A battered copy of a book titled Utopia fell to the ground as a girl rolled over in her sleep. Her face was smudged with soot and ash; she was clothed in a decrepit, faded dress. She slept not on a bed, but on a feeble heap of straw next to the dark coal-filled fireplace. Her name was Lily Evans, and she was 18 years old.
The eerie stillness of the dreary autumn day was broken suddenly as the melancholy cry of a rooster pierced the quiet. Lily Evans rolled over once more, eyes opening, as her left hand swept away the copper strands of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes during her sleep. Her swift motions depicted alertness, but as she sat up and blinked dazedly, the features of her face showed the bleariness that was still pursuing her after a deep slumber. Rising from the hay-splattered ground and rubbing her eyes with the backs of her knuckles, Lily gave a small yawn. After carefully picking up the tattered book and placing it upon a narrow shelf, it was time for Lily to begin the chores that would last her throughout the day and evening. She would have to feed the pigs, be sure the garden was watered, collect the freshest apples from the orchard, prepare breakfast for her mistress and her mistress's daughters… The list seemed to carry on forever.
It hadn't always been this way. There hadn't always been endless chores like this. The infinite tasks had started ten years ago, when Lily was eight and her father had died. Her mother had died many years before, giving birth to Lily. For years, eight long years, her father had lived without another person in his life excluding Lily. She was his world. Then he had met Rodmilla De Ghent, and they had decided to get married. Lily was fine with this, excited even. She got a mother, something she had yearned for, something she had never experienced. She loved her father more than anything, but she had always longed to have that special female figure in her life.
The day arrived that Rodmilla would move into Lily and her father's manor. The elegant carriage arrived in front of the home, and Lily's future stepmother stepped out with great aplomb, palm pressed against another servant's hand for support. Seconds later two young girls also exited the coach in a similar fashion.
Lily watched with awe from her upstairs bedroom—she had not known she would receive two sisters as well. The young girl gave a large smile and ran downstairs to greet her new family. She neither noticed the dirt under her fingernails, nor the way her dress was crumpled after having sat in an awkward position for so long. She also didn't take notice of the small streak of dirt across her nose and the tangle in her hair.
Two female servants had tried hard to clean Lily up for this occasion, but the attempt had been in vain. Lily simply didn't care about or notice her appearance—she had always been somewhat of a scruffy child. She'd never had to make a good first impression, either. Everybody Lily knew, she had known for long years. They were so taken with her good nature that trivial things such as lack of exterior perfection did not penetrate their senses. Lily had no way of knowing that Rodmilla De Ghent was an exception, that small imperfections would irritate her in such a manner.
As Lily pushed open the front door of the house, she put on her most winning smile. She ran over to where her father was standing and shyly tucked her small hand into his much larger one. She had not seen her father for days, due to his having been out of town for business. He turned to her with a prodigious laugh and a kiss on the cheek.
"There's my girl!" His face was still all smiles. "Might I introduce the Baroness Rodmilla De Ghent, and her two daughters, Petunia and Jacqueline?"
The Baroness surveyed Lily through scrutinizing eyes that flicked from her knotty hair to her smudged face and finally to her creased dress. A compulsory smile graced the Baroness's face, but it did not extend to her eyes.
"Petunia, Jacqueline," Rodmilla instructed. "Say 'hello' to your new stepsister."
"Bonjour, mademoiselle." The two girls greeted, with a polite curtsy.
Lily didn't know that the Baroness was not very fond of her. She couldn't see how anyone could dislike someone after only having met him or her minutes before. She discarded her new stepmother's stiffness as being nervous at meeting Lily and the other servants, and also due to the fact that she was in unknown territory. Lily would be shy in such a new environment as well. That had to be the reason for her stiffness.
After many more introductions and a delicious supper, Lily crawled into her inviting bed and rested her head on the feather pillow. Her father entered the room behind Lily, closing the door gently behind him. He perched himself on the edge of her bed and stroked her hair out of her eyes, smiling softly.
"Do you like them?" He asked her.
Lily grinned. "Very much! They're so—so graceful. Did you watch them eat their supper? It was wonderful—like a dance!"
"I'm glad. Because I have to leave again, tomorrow."
"You just got back!" Lily pushed herself into a sitting position, frowning.
"I know," her dad continued. "But it's only for three weeks."
The frown deepened. "One week!" Lily commanded.
"How about two?" He smiled.
"One." She persisted.
"T—" Lily's lips reached their most pronounced frown yet, and her father relented, chuckling. "All right, one." He stood to leave, but then reached in his deep pocket, remembering something. A book emerged from the pocket, and Lily reached for it eagerly.
"Utopia," She read the title.
"It's possible it's a bit advanced for an eight year old, but I thought we could add it to our collection." Lily's eyes lit up.
"Will you read me some?"
"Not tonight. It's been a very long night."
"And you're a husband now!" Lily said.
Another grin graced his features. "Yes, a husband now. But I am a father, first and foremost." There was a pause. "Goodnight, Lily."
The next morning, the household gathered once more outside the manor to see Lily's father off. There was an air of depression around the group, one that Lily's dad noticed.
"I have never seen so many gloomy faces!" He called, preparing to mount his horse. "I shall be back in but a week."
"Then leave," the Baroness sighed. "The sooner you go, the sooner we can commemorate your return." She placed a kiss upon his cheek and he rose up on his horse. His left hand had been gripping the reins, but with a small groan he released them. They fell limp at the horse's side.
"Master?" A servant rushed forward and lifted the reins once more.
"Yes…Thank you, Filius," he said, flexing his hand. He gave an uncertain grin and began riding towards the gateway of the manor.
Once her husband was a couple yards away, Rodmilla clapped her hands, gaining the attention of her daughters. "Come along, ladies," she said primly. "Back to your lessons."
"Wait!" Lily cried, as her stepmother and stepsisters turned to the door of the house. "He waves once he gets to the gates. He always waves, it's tradition."
The Baroness let out a derisory sigh and turned back to the manor impatiently. About a hundred yards away, however, her husband was clutching his left arm in pain. He let out a grunt of pain, and slipped sideways off of his horse.
"Papa!" Lily's cry broke the temporary quiet that had settled in. Her eyes widened in fear, and she began running towards her father.
Lily reached him with the frantic Baroness close behind her. "Papa!" She knelt on the ground next to him, eyes still opened wide in terror.
Lily's father's eyes opened, and he glanced first at the Baroness, and then at Lily. "I love you, Lily," he murmured, putting his hand to her cheek. "I love you so much, Lily."
"No," Lily whispered, tears beginning to slip down her face. The Baroness looked back and forth between her husband and her stepdaughter, pain on her face.
"Oh, no," Rodmilla sobbed. Her husband continued to murmur to Lily. Then, quite slowly, almost as if it were in a dream, his hand slid to the ground, his eyes closed, and he died.
Ten years later, Lily was reduced to a servant, lacking any love she might have thought she would receive when she first laid eyes upon her stepmother.
Yay. Done. Review please? I'd love to hear what y'all thought and it would encourage me to update if you enjoyed it. Also, the SMALLEST mistake I made, I would love to hear about it. I'm somewhat of a perfectionist, so I'd appreciate anybody informing me as to the errors in my story. NO SLIP-UP IS TOO SMALL. NO COMMENT IS TOO PICKY.
Gracias,
Kelley