Chapter one- a new beginning.
The night my father died, my younger sister Maria and I knew something was wrong. I knew my father was out, gambling away all of our inheritance money, and there was no way to stop him. With him gone, I was the only family Maria had left…. or so I thought until Miss Heliotrope told us about our father's brother, Sir Benjamin Merryweather. Beyond our four walls, neither of us knew much of anything about our father's family. Of course, Maria was trying to make sense of everything.
"How could this happen? What did we do to lose our father?" my poor 13-year-old sister broke down in my lap.
"It is what it is, sweetheart," I told her, stroking her hair, "even if it seems to be a most cruel thing."
"I don't want it to be! I just want Papa back!" fresh sobs racked her.
"I know, I know. But everything happens for a reason, and it will unfold in time." Tears were threatening, blurring my vision.
"Why would God punish two poor girls, leaving them defenseless without their father?"
"But He hasn't, dear. The good Lord has sent Uncle Benjamin to us in our time of need."
And so, our new life began to unfold.
The day of the funeral came in a hurry, as if time could not wait for my father to be buried. The only consolation was that is was sunny, Papa always loved the sunshine, as did Mama. The parting words were said by the minister, and us in our hearts. We were orphans now, and Maria would be my responsibility, as I was 3 years older. I notices her looking off to the side, distracted, so I followed her gaze. There was a young man standing in the gazebo. His clothes were black and raggedy, and had seen better days, but he wore a piece of cloth over his face, as if hiding himself. I looked back towards the ceremony, feeling his icy gaze on my chhek.
We laid down our roses on Mama and Papa's graves, then left to speak to Papa's lawyer. Of course it was totally uninformative, and told me only what I already knew, though Maria was not quite ready to accept it. The only things left to us were our clothes, a few things from home, and an old book, The Ancient Chronicle of Moonacre. I began to wonder what sort of place Moonacre would be. We went home, Maria never letting go of the book. I immediately went upstairs to pack, running back and forth around the house. Eventually it began to drive Miss Heliotrope mad, so she retired. It was well past midnight before I finally closed the last of the trunks, which were filled with clothes, embroidery materials, books, and exercise equipment.
The next morning. Miss Heliotrope woke me up around 8 o'clock, because we had a long day of traveling ahead of us.
"Miss Heliotrope, I'm 16 and perfectly capable of dressing myself. I'll be fine, stop fussing."
"Well, I...I just...oh, dear, it's my job to worry. I am your governess, whether you like it or not."
I just chuckled and shook my head, "Go help Maria."
I had asked for another horse to be brought, because I was only going to be able to stay in the carriage for so long. After we left the city, I be free form the trappings of the woman's world, if only for a short while. So, after a long, stuffy, morning trapped in the carriage, I was finally able to shed my feminine facade. I hoisted myself up on Rosie, one of Uncle's horses, and galloped a quick circle around the carriage. Of course I would not have been doing so in a full dress and unders. My riding habit was made for both comfort and practicality. I wore dark cotton trousers with high riding boots. My loose white shirt was covered with a leather corset and a cloak. Miss Heliotrope had insisted I wear my hair up, so I put it up in a low, loose bun, even when she told me I looked like a boy. Oh, well, that's me.
"Maria, you should really try this some time. It's amazing!" I laughed.
"Miranna, have you no shame?" Miss Heliotrope gaped as I trotted towards them.
"Obviously not, otherwise I would actually care what normal people thought about me." I smiled into the sky.
"Pardon, ladies, but we best be off," the driver, Digweed, told us.
"Yes, thank you, Mr. Digweed," Maria stared at me for a moment before climbing back into the horse-drawn deathtrap.
As we neared Merryweather Manor, Digweed asked if I would like to go through the gate first.
"No, no. Just tell me how to close the gate behind me."
"Very well, Miss. Well, there's a chain, see, and as you pass, you'll want to pull on it. That'll bring the gate right back down and lock it. But be quick about it, Miss, else them de Noirs'll get in."
"de Noirs? Who are the de Noirs?"
"Them'd be the neighboring family, Miss. a bunch of marauders and bandits if I've ever seen 'em. Been at odds with the Merryweathers for centuries."
This new discovery left me with more questions than answers about our new home. What on God's green Earth would cause two families to hate each other for so long? Well, for some reason, I began thinking about Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet story. Did one man insult another? Or did something happen between an engaged couple?
"Miss, we'll be arriving at the gate here in a few moments," Digweed called to me.
"Alright!" I checked my bag to check the present I had planned to give to our uncle, only to find that it wasn't there. "Mr. Digweed, I'll catch up with you, I seem to have dropped something!"
"Very well, Miss Mira."
I turned Rosie around and trotted back down the path. Down round the bend of the road, I found my gift lying in the grass. Hopping down, I picked up the parcel and brushed it off. I had just put it securely back in the saddlebag when I heard Maria scream.
"MARIA!" I yelled and jumped back into the saddle, spurring the horse into a gallop.
As I crested the hill, I saw the carriage under attack by some men in black clothing. I watched Maria cut the man holding her, and him drop her back through the window. I yelled as I bore down on them. Just as the carriage pulled through and knocked them to the ground, I came round and blocked them from running in. Rosie reared and I heard one of them yelp in pain. I went through and pulled the chain, hearing the gate crash down behind me.
I spun Rosie around, only to see the young man from the funeral, but this time I saw the red and black feathers around his neck. I watched as he rattled the gate. He stuck his arm through the bars and pointed at me.
"You can't stay safe in that castle forever, princess!" There was such anger in his voice that I almost fell out of the saddle. So, I turned and rode up to my new home.