September 22 1938
Marigold Pelham sighed to herself as she collapsed down onto the grass hill outside of her family's estate. Instantly she reached for the white buckle of her penny loafers then kicked them off letting the shoes sit lonely several feet ahead of her. She had been walking a good two miles now and every bone in her body ached. Oh well being a little sore was better than being stuck there- inside for her sister's sorry excuse for birthday party. Or Step Sister's sorry excuse for a party that was. A fact the fourteen year old would never let her forget.
She supposed they weren't even step sister's, not really. After all she was only a ward. Taken in by the distinguished Crawly family at the age of two then handed off to their middle daughter once she managed to snag a man. No where near as noble or distinguished as her parent's biological children. That was another thing Virginia liked to remind her
It wasn't that she hated her stepsister even though if anyone was deserving of hate Virginia would certianitly be the exception. It was just that the girl had a way of well-making other people's lives hell to be frank about it.
Sighing to herself she wiped away the smudged cake from her blouse then smeared the remaining icing onto the grass. Today had been an especially hellish day at the hand of her sister. A hellish day that had ended up with cake thrown into her face when she had dared to accidentally drop the last tray of lady fingers. Just the thought of that little snot nosed brat throwing a royal hissy fit in front of everyone who was everyone in society then taking her rage out on her made her blood boil. Not that Virginia would be blamed for it though oh no that never happened. Marigold would be the one who would have to face the responsibility. She would be labeled as clumsy and callous while daddy's little darling would slip under the radar completely innocent yet again.
She picked up the penny loafer then tossed it across the lawn letting the shoe hit the neighboring oak tree with a satisfying slam.
"Someone looks happy."
She turned meeting the grinning face of her family's stable boy.
"I'm not in the mood Joseph."
He only grinned wider then plopped down beside her. "Come on no need to be so grim. It's not the end of the world."
Not the end of the world? She rolled her eyes. He had no idea how much the end of the world this was. She had been embarrassed, humiliated and degraded in front of hundreds of people. How wasn't that the end of the world?
"You don't even know what happened..."
He shrugged to this then laid down, using his arms as a makeshift pillow. "I saw though the window. You dropped something and she threw her birthday cake in your face." He swiped his finger across her left shoulder then licked off a dollop of icing. "Buttercream cake to be exact."
Leave it to Joseph to make a joke out of her peril. She had been friend's with the stable hand for nearly nine years now and had come to learn there was scarce that he couldn't make light out of. The boy didn't have a serious bone in his body-perhaps that was what had made her befriend him in the first place...
"You're an ass Joseph O'Malley."
"As ass? Why that's not proper talk for a lady, Miss. Pelham."
"I'm not a lady I'm a ward so there's problem with it."
His eyes skimmed hers attempting to pick up her meaning. Once finding it he sighed then pulled her down onto the grass to lie beside him. "You're just as much of a lady as they are, Goldie...even more so."
She returned his heavy breath. "No I'm not, Joe. That's why she treats me this way. Because I'm nothing but a no good orphan who no one wanted ,without a trace of blue blood in me."
"They wanted you. Out of all the wards they could have chosen they chose you. That makes you even more of a lady-you were elected they were just born. Much more democratic if you ask me."
He tried and she supposed that was all that counted. Sure she might be nothing but an unwanted orphan but at least she had one of the sweetest best friends in the entire world. She forced a smile then pushed away a rouge strand of curly brown hair from his forehead. "Thanks..."
"Don't say a word about it. It's just the truth."
"You should go back to work. You'll get in trouble if Mr. Grayson sees you out here with me instead of doing your work."
He waved off her concern. "I don't care. I'll just tell him I was out taking care of the younger generation."
"You're only two years older than me and you know it."
"Two and a half."
She laughed for real this time. "Sorry I forgot a whole six months."
"Yes and I'm very hurt."
She slapped his shoulder to which he replied with a slap to hers. They were laughing like mad men soon, slapping and giggling then eventually laughing even more as he got on top of her and proceeded to tickle every inch of skin he could find she was laughing even harder now until she could barely breathe. He had a way of doing that to her-taking the very breath out of her lungs...
"Marigold, the whole party is waiting for you."
She sprung up at the sound of her mother's voice then turned. Much to her luck the woman wasn't behind her but rather calling her from the front doorstep. Inhaling a long breath of relief she slipped out from under him then came to her feet.
She flashed him an apologetic grin pointing behind herself and vaguely to the blurry silhouette of the castle. "I have to go. She's calling me."
He sighed disappointment clouding his chiseled features. "Do you have to?"
"Of course I have to. She'll come looking for me if I don't. Then she'll find you and we'll both be in trouble."
Sighing again he nodded surcoming to the fact that they both knew too well. Although not a lady by birth her parents had expected their ward to follow all the rules of nobility, and nobility certainly didn't fraternize with stable hands...
She forced a smile attempting to make him feel a smidgen better. "I'll see you tomorrow though. At the stables after tea."
This seemed to help some and he smiled back. "Sounds like a deal."
She turned on her heal making sure to hurry her step. Mama would skin her alive if she ruined Virginia's party with her tardiness and she was already in enough trouble to risk that.
"Goldie wait!"
She turned to see Joseph jogging up behind her. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a hankiercheif wrapped package. "I got you something." He pulled the sides of the hankiercheif away revealing a mangled mush of buttercream frosting cake. "It's a piece of cake. Grayson asked me to take out the rubbish after-well the incident and I know it's your favourite so I-" He shrugged. "Well here you go."
Smiling she took it taking a tiny nibble before she tucked the present away in her pocket. "Thank you Joe..."
"I-"
"MARIGOLD!"
She sighed then motioned back to her hollering mother. "I'm sorry. I really have to go now."
He only nodded to this taking that as her cue to go she turned again beginning to jog up the hill.
He watched her as she jogged. Eyes skirting down to her skirt to watch that perfect curved silhouette as it hurried away from him. He had wanted to say a million things before she had left, that they didn't deserve her, that she was more than a lady not because of the shoddy reason he had gave earlier but because she exuded it from every fiber of her being, that she was perfect and lovely-that he loved her. Yet he knew he couldn't, not today,not tomorrow, not ever. Not because he was scared or knew that it would be in vain. But because of that look she had gave him. The look he had known too well since he was nine years old. The look that said that stable hands could never marry Marquess's daughters.
Even if they were only a ward.
He had often entertained the thought. What would happen if he told her how he really felt then stole her away to be his bride. They could runaway together, to America where titles and social standings didn't matter. They could be free and most of all happy...
Yet he couldn't. No matter how much he loved her and wanted to make her his he knew he couldn't tear her away from all of this. The girl had grown up in castles with pretty dresses and elaborate parties. She would have no idea how to live in his world of cheap flats and scrounging just to get a meal on the table. Sure she would pretend to be happy at first but eventually would begin to wilter away until everything he loved about her was nothing but a distant memory. That would be even worse than not having her he thought.
So for now he would be her friend. Her good old chum who made her laugh and held her when she cried. Pretending all the time that that was all he wanted to be.
