A/N: Couldn't get this out of my head. Tell me what you guys think. Also my dates will probably be wrong so pleaaaaasseee don't bug me about them. I know.

Chapter 1
"First Impressions"

Quinn Fabray was what every boy from anywhere wanted. She was the prize, the ultimate beauty. Just like horses. The beautiful mare that everyone wanted to breed with. Not only was she the daughter of one of the wealthiest Lords in the county, but also she was also the most intelligent, not that many people saw that as a healthy trait in women.

Being the second daughter of the Fabray family meant that she was the one that had to live up to the expectations made by her first sister. Frannie, her older sister, was not only more beautiful than Quinn; she was probably the most desirable. She recently had been accepted to attend one of the most prestigious women college's in the country. It was strange that her father let her go due to his strange beliefs of women getting an education. Well, women meant Quinn. Quinn had begged him to allow her to go as well, but he told her one was enough and she would stay home to help her mother.

Help her mother with what?

Refilling her wine cup? That was what seemed to be the only job for the beautiful, quiet Quinn Fabray.

Quinn wasn't that quiet though although she did read a lot so it passed off as if she was. She actually loved to talk, mostly to herself, but once in a while she found herself talking to the waiting staff. She wasn't exactly talking to them, but talking at them. It was strange though. They never said any different to her.

It was 1st of February, 1914. Her father had just bought a new stallion and by the looks of it, a new stable boy. Quinn wandered down from her bedroom so she could see better. She would be turning sixteen soon and she wondered if this was her present. Her father truly did not understand the meaning of surprises when it came to it.

Quinn found herself standing on the back of the balcony that led down to the grounds. The stone was almost 100 years old she heard the previous owner telling her. It belonged to the long line of generation of men that lived on the estate before the Fabrays took over. It had small pots of beautiful flowers, which were neatly decorated, by one of Quinn's favourite people in the house. Rachel. She had been with Rachel since she could remember and she always found a way to brighten up the dull house of the Fabrays.

Her father was an arrogant man, coming from too much money and she could see it as he walked. His body moved as if he owned everything he touched, which in this case he did. All 50 acres of it. The thing Quinn didn't understand is why they moved out here. She had always loved London, the thrill of the music as she danced with all the handsome men in the room, but not she was stuck with garden parties and long boring carriage rides. Quinn never liked her father and she knew that he felt the same. Frannie was his favourite, not her.

He was walking round the stallion, his hand lightly touching the strong muscles of its stomach, neck and then its face. It made a noise of disgust and Quinn had to laugh; it was so ridiculous to her. All eyes fell to her and the eyes that Quinn eye's fell on were the stable boys.

She had never seen him before.

His blue eyes were piercing, even from the distance that they were standing apart. He was in rugged clothing, his trousers slightly torn, his brown hair sticking out from under his hat and his shirt was stained with sweat.

To her, he looked like a man.

A man who didn't sit in rooms and make big decisions for people they had never met. He looked like a man who sat outside and read. A man that did real work. His stare grew into something more and Quinn bit her lip to try rid of her blush.

"Quinn, come down here!" Her father yelled, swatting away one of his assistants when he swayed a little. So her father drank too, it wasn't a surprise to anyone. They were the Fabrays after all.

Quinn inhaled, composing her self and looked down at the dress she was wearing. It was the dress that she wore last week to the opening of her father's factory downtown. Everyone said she looked like a sunflower, the yellow lace doing the trick.

She let out a deep breath and headed down the steps, loving the feel of the stone beneath her shoes. She was never really allowed to go outside and play. It was all about teaching her to be a lady, to wear things that made her unable to breathe, to have manners and know which cutlery to use at the right moment.

It was like living in a tank of sharks and she was a starfish.

She just wanted to find something to cling onto to make sure she could make it out alive. Make it out of this cage of a castle and the expectations that her parents put on her.

She followed the small stoned path that lead to where her father was standing, just outside the stables. She could smell the other horses and she didn't quite like the smell, it was truly rotten compared the usual smell of roses that she was surrounded with. The other men that were standing around were holding ropes, she realized and those ropes were tied onto the house. What on earth were they doing?

"Father?" Quinn murmured, her voice elegant and sweet. She said it in the same tone that her mother would use. He smirked.

"Quinn I have a present." Oh excellent. This was really just excellent. A stallion? Quinn didn't even know how to ride and he expected her to ride a Stallion of all things? It was black, tall and had the muscles larger than Quinn's head. She felt terrified of it.

She adjusted the French braid that went down her back, trying to use it as a way to show her fear rather than letting it show on her face. That would have pissed off her father. She noticed the stable boy was watching her.

"Oh, Father." Quinn murmured, trying so hard not to sound amused. Last birthday he gave her a chess set, so Quinn really didn't expect much. Quinn quickly glanced at the stable boy, his large lips turning into a small grin.

"This here is a Stallion, and your present is that you get to watch him being broken in."

"Sorry?" Quinn asked, her elegant tone fading away. Broken in? She had never heard of the term. Her father just smiled. It was a, oh you're such a stupid girl, type of smile and Quinn just wanted to slap him, but of course, she couldn't. She looked around and then realized the ropes…

"Whoever breaks in this beast gets an extra bonus." Her father said with a smile and all the men that had surrounded them were now walking towards a ring that she saw them making this morning. Quinn didn't know what was going on but as soon as they got to the ring, the horse was released and everyone jumped on the fence to try get a better look. Quinn just peeked through a crack.

The first man to jump on was fatter than her father and he was the caretaker of the grounds. He wasn't particularly nice fellow, he never smiled and he definitely didn't have the strength for many tasks. His balding hair was hard to see when he was flipped off the horses back and onto the hard grass. Two men had to carry him out before the horse could run at him.

"His mother was the fastest mare they've ever known and his father rode wild, he could never be tamed." She heard a voice from behind her say. The accent was mix between Scottish and English and maybe even Irish, she couldn't tell. She turned to find the stable boy standing there with his hat on his heart. He bowed down, took her hand and kissed it.

"Miss Fabray." He murmured, his foreign accent making a shock go through Quinn. He was different, so much different than the rest of the boys she knew. Quinn inhaled. No boy has ever kissed her hand before. Let alone kissed her.

"Please, you don't have to um…" She trailed off and he just smiled, putting his hat back on. Quinn didn't even realize that half of the men that had tried breaking in the horse were now nursing bruised bodies.

"Samuel Evans ma'am, but the lads call me Sam." His hair was too bushy for his hat to sit properly on his head and she had to smile. His eyes were probably the most sincere part of him. It was always the eyes that did it for Quinn. Her family was filled with cold piercing eyes. His was warm and they were so blue she felt like she was looking into the ocean.

"What are they doing, Sam?" She asked, turning to look at the horses. His eyes were still on her. She could feel him falling in love with her already, just like many other boys did.

"They're breaking in the horse. You know when you go to ride a horse and it's quite tame, ma'am?" Sam murmured. Quinn sighed, scratching behind her ear where it suddenly became hot. It had nothing to do with his accent.

"No, I've never ridden a horse." Quinn muttered angrily. Sam nodded, feeling immediately guilty.

"Sorry ma'am. Well they're like that because they have to get used to the feeling of a rider on them, it takes a while." He murmured, turning to look at the horse. Quinn looked over at him, frowning. So they're not normally like their other horses? They were born free and then their freedom is taken from them?

"I don't get how this is a present."

"It's a horrible present." Sam muttered and Quinn had to smile. No one ever spoke his or her mind around her, but before she knew it her father was grabbing Sam. His hand was on his collar with Sam almost being lifted off the ground from the amount of force her father was putting into it.

"What did you say, boy?" Quinn tried to reach forward but one of the other men held her down. She had never seen her father so furious before. She suddenly felt scared for Sam.
"Nothing sir, I didn't say nothing sir."

"You don't speak unless you're asked something of you, do you understand?"

"Yes sir." Sam nodded, swallowing. Then her father smiled, making Quinn nauseous. He let Sam down and patted his shoulder.

"Good then. Now hop in." Sam's face fell and her father just continued to keep on smiling.

Quinn shook her head violently, she had watched the other men go for it. Sam was just a boy; he would get too badly hurt from this. Sam just nodded, took off his hat and climbed the fence. The other men grabbed the horse, pulling it close so Sam could hop on. Quinn held her breath as Sam adjusted the strap of his suspenders before slipping onto it. Sam looked small compared to the large stallion. She watched as his eyes closed, his hands gripping the reins tightly. Quinn climbed the fence so she could get a better look, ignoring the looks from the men around her.

They let go of the horse and Sam's eyes snapped open, determined and strong. She could see the veins in his arms look like they were about to pop and had to bite her lip as she saw his arm muscles tense from the action. She had never seen a boy like this before. There was always too much clothing, too much cover and now she was exposed to raw, natural boyhood and it did something to her.

She watched as he held and held, his arms straining and his eyes narrowed in focus. The men around her cheered and she looked over at her father who had a stony expression on his face. Sam was lasting longer then the other men. Quinn turned back to look at Sam with a smirk, hoping that he was able to break the horse, not that Quinn liked the idea. She watched as the horse started to slow down, started to stop bucking so hard. She watched, as Sam grew tired, his grip on the reins become less tight but it was still there.

Not long after Sam was grinning from ear to ear as he sat on top of the stallion. It stood completely still and huffed and neighed. Quinn clapped and the rest of the men joined it, impressed but also jealous that they were unable to do it. He climbed off the horse and let the other men store it away. Quinn frowned when she saw him cradling his hand walked over.

"Are you all right?" Quinn murmured and he nodded, sticking his hand in his pocket.

"It's nothing, Miss Fabray." He said with a smile. She rolled her eyes and took his hand, holding it in both of hers as she opened his palm. It was red and blistering.

"Had to keep a tight grip." He said and she looked up at him, smiling.

"You did well." Quinn said, feeling proud of him.

"Well, did you enjoy your present then?" He asked and she sighed, rolling her eyes a little.

She did enjoy watching Sam do it, not the other men, but this wasn't a present for a lady.

"Evans!" He father called, interrupting them. Quinn swallowed and dropped his hand, turning to look at him. He was walking over, his black suit slightly covered in dirt. She felt Sam's tall figure beside her stiffen.

"You did well, now go shovel the shit."

"Father, he can't. He's hurt his hand." Quinn murmured, making her father turn to look at her with narrowed eyes. Quinn cleared her throat. "That's hardly the treatment he deserves after breaking in a stallion after everyone seemed to fail. Father." Quinn added sweetly, smirking a little. Her father was staring at her with so much anger she was sure he was going to combust. She just continued on smirking.

"Fine." He muttered and walked off. Quinn looked up at Sam with a smile and took his hand, leading him back to the house. House was probably an understatement. The place was a mansion. Housed almost twenty bedrooms, seven bathrooms and a couple of dining rooms. It was too big for Quinn since she didn't get to spend it with anyone. It was only filled with the waiting staff and her fathers Great Danes that always managed to topple Quinn whenever she tried to walk somewhere.

Sam's hand was hot in hers and she was careful that she had grabbed his good hand, not his bad one. She had always wanted a boyfriend, but she knew that her parents would find her a suitable suitor and she would be unhappy for eternity. She took him to the bathroom in the east wing that no one used except her. He sat up on the counter as she ran his hand under the cold tap, he didn't even flinch. She looked up and saw him watching her, his eyes becoming too intense for Quinn. She had to look away.

"So do you look after all the other stable hands?" He said in his accent, it was thick with sarcasm. She rolled her eyes and reached under the sink, grabbing some lotion and wrapped it up with some linen. "Quite the medicinal lady." He said when he finished, sliding off the counter.

"Where did you come from?" Quinn asked, completely stunned by just how strange he was. He was so different than all the other stable hands she had met before. He wasn't quiet. He wasn't always hurrying out of her way. It was like he had never worked under a Lord before.

"I was born in Scotland then we moved down to England for a while, then up to Ireland and now back down in London." He said, ticking off the places on his fingers.

"We?" Quinn asked.

"Me mother lives down the road, she just carried twins so it's a bit hard on her so me Dad's staying home to help her while I work." She frowned; he should be in school not working. "Do you always take a interest in ye stable hands?" He asked and she rolled her eyes, walking out of the bathroom.

"It's an interest by the way and no, not really. You're the first." Quinn murmured, walking out to the back of the grounds to the back patio. She looked around and she found herself completely alone. She frowned, stepping back into the house to find him looking around, his eyes wide.

"What are you doing?" She asked and he snapped his head back to look at her.

"Nothing." Quinn raised an eyebrow then. She realised he probably hadn't even seen a house like this before, not that Quinn wanted to stereotype. He looked so innocent, so childlike in his grown boys body. His eyes sparkled and it looked like all he wanted to do was run around and play football.

"Come." She said and walked towards the library, knowing that no one would be in there. The library was probably her favourite room in the house. It housed all almost the amount of books that the university down the road held. It had ladders and was really a place where Quinn could come for some peace and quiet.

"It's my favourite room in the house. I intend to read all the books." She murmured, turning to look at him. He was staring, his head turning to look around the room.

"Wow." He murmured, putting his hands in his pockets. Quinn smiled, she hadn't seen a genuine expression before in so long. The people that her fathers always invited weren't particularly interested in books but were interested in Quinn's ability to bear children.

"Can I ask you when your birthday is, Ma'am?" Sam asked, making Quinn do a double back. No one ever asked her questions.

"Please don't call me ma'am. That's my mother. Quinn is fine and it's this Thursday." She replied, her eyes still focused on the bookshelves.

She thought then what she wanted for her birthday. Definitely not watching people break in a horse, she wanted something more. She wanted to feel like a lady, a woman more than a lady. She wanted a present that would make her feel grown up and it would tell her father that she was old enough to go to college and make her own decisions.

"Sam how old are you?"

"Sixteen, ma'am." Quinn rolled her eyes.

"Quinn."

"Quinn." Sam repeated in his accent. It rolled off his tongue so beautifully she didn't know how to feel. Quinn swallowed then, thinking of his tongue and looked away as she felt a blush creep up onto her cheeks.

"I better get you out of here before my father beheads us." She said, taking his wrist and tugging him out of the room.

She led him back out to the back balcony watching as he made his way to the steps that led back down to the stables. He took his hat out of his pocket and stuck it on his head, tucking the loose strand of hairs behind his ears.

"Can I ask you something, Quinn?" He asked her, his voice thick with desire.

"Of course." She replied, her hands gripping the balcony. His stare was too hard to look away from now.

"May I see you again?" He asked, his voice hopeful. Quinn bit her lip to hide her smile and nodded, her chin slightly lifted.

"Yes. Yes, you may." She replied and with that he tilted his head, wandering off down to the stables. He turned to look over his shoulder at her and Quinn could see his smile from where she was standing. Her stomach did a flip and she couldn't help but smile back.

Tell me what you think and if it's worth continuing! Eek! Reviews are always welcome!