Myshuno! 2012 - piece 7
Nov. 1st, 2012 07:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dicreasy2Title: Argument.
Prompt: "That is unacceptable" (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
superfr0g)
Rating: PG.
Spoiler rating: 8/10.
Summary: Sophia goes to see her father.
Notes: This is fairly spoliery in that, although this scene won't be in the next chapter the events that count as the build up and aftermath will be.
Word Count: 616.
“That is unacceptable!”
“I beg your pardon?” Matthew glared at his daughter before his gaze slid away from her face as usual.
“I said, Father, that what you are doing is unacceptable,” repeated Sophia. “You are denying Mr Bradshaw’s suit because you feel one of your daughters should stay here, unmarried, to wait on you. Since you have already given me permission to marry, you want that nurse to be Lauren, and I say that is unacceptable.”
“Oh you do, do you?”
“I do! Why should my sister sacrifice her happiness, in order to look after a selfish, ill-mannered man?!”
Matthew’s eyes narrowed dangerously and Sophia’s breath caught in her throat as she realised that she just might have pushed her father too far.
“May I remind you that I am your father?” he asked in a quiet voice. “As such, you owe me a certain amount of respect. I have only ever wanted the best for you and your sister. I have given the two of you everything you have ever wanted…”
“Everything except the one thing we needed,” Sophia knew that she should hold her tongue, but she couldn’t stop herself. It was as if this one argument was the excuse to release all of the frustration and sorrow she had been carrying for half her life. “Do you think we did not notice that you cannot look at either of us for longer than a few seconds? That we too do not see the resemblance between ourselves and Mama every time we look in the mirror or at each other? We know full well that the reason you give us every material thing we desire, is because you cannot show us any affection since we remind you too much of Mama.” She nodded at the portrait of Guiletta which looked over Matthew’s shoulder, her smile as gentle and enigmatic as it had been in life.
Matthew’s brow furrowed and he looked down at the blotter on his desk. Sophia continued in a quitter voice. “Do you think that we do not miss her every single day, as you do? We would do anything to have her with us still, but that cannot be. So we try to live our lives as best we can, to make her proud and keep her in our thoughts. Can you honestly say, that Mama would want Lauren to look after you, rather than marry the man whom she loves?”
Matthew swivelled in his chair, so that he had turned his back on her, but was facing the portrait of his late wife. “It is so difficult,” he said eventually. “You and Lauren remind me so much of her. Not just in looks, but in temperament. It is as if her personality was polarised and transposed into you both. You have her fire; her tendency to act first and think later. Lauren has her intuition and cleverness. And you are, of course correct. She would want the two of you to be happy, and would call me a selfish old, ill-mannered man for wanting one of you to sacrifice your dreams for me.
“I will write to Mr Bradshaw, apologising for my behaviour and asking him to call on me again. This time I will give his suit due consideration.”
Sophia smiled and got up out of her chair. She stooped to kiss her father’s cheek, taking him by surprise. “Thank you Papa. Lauren will be very happy. She was inconsolable when Mr Bradshaw informed her of his first visit to you.”
Matthew grasped her hand. “I think I can safely say that she will be far happier with the outcome of my next meeting with Mr Bradshaw.”
Prompt: "That is unacceptable" (
superfr0g)Rating: PG.
Spoiler rating: 8/10.
Summary: Sophia goes to see her father.
Notes: This is fairly spoliery in that, although this scene won't be in the next chapter the events that count as the build up and aftermath will be.
Word Count: 616.
“That is unacceptable!”
“I beg your pardon?” Matthew glared at his daughter before his gaze slid away from her face as usual.
“I said, Father, that what you are doing is unacceptable,” repeated Sophia. “You are denying Mr Bradshaw’s suit because you feel one of your daughters should stay here, unmarried, to wait on you. Since you have already given me permission to marry, you want that nurse to be Lauren, and I say that is unacceptable.”
“Oh you do, do you?”
“I do! Why should my sister sacrifice her happiness, in order to look after a selfish, ill-mannered man?!”
Matthew’s eyes narrowed dangerously and Sophia’s breath caught in her throat as she realised that she just might have pushed her father too far.
“May I remind you that I am your father?” he asked in a quiet voice. “As such, you owe me a certain amount of respect. I have only ever wanted the best for you and your sister. I have given the two of you everything you have ever wanted…”
“Everything except the one thing we needed,” Sophia knew that she should hold her tongue, but she couldn’t stop herself. It was as if this one argument was the excuse to release all of the frustration and sorrow she had been carrying for half her life. “Do you think we did not notice that you cannot look at either of us for longer than a few seconds? That we too do not see the resemblance between ourselves and Mama every time we look in the mirror or at each other? We know full well that the reason you give us every material thing we desire, is because you cannot show us any affection since we remind you too much of Mama.” She nodded at the portrait of Guiletta which looked over Matthew’s shoulder, her smile as gentle and enigmatic as it had been in life.
Matthew’s brow furrowed and he looked down at the blotter on his desk. Sophia continued in a quitter voice. “Do you think that we do not miss her every single day, as you do? We would do anything to have her with us still, but that cannot be. So we try to live our lives as best we can, to make her proud and keep her in our thoughts. Can you honestly say, that Mama would want Lauren to look after you, rather than marry the man whom she loves?”
Matthew swivelled in his chair, so that he had turned his back on her, but was facing the portrait of his late wife. “It is so difficult,” he said eventually. “You and Lauren remind me so much of her. Not just in looks, but in temperament. It is as if her personality was polarised and transposed into you both. You have her fire; her tendency to act first and think later. Lauren has her intuition and cleverness. And you are, of course correct. She would want the two of you to be happy, and would call me a selfish old, ill-mannered man for wanting one of you to sacrifice your dreams for me.
“I will write to Mr Bradshaw, apologising for my behaviour and asking him to call on me again. This time I will give his suit due consideration.”
Sophia smiled and got up out of her chair. She stooped to kiss her father’s cheek, taking him by surprise. “Thank you Papa. Lauren will be very happy. She was inconsolable when Mr Bradshaw informed her of his first visit to you.”
Matthew grasped her hand. “I think I can safely say that she will be far happier with the outcome of my next meeting with Mr Bradshaw.”
