Romance Novel (Untitled)

Detailed Story Outline

I. Prologue ▶︎

     a.Young English Lady
          i.Describe her manner
               1.Susannah Claverly – Lives in Southampton
                    a.Father, Samuel
                    b.Mother, Sarah, died when Susannah was 3
               2.Gentle, but superior.
               3.Used to getting her way
               4.Unaware of how much the servants really do or know
               5.Naïve, but good-hearted
               6.Virgin 
          ii.	Describe her habits
               1.	Education, per her father
                    a.	Particularly reading poetry and philosophy
                         i.	Likes Aristotle, dislikes Plato
                         ii.	Likes Mary Leapor (contemporary) and Anne Killigrew (within past 100 years)
               2.	Social gatherings
                    a.	She likes to show off her ability to sing
                         i.	Naturally note-perfect
                    b.	These gatherings necessitate a lot of primping and preparing
                         i.	Spends a lot of time with her personal maid (don’t know the term)
                              1.	Elizabeth
                              2.	Friends since childhood
                              3.	Still very close, though Susannah does not accept argument t from Elizabeth
               3.	Horseback riding
                    a.	One of her father’s hobbies
                    b.	Dotes on her father and wants to be just like him
                         i.	Means the world to her 
          iii.	Describe her family
               1.	Wealth, good reputation, connections
                    a.	Lives in Southampton
                    b.	Father is an official of some importance
                    c.	He is a businessman, but with close affiliation and interaction with politicians and authorities
                         i.	He is held in good standing among all of these circles 
                         ii.	He is:
                              1.	Powerful but just
                              2.	Brilliant but judicious
                              3.	Rich but generous
                              4.	Respected but not (too) haughty
                         iii.	His opinion of her means everything to her
                    d.	Mother died of influenza when she was three 
                    e.	Only child
               2.	Do not disclose the family business at this point
                    a.	Family business is port master
                    b.	Master of Eastern Docks
          iv.	Describe her physically
               1.	21
               2.	Petite
               3.	Fair-skinned
               4.	Dark brown hair that is almost black
               5.	Smaller bust
               6.	On the thin side, especially for the times
               7.	Brown eyes
               8.	Slender, attractive hands
          v.	Describe her current mood and situation
               1.	Heading off to her suitor with the understanding that a marriage proposal is in the offing
                    a.	She’s been seeing him for six months
                    b.	He has her father’s approval
                    c.	He has hinted at engagement several times
                    d.	He arranged for a very special night
          vi.	Segue into Act I

II. Act I ▶︎

     a.	Betrayed by lover. 
          i.    There is an engagement party
               1. Her fiancee has a mistress and is not coming
               2. Father has found out about the mistress
          i.    Father tells daughter about betrayal
               1.   She does not believe him
               2. She and father have a huge argument
          ii.   She goes for a walk to cool off
               1.   She goes down to the docks for the sea air
     b. She is confronted by drunken sailors
          i.   They try to attack her
          ii.  She fights them
          iii. They fight her and she hits her head
          iv.  They think she's dead
               1. They throw her in a crate to hide the "body"
          ...
          ...
     c.	Before dawn, the crate the body is in is loaded on Spanish merchant ship. 
          i.	She does not wake, and the crate is large and not inspected
          ii.	The crate is labeled as belonging on board and is stamped as having been previously inspected and as holding ropes and tackle.
          iii.	The ship puts out to sea
     d.	Introduce captain
          i.	Manner
          ii.	Physicality
          iii.	Mood
          iv.	General impression
     e.	She wakes up and doesn’t know where she is
          i.	She is frightened
          ii.	She is injured, dazed.
          iii.	She is brought before the captain of the ship
          iv.	She knows she is a lady, but not which family name or her first name (close though). 
          v.	Knows she was attacked, but not why.
     f.	Spanish Captain promises to help her find her attacker and restore her to her birthright.
          i.	They talk over supper at the captain’s table
          ii.	He is intrigued by her lost memory
          iii.	He is attracted to her

III. Act II ▶︎

     a.	He really plans to seduce her and take advantage of her
          i.	He confides this to his first mate
               1.	He is disinterested in either the captain or the girl
               2.	He wants his pay for the trip and that is all
               3.	Is a cold man
          ii.	The captain brags of his plan for blackmailing her for the family fortune to keep hidden the secret of her disgrace.
               1.	The first mate warns against it
                    a.	For practical reasons
                    b.	Passes no judgment
          iii.	The captain invites her to dinner again, and calmly explains what will happen
               1.	She will become his mistress
               2.	She will do what he wants
               3.	He will have power over her because
                    a.	He says he knows who she is
                         i.	He really doesn’t
                    b.	He will spread word of her disgrace to her family and she will be cut out of the will and disowned
               4.	She must marry him and wheedle him into her father’s will
     b.	She is dismayed and appalled and frightened
          i.	She is a virgin
               1.	She is afraid of men and sex
          ii.	She still does not know who she is
          iii.	She does not know how she would survive if turned out from her family
     c.	She tries to get help from the first mate, but he will take neither side, preferring pay to morals.
          i.	He dismisses her quiet pleas for help
          ii.	He warns her of discipline if she should create disorder
          iii.	He becomes stern when she starts to get hysterical and threatens incarceration in the lower hold
               1.	Bilge
               2.	Slime
               3.	Human waste
               4.	Potential attack from crewmen
          iv.	She goes back toward her cabin frightened and desperate
     d.	The cabin boy sees her and thinks she looks vulnerable
          i.	He asks if she is alright
          ii.	She is desperate, and explains the situation to him
          iii.	He says he will help her
               1.	Has her hold his belt that he was repairing
               2.	Has her wait in rear hold
          iv.	Instead, he tries to blackmail the captain.
               1.	Forced female slave is a crime in Spain and England
               2.	Cabin boy demands 5x his pay and he will disappear at the end of the voyage
               3.	Captain agrees
                    a.	Tells Cabin boy to bring the First Mate to witness the pay agreement
                    b.	Cabin boy turns to get Mate
                    c.	Captain quietly rushes up behind him
                    d.	Calls his name; Boy turns
                    e.	Captain stabs him just above groin with a small dagger, slitting him upward
               4.	Captain has a lot of power, but murder is illegal
                    a.	He hides the dagger in the woman’s cabin as she waits in the rear hold for the cabin boy
                    b.	Captain summons First Mate
                    c.	First Mate finds dead Cabin Boy,
                         i.	No weapon
                    d.	All hands are mustered to the deck, and she comes out.
                         i.	She still has the belt
                         ii.	First Mate identifies it
                         iii.	Ties her to Cabin Boy’s murder
                    e.	First Mate investigates
                         i.	Searches her cabin
                         ii.	Finds the dagger
                    f.	She is tried on the ship and found guilty
                         i.	She is offered one last request
                         ii.	She pleads with the captain to spare her life
                         iii.	He asks her if she “agrees”
               5.	She agrees to his previously stated but here unspoken terms of becoming his mistress, finding her family, and maneuvering him into the will and the family fortune
     e.	The captain takes her that night
          i.	He is smooth at lovemaking, and gentle. 
          ii.	He is entertained by her naiveté
          iii.	He woos her and she thinks he is a gentleman after all.
          iv.	He never falls in love her, but makes her think he does
     f.	They arrive in Spain,
          i.	Authorities determine cabin boy killed in self-defense by captain’s woman
          ii.	Cargo offloaded
          iii.	New shipment consigned
          iv.	Destination is England
          v.	She is now very much in love with the Spanish Captain

IV. Act III ▶︎

     a.	They pull into an English port with new cargo
     b.	She is recognized by the port authorities. 
          i.	Her father is the port owner (or whatever). 
               1.	She is brought to him by the port workers
          ii.	He recognizes her and challenges the Captain. 
               1.	He is suspicious that his daughter has been abused
          iii.	She speaks on the Captain’s behalf, having fallen in love with him
               1.	She claims he saved her from an attacker.
                    a.	The incident is still hazy in her mind
               2.	She says he wooed her and they are much in love
               3.	She says he is her protector and plans to be her husband
          iv.	Father accepts but is suspicious. 
               1.	The sailor is not the type of man his daughter has ever been interested in
               2.	He keeps an eye on Spanish Captain.
     c.	She finds out she is pregnant. 
          i.	Morning sickness
          ii.	No period
          iii.	Her lady-in-waiting explains to her what it means
          iv.	She knows she will have to tell her father she is not a virgin
          v.	She goes to the captain to find out what they will do
     d.	The Captain denies it is his, 
          i.	denies he ever loved her, 
          ii.	claims she seduced him 
          iii.	calls her out as a whore.
          iv.	Begins stories and rumors about her lewd conduct during the voyage
               1.	Says he maintained the “love” lie only out of respect for her father
     e.	Father, has found out the true story of original attack from other sources
          i.	Has found out that this captain is womanizer, and a dishonest tradesman, 
          ii.	He calls the captain out as a liar. 
          iii.	The Captain prepares to leave port, having lost nothing, caring nothing of the father’s opinion of him.
          iv.	The father, having connections, has found out about the cabin boy
               1.	The case raised suspicions in Spain
               2.	He is authorized to detain the Captain for questioning and extradition
          v.	Father arranges to have the ship boarded 
               1.	Orders the captain taken for 
                    a.	rape of his daughter 
                    b.	murder of the Cabin Boy.
               2.	She comes along to provide first-person witness for the authorities.
     f.	The captain does not go quietly
     g.	There is a Fight on the ship. 
          i.	A Lantern is knocked over into a box of freshly tarred ropes. 
          ii.	The Ship begins to burn. 
     h.	The Spanish Captain tries to kill girl. 
          i.	Knocks her out with the butt of his saber, 
               1.	but is fatally wounded by a misguided stab during the confusion of the fight
                    a.	The man who stabbed him was too distracted by the fighting to recognize who the Captain was or that the girl was near him and hurt
          ii.	Captain Manages to drag her to a hiding place 
               1.	Intends let her burn to death 
               2.	dies himself before he can get off the ship

V. Act IV ▶︎

     a.	She is found as the boarders flee the burning ship. 
          i.	She is heaved over someone’s shoulder
          ii.	They jump into the icy water to avoid burning
          iii.	She nearly drowns
          iv.	They are both rescued
     b.	She survives a coma that leaves her permanently forgetful of the Captain’s misdeeds. 
          i.	She thinks he loved her truly 
          ii.	that the burning of his ship and his death was all a terrible accident caused by 
               1.	the untimely and accidental death of the cabin boy 
               2.	overzealous authorities and political junk.
     c.	Father cannot bear to see her hurt, 
          i.	lets her believe this falsehood 
          ii.	encourages her fantasy. 

...
X. Epilogue ▶︎

     a. Father still angry
     b. Still dreams of justice and revenge