~A Dream~ By Brooke-TheQuidditchNoob Other Titles by Brooke Lotus Spark Author's Note It's been a while since I have written a story, so, please bare with me! Also, I apologise for abandoning Flame, but I was getting bored of it! Anyway, this is something new for me, as I'll be writing in the third person!That means more POV changes, and more description! Because I know how you guys love adjectives! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this! (By the way, the first post will be short, as it is only the prologue). Prologue London, 1878 Smash! The glass hit the wooden floor, spraying shards everywhere! The guests of the ball - in their fine attire - all stepped back and gasped. "I am so sorry!" Elizabeth Hound exclaimed, and bent down to try and pick up the glass. Her father - Wallace Hound - rushed over. A look of shame quickly came over his face. "Elizabeth! What happened?!" He bellowed, his double chin wobbling as he did so. "I'm sorry, father! It's just... Well..." "It was my fault, Mr Hound." Came a voice from behind. It was William Carter, son of Henry Carter, who was extremely rich! "You see, I was conversing with your daughter and I think I may have said something that startled her." Elizabeth looked up at this, and remembered what he had said. She almost forgot, as she forgets most things. Elizabeth, would you take my hand in marriage? he had said. Just thinking of it made her stomach churn. "Dammit, Elizabeth!" Mr Hound's face suddenly brightened as he turned to face the other guests. "Sorry about that! We'll have to end the party now anyway. Jerome will show you all to the door." Elizabeth sighed and ran a hand through her hair. William left with the other guests, leaving her and her father alone. "Elizabeth, how am I to find you a reasonable suitor when you either don't like them, or muck everything up? William Carter was perfect, don't you see?! We have gone through practically all the rich men in London!" Yelled Mr Hound. "He said he wanted to marry me," said Elizabeth, her voice barely above a whisper. "We've only one reasonable man left. And you better not drive him away!" "Who is it, father?" He cleared his throat. "James Ross." Elizabeth gagged. "I can't marry James Ross!" She clapped her hand over her mouth. She wasn't mean to say that aloud. "You bloody well will! NOW CLEAN UP THIS MESS!" Elizabeth sighed and began to pick up the glass. Her white skirts already had red stains and her blonde curls had gone frizzy with the heat. She didn't want to marry anybody her father chose for her. She drove them away on purpose. If only he picked a nice man, with a kind heart, she would behave normally, like a lady. It's not like she's naturally clumsy! She sighed again. What if I could get away? she thought. What if I could go and live in a village somewhere? Marry a man that I love and be happy?
You're… you're not continuing flame? Anyways. Pretty interesting so far. I'll be looking for more!
Update! Part One Elizabeth lay awake in her bedroom. It was not often that she lost sleep; it was just the fact that she had shamed her father, and made him terribly angry. She remembered his face when she had said she did not want to marry William Carter and shuddered. She turned onto her left side and opened the draw of her night stand. She could feel loose earrings and bits of paper, and scrambled around until her hand closed around a circular locket. It was slightly heavy in her hand, and she took it out and placed it in her lap. She loved everything about the locket: the shiny gold, the thin chain, and the beautiful flowers engraved on the front. She opened the locket and smiled as a picture of her mother and father appeared. Her mother, with wavy blond locks like Elizabeth's and a thin frame, was smiling happily next to her father. A tear rolled down her cheek; she hadn't seen her mother since she passed away six years ago. Knock, knock! "Miss Hound, are you decent?" Called a voice from outside the door. It was Charlotte, the maid. She was responsible for taking care of Elizabeth, and Elizabeth had always thought of Charlotte as a friend, not a servant. "Yes, do come in, Charlotte." Elizabeth replied, stuffing the locket under her pillow. Charlotte entered the room and, surprisingly, perched on the bed at Elizabeth's feet. "I saw the candle light still on from under the door. Is everything alright, Miss?" Asked Charlotte, concern clear on her pale face. "Yes, Charlotte. Everything is fine." "Are you sure, Miss? It seems−" "I'm fine!" Bellowed Elizabeth, then burst into tears. She couldn't help crying − who could when they were being forced into marriage?! She looked up through her tears and saw Charlotte's face, which was expressionless. To Elizabeth's dismay − however − Charlotte placed a reassuring hand on Elizabeth's arm. "There, there, Miss. It'll be fine in the end." "No it won't. Within two years, I'll be married to a rich man whom I barely know with about two children and twelve servants." She sighed. "That's not the life I want, Lottie. Can't you see?!" It was the first time Elizabeth had ever called Charlotte 'Lottie' before. But Charlotte didn't seem to mind. "It is like I said, Miss, it'll be fine in the end. Master Wallace wouldn't force you into marriage − you know that." Charlotte smiled assuringly. "Thank you, Charlotte, for your generosity." And without even a goodbye, Charlotte stood up and left silently. As Charlotte closed the door, she sighed with relief. She hated seeing Miss Hound in such a sad state, but she regretted leaving too. Maybe I should go back, Charlotte thought. No. Miss Hound would be irritated. She turned left down the hallway, walking briskly and with purpose. She couldn't wait to tell the parlous maids − Jessica, Gail and Patricia − that the rumours of what happened at Master Wallace's party were true! The rumours that William Carter had proposed to Miss Hound; the rumours that Miss Hound was so shocked that she had dropped her first glass of wine and ruined her best dress; the rumours that James Ross wanted to marry her! Charlotte lifted her skirts and descended the marble stairs into the entrance hall, then turned right and went down a set of wooden stairs to the kitchen, where the parlour maids ate at night. "Hello, Charlotte. You're late, what kept you?" Asked Patricia, the oldest parlour maid at nineteen years. "Miss Hound," Charlotte replied. "Was in tears. The rumours are true." Jessica − the gossiper of the parlour maids − gasped, then clapped a hand over her large mouth. "My Goodness! James Ross wants to marry Miss Hound? Our Miss Hound?! Has he not spoken to her lately?" "What do you mean by that, Jessica?" Asked Charlotte, offended. "Well, not to be rude, but lately Miss Hound has seemed rather lost." "It's all this suitor business." Gail answered. "She can't handle it." "Nonsense!" Charlotte shouted. "Miss Hound is a strong, independent woman! She just does not want to marry a man that she does not love! She can handle it perfectly well!" "Yeah, right, Char. You keep believing that, but we" − Gail motioned to her, Patricia and Jessica − "know that she is no more than an utter simpleton." Charlotte couldn't take it: Miss Hound had been so good to her, treated her like a friend. She was sick of being their messenger! She stormed out of the kitchen and towards the servant's quarters, where she lay awake all night.
I love this medieval setting. So original. Be careful to keep the first letter of the dialogue tag lowercase, even after a question mark.
Update! Elizabeth was sitting on her windowsill when the sun rose over London at about six o'clock in the morning. She had been awake all night, and now had purple half-moons under her eyes to show it. Despite her attempts to distract herself, she couldn't get William Carter's proposal out of her head. She was actually rather fond of him; the only thing objected to was having to have her father's approval first. Charlotte came into the room at seven-thirty as she always did to help Elizabeth dress. Today's attire was a deep purple that sat surprisingly low on her chest, white lace lining the hem and the cuffs. She twirled in from of the mirror, then Charlotte pinned blue flowers in her hair. Elizabeth didn't inquire as to the occasion; she was too distracted by the magnificence of the dress! After a while, however, Elizabeth's father entered the room, and sat beside her on her bed. He didn't speak for a while, just looked around the room or at the floor. She wondered why he was in there, when (at last!) he spoke. "Elizabeth," he began "I'm sure you must be wondering why I ordered Charlotte to dress you in these particular clothes." Elizabeth nodded, suddenly aware of a lump in her throat. "Well, today you will be meeting with Mr and Mrs Ross, and their son James. They said they would like to be acquainted with you before you began courting their son." "Courting?!" Exclaimed Elizabeth. "What?!" "Elizabeth, you cannot keep driving these men away. I am convinced that James Ross is right for you. Trust me." Mr Hound smiled. After a while of deliberation, Elizabeth finally spoke: "Fine. But, will I be allowed to actually be myself in front of Mr and Mrs Ross?" "No." "I beg your pardon!" "Elizabeth Marie Hound, you will not blow this for us − I mean, yourself." He bellowed. Elizabeth sighed. There was no way she was going to win this argument. "Fine." "There's my poppet. Now, Thomas will pick you up in the carriage and take you to their home. Oh, you will adore it! I can just see it now: Elizabeth Ross!" Mr Hound clapped his hands together, then walked merrily from the room. Charlotte left behind him. Elizabeth noticed she was walking rather quickly. Breakfast was a quiet affair, as it is only ever Elizabeth and her father. They both sat at either end of a grand dining table with a simple breakfast in front of them. Mr Hound − as always − wolfed his down in a few bites, whereas Elizabeth barely touched her food. Maybe it was the lack of sleep; or the nerves, after all, she was meeting new people today, something she did not enjoy. She thought about when she had met William Carter. They met at her father's birthday-do when he had stopped her from tripping over a chair leg. He had caught her in his arms and smiled the kind of smile that could make your day. Admittedly, Elizabeth liked him, but she felt she did not like him enough to marry him. "Tea, Miss Hound?" Asked one of the parlour maids − Gabriella? Was that her name? "No, thank you," she replied. "And you, Master Wallace?" "Yes, please, Gail." He answered, a mouth full of beans. Elizabeth couldn't help but giggle as a bean rolled down her father's double-chin. "Do not mess this up, Lizzy! I am counting on you!" Mr Hound made it very clear that she was not to do anything stupid whilst visiting the Ross' home. She was not to laugh or giggle; she was not to talk too much of herself; she was not to drop or break anything; and she was not to say that she was friends with her maid. "Yes, father." Elizabeth whispered. She was in the carriage, the door open so that her father could speak with her. "Please! I'm begging you! Don't make a fool of yourself!" "Yes, father." "And do not speak unless spoken to!" "Yes, father." "Are you alright?" "Yes, father." "OK." He shut the door of the carriage and it rolled off down the cobblestone road, shaking Elizabeth gently as it went.
I love this stream of updates! One thing to suggest: make their speech a bit more like it would be in that time, assuming this is supposed to be in medieval times. Some of their dialogues have slang or modern words.
Here is kind of how I imagined the characters. (I hope the sizing is right!). Elizabeth Hound: Wallace Hound: Charlotte: William Carter: James Ross: