Wishing that the dark forces may curse you: Day 26, and 46,053 words

I guess this is the point where I feel incredibly close to being done! Only 4,000 words left to wrap up TWO stories.

Today I wrote a part of the novel that takes Eliza and Wandstein to their conclusion. I hope you enjoy!

With no expectation of pleasure, but with the strongest interest, Eliza opened the letter before she had even reached her desk. To her still increasing wonder, she perceived an envelope containing two sheets of letter paper, written in a very close hand. The envelope itself was likewise full. Pursuing her way along the lane, she then began it. It was dated from Wizarding Parliament, Banshee Building, Office #1967, at eight o'clock in the morning. The letter read as follows:

Be not alarmed, Madam Eliza, on receiving this letter, by the apprehension of its containing any repetition of those sentiments, or renewal of those offers, which were several days ago so disgusting to you. I write without any intention of paining you, or humbling myself, by dwelling on wishes, which, for the happiness of both, cannot be too soon forgotten; and the effort which the formation and the perusal of this letter must occasion should have been spared, had not my character required it to be written and read. You must, therefore, pardon the freedom with which I demand your attention; your feelings, I know, will bestow it unwillingly, but I demand it of your justice.

Three offences of a very different nature, and by no means of equal magnitude, you have laid to my charge. First, you accused me of breaking up my friend, Mr. Charmfinkle, and your friend and colleague, Miss Talismann. Second, and more serious, you claim that I have ruined the life prospects of Mr. George Cauldronbaum due to my distaste for his relationship with my sister. Finally, and perhaps the most severe, you have faulted me for using my position as a member of Wizarding Parliament to maintain the wizarding caste system, and for looking down on those in lower castes in my professional and private lives. I will respond to each in turn.

First, I will address your accusation that I broke up the relationship between our two friends, Mr. Charmfinkle and Miss Talismann, casting them both into a lifetime of misery. You may perceive that I did so for my own amusement, or perhaps you feel that I did so because Jeanette is of an inferior caste and thus, in my opinion, unsuitable for Mr. Charmfinkle. As you may have heard, Mr. Bingley had asked my opinion about proposing to Miss Talismann, and I will admit that I did encourage Mr. Bingley to reconsider. I did not do so out of malice for Ms. Talismann, who I believe to be a superior witch. While her status as a Wizard has crossed my mind as a barrier to the pair of them being married, my concerns about their union were based on two issues. First, I was quick to observe—as were many others—that my friend took an immediate liking to Miss Talismann, in a way I had not observed from him ever before. On her account, while her look and manners were open, cheerful, and engaging as ever, but without any symptom of peculiar regard, and I remained convinced from multiple evenings of scrutiny, that though she received his attentions with pleasure, she did not invite them by any participation of sentiment. Given Mr. Charmfinkle’s wealth and status, I have certainly observed instances where women have not felt a genuine attachment to anything beyond those privileges before. I consider myself to be an attentive and loving friend, who will always be on his side first before anyone else’s. If I was wrong in this regard, and I would certainly defer to you and your superior knowledge of your friend, for that I am sorry.

But that was not my only concern. Additionally, I harboured concerns about her political agitation and the impact that it might have on his political career. While it is certainly sexist to expect the wives of male politicians to bake toad pies and be seen but not heard, this is the expectation of the electorate and I did not think that her activism would be received well. The way in which she allowed herself to be removed from her position at the Spellberg School of Magic due to the continuing privileging of the caste system suggested to me that she might also find Mr. Charmfinkle’s acquaintances, colleagues, and family to be distasteful as well. Perhaps this was not my decision to make, but as I have said, I am very protective of Mr. Charmfinkle and I like to think that I even out some of his more rash impulses that can have negative consequences down the road.

Second, it is with considerable discomfort that I address your second accusation, with regards to the livelihood of Mr. Cauldronbaum. It is difficult to precisely counter what he has told you about me and my family; all I can do is tell you what happened from our perspective and hope that you will believe me. This is an extremely private matter, and your discretion will be very appreciated.

While my sister, Miss Willow Wandstein, was a student at Avalon University, she formed an attachment to an acquaintance of the family, Mr. George Cauldronbaum. When I was visiting, I immediately developed concerns about the match and questioned the sincerity of his interest in anything other than her status and wealth. You may feel that this was only the result of my prejudice against a Wizard, and you would be in part correct. However, my concerns were much deeper than suspecting him of wishing to attain a higher status. Perhaps Mr. Cauldronbaum had realized that a life of intellectual pursuits was not for him, but he was failing out of the University—a fact of which I was aware, as I was on the board of directors for the University to briefly replace my father who had passed away months prior. The University was also concerned about his gambling debts and lack of attendance in classes. He seemed desperate to use my sister to paper over his inopportune choices and the results of his poor judgment, of which I was of course not supportive.

Mr. Cauldronbaum proposed to my sister, which she accepted, and they had plans to elope. Despite his warnings, she told me while I was in Avalon, so as to not offend me by surprising me after their marriage. I strongly discouraged her and told her of my concerns, but she did not believe me. Later that night, he told me that he would end his relationship with her if I agreed to pay him an incredibly large sum and convince the University to reinstate his scholarship. I refused. I could not stand by and watch my sister go through the shame of marrying this man. He broke her heart, lost his scholarship, and has been telling inaccurate stories of our encounters ever since to exact more revenge against me and my sister who was just a pawn to him. If you do not believe my account, you can discuss the matter with Mr. Charmfinkle and Mr. Richard Fitzgriffin, although I must beg of you once more that you do not share this account further than this circle as it would cause considerable embarrassment to my beloved sister.

Finally, I must address your accusation that I have used my position to further entrench the caste system within our society and to marginalize those who are in the Wizarding caste. This is the part of my letter that is leaving me lost for words, as I cannot refute this claim in any way other than to make my shame of having done so known to you. My only excuse is that I have enjoyed a life of privilege that has shielded me from the classism, racism, and sexism that are all perpetuated through this hurtful system of distributing opportunities and disadvantages. Through our conversations, as well as Miss Talismann’s impact on Mr. Charmfinkle, I have realized the error in my ways. I regret the votes that I have participated in that have furthered these injustices, and I hope that you will believe me when I say that this will not continue. I no longer agree with my aunt, Sorceress Catherine de Bergstein, and I have informed her of this. She will no longer have an ally in Wizarding Parliament.

You may possibly wonder why all this was not told you several days ago. But I was not then master enough of myself to know what could or ought to be revealed. I can only conclude by wishing that the dark forces may curse you.

WILLIAM WANDSTEIN