It was early evening, and Governor Swann was sitting behind a heavy, walnut desk in his study, looking over some papers. They weren't particularly important, but it wasn't likely they would have kept his attention even if they had been.

His mind was on his daughter and her husband. They had agreed to have dinner with him tonight. Perfunctory social niceties aside, it would be the first time they'd spoken to him since their wedding. Excitement and dread warred within him. If it went well, it could possibly mend the breach he had unintentionally created between him and his only child. If it went badly, she might very well never speak to him again.

The words in front of him blurred, and he rubbed his eyes, feeling suddenly very tired.

It was all his fault. While he hadn't forbidden her to marry Will Turner, he had, by no means, approved. It wasn't that he disliked the boy, or thought badly of him. He'd even given him pardon, recognizing that while he may have made the wrong choices, he'd done so for the right reasons. It was just that she could do so much better than a common blacksmith.

So when Will began to formally court Elizabeth, he had subtly discouraged them from seeing each other. If he wasn't keeping Will busy with orders he couldn't afford to turn away, he was taking Elizabeth to social gatherings he now realized she had no interest in attending. Through it all, he'd made no secret of his feelings about the two of them as couple.

All his efforts were in vain. In late May they'd made their vows before a priest in a small chapel near the ocean. It was only then that he accepted they truly were in love, and only then that he came to understand what his machinations had cost him.

They hadn't told him.

When he came home that day he'd found all of Elizabeth's possessions missing, her room empty except for the furniture. The maid was calmly wiping off the vanity. Concerned, he'd asked where Elizabeth was and why her belongings were gone. The girl had looked confused. "In her new home, I imagine, sir. She and her husband came in not too long ago to take her things." He'd felt like someone had punched him in the gut. "You didn't know?" He'd turned and left without a word, unable to find his voice.

A soft knock recalled him from his memories. "Come in."

His butler opened the door. "Sir, your guests have arrived."

"Tell them I will be down in a moment."

"Yes, sir." The door closed.

Governor Swann let out a shaky breath. He'd had all the time he was going to get to prepare himself. It was time to face them.

When he entered the foyer he saw Elizabeth dressed nicely, but more simply than he'd ever seen her. Will, dressed much the same, had his arms around waist as he murmured softly to her. Something he said made them both smile. They were obviously deeply in love.

The two turned in unison upon hearing him approach, their expressions falling into neutral lines.

"Hello, father." Her tone was polite but lacked its usual warmth.

"Governor Swann." Will nodded respectfully.

The older man suppressed a sigh. This was going to be difficult, at best, but then he'd expected that. Penance wasn't meant to be easy.

He managed a smile for them, a hesitant one, but a smile nonetheless. "Please, come in and sit down. Dinner should be ready soon."

They followed him into the dining room where they sat at a gleaming mahogany banquet table. The chairs may have been comfortable, but their occupants were not, a fact that was obvious to anyone with eyes or even an ounce of intuition. An awkward silence descended, and hung like a pall.

"So, William... May I call you William?" He continued upon receiving a nod from the blacksmith. "How is your business fairing?"

"Quite well, sir." There was a slight pause as if he considered saying more then thought better of it. "Thank you."

Yet another oppressive silence was narrowly averted as the servants began bringing in the meal. Swann silently berated himself for the sudden loss of courage. It was ironic. He'd been waiting so long to apologize and now the he had the opportunity the words deserted him.

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Estrella had been a maid in the Swann household for several years. As such, she had been privy to an abundance of information that was not public knowledge, and the fact that it had not become so was a large part of why she'd remained employed. She understood the value of a servant who could keep his or her mouth shut.

Most of the others were the same way, and ones who weren't generally didn't last long. Still, there were certain things that couldn't be missed. The entire household knew of estrangement between Governor Swann and Elizabeth. Thus it was free to be discussed, in private, of course.

"Rifts like that don't just heal themselves, luv, especially not over one dinner. No matter how good it is." The cook eyed the soup she was stirring critically then added some more cream.

Estrella tried to hide a smile. "If you do say so yourself, Nan?"

"Yes, I do, and don't sass your elders, child." The older woman straightened and tucked an errant strand of greying hair behind her ear.

"Sorry." She wasn't really, and the way her mouth curled up at the corners testified to that.

Nan gave long suffering sigh and glanced upward, looking martyred. "You're not, but, kind soul that I am, I won't hold it against you."

The brunette rolled her eyes, but chose to return to their previous topic instead of responding. "So you don't think tonight will help things between them?"

"I didn't say that." She paused and tested the soup. Finding it up to her exacting standards, she moved on to the leg of roast pig and began sprinkling some herbs over the browned flesh. "It might. The problem is there are three very stubborn people in that room and all of them think they're right. They might genuinely want to make amends, but the reasons they split apart in the first place haven't gone away, and that's going to cause difficulty all around." She lifted the tray and handed it to Estrella. "Here. Start taking these into the dining room."

The girl nodded and did as asked. Nudging the door open with her hip, she fought the urge to shiver. The room was no colder than in the rest of the house in temperature, but the emotional atmosphere made the winters in England seem balmy in contrast.

She set the tray down in the center of the table before returning to the kitchen for the rest of the food. A young boy of roughly eleven years, carrying a platter almost too wide for his arms, balked in the doorway upon sensing the mood of the three at the table. He was good child, and eager to please, but easily the most nervous of the staff. Estrella suspected his previous employer has been quicker to express his displeasure with his fist than with his words. She gave him a reassuring smile and whispered "Go on," as she passed. He shot her a brief panicked look but obeyed. Several more trips by both of them were needed before everything was laid out.

When they finished, they went back into the kitchen, where the rest of the servants had gathered by that time, to eat their own dinner. She wouldn't be able to hear what else was said in the other room, but she'd bet the Governor and the Turners spend the rest of the meal pretending not to acknowledge each other's existence. They were good people, though they had their faults, and she liked them all. It was a shame something like love could cause such trouble. Still, though they had her sympathy, there was nothing she could do about it, and she turned her attention to the discussion that was currently raging at the table.

A bit more than an hour later, nearly everyone else had eaten and dispersed, each going back to their respective chores. It was time for her to begin clearing the dishes. She was just about to push the door open again when she heard voices, and stopped, her hand still resting lightly on the wood.

"I forgive you, Father, but I can't forget what you did. Perhaps, in time, I will be able to look past it. You've tried to make me live my life the way you thought I should since Mother died. Now I live my own life, with Will, and if you can't accept that then there's no reason for us to continue talking."

"I HAVE accepted that." Governor Swann sounded both serious and distressed.

"I wish I could believe that, I truly do, but when you tried to prevent my marriage to Will, KNOWING we loved each other, I lost my faith in you, and that you'll have to earn back."

There was a short silence.

"I'm sorry you feel that way."

"As am I." She paused for an instant before continuing. "I love you, Father. Goodbye."

"I love you, Elizabeth, and though you may not trust me, I honestly wish you happiness, whatever form it takes."

Estrella decided discretion was the better part of valor and eased away from the doorway. The dishes could wait a few more minutes. She only wished the feeling of foreboding that had come over her could be put aside as easily.

TBC...