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psocopteraIf I had a tumblr maybe I would put this on there to see if it inspired anybody?
1) "Her governess was very diligent." First of all, ouch, of course they don't say "she's always had a gift" or something, they have to strip her of the credit and give it to some probably-white lady. But secondly what about this governess. What about how they didn't say "mulatto child" when they advertised the position, just "two girls of gentle breeding" and she was shocked but she needed the position and she talked to Elizabeth's old nurse (who claimed she was too old to instruct two high-spirited girls and everyone would always wonder if she meant Dido being black but what she told the governess was that Dido was actually by far the better behaved of the two and she would probably be the making of Elizabeth). What about how she begs for a week's leave and takes the cheap coach into London and walks around the slums, nervous and embarrassed, until finally by chance she passes a black woman on the street with a kid in tow. And it's too rude to just, like, accost her, and so the governess is just sort of *following* her, and at first the woman is really suspicious and then resentful but finally she takes pity on the poor governess and tells her to raise Dido to fear God and mind her elders same as any child of the 18th century and the governess decides on the way home that if a poor black can be an honest Christian then a rich one can be a fine lady and she is going to educate the hell out of those kids in every genteel accomplishment.
2) And on the other hand, Dido raising *her* children, now having the opportunity to say and do all the things she wished someone had done for her as a child, only a) England is changing b) now that she has to do them she doesn't even know exactly what those things should be and c) it's a very different world for sons than daughters. Dido's sons going off to fight Napoleon, who reinstated slavery in the French colonies.
3) Dido/John, Dido/John, Dido/John. When she met his family. Their wedding night. When they set up in their own home and Dido has to get used to having many fewer servants. Would she want to hire black servants? Or not? John and Dido being asked if they're going to emigrate to Sierra Leone when the British are founding a colony of freed Africans there. The way John and Dido always end up making all of their important announcements to third parties in front of each other and that's how he found out she was increasing. Dido and John after they're married, going back to Vauxhall and having intense illicit makeouts in the bushes because it turns out they'd both thought A LOT about what could have happened that night. Maybe next they'll roleplay her not running from him the night he startled her under the trees, before they even knew each other's names. He's really worried about how he can successfully convey that he's being respectful of her honor if they're playacting having sex without ever exchanging words (he would never - !) and their scene gets really femdom as she tries to keep it okay for him. The way Dido ends up learning as much law as John does and he always talks things over with her and the first time they really disagree.
... okay, man, I don't know, I just loved this story a lot and it feels rich in fannish potential of all sorts.
1) "Her governess was very diligent." First of all, ouch, of course they don't say "she's always had a gift" or something, they have to strip her of the credit and give it to some probably-white lady. But secondly what about this governess. What about how they didn't say "mulatto child" when they advertised the position, just "two girls of gentle breeding" and she was shocked but she needed the position and she talked to Elizabeth's old nurse (who claimed she was too old to instruct two high-spirited girls and everyone would always wonder if she meant Dido being black but what she told the governess was that Dido was actually by far the better behaved of the two and she would probably be the making of Elizabeth). What about how she begs for a week's leave and takes the cheap coach into London and walks around the slums, nervous and embarrassed, until finally by chance she passes a black woman on the street with a kid in tow. And it's too rude to just, like, accost her, and so the governess is just sort of *following* her, and at first the woman is really suspicious and then resentful but finally she takes pity on the poor governess and tells her to raise Dido to fear God and mind her elders same as any child of the 18th century and the governess decides on the way home that if a poor black can be an honest Christian then a rich one can be a fine lady and she is going to educate the hell out of those kids in every genteel accomplishment.
2) And on the other hand, Dido raising *her* children, now having the opportunity to say and do all the things she wished someone had done for her as a child, only a) England is changing b) now that she has to do them she doesn't even know exactly what those things should be and c) it's a very different world for sons than daughters. Dido's sons going off to fight Napoleon, who reinstated slavery in the French colonies.
3) Dido/John, Dido/John, Dido/John. When she met his family. Their wedding night. When they set up in their own home and Dido has to get used to having many fewer servants. Would she want to hire black servants? Or not? John and Dido being asked if they're going to emigrate to Sierra Leone when the British are founding a colony of freed Africans there. The way John and Dido always end up making all of their important announcements to third parties in front of each other and that's how he found out she was increasing. Dido and John after they're married, going back to Vauxhall and having intense illicit makeouts in the bushes because it turns out they'd both thought A LOT about what could have happened that night. Maybe next they'll roleplay her not running from him the night he startled her under the trees, before they even knew each other's names. He's really worried about how he can successfully convey that he's being respectful of her honor if they're playacting having sex without ever exchanging words (he would never - !) and their scene gets really femdom as she tries to keep it okay for him. The way Dido ends up learning as much law as John does and he always talks things over with her and the first time they really disagree.
... okay, man, I don't know, I just loved this story a lot and it feels rich in fannish potential of all sorts.
