Chapter 1
The sounds of early morning work in the harbors woke Elizabeth from her peaceful slumber, as it did every morning. She never tired of the noises, though, as they came to embody normalcy, at least in her eyes.
She sat up and stretched, stifling a yawn as she did so. Pulling back the quilted cover she slept under, she thought on the upcoming events of the day. Most of them would, almost certainly, include a certain brown-eyed blacksmith. Thinking about him always brought a smile to her face, and this time was no different. She was fairly beaming when her door opened and her maid entered, carrying a tray which held a light breakfast.
"Good morning, miss," she said, curtsying slightly so as not to spill the items on the tray.
Elizabeth chose not to reply audibly. Instead, she offered the maid a warm smile and nod and stood from her bed.
"Shall I help you dress, miss?" the maid asked as Elizabeth moved to sit at her vanity and began to brush her thick, wavy tresses.
"No thank you," she said to the maid's reflection, "I can manage on my own."
The maid curtsied and turned to leave but stopped half-way to the door.
"Will you not need help with your corset and hair, miss?"
A disgusted sigh was her answer followed by the thunk of the brush hitting the vanity.
"My hair is fine the way it is and I will not be wearing a corset. Thank you."
The maid turned to go, hurt evident on her face, but was stopped by a sigh.
"I'm sorry," Elizabeth said, "It's just that you know I've had some unhappy experiences with corsets."
The maid laughed at this then turned to go, no longer upset.
At the sound of the door closing, Elizabeth stood and moved to her closet to select a gown. She chose one that was a light green with bits of white lace at the hem and more at the elbow where the sleeve ended. She left her hair down, knowing that Will cared little for extravagance. It was just as well, she hated all of the pomp and circumstance that usually came with going out.
After applying a dot of perfume to her throat, rose oil, Will's favorite, she left the room and walked down the long staircase to the foyer where the butler stood waiting next to the doors.
"Have a good day, Miss Elizabeth," he said, as he opened the huge door.
Sunlight immediately splashed onto her face and she smiled.
"Yes, thank you. I do believe it will be a very good day."