It's been a little while but I'm finally back for chapter 2! Before I begin, I want to thank one very kind reader for messaging me some details about Cora's early life and I've updated my first chapter to fit. I really hope you enjoy the next chapter.
Forced To Accept it
Cora sat quite still for a moment, stunned by what she had just been told. After her brief pause, she managed to stutter out "wh-what?". Martha turned and looking sternly at her repeated herself. Hearing it a second time didn't make it any easier to swallow and Cora yet again sat in silence. "But England," she finally said, "it's so far away". It was then her father's turn to look at her. "You're mother and I feel it would be better for you" he stated plainly looking back at his daughter. "But why?" Cora said, now exasperated, "You can't just expect me to leave everything I've ever kno-" she stopped, jumping slightly as her mother cut in sharply, barking "enough,". Knowing she now had her daughter' full attention, she straightened up in her chair and continued in a calmer tone, "Cora, you know what people are like here, and in England, they can offer you money and position the likes of which you'll never find here". Cora had also regained her composure and looked her mother straight in the eye, "Suppose I don't care about money and position" she snapped, tears threatening to escape her, "suppose I care about having a husband that loves me". Martha laughed out loud at this and that was the final straw for Cora. She shot up and stormed from the room, no longer able to fight them, she wiped tears of frustration as she went. When she got to the top of the stairs she ran to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her and slumping against it.
An hour later she was sitting at her dressing table, staring out the window behind it and letting the occasional tear roll down her cheek whenever she thought of that morning's events. Suddenly, she heard a gentle knock at the door and hurriedly wiping the tears from her cheeks called "who is it?"."It's me, Miss Levinson," Marci's kind voice called from behind it. Cora finished wiping her tears away and getting up from the dressing table to face the door, answered: "Come in". Marci came in the door and her usually kind face dropped at the sight of the young woman before her. Cora's face was red and blotchy, and she was also clutching a stained handkerchief. She'd been crying. Marci had been downstairs ironing Cora's evening dress so she hadn't been around to even begin to think why. "Is something the matter?" the young girl asked, walking toward her. Cora held herself for just a moment, but then biting her lip she let her tears fall freely again "Oh Marci," she cried, as her maid rushed to comfort her.
The two now sat on the bed, Marci with her arm around Cora's shoulders and Cora wiping away her seemingly endless tears with her handkerchief. "I don't know what I'm going to do," she sobbed "England is so far away, and to think I may never come back". Marci gently rubbed her back as her poor friend continued to cry. "It may not be that bad," she said, smiling kindly '"It'll be different, but not necessarily bad". "It'll be awful!" Cora exclaimed, getting up and throwing off Marci's kind arm. "I'll be all alone, married to a man who will never love me and living in a drafty house out in the middle of nowhere". Cora then took her head in her hands and began to sob again. Marci rose slowly from the bed and turning to her mistress said, "how do you know he'll never love you?". Cora lifted her head and looking at her friend began, "you know what the English are like, all they care about is their money and their titles. A wife to them is like a handbag. Admired when it's new and beautiful and useful only for carrying things most precious to its owner. But when it is old and no longer able to carry those precious things, it is thrown aside into a dark corner of some room to watch as life continues to go on around it". This declaration upset Marci even more. This was not the happy, carefree, and positive Cora she knew. This was a young woman who was being thrown into something that even the very thought of terrified her. A young woman who wanted so desperately to be loved, watching any chance she thought she had being snatched away. Marci didn't know what the English were like. But from what Cora described, she didn't like them one bit and as she wrapped her arms around her friend she too fought tears as she tried to push all the horrible thoughts of what may happen to Cora away while comforting her as she continued to sob into her shoulder.
There's chapter 2! From what I could find, it seemed that Cora was forced to go to England by her mother and I really wanted to write a version of how that may have affected her, being only 18 at the time. Thank you so much for coming back to read this chapter, I hope I'll have the next one up far quicker. As always a review would be very much appreciated and goodbye for now!