Disclaimer: I don't own Elsie Dinsmore or any characters or materials taken from the book series. No copyright infringement intended.
Author's Note: Not the most imaginative title I know, but it is accurate, this is an A.U. of the first three books. If my inspiration holds out that long at any rate.
Chapter 1: New Arrival at Roselands.
It was a fine spring day at Roselands when a fine carriage drove up to the door. The colored footman got down and opened the door for the passenger. A girl of fourteen years, though due to her height and size she looked closer to sixteen or seventeen, emerged and looked up at the house with an expression that was unreadable. Mr. Dinsmore was standing on the steps to receive her, taking the letter the footman handed him with a nod before turning and leading the girl inside.
A servant met them in the hall and led the new arrival to the room that was to be hers. Once inside, she dismissed the servant and unpacked the few belongings she had with her. She then rang for a servant to draw her a bath and dismissed them once the tub was filled. Soon she was refreshed by the cold water and having removed the dust and dirt of travel from her body she changed into fresh clothes, attending to her own toilet and wardrobe herself as was her custom. She then descended to the drawing room to meet the rest of the family.
As soon as she entered, Mrs. Dinsmore and her three elder daughters gasped in abject horror, her eldest son howled with laughter, the youngest boy screamed, and the youngest daughter cried out, "What a horrid thing! Send it away, Papa!" Only one little girl in the corner, quite unlike the others in appearance, started in surprise, but said nothing.
Mr. Dinsmore frowned at his youngest daughter. "Enna, remember your manners! This is Miss Liana Breckenstone, Old Breckenstone's only child. She is to live with us until she turns eighteen, when she will inherit her mother's property away up north. I expect you all to treat her with the same respect you would any guest of the family."
Mrs. Dinsmore was obviously shocked. "Surely, husband, you don't mean for this… thing to live in the house with us."
Mr. Dinsmore's face grew hard. "What did I just say, woman? If you can't keep a civil tongue, then don't speak at all. Liana here is heiress to one of the greatest fortunes in the country, nearly all on her mother's side. Despite her… unique appearance, she is a sensible girl and one of strong character, despite her old man's dislike of her. Truthfully, I'd rather have her for a daughter as she is than if she had skin of the fairest alabaster hue and a love of wearing dresses, but a bad temper."
Mrs. Dinsmore made no reply, but stood and sailed out of the room, disgust obvious on her face.
Mr. Dinsmore sighed and turned to Liana. "I'm sorry for my wife's behavior. She doesn't understand."
Liana met his gaze, her expression one of understanding. She knew the only reason Mr. Dinsmore was so understanding of her was due to a certain accident that had befallen him several years ago which had ended in her saving his life. Still, she was grateful that he would at least protect her from his wife's abuse in his presence.
Mr. Dinsmore then turned and introduced the children and young woman remaining. "Liana, allow me to introduce you to my children and grandchild. This is Adelaide, my eldest daughter, Lora, my next daughter, Louise, my third daughter, Arthur, my second eldest son, Walter, my youngest son, and Enna, my youngest daughter. Elsie is my only grandchild, the daughter and only child of my eldest son Horace. You remember him of course."
"Yes. Do you expect him home anytime soon?" Liana asked.
"That is uncertain. He has sailed for America from Europe, but we don't know when he shall be home. You must be weary from your long journey. The bell for supper won't ring for another two hours at least, so I will let you retire to your room if you wish," Mr. Dinsmore said.
Liana inclined her head in respect. "Thank you, Mr. Dinsmore. I believe I shall avail myself of the permission. If you don't mind, I shall remain in my chambers until the supper bell. It was very nice to meet you all and I hope to make your better acquaintance," she said turning to the others in the room with a courteous bow before leaving for her room.
Upon returning to her room, Liana sat down upon the bed wearily, a sad sigh escaping her. She hadn't been seated thus for two minutes when a humble knock came at her door.
"Come in," she said.
It was the little girl with the golden curls, beautiful fair face, and eyes of the darkest hazel that shone so full of life. Elsie was her name Liana recalled, Mr. Dinsmore's granddaughter. Liana smiled amiably, seeing in the little girl's eyes a look of friendly curiosity rather than the fear and repulsion she was accustomed to see on the faces of others.
"Hello, Miss Elsie. Close the door behind you then come and sit beside me if you please," she said, patting the bed beside herself.
Elsie at once closed the door and crossed the room without fear or hesitation and seated herself beside the elder girl. Her dark-hazel eyes shone with curiosity and, Liana thought, an intelligence beyond her years. "Miss Liana, if you don't mind telling me, for I don't mean to be rude, but why is your skin green and why do you wear trousers?"
Liana laughed, for the question was so frank and yet courteous and the child's voice so sweet and tender in its tones, she couldn't help but feel refreshed by it. "In truth, Miss Elsie, I do not know why my skin is this color. Some say it is the devil's work, but I know that at least is not true. As for the exact cause, I don't know. As for why I wear trousers and masculine attire, I have never much cared for dresses, for they always seem to trip me and get in my way. Tell me, Miss Elsie, how old are you?"
"I am eight years old. Also, you may simply call me Elsie if you like," Elsie replied.
"And you may call me Liana. I never liked being called 'Miss,'" Liana said.
"Well, Liana, I have another question to ask you," Elsie said, though her voice had the slightest hint of hesitation in it.
Liana smiled encouragingly. "Yes? What is it? You may ask me anything and I will do my best to answer."
"Do you love Jesus?"
The question was so simple and not at all what Liana was expecting, but instantly recovering herself, the young lady earnestly replied. "Yes. I love Him very much, more than my own life, more than anyone else in all this world. Do you love Him, little Elsie?"
Elsie's eyes lit up and her face at once became even more animated than before. "Oh, yes! I love Jesus and strive to be like Him all the time, everyday!" Then a cloud fell over the young face. "But, I'm afraid I don't always succeed. I often fail in bearing my burdens patiently."
Liana smiled and wrapped one of her strong arms around the little girl's shoulders. "Then you are in poor company I'm afraid."
Elsie looked up inquiringly.
"I too, often stumble and fall in my own walk with Jesus our Lord. But, I take comfort in the fact that despite all my fears and failures, He is ever faithful and just to forgive me of my sins if I but turn, confess, and repent. In truth, what we must always remember, is that we can't do anything good in our own strength, but must continually rely on our Savior's strength and grace to empower us to reflect His image and light in this jaded world," Liana explained.
Elsie beamed happily to have found such a sound Christian friend in Liana, especially after the departure of Miss Rose Alison, a Christian friend of Adelaide's, a few weeks before. The family at Roselands, though respectable church going people, were not Christians and often looked down upon little Elsie for her scrupulous conscience and piety. Liana knew all too well how proud the Dinsmore family was in these matters and knew that she would be hard beset by them, especially since most of them already disliked her for her unnatural coloring. It was a sweet and blessed relief to find this sweet innocent little girl a fellow child of God and true friend, for Liana was blessed with the gift of discernment and could tell Elsie would stand by her no matter what and she would willingly do the same for her. The pair spent the remainder of the time before the supper bell conversing about their shared faith and reading scripture until they were summoned to the table.
At the table, Liana found herself placed beside her little friend, much to her pleasure. Even so, the scornful looks of Mrs. Dinsmore, Louise, and Enna, and the look of fear on the face of Walter did not escape her notice, though she chose not to let them bother her. Adelaide and Lora she observed, having gotten over their shock at her appearance, were now observing her with a sort of curiosity, as though she were a strange species of animal. Arthur bore a plotting smirk on his face and she knew she would have much trouble from him and so resolved to watch out.
Mr. Dinsmore, in a halfhearted attempt to get his family to show some respect for their guest, asked questions about Liana's father, his plantation to the west, and other such things to try and explain her heritage more fully. "So, Liana, how is old Breckenstone?"
"My father is well, thank you. The plantation is doing quite well this year and he hopes to have an excellent harvest."
"Good. I'm glad to hear it. Since you will be staying with us, I've arranged for you to continue your education with Miss Day, our family governess. You will start tomorrow."
Liana inclined her head respectfully, though she had actually completed her education last year. "Thank you, Mr. Dinsmore. It will be pleasant to continue my studies."
"I'm glad to hear it. My youngest children could learn a lot from you. I understand your horse will be arriving tomorrow along with the rest of your luggage."
"That is correct. I will be happy to see Stormrider again. He will be eager to run through the pastures of his new home." Liana smiled.
"Stormrider is an unusual name. How did you come to name him that?" Adelaide inquired curiously.
Liana smirked. "When he was born, there was a terrible storm and his mother had been caught out in it. We couldn't get her back to the stables before it was time for her to give birth, so we got her to the most sheltered spot we could find and helped her as best we could. He was born in the heart of the storm, a strong healthy young colt, black as the dark sky above us and wild as the night wind. He didn't mind the storm at all and actually seemed quite at home in it, content to suckle as soon as his mother stood up."
Mrs. Dinsmore looked down her nose at the green girl with a poorly suppressed sneer. "A lady does not discuss such matters at table. In fact, she does not discuss the at all."
Mr. Dinsmore sighed. "Adelaide asked the question. Would you rather Liana had been rude and refused to answer?"
"Yes, Mother. I asked for the story behind the name. It is not Liana's fault it happens to involve some… sensitive topics," Adelaide said, growing a little weary of her mother's attitude.
Mrs. Dinsmore sniffed. "I see I am the only one here concerned with proper decorum as usual."
Liana resisted the urge to roll her eyes and barely suppressed a smirk. "I apologize, Mrs. Dinsmore, if my behavior was improper," she said graciously, with no sarcasm or mockery in her face or tone.
Mrs. Dinsmore however, seemed to take offense. "If you mean to insult me, I insist you be silent! Children should be seen and not heard, especially at table," she said with some venom.
She would never admit it, but she knew that she was in the wrong and Liana's humble nature stung her as did her stepson's daughter's own pious nature. In truth, Mrs. Dinsmore found both of them to be unbearable because their simple honesty and upright lives made her own appear as black as could be by comparison, so she lashed out at them in an attempt to soothe her own pride. Liana took no offense, for she saw right through the proud, haughty woman in a heartbeat. So, she merely kept her mouth shut and focused on her supper, which truth be told, she was very hungry for.
Elsie had watched the entire exchange between Liana and Mrs. Dinsmore and marveled at Liana's patience. She knew her own spirit would have taken offense from such treatment, but Liana made it look so easy to turn the other cheek. Elsie suspected much practice had been Liana's teacher and took courage that one day she might be as patient and obedient as Liana. She also noticed, what went unnoticed by the rest of the family, who by this point were too fully engrossed in their own conversation and suppers to notice either Elsie or Liana, that Liana ate quite a bit more than even her grandfather or Arthur and they always had large appetites. Elsie decided to ask Liana later, after supper.
Once the meal was over, Liana retired to her room, feeling no particular desire to join the family in the drawing room. Elsie followed her and was admitted with a pleased smile. Resuming their previous seats upon the bed, Liana smiled down at her little friend.
"Well, Elsie, you seem to have more questions for me," she said grinning.
Elsie blinked in astonishment. "Why, Liana, how did you know? Can you read my thoughts?"
Liana chuckled. "Not quite, no. But I do have the gift of discernment. I've always been able to read people fairly easily. I also noticed you watching me at supper."
Elsie blushed. "I didn't mean to be rude, but you are so different from anyone I've ever met before. I did want to ask you, if it isn't rude, why you ate so much."
Liana smiled. "I don't think that is rude, but a perfectly natural question. In truth I usually eat more than the average person because I have some abilities other people do not possess. My bones for one are indestructible and my body heals almost instantly from any wound. Also, I cannot be poisoned and illnesses cannot kill me. I still get sick from time to time, but it never lasts for very long. I'm also many times stronger than the strongest men and my senses are sharper."
Elsie was astounded. "I have never heard of something like this before. How is it possible?"
Liana shrugged. "No one knows. My father searched everywhere for a 'cure,' but none exists. It's another reason he is ashamed of me. He hates having a freak for a daughter and he has always hated me because of it."
Elsie was shocked. "I'm sure your father doesn't hate you. He probably just doesn't understand. I'm sure he will one day see you for who you are."
Liana smiled sadly. "It's a nice thought, but I have long come to accept the fact that my father will never love me. It's ok though. I still love him, even if he doesn't love me and besides, Jesus loves me, my Heavenly Father loves me, and that is enough."
Elsie slipped her small pale hand into Liana's larger emerald-green one. "I love you, Liana, even though I've only just met you."
Liana gave the little hand a gentle squeeze. "Thank you, Elsie. I love you too."
Elsie smiled, but the chiming of the clock soon called her to bed. Liana bid her little friend goodnight and watched her disappear down the hall. Returning to her own room, Liana undressed herself, got into her nightclothes, and settled into bed. She was weary from her trip of some fifty-odd miles and soon fell asleep.
Author's Note: Seeing as there is only one other Elsie fic, I felt I could not wait to put this first chapter out there. However, I am currently working on several fics at once, so I do not know when I will be able to post more of this one. It could easily be a year or more, but I will earnestly try to get more posted before then.