4.) A lady must always be gracious and kind
Later that evening, after dinner was eaten, Elizabeth found herself seated in the parlour with her mother as her father and Alfred spoke in the study. It was a bit tiring listen to her mother ramble on about how charming Alfred seemed, but Elizabeth did not show her displeasure. Instead, she added small comments when it was deemed necessary. It was nice to see her mother with such a happy face, but she couldn't help but wonder about the reason behind the elder's glee.
Alfred had proved himself to be quite polite and formal when her parents were around, she had noticed during dinner. But his unseemly actions while they were alone made it seem a fraud. As they dined, she found herself observing the lad more and more. He was certainly comely in the lighting of the gaslamp, but that wasn't all that she could focus on. The more their eyes connected, the more Elizabeth questioned her original judgement of his character.
But who was to say other than time? Elizabeth was never fond of time; it took too much.. Well, time! She liked knowing things in that moment, and she often found herself keeping control of herself to stay calm when time was finicky. She wished she had the ability to speed up time; that would be capital.
"Oh, Elizabeth! I can just imagine you in a few years time as a mother! You must have mercy on my soul, child, for I have such longing to see you married," her mother said suddenly, surprising Elizabeth out of her musings about time.
"Mother..!" She cried, embarrassed. The woman just laughed and waved her away.
"I'm just teasing, child. Go relax; it has been a very exciting day. Have a walk in the garden, if you will."
"I.. Will. Thank you, Mother." Standing up, Elizabeth pressed a short kiss to her mother's cheek and walked outside, not forgetting to fetch her coat, gloves, or hat of course. Walking among the flowers that adorned the hedges she passed, the Englishwoman was able to just relax and be happy. There was no Alfred nor any other suitor to worry about in the flowers. Instead, it was just beauty and delicacy. Closing her eyes, she sat herself down on a stone bench and smiled. Everything seemed right in the world during that moment…. Right? But what if it wasn't? What if.. Elizabeth wasn't alone in the gardens? Only time would tell.
Whoop whoop, I am here with yet another late update! But the questions at the end are questions to you all! What if something wasn't right? What if she wasn't alone? What will happen? Who might appear? Only time will tell.