Chapter 1
The carriage rumbled over the gravel road and sunlight shined through the sparse leaves on the trees. A warm spring breeze ruffled the leaves and inside the carriage, Victoria stirred. She smoothed a hand over her dress, spine straightening with every minute that passed by. She hadn't even stepped out the carriage and already the South seemed so different from Massachusetts. She could almost feel herself being caged in, restricted by archaic laws and customs.
Massachusetts had it's own problems of course but Charleston, South Carolina was about the worst place in the country to be in at the moment. Almost 5 months ago, the state had been the first to secede from the Union and now the country was at war with itself.
Outside she could hear the soft neighing of the horses, their rhythmic footfalls on the dirt road. Safe passage from the North to the South was hard to acquire in these troublesome times but Victoria's father, Christopher Howard, a scientist, was very influential and while he wasn't rich per se, he lived comfortably enough.
Victoria had never met her father before today, she'd never had a reason to. Growing up with a single mother wasn't easy, women didn't have many opportunities work-wise so money was scarce but she'd had a good childhood, full of love and happy memories. When her mother had fallen sick with tuberculosis, she'd sat Tory down beside her and had told her about her father. Soon after her mother's death, Victoria was heading off to the South to live with a man she'd never met.
The carriage slowed to a stop before a great white two-story plantation home. Out front, a beautiful blonde woman waited, looking for all the world an honest to god Southern belle. Behind her, wearing dresses far more modest and simple, stood an Asian woman and an older lady with a pinched look on her face. Gathering her skirts, Victoria stepped down from the carriage, tilting her head to keep the blinding Carolinian sun off her eyes.
"Victoria, welcome! You must be exhausted. Your father is in a meeting at the moment but please, come in. This is your home now too," the blonde greeted, gleaming blue eyes and a perfect smile focusing themselves on Tory.
"I'm Whitney, your father's wife," she smiled, as if this was some great feat.
Tory blinked back at her dumbly, her mind struggling to understand Whitney's words. She knew from her mother that her father was just as new to the idea of a daughter as she was to the idea of a father but she'd never thought there would be another woman in the equation. Dazed, Tory let Whitney pull her inside, letting her ramble on and on about how much she'd love the South, how they just had to have a debutante ball to introduce her to all the eligible bachelors and how fun it would be to have a daughter.
Her mother's last words came to her in a flash.
I will always be with you, Victoria. Even long after I'm gone.
Tory snatched her hand from Whitney's and whirled, her words belying the maelstrom of emotions howling away inside her, "You are not my mother and you never will be".
Whitney fell silent, her face twisting with something resembling sorrow. It was a fleeting expression, disappearing as quickly as it had manifested but something about it struck Tory oddly. After a moment of silence, the Asian woman shuffled forward, eyes flicking towards Whitney worriedly.
"Let me show you to your room, Miss".
Tory tore her eyes from the shuttered expression on Whitney's face and grabbing her suitcase, she turned, following the woman up the grand curving staircase.
Her room was big and airy, larger than the main living area in her Massachusetts home. White curtains billowed in with the wind from the open windows, sweeping over the large oak bed that dominated the northern wall, shadowed by two bedside tables on either side. In front of the windows, a rocking chair looked out onto the garden and across from the bed stood a vanity table, it's surface filled with glass fragrances and powders. To the right of the doorway, on the western wall was a wardrobe. Tory startled when her suitcase was grabbed from her hand, the petite woman setting it on the bed.
"What's your name?" Tory asked, self-consciously tugging at her red hair. She felt so out of place here. She'd never had a maid or a waiting lady.
"Lorelei, miss," the woman-Lorelei- responded.
"That's a beautiful name, Lorelei. You may go and please don't call me Miss," Tory smiled warmly. Lorelei nodded and went scurrying out the door. Sighing, Tory went to unpack her belongings. She missed Massachusetts already.
Two weeks had passed since Tory had arrived in Charleston, South Carolina. Two weeks full of sweltering heat, boring afternoons and awkward dinners with Whitney and her father. Her father rarely surfaced from his workshop and so Tory was left in the capable hands of Whitney, who's main priority seemed to be marrying Tory off to the richest, most handsome bachelor in Charleston as quickly as possible. That and transforming her into a "proper Southern lady".
Tory was ready to scream.
It was on one of these days, when Tory had skipped out on one of Whitney's "lady lessons" with the help of Shelton, Lorelei's son, that she found Cooper. The first time Tory had met Shelton and his father, she had blanched at the thought that her father owned slaves. She had met many freed men in the North but she'd assumed that most, if not all, blacks down in the South were slaves. That's what everyone in the North had grown up believing.
Upon that assumption, she had stormed down into her father's workshop, demanding that he free them immediately. Her father had looked at her startled, as if only just remembering the fact that he had a daughter, before he'd burst into laughter. Tory, filled with indignation, had only glared at him until he'd choked out that the Devers were family friends and Lorelei's husband and son. Needless to say, Tory was glad to learn that her father didn't own any slaves. Slavery was cruel and immoral and while she may have needed to conform to Southern living, she wasn't about to start condoning the enslavement of people.
After that particular episode, Tory had learned that Lorelei and her family along with Ruth's (the strict-looking woman that seemed to shadow Whitney everywhere) husband and son, Hiram, shared the small colonial house down the road. Shelton and Hiram were both a year older than Tory but they managed to get along quite well. Tory liked spending time with them, both for their company and the chance it allowed her to see Whitney pale as she imagined the horrible conclusions someone might come to when confronted with a young lady whose only companions seemed to be males.
The woods surrounding the house were an explosion of color; vibrant hues of red, pink, yellow and green. Everywhere she looked, there were wildflowers and apple trees and cherry blossoms. She could hear the bauble of a stream nearby, the melodious chirping of the birds. Farther down the path was a clearing Tory had found, marked by a large oddly-shaped boulder. It had become her secret place, quiet and peaceful, a bubble separating her from the outside world.
Today however, as Tory settled on the boulder in the clearing with her sketchbook, the usual euphonious melody of chirping birds and babbling stream water was broken by the pained howling of an animal. Alarmed, Tory put her sketchbook down, looking around the clearing cautiously before tentatively stepping in the direction of the pained whimpers.
It was a dog, more of a wolf really, its paw caught in a hunting trap. The wolf-dog whimpered as it watched her near, the fur around its paw streaked with blood. She approached it slowly, kneeling down by the wolf, hands petting it's soft fur.
"Hello. I'm going to get you out of this, okay. I'll be back in a few minutes," she soothed, smoothing the fur on the wolf-dog's head. It whined at her, big pained eyes looking up at her. Picking up her skirts, Tory ran back down the path to the house, picking up her sketchbook on the way.
She flew in through the kitchen backdoor, startling Whitney and Ruth who were sipping tea at the counter.
"Now, where in hell's blazes have y- that dress is not for running in, young lady! Victoria!"
Ignoring Whitney's screeches, Tory pounded her way down the stone steps that led into her father's workshop. She slowed to a stop before Kit who blinked up at her like a man who's seen the sun for the very first time.
"There's a dog with it's paw caught in a bear trap," her words fly out in a rush, breathless and ragged. Kit stared at her for a second before he turned and came up holding some big metal tweezer-thing.
"Lead the way, little Red," he grinned. Tory huffs at the nickname but lets it go, choosing to stomp up the stairs, past Whitney who is hovering nervously near the entrance, never quite daring enough to go down into the basement. When they arrive at the clearing, the wolf-dog is howling miserably again. At the sight of Tory, it quietens, eyes following the tool in Kit's hands suspiciously.
"Hey there, boy. Don't be afraid. We'll get this right off," she spoke calmly, kneeling down once again beside the furry animal. She hugged the wolf-dog to her chest, wincing as she got a closer sight of the wound. Gently, Kit pried the trap open and Tory tugged the paw gently away from the metal jaws. The wolf-dog, who had been whimpering in pain just a moment ago, yips suddenly, licking at her face. Tory laughs brightly and looks up to find Kit smiling at her.
"Can I keep him?"
He looked at her dubiously, not for a second taking seriously the innocent smile on Tory's face. Beside her, the wolf-dog whimpered, looking at Kit with big wolf puppy eyes. His eyes flickered between the two of them for a few seconds before finally sighing.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering something under his breath about Whitney freaking out. Tory grinned, lunging over the top of the wolf-dog's head to hug Kit. With an arm around her dad, she turned to the wolf-dog who only cocked his head at them.
"I'm gonna name you Coop".
Note: Hello! So I'm a huge history nerd and the historical richness of a place like Charleston, South Caroline (in addition to Ben's Native American heritage) really pushed me into writing this fic. I hope you guys enjoy it. Until next time!