August 17th, 1889 - Beauregard Family Home
@'Percival Adlard Jr.'

A week after telling Tyb, near a month after Mr. Adlard had visited initially and Elsie still felt no surer of this conversation than she had when the situation first arose. Though the conversation with Tyb had been difficult, she was glad they'd had it; she wasn't hiding anything from him anymore. However, that did not make what she was about to do any easier. The decision was easy, unfortunately for Mr. Adlard, but Elsie was head over heels for her best friend, there was no way she could willingly say yes to another gentleman when her heart belonged to someone else. That wasn't fair to anyone. Still, Mr. Adlard was kind and very sweet and if things were different, she would have been thrilled. But they weren't and she though she wished her relationship with Tyb was a little easier, she wouldn't change what they had for anything.

Thankfully Mr. Adlard seemed to be a very patient man, as she hadn't heard from him since their last meeting. Finally she'd mustered up the courage to send him an owl and invite him back to the house on an afternoon she knew her mother was visiting with a friend. Though she had no doubts her parents would somehow hear about this, she was ready to accept the downfall from that without involving Mr. Adlard or Tyb- for now anyway.

She waited nervously in the parlor, fidgeting with the fabric of her dress as she waited for the inevitable knock on the door. Watching the clock, Elsie nearly felt ill. The decision to say no had been so easy, but actually going through with it was harder than she imagined; she was downright terrible at hurting other people's feelings and this was quite the personal matter. No matter her absolute feelings for Tyb, she had enjoyed her correspondence and meetings with Mr. Adlard, but was willing to sacrifice the friendship for what she wanted. It made her feel selfish and guilty, but she couldn't do much about it.

As soon as she heard one of the staff move toward the door, she stood, hoping this would be quick and as painless as possible.

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MJ always makes her so pretty

In the month that had passed Percy had come to the conclusion that Miss Beauregard did not return his affections. He had not had a letter from her in that time and it had been apparent when he approached her that she had been surprised by the news. He couldn’t blame her, afterall he was hardly a catch for a charming young lady like her, hobbled as he was. The more time passed the more he felt that he should not have approached her at all. It was all very clear from this side of the meeting, he had been such a fool.

But then her next letter came biding him to meet her again. Like a fool a small flame of hope ignited, perhaps her parents had at first rejected the idea, perhaps she had worried they would not want him as her husband. Perhaps…. Or perhaps not. Percy had tried to tamp down any expectations he might have of this meeting, suspecting it would be another scene like Maggie’s over a decade ago.

On the designated afternoon Percy arrived precisely on time at the Beauregards house. The butler again showing him to the parlor where the sight of the beautiful Miss Beauregard greeted him. Percy swept into a polite bow before taking a look at her. “Good afternoon Miss Beauregard.”

  

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Pretties from Lady <3

This was already making her nervous and all they'd done was greet one another! "Mr. Adlard, thank you for coming." She tried to pass him a confident smile, but just didn't have the heart. Elsie motioned for her company to take a seat across from her. Though she was terrible at any kind of unpleasant situation or confrontation, this needed to be done gently and with as much poise as she could muster.

"I apologize profusely for the length of my silence, your request was one I gave great consideration to and I wished to make certain of my answer." Though she wished that were the truth, Elsie had come to her conclusion rather quickly. His offer of courtship had, at least to Elsie, truly come out of the blue, and if she were in a normal position in regards to her personal life, the reply would have been just as easy in the opposite direction. However the truth of the matter was that her heart was spoken for and she simply could not mislead Mr. Adlard to believe otherwise, even if it meant making herself look the fool in the process.

With her hands wound tightly together in her lap, trying not to fidget, Elsie caught her breath and continued, "I am both  truly flattered and humbled by your offer, but I fear that it would not be in your best interest to pursue it. I am not," How did she phrase this without giving anything away? "I feel as though I am not what you should be looking for in a proper young lady and therefore it would be irresponsible of me to lead you to think otherwise." Making herself look incompatible had to be the way to go right?

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MJ always makes her so pretty

It was obvious that Miss Beauregard was not quite thrilled about this meeting, Percy discerned from her weak smile. He tried to give her the respect of not jumping to a conclusion as he took his seat across from her. There was no need to thank him, he would have come regardless.

Her words, of course, were formal but he respected them. He could understand wishing to give it thought, afterall it did appear that he had surprised her with his questions as much as he hadn’t expected too. He nodded for her to continue, keeping silent.

When finally Miss Beauregard spoke of her answer, Percy felt the stone hit his gut. But really, was he surprised? He shouldn’t be and upon closer inspection found that he was not. After all, who would wish to marry a maimed man such as himself? Although her words gave him pause. Not in his best interest…. Not what he should be looking for. She had her reasons, although Percy didn’t feel they were what he expected.

“Thank you, Miss Beauregard, for your candidness.” Percy stood up, hat and cane in hand. Better to leave now then to dwell to firmly on it. “I wish you all the best.” He said as he turned from her and started for the door. Not wishing to take up any more of her time.

Something stopped him halfway though, balancing on his cane Percy turned to look at her. “For what it’s worth, I believe you are precisely what I am looking for in a young lady. Proper, kind, gentle, with common interests” He explained, surprising himself, unsure exactly why he felt the need to make her think she was worth everything but facing her entirely now. “I believe it would have been in my best interest to pursue your hand.” He continued as if he couldn’t stop the words. “But I would only press the matter if it were what I thought would make you happy,” Percy swallowed and gestured back at their seats that only a moment ago he had set at with the vagueist impression of hope. “Which, from this conversation, I do not think it would.” The candidness of his comment hanging in the air between them. He should leave now, leave before he made more of a fool of himself, instead he met her blazing blue eyes as if attempting to assure her that she was worth the entire world.

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   Elsie Kirke

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Pretties from Lady <3

Though Elsie expected this to go relatively poorly, she supposed she didn’t envision Mr. Adlard simply leaving after her first words. Perhaps it would be for the better, a discussion could only prove to be awkward and unnecessary at this point. What else was there to say? She felt horrible, she did. Though Elsie had never been one to dream of being married one day, had she stopped to take the time, Mr. Adlard certainly would have been her ideal candidate. Unfortunately for him, she was already head over heels for someone else.

She stood as he turned to go, biting her lip, watching him make his quick exit. Elsie couldn't blame him after all, he had gone out on a leap of faith and she’d had to let him fall flat. It made her feel every kind of terrible there could ever be, but in the long run, it would be better for both of them; she had to have faith in that.

Then he spoke again and Elsie was left entirely speechless. It pained her to know he thought so kindly of her (more than she thought of herself at any rate) and she believed his words to be true, but there was no way anything could come of this. Mr. Adlard had been incredibly sweet to her and he deserved better. ”I’m sorry,” She managed after a moment. ”If things were different perhaps,” Maybe in another life. ”However I believe you deserve someone who can give you their whole heart, and I cannot.”

It dawned on her a little too late that in her earnest honesty, in her attempt to ensure he knew this was all on her and not on him, she’d gone and made one of the very mistakes she’d warned herself not to.

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MJ always makes her so pretty

Percy had no doubt of the sincerity of her apology, he could see it written on her face, in her words. He had never known her to lie before, and about this he doubted she did. He could not image what things would need to be different, but then she said it. It was there hanging between them. Another man. Percy could not fault her for that. Indeed, if there was one thing that Percy could understand it was the sacredness of a given heart. Had that not been the very thing that had set him on his course today? A heart given but not returned? It was almost too easy to see Maggie in Elsie’s eyes, to see the same regret in her look.

It was as if a decade spoke between them as Percy told her sincerely, “He is a very lucky man, then.” Just as he had to Maggie, but meaning them just as much as he had meant them to Maggie. Those were different circumstances that he could not betray, could not change. His luck, it appeared, lay in not knowing who was available and who was not. “I wish you all the best Miss Beauregard.” He gave her a small smile, dipping his head in a bow.

His mind spun with how he kept finding himself in this situation, kept being blindsided. He had felt assured that he would know next time. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been in the social sphere this time around. Indeed, unlike last time, he’d tried to be attentive to such things. But he had missed this. He wondered if it was even common knowledge.

“If I might be so bold, if you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to let me know.” Percy finally stated, feeling surprised with himself for the offer. But it felt like the final kindness he could bestow on Miss Beauregard, like an olive branch indicating that perhaps they could one day resume their friendship.

  

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Pretties from Lady <3

It took all her willpower not to flinch, even the tiniest bit, when Mr. Adlard hit the nail on the head. That could be potentially problematic if he were to say something somewhere, but she doubted it would come up. It wasn't as if there was anything public surrounding her personal life. Even this had come out of the blue.

"Thank you," She managed, voice stronger than she anticipated, much more sure than she felt. She meant it, oh did she mean it, but she also felt the twist of the knife dig in just a little deeper. Though Elsie would argue that she was the lucky one, she supposed that, though their circumstances were far from ideal, she and Tyb had something worthwhile, something rare and she was smart enough to treasure it.

Still, she wished him better luck in the future, because she truly believed he deserved someone who could offer him what he wanted, and more. "I'd like to offer the same, if I may. Please let me know if there is anything I can do in return." Though she highly doubted they would be able to remain friends after this, she would hate for him to have to avoid the library altogether.

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MJ always makes her so pretty

"Of course." Percy smiled at Miss Beauregard, although they both knew he wouldn't take her up on her offer. He had taken more of her time and favors in the past year than she had likely intended, especially with such a miscommunication between them. That ended today, he would not press his time on her any further, would allow her to live her life happy and full to the brim with everything she wished to come from it - without him lingering about making things any more complicated then he already had.

It was time to take his leave. "Good day Miss Beauregard." He tilted his head at her, placed his hat back on his head, and turned from the woman, sure her beautiful blue eyes still lingered on him. Each step he took he attempted dignity, attempted not to appear as a puppy with his tail between his legs. She would find happiness in her own match, and Percy... well he had to believe that one day he would too.

  

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Pretties from Lady <3