TheFlorence Elle Sharpe

The story of Crimson Peak with the little girl in it starts after the death of Edith's father, when Thomas and Edith are married and Thomas brings Edith home to Allerdale Hall.

The idea behind my writing is that Florence and her actions slot into the existing story without changing it. That way, if you've seen the film you'll be able to imagine her into it, and it'll all make sense when the characters drop hints and slip up. It also means that there will be spoilers in this story, so I really must suggest that you watch the film first.

I do not write scenes chronologically, but as I think of them, because in my life writing is a continuous process that takes up most of my free moments. I do apologise, as sometimes it gets confusing when I jump from scene to scene, but I promise there will be a finished product one day :)

EDIT: whenever the words 'mama' or 'papa' or 'mummy' are written through this story, they are intended to be as English as possible. Sort of like how Thomas says ''Papa really had to put his back into it"in the film. Just to avoid confusion as I amreally not sure how to spell them properly! xD

Thank you so much for reading!

"Thomas!"

Thomas appeared in the doorway to the scullery and came briskly towards her.

"What is it?"

"I saw a woman in the elevator," Edith said matter-of-factly. Thomas frowned.

"It must have been Lucille."

"It wasn't Lucille."

Thomas chuckled and checked the elevator shaft, which was empty.

"Then it must have been Florence."

"Who is Florence?" Edith asked quickly, a little nervous. Thomas smiled kindly and placed his hands on her shoulders."

"I'll fetch her for you," he said softly. He turned and leant over the rail to inspect the elevator shaft. "This damned old thing has a mind of its own; the wires are affected by the damp in the house. It's unavoidable I'm afraid. Goes down to the clay
mines in the basement," he said quickly, smoothly. He looked again into her eyes and gestured towards the floor. "Never ever go below this level."

Edith nodded, and Thomas's wonderful smile returned. At that moment, Lucille appeared from the hallway, and Thomas spun around to greet her.

"Ah, Lucille!"

"Thomas."

Thomas' joy did not leave him as he leaned toward the doorframe and called to the rest of the house before embracing his sister.

"Florence!"

Edith stood awkwardly as the Sharpe siblings hugged quietly for a moment, before Lucille peered at her over her brother's shoulder and said "Welcome, Edith," in a friendly manner. Edith was a little surprised by her warmth, but smiled.

"Thank you."

Lucille nodded, and Thomas let go as she presented him with an envelope.

"A delivery. Your parts are here from Birmingham," she told him. "They're being held at the depo, for collection."

"Ah, wonderful," Thomas beamed.

A second passed as he took Lucille's coat and hung it up, then a small voice echoed from the doorway.

"Thomas?"

Edith jumped, then looked across to the door, where a little girl stood in a sweet grey skirt with braces over a whiteish blouse with little capped sleeves. On closer inspection, she was perhaps not so little, maybe up to thirteen years old.

Thomas turned and smiled when he saw her. This was a different smile though, a more loving one. He held out a hand to her.

"Come in, darling, and meet my wife." His tone was suddenly fond, something Edith had not yet heard. He clearly cared for this girl on a more guardian-esque level. Florence's face lit up at the mention of marriage, and she came in closer and took his
hand.

Thomas grinned at Edith and put his other arm around the child.

"This is Florence, mine and Lucille's youngest sister," he said quietly. The girl beside him looked up at her with big eyes, and inclined her head politely. Edith nodded back with a smile as Thomas addressed the child.

"Florrie, this is Edith. She will be living here now, with us," he told her kindly. She looked back at him with those inquisitive eyes, and the smile widened as she bit her lip.

"Nice to meet you, Florence," Edith said kindly, tilting her head. The little girl's smile turned shy, and she moved a little closer to Thomas' side.

Edith noticed that her face, angular and beautiful, was very like her older siblings. She was especially alike Thomas in her stature, expression and mannerisms, as she'd briefly demonstrated, and for some reason this made Edith feel very warmed towards
her.

However, what caught Edith's attention most strongly was the child's unusual colouration. Outside in the modern world she would be perceived differently, perhaps, but her copper coloured plaits and striking green eyes seemed so eerily out of place amongst
the colouring of the others. She looked as though she was the child of the house itself, and the clay beneath it.

As Edith took in her appearance, Thomas nudged her forward, and the child walked shyly over to her, reaching to take her hand. Edith couldn't look away from her as she tugged, and knelt down to her level. Florence's smile was infectious, and Edith felt
a surge of emotion as the little girl wrapped her arms around her neck and kissed her cheek. She was freezing cold, and the movement was swift, almost too graceful for a child. Yet, Edith knew she was completely in love with her.

"Hello, Lady Sharpe. Welcome to our house," Florence said quietly, though her voice was kind. She was not scary in the slightest, and Edith felt a more natural smile cross her lips, and put her arms around her.

"Thank you," Edith said. She paused, then added "Please, call me Edith." Florence giggled adorably and Edith found it utterly gorgeous.

Thomas seemed to burst with pride, though Lucille stood silently in the doorframe, her gaze fixed on Florence like she was afraid to let her out of her sight. Given the state of the house, with its holy roof and rotting floorboards, Edith suspected she
had good reason.

Barely a second passed before Lucille fidgeted and glided across to the fire, where she lifted the kettle to its hook. She did not look at them as she addressed the child.

"Florence, darling, go and fetch yourself something with sleeves. You will surely freeze in that shirt," she said smoothly. Florence pulled away from Edith at once, looking a little sheepish, and ran past Thomas out of the smaller door. Thomas
turned to watch her, and pressed his lips together as he sighed quietly. Edith stood up and dusted herself down, watching her husband, but started when she noticed Florrie had literally vanished from sight.

Lucille turned to face her, a smile on her lips as she inclined her head.

"She isn't used to meeting new people. Please excuse her."

Edith smiled, but it was tight, and she couldn't look away from where the child had last been. "Of course. She is very sweet."

Lucille and Thomas shared a glance that Edith did not see, and Lucille forced calmness into her voice.

"My dear, are you all right?"

Before Edith could answer, Thomas chuckled and that charming smile returned.

"Edith saw a shadow earlier, it was a little disconcerting."

Lucille chuckled, turning back to the fire to fetch the kettle.

"All that lives in this house are shadows and creaks and groans."

While Edith bathed, Thomas and Lucille sat side by side in their dark, colourless kitchen, following the ritual of brewing the special tea. In response to Thomas' somewhat stilted mutterings, Lucille took his chin in her fingers and turned his
face towards herself.

"You chose her. Why?" she whispered, eyes questioning. Thomas simply looked back, offering no answer. She guessed he didn't really know either, innocent as he was.

The slightly sinister mood was broken when Florence came skipping into the kitchen, having swapped her short sleeves for a big knitted jumper that completely swamped her. Lucille stopped what she was doing and looked at her with a slight frown as she
went straight to Thomas, who wrapped an arm around her.

"There you are," he said brightly, smiling a her. "What do you think of Edith?"

Lucille twitched, and briefly glanced at her brother. What was he thinking, asking the child things like that?

"I like her," Florence said sweetly, and Thomas couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. Lucille stood quickly and made a spectacle of arranging the jars neatly on their shelf.

"Good, I'm glad," Thomas told Florrie gently, rubbing her back.

Edith crouched on the floor behind Thomas as he poked the fire gently, murmuring to her in a comforting sort of way. She had begun to feel almost normal again after the sound of the chimneys, safe with him, when there was a creak at the door, and she
just about leapt out of her skin.

Instantly, Thomas' arm was around her and her hands in his, and he shushed her with a chuckle.

"Steady now. It's only Florrie," he soothed. Edith collected herself, then looked at the doorway, where the little girl was indeed stood in a nightgown. "Are you all right, my love?" Thomas asked softly.

She hesitated for a moment, before walking into the room. She was in a simple, unembellished nightgown that reached the floor. Her hair, earlier twisted into braids laced with black ribbons, was loose. In the firelight the colour was a rich red, and Edith
noticed how long and luscious her curls were. They reached her waist, similarly to Edith's. The little girl smiled, twisting her dress in her hands.

"I came to say goodnight. Lucille said Edith hoped for a warm welcome, so I thought I'd come and find you. I'm sorry for startling you," she said softly. Then she chuckled to herself and shrugged her shoulders. "I have a tendency to make people jump.
I will try my hardest not to, I promise."

Edith smiled, somewhat relieved to have found someone even remotely reminiscent of the outside world. "Well, thank you, Florence. That's very kind." Little Florrie smiled, and Edith placed herself back on the chair and leaned forward, glancing at Thomas,
who was watching her curiously. "Here, how about some tea before bed?" she asked kindly. Florence bit her lip, but didn't move as Thomas stuttered.

"Oh, no." He stood hurriedly and touched Edith's wrist. Confused, she retracted her arm. He smiled at her, then winked at Florrie. "Little girls must not drink tea before bedtime. It's not good for them," he said lightly. He walked forward and
tapped his fingers under Florrie's chin. "I'll fetch you some milk from the kitchen."

He patted her shoulder and vanished, Florrie shrugging her little shoulders as Edith watched.

"Lucille says that was Mother's favourite rule," she said brightly, reaching over her shoulder to gather her hair so she could plait it. Edith noticed what she was doing and smiled, patting the settee beside her.

"Here, why don't you let me do that?"

Florence smiled her adorable smile and sat down beside Edith readily. As she turned her back Edith separated her hair into three parts and began to braid them.

"How come I never saw you back at home in America?" she asked curiously. This was a matter she had been thinking about constantly since the morning. Little Florrie shrugged.

"I stayed here while Lucille and Thomas travelled. I wasn't completely alone, sometimes the engineers were doing maintenance on the machine outside," she explained happily. At this point, Thomas reappeared with a glass of milk in his hand. He smiled when
he saw the two of them, having heard Florrie's last sentence.

"Florence here knows the secrets of this house better than anyone else," he told Edith. He looked at Florence with a nod, and held the glass to her. "So if you hear anything strange, it's only her moving about. Isn't that right, darling?"

Edith looked at the back of Florence's head, which nodded happily as she looked up at her brother and quickly drank the small glass of milk. Somehow, she thought that that last sentence was more meaningful than it seemed. Thomas sighed and watched his
sister with the same fond gaze as before.

"We had hoped to bring her across to America once we were settled, but I suppose that was never to be," he said thoughtfully, taking the empty glass from Florrie and setting it on the tray. After a moment, Edith finished the braid and tied the ribbon
around it, letting it fall to Florence's spine and leaning to look at her.

"There, all done," she said kindly. Florrie beamed and turned to hug Edith tightly.

"Thank you. Goodnight, new sister," she said brightly, childishly. Edith couldn't help herself- she beamed too, and wrapped her arms around the child.

"Goodnight."

Florence let go and stood up, bouncing into her brother's arms. Thomas bent down over her and held her close to him, kissing her hair and squeezing her. He clearly adored her.

"Goodnight, Thomas."

"Goodnight, my darling."

They let go and smiled at each other, then Florence turned and ran to the door. Edith glanced only briefly at Thomas to gauge his reaction, but when she looked back the hallway was empty. Florrie had vanished.

"Where did she go?" she asked quietly, startled. Thomas chuckled gently.

"Like I said, she knows every nook and cranny of this house. She can appear and vanish wherever she likes. A typical inquisitive child with a talent for hiding," he promised her. He chuckled. "Sometimes we can go days without seeing her, Lucille especially."
Edith was not convinced.

"She is your sister?"

"Yes."

"What age?"

"She's just gone ten."

Edith gasped.

"And you left her here alone?"

Thomas pressed his lips together and regarded her cautiously. He looked at the floor, jaw tensing, then back at her. He sat down beside her.

"Florence is no incompetent child. She's suffered too much in her short life to remain innocent and untroubled. Lucille is always anxious to return to her, and we would never do anything to frighten her. Trust me on that," he said honestly, his
voice low.

Edith read the sincerity in his eyes, and relaxed after a moment. He smiled then, and passed her another cup of tea.

"Right. I'll have a bath, I think. If you happen to fall asleep, I won't wake you," he said softly, planting a kiss on Edith's forehead.