Chapter 1:
Riding the train from the country into the city was daunting, found 10 year old Fanny Price who held pictures drawn and addressed to her by her younger sister Susan, tightly in her hand, and rested her feet on the small bag that contained her very few possessions. She would be arriving at Mansfield Station in less than twenty minutes, to live with strangers, to begin a new life. Fanny missed her mother already, missed the way she would smile and pat her head in an affectionate way, whilst her eyes were always distracted by other thoughts; probably of how to put food on the table the next week.
Upon arriving at the station, Fanny, with difficulties, managed to free herself from the swarming crowd where she was immediately whisked off to a shiny black Mercedes by men in heavy black suits. Fanny dared not to make a sound and sat in between the two men in the backseat, shrugging into herself to avoid touching them in anyway.
The massive house stunned her, the sheer size of the windows, the neatly kempt lawn, the red Lexus LF-A parked out front. Fanny's jaw dropped open at the impressiveness.
"Come on girly; we don't have all day." The bulkier of the two men sitting beside her said and helped her out of the car.
Fanny slid over the leather seats and out of the car smoothing her clothes nervously as she looked around. A figure by the window on the second floor caught her eyes and she squinted against the sun to get a better look. Fanny could see a short denim skirt matched with a pink T-shirt and sleek black knee high boots. The girl's hair was long, straight and a glossy honey blonde colour.
The front door opened and a woman cradling an ugly looking dog within her arms wheeled her chair towards Fanny, a small smile upon her lips.
"Oh, you look just like Frances." She said welcomingly, her beauty distracted people from the fact that she was disabled.
"A-are you Mrs. Bertrum?" She finally managed to say.
The woman nodded. "Come, come now; let's get inside before it rains." Maria Bertrum said, still smiling to mask the disappointment she felt towards France Price's child. A doubt flickered across her eyes and Maria Bertrum was suddenly not so sure that she wanted to keep the child any more.
Fanny stood awkwardly before the woman who watched her expectantly. "Would you like me to push you back to the house?" She asked finally.
Maria Bertrum answered immediately. "If it's not too much trouble dear. Thank you very much."
Fanny smiled and as carefully as she could, manoeuvred the wheel chair back into the room under her mother's friend's instructions.
Anna Norris met them in the lounge room, having paced quite anxiously for the good half of the hour. "Come here and let me look at you!" She exclaimed when Fanny and Maria Bertrum finally arrived. Anna Norris failed to contain her disappointment as she scrutinized the girl's appearance. "I'm sure you'll have better qualities." She said finally with a smile and patted the girl's head.
Fanny could only manage a smile and a nod.
"Now Anna, I was thinking that Fanny could stay with you and Michael." Maria Bertrum said as she stroked her dog's fur.
"With me?" Anna Norris did not seem at all pleased. "Oh no, I don't have any spare rooms!"
Maria frowned. "What about the guest bedroom?" She insisted.
"The guest bedroom is for guests only!" Anne snapped in reply, eyeing the girl with distaste.
Fanny's heart blossomed in fear. What if no one wanted her? What if she had to be sent home? Her mum was in no state to look after her as well as everyone else.
"I'm sure we'll find a room for you Fanny dear." Maria Bertrum said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Fanny nodded unconvincingly.
The door of the living room opened and for a second time the girl Fanny had seen before along with another, almost identical person and a boy and man entered.
"You must be Fanny." The man said, holding out his hand.
"Yup." Fanny replied nervously, shaking the large hand that engulfed her own.
"I'm Thomas Bertrum." He replied not sounding at all please. "These are our children: Mariah, Julia and Edmund. Tom, the oldest is away for today."
"Nice to meet you." Mariah Bertrum, the girl Fanny had seen at the window earlier stepped forward.
Fanny managed a weak smile and was about to speak when the younger girl stepped forward. She was wearing the exact same thing as her older sister, except, instead of a pink top and black boots, acquired a lavender sweater and silver heels. "Please to meet you." She said; her hands in the pocket of her skirt.
Fanny smiled and went to speak, only to be interrupted again.
"You talk funny, and you wear funny clothes." Julia said, eyeing her appearance with amusement.
Fanny was startled by the approach. "What?" She demanded as she recovered from the attack of words.
"And you're rude." Mariah intervened. "You're disgusting, and don't think you won't have to pay us back in the future. We want every single cent back."
Fanny was about to open her mouth and retort to their comments, but was interrupted once again by Thomas Bertrum.
"Children, do not say that! Don't be rude! Go to your rooms! Edmund, you too!" He said stressfully.
"But I didn't do anything!" Edmund protested.
"Just go, take Fanny with you!" Thomas Bertrum ushered them out of the room and closed the door with a resounding thud.
The two girls smirked before making their way upstairs. Fanny stood awkwardly beside the Bertrum's youngest son, though he looked to be two years older than herself.
"Don't worry about them air heads. They're just angry 'cause mum took their mobiles away." He said reassuringly. "I'm Edmund."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Fanny." She replied blankly.
He grinned at her before placing an ear to the door to listen. Fanny, after a moment's hesitation, did the same.
"...send her back!" Thomas Bertrum's voice was angry.
"We can't do that! Not after the poor girl's travelled so far!" Maria Bertrum sounded unsure of herself.
"Well we can't just keep her like this." Anna Norris said quietly.
Maria Bertrum was quick to defend the child that she had been disappointed in. "I'm sure if it were the other way around, Frances would be good enough to keep her without any complaints!"
"What about school? And clothes and food, and travel expenses?" Thomas Bertrum demanded.
"School? We have enough money to send her to school, and we can afford to buy her new clothes occasionally." Maria Bertrum insisted.
"Maria, we cannot treat her like our own child! She is not your daughter, she's France's reject daughter!" Thomas Bertrum raged.
Fanny, having listened to the devastating argument between her mother's friend and her husband, found silent tears trailing down her cheeks.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Edmund said hastily, pulling her away from the door. "I'm sure they don't mean it!"
Fanny shook her head, crying silently, unable to speak, unable to push away the mounting panic and fear she felt towards being abandoned. Was it true that she had been the reject daughter, that her mother sent her away because she didn't want her anymore? The two Bertrum girls hated her; the woman known as Anna Norris had made it clear that she did not want Fanny around. As for Thomas Bertrum, he had never intended to provide a home for Fanny, and had only agreed to his beloved wife's pleadings.
"Come on; let me show you to your room." Edmund said finally, handing her his newly cleaned and pressed handkerchief. When Fanny didn't move, he sighed and took her hand in his, taking her bag with the other. "Don't cry Fanny, you'll be fine." He insisted, slowly leading her up the stairs and away from the loud arguments of the adults.