You, as someone of importance to the Shipley family, have been asked to dinner this evening at their ancestral mansion: Shipley Manor. You’re quite pleased to be here this evening, since Mr. and Mrs. Shipley, as well as their lovely daughter, Miss Emily Shipley, are well-renowned for their hospitality and famously delicious dinner parties.
Something seems off, however. You haven’t seen the entire family all together since you arrived, and Miss Shipley complains of a headache. Even some of your fellow party-goers seem a little...out of spirits. However, you are determined to have a good time no matter what.
Characters:
Henry Shipley: Henry is a well-known gentleman of a sizable income. His estate is large and gorgeous. To show off his wealth, he often enjoys inviting half the neighborhood to elaborate dinner parties. However, there have been rumors that Henry has been involved in some bad business deals and that his fortune might be suffering as a result. Could the dinner party tonight just be a façade?
Katherine Shipley: A flighty woman who married Henry merely for his thousands a year, Katherine has never been a woman of sense, but is known to have a quick temper when angered. But, is Katherine really as silly as she seems, or does she know exactly what she’s doing?
Emily Shipley: Emily is the only daughter of Henry and Katherine Shipley. Emily is known to be the prettiest girl in the entire town and lately, the dashing and extremely rich Nathaniel Drake has been showing her much attention. It is becoming well known that the two have started a courtship. Emily, as lovely as she is, has never had a strong constitution and has often struggled with headaches and frequent illness. Despite this, she is brave, rosy, and persevering.
Henrietta Fletcher: Henrietta is Katherine’s sister’s daughter. She was born into inferior circumstances, so years ago, the Fletchers agreed to take her in and help to better her education. She is often treated as a charity case, and sometimes she resents it.
Emaline Roper: Emalina is a silent, obedient maid. She keeps herself out of trouble and can usually be found standing quietly in a corner somewhere...when she isn’t busy in the kitchen or cleaning the house, of course. However, is Emaline really a subdued maid, or is she silently listening, remembering, and making use of the information she gleans?
James Morgan: James is a meek and obedient man who was pushed into the practice of law by a father who had fallen on hard times and had nothing else to leave his son. James remembers what it was like to be a gentleman of leisure, and such parties as this evening’s are a bittersweet reminder. James would do just about anything for life to be the way it was again.
Matthew Prescott: Matthew is a dashing man in the King’s militia. He is silver tongued and known for being quite a rogue. He is rumored to have once gotten a young lady in trouble, but as she was of a much lower station than himself or the circles he travels in, it is hardly ever spoken of, however, few fathers are willing to let him near their daughters. But, he has a questionable parentage, being an orphan, and no one really knows who he truly is.
Lady Elizabeth Ford: Lady Elizabeth is a gentlewoman of the highest degree. She is exceedingly accomplished in all the arts known to femininity, as well as a skilled dancer and player of the piano forte. Her greatest goal in life now is to marry a man of the highest pay and level of renown. Even tonight, she is searching the room for a man with a...heavy pocketbook.
Evelyn Parker: Evelyn is Emily Shipley’s closest and dearest friend. The two might as well be sisters for the amount of time that they spend each day in each other’s company. At first, it was rumored that Evelyn was falling in love with the young dashing Mr. Drake, but soon it became clear that he only had eyes for Emily. Evelyn did not seem to mind, however, and even seemed happy for Emily. The town has forgotten all about when Evelyn was thought to have been Nathaniel’s interest, but has Evelyn forgotten?
Hannah Rogers: Hannah is the woman the whole town dreads, but no one wants to neglect or leave out from a party. Hannah has always had a wagging tongue and is never afraid to speak her mind. Be careful of revealing any information to her, if you don’t want it spread around town
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Margaret Pope: Margaret and Emma Pope are fraternal twin sisters. The two women have spent their lives so attached to each other that no gentleman could ever divide them enough to court one or the other. However, the sisters seem relatively content in their lot. Tonight their carriage has broken down...quite conveniently… outside of the Shipley residence and their driver has gone off to town to see about repairing the carriage. The two Pope sisters are not upset about this “chance occurrence” as they put it, since they now have the pleasure of a party they wouldn’t have before had.
Emma Pope: Margaret and Emma Pope are fraternal twin sisters. The two women have spent their lives so attached to each other that no gentleman could ever divide them enough to court one or the other. However, the sisters seem relatively content in their lot. Tonight their carriage has broken down...quite conveniently… outside of the Shipley residence and their driver has gone off to town to see about repairing the carriage. The two Pope sisters are not upset about this “chance occurrence” as they put it, since they now have the pleasure of a party they wouldn’t have before had.
Nathaniel Drake: Nathaniel is one of the handsomest men in the county, even if he is nowhere near close to the richest. It is quite well-known that many young ladies would like to be courted by him. However, as of recently, he’s only seemed to have eyes for Emily Shipley. The disappointment amongst the local young ladies is great, but no one is surprised that Nathaniel would be attracted to Emily. The two seem like a perfect match. Nathaniel is quite happy in his choice and plans to propose to Emily as soon as he can.
Kitty Baker: Kitty is the beloved daughter of Captain Baker. Kitty’s mother passed away when Kitty was young, so she was mostly raised by townspeople while her father was away on voyages. Because of this, as a little girl, she was the town’s sweetheart. However, as she’s gotten older, other new faces in town have often taken her place in the hearts of the people. Lately, she’s begun to feel a little out of place and neglected, missing the days when she was more precious to her loved ones.
Jane Laurence: Lady Jane has been ill with consumption for some time now. She has her good days and her bad days. This is one of her good days. Some people think that Lady Jane is simply faking her illness for attention.
Andrew Laurence: Andrew is a long-suffering husband who cares diligently for his wife, Jane. However, his true love is his studies. In his free time he can be found reading up on the latest diseases, poisons, and indigenous tribes throughout the world. He once dreamed of traveling the world, but once he married Jane, she put an end to those dreams. These days, he simply studies and although Mrs. Laurence has tried to make him keep his studies a secret thing, the entire neighborhood knows of his strange interests…
Lord Douglas Adams: Lord Douglas has long been a quiet and secretive man. He’s mostly kept to himself, especially over the past several years, and even his wife doesn’t know what he does with his trips out of town, or his evenings shut up in his study. He hardly ever pays social calls, but as long-time friends of the Shipley’s he felt compelled to accept their invitation to dinner.
Lady Bridget Adams: Lady Bridget is a perfect wife and everyone knows it. She doesn’t ask too many questions, she’s quite accomplished, and she’s the perfect hostess. Although her husband has a reputation for being sullen and unsociable, Bridget takes up where he leaves off and has smoothed many feathers ruffled by Douglas. However, behind her perfect smile and her unstained hands, could she be hiding secrets of her own, covered up only by her proper demeanor?
