be our guest // open

[priscilla ava dalton]

Priscilla loved barking orders. Priscilla loved having guests. As such, it was only natural that she'd jump at the opportunity to bark orders at the servants to prepare the house for a guest. Now she had that opportunity. She had been brought a letter just yesterday from Sir Joseph Gordon to confirm that he would indeed be coming to the estate. Priscilla had liaised with him a few weeks ago to arrange a visit and like most people of their class, he had a busy schedule and wouldn't be free until tomorrow. Though she usually demanded that the house was kept to an appropriate standard, her expectations were definitely increased when they were expecting a visitor. To meet those standards, the servants would have to work twice as hard and twice as fast if they had any hope of getting everything prepared for tomorrow and Priscilla would see to it that they did.

"Mrs Stow, just the person I need to see. I need you to send someone up from the servants' hall, we'll be expecting a visitor tomorrow and the house must naturally be flawless," she asked the housekeeper as she passed her on the hallway that led to her bedroom. "Yes m'lady," the woman replied politely before proceeding to the servants' hall while Priscilla made her own way to the library. "Andrew dear, Sir Joseph will be arriving tomorrow morning. I presumed you'd like to know," she told her husband before leaving the room just as quickly as she had entered. A housemaid passed through the entrance hall looking a little too cheerful to be working hard. "Samantha, prepare a room for our guest tomorrow. The one on the second floor overlooking the lake will do just fine." The girl nodded politely before hurrying up the stairs to complete her task.

Priscilla was sure she'd given Mrs Stow plenty of time to send someone up to her and so stood herself in the centre of the entrance hall to wait for them. While she was often deemed impatient, she could manage to wait for a short amount of time but any longer wasn't acceptable. If the servants couldn't perform their duties properly, which included being completed in an appropriate time frame, then there was no point in them working for her. Sir Joseph was an important guest, both in his own right and in Priscilla's plans for her daughters. She intended to have all three married to respectable gentleman and Joseph was just that - a respectable gentleman. If she didn't invite such people to the house then how could she expect them to marry appropriately? Without her assistance, they'd have to choose from somebody in the town and quite frankly, nobody in that town was a suitable husband for any of her daughters.

length four hundred and sixty six
lyrics be our guest - disney
status complete
tagged open
wearing these clothes

[isabella rosalie dalton]

Isabella could usually tell when something was going on as all the servants would be walking twice as fast and be a little bit jumpy. This was a sure sign that her mother had been barking orders again, which seemed to be a hobby of hers. It was appropriate, actually, because she had the stern voice to go with the orders, so it all fit in nicely. She couldn't help but wonder what was going on, however, and wanted to know how it would effect her and her siblings. No one would expect it of her, but Isabella actually had plans of her own. She was planning on making another run down to the village tomorrow, maybe spending the day in the park with a little picnic, or wandering around the shops like any normal person could chose to do. She wasn't normal, of course. She was the youngest daughter of the Dalton's and nothing about that was normal, because the Dalton's passed something else onto their children, something that no one else could see. Something that they all had to keep secret. Thankfully there were people in the house that Isabella could trust with that secret, including her ladies maid, who also had the gifts that Isabella did.

Isabella walked down the hallway, almost gliding as she'd been taught to by one of her tutors. She'd been educated in many things, and one of them was how to behave in front of company. Her mother had made sure that she had manners and class and glided when she walked. It was womanly, supposedly, and ladylike. 'Silly muggles walk, my dear, you will glide.' Her mother had said something like that at the time and Isabella, being young and impressionable, had just nodded and hoped that the lesson would end soon so that she could go out and enjoy herself in the grounds. Of course everything had to be done at the speed that her mother wanted it done. She could hear the tones drifting through the hallways and she sighed, her curiosity getting the better of her. 'Gliding' down to where her mother was, she cleared her throat to announce her presence. "Dare I ask what is going on, Mother?"

[/color] Isabella asked, although now she was able to guess after hearing bits of the order. A guest, probably. Another thing that Priscilla loved.

She'd been looking to set the girls up with appropriate husbands for a while now and Isabella wondered if this wasd one for her, or if it was up in the air. You see, Priscilla liked to have a hand in their lives, and Isabella knew that nothing but the best would be suitable for the Dalton girls. Silly really, love was love and that was the best for Isabella, and if she had someone who loved her and whom she loved unconditionally right back, then she would be happy, never mind the house she lived in or the titles that they had. Love was always what had mattered for her. Priscilla seemed to have different ideas...[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/font]

tagging everyone. words 511. wearing these clothes. lyrics skyscraper by demi lovato. notes none so far!

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[priscilla ava dalton]

Priscilla was beginning to get a little agitated that a servant had not yet been sent to her. Mrs Stow was usually incredibly efficient and so she assumed that it was simply a case of nobody beings in the servants' hall. This was unfortunate for her as she needed to speak to one urgently to make sure all of the necessary tasks were delegated and completed but there was always the positive side that it meant they were doing their work, as they should be, as opposed to sitting around doing nothing. If Priscilla didn't do such things then there was no way her servants could do so. If she wasn't ensuring everything was prepared for guests, she had work to do and a reputation to uphold. Anyone that said the upper class didn't have to work hard didn't know what they were talking about.

She could always have asked Mrs Stow to deliver the instructions but she couldn't risk anything being forgotten. As worthy of her wage as the housekeeper was, Priscilla couldn't honestly expect her to remember everything that needed to be done as she had to continually repeat them herself in order to remember everything. Another person she could have asked was her maid but she had more important things to be doing like picking up her clothes from the town and ensuring they were appropriate to wear during Sir Joseph's visit. No, there were housemaids and footmen for a reason and that was to run around as fast as their lower class legs could carry them to get everything done.

Priscilla heard someone clear their throat and snapped her attention in the direction of the sound to see her daughter. Her disappointment was evident on her expression, having expected it to be the servant she had demanded the presence of. "Oh, Isabella," she said, quickly glancing her up and down to see if her attire was satisfactory, which it was. "Evidently you do. Sir Joseph Gordon will be visiting for a few days and he's going to arrive tomorrow. The estate must naturally be perfect, I wouldn't want him to think we live like the Muggles that work here," Priscilla replied to her youngest daughter. There was no need explaining that their guest had been invited to meet her and her sisters as she was sure she would be able to figure this out for herself. Any visitors to the house were either family or friends. If they had never met before, it was obvious that either Priscilla or her husband deemed them an appropriate match for one of the children.

length four hundred and thirty two
lyrics be our guest - disney
status complete
tagged isabella/open
wearing these clothes

[isabella rosalie dalton]

Isabella didn't like it. She felt like they were to be paraded in front of all the men deemed suitable in the hopes that all of the female Dalton children would find someone that they would later marry. She wouldn't do it. She would refuse. She was only going to marry someone for love, and for nothing else. She didn't care about money or social status or how well they dressed. She didn't even care if they had magic in their blood. All that mattered to her was that they were in love, and for her, everything else would just fall into place. Some may say that this was a naive version of life and that she didn't know what love really was, and that was true. She'd never been in love. Never had she fallen for anyone, but she wanted to have that intense feeling. She wanted to have someone that she would do anything for, or go anywhere to be with. Izzy was innocent in many respects. She'd yet to experience a relationship, or anything involved in one, and so yes, she wasn't sure really of what love actually meant, but she knew that she wanted it. She knew she wanted so badly to be in love. That was all that mattered to her.

Izzy hadn't heard of the man that her mother mentioned but she would probably be able to predict his type. Tall, dark, handsome, classically good looking. A pure blood, no doubt, and rich too. More than likely he was from a long line of Wizards and Witches. How could she guess this? She'd seen it all before. There would be only the best food, and her mother would probably get new clothes for the week to make sure that she looked good all the time. Undoubtedly there would be some hints as to make sure Isabella would wear something appropriate. She couldn't get away with wearing jeans at this visit, her mother would rather chop her legs off than let a possible suitor see her in them! She'd have to go and dig out some of her best dresses again. That would be a bore. At least she had Phillipa to help with that. She didn't have to hide who she was in front of her servant, which was good, as many of her siblings did, and that must have been hard, considering how often the servants were around them. Phillipa was more like Isabella's best friend than anything else, she didn't see her as a lower person at all. In fact, in her view, the girl was Isabella's equal. Just not in the eyes of society, it seemed. If her mother caught wind of how close she was with her servant, she mightn't be too happy. After all, Priscilla wouldn't want her daughter sharing all the family's secrets with a servant.

Isabella had to stop herself from heaving a sigh. One man came to visit and the whole house would be up in arms. "I see. Have you sent Miss Fox off anywhere? Or am I actually able to ask for her help in finding the dresses that you would wish for me to wear during his visit?"

[/color] Isabella asked, slight annoyance in her tone. Maybe she'd be able to save Phillipa from having to run around after her mother. She wouldn't be able to stand at the end of it all if Priscilla started barking order after order at her. They could have fun trying on dresses anyway, at least that little bit of good would come out of it. Like normal girls did with their friends at sleepovers. It might be nice, to be normal. "How long is he staying, anyway?"[/color] Isabella also asked, wondering how long this would go on for. She hated the constant dressing up. Of course, her mother wanted her to dress like that at all times but if they were busy with work, she would get away with casual clothes, and she had some hidden away for her trips into town. In fact, she had to reschedule her next little trip now. And all for a man that she didn’t care much to meet. Oh well, he may be nice. Maybe.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/font]

tagging everyone. words 511. wearing these clothes. lyrics skyscraper by demi lovato. notes none so far!

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[evelyn marie dalton]

It didn't take much intelligence to work out that her parents were expecting a guest sometime today. Actually, more that her mother was expecting a guest and that her father had no objections to such a guest, since it would only benefit their family. All the signs were there, her mother taking delight in the ability to criticise and order people around to her heart's content, which she probably did almost as much any other day of the week, and the fact that the house was bustling with activity. She could barely move around for the number of servants rushing around, probably trying desperately to please her mother for once. Did she not ever tire of this ridiculous pantomime? Evie was definitely tired and sick of it, the occasions like today where she had to watch where she was going or the times when she had to dress up more than a princess in order to impress their 'special' company. Clearly, her mother did not tire of it, since she was still continuing this attempt to get her daughters to marry a rich and pureblooded man with the ego the size of the Titanic. And still she thought having a guest was a great thing, as though everyone should be as pleased about having guests as she was? It was never going to happen.

A familiar voice came from the entrance hall of their grand house, Evie sighed, knowing instantly that it was the same excited mother whom she should really be trying to avoid. Avoiding your parents, however, was easier said than done, regardless of how big your house happened to be. She knew it would all go away much quicker if she pretended to be delighted also with the company of their guest and simpered and laughed at his dull face and dull conversation. Walking into the hall, she took in her mother's appearance, before noticing the comparison to her own. Oh great, just what she needed on a day like this - for the guest to think that she'd chosen to dress like her mother. "I feel I should confirm that I was completely unaware of your outfit before this moment," she commented, still unable to stop a small frown creeping onto her face. "In no way did I mean or want to dress like you, dearest parent. In fact, I may have to change." So now, she might have been exaggerating a little, but she did not want a random person thinking that she was exactly like her mother, there was no way she was letting the unwanted guest come to that conclusion. "Actually, maybe you should change, Mother." In no other circumstance would she address her mother this way, but today was an exception - she was always ruder when her mother was organising potential suitors for her daughters.

Turning to acknowledge her younger sister's presence, she gave her a look which clearly indicated that she thought her sister to be asking a stupid question. "Forever, probably, if our mother has her way." She wasn't sure what type of man their mother had lined up for them today, but she wasn't interested, even if she told Evie that the guy was the richest man in the world. She didn't want to marry any of the men that her mother suggested, because they weren't the person she actually liked. "I tell you what, Izzy, I'm feeling particularly nice today so you can have this one and I'll wait for the next. I know it seems like I'm giving up a great thing for you, but I'm prepared to make this sacrifice." It wasn't that she was wishing this suitor on her younger sibling, in fact, if she had the choice, she'd wish him on her older sister. She had always loved Isabella, but when it came down to a choice between letting her sister endure his advances for a few more hours and admitting to her mother as to exactly why she wasn't interested in any of the men she invited to the house, she'd have to opt for the first one, despite feeling a little guilty for suggesting this to her sister.

"Do you not think this meeting to be a little fast?" she asked, returning her gaze to her mother. "You're ordering the servants around too much, especially for a guest that probably will fail to notice the effort you put in..." She almost made the error of saying 'they' at that moment, referring to the effort being made by the staff to make their employer look good, but she was wise enough to stop talking before allowing her mouth to make the mistake for her. "Besides, due to your orders servants are running around aimlessly, I nearly broke a bone when one fell over me this morning. I do not suppose that a broken body would be all too appealing to whichever guest you have invited." Maybe the servant would have been doing her a favour, although a temporarily painful one. She couldn't believe that many men would want a wife that wasn't in 'perfect condition' despite many endearing qualities the girl might have.

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tagging everyone and anyone. outfit click here. word count approx 500.
notes none to speak of, except forgive the weird template i've just made up.

[priscilla ava dalton]

What was with her daughter's tone? It wasn't as if Priscilla was inviting a commoner up from the town for them to meet so why did it seem like she wasn't pleased with the efforts she was making? She was probably just thrown off guard by the sudden motion in the house. Yes, that was it. Isabella would soon be appreciative but she first needed an hour or two to adjust to the hurrying servants. "Miss Fox? Oh, Phillipa. No, she should still be around somewhere but I couldn't tell you where, she's your maid after all. But yes, do go down into the town to find some things. There's nothing wrong with your current wardrobe but I'd like you to have something new to wear." There were probably a handful of dresses in her possession that she had never worn and so could be classed as new but that was besides the point.

It was then that another of her daughters presented herself. Like her sister, she seemed displeased by the arrangement and Priscilla came to the same conclusion. She would have appreciated a greater effort from her own mother as it was only by chance that she met Andrew. Once she had mentioned him and his status to Rosalie, he had naturally been invited to the house and confirmed as an acceptable husband. Priscilla would allow her daughters, and also her sons, to do the same but until they did so, she would continue to present them with possibilities. She didn't have a particular preference as to who they married, so long as he was well-mannered, upper class, pureblooded and attractive. Priscilla wouldn't appreciate ugly grandchildren. Of course, she had nothing to worry about from her own side of the family and so they would at least be half decent but half wasn't good enough. They had to be perfect and that meant a perfect father.

Priscilla raised an eyebrow as Evelyn commented on her attire and suggested that she change. "Of course I'll be changing Evelyn, I wouldn't wear something so plain while we have a guest. I suggest you do the same, it's not quite... extravagant enough." Evelyn knew her mother's expectations and as she had independently come to the conclusion that they were to have a guest, she should have independently presented herself in an appropriate manner. As Sir Joseph wouldn't be arriving until the following morning, Priscilla was prepared to let this time slip as she was also inadequately dressed in the event that he were to arrive early. "A week at the very most but I presume he'll only stay for a few days. I'm sure he has business to attend to that can't be disrupted for too long by his visit."

As usual, Priscilla's ignorance as to her daughters' true desires clouded her perception. "That won't be necessary. I'd rather Isabella didn't wear the dress either." A frown formed on her expression as Evelyn asked if the meeting wasn't a little fast. It was true that it rarely occurred to guests how busy the house had been prior to their arrival but the house had to look its best and that meant every servant working in order to get the whole house done to the appropriate standard. "Perhaps not, but they will surely notice if I haven't put the effort in." Priscilla wasn't exactly pleased to hear that the servants were carelessly bumping into people, especially their employers. "I'll make sure Crofts or Mrs Stow speaks to everyone, we can't have servants shoving their way around the house." She was sure her daughter was exaggerating at least a small amount but it was highly unlikely the whole story had been made up. What reason would she have to do so anyway?

comments sorry it's taken so long, my charger's being unreasonable so my access isn't as great as i'd like it to be.
length six hundred and twenty nine
lyrics be our guest - disney
status complete
tagged isabella/evelyn(/open?)
wearing these clothes

[isabella rosalie dalton]

Couldn't Priscilla see the effort that it took sometimes, just to be a part of that family? She'd never known really if she'd ever been truly happy. Certainly at the moment she felt like she had nothing really worth living for. That sounded dramatic, there was no reason to worry, she wasn't going to kill herself, she wasn't that silly. She had always been a mini optimist, thinking that there were always ways out of awkward and uncomfortable situations, and Isabella couldn't help but have that view. She was always believing that if they did get pushed into a marriage that they didn't want, there would always be a way out of it for the Dalton girls. But it took so much effort to smile and be civil when the guests around you, invited as a possible marriage partner, were so arrogant and uncaring about the townspeople's problems. She couldn't help but be a little mad about how ignorant they were. She was innocent, yes, she hadn't ever let a man be with her in that way, and she did still have the view that there would be a solution somewhere if you looked hard enough, and sometimes she could be called naive. That, she could handle, but she was never ignorant, and she'd never like to be addressed as such.

Isabella had spent time wandering around town, watching people and overhearing their problems as they described it to a friend, and some stories she'd heard were heartbreaking. She wished that there was something that she could do to help, but magic was out of the question, she didn't want to be called a freak, so she kept out of their way, not wanting to appear nosy anyway. She heard the word 'town' and smiled, unable to hold that in. It wasn't the prospect of a new dress that got her all excited, it was that she could have her little trip into town after all, although she didn't have to worry about her mother sorting one of the older servants to accompany her. Mr Tharme, her father's valet was lovely, but she still felt like she couldn't be herself around him, in case the first little mistake got reported directly to her father. Maybe with all the other servants rushing around to prepare the house, she'd get away with snagging her own servant for once and getting away from the chaos of a house preparing for a guest that wasn't really wanted. No offence to whoever her mother had invited, he could be lovely, it was the purpose that they didn't like so much, and besides, the men from past experiences weren't that nice. ”Am I to look for an extravagant dress too? Or can I opt for simple and elegant? It’s much more my style”

[/color] Isabella commented, a slight sigh audible in her voice.

"Thank you, mother. Should I put it on the tab you've accumulated with the dress shop?"[/color] She asked, raising her eyebrows a little. God knows her mother had an even more extensive and expensive collection of clothes than Isabella had ever known. She didn't think that she'd ever seen her mother in the same thing twice, in the past. That would probably class as a travesty to Priscilla! You may think that she was being a little harsh on her dear mother, but sometimes it was hard to stand her constant attempts to match-make her daughters with someone that she found appropriate. Isabella did wish that they could find their own husband, and that way it would be someone they loved, not just someone who was acceptable. Surely love was more important in a relationship than good looks or blood. She couldn't help but laugh a little at Evelyn's comment about forever. "Oh just a week? Thank merlin."[/color] Isabella spoke, murmuring that last part. "Ah., Evelyn, always so kind. Maybe Beth would like him instead? I mean, I should be in keeping with your generous spirit."[/color] She teased, a smile on her lips as she gave her sister a teasing look. She liked Evelyn, she seemed to understand how annoying it was.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/font]

tagging everyone. words 511. wearing these clothes. lyrics skyscraper by demi lovato. notes none so far!

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[evelyn marie dalton]

Evie found herself being in the company of her parent for no more than about five minutes before she was confronted by an overwhelming urge to roll her eyes. "Forgive me, Mother. I should have realised that a dress like this is not good enough for Mr. Perfect." She hadn't even met the man that all of this preparation was for and yet she already found herself resenting him. Unable to resist continuing her response in the same sarcastic voice, she added, "Have you got any particular apparel in mind, or should I perhaps go overboard entirely and wear a wedding dress? I know that this would save us quite a lot of time." Even if her mother was foolish enough to take her question as a serious one, there was no way that she was getting engaged to a man who managed to disrupt her house without even showing up. Besides, she knew that he'd be just the same as all the others - arrogant, rich and ignorant. Why should she have to dress up and sit there making dull conversation with someone she clearly despised? "But if I am forced to wear such an extravagant dress, there is no way that Izzy should be allowed to do any differently. Why make only myself suffer when both of your daughters can walk around, looking preened and ridiculous?"

Feeling the familiar urge return, she was unable to resist at this moment, rolling her eyes at her mother's response to her question directed at her younger sister. "I was not referring to the dress, Mother. I am sure Izzy has enough dresses." Everyone knew that each of the Dalton girls had enough dresses to last them a lifetime, yet each time another potential husband showed up, they were ordered to go and purchase another. It made no sense to Evie, how would the guy even know if they'd worn the dress before? An idea instantly came to her. "If I was to continue wearing this dress, as inappropriate as it is for this wonderful meeting, am I excused from the event?" It would be such a shame if her mother only had two children to present to the suitor, she found herself thinking. Well, for her mother. She could not think of anything better. The likelihood that her parents would simply allow her to miss this important meeting? Next to zero, however, and she suspected that her mother would go to almost any length to get them to attend. Her mother would probably drag her up there, if the occasion required it, even if Evie refused to talk to the man and sat there looking incredibly angry. These meetings were evidently far too important to be missed, according to her mother. Couldn't she get the message that neither Izzy nor herself had any interest in being introduced to whomever her mother had met? She doubted her mother cared.

Well, judging by her mother's reaction to her question, this meeting was not too rash. "I apologise, Mother, clearly you know more about this man than I ever intend to. Do as you wish." There was little point arguing with her mother when she was frowning in this way, Evie had realised, best just to let her think that she was right. Leaving this part of her argument, she felt rather alarmed at the next thing her mother said. "I was exaggerating," she replied, trying her best to appear calm although she felt anything but at the thought of servants being scolded for a mistake that wasn't even their fault. "One of them did bump into me, but with the amount of stuff you've ordered them to do, how could you expect any differently? I doubt she could even see where she was going." That came out a little more rant-ish than she would have liked, but she hoped that she had successfully got her point across and that her mother would not insist on complaining about their employees. She grinned a little, hearing her sister's words. "Why, what an excellent suggestion you have made, Izzy. After all, Bethany is the eldest daughter." Surely that would be enough to persuade their mother than Beth should have the delight of the man's company rather than either of them. Under her breath, she couldn't help adding, "Besides, she needs all the help she can get."

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tagging everyone and anyone. outfit click here. word count approx 500.
notes none to speak of, except forgive the weird template i've just made up.