Rebecca Maelstrom had always been a girl with a strong mind. Guided by her mother, she grew up seeing the world as a place ruled by men. Through all that chaos, however, she saw chances of beauty.

Her mother was ill, and on her deathbed, Ms. Gail- she had gone back to her maiden name after the divorce- pleaded to her only daughter to live with her father in his hometown of Amoris.

Rebecca wanted to fulfill her mother's wishes, but she hadn't seen her father in years. Since he did send money over to them occasionally- for immediate financial support- the only thing she knew about him was that he was wealthy. This still made her worried, how the two were to get along? The only thing to raise her spirits was the short time period she was to stay; she was so generously offered the opportunity to go to University, thanks mostly to her father's connections.

At the train station, Rebecca was escorted by Kentin. A boy she had grown up with, though she only saw him as her friend, he thought of her as a sweetheart, and she knew it too well.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asks shyly. She takes a moment to respond. Everything in her wanted to say "No". To leave her mother's bakery, leave the house she grew up in to live in a town that's not even on a map, with a man that she hadn't seen in years.

"It's what mama wanted, I can't disobey her dying wish." She finally responds before turning to get into the train cart.

"But is that what you want?" Kentin asks once more before she closes the door. She was too late to answer as the train began moving forward.

"Goodbye Kentin! I'll come visit," she cheers her last words to her friend. Yes, despite the affections Kent wasn't too shy to show- on occasion- she still only saw him as a friend.

The trip took around two hours, going over hills first, the scenery then shifted to buildings as tall as the oak trees Rebecca had seen next to the bakery. It gave her a bit of nostalgia, a gut wrenching feeling that made her sick. The only thing that she could think of was the dramatic scene that had occurred only a couple of days ago.

It was a week before her mother had passed. She was walking to church with another man named William de Grataine. A gentleman she had come to know due to their connection with her oldest brother and her cousin's husband. They had first started talking about the day, small talk, but it soon changed to talk about love, then about marriage. Unexpectedly, he suddenly got down on one knee and proposed. Rebecca's face had turned red. Not because of sweetness, but of bitterness.

"Why do you believe such a thing. That I would wish to marry," she backed away, but snapped as a thought crossed her, " And so soon too?"

"But, every time we ever talked, you would bring the idea of marriage. Back at that reception practice, did it mean nothing to you when we danced?" He asked desperately. Rebecca could see that, too. How he stayed, knelt down, waiting for her to change her mind.

"I'm so very sorry M. William, but I'm afraid that I don't see you that way-" she was quickly cut off by his continuous speech.

"Is it that Kentin boy!?Is he who you're planning for!?" his voice was now cracking.

"Kentin- no! He is my friend, and only my friend, I could never think of him that way! Besides, I do believe that he sees me as close family." She lied, and she knew he could see through it. She hadn't learned much about him, but he seemed to understand her well.

"Do you lie to wound me further?!" Rebecca wanted to respond, but he didn't give her a single moment to defend herself. He left angrily, returning to his accommodations with her cousin.

At the train station in Amoris, Rebecca notices a man in a suit and top hat, a cane in his gloved hands, a beard hugging his chin. His face reminds her of her brothers, only older. That's when she comes to realize who he was. The father she hadn't seen in years. He notices her too, with her awkward stance next to the train, and smiles. He lifts his hand to guide her where he stands. Though it's not needed, as there aren't that many people at the station anyway.

"Oh, Rebecca," he says while diving in to hug her, "it's been too long, sweetheart." The hug was making her feel guilty for never giving much thought of him before. She imagined he had every optimistic idea of her. Before she could let this continue any further, she pulled away, but still kept a smile to not worry him.

"It has been long. How have you been, father?" She tried for conversation. Her father continued while wrapping her arm around his and beginning to walk.

"Oh, where to begin. Well, I can't say I had big adventures- like the ones you used to read- but, uh... Just same old business. I lend houses and properties to others so that they may either live in it or make a business off the land. They give me what they owe, and you get to continue with your studies. Your aunt says you've been wanting to study politics," He says cheerfully. Rebecca takes a moment, half admiring her father's dedication in knowing almost everything about at the same time, she felt betrayed by those around her.

"Well, yes. I've been thinking of Law school. There are many people I want to take care of. Also, to handle the legal matters for the bakery by myself," She responds proudly. Her father does a small chuckle, before speaking in admiration.

"Just like your mother, aren't ya. She wanted to handle things herself too. But I couldn't bear watching her do everything by herself," he turned sideways as he thought through his words, " Still, she wouldn't let me, no matter how much I pleaded with her. So I won't do the same with you. I'll just be around to give you that push." He patted her back gently, Rebecca felt comfortable again.

The two finally reached the carriage, a maroon color, with a mix of black and slightly dark brown horses. Her father opens the door for her where inside are red velvet seats. She takes one side while her father takes the side across from her.

"You know, when your mother and I got married, we rode in this same carriage," he explained while entering, "Of course, though, it used to be a darker color than this, but it made her so much happier when the seats were changed." he chuckled, mostly to himself, afterwards, an awkward silence had never really heard the stories of her mother and father. It was a silent agreement between her brothers and mother to keep her a distance away from the stories.

When they arrived at the mansion, Rebecca took a moment to take in the house that she had once believed to be a castle. The front yard was large and opened. Nothing was in the middle of the lawn, so the sun really belated on the grass. The trees were off to the side, creating shade for the smaller servant quarters. The mansion itself was two stories plus the attic. Large, two-by-four windows were wrapped all around, and large double doors in the middle. Small bushes were scattered here and there. She also noticed that most of them were losing color, surrounded by barren dirt. She was sure there were servants who took care of them.

"I've had to leave a couple of workers, it's so hard to find good hardworking people," Her father says while looking over at the bushes himself. She observed the bushes some more, making out a few spider webs, before returning to her father's side.

As they walk in, they are greeted by a maid; bright red hair, and a purple dress. She bows her head down, then speaks.

"We'come back mastah. Is 'is yo'r daughter you tol me 'bout?" As she speaks, Rebecca immediately recognizes her accent. An Irish that was taught some French perhaps. It would be difficult, but it's a good thing I learned English, she thinks to herself.

"Yes, this is my daughter Rebecca. Rebecca, de rencontrer votre nouvelle femme de chambre, Iris." (Rebecca, meet your new maid, Iris.) Her father says with pride.

"Oh mon Dieu, mon Pére, je ne peux pas pretendre une femme de ménage. Je ne l'ai jamais eu un avant, ce que je ferais avec un de toute façon?" (Oh my, Father, I cannot take a maid. I've never had one before, what am I supposed to do with one anyways?) While they both argued in French, Iris decided to appease their anger with one another.

"Ne vous inquiétez pas Mlle Rebecca, juste prétendre que je suis votre ami." (Don't worry Miss Rebecca, just pretend I am your friend.) Afterward, she gave her a sincere smile, that ended up calming the two. But it left a good impression on Rebecca especially.

Rebecca knew that this new arrangement of life would be difficult, but she was willing to go along with it. For the sake of her mother. Yet, she found herself wondering why her mother wanted her to live with her father. Of all people, she could have just as easily chosen to live with her Aunt and Uncle in England; moving in with one of her brothers- wherever it was they were ported and living at nowadays- would have sufficed.

In the morning of Rebecca's first day in Amoris, she was woken up by a knocking at the door.

"Wake up Missuz! Yo'r Fathah woul' like you to join 'im foh breakfas'!" With that, the maid took her leave. So it is real, she thought to herself, I'm stuck here... And mother is gone. She got out of her bed slowly, wanting to take a few moments for her body to wake up. Afterwards, she put on a white blouse with a vermilion skirt. Putting on her favorite knee high, brown leather boots.

In the dining hall, she enters, surprised that it wasn't as huge as she remembered. Perhaps her memories were really all part of the imagination of what she thought her Father would look like.

"Bonjour," She says, passing her Father. He repeats her words while stabbing a sausage with his fork, keeping his eyes on a morning newspaper.

"How did you sleep last night?" He asks. She took her seat and immediately went for the pitcher of orange juice, not noticing the maid behind her that hesitated to stop her.

"It was fine. It brought back a lot of memories," In reality, though, she was only happy that he had remembered that she was taller than how she was back when she was five.

She took a sip of her juice and almost immediately, Iris placed a plate with breakfast. Rebecca had always heard of the saying, "Eyes bigger than my stomach." She finally understood what it meant. Her Father, seeing her anxious expression, chuckled a bit.

"Don't worry, I don't think you'll have enough time to finish it all, anyway," he grinned, then looked back to his paper.

"Why, what do you mean?" she asked and started on her food.

"I wanted to show you one of the properties I own. " he says, standing up and handing the paper to one of the boys behind him.

On the day before, Rebecca had been too busy to tour the town. Now that she was out, she regretted it. The town had a thick fog over it, as the smell of smoke filled the air, the streets filled with people, too busy to look straight. She had believed that not many people came to the town- seeing the almost empty station gave her that conclusion- but seeing the inner workings of the town really threw her off.

They're carriage finally reached a factory with large pane windows crusted by a smog- most likely from the inside. They both got out and headed inside, where they found rows upon rows of women and young girls on the new sewing machines and a small group afar with needle and thread. Rebecca noticed their pattern, while some made the sleeves, others made the bodice. At the far end- where there were girls with needle and thread- the girls sewed on the embroidery. There were different groups of that, too. One group sewed blue glass jewels onto darker blouses, while others made more colorful patterns. Rebecca was mesmerized by the sound and the scent of smoke numbing her head. Thankfully, her Father tugged her arm, and wrapped it around his, getting her out of her daze. That wasn't all that made her snap awake. A snapping sound from one of the embroidery groups caught her attention. A tall man, not much taller than her Father, with snow white hair that went a bit dark at the tips. His eyes were completely mismatched, it drew Rebecca into his mysterious aura. He screamed out in English.

"You're making the wrong pattern, again! Start over." He slapped the back of the girls head, then looked to one of the other girls who had been watching, and with the same language and volume, he yelled, "What are you looking at, get back to work."

Rebecca felt pity for the young girls, though there was nothing she could possibly do, as she was practically being dragged out of the workshop to the upstairs office.

It had seemed to Rebecca that there was only handsome men in the factory. The man sitting on the desk, much much older than herself and the man from downstairs. He had a different air about him, much calmer and quieter.

"Welcome, Mr. Maelstrom. Is it that time of the month again? It's come so early," he welcomed then looked into his desk where an agenda was set.

"No, no. I only came for a visit, and to introduce you to my daughter," he pulled Rebecca's arm gently to his front, "this is Rebecca. She's been off living in Le Mans with her mother for some time."

"Oh? Don't mean to pry, but, this is your first wife's daughter? Correct?" He asked. Mr. Maelstrom then gave the man a stern look, as if to be quiet about a certain thing. It was too late, either way. Rebecca already knew of her Father's many "wives", but this was the first time she ever heard someone talk about it so openly.

"Uhh... Anywho, Rebecca, this is M. Leigh Royce. He's the owner of this textile factory. He owns it with his younger brother, uhh, M. Lysandre Royce. I do believe we saw him downstairs earlier." Her Father said.

"Right, the one yelling to the innocent girl," She said matter-of- factly with an aching smile.

"I do believe you're misunderstanding something, Mademoiselle. That worker back there, not only did she mess up the pattern, but she was also dozing off. It will back up the manufacturing process, and that girl would get fired, along with some other extra girls," a voice countered. She turned around with her father to find the M. Lysandre at the doorway.

"That was still no reason to strike her. A scolding would've been fine alone," She spat with little tolerance. He smiled.

"Well, Maelstrom, you've outdone yourself with this one, much younger t-" he was cut off as Mr. Maelstrom shushed him with a clearing of his throat. Rebecca looked over to her Father and glared at him.

"Actually," Leigh interrupted after laughing quietly behind his desk, "this is his daughter, Mademoiselle Rebecca" She did a slight curtsy, with glaring eyes and a plastered smile.

"Rebecca, this is Leigh's brother, Lysandre. He owns the factory in a joint partnership." Her Father explains. She looked at the two men, trying to see if they really were related.

"Well, then, it was a pleasure to meet you both," she took a glance over to Lysandre, "But if you don't mind, I have a busy day of unpacking." She walked past Mr. Lysander, who gave a slight smirk after she passed. Rebecca placed her handkerchief over her mouth and nose, to not be mesmerized again. After passing through, she coughed a bit, her Father doing the same.

"Honestly, Father. How such a man can be your friend," She stomps down the steps towards their carriage.

"I'm sorry, Rebecca, how our trip turned very sour in an instant for you. How about we go for a treat before returning, there's a pub owner who owes me his rent for the month," He says laugh in. Despite being cynical, she laughs along with him. And this time, instead of her Father putting her arm on his, she does it automatically, almost as if she had done this many times before. After noticing it, Rebecca's cheeks flush, but she continues with her arm around his.

"You know, it's men like him that make this world harder for us woman to live in," She says in a joking, but spiteful tone. They both laugh once more before getting inside the carriage.

At the window, though, M. Lysandre looked out towards the two. His eyes taking longer than is normal to search for them. He was half blind in his topaz eye. He kept his gaze on Mlle. Rebecca. Her cheeks flushed as she walked into the carriage. Possibly from the shared laughter with her father. Her almond eyes twinkled and Lysandre found himself smiling.

"Brother, I know that look," Leigh interrupts his thoughts.

"You have that face when you feel… determined," His brother stood next to him. His eyes wandering around to find what he was gazing upon. When his eyes caught the Maelstrom carriage, he knew what was going on now, and he was worried.

"Don't even think about it Lysandre. She's the man's only daughter, you take that from him, he'll die instantly," He warned and returned to his desk. He smiled again, almost grinning.

"Don't worry, you saw the way we talked, a young and ripe girl like that wouldn't care for a man like myself. We are too different," He says, a sad expression taking over his beautiful face.

"Ahh, but don't you remember the story of how the Sun, though different from the Moon, still loved that Moon," His brother responds, giving Lysandre a bit of encouragement.

"I thought you wanted me to give up?" He asks his brother, half jokingly. They both laugh, Leigh only responding with a second warning. Lysandre looks back to the departing carriage where he could no longer see Mlle. Rebecca.

My dear brother Thomas,

I have finally settled in at Amoris with Father. I don't know if you remember this, but the mansion is called "Maison de Sucrette". Father told me this is because the house used to belong to a duchess by the name of Madam Sucrette Taylor. I believe that this house belonged to her before the Revolution.

Father has been well, as far as I can tell. We still have our moments of awkward, but thankfully, Father is very enthusiastic. In those moments he comes to talk about mother. It seems, that despite their divorce, he still loves her deeply. I can see that he sees her in me, as he constantly tries to please and keep me safe. Like with my education. The other day, while I was about to leave to find the school, Father stopped me in my steps. He said he wanted me to be tutored at the mansion. I'll agree with it, as long as he's happy. But it did take a while to find a tutor. The only one we were able to find, who can watch his tongue, is Mr. Nathaniel. An Englishman, I believe. I still haven't met him, but father says he's a brilliant young man. Possibly a prodigy.

My final report, the social life I'm trying to build for myself. So far, I've added one friend, and I've possibly gotten into bad terms with a business man. Iris, really my maid, is a darling. She's Irish but speaks so well in French. Despite our different statuses, we still agreed to be friends. Now, my enemy. Well, he's the brother of one of Father's tenants. He's so mysterious and has been so disagreeable so far.

I must end my letter now, so far nothing else has happened. Please write me back. I want to hear about Spain, and your wife. Best wishes,

Rebecca

My Dearest Sister Rebecca,

Things are well here. Carmen and I are expecting our first baby. We still don't have possible names for the baby yet, but we've gotten pretty creative. I am glad you and Father are getting along swimmingly. And yes, I did know about the mansion. I have visited Father before, after all. And I am certain I've met Monsieur Lysandre. Please try to get along with him, he is one of Father's tenants. If he loses Monsieur Lysandre, Father won't be able to gain another. Best wishes to both of you.

-Thomas

P.S Geoffrey and Carmen say bonjour

Rebecca giggled after reading the last part. Her brothers had always been together. They were pulled to one another, despite their many fights. That's what made her sad, though. She loved her brothers dearly, but she always came to believe that she could never be part of their brotherly bond. It was something completely unbreakable, even by a woman. That's why she tried to at least be on the same level of intelligence as them. To be something like their equal. Though, she wasn't sure if she seemed that way anymore.

When she arrived at her home, she saw a servant guiding a black horse to the stalls. She knew someone was here and she knew exactly who it could be. She hurried in, excitement filling her, she was going to meet the prodigy, and her new tutor, Monsieur Nathaniel. As she walked in, she heard two men speaking inside the study room. She recognized one of them as her Father. The other, she assumed to be the voice of the tutor. She straightened herself out, making sure nothing was out of place. Puffing out her chest, she stepped into the study. She smiled, smiled so wide. Genuinely, and sincerely happy. No. She was in love. It was love at first sight. His beautifully carved face and facial features. His blonde hair, and how it parted right above his right eye. His light blue suit, he looked so lean and strong. So handsome.

"Ahh, Rebecca, you're back." Her Father spoke first.

"Hi," she squeaks out. She clears her throat, then tries once more.

"Thomas sent a letter. I had to get it from the post," she explains, then looks over to Monsieur Nathaniel, "Welcome Monsieur. We've been expecting you." She smiled earnestly once more.

"Oh, Rebecca, I hope you don't mind, but Monsieur Nathaniel said he has another student at this time, so the other one is coming here. We hoped you wouldn't mind," Her father explained to her.

"Oh, not at all. It's alright. I know you don't have much room in your schedule Monsieur, which is why I'd like to thank you for taking time out of your day to come here," she responded, which then made her feel embarrassed, flirting with M. Nathaniel, what would her mother think?

After a while of solving mathematical equations and discussing the Democratic system the Greeks had created, the sound of a horse came from outside the door. Rebecca felt herself almost die when she saw who the new guest was. Looking out from the window, she saw M. Lysandre on a pale horse. He swiftly got off and strode up to the steps, while a servant grabbed hold of the reins. The next words to follow were from Nathaniel, which finally pushed Rebecca off her seat.

"Ah, my second student is here."

She would've been alright if Lysandre was only there for business affairs with her Father. At least then, he wouldn't stay so long, but she had to stay with him in the same room and speak with him.

"Ahh, Lysandre old boy! Come in, come in," Some sound of steps were made, "Tell me, did something happen?"

"Oh, no. My tutor said he wanted to meet here, he said he had another student. It's been so long since I've been here, I almost forgot this was your home."Rebecca stiffened at the sound of his voice. A spine tingling feeling crawled on her, and she had hoped it to be a nice evening. She could already feel the attempted praise towards her father from all the way in the room.

The evening came sooner than they had expected. After going through pages of mathematics and through philosophical arguments, Rebecca was now tired. Even in the schoolhouse she had gone to— and the Madam that had once taught her— had never such hard tasks in such long hours. M. Nathaniel was the first to leave. After a while of speaking to her Father, M. Lysandre left as well.

"Oh! That's right," her Father says after the two gentlemen had left, "You mentioned something about your brother Thomas, did he send you a letter?" He asks. Rebecca nods and smiles.

"It's a reply to a letter I sent a while back. He says he's doing well in Spain, so there seems to be no use in worrying about him," Her Father smiles and chuckles, but it's soon followed by a long and loud cough. Rebecca had seen this before with her Mother. First, she coughed, then would say...

"Oh, don't worry, must've caught a bug." Her Father laughs but continues to have those awfully painful coughs. Rebecca was stiff, but after a moment of hesitation, she places her hand on his back and begins to rub. While with the other, she hands him her handkerchief.

"It's alright Father, I'll get the doctor. Just go to your room and lie in bed." He does as he is told and Rebecca calls for one of the maids to keep watch on her father. She hurries into town.

The doctor's home was very peaceful, at least, that's what it seemed to look like for Rebecca. She goes up the steps, walking through a small front lawn with bushes of roses, now dying from the growing cold. She knocks three times before a young girl opens the door.

"Hello, I'm here to see Doctor Christian," she explains. The young girl opens the door wider and steps aside. Rebecca is then greeted by a small living room. Walls decorated with yellow flower wallpapers. The sofa and chairs are a light creamy color. She takes a seat on one of the chairs, as the sofa is already taken by a family. Soon, the door to one of the halls opens, and a familiar man comes out. Rebecca holds her breath at the sight of him.

"Just keep using the same medicine, Lysandre. The itching should go away. But I do recommend not to scratch. It's unknown what it'll do to your already terrible sight."

"Thank you, Doctor," he responds. After that, the doctor calls over the family, who are led by a small boy with a cane and a limp.

Right then Lysandre notices Rebecca sitting on the chair.

"Are you ill?" He asks, a bit of worry hidden in his voice. She stands and decides on how to answer him.

"No, it's Father, he has a really terrible cough. I got worried and decided to come here," She responds.

"I'll stay with you then," He replies, sitting on the chair next to the one she had been sitting in earlier.

"No need to. It's nothing urgent, but thank you for your concern," she tries to smile earnestly, but worries she's wasting her good smiles on the wrong man. He nods and leaves. She wasn't sure, but she could've sworn that there was a bit of an aura of anger and disappointment.

That night, Rebecca had barely slept. The doctor had recommended some tea with lemon and honey, along with a syrup he had prescribed to M Maelstrom, but it was hardly working. The only good thing that made her smile, was the thought of seeing her tutor again soon. Seeing the man she loved. Yet, despite her thoughts clinging onto him, remnants of it returned to memories of Lysandre.

I've grown as a person, and thereby, as a writer. This is all being rewritten and reorganized, so it'll end with less chapters than before.