You know this is actually quite exciting, because I'm imagining these sneak peak pieces like the commercial ads for movies or a television series.
So here we are...
Some quick Background or perhaps it's setting the scene:
Late into the night...Miss Marty sitting on a bed, wearing an elegant dress, Miss Alexandra also wearing a lovely dress and Miss Jane wearing a long night gown. Alex and Jane are sitting at their own vanities...
“Indeed.” Marty grew more serious, as she fiddled with the necklace in between her fingers.
Jane got up, went to her bed and pulled out a pile of clothes from underneath. As Marty looked at her ruby and Alex looked at her reflection, Jane walked behind the divider with the boys’ clothes. Alex saw the clothes out of the corner of her eye, as Jane disappeared behind the divider, but did not know their kind.
“What are doing?” Alex asked, causing Marty to look at them with a confused look.
“I…I shouldn’t tell you.” Jane started changing out of her nightgown.
“Why not?” Alex put down her drying towel.
“Because, I’m going…” Jane hesitated in whether or not to let them in on her full plan.
“Where are you going?” Alex pressed.
“Away.”
“What do you mean…?”
Jane sighed, pausing in her process of fastening on the belt around her waist. She debated with herself and decided to tell them… “I’m going to find Uncle Lou,” said she coming out from behind the divider fully dressed like a boy. “How do I look?”
“What?” Alex gaped with her mouth open.
Marty laughed. “Like a boy.”
“Captain Crazy Lou!” Alex went to stand before Jane. “Are you daft? He’s a pirate? Do you know how dangerous that is? He is?”
“Alex is right, Jane,” said Marty calmly, but with a hint of sorrow – she had learned of their uncle’s truth as soon as her cousins had come to her home.
“Yes, but I also seem to remember father saying that we need to keep the family together.” Jane started gathering her hand sized pouch of money and a hooded coat. “And since father and Uncle David are failing to do that, and I want to meet Uncle Lewis, I’m going to do something about it.”
“Oh! Right! You can just go right out there and tell Uncle Lewis you’re his niece…”
“Nephew,” Jane corrected.
“Whatever! And expect him to accept you just like that?”
“Yep, pretty much.” Jane smiled slightly amused.
“This is beyond absurd, you know that don’t you?” Alex asked bewildered, but as more of a statement.
“Above and beyond, don’t you want to meet Uncle Lewis?” asked Jane.
“You mean Crazy Lou?” said Alex distastefully.
“Yes!” Marty exclaimed. She had let go of the necklace and now leaned forward on her hands.
“But you can’t just leave!” said Alex.
“Oh, Alex…” Jane went and pulled some rope out from underneath her bed.
“Don’t you, ‘Oh, Alex,’ me. This is much too precarious for you. I will not allow it.” Alex followed Jane over to the window.
“You can’t stop me,” said Jane.
“You are not seriously going to climb down from here, are you?” Marty came to stand next to Jane at the window, as she looked down below remembering that it was two story’s high above the ground.
“Yes,” said Jane curtly, not wanting them to know that she was beginning to doubt her plans. For fear of death or unwanted male attention taunted her, but she pushed her fears aside.
“No!” said Alex moving to block the window. “I won’t let you throw your life away like this, Jane. You have a duty as a Remmington. As a daughter. As…as a sister,” she finished more gently, searching her sister’s eyes intently.
“Yes, and so does our family toward Uncle Lewis. As a brother and as nephews and nieces. Now, please, move aside,” Jane pleaded, while holding the rope in her hands.
Alex sighed exasperatedly and moved aside unwillingly.
“Thank you.” Jane began tying the rope in multiple knots to the railing.
“Jane-” Alex tried.
“Al, please try to understand. I’ve never had any real adventure. I’ve never been outside this country.” She continued tying knots and pulling on them as tightly as possible
“But Jane, you’re a lady,” said Alex.
“Yes, but don’t you want to be more than just a lady?” asked Jane.
Alex froze, realizing that she did want to be more than just a lady, but what she wanted to be was forbidden for women to pursue.
Marty stood there listening to her two cousins argue trying to decide who to agree with, because she agreed with both views. She agreed with Jane in wanting some adventure and to meet the uncle they all thought had died long ago. And with Alex, she agreed that it was risky and dangerous, especially on their family’s reputation.
“I want to be a lady-sailor.” Jane smiled to herself after tying the last knot. Yes, she was following her heart.
“Oh! Me too!” said Marty, as Jane started to climb through the window but stopped.
“Really?” asked Jane coming back in and turning around to meet Marty’s eyes.
Marty smiled feeling slightly embarrassed. “Yes, actually and I want to be a doctor too.”
“Really? I also want to ride in the horse races.”
“Really? That is definitely unheard of, but definitely exciting,” said Marty as Jane once again climbed through the window.
“Jane, I don’t…” Alex began to try once more to reason with Jane.
“Please don’t tell anyone what I’m doing. Promise?” Jane looked at both of them eagerly.
“Please don’t tell anyone what I’m doing. Promise?” Jane looked at both of them eagerly.
Marty grinned rebelliously, while Alex hardened her face. “Promise!” They said not quite in unison. They watched her with debate in their minds.
“Be careful!” Alex suddenly whispered loudly, once Jane was halfway down.
As they watched her reach the ground below, Marty whispered, “This is ridiculous, we can’t let her go by herself!”
“She shouldn’t be going at all.”
“You know she’s right about needing to experience adventure outside of high society and keeping the family together.”
“What? No! We are not going! It‘s too dangerous”
“Oh come on, Alex, please!”
Alexandra looked down the street to see Jane drop her pouch, as she was hurrying off toward the docks. “Oh!” she moaned, watching Jane turn around to pick it up and continue on her way. “Come on let’s go!”
So...I like pictures, I'm a visual person, it's one of the ways I learn best and it helps me visualize and actually feel like I'm there and seeing my characters and their scenes in such clothes or location.
For example, what would a girl or rather a lady would look like dressed as a boy in the early 18th century? And not want anyone to know that you really are a lady?
This was the best one that I could find that was NOT so modern, like they were high heeled boots, skirts, short skirts, too revealing, I mean seriously that is NOT how a lady would dress, if she wanted to conceal herself and protect herself from unwanted attention and be a pirate. Honestly, it is frustrating, but I guess the girls and ladies back then trying to blend in with the guys didn't have other girls to look to, to see how they pulled off the pirate/male look. They looked at the male for their clothing choice.
And we remember, guys had long hair back then too, but the girls daring enough to join the motley crew had to more careful about letting their hair down...right?
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