Ok here's the next chapter, i hope you like it. Oh and I hate to say this, but I need ppl to review or else I'll develop a lack of interest for this story. So PLEASE R&R!
Over the next three years I lived at the school perfecting my manners and further effects to the etiquette categories. I often received letters from my parents and, in return, often wrote letters to my parents. From time to time I would write letters to Darien or Dillon and receive a letter back from Dillon but not once did I receive a letter form Darien. I would ask Dillon if Darien wished me to stop writing, but the answer always came back in the negative. I would sometimes sit for hours wondering why he never wrote and often lost track of time while thinking about my two friends.
Now that I think about it, I spent a foolish amount of time thinking about those two.
Habitually my parents sent me money; I saved most of it, for a rainy day. About a week before my 16th birthday I gathered my money and bought a coach ride to my house. My schooling was now complete and I was ready to return home.
As the coach neared the long twisting road that leads to my family's home, I wondered what my family would think of me. I was no longer the little girl they knew. Over the three years I lived at Catalina'a I had adopted an extensive amount of mannerism and etiquette. I had become a lady, no longer the little girl who loved to climb trees and swim in lakes with little boys. I could now see the lights from the windows of the family manor and with the horses every stride I became more and more fretful of my parents opinion of the new me.
As my anxiety built up so did my fidgeting. "Now Miss Serena, you have nothing to worry about. Why I've been working for you family since your mother was a tiny one and I know for a fact she'll be mighty proud of you." my nursemaid, Tiffany, said trying to calm my nerves.
Tiffany was a good looking woman in her early 50's. She had a rich ebony color of hair and deep brown eyes. Her skin was milky white and she had little age lines at the corners of her eyes. If not for her eyes you would not be able to tell her true age. Tiffany's eyes held wisdom beyond belief. She had not only seen but experienced war at first hand. She had lost both husband and son in a war that most people in our part of the country cared little about.
Her mother, who had been my mother's mother's nursemaid, died shortly after that, she had developed lung fever and was too old and fragile to handle it. That year had been a very mournful year for all of us. Tiffany's husband, Michael, had been a very good friend of both my father and of Darion; and Justin, Tiffany's son, was like an older brother to Darien.
But now I am dwelling too much on the past and must now get back to the present.
I smiled up at the woman who had become almost like a second mother to me. "Tiffany I'm just so worried that I have changed too much or not enough.....What if Mother and Father feel that I have not become a lady? What if they feel that I am the same little girl that they sent to school three years ago?"
"Well, you don't still swim in lakes with little boys now do ya?" she asked me affectionately. I shook my head, no. "And you don't go running around with your skirt over your knees?" Again I shook my head no. "Well then I 'spect you've become a mighly fine lady; and I'm mighty proud to have you as my mistress."
I smiled warmly and leaned over hugging her. Just then the coach jerked to a halt and I heard the shouted apologies from the driver. A few seconds later the coach door was opened by the driver and he helped Tiffany and myself out. As soon as I stepped out of the coach the front door of my family's house was flung open and I found myself in a tight embrace with my mother. "Oh Serena, my precious one, how I've missed you! How have you been? Oh dear, look how you have grown! Did you have many young men fawn over you? What am I thinking? Of course you had many young men fawning over you! Just look at you, you are absolutely gorgeous!" She stopped to take a deep breath and then scowled slightly. "Serena DeCorte, why did you not send word that you were coming home!?!"
"Love," came my father's voice from behind my mother as he took her by the shoulders, "please allow our daughter to breath. I would hate for her to just return home to us and then just leave again on account of you frightening her." He smiled at me to let me know he was just jesting. Kissing me on the forehead he turned to face the both of us and then spoke, "Now that I have my two lady loves with me we must retreat back into the house, for we have guests and shall have to catch up at a later time." He then motioned to the porch door, "My love, my daughter, Tiffany, it tis rude to make our guests wait longer. I will have Joshua come and take your bags inside."
It was a wonderful feeling to finally be home again. I had been longing for this moment for three years. True, I wanted more than anything to go to Catalina's and get away from the pains of childhood, but I also missed my parents dearly. I do believe that the only person that kept me sane was Tiffany. She kept me company all those nights I would break down and weep for hours on end. Not once did she leave my side on those nights; she never asked the reason for my shed tears either, she would just sit there and comfort me. Never prying, never scolding, just comforting.
As I walked into the house of my child hood my eyes widened ever so slightly. The sight before me was a shocking one. I walked into the sitting room and performed a perfect curtsy, "Good evening Sir Montehu, Lady Montehu, Dillon......Darien."
Over the next three years I lived at the school perfecting my manners and further effects to the etiquette categories. I often received letters from my parents and, in return, often wrote letters to my parents. From time to time I would write letters to Darien or Dillon and receive a letter back from Dillon but not once did I receive a letter form Darien. I would ask Dillon if Darien wished me to stop writing, but the answer always came back in the negative. I would sometimes sit for hours wondering why he never wrote and often lost track of time while thinking about my two friends.
Now that I think about it, I spent a foolish amount of time thinking about those two.
Habitually my parents sent me money; I saved most of it, for a rainy day. About a week before my 16th birthday I gathered my money and bought a coach ride to my house. My schooling was now complete and I was ready to return home.
As the coach neared the long twisting road that leads to my family's home, I wondered what my family would think of me. I was no longer the little girl they knew. Over the three years I lived at Catalina'a I had adopted an extensive amount of mannerism and etiquette. I had become a lady, no longer the little girl who loved to climb trees and swim in lakes with little boys. I could now see the lights from the windows of the family manor and with the horses every stride I became more and more fretful of my parents opinion of the new me.
As my anxiety built up so did my fidgeting. "Now Miss Serena, you have nothing to worry about. Why I've been working for you family since your mother was a tiny one and I know for a fact she'll be mighty proud of you." my nursemaid, Tiffany, said trying to calm my nerves.
Tiffany was a good looking woman in her early 50's. She had a rich ebony color of hair and deep brown eyes. Her skin was milky white and she had little age lines at the corners of her eyes. If not for her eyes you would not be able to tell her true age. Tiffany's eyes held wisdom beyond belief. She had not only seen but experienced war at first hand. She had lost both husband and son in a war that most people in our part of the country cared little about.
Her mother, who had been my mother's mother's nursemaid, died shortly after that, she had developed lung fever and was too old and fragile to handle it. That year had been a very mournful year for all of us. Tiffany's husband, Michael, had been a very good friend of both my father and of Darion; and Justin, Tiffany's son, was like an older brother to Darien.
But now I am dwelling too much on the past and must now get back to the present.
I smiled up at the woman who had become almost like a second mother to me. "Tiffany I'm just so worried that I have changed too much or not enough.....What if Mother and Father feel that I have not become a lady? What if they feel that I am the same little girl that they sent to school three years ago?"
"Well, you don't still swim in lakes with little boys now do ya?" she asked me affectionately. I shook my head, no. "And you don't go running around with your skirt over your knees?" Again I shook my head no. "Well then I 'spect you've become a mighly fine lady; and I'm mighty proud to have you as my mistress."
I smiled warmly and leaned over hugging her. Just then the coach jerked to a halt and I heard the shouted apologies from the driver. A few seconds later the coach door was opened by the driver and he helped Tiffany and myself out. As soon as I stepped out of the coach the front door of my family's house was flung open and I found myself in a tight embrace with my mother. "Oh Serena, my precious one, how I've missed you! How have you been? Oh dear, look how you have grown! Did you have many young men fawn over you? What am I thinking? Of course you had many young men fawning over you! Just look at you, you are absolutely gorgeous!" She stopped to take a deep breath and then scowled slightly. "Serena DeCorte, why did you not send word that you were coming home!?!"
"Love," came my father's voice from behind my mother as he took her by the shoulders, "please allow our daughter to breath. I would hate for her to just return home to us and then just leave again on account of you frightening her." He smiled at me to let me know he was just jesting. Kissing me on the forehead he turned to face the both of us and then spoke, "Now that I have my two lady loves with me we must retreat back into the house, for we have guests and shall have to catch up at a later time." He then motioned to the porch door, "My love, my daughter, Tiffany, it tis rude to make our guests wait longer. I will have Joshua come and take your bags inside."
It was a wonderful feeling to finally be home again. I had been longing for this moment for three years. True, I wanted more than anything to go to Catalina's and get away from the pains of childhood, but I also missed my parents dearly. I do believe that the only person that kept me sane was Tiffany. She kept me company all those nights I would break down and weep for hours on end. Not once did she leave my side on those nights; she never asked the reason for my shed tears either, she would just sit there and comfort me. Never prying, never scolding, just comforting.
As I walked into the house of my child hood my eyes widened ever so slightly. The sight before me was a shocking one. I walked into the sitting room and performed a perfect curtsy, "Good evening Sir Montehu, Lady Montehu, Dillon......Darien."