The morning after the Duke’s Ball, Mr Chambers pays a visit to Miss Parsons to comfort her and let her know she’s not alone: a certain sweet English gentleman and his foreign secret lover stand by her side and will go above and beyond to help her and her beloved heir of Edgewater, because that’s what friends do. A brief reflection on homosexuality during the Regency era. In short, a mlm/wlw solidarity fic that portrays the beginning of a friendship 🌈
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“Annabelle, you have a visit!”, Minerva announced unceremoniously as she entered the library where Annabelle ran to hide right after breakfast. Annabelle turned, surprised, and Mr. Chambers appeared on the threshold.
“Good morning, Miss Parsons”, Mr. Chambers said, bowing his head. “I was hoping to get a word with you. I’m afraid I lost you in the crowd last night at the ball”, he added, smiling weakly.
“Oh, I’m very sorry, Mr. Chambers. I didn’t know you were looking for me, I had…I had a terrible headache and turn in early” she said, grimly.
Mr. Chambers nodded and fumbled his hat as an awkward silence fell into the room. Minerva considered herself entitled to break it: “Well, Mr. Chambers, if you excuse me, I have some errands that cannot wait any longer. Annabelle will show you the way”. She shook his hand and bowed her head at the guest. As she turned to leave, she added, lowering her voice: “Good luck with her…”.
When the door closed behind him, Mr. Chambers turned to Annabelle and gestured to the sofa: “Hm, why don’t we take a seat?”.
Annabelle reluctantly accepted the invitation. Once they both took a seat, Mr. Chambers gently reached for her and took her hands into his. When Annabelle met his eyes, he asked: “How are you feeling, Miss Parsons? I was genuinely worried about you last night. You and Miss Bennet, to be honest. Last night ended in a…” he took a deep breath “very unexpected and unfortunate way”.
Annabelle smiled sadly at him, as tears welled her eyes.
“You are very kind to me, Mr. Chambers, I’m touched, truly. As you can see, I’m- well, I’d say I had better days. I always knew that the Dowager Countess would have never accepted me as a…suitor, but I never thought she would- “, her voice cracked, reminiscing the announcement.
Mr. Chambers reassuringly stroke her hand, frowning.
“Neither did I. Nor Mr. Sinclaire and Prince Hamid: I met them when I was looking for you and they were bewildered too. But our struggle pales compared to what you must be feeling now, lady Annabelle. You have every right to be upset. I know you and Miss Bennet shares something special, I’ve always known” he smiled tenderly at her, never letting go of her hand. “And…I thought you could use a friend this morning”.
Annabelle looked at him gratefully. “I could indeed, Mr. Chambers. Would it be awfully inappropriate of me to hug you now, am I right?” she said, smiling weakly.
Mr. Chambers mocked a shocked expression. “Miss Parsons, what about decency?”. They both laughed softly, and Mr. Chambers gently pulled her into his arms: “Who I am fooling?”.
As he cradled her, he spoke again.
“I know the feeling. Hold back tears, don’t let them see the grief that is tearing your heart apart and that you cannot share with anyone. No one would understand, no one would listen. They’re deaf to the beating of our hearts, to their breaking into pieces when events conspire against our secret happiness. We live secret lives, hiding our joy, our love as well as our sorrows and praying that no one would notice. Conceal, play a part: after all, “the world is a stage”. But I want you to know, Miss Annabelle, that you don’t have to hide or pretend in my presence. Please, consider me a friend you can always come to in merry and grim moments. We shall celebrate the first and I will be a shoulder you can lean on when the latter occurs. You are not alone, Miss Annabelle”.
“Neither are you: the beautiful words you just said are mutual, Mr. Chambers” replied Annabelle, breaking away from his arms to face him.
“Please, Bartholomew is fine” he smiled, handing her his handkerchief.
“Thank you, Bartholomew” she replied, taking it and wiping away a tear. “I pray you, call me Annabelle from now on. And I will return you your handkerchief as soon as possible. I shall sew you a new one too, for good measure and…to express my gratitude.”
“I would be honored to have such a precious gift, Annabelle. Just know that I mean every word I said and that I hope this will be the beginning of a lasting friendship”
“Oh, my friend, you won’t get rid of Miss Parsons that easily,” she remarked, giggling. “And I will add a handkerchief for Mr. Konevi too”, she added, winking.
Mr. Chambers laughed softly. “Oh, he will adore it, sweet lady! Speaking of Mr. Konevi…” he said, getting serious: “He asked me to tell you that he is by your side too and he is already at work to find a way to solve this. He -I quote his words- shall gladly go above and beyond to help the lady who saved him from a heartbreak, allowing him to stay here, in England with the man he loves”.
“I will write him a letter as soon as you leave, Bartholomew. You two are truly the most caring friends a woman like me could ever ask. I only hope none of you will get in trouble for helping Elizabeth and I…if it’s even a possibility and not a dream”
“As I said, Annabelle, we’re lonely enough in this world who cannot conceive a man wooing a man and a woman courting a woman: having each other back, if you allow me, is the very least we could do.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I also came here to say that I’m fully intended to pay a visit to Miss Elizabeth to assure she recovered from last night: I saw her passing out after the announcement, I wanted to help her, but the crowd blocked me and when I got there, she was gone so I went looking for you. I will also ask to speak with the Dowager Countess and protest the breach of my agreement with Miss Bennet. Alas, I cannot say I am confident this will solve our problem, because I cannot compete with Duke Richards, but I am more than willing to try. Anything for my friends.”
“Duke Richards will never be half the man you are, Bartholomew, trust me!” Annabelle replied fiercely. “But sadly, I understand your concerns. I have doubts too, but I’m touched by your commitment to our cause. Just promise you will be safe”.
“I promise you, my friend. Actually, I was on my way there, but “ he stopped, smiling apologetically to her “I thought to stop by and check on you first”.
Annabelle smiled fondly at him before standing up.
“Then I won’t let you waste any more time. I appreciate your visit greatly, though, my friend. Oh and if you get to see-“
“Miss Elizabeth, I will tell her that Miss Parsons sends her best regards. Then, I’ll get a bit closer and whisper that her Annabelle is thinking of her and will keep fighting for their love: I saw it with these very eyes” he turned to her, smiling. “I know the world we live is unfair, Annabelle, but don’t surrender if Miss Bennet is worth the struggle. And take care of yourself, will you? I shall write you as soon as I get back from the Countess. A long, detailed letter, hopefully with a few lines from Miss Elizabeth.”