False Southern Gentility
Dream...
Christine felt the rain on her face, and the wind breaking through her thick skirts, and then she felt Christopher, his hands around her, the same hands that had untied the ribbons underneath her chin, the hands that dropped her bonnet onto the ground.
"We...we should go." she said as she took a step back, the rain rushing over her face in waves.
Christopher shook his head, screaming over the roar of the rain, "You hate people don't you? What is it about anyone, man, woman, or child, that sets you off? We're not all the same, few of us are, but not all. You can't judge me by Peter, Christine. You can't judge one man by another man's standards." he yelled as he touched the side of her face.
She shook her head and walked away, "I'm not scared of anything, I have faced fires, Yankees, starvation, and damn it, I've faced...." she stopped, looking up at the sky, "I'm not afraid of anything, and you're a fool if you think I am. I've come here to get married." Her voice was cold and hard, "We're going bankrupt and they're going to take the plantation soon. I won't let anything slow me down..." she swallowed, "not even you." she said as she turned and walked away down the street, his coat slipping off of her shoulders.
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"Good Lord, Christine! Where have you been? It's pouring down outside--honey, please...say something for me. Come on angel, speak to me here, you're scaring you're old Auntie. You must be freezing, here, hand me that coat. It doesn't seem to be doing you much good at all." Meredith said as she approached Christine hesitantly, smiling while she rolled the wet coat the rest of the way off of her shoulders.
Christine nodded, "I am home." she said as she looked at the walls. For a moments they went white, then orange, and finally they were clean, normal and un-besmirched by wartime and the lack of slaves to tend to them.
Christine turned her head, the sound of horses hooves drawing her attention to the window. She ran to it, flinging her hands onto the warm glass, it was un-shattered.
The panes were fresh with whitewash and the rooms smelled of sweet-cakes and tea.
"Honey, what in goodness's sake are you doing over there? Standing at the window like that, like you're calling those young boys up to my front porch swing, what would you're mama say? Hm?" she asked with a smile.
Christine swallowed, "I was just looking, I thought I heard horses." she said as she walked to the sitting-room, her hands sliding over her hips, feeling the large swoop where the hoops went into a enormous dramatic "O".
Her aunt laughed, a light and airy laugh that Christine hadn't heard in years, and probably would never hear again. "Well then, I'll call old Jeremiah to get the carriage and take us over to the dress parlor, Caroline and Patsy are supposed to be waiting for us later." she said with a laugh.
Christine nodded, "Where is mother?" she asked as she turned around, her hoop catching on the wall and jerking her for a moment or two, "Is she here? Is she at the plantation?" she asked as she watched her Aunt Meredith's eyes dance.
"Well honeybee, your mama is back at home, with your Father. What's the matter angel, did you have an unpleasant nap? Was it terrors in your sleep?" she asked as she smiled at Christine.
Her smile, oh how Christine had missed that smile, one of happiness and not of inclination to the people around her.
"Yes, a terrible nightmare. Is...have you seen a man? Oh goodness, I mean a man named Christopher Rudd? Have we seen him anywhere?" she asked with a smile.
"No dear? Why, should we have? Oh dear, we shouldn't have. Or should we have? Oh, you know I always have to know everyone! Who is he? Is he from here?" She asked, fluttering as she bent down and pulled Christine's skirt free.
Christine smiled to herself, "Oh no, it's fine, I think I may have met him a few days ago, then again, I haven't been able to keep up with all of the beau that I've seen lately." She said as she walked to the mirror on the other side of the room, "Oh how lovely I look!" she exclaimed with a bright smile.
Meredith shook her head and laughed, "You shouldn't gloat, dear. God can take those looks sure as he bestowed them." she said as she pressed a few stray hairs back into their places.
"Oh no, you mustn't say something like that! What if he had!?" she exclaimed as she pinched the apples of her cheeks. "Besides, I don't think he would, things are to easy now." she said as she walked to the door, the memories from after this fading into darkness, she couldn't carry memories that had never happened...
Her Aunt laughed as she pulled on the lace of her dress, fluffing it with the thimble of her finger. "Goodness, we must hurry, I wouldn't dare keep someone waiting like that, it's just plain rude!" she exclaimed as she fanned herself.
"Don't forget to take that off." Christine said as she pointed to the small golden thimble.
"Oh yes. Quite." Meredith said as she laughed and put it back in her sewing box.
Christine smiled, "Oh, I don't think I want to go, I want to see the town a bit." she said as she walked to the door, pulled the small black cloak over her shoulders, and smiled back at her Aunt, "Oh and Auntie, if I am ever hateful, even for a moment, please remember that I do love you so." she said as she turned, pulled the door open, and walked into the street.
"Miss Threlkeld, wait!" someone exclaimed behind her; Christine turned, her skirts twisting around with her, she couldn't help but smile at the familiar movement.
"We...we should go." she said as she took a step back, the rain rushing over her face in waves.
Christopher shook his head, screaming over the roar of the rain, "You hate people don't you? What is it about anyone, man, woman, or child, that sets you off? We're not all the same, few of us are, but not all. You can't judge me by Peter, Christine. You can't judge one man by another man's standards." he yelled as he touched the side of her face.
She shook her head and walked away, "I'm not scared of anything, I have faced fires, Yankees, starvation, and damn it, I've faced...." she stopped, looking up at the sky, "I'm not afraid of anything, and you're a fool if you think I am. I've come here to get married." Her voice was cold and hard, "We're going bankrupt and they're going to take the plantation soon. I won't let anything slow me down..." she swallowed, "not even you." she said as she turned and walked away down the street, his coat slipping off of her shoulders.
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"Good Lord, Christine! Where have you been? It's pouring down outside--honey, please...say something for me. Come on angel, speak to me here, you're scaring you're old Auntie. You must be freezing, here, hand me that coat. It doesn't seem to be doing you much good at all." Meredith said as she approached Christine hesitantly, smiling while she rolled the wet coat the rest of the way off of her shoulders.
Christine nodded, "I am home." she said as she looked at the walls. For a moments they went white, then orange, and finally they were clean, normal and un-besmirched by wartime and the lack of slaves to tend to them.
Christine turned her head, the sound of horses hooves drawing her attention to the window. She ran to it, flinging her hands onto the warm glass, it was un-shattered.
The panes were fresh with whitewash and the rooms smelled of sweet-cakes and tea.
"Honey, what in goodness's sake are you doing over there? Standing at the window like that, like you're calling those young boys up to my front porch swing, what would you're mama say? Hm?" she asked with a smile.
Christine swallowed, "I was just looking, I thought I heard horses." she said as she walked to the sitting-room, her hands sliding over her hips, feeling the large swoop where the hoops went into a enormous dramatic "O".
Her aunt laughed, a light and airy laugh that Christine hadn't heard in years, and probably would never hear again. "Well then, I'll call old Jeremiah to get the carriage and take us over to the dress parlor, Caroline and Patsy are supposed to be waiting for us later." she said with a laugh.
Christine nodded, "Where is mother?" she asked as she turned around, her hoop catching on the wall and jerking her for a moment or two, "Is she here? Is she at the plantation?" she asked as she watched her Aunt Meredith's eyes dance.
"Well honeybee, your mama is back at home, with your Father. What's the matter angel, did you have an unpleasant nap? Was it terrors in your sleep?" she asked as she smiled at Christine.
Her smile, oh how Christine had missed that smile, one of happiness and not of inclination to the people around her.
"Yes, a terrible nightmare. Is...have you seen a man? Oh goodness, I mean a man named Christopher Rudd? Have we seen him anywhere?" she asked with a smile.
"No dear? Why, should we have? Oh dear, we shouldn't have. Or should we have? Oh, you know I always have to know everyone! Who is he? Is he from here?" She asked, fluttering as she bent down and pulled Christine's skirt free.
Christine smiled to herself, "Oh no, it's fine, I think I may have met him a few days ago, then again, I haven't been able to keep up with all of the beau that I've seen lately." She said as she walked to the mirror on the other side of the room, "Oh how lovely I look!" she exclaimed with a bright smile.
Meredith shook her head and laughed, "You shouldn't gloat, dear. God can take those looks sure as he bestowed them." she said as she pressed a few stray hairs back into their places.
"Oh no, you mustn't say something like that! What if he had!?" she exclaimed as she pinched the apples of her cheeks. "Besides, I don't think he would, things are to easy now." she said as she walked to the door, the memories from after this fading into darkness, she couldn't carry memories that had never happened...
Her Aunt laughed as she pulled on the lace of her dress, fluffing it with the thimble of her finger. "Goodness, we must hurry, I wouldn't dare keep someone waiting like that, it's just plain rude!" she exclaimed as she fanned herself.
"Don't forget to take that off." Christine said as she pointed to the small golden thimble.
"Oh yes. Quite." Meredith said as she laughed and put it back in her sewing box.
Christine smiled, "Oh, I don't think I want to go, I want to see the town a bit." she said as she walked to the door, pulled the small black cloak over her shoulders, and smiled back at her Aunt, "Oh and Auntie, if I am ever hateful, even for a moment, please remember that I do love you so." she said as she turned, pulled the door open, and walked into the street.
"Miss Threlkeld, wait!" someone exclaimed behind her; Christine turned, her skirts twisting around with her, she couldn't help but smile at the familiar movement.