Remus Lupin is not my character he belongs to JK and harry potter as well as other characters which may or may not be mentioned later in the story,i have tried to do as much research into the Victorian era as possible Inspired initially by the poem by Charlotte Mew, recommended read although the story has kind of developed beyond recognition. reactions will let me know if i should keep adding to or criticism may be required for grammatical errors. enjoy guys :)
The next morning I awoke early again, I opened my windows and sat on my windowsill listening to the noise of the day. In two days mother and father were taking us to the ball, every year my grandmother and grandfather would hold a grand ball.
This presented a great opportunity my mother had instructed, she had told my brothers to dance with me tonight as well as my father. With such high classed guests it was another opportunity to display myself to suitors although a much wider range than I ever had.
I would need to appear perfect from all angles, all night as every single man who will lay eyes on me was a potential suitor. My stomach churned at the thought.
Mother had said she wished to take me shopping, to buy the best of dresses for me especially for the night. She also planned to have one of our oldest and most experienced maids fix my hair, under mother's instruction of course. She had already told me what we were looking for; red, it was my favourite colour to wear; she always said I looked stunning in it.
By mid-day we were dressed, fed and on our way to the shops by carriage, the scenery passed by quickly and it didn't take us long to get to the shops. After looking through three shops we finally came to mothers favourite.
Her brisk was made me suspect that she had already seen the dress from the carriage.
We came in and the workers curtseyed to us, all of them knew how to make and design dresses. Depending on how quickly dresses were being bought up depended on how often the workers would have to submit designs to be approved and then made.
This is what made this shop special to my mother, no two dresses looked alike when they were made here, all one of a kind, all made by one individual with painstaking care. I looked from hanger to hanger and manikin to manikin.
I always loved the dresses made by one of the workers, Alice was her name. A middle class girl who had designed or had some input in most of my dresses from my coming out wardrobe.
I walked towards her smiling as she curtseyed "hello Alice I hope your well, mother and I are looking for a red ball gown for me to wear for the Ashmore autumn ball. Do you have any designs that fit my requirements?" I asked looking at one of the nearest manikins. "I don't have anything made, there are some ball gowns on display which I could show you, I do have one on design which I could have specially made to your fit if you wish?" she said politely.
I waved my mother over "could we look at the design?" I said, Alice nodded curtly before curtseying and rushing off to whisper something in the shopkeeper's ear before leaving the room and returning with a book. "Now if I'm making the dress especially for you I may have to change the shades of red to ensure it compliments your skin tones" Alice said returning with the book flicking through it quickly.
"Here it is" she said proudly holding the book up "oh Alice it's beautiful" I couldn't help but gasp, I could already picture myself wearing it. My mother leaned in for a closer, her eyes going over every detail in on the paper, reading through all the notes looking at what material would be what.
"That looks beautiful Alice dear, if I may ask see if we can lower the shoulders possibly down to here" my mother said indicating against my shoulder. "I can easily arrange that, if you will follow me and I can take your measurements" Alice said closing the book and curtseying leading me towards a stool.
She measured my arms, my chest waist hips and carefully making note as she went along. "Thank you Miss Charlotta, I should be able to have the dress finished by tomorrow later, I was already halfway through the dress and have already created some of the basic aspects of it. If at all possible send for someone to collect it tomorrow at 7 if you could" Alice said curtseying again hanging the tape measure around her neck.
"That would be splendid thank you Alice for your wonderful service, good day my mother said handing a coin as a tip. I followed mother out of the shop. "Oh mother won't that dress look splendid" I said dreamily.
I could see myself now; hair elegantly pinned up, pearls around my neck waltzing with men while others looked on enviously.
"It will, I must admit I am excited to see what it will look like, it is beautiful as well" mother said smiling proudly at me. We returned home and mother quickly went under way with instructing the maids on what to pack.
"Mother" I said distracting her from one of the maids who scurried off to carry out her orders, "may I go and see Bethany" I asked "of course should I send someone with you?" mother asked knowing the answer already "I'll be fine, I expect I shall be back in an hour or two" I said looking at the clock before walking out the front door.
Bethany was a close friend; she was an upper class girl like me, since a young age the two of us were encouraged to befriend each other since we lived so closely and were both proper companies.
Bethany had bright golden blond hair, she was very petite and had beautiful green eyes, when I was younger I was always jealous of how slim and beautiful she was but as we grew older I grew less and less jealous.
Her schooling in academic subjects was very relaxed however her studies had been more focused on her musical skills as she showed much potential. She had a beautiful fair voice which had been strengthened and trained into the sweet and melodic voice which she now possessed.
It was a 5 minute walk through the busy streets to Bethany's house, it wasn't as large or as grand as my house but hers was more homely than mine. Their family isn't as close as mine. However Bethany has 5 other sisters and her mother was expecting another, Mr Burley desperately wanted a boy and understandably so.
Knocking on the door it was pulled open by one of the maids.
"I'm looking for Mrs Bethany, is she in?" I said looking around the warm light room "Who is it Patricia?" came a shout from another room before Mrs Burley came in, "why Mrs Burley might I say pregnancy does suit you well" I said smiling.
Her brown hair was pinned up and back in plats, her average build seemed softened by the large bulge, her skin glowed and her face although tired look bright. "Oh Charlotta lovely to see you, thank you. Bethany is just finishing up piano practice" she said turning back into the living room.
The upbeat light tune clearer, Bethany was sat eyes focused on the music book in front of her, hands dancing across the keys. The smell of flowers filled my nose vases were everywhere "the flowers are lovely are they all gifts?" I said looking at the 5 vases dotted around the room "they're from Albert, the midwives and doctors think it's a boy" Mrs Burley said with a huge smile.
"Oh gosh that is fantastic" I said smiling and clapping my hands together. "Mother are me and Charlotta permitted to go and chat" Bethany piped up her hands still moving across the keys.
"You can continue your piano practice later" Mrs Burley said with a smile as Bethany closed the piano and got up swiftly walking from the room and grabbing my arm to lead me out "goodbye Mrs Burley" I said turning back.
"I've got news" Bethany said still marching towards the back door to enter the garden. Bethany's mother loved flowers so she had many patches of flowers and shrubs scattered around the garden.
"Well go on then, out with it" I said pulling my arm from her grasp "wait we can't be overheard, I shouldn't even know yet" Bethany said looking round ensuring that no one was near.
Stepping into the white iron gazebo she too a nervous breath of air "mother said she is going to take me shopping for my coming out wardrobe" Bethany said nervously "oh my goodness Bethy that is fantastic I said jumping up. She only looked at the floor "what's wrong, that's great news Beth; you get new dresses, new shoes, men notice you; you're not something to be ignored" I said listing the promises of coming out.
"That only the good side of it" she said glumly "mother told me about how she became pregnant with Rose".
Rose was Mrs Burleys daughter who passed away 3 years ago from ill health at the young age of 2, she was beautiful and full of life with luxurious. "I don't want you to think any less of little Rose, god bless her, she was a little sweet heart" Bethany said sadly looking at a nearby rose bush.
"Rose wasn't my father's daughter" Bethany said glumly "what?!" I shouted standing up at the scandal of it.
"Mother went to a theatre show with a group of women, however she wasn't quite feeling herself a ways into the show, she got up and went to get some fresh air on her own, she convinced them she would only be outside of the lobby so there was no need for someone to come with her" tears were beginning to shine in Bethany's eyes.
I sat back down putting my hand over her neatly folded ones "maybe she walked too far, or maybe no one could hear her shouts from the lobby. But a man grabbed her, she said he had a knife to her throat but she still fought him. He took her into a back ally and hit her again and again" Bethany's breathe shuddered.
"Mother told me this is how Rose was conceived, that some men just do it because they feel as though they deserve it or want it" her voice thick with tears "want what?" I asked cautiously.
"A woman" she answered looking me in the face, tears rolling down it. I hugged her as she cried an unsettled feeling inside of me as I looked around.
I went home that night with one of Bethany's female servants; I looked at every man as we walked past. At dinner that night I looked at my brothers and father, I knew they would never do something like that. But how could any gentleman? The male servants I had known since birth I could trust, they had proved themselves nothing but kind gentle people.
It was the unknown man, the one who presented himself with good intentions, the one who found me while alone, the one who could not help but caress and touch or glance me over with a watchful eye. Those were the men I would have to guard myself from if I was to avoid the fate of Bethany's mother, Mrs Burley…