Btw, Emiline is the sub for Miley. I appreciate all the ideas you guys had for Miley's name. Destiny was the most popular, but it didn't really fit with the time period.

Emiline Stewart strode slowly but surely away from the Truscott family estate, where she had just been to call on her friend Lillian, who happened to be strangely absent. Emiline had just returned from a long voyage with her aunt and uncle to Bath. Her time there had been well-spent ad delightful, but she was ready to see her friend again. It had always occurred to her that their friendship was an odd one, as they were so dissimilar. Lillian was wild and reckless, not caring for tradition or what was considered to be proper; Emiline was sweet and had pleasant manners, though rather flirtatious among men. The few things they shared were irritating older brothers, and an importance on love instead of money.

She could still recall the first day they had met:

"I told you, Lillian, I want you to call me Miley! It's so... different! Exotic, even."

"You know your brother would have a conniption if he heard you called by that."

Emiline sighed and fell back on the bed dramatically. "I know. Brothers never let you have any fun." At that both of the girls burst into a fit of giggles, knowing that wasn't anywhere near the truth. In fact, Jackson was the one who started calling her Miley. His intentions, of course, were to completely infuriate her. Unfortunately for him, it did the complete opposite.

Emiline sighed. Things had been so much simpler back then. Suddenly, a flash of color in the nearby field caught her eye. She looked up to see her missing friend walking blindly through the mud, with hot and angry tears pouring down her face. Emiline was shocked to see Lillian cry, as she had never seen a single tear on her face. She hastily ran towards her friend, though she held up the hem of her dress in her hand.

"Lillian, is something the matter?" she cried out worriedly.

Lillian looked up, embarrassed, and stated in a shaky, though somewhat steady voice, "I'm quite alright, Emiline. How was your holiday?"

Emiline's face grew stern, and she forced Lillian to sit on a nearby fallen tree, saying, "Don't change the subject. I know very well that something is the matter with you, and I will detain you here until you tell me what it is."

Half-smiling at her companion's stubbornness, Lillian's eyes potrayed an angry sadness and she replied, "When Henry came back from town a fortnight ago, a large group of his friends came with him. I—a certain friend of his . . ."

Emiline's eyes grew wide with excitement as she interjected, "Are you saying that you love Mr. Oken at last?"



Lillian's face suddenly grew hard, and her tone was cold as she said through clenched teeth, "Even if he was the last man on the entire planet, I vow I will never love Mr. Oken! He is the cause of all of this." Emiline was shocked at her friend's angry outbreak, but she listened silently throughout Lillian's retelling of the events that had led up to where Emiline had found her.

Emiline was even more surprised when the narrative was over, but she managed to perceive something that Lillian would not. She saw that though Mr. Oken's actions were cruel and hurtful, they were done out of love and of the jealousy that love had brought. She had come to know Oliver through Lillian and Henry, and had always believed that Oliver loved her friend. In fact, Henry and Emiline had spent much time together trying to make the two realize how suitable they were for each other, though always had it been in van. So it can be supposed that even now, Emiline used Lillian's present situation to accomplish her private ambition.

Emiline hastily encouraged Lillian to approach Mr. Oken about the matter, though in a civil way. Causing a scene would only give the gossips something to gab about, after all. Emiline spent the rest of the day with Lillian, comforting her and trying to remove the deep-seated hatred that had established itself in her heart.

"Excuse me, sir, but is a Mr. Oken lodged here?" Lillian asked the same tavern keeper a few days later. It had taken her three days to calm down enough to confront Oliver without bringing a pistol.

The man was not pleased to see her. "I'm sorry, miss," he said in an irritated, condescending way. "But he's not 'ere. He left for London two nights ago, and yes, I'm sure of it. I saw him go with me own two eyes."

The coward, Lillian thought, and left the man to tend to his work. He doesn't even possess the gallantry to face me as a gentleman! All the way home, thoughts such as these ran through her mind, and did nothing to help nurture her wounded pride.

It would be a year before Lillian would see Mr. Oken again, and by that time, she thoroughly hated him, inside and out.

a/n: I kind of forced myself to write this chapter instead of waiting for inspiration, so sorry if it's not the best. Btw, most of the stuff in this chapter was inspired by the ideas of Pouring.My.Heart.Out.xJul. thank you!!

Next chapter: the trailer begins to come true!!