Prologue

An: I do not own Arrow. This is set in a sort of 19th century setting of my own design.

Edward Anthony Smoak paced outside the bedroom where his wife was giving birth to what he hoped would be his first son. They already had a two year old daughter, Felicity Meghan Smoak, who was the apple of his eye but he required a male heir to ensure his family's legacy.

Edward had been born during a terrible winter storm that prevented a mid-wife from attending to his mother. His birth had been difficult and his mother did not survive. He was the last of eight children, five of them boys and his father decided not to take another wife but to have a revolving door of mistresses.

His governess and older sisters essentially raised him. He had adored his sisters and had grown very close to them. During his eldest sister's first season a wealthy merchant offered for her hand and his father saw it as a great business opportunity and agreed to it. His sister was not happy with the way the merchant was treating her but she would not disobey their farther. He watched her unhappiness grow, and her light dim. She eventually became frail and sick succumbing to a passing illness that swept through greater London. She had left behind three children and Edward made sure to keep in touch with them.

By the time his second sister's season began his father had passed and his eldest brother was in charge. His other three brothers had joined the military just as he was expected to do when he came of age. His second sister was soon married to a General and moved away to British territories in Africa. During a tribal war, her husband as well as two of their brothers were killed in an ambush and his sister was forced to return with her children.

Soon after his second sister's return his eldest brother fell sick and passed away. His one remaining brother took over while he joined the military. His last sister was almost exactly one year older than him. She was not as pretty as their older two sisters and it took her longer to find a husband. When she finally did find someone it wasn't the quality of person that their father or elder brother would have approved of but his sister was happy. His brother married her off quickly for he was too busy trying to understand how to run the estate. He had never been groomed for that. Their father had groomed their eldest brother and the second eldest to an extent as well. The rest of his sons he pushed into military service. In the end, after the failure of five of his father's businesses, his brother committed suicide. Thus everything fell to a young Edward Smoak.

With the death of his last brother, he had been released from military service and was faced with a mountain of debt to pay. Edward had not been expecting to marry when he did for no lady would want a man with his prospects. He had a title and business but they were all on the verge of bankruptcy and everyone in the ton knew that. He had met Donna at one of the ton's many balls. He had gone to conduct business to pitch a few ideas he had to a few potential investors. He thought her the most beautiful woman he had ever met. She was happy and vibrant and many men courted her. He was polite to her but knowing he had no chance with her, he did not waste her time.

By some strange twist of faith, it was Donna's father, Earl Allen, who agreed to help him. All other investors shun him. Donna's father took him under his wing and taught him everything he knew. With a few loans, all of which he would eventually repay with interest, his estate started flourishing again. One of the bonuses of working with the Earl was that he got to know Donna quite well. He would often escort her in the garden and listen to her as she talked about her day and her potential suitors. Men in far better positions than him had asked for her hand but the Earl had refused them. Donna didn't mind in the least bit. She had confided in him that her father refused them because she didn't like them.

A year after he had first met with the Earl, he was summoned to his study. He remembered the conversation well. The Earl had asked why he hadn't offered for his daughter when every other eligible bachelor in a 100 mile radius had. He had told him that he didn't feel that he could provide for Donna's needs. He had listed at length everything that Donna required that he could not give her. The Earl had smiled at him and said that was precisely why he wanted him to marry Donna, because he respected and understood his daughter and wanted to prioritise her happiness. That was far more important to the Earl than any business marriage. Even with the Earl's blessing it had taken him a further three months before he made a decision to ask for her hand. Two weeks later they were married as Donna had said she had waited long enough for him to ask, she did not want to wait any longer to become Lady Smoak.

His wife's screams of pain had died down but he had not heard the telltale wail of a baby. He remembered his daughter's birth well. He had been nervous then too, pacing outside cringing at the sound of his wife in pain. Eventually her screams stopped and the loud wail of a baby was heard. At first he had been disappointed that the baby was a girl but she soon disabused him of the notion that girl children were a disappointment.

He noticed that his daughter had quickly surpassed all the children her age including the boys. Her intelligence was equal to that of a child three years older and she learned at an astounding rate. His father and the Earl were both intelligent men and he assumed she inherited her gift for learning from both men. Every day he rejoiced over teaching her something new. She always listened to him and always figured out what he challenged her with. He had started plotting out lesson plans for her and was very careful not to try to push her too hard because it frustrated her when she couldn't figure out something.

The door to the bedroom opened and the Doctor emerged from the silent room.

"We are sorry Lord Smoak but there was nothing that we could do," He said solemnly.

"The child was stillborn he asked?" Edward asked sadly.

The Doctor gave him a hesitant look before answering, "yes,"

"Was it a boy?" he asked.

"Yes,"

Edward felt a heavy weight settle on him. "Donna must be so disappointed," she had wanted to provide him with a male heir.

"My Lord, I'm afraid your wife did not survive the labour either."

Lord Smoak isn't sure what happened afterwards. His first coherent memory was of the Earl swinging the door to his chambers open loudly the next morning and exclaiming that he had found his granddaughter! Edward was still dressed in the previous day's clothes and he smelled of liquor but his precious Felicity was tucked into his side. The tear streaks on her face were easily visible and her bright blue eyes bored into his. It was at that moment he realised that he was now solely responsible for his daughter and outside of her intelligence, he didn't know how to raise a girl.

The Earl had taken Felicity immediately and cradled her in his arms, offering her the comfort that Edward had failed to provide. He ordered Edward to have a bathe and get dressed. There would be a wake that evening. Somehow the finer points of funeral planning had eluded him but his father-in-law made up for all of those shortcomings. He mourned his wife for six months. It was when he found his daughter running around outside like a wild animal, that he decided that he needed a new wife immediately because he was failing to teach his daughter how to behave the way British society mandated. Three months later, against the Earl's advice, he married a young girl who he hoped would be a good mother to Felicity and provide him with the male heirs that he desperately needed.

It would turn out that she would succeed at one of those tasks and fail miserably at the other.