Return to Jamaica Inn (Open)

[MBS1969]

OOC this is an open thread set twelve months after the novel Jamiaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier.

For anyone who does not know the original novel here is a brief idea of the plot.

Set in the early 1800's, Mary Yellen is orphaned at the age of 23 when her father is killed in a shipwreck and her mother dies of a broken heart. She is sent to stay with her Aunt Patience and Uncle Joss Merlyn in the mysterious Jamaica Inn, in the middle of Bodmin Moor, a vast moor in the English county of Cornwall. Cornwall is at the very south west of England and is almost surrounded by the sea, with the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the English Channel on the other.

Mary's uncle rules her aunt with an iron fist and Mary soon discovers that all is not well at the inn. Her uncle and his patrons are a gang of wreckers, who on stormy nights shine fake lights out to sea to deliberately wreck ships and plunder their cargo, murdering any survivors in the process.

Mary befriends two men, Jem Merlyn her uncle's brother and a horse thief, and the Reverend Davey, the vicar of Alturnun.

Over time it becomes apparant that her Uncle Joss is not acting alone and is receiving instructions from a higher authority. Unsure that Jem is not working with her uncle, she puts all of her trust in the reverend who unfortunately is the bad guy.

At the end of the novel Mary's uncle and aunt are murdered by Davey as he attempts to evade capture. He kidnaps Mary and Jem saves the day by rescuing her and sending Davey to a watery grave. Mary and Jem then leave Cornwall vowing never to return.

For the purposes of this thread though, I'm bringing them back, kicking and screaming.

I'll be playing Jem Merlyn, who is a kind hearted scoundrel, a horse thief among other petty crimes. Tough and rugged and about thirty years of age.

For the thread we'll need

Mary Yellen, 24 years old and not quite as naive as she once was, toughened by the sight of her aunt and uncles bodies and her own kidnapping ordeal. * This part will be played by along came mary.*

Squire & Mrs Basset, the local man of law who live in the Mansion at North Hill.

I'm expecting the wrecking to have recommenced so there can be any number of wreckers and ideally a leader of the new gang.

I'm open to any other characters that anyone can dream up as long as the into fit the period and theme of the story.

I do have an idea of the general storyline and will PM any new characters with my ideas for how they can develop but will be leaving the how and when things are achieved to you.

My next post will be in character, so please PM me with any queries. Hope to see you all roaming the moor in the dead of night.

MBS

 

[MBS1969]

Jem Merlyn

Jem sat at the reigns of his pony and trap, the night was filthy, rain and wind lashed against his face and he began to remember how much he hated this place. The horse strained to pull the carriage up the hill towards that place. He'd almost fallen over with shock when Mary had said she wanted to return, after all that had happened. Now here they were, the new owners of Jamaica Inn, the most feared Inn the whole of Cornwall.

When they'd heard about the sale of the inn, Jem had given little thought to it. It was part of the past as far as he ws concerned and good ridance, but Mary had been thinking....She started with a few small questions before building up to convincing him to return. They'd bought the inn at auction, using his ill gotten gains from horse rustling and now they were heading back there for the first time in a year.

Bodmin Moor was not at it's best in November, it was a desolate, cold place in summer, but now at nine o'clock on a winters night it was truly hostile. They's passed the inn on the way to Bodmin for the auction and not stopped, in fact the horses and fairly sprinted past it as if they too were afraid to be there. Now as he approached it, he felt a large sense of foreboding. He glanced at the lump of rags in the carriage behind him and wondered how she could sleep in the weather travelling over this rough ground, but she did. Mary Yellen, how different his life had been before he met her, how much had changed since.

"Mary.................Mary!!" he shouted over the storm and wind. "We're here Mary, look lively girl, we have to stable the horse" He pulled the trap up outside the deserted front door and shuddered.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

OOC:

Mmmm this sounds like a great idea for a thread!

I'm going to be afk Mon - Wed, but if any of the parts are still available and if you want to share another thread I don't mind taking a part....

Let me know... either way, I'll keep checkin'/reading!

Good luck hun!

love
DM x

 

[along came mary]

Mary Yellen

I rose regretfully from the warm nest of blankets I had wrapped around me in a furtive attempt to keep warm. A chill traversed the length of my spine as I garnered a first glance of the place I had once hoped never to see again – the Jamaica Inn. I wrapped my shawl around my shoulders a bit tighter. Though the wind that blew across the moors was indeed frigid, the coldness I felt at the moment stemmed from a growing sense of dread and foreboding as we drew closer to the dark, sinister building.

"Mary.................Mary!!" Jem shouted over the storm and wind. "We're here Mary, look lively girl, we have to stable the horse."

The building all but blocked what little illumination the moon provided us, enveloping us in shadows. I managed to gift Jem with a wan smile in hopes to ease his obvious discomfort, the meager glimpse of teeth nearly lost within the depths of the encompassing shadows.

I climbed out of the carriage, albeit a bit reluctantly, draping the shawl over my head in an attempt to keep the wind from blowing the soft brown locks into total disarray. I squared my shoulders, drawing strength from the knowledge that Jem was at my side, and supported me in my need and determination to face and overcome my fears. We would make a success of this Inn and obliterate the negativity that surrounded it. Soon we would forge new, pleasant memories from this place. Hopefully pleasant enough to drive away the lingering terror and nightmares that have haunted me for so long.

 

[MBS1969]

Jem Merlyn

Jem jumped down from his seat on the trap and caught hold of the reins of he horse as it began to stamp unsteadily on the muddy yard. The horse, like Jem didn't really want to be here and were it not for Mary's presence behind him he may well have stamped his feet in disagreement too. He looked at her wrapped up against the wind and rain with a shawl around her head, the thin wool cardigan and thin skirt her only protection against the worst of the weather.

Jem pulled the horse towards the door which he knew was the stables and Mary moved ahead of him to open the door. Once inside the stable the weather subsided sightly but he had no feelings of relief, he was once again truly on the premises. The stables were bare, no comfortable bed of straw for the horse, no blanket to keep the horse warm let alone dry it. He manouvered the horse into the birth and hoped it would at least be happy to be out of the wet.

He looked at the suddenly folorn looking figure at the stable door, Mary stood as if not daring to cross the threshold, not daring to take the final step back into even the outbuildings of the inn. He gave her a big reassuring grin and she smiled slightly back but her complexion was pale and drawn and he began to regret the weakness he had shown in agreeing to return. They were here now though and had best make the most of it as they had no money and this inn was their only possession. There had been no other bidders at the auction either, they had bought it for the reserve price, no chance of anyone buying it back from them. He sighed to himself deeply in the stable before returning to her side.

"Come on Mary", he said pulling the keys to the main building from his waistcoat pocket, "Lets get out of the rain" Jem grabbed her arm and led her towards the front door of the Inn...

 

[MBS1969]

And this one too, I'll have one more go at getting this one up and running.

Please take pity on me someone and join in......Pllllleeeeaassse!!