Post by lillian shaw on Mar 25, 2010 10:13:58 GMT -5
Lillian Elsie Shaw
[/b][/color][/size] A Miss Lillian Elsie Shaw at the dear age of twenty-seven has found herself upon the most curious of situations - entering into London's most tantalizing gossip. "[/i][/color][/font][/size][/ul][/blockquote]
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W R I T E R .
name: megan
RP experience: just enough
how did you find us?: i think i have a problem
age: feels like a zillion
gender: female
P O R T R A I T .
eye color: olive green with hints of blue and gray
hair color: dark,a mixture of dark brown and black
height: 5’7
body type: willowy
distinguishing features: light eyes and dark brows, lips
fashion style:
M A N N E R S .
profession: actress
adoration for:
distaste for:
dreams:
fears:
secrets:
main:
P A S T .
family:
EMILY SHAW, housewife, mother- forty-five
CORLISS MASON, seamstress, sister- twenty-two
JOSEPH SHAW, soldier in the Union army, brother- nineteen
LIEUTENANT MITCHELL SHAW, naval officer for the Union, brother- twenty-five
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main:
Lillian first arrived to the seaside city in search of work in her aunt’s shop. Easing the concerns of her mother, her aunt Marion assured her younger sister that her daughter would be well taken care of in her care. After a month in her aunt’s care, Lillian soon realized her place did not belong neither on generations-held farm she spent her childhood on or in a small shop selling a random assortments of wares her entire life.
It was by chance that she came across a company of actors rehearsing in the open space of a hall. Even as a child in her native Pennsylvania she had been enamored with drama but as the daughter of her mother, she was never allowed to dream of a future where her acting brought amusement to others. Sparked by the performance of the actors, she became inspired to pursue a career as an actress. Although American theater could have provided an adequate stage, Lillian knew her mother would never allow it. More foolhardy than she would admit, she resolved that in order to become the actress she aspired to be she would have to travel to England where it was rumored the greatest actors and actresses hailed from. With monies that she had saved from a lifetime of errands, she acquired passage on a ship heading to England. Though fear of the unknown and the regret of lying to her aunt slowed her step as she walked the docks, she still remained resolved to continue her journey. Under the sympathetic eye of a middle aged couple, traveling to London on business, she boarded the ship unsure of what lay ahead yet optimistic as was common for her youth.
Passage to England was unlike anything she ever witnessed. Once she began acclimated to the sway of the floor beneath her well worn shoes, she found simply joy in staring at the vast sea before her. During the journey, To abate the occasional monotony at life at sea, she quickly became acquainted with the other passengers, gaining fast friends in the assortment of people. One in particular, a stylish man by the name of Macon Harrington would seek her company the most until their talks became daily occurrence. In spite of this, she remained skeptical of the charming man who’s flattering words always brought to mind one of her mother’s favorite reminders, “The devil always lurks where you least expect it-always in charming places, Elsie.” After weeks at sea left to her own devices, she soon began to seek the interesting company of the elegant man. Years of her mother’s maxims wore away her initial wariness of him. “What has brought you to England? Family?” he once asked in their strolls round the bow of the ship. “I want to be an actress .” A chuckle arose from the depths of his chest that deepened into a laugh. Embarrassment quickly flushed her cheeks . She shouldn’t have assumed he would understand her childhood dream just as her mother did not understand when she expressed her wish to see a play.
“Why would a modest young woman ever want to see wild men cavorting around a stage?”Lillian could hardly answer the question without eliciting her mother’s disapproval in some way. Emily Shaw’s way of life followed a code of propriety that rivaled that of the upper class. She would never comprehend why her eldest daughter could find joy in the what she saw as a ‘falseness.‘ “Do not take offense Ms. Shaw. There is a reason for my laughter. It seems as if the fates have sent you to me.” Over the course of an hour, he quickly explained that he was a proprietor of a popular theater in London.
“I believe you would fit nicely among my actors. They are some of the bests actors in Europe,” he proclaimed boastfully. Seeing her immense interest, he would come to fill her head with stories of his theater and the plays he had put on in the short period of time he had acquired the ‘Orpheum’. In the days following their talk about his theater, Macon promptly offered Lillian a position in his company. When their ship arrived in the English harbor, she felt engulfed by a optimistic outlook. Her dream was fast becoming a reality where nothing could damper the hope and optimism that shone behind her olive green eyes .
Success hardly came overnight. Small roles of the third gypsy girl or the mute maiden were the only parts Macon deemed her to play. Bigger roles never garnered the reception she hoped she would receive once the audience disappeared behind the heavy velvet of the curtain. ‘Unremarkable,’ ‘a stilted mockery of dramatic theater’ the critics of her performances proclaimed in her first years of acting. The only solace she found in her failure was proving to others that she did not belong to sit prettily amongst the scenery.
Determined to improve, she spent many a night practicing her roles until they became so engrained in her, they became second nature. After her performance as Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, those who once called her performances stilted and difficult to stomach began to clamor for the young actress. In the years following, she continued to enjoy success, gaining the adoration of her audience till most of London had heard of the dark haired actress in the employ of Macon Harrington .
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
“Wonderful performance, Lillian my dear. Utterly wonderful,” boomed the exultant voice of Macon Harrington as he entered her dressing room. He came behind her, resting his immaculate hands around the soft slope of her shoulders, the image in her mirror one of pride and joy. Unease filled her stomach at his presence.
In a matter of six months, their relationship had became tumultuous at best. In one grand gesture, her employer had blown past the carefully constructed relationship they held since she was eighteen by announcing his wish to marry her in the presence of the entire company. In the years Lillian had known Macon, she had come to know the man who had first offered a chance at her childhood dream on the decks of a clipper ship. Macon Harrington was the greatest actor of all. His entire character was based on morphing himself to appear in the best light to those who he met whether they were acquaintances or business partners. The false illusion he first presented to her younger self was warm and paternal but quickly waned in the years following. All the attributes her mother would cluck her tongue at in disapproval were evident in Macon. She quickly learned never to truly trust Macon who’s greatest feat were balancing his horrible gambling habits and managing a theater that fell on the precipice of bankruptcy more times than she could count . Through sheer luck and his cunning ways, he saved the theater from closing and provided Lillian with the stage where she first began her career and gained acclaim amongst those who frequented the Orpheum.
“ All of London will surely be talking of Lillian Shaw after tonight .” In the graceful curve of her neck, he left a kiss- soft and possessive against her perfumed skin eliciting a shiver of disgust down her spine. Without a word she broke from his grip, rising from her vanity littered with colored bottles of perfume and containers of rouge and face paint across the lacquered surface.
“ Thank you Mr. Harrington but I am too improperly dressed to receive you and I told Thomas that I would not receive visitors tonight. If you will be so kind to return at another time...” His eyes hardened as his lips stretched tightly across his freshly shaved cheeks in a mockery of a smile. “ This is my theater Ms. Shaw. I may go wherever I please.” To further highlight his authority, he sat down on the chair she recently vacated, crossing his legs in leisure as if to say he would only leave when it was to his convenience. “That may be so Mr. Harrington but is it not my performances that fills the theater seats and allows you to obtain the necessary funds to afford this theater?”
Neither spoke a word, both in wait for the other to reply. Macon neither moved nor made an indication he would speak but merely watched her. Dark eyes -the color of the murky depths of the Thames- peered intensely at her in search of some inkling of weakness that he could to exploit. “ As well as you have performed my dear, it hardly brought your young man around.”
In the space of a moment, her heart fell and the fierceness in her green eyes weakened. She had long buried her feelings for the young aristocratic man who somehow charmed her whilst no other man could. When he never returned she had no other choice but to continue on with her life. As a Kensington, he held duties that could never include an actress such as her. Her eyes darkened as she glared at the source of her troubles. A wickedly delighted smile alit his once handsome features aged by heavy alcohol use and a life rife with never ending stress. “It has been some time since he came around hasn‘t it? Well I suppose that is how young men are. Once they tire of one distraction they are quickly on to the other. It was for the best Lillian. He is hardly worth your concern. Young men such as him only care for the burn of good liquor, the warm bed of a pretty girl, and spending the fortunes of their family in the most sinful ways that they can find.” A boom of laughter filled the air. She winced noticeably at its loudness ,pain pricking her ears to hear his amusement at her heartache. He rose slowly from the vanity chair , slowly making his way towards her until his sturdy frame stood in front of her.
“ You are certainly not a match that any boy’s mother would look forward to .Just as well you are hardly the young filly you once were. Soon barely any man will glance your way- their interest in you is only when you perform and when you become too old to perform , what then Lillian? You will wait? Wait for your young man? I fear to think that you believe he still cares for you. I doubt he has thought of you in this past year.”
Straying past the thin fabric of her chemise, his hand traveled upwards towards a lock of hair that rested on the exposed skin of her bosom. “Accept my offer, Lillian. What other options do you have?” Tentatively he took a hold of it, gingerly rubbing the silky strands between his fingers.
Fraught with anger, she trembled underneath the weight of his offense wanting no more than to be rid of him. She barely paused when her hands closed around the inlaid pearl handle of a letter opener that lay amongst her letters. Adrenaline coursed through her clouding any logical thought she may have had. Mocking amusement lined the corners of his mouth when he caught sight of the small blunt knife in her hand. “ What do you pro-” Cut short, his words remained in his throat stopped sharply by the cool metal pointed steadily towards his Adam’s apple.
“ Despite nine years you still foolishly believe you know me Mr. Harrington but what you know is far from the truth. As for my young man, you know nothing of him. You are hardly even worth to speak of him, let alone judge his character . I never intended to marry him or any man for that matter. My life is dedicated to the theatre and he knew this, and contrary to what you believe Mr. Harrington, my career will continue ten-twenty years from now when alcohol has riddled you with troubles and you’ve gambled everything and are left with nothing. We will never marry, Mr. Harrington. Even if you were to plead for my hand a thousand times and I will answer no a thousand and one times. ” Her breath fell ragged in the air as her chest strained against the confines of her corset.
A weighty silence settled in the air, their eyes were locked in an unspoken struggle of will. With a speed that she could never match, he rose from his chair, harshly tearing the makeshift weapon from her hand and flinging it with force across the room. Iron hands caged her wrists in their tight hold, pushing her backwards until her balance was lost and the wooden surface of her wardrobe painfully met the back of her head with a small thud. His lips leaned forward, brushing her cheek in the lightest of touches, speaking in low, gentle tones in her ear. “It pains me when I must succumb to such measures Lillian as much as your boldness amuses me but do not forget yourself. Realize, my dear that you are in my employ. You need to simply utter the word and your employment here will be terminated with ease. Is it so horrible? The thought of marriage to me? You know how many women would wish to be in your position? You would have the companionship of a loyal husband, a real home, a family… the theater would then be yours also.” As she suspected the serpent proceeded to tempt Eve, Macon’s voice was full of promise- promises she would be a fool to believe in. He released her hands with the gentleness of the lover he aspired to be. “I shall allow you several days to make your decision. Good night Ms. Shaw.” He left with those words, his voice tinged with the guise of warm human emotion.
Not long afterwards Lillian found herself in the presence of one Mr. Felix King. He sat across from her enclosed by crowded walls of what looked to be his office, calmly assessing the proposal she offered him when she first arrived at his theater. “Well, Ms. Shaw” he finally began, leaning slightly forward. “I must say that this came as a surprise but what ever causes Macon Harrington displeasure will always give me joy.” It was a gamble, yet Lillian was confident Felix King would take her offer of employment at his theater. In her years with Macon, she knew of the rivalry that stood between the men and for the past year it was Macon who enjoyed greater success. Unlike Felix, Macon enjoyed a bevy of seasoned actors with established reputations who repeatedly brought in a large audiences.
Her reasons for joining Mr. King’s company did not only stem from her wish at knowing her former employer was in throes of anger at not only her disappearance but her act of betrayal; she also wished to act without the shadow Macon Harrington looming possessively over. Although he may have started her career, Macon Harrington surely did not create the actress or the woman she had become. Yet, a willful spirit needed the affirmation his words were as insignificant as - that they did not truly matter. If she could not succeed by her own means, then was her career and thus her life a fruitless endeavor ?
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play-by: alyssa miller
password:
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