The Ice Queen Chapter 9

[pfeifferpack.livejournal.com]

Chapter 9 - And By Their Deeds You Shall Know Them
London - 1912

Cecily was hosting a small dinner party for some of the more fashionable of the ladies of her acquaintance. She didn't entertain as often as she liked, but her secret work schedule made it a bit difficult to arrange time for pleasure.

The last gathering she had undertaken had been nearly four months previous when the lovely Matthews girl had joined the Christmas festivities of the Yevtochenko mother and son. Elizabeth had been quite taken by the traditions that mingled British and Russian customs and foods.

Clearly Elizabeth and Michael still were attracted to one another and had spent the time apart in a flurry of correspondence. They were inseparable.

Cecily liked the girl but was thanking the dark lords that she lived across the Atlantic from Michael.

Cecily was rushing to and fro with the last minute details familiar to anyone who has ever played hostess to high sticklers and gossips. Everything had to be perfect and Cecily was determined it would be.

She was so engrossed in the seating arrangements that she had not heard the door open and her long time butler approaching. Hobbs coughed discreetly and begged madame's pardon. He had been handed a telegram sent from Master Michael and knew that she would want it immediately.

Cecily took the paper from her butler's hand and felt an inexplicable stab of fear as she began to read. People rarely sent telegrams containing good news and this certainly was true to form.

Cecily read aloud softly, "MOTHER DEAREST STOP NOW I AM A MAN STOP HAVE CHOSEN TO WED STOP KNOW YOU LOVE ELIZABETH STOP AM ON MY WAY TO ASK FOR HER HAND STOP EMBARKED FOR NEW YORK THIS DAY STOP TAKING NEW WHITE STAR BEAUTY NAMED TITANIC STOP LOVE YOUR DEVOTED SON MICHAEL STOP"

Mother Dearest was not pleased at all but consoled herself that he would return in a few weeks and she could talk sense into him then. Young men could be so rash in the heat of hormones and Yevtochenko men always had raging hormones. She marveled, "how quickly they do grow up!" and laughed lightly.

She rather envied her son for his wide-eyed romantic notions. She envied him the trip as well. Much had been written of the luxury ship he was now, no doubt, enjoying. Why, some of the very people she would normally be entertaining were taking this maiden trip on the most modern marvel of shipbuilding to grace the Atlantic.

Cecily smiled at the thought of her little boy off on his first real adventure alone, a grown man at seventeen! She needn't worry, she had prepared Michael's future with care and all would be as it should.




~fin

Comments

[scarlettlily.livejournal.com]

This story was great and the last detail about him being on the Titanic to fulfill her first wish about the ice without even meaning to because now he is a man. And this was an awesome look into Cecily/Halfrek. Fantastic.

[pfeifferpack.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I tried to make it tie in with Halfrek's obsession with children among other things. Glad you enjoyed the story.

Kathleen

[pfeifferpack.livejournal.com]

There IS a lesson there for us all really to be careful of what we wish. Often we think we know what would make us happy only to have it turn out to be a curse in reality. She had come to genuinely love Michael.

I thought between her indignation and anger with her father (still), and her guilt and remorse over her own stint at parenting it could explain her obsession with parent/child vengeance wishes too.

Yes, she should have appreciated that William fellow but we are glad she didn't (he would have been too....he was too passionate for a cold fish like her).

Thank you for the lovely reviews.

Kathleen

[hesadevil.livejournal.com]

she should have appreciated that William fellow but we are glad she didn't.
Very true.

Thank you for the lovely reviews.
I liked this piece so very much. I've nommed it at Shadows and Dust in the 'Portal' category.

[pfeifferpack.livejournal.com]

Oh my! Thank you so much!

Kathleen

[hesadevil.livejournal.com]

Well Karma certainly is a bitch and Cecily should have been more careful with what she wished. I didn't see this coming and yet the seeds were there right from the moment she cursed the male line.

Brilliant ending and what a great choice of the method of her own son's demise. She really should have accepted the attentions of the twit who wrote reams of poetry about her.