This Role-Playing Writing may have sputtered out, or it may be about to have new life breathed into it — we’ll soon know which.
Continued from Part One.
Patience, Please
This site is under reconstruction and will look strange for a while. We regret the inconvenience.
OMG I totally forgot! Sorry Samantha!
My dear Samantha,
I am so sorry that I have not replied to your letters. My mother is keeping me, and (dare I say it?) I have had other things on my mind. Still, it is better to do so late than never. Have you had your ball yet? I sincerely hope that you have not, for I would love to attend. When is it taking place?
Regards,
Nathaniel
WHOA NEW THREAD MUST RESPOND.
Dear Samantha,
I read in the paper that they have found a shoe of Miss Lily Scarborough in your woods. I must say that I do not have a good feeling about how this will all turn out.
May I speak of something more cheerful now? I have chosen to enter some of my drawings in a contest held by the local newspaper. I selected my favorite drawing of an illustration of the Nine Muses. I do so hope it will win.
The flowers at your manor must be in full bloom by now – they must be very lovely.
Must leave now, my tutor is calling –
Yours most sincerely, &c.,
Elizabeth Chaucet
229 on previous installment (Agrrrfishi): Don’t worry! I have not abandoned this thread and I’m still very interested in it. I was without the ability to post for the past week. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Ivy Place, __shire, England
April 23, 1874
Dear Samantha,
You are certainly welcome. I am glad to be able to extend that invitation to you! I am anticipating your arrival.
It has been confirmed that the locket found is indeed Lily’s. A university student found the heel of a shoe about a mile from where the locket was. It has leaked that it is from a dancing shoe belonging to Lily and was likely worn by her on the night of your ball. The finding of the heel, by the way, was a bit amusing: the student, Horatio Winfair, tripped on a tree root and spotted it two inches from his nose as he lay on the ground.
There are police everywhere–both local and some from London–and I have even spotted some of the Scotland Yard. There are likely plain-clothed investigators as well. I have been told that there has been a notable increase in sale of train tickets to __shire.
The officials are regulating the search, but anyone may volunteer to help if they like, with the understanding that anything at all unusual must be reported. I have walked about independently, but the only unusual things I found are: a stone with a hole through it; a lady’s slipper (the flower!); a piece of blue glass; and an envelope that was postmarked twenty years ago, which was addressed to some young lady in Wales. It did have a letter in it, a very ardent letter which made me blush. I reported none of my findings, not feeling them important. I kept the stone, glass, and letter and will show them to you.
This brings me to me next bit of news: I saw the ghost again. He was looking at the Welsh letter. I think he would have cried if he could, he looked so upset. Why he would be upset is not clear to me. Unless, of course, he knew the people involved with the letter. Maybe he did. I have not ever talked to him, nor thought to do so, but next time I see him, I shall ask him about the letter. Maybe he will answer. I do not know what to expect.
Waiting to see you,
Ophelia
((These letters all take place after Samantha went to stay with Ophelia for a few days, so she would have received all of the letters in the above posts when she returned home.))
April 27, 1874
Wertherbaum Mansion
London, England
Dear Nathaniel,
That is perfectly understandable, I daresay that before this point my life was dull enough not to keep interest. However, my ball took place quite a few days ago, and since then quite a few things have happened.
A young lady by the name of Lily Scarborough was invited to my party, but never made an appearance. Some days later, a locket of hers was found in the forest, as well as a heel of her shoe. We are all worried sick, and the police have been plaguing our house like snakes trying to slither into our personal lives, although I do hope that it will do a great deal of help.
Would you happen to have seen anything, good sir?
Sincerely,
Samantha
April 27, 1874
Wertherbaum Mansion
London, England
Dear Elizabeth,
Yes, the shoe was discovered quite deep in the woods by a rather clumsy student of the university. I am quite worried that this will be the last we find of her. I daresay that, considering how long it has been since her disappearance, the chances of finding her alive are very, very slim.
I do hope you win your contest! I am sure you shall, from what I hear you are an excellent artist.
The flowers are still blooming, and are quite lovely indeed. I shall dry a sprig of lavender and place it in this envelope for you.
I also apologize for the slow response, for I was not home for quite a few days. I spend a few nights with Ophelia and her family, to get away from the bustle of the house right now. Things are so dreadfully busy here.
Sincerely,
Samantha
April 27, 1874
Wertherbaum Mansion
London, England
Dear Ophelia,
Thank you ever so much for allowing me to stay at Ivy Place for those few days. It was a delightful time, much more fun than I shall be having for the next week, I daresay.
I found your forest discoveries quite interesting, especially the letter. perhaps the letter is from the lover of your ghost? Maybe he misses her so that he was very sad to discover something of hers before her passing…perhaps they were separated before their time. I do hope you see him again. Please tell me if you do! i was sad not to have seen him upon my visit but I feel sure that he was there, all the same.
I do believe that there were a great number of plain-clothed investigators around the grounds when we went out on our small searches for Lily. At any rate, many of the gawkers by your gates seemed all too interested in what was going on around your home.
I still have the lavender ribbon we found by that old sycamore tree and have shown it to Father. He says that it may be a very leading clue, and has given it to the investigators, who are analyzing it as we speak.
I fear that we will never find Lily. It has been such a long while since her disappearance that, by now, anything could have happened to her. I do hope they find her soon…hopefully in a living state. Have the investigators cleared away from Ivy Place yet? How has the search been coming?
((Should we find Lily dead now?))
(( Yes, I think we should. ))
Belcoeur Manor, —-shire, England
April 29, 1874
Dear Samantha,
I am writing this in quite a state. It is one thirty in the morning. Fifty minutes ago, my father heard footsteps in the garden. I was asleep, but woke up to a clatter and a shout. I quietly opened my window and glimpsed my father running after a dark figure. I saw them get to the gate – and then I could see no more. In a fright, I ran to the drawing room and stood behind the door, should the mysterious figure come back. My mother was away with my aunt Isabella, but the cook was in the kitchen. Twenty minutes later, my father returned with four policemen. I asked him what on earth was happening, but he did not reply. The policemen followed him to the garden. I flew to the window and watched what they were doing. First they appeared to examine the ground. Then, my father handed two of them shovels. They carefully began digging, and after about five minutes one of them emitted a shout and they began digging with something else, something smaller, perhaps trowels. After a few minutes during which I watched curiously, the policemen lifted a large shape from the ground. I could not see what it was, as it was dark. I watched as one of the policemen went back to the carriage and lifted from it what seemed to be a cloth. He then went back to the other three and wrapped the shape in the cloth. The four policemen carried the shape into their carriage and drove off. My father t hen entered the room.
“Father, what happened?” I asked. “I was awakened by your chase in the garden and ran into the parlor in a fright. Tell me, is everything all right?”
“The policemen will return soon,” he said tersely. “Put your dressing gown on and I will call you when they get here.”
I hurried up to my room and as soon as I had dressed, the doorbell rang and I ran back downstairs. The four policemen were back, along with the chief detective of —-shire. I seated myself in the parlor, nervously. My father briefly whispered with the police and then led them to the parlor. One of the policemen noticed me and said in a surprised voice, “There is a lady here. Madam, forgive me, but I do not think this is a suitable situation for a lady to witness.”
“No,” my father said. “This is my daughter. She was a friend of the lady in question. She may have some useful information.”
“Miss Chaucet,” said a policeman gently. “Tonight, in the garden, after the intruder your father was following left, we discovered what he was doing. Er – are you sure you would like to know? I assure you it is quite shocking.”
“Sir, with all due respect, you underestimate me,” I replied. “I am no shrinking violet.”
“All right,” he said dubiously. “My dear Miss Chaucet, the intruder appeared to be covering up a hole in your garden. When we excavated it, I am afraid – I am afraid – ” He paused. “I am sorry.”
“Sir, please continue, you are only fraying my nerves,” I said. The policeman nodded.
“The hole in the garden contained the body of Miss Lily Scarborough.”
I gasped. My father put his hand on mine.
The next few moments were blurry. The police interviewed us about noticing strange things in the garden. As it happened, the bed the intruder had – buried Lily in was about to be planted. Therefore we did not notice a disturbance. Nor anything else.
I hope you will be able to read this letter through my tears blotting the ink. A murderer has been on our property. I will never feel safe here again.
Why did he choose to bury Lily on our property? Was it merely convenient? Being at least a mile from your home, it must not be. Have we offended him in some way? Is it the fault of the Chaucet family that Lily is dead? Why would anyone murder sweet Lily Scarborough?
Lily is dead. I have been preparing for this instance for the last three weeks. I have been fearing the worst. Now that I know the worst has happened, I cannot accept it. I pray to God that Lily has been accepted into the Mighty Kingdom. I am so afraid – I shall not sleep for nights. Oh, Samantha – why did this happen? How could it happen?
I shall send a servant out on a horse with this letter for me immediately. I cannot bear this without knowing that you are reading my letter. I am sorry to have brought this news to you.
Heartbrokenly,
Elizabeth Chaucet
Dear Samantha,
It must be such a dreadful shock for you to have Lily – Lily’s! – body found on your property! How horrible that this had to happen at your ball. I offer my most sincere condolences, and hope that you feel quite all right now. Unfortunately, I had to return home yesterday for the start of term, otherwise I most definitely would have stayed to keep you company. I do hope they find out what happened to her, don’t you? That would be at least some small support to her family, I should think.
Sincerely,
Laetitia Adrienne
Um, Selenium, I just wrote a letter saying Lily’s body was found on my property, i.e., Elizabeth’s.
Oops, sorry! Change the ‘your’ in the first line to ‘Elizabeth’s’.
4 (Agrrrfishi): I’d like to compliment you for catching the inference that the letter is related to the ghost! *Compliments*
Ivy Place, __shire, England
April 30, 1874
Dear Samantha,
I have been living in a daze. Lily is dead. I keep needing to remind myself of that horrible fact. I have been wearing my slightly outgrown mourning clothes since I heard the news. The officials have stopped looking for her location, of course, but they are now “investigating the homicide”. To think they found her in Elizabeth’s yard! The whole affair is bizarre and disturbing. Who could wish a sweet young debutante such ill as to kill her? What has taken place here? Enough of death-related rhetorical questions. I must write of life for a while.
I have been in our library most of the day. Books are so very comforting.
The tulips are opening. The red ones are my favorite, and they are spectacular.
Horatio came by for a while earlier. It was sweet of him to try to cheer me up, but it didn’t help much.
Mother is sick and Father is very busy, so I am too much in charge of the house of late. It has made me feel unpleasantly grown up.
Aunt Theodosia moved the time of her visit a bit. We shall go to London on the fifteenth of May.
I have decided that tragedies make people very insensitive while they are trying to be sensitive. Can no one admit that Lily is dead instead of “no longer with us”? It makes it sound like she has moved to a different country. It irritates me dreadfully and I am really quite angry with the world right now. I will stop now.
Your melancholy friend,
Ophelia
Hello? Is anyone still here?
Back!
May 2nd, 1874
Wertherbaum Mansion
London, England
Dearest Elizabeth,
I am so, so deeply sorry for the loss of poor Lily, and even more so that you had to experience such trauma at your own home. My family is in a state of grief, and we pray for both your family and Lily’s family. I have been crying myself to sleep for the past two nights. I feel so wretched that I was not able to help her, nor even comfort her as she passed.
The Scarborough family was here last evening. They arrived at my father’s behest, as he wished to offer them condolences in person. There were many tears shed in the parlor. I could not stay downstairs for much longer than a few moments, enough time to embrace Lily’s father and mother, before I rushed upstairs to weep more. I returned downstairs some hour or so later and retrieved a basket of food from the pantry to give to them. I felt so guilty looking into their grieving faces. I could only imagine the pain that they felt.
I do hope you are coping well. I send my love and condolences to your family, too. Know that you can reach out to me for anything if need be.
Your friend,
Samantha
May 3rd, 1874
Wertherbaum Mansion
London, England
My Dear Ophelia,
These are depressing times, indeed. I am so glad that you as well find solace in the written word. I have been reading A Rose In June in the sunroom for a few days now, but still, nothing takes Lily from my mind. I am always wondering about her. And I do question often, as you have, what could have caused some monstrous beast to want her dead? It makes my blood run cold.
Tulips are lovely. I do wish I was there to witness their bloom. The baby’s breath about the perimeter of the woods are awake now. I shall enclose a dried flower in this envelope so that you can see it.
The fifteenth sounds lovely. I shall be glad of the company, and happy to see you again! It will take my mind off of things, for certain.
I cannot stress enough how much I want to solve this mystery, to see the murder who did away with Lily be put behind bars. I feel almost responsible for it, if I had not invited her to the ball then she may not have been…
This state of mind is treacherous. Father says that I worry too much.
On a happier note, a stray puppy wandered into our courtyard two days ago. Father says that I may keep her. She is a very small Cavalier King Charles spaniel, and I named her Buttercup. She is a source of light in these dark times, and I am so very glad to have her. You will have to see her when you come to call.
I hope that you are well! I shall see you as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Samantha
Wait, could you reply to Laetitia as well? Thanks.
8.1- Oh, yeah! I thought you changed it so it was to Elizabeth, but nope, i read that wrong. Sorry!
May 4th, 1874
Wertherbaum Mansion
London, England
Dear Laetitia,
Thank you for your kind thoughts. My family appreciates them very, very much.
Unfortunately, it is not yet known how poor Lily died. I feel quite ill whenever I think about it. I cannot imagine who would want to murder such a sweet and innocent young girl. I can only imagine how hard this must be for her parents.
On a lighter note, how has the start of your term been? I hope you are faring well.
Sincerely, Samantha
May the 6th, 1874
Dear Samantha,
I do hope they find out soon the cause of her death – it is a tragic event, isn’t it? I never imagined that something like this would happen.
The start of term has been all right, thank you. School is as usual and already I look forward to our next vacation! And yourself?
Regards,
Laetitia Adrienne
Yay! People!
To Samantha:
Ivy Place, __shire, England
May 5, 1874
Dear Samantha,
Thank you ever so much for the flower. It still smells lovely. I am enclosing one of our tulips for you to enjoy, since you cannot witness them in bloom right now.
On the fifteenth, please meet us at the rail station at seven in the morning. Under the departure schedule in the ladies’ waiting room would be convenient, but if that spot is crowded, Aunt Theodosia and I shall be by the potted palm in the corner. I have given this information to Elizabeth as well.
Oh, you cannot blame yourself! Whomever Lily’s malefactor might be, he would likely have carried out his deed regardless.
Your Buttercup sounds delightful. I am partial to cats myself, but she sounds like a very agreeable creature and I am grateful that she gladdens your heart.
I shall see you soon!
Your friend,
Ophelia
To Elizabeth:
Ivy Place, __shire, England
May 5, 1874
Dear Elizabeth,
I was glad to see you earlier this week, though sorry that my call was under such dreadful circumstances. Have you had many visitors?
I hope and pray that our upcoming outing on the fifteenth will brighten your spirits. Please meet us in the ladies’ waiting room of the rail station at seven o’ clock. Look first for us under the departure schedule, but if that place is crowded, we shall be by the potted palm.
I look forward to seeing you again soon!
Your friend,
Ophelia
I don’t know if Alice is still interested in this thread or not, but if so:
To Cecily-Ann:
Ivy Place, __shire, England
May 5th, 1874
Dear Cecily-Ann,
I look forward to seeing you soon! Please meet us at the Duchess of Pepper tearoom on Piccadilly Street at four o’clock–tea shall be our treat. Look for a red-haired girl in a dark blue hat. I will be with a grown woman and two other girls, one or both of whom may be in mourning attire. I shall see you then!
Your friend,
Ophelia
Please come back, Letters England participants! We have several plot lines that we can take in many directions. It would be a shame to let this fun thread die! *Pleading expression*
I don’t know if anyone’s still interested in this thread, but I’m going to try to keep going anyway. This is to non-player character Horatio Winfair, but it concerns Agrrrfishi’s, Selenium’s, and Alice’s characters.
Oakwell’s Inn, High Wycombe, England
May 16, 1874
Mr. Horatio Winfair,
In my writing this letter to you, I request a favor. Please give the information stated here to my father, Professor Throckmorton. I have not sent it to him directly, for I know he has a tendency to ignore mail when his mind is pre-occupied. My mother has been a touch unwell in the last few weeks and I was advised not to shock her, so I feel it unwise to send this letter to her. Knowing your level head, kind nature, and the high opinion my family has of you, I thought it best to send it to you. Please forgive me of any inconvenience I have brought upon you in doing so.
To tell the story in order, I shall risk beating about the bush before reaching the point.
I assure you that the visit itself went splendidly. We had a marvelous time viewing the sights of the city and called briefly upon a friend of Miss Chaucet’s before meeting your sisters. Cecily-Ann is even more delightful in person than I had come to expect from her letters, if such a thing is possible! Isabel came, too, and we all had tea and had a lovely chat that was not nearly long enough. Both your sisters send their love to you.
We boarded the __shire-bound train quite comfortably, with a basket of provisions. The trouble occurred at one of the train’s stops, when we got off to stretch our legs. We were set upon rather roughly by three men, who I believe had underestimated us. They were damaged a bit in the scuffle. Between us yelling that they had assaulted us and them yelling that we had assaulted them, we caused such a scene that the local police were fetched. We were all escorted to the station, where we were questioned, ladies first.
The men, it turns out, were paid thugs. They were told to “harass” Elizabeth Chaucet and anyone she was with. They claim not to know who hired them or why. The ruffians have been arrested.
We ladies are being politely and most hospitably detained until tomorrow, or perhaps the next day. The local police cannot spare an escort and feel awful about letting us move on without one. So some of the Scotland Yard will take us the rest of the way, just as soon as they get here. We are staying at the charming inn stated on the letter-head. Elizabeth is most indignant that anyone had the gall to harass us perplexing manner. Samantha is doing well, though anxious to be on our way. Auntie Theodosia is treating this with all the enthusiasm of a well-seasoned adventurer, which is typical of her. I am enjoying the very old house we are staying in. All of our injuries are healing quite well, no need to worry!
Please alert my father of this news promptly, if possible. I shall look forward to seeing you again soon.
Regards,
Ophelia
Oh! I almost forgot about this! I’ll be back soon! Just a few more things to clear up this weekend but I’ll be back.
I’m interested! I’ve just been away on vacation, that’s all…
I’ll try to post something later today. Eeek, I’ve got to catch up with everything today.
Ack! I’ve been so busy with camp and trips, but I’ll try to post soon!
Dear Ophelia,
I heard about your scuffle at the train station, and am quite shocked that anyone would pay money to have Elizabeth or any of you hurt! I do hope that you are quite all right now, and recovering well from any injuries that may have happened.
Will you be in London in a few days’ time? I am travelling down soon to stay with my aunt, who lives on the outskirts, and I would be delighted to have you over for tea. I am thinking of inviting a few others as well, girls whom I’m sure you know, so here’s hoping we shall be able to have a merry time together!
Your friend,
Laetitia Adrienne
Hey, Selenium!
Ivy Place, __shire, England
May 18, 1874
Dear Laetitia Adrienne,
What a delight to hear from you!
I am home! We all are. Thank the Lord. Also, thank you, for your concern! I am recovering from a stab to my arm. It shall heal, but I think it may scar. It is to be hoped that it does not, but if it does, it shall make me feel very dangerous and interesting!
Actually, we were returning from a trip to London that day. I will not be able to make another trip so soon. I am sorry! It sounds delightful. However, if you happen to travel through my area, I would be thrilled to have you to Ivy Place for tea!
I would like to ask you a question. I hope it is not a bother at all. Do you know the Woodwilde family? What do you know of them? If you have met any of them, what was your impression? Any information would be helpful, especially that concerning Elisha Woodwilde.
I shall explain why I am asking. This morning, Father found a letter that had been dropped on the porch and had clearly been rained upon. The ink had run. The only words we can make out are “Ophel–(smudged)”, which is surely my name; a phrase we think says “found you”, but it may be “bound you,” or something similar; and “fireflies.”
The stationery, which is rather interesting to look at, was recognized by Lady Wertherbaum as being that of Elisha Woodwilde, whom she said wrote her to decline his invitation to the ball held for Samantha’s birthday. She said he did it extremely politely and that he had a family wedding to attend on the same day.
I know his name is familiar, but I have not the slightest clue where I met him. Have you?
Listen to me, gabbling on about myself. I do apologize. How are you? What have you been doing lately?
Your friend,
Ophelia
Should Laetitia know who Elisha is? If yes, what should he be like?
It would be helpful if you don’t know him well. If you don’t know him at all, are somewhat acquainted with him, or know of him, it will give me some scope to introduce him through Ophelia’s eyes, which I would appreciate.
If you decide that you know of him or only as an acquaintance, you should know that he is epically flamablamablous. (He’ll probably end up being a suitor for Ophelia later on, but I’m not ready for her to start courting yet.)
Thank you for asking before taking action on him! I really enjoy creating characters, and he is one that I am rather pleased with, so I appreciate having my creative license respected.
Who is still interested in this thread?
I am, very much.
Anyone else?
I shall write to Laetitia, since she was the last to display interest.
Ivy Place, __shire, England
May 20, 1874
Dear Laetitia,
Something rather curious has happened.
Have you been aware of the university’s unofficial mascot, the peacock, who showed up a month or two ago? No one knew how it had gotten there.
Well, we know now!
I was there when, just this morning, a rather curious young fellow, whom I had never seen before, approached the peacock and studied it for a long time. Having done so, he nodded his head sharply, as though he had reached a conclusion of some kind, and turned away from the peacock.
He saw me and appeared quite startled. He confessed that he had not realized anyone else was standing there. I apologized for startling him.
He asked many questions about the peacock. I could not answer some of them, but I do not think that all of the questions made sense, at any rate. At some point, he thanked me, inquired where the dean’s office is, and ran off.
It was not until later that I discovered that the young man works as a detective for Scotland Yard.
The peacock had been mysteriously stolen from the London Zoo by a man who collects exotic animals. Yet, somewhere along the line, the peacock had escaped. It ended up at the university and liked our birdseed so much that it stuck around. The London Zoo is most embarrassed by the whole thing.
Oh! The sky looks like rain–in fact, I would say it looks like quite a storm! Splendid! I do so adore thunderstorms, as long as I am indoors. Do you?
Regards,
Ophelia
((Hey people remember this thread?))
((YES wait oh no I was supposed to reply to Ophelia last year! I did not see that :S Revival?))
((Random thread clicker got me here! Ah, the memories. Is a revival likely, do you think? I think it’s my turn to write, but if there’s not much interest I might not bother.))