Caporushes October 22, 2006

A/N: Thanks to simplegrl007, Da Vinci at Work, and dogsrock3 for their reviews! They're much appreciated!

Chapter 1: Rose

"Here Rose, try this. It's utterly divine. You've hardly eaten anything all evening."

Annabelle frowned at her younger sister. She was dressed in an elegant blue dress with white lace and ruffles and her hair twisted up in the latest fashion. She had a small slice of a cake in front of her on a glass plate, and a mildly concerned look upon her beautiful face.

Rose smiled softly. "Oh Anna, I couldn't. If I eat any more I won't be able to dance properly."

"Besides, we wouldn't want Rose to lose her figure before she can be presented to the gentlemen." put in Emmeline, her eldest sister. Rose felt slight warmth run to her cheeks and hoped that her sisters didn't notice. Fortunately, Emmeline was attempting to check her hair in the goblet without appearing to do so and Anna was gazing across the hall at the same young gentlemen.

Today was her sixteenth birthday, and as she had come of age, all the sons of anyone who was anybody were at the celebration in hopes that they might be married to either her, or one of her older sisters.

Rose looked from her thoughts and found that Anna had drifted off with a gaggle of young men and was unabashedly flirting. Emmeline had since left the table and had gone to dance with a young gentleman, her yellow gown twirling gracefully around her.

Rose stood from the table and walked over to the dance floor. There was nothing she liked so much as dancing, and most everyone said she was the best at it in the entire country. Before long she had taken a turn with Mister Charles Grey, Mister John Whittier, Thomas Eddington and countless others. It was a grand time, and before long the evening was nearing its end.

Rose had just walked over to the ladies side of hall when she saw Richard Longley walking over to her. He was a young man with dark hair and brown eyes with a slender nose and strong chin. He was taller than most of the other men around him, and was dressed handsomely.

Rose had the sudden urge to check her hair, but held her hands firmly at her sides. Her heart was pounding inside her chest and her stomach was somersaulting. She was horribly excited, she realized, and immediately disapproved. There is no reason why I should feel like this, she thought, he's no better than any other man in this room.

He stopped in front of her and bowed, as was the custom, and looked up at her kindly. "May I have this dance?" he asked quietly.

The young couple twirled around the dance floor. By far, they were the two most beautiful faces in the room, and many of the guests turned to watch them as the danced, but none of them noticed when Richard slipped a small piece of paper into Rose's palm.

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Rose hummed softly as she brushed her golden hair that night. Fifty strokes on each side, just as her nurse maid had taught her.

Rose was very careful. She had tried very hard not to let Anna or Emmeline find out about her note. She unfolded it now, carefully, as though the slightest touch would cause it to disappear.

Quarter to three in the courtyard

R.L.

She smiled, folded the note into her hand and held it near her heart. Quarter to three… quarter to three… she could hear Richard's melodic voice whispering those very words.

She heard a soft tap-tapping on her door, and quickly hid the note behind one of her makeup jars as Annabelle walked into the room in her nightgown, her hair already plaited.

"Did you have fun at the dance, Rose?" whispered Anna, tiptoeing across the threshold to Rose's bed. "Richard seemed to be quite taken with you, toward the end."

"I had a wonderful time, Anna. All the men where dreadfully handsome, didn't you think?"

"Of course," began Anna, flopping down on Rose's bed, "There were so many I was nearly charmed out of body and soul."

Anna chattered on about the dance and how wonderful it had been and all the men and what sorts of fashions all the other women had been wearing while Rose continued to brush her hair at the vanity. She wasn't listening to a thing Anna had to say, but found herself daydreaming about Richard. The way held his hand out to her, how he whispered in her ear as they danced; how he gazed at her from across the room…

"Rose, are you listening to me?"

"Wha- oh, I'm sorry Anna. What did you say?"

"I asked you which of them do you think you'd like to marry?"

Rose blinked. "How can you ask me that when you haven't even yet found a husband? And I haven't the faintest idea who I'll marry."

Anna shrugged. "No one's trying to rush you, Rose, I'm just curious, that's all."

Rose turned back to her dressing table and picked up her hairbrush again. She didn't really like keeping secrets from her sisters like that. It was just a harmless romance; it wouldn't last long enough to mean anything. But maybe it does mean something, she thought. Maybe we could get married…"

Rose shook the idea from her head. Their father had always made it known that they might marry whoever they wished, so long as he approved. Rose and her sisters found that policy quite acceptable, being as most girls their age were forced into arranged marriages and never even got the option to choose. But marrying Richard… it seemed too good to be true. It couldn't possibly, actually happen. Still, Rose couldn't stop her eyes from lingering on the makeup jar that hid Richard's note anymore than she could deny her dreams.

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A/N: Hehehe, a chapter summary in the lyrics of a Broadway musical!

I could have danced all night! I could have danced all night! And still have begged for more. I could have spread my wings, and done a thousand things I've never done before... I only know when he began to dance with me! I could have danced, danced, danced, all night!

- My Fair Lady

music written by Frederick Loewe, the lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner

Haha, maybe I'll come up with some of that for every chapter! Incase you hadn't already figured it out, the whole story isn't going to be in traditional telling. I'm also very aware that my writing isn't perfect, and one of the reasons I'm writing on fanfiction is that I want to improve. Constructive criticism is always welcome and if plot holes are spotted please point them out to me because I hate them. Shattered rainbow comes out in work overalls and a bucket of plot hole filler on the road of story-dom, laughing maniacally.

I think that's all for now… Thanks for reading! Now tell me what you thought!