oct 16 2011, 11:12 PM Post #1 |
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Lord Winchester (courtesy)
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December 1502 William Spencer felt that God must indeed be punishing him for some wickedness. He would soon be ten and four, and he was more or less miserable a good portion of the time.The portion of his time that he spent in his grandfather's care. When he was sent off with his uncles or a relation, it was not so very bad. He always felt welcome at those places, even if his small entourage and tutors went with him and knew his grandfather's wishes in terms of disciplining him. His backside might have been sore for not speaking good enough English, but he had never felt belittled or hated from merely being there. His grandfather, though, seemed to have a particular hatred for William. There was a host of potential reasons why, but none of the reasons mattered as they did not change the heart of things. This was his life and he was going to have to get used to this unhappiness. He had never spent this much time unhappy in his life since his father's death. Even for a time of celebration, of Christ's birth, he could not be happy. There was feasting going on, a great many relations and other families there, and William was hiding in the library. He had shed his fine doublet like a snake, leaving it on his path by the fire. His absence would be marked, of course, and he would be whipped. He cared not. He cared not one small bit, and he would quite happily repent of the fact that he was being willfully disobedient. It was better than the alternative. The young viscount had overheard words said about him, and his grandfather never spoke well of him, but to hear the words...Could the man feel nothing good for his heir? Why had he not left him in France then? William would have been fine trying to claim it after the man was dead. He laid on his stomach by the fire, a book open in front of him, his linen shirt not tied tightly or fully tucked, and his dark green hose blending right into the rug. He would usually lay on his back for the ease to his shoulder, but his he was still sore from the last sting of the birch he'd received. When he heard the door open to the library, he was expecting some men of his grandfather's coming to drag him to the hall for the meal, but that was not who appeared. He had only seen his cousin a few times, she was older than him, but nice enough he supposed. Their grandfather did not seem to like her either, but she had bitten him and so at least the man had a reason to be displeased with her. William was hated for existing. He may as well do something so disgraceful and disobedient as biting the man. Sometimes his fear of God wavered enough to he might rage but such had not happened yet. "Cousin," he greeted with a nod, not bothering to get up. It was not good manners, but she was a relation, a woman, and he did not feel like it. He was the heir, he could take some liberties on his own since he got no consideration from his grandfather. "Has my absence been noted?" he asked, "Or are you fleeing my Lord Wilmington's foul temper today?" |
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| Catherine la Zouche | Oct 18 2011, 09:45 PM Post #2 |
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Catherine both loved and hated family gatherings such as this. She loved seeing her cousins, but it came with a price, as everything does, for it meant she would have to be in her grandfather’s company as well. Many of the adults’ eyes were on her whenever she was in close proximity to the man. She had bitten him once before to save her darling brother from him and she had attempted it again for her cousin’s sake. Now all thought of doing such a thing had been beaten out of her, the memory though was still fresh in her mind and she cherished it. As much as she hated it, she was of a marriageable age and she feared that her grandfather would suggest someone strict to keep her in line. And this only made her hate him more. She prayed though that her father would be kind with the matter of who her husband was to be. Still didn’t mean she was safe from the nightmares of being forced to marry someone strict, old, and ugly, it may actually break her. As far as she knew though, no marriages were in discussion for her, so she took the time to defy her grandfather a little more. Catherine was the first to notice the heir’s absence and she could guess why he had yet to arrive. She waited until the adults were deep in conversation before she too managed to sneak away. It was why some of the servants started to refer her to felines. So quiet and careful she was, and of course there was that time with her grandfather… It didn’t take long for Catherine to find her dear cousin. The gown she had chosen to wear was quite plain of a dark crème and grey and a little light green, she didn’t want to be noticed that much. To the disappointment of her father, she hadn’t put effort in her appearance at all, for when the time came when she was to be married, she hoped she could have a just little opinion of who she was to marry. Catherine’s arms weren’t empty either. She held a tray of food and a goblet of wine and smiled over these when Guillaume recognised her, she nodded back, she wasn’t even offended for the lack of manners, for she would have done the same. “Guy” Carefully, she stepped over his legs before placing the tray in front of him. “I thought you might be hungry.” She sat with her legs tucked beneath her beside him and picked up the book he was reading. She flicked through it, but could not recognise what it was about. She was a poor reader, which was normal for a girl, she wished though she had been able to grow up in France just like Guy had, for she preferred the French language over English, so unless something was in French it was hard for her to read anything at all. Placing the book back and returning it to his page, she nodded to his disarrayed shirt. “What did you do this time?” It was rare to find Guy without a beaten arse these days, which is why she started to take an interest in salves, and she pointed to a tiny box on his tray. “I brought that for you…but I’m not putting it on for you.” His back, and shoulder, yes, but she wasn’t going to touch his arse, not like she hadn’t seen it before. It wouldn’t be a surprise if she had seen him completely naked, she loved Guy as much as her own brother and she knew they were prone to their mischief – or being beaten by a certain someone – as much as the boys tried to hide such things from her, she was quite used to it. Now finally, she answered his query. “Both actually…well I noticed first, but I think we have a little while before we’re both punished.” Catherine didn’t care, seeing their grandfather’s eyes and veins pop because they had done something against him was worth a few minutes of punishment, or at least to Catherine it was. Poor Guy though took the brunt of it all, which is why Catherine was so considerate towards him. |
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[align=center] PLOT: :BIO: :TRACKER [/align] | |
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| William Spencer | Oct 22 2011, 06:30 AM Post #3 |
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Lord Winchester (courtesy)
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His blue eyes finally lighted on what she carried in her hands. He was surprised that she would do so for more than one reason. First, that was servant's work, and she was not his servant. Second, it chanced making his grandfather angry if she was caught along with him, contributing to his delinquency. William raised an eyebrow at the roast mutton as she laid it down in front of him and sat down. "Thank you," he replied with a small smile, propping himself on his left elbow so that he could pull his knife out of his belt. He cut off a piece, speared it on the implement and took a bite, chewing thoughtfully as she picked up his book. He wondered if she could read well or not; many men did not see the importance of women being educated beyond the necessities of womanhood like embroidery. He swallowed and licked his lips, "Nothing of import...I do not believe Lord Wilmington liked that I overheard him speaking to your father about not taking me with to court to make gifts to His Majesty. He did not like that I was bold enough to politely query why. I received my answer." He went at the meat with his knife a bit more viciously. It was an insult that he was the family heir and yet the man would rather bring a random page with to carry the gift than William. Was he that afraid that William might have to speak and that his accent would be too French still? Never in his life had he felt so ridiculously undervalued! He was fast approaching manhood, and he was starting to feel these slights heavily. His eyes moved to the box as she said that she brought it for him but that she wasn't putting it on for him. "Indeed, that was very kind of you, cousin. I would not expect for you to put it on for me. I will have my groom do so. It is not so bad." He was used to it. The last year had made him slightly impervious to the excessive, in his mind, disciplining. Much of the time, he had little clue what he had even done to merit a punishment other than exist. It wasn't like he wasn't trying his hardest to rid himself of his French accent and to become better with words in English. He tried very hard to expand his vocabulary in the language, and felt his language skills very accomplished in general. He was leaps above the other boys he had met in England; it seemed the island nation did not see much benefit in other languages. On the continent, it was essential. "You certainly did not need to join me in that," he commented, cutting another piece and then leaving it on his plate as he raised the wine. "I get whipped much of the time whether I do anything wrong or not, so I risk very little...I confess, I was worried about controlling myself properly if I stayed around to hear him speaking so poorly of me all night. There was this rising in my chest, and I could have broken my fingers for clenching my fists so tightly. It was better I leave and get in trouble for that than stay and risk acting in a way un-befitting of me." He sighed a bit. In his mind, it was his place to go with his grandfather and it made him feel cheaply. He never would have been treated like this in France. In France, it was his one time where he was guaranteed to see His Majesty, his godfather. "It would not have been like this in France." A comment he would have surely been whipped for if he said it to nearly anyone else. France was a forbidden topic of conversation, he had learned. He was apparently supposed to forget it. |
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| Catherine la Zouche | Oct 28 2011, 03:15 AM Post #4 |
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Catherine merely nodded at Guy’s gratitude, it was the least she could do and he should know that she would only ever do something like this for him. His arrival to England had basically hidden her and her brother John from their grandfather’s scrutiny. So Guy deserved the best treatment she could give him. Watching him though take out his knife, she opened her mouth to chide him for his manners, that a use of a fork might suffice, but she refrained from speaking and shut her mouth again. It was bad enough that their grandfather chided him every day; he didn’t need a silly young woman adding to it all. She sighed though when he spoke the reason as to why he had fresh welts on his behind. It was rather silly of all the reasons Wilmington punished him, it only made Catherine hate the man more. Leaning and stretching out over to a chair close by, she plucked a cushion from the seat and placed it in front of her. Sliding out, she lay down beside her favourite cousin and propped her elbow on the cushion. It was unladylike to mimic him like this, but she was Catherine la Zouche and a Spencer, she did what she wanted, well to an extent. She sighed. “I wish he wouldn’t be so hard on you…he is…” So many names she could call him but she couldn’t think of just one. She laughed softly, as she watched him eat. “I’m not afraid of him, he can’t break me.” She liked to think that no one could break her. But she felt sorrier for Guy than herself and she reached out and touched his shoulder reassuringly, and gave him a little smile. “Well I don’t care what he says, I like to hear of France…can you tell me again?” It was probably why Catherine preferred French than English, another thing she could annoy their grandfather with. She though was not his heir, and thus because of Guy she didn’t receive as much as punishment as her poor cousin did. She knew she was asking a lot, but she slid her elbow off the cushion and rested her head on it instead, expecting him to oblige her. At least here on their own they could speak of their lovely France, at least just for a moment. Because who really cared what a grumpy old man thought, not Catherine. |
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[align=center] PLOT: :BIO: :TRACKER [/align] | |
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| William Spencer | Nov 5 2011, 10:52 PM Post #5 |
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Lord Winchester (courtesy)
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William ate rather quietly and cleanly, cutting off pieces of meat and chewing thoroughly; he did not want to make his situation worse by ruining his clothes even if a linen shirt made an easy enough place to wipe his hands. His doublet would go over it anyway. He gave her a wan smile as she said she'd rather their grandfather not be so hard on him. There was not much to be done about it, and wishing it different was just futile. God placed him here, and he would do his best to act as he should to the best of his ability. "Well, I do not think it wise to test that theory. Assuredly, if he wished to, he could make your life miserable, and you would reflect poorly on your parents," he said honestly. Even after everything, William was not the most disobedient boy. He did not wish God to punish him further. Not to mention he felt he knew more about the world than a simple girl. That was what she was, a girl. He knew she did not have much an extraordinary education. Any man could break any women, it was his right. Whether she liked it or not was a different matter, and he thought he knew the answer to that question. He did not move when she touched his shoulder, merely giving her a bit warmer of a smile as she did so. He knew she wished to comfort him, and he did enjoy not being alone. "Tell you again? I do not much recall what I have told as I am so oft made to forget about France." He trailed off and then put a piece of meat in his mouth and chewed, staring at the opposite wall as he thought a bit. "For the days of Christmas, court is filled with wondrous colours and pageantry. It would never be a time I was shut away...I would carry the gifts to be presented to His Majesty for one of my uncles or grandather. As his filleul he would speak to me sometimes especially as I was older, and it was rather exciting each Christmas to me. I would get to ask for his blessing as my Godfather. Here I am to just be holed away as if I an unworthy of what I will inherit. As if he is ashamed of me." Without saying it, he missed it greatly. This season was his first here, and he felt very lonely, as if he was just an insignificant guest or servant nearly. "...I wish I had not come...you will not say, will you, Catherine?" |
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| Catherine la Zouche | Nov 9 2011, 11:03 PM Post #6 |
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Catherine could only smirk at her cousin. “You are getting wise in your old age, Guy.” She of course was teasing him. It had nothing to do with age (because he was still quite young), but the fact that being an heir and a boy he was entitled to all of that education that would turn him into a great man. While, she but a girl was only taught how to be a good wife and mother for when the day came for her to be wed. She actually dreaded the idea, she was fearful of it. It was the one way her grandfather could punish her for being so misbehaving towards him. She had nightmares that he would suggest something or someone awful for her. And now that she was of age, those nightmares had become more frequent. At his question she shrugged. Even she could not recall what he had told her and what he had not. It didn’t matter to her though, if she found that he repeated something, she would not hold him against it, but be glad to hear of the country he had been able to know and she was not. “It doesn’t matter, Guy, just tell me anything.” When he obliged her with the small tale, she could only but smile and slipped her elbow off the cushion and instead laid her head upon it. Her blue eyes never moved away from her younger cousin as he spoke of what Christmas was like in the French court. It made her pine to see the other country, but when he spoke of their grandfather; her heart went out to him. She wished she could do something for him, but anything she could do would just worsen the situation rather than make it better. And he was right, there was little point for them both receiving punishment. It was why she loved him and felt sorry for him so, because his presence had diverted their grandfather’s attention to him, rather than on her. Their grandfather was still disappointed with her, but she cared not. He would not be living forever, but in the mean time, she hoped the husband chosen for her would be a good man and she could be virtually rid of her grandfather forever. “He is just jealous, I think…or just becoming a grump. Maybe he misses his son and takes it out on you. If that is true, I shall hate him more for it.” She paused and gave him a soft warm smile, hoping the mention of Guy’s father did not make him grieve. But even so, she moved off the topic with a small laugh. “As if I would tell on you, Guy. Maybe only if you don’t allow me to go riding with you and the other boys. Just because you don’t want a girl to beat you at such a skill.” She gave him a smug look and a wide grin. It was just like her to tease about such a thing, and if he was stupid enough to think a girl wouldn’t be able to keep up with him then he thought wrong, because she was a Spencer after all. |
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| William Spencer | Nov 17 2011, 12:56 PM Post #7 |
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Lord Winchester (courtesy)
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She was the only person who thought he was wise in any way, but women were usually easy to impress. Besides, he didn't need to impress her, and it only depressed him that she would compliment him like that. He was treated so uselessly by the ones who did matter for the most part. As he told just the beginnings and bare-bones of a story, she put her head down on the pillow. He simply was not in a pleasant sort of mood. "I don't wish to talk about him or think about him," William replied, honestly. He had never felt such...hate...in his entire life, and while it was a sin, he could not help it. Nor did he particularly wish to dwell on his father. William still missed him, especially here, where he was reminded of the man constantly. He let out a bit of a snort, "I have nothing to do with those decisions, you know that." There was always someone around watching their behaviour. Governors, governesses, tutors, stewards...William certainly did not make whatever decision he wished. He simply did not have that sort of autonomy. "I have to ask permission just as well as you do...but I do not mind you riding with me," he added, with a shrug, chewing another piece of meat afterward. "And I am not threatened by women." He smirked at her, much in the way Sir John might. William had plenty of Spencer traits. "Christmastide in France was so much more merry...here I am nothing. There I am welcomed everywhere. Now I will spend what should be much merry-making with a sore arse." God must indeed be punishing him for something. How he wished he could return to France and pretend England had never happened. |
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| Catherine la Zouche | Nov 22 2011, 10:44 PM Post #8 |
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Catherine became tight lipped when Guy informed her that he wished not to think or talk about their Grandfather. Catherine didn’t blame him, for talking about him left a foul taste in her mouth, so much so that she resorted to stealing her cousin’s chalice to take a tiny sip of wine, before returning it within his grasp. She then smiled down at him as he spoke of not minding her riding with him. Oh how so much in love she was with him, if they were a little more distantly related and if the thought didn’t weird her out so, she would have loved to marry him. She cared not what their Grandfather thought of him, in her eyes he would be a great man. She prayed though that the punishment he continually received did not ruin him. The sight of that smirk though had her smiling again. That particular smirk always made her heart flutter, which is probably why Sir John was her favourite uncle. She supposed Guy’s father would have been if she had been allowed to see him, but Sir John was the younger brother and her mother’s trait in teasing him once in a while was starting to seep into her daughter. The tall dark-haired man always made Catherine laugh, especially when he was trying to be serious, she supposed his guarding duties suited him quite well. And just the thought of that man guarding amongst a bunch of women, royal or not, always made her laugh harder. Guy’s return to his emotional mood though made her forget about merriment altogether. She sighed heavily and reached out, gently brushing a lock of hair from his eyes. “Oh Guy, I wish I could make it better for you, I really do. But if you manage to escape back to France you have to take me with you, at least for a visit, deal?” She leaned in and kissed the side of his mouth, but as she pulled back she realised they had been watched. “Mama!” She exclaimed, before touching Guy lightly on the shoulder as she rose. They could get away with forgetting manners with one another, but her mother was a Baroness and deserved such respect. Catherine dipped her head in greeting as Elizabeth stood in the doorway. Catherine was a spitting image of her mother; at least it was quite known they had to be related. Elizabeth smiled softly at the youngsters and nodded to them both, the young William still outranked her and Elizabeth at least was a woman who knew her place, which couldn’t be said the same about her daughter. “William…Catherine.” The older woman dared to use their Christian names in private. For a moment she was silent and then asked softly. “I know you are hurting, but I would like it if you came to dance. Can you do this please? It would mean so much to me.” The moment Catherine saw her mother’s hand press to her chest and her eyes begin to water, she knew she had no choice in the matter. She knew Guy reminded her mother of her lost brother, and it upset her mother more when her father treated her nephew this way, so without complaint, Catherine nodded. “As you wish, Mama, but it is up to Guy to decide.” She glanced over to him, waiting for his reply, knowing that either way her fate was sealed; she would follow her mother back with or without Guy at her side. |
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| William Spencer | Nov 30 2011, 09:13 PM Post #9 |
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Lord Winchester (courtesy)
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William startled just slightly when he caught sight of someone standing in the doorway whilst his cousin was kissing him. He had not expected that sudden appearance, nor had he expected it to be his aunt. William stood up as well, albeit more slowly. "Good evening, my lady," he said, pleasantly enough, giving her a polite nod as well. When the woman's voice bobbled and she touched her chest, William's eyebrows went up and he looked to Catherine. He had little idea of how to read women but knew that such an action was one that was...upset. He blinked and inclined his head in agreement, "Of course, if it pleases you, I am happy to do so." He had always been of a pleasing disposition which likely made it more astounding, the distaste his grandfather held him in. "I shall need help with my doublet," William informed them, walking forward and picking it up off the floor. He could not reappear in such a disheveled state. However, once his clothing was righted, he was happy to follow them back to reality. He had to face it, and at the very least it would begin with a dance, even if the night was destined to end poorly. (DONE) |
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| Isabel Leigh | Dec 9 2011, 12:31 PM Post #10 |
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Virtue alone is invincible.
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6:26 AM Jul 11