Fic: Cloak and Dagger fragment (2)
28 Feb 2010 08:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thisbluespiritThis time 1,097 words - a random fragment with Bartram (Philip Glenister), Sophy (Felicity Jones), Hugh (Lee Williams) and Jenny (Claire Foy):
***
Tobias Bartram headed down the street, away from his place of business and stopped short as he glimpsed an out-of-place but all-too-familiar, slight figure on the opposite side of the road. He cursed under his breath, and then took his life in his hands to cross a busy London street and reach her before anyone else did.
“Miss Sophy,” he said, giving her a cursory bow and pulling her to one side. “What the devil do you think you’re doing out here – and on your own at that?”
She started and then took his arm. “Oh, it’s you, Mr Bartram. That’s not very kind – and in any case I’m not alone.”
“Forgive me for questioning a lady’s word,” he retorted, “but if that’s the case, where is your chaperon? Besides, you shouldn’t be in the City, with or without a chaperon.”
She frowned back at him. “Oh, stuff,” she said. “If I have both my brother and my maid, it can’t be so very dreadful, can it? And we had a most particular reason for coming.”
“Yes, but I still don’t see anyone else,” he pointed out. Most of the time, he liked Sophy’s spirit, but on occasions like this, he could see the value in her possessing a great deal less of it. Or, he amended, at least a particle of common sense to go along with it. “Turned invisible, have they?”
She frowned at him. “No, of course not. That is what is so vexing. I saw Madame Lisette – you know, the dressmaker that John had such suspicions of, so naturally I went after her -.”
“Naturally -.”
“And when I turned, Hugh and Jenny were nowhere to be seen. So I was very thankful to see you there – only I would rather you were not so unkind.”
“Miss Sophy -.”
“Lady Sophia, if you please.”
“Trust me,” he told her, “now isn’t the moment for airs and graces. I’ll escort you home and return to see if I can find any sign of that nuisance brother of yours. I might have known he’d be behind it.”
She walked along side him, but she was still visibly annoyed. “How could you? It was my idea, not Hugh’s. He only came when he found Jenny and I would not be dissuaded and he said it was not the thing for me to be promenading round this quarter, even if I had my maid with me, so I had to let him.”
“Home -.”
She paused. “But Madame Lisette! I saw her – and now you are with me, we could go a little further along and see if it truly was she -.”
“You’ll do as you’re told for once.”
Sophy sighed. “Don’t treat me as if I’m a spoilt child. If that dressmaker is in town, it is of the greatest import that we should know, and what she is about. You must see that, Uncle Toby -.”
“What you are is a minx, child,” he said. “And I understand the gravity of the situation better than you. I’ll see what I can do about it, but first I’m taking you back to where you ought to be, and no argumentation. Besides which, you know your sister won’t have you calling me that.”
She gave in with a small shrug and an impish smile. “Very well. Mind, my sister is not here -.”
“No, and she isn’t ever likely to be,” he informed her. “She wouldn’t indulge in such distempered freaks. Your sister has her wits about her – unlike you. Bird-witted, you are, I’d say – addle-pated, even.”
Sophy glared. “That’s very unhandsome of you, Mr Bartram.”
“Talking of addle-pated,” he said, “here comes your brother, and Jenny Wren with him.”
She lifted her chin. “I said I was not unaccompanied. There! Now you will believe me.”
“Oh, I can believe anything of the two of you,” he returned. He turned as Hugh and Jenny reached them. “Good day to you, Longville.”
He gave an even briefer nod in greeter than Bartram’s to Sophy. “Sophy! Dash it, you can’t go running about the City as you please. I told you we should not be here at all, but if you must -.”
“So I’ve said,” cut in Bartram. “Longville, take the girl home this instant.”
She paused, looking between them. “Hugh, I saw Madame Lisette.”
“Who the d- I mean, who is Madame Lisette?” her brother returned, frowning at her. “What does she have to do with you careering about in that heedless way?”
She said, “Hugh, she is the dressmaker, the one -.”
“Sophy,” he responded, revolted, “now isn’t the time to be thinking of trumpery furbelows and frills.”
Bartram sighed and shook his head, but said, “Don’t worry your head over it, Miss Sophy. I’ll chase after the dressmaker; you have your brother take you home. I can’t think why he let you come at all.”
“I’m damned if I’ll take that from you,” said Hugh, bristling. “I’m -.” He bit back anything further and offered his arm to his sister, rather stiffly. “Time to go, Sophy.”
She said, “Oh, don’t be silly, Hugh. And, Mr Bartram, Hugh did say we should not come, only I thought – I -.”
“You thought it was only me trying to spoil your pleasure,” her brother responded. “Yes, so you told me. Oh, that’s merely Hugh – Hugh doesn’t know anything! Well, now I trust you’ve learned your lesson!”
Sophy sighed. “I am sorry. I thought it would be proper enough if Jenny was with me – and Hugh, you do tease, you know you do. Is it any wonder I can hardly be sure if you are serious or not?”
“That beats everything,” said Hugh. “That’s your opinion of me, is it? Well, I think we’d be wise to leave before Kate comes home and finds you gone.”
His younger sister gave him a rueful look. “Yes, I don’t think she would be very pleased, would she?”
“It is getting late now,” agreed Jenny quietly.
Sophie turned. “Yes, and it would get you into dreadful trouble, would it not? I suppose we must go, but I would like to have found something for Kate!”
Bartram saw the lot of them off and then headed back down the street, in pursuit of a fashionable dressmaker, of all things. Life would be a great deal simpler if he hadn’t become embroiled in this business of Rothley’s, he decided. If there was a Longville about there was no telling what he or she might take it into his or her head to do.
***
I'm not at all sure I'm getting the tone quite right... I should go write something more sensible! I was going to follow up with Kate actually meeting the Dowager, but this is presumably what Sophy and co are up to while she and John are away...
***
Tobias Bartram headed down the street, away from his place of business and stopped short as he glimpsed an out-of-place but all-too-familiar, slight figure on the opposite side of the road. He cursed under his breath, and then took his life in his hands to cross a busy London street and reach her before anyone else did.
“Miss Sophy,” he said, giving her a cursory bow and pulling her to one side. “What the devil do you think you’re doing out here – and on your own at that?”
She started and then took his arm. “Oh, it’s you, Mr Bartram. That’s not very kind – and in any case I’m not alone.”
“Forgive me for questioning a lady’s word,” he retorted, “but if that’s the case, where is your chaperon? Besides, you shouldn’t be in the City, with or without a chaperon.”
She frowned back at him. “Oh, stuff,” she said. “If I have both my brother and my maid, it can’t be so very dreadful, can it? And we had a most particular reason for coming.”
“Yes, but I still don’t see anyone else,” he pointed out. Most of the time, he liked Sophy’s spirit, but on occasions like this, he could see the value in her possessing a great deal less of it. Or, he amended, at least a particle of common sense to go along with it. “Turned invisible, have they?”
She frowned at him. “No, of course not. That is what is so vexing. I saw Madame Lisette – you know, the dressmaker that John had such suspicions of, so naturally I went after her -.”
“Naturally -.”
“And when I turned, Hugh and Jenny were nowhere to be seen. So I was very thankful to see you there – only I would rather you were not so unkind.”
“Miss Sophy -.”
“Lady Sophia, if you please.”
“Trust me,” he told her, “now isn’t the moment for airs and graces. I’ll escort you home and return to see if I can find any sign of that nuisance brother of yours. I might have known he’d be behind it.”
She walked along side him, but she was still visibly annoyed. “How could you? It was my idea, not Hugh’s. He only came when he found Jenny and I would not be dissuaded and he said it was not the thing for me to be promenading round this quarter, even if I had my maid with me, so I had to let him.”
“Home -.”
She paused. “But Madame Lisette! I saw her – and now you are with me, we could go a little further along and see if it truly was she -.”
“You’ll do as you’re told for once.”
Sophy sighed. “Don’t treat me as if I’m a spoilt child. If that dressmaker is in town, it is of the greatest import that we should know, and what she is about. You must see that, Uncle Toby -.”
“What you are is a minx, child,” he said. “And I understand the gravity of the situation better than you. I’ll see what I can do about it, but first I’m taking you back to where you ought to be, and no argumentation. Besides which, you know your sister won’t have you calling me that.”
She gave in with a small shrug and an impish smile. “Very well. Mind, my sister is not here -.”
“No, and she isn’t ever likely to be,” he informed her. “She wouldn’t indulge in such distempered freaks. Your sister has her wits about her – unlike you. Bird-witted, you are, I’d say – addle-pated, even.”
Sophy glared. “That’s very unhandsome of you, Mr Bartram.”
“Talking of addle-pated,” he said, “here comes your brother, and Jenny Wren with him.”
She lifted her chin. “I said I was not unaccompanied. There! Now you will believe me.”
“Oh, I can believe anything of the two of you,” he returned. He turned as Hugh and Jenny reached them. “Good day to you, Longville.”
He gave an even briefer nod in greeter than Bartram’s to Sophy. “Sophy! Dash it, you can’t go running about the City as you please. I told you we should not be here at all, but if you must -.”
“So I’ve said,” cut in Bartram. “Longville, take the girl home this instant.”
She paused, looking between them. “Hugh, I saw Madame Lisette.”
“Who the d- I mean, who is Madame Lisette?” her brother returned, frowning at her. “What does she have to do with you careering about in that heedless way?”
She said, “Hugh, she is the dressmaker, the one -.”
“Sophy,” he responded, revolted, “now isn’t the time to be thinking of trumpery furbelows and frills.”
Bartram sighed and shook his head, but said, “Don’t worry your head over it, Miss Sophy. I’ll chase after the dressmaker; you have your brother take you home. I can’t think why he let you come at all.”
“I’m damned if I’ll take that from you,” said Hugh, bristling. “I’m -.” He bit back anything further and offered his arm to his sister, rather stiffly. “Time to go, Sophy.”
She said, “Oh, don’t be silly, Hugh. And, Mr Bartram, Hugh did say we should not come, only I thought – I -.”
“You thought it was only me trying to spoil your pleasure,” her brother responded. “Yes, so you told me. Oh, that’s merely Hugh – Hugh doesn’t know anything! Well, now I trust you’ve learned your lesson!”
Sophy sighed. “I am sorry. I thought it would be proper enough if Jenny was with me – and Hugh, you do tease, you know you do. Is it any wonder I can hardly be sure if you are serious or not?”
“That beats everything,” said Hugh. “That’s your opinion of me, is it? Well, I think we’d be wise to leave before Kate comes home and finds you gone.”
His younger sister gave him a rueful look. “Yes, I don’t think she would be very pleased, would she?”
“It is getting late now,” agreed Jenny quietly.
Sophie turned. “Yes, and it would get you into dreadful trouble, would it not? I suppose we must go, but I would like to have found something for Kate!”
Bartram saw the lot of them off and then headed back down the street, in pursuit of a fashionable dressmaker, of all things. Life would be a great deal simpler if he hadn’t become embroiled in this business of Rothley’s, he decided. If there was a Longville about there was no telling what he or she might take it into his or her head to do.
***
I'm not at all sure I'm getting the tone quite right... I should go write something more sensible! I was going to follow up with Kate actually meeting the Dowager, but this is presumably what Sophy and co are up to while she and John are away...
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no subject
Date: 7 Mar 2010 09:35 pm (UTC)Or, at any rate, _threaten_ to...
I don't know what the Regency-era parliament building actually looked like, because I'm pretty sure the present-day Palace of Westminster was built after the fire (and it'd have to be Victorian with all of those faux-Gothic twiddly bits)...Hmm...
no subject
Date: 7 Mar 2010 09:54 pm (UTC)This is not about Guy Fawkes, people. It's about trying to stop sneaky Napoleonic spies and not ruining your standing in society at the same time.
I have Kate shooting someone. Will that do?
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Date: 8 Mar 2010 07:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 9 Mar 2010 06:15 pm (UTC)