Richmond, Virginia, May 1920.
Fourteen year old Eliza sighed as she read the latest letter off her guardian:
"Eliza,
Sorry I have not written for awhile, but I've been very busy with business matters. After the War business has been a little down. Of course I am sure it will recover eventually. I have been receiving most satisfactory reports from your headmistress about your behavior as well as your education. As you are no doubt well aware you will soon be leaving school for good, so it is time we gave some consideration to what exactly you will be doing. When you return this summer we shall discuss it in detail.
Fondly,
Caldeon Hockley."
Of course Eliza had been considering what she would do with herself when she finished school. There was no way that Cal would send her to a finishing school or something like that. As it was people thought it extremely strange that Cal took her in, and even stranger that instead of putting her straight to work he engaged a governess for her, and then after his father's death sent her to school. And what a school this one was! Unlike at her previous school nobody here really knew, or cared, about the fact that she was an orphan who Cal had taken in after the Titanic sunk. Cal paid the money for her to have a private room and keep her clothes up to date fashionwise, so she didn't stand out from the crowd. Thinking about all that life had given her made Eliza think about her parents for a moment. The last few years had seen her regain her memory completely about her parents, and her old, poor life in Sweden. The only thing which was missing was the trip on the Titanic. "Who would ever have guessed Mama?" She whispered to herself. "Did you think, when you gave me to Cal to get off the sinking ship onto a lifeboat that he would do what he has done for me?"
There was a knock on Eliza's door, and she called for the person to come in.
"Aren't you coming down for dinner?" The person, who entered, asked.
Eliza realized that it was darker, and she must have been sitting on her bed with the letter thinking longer than she knew. "Sorry, I got distracted." She said. "I'll be right down Veronica."
"Well hurry." Veronica said. "We are having a roast tonight-and you know how Annabelle loves it."
Eliza had to grin. When Annabelle had heard that Eliza was not returning to school in Boston she'd thrown a fit, and demanded that her father transfer her too. She told her parents about how she and Eliza were both treated, and how Eliza was her only friend in the whole world! Anxious to avoid any conflict they had agreed, and now she and Eliza were happily part of the new school community.
*****
"Was the letter you received earlier today from Cal?" Annabelle asked later.
Eliza nodded. "He wants me to give some thought to what I want to do when I finish here."
Annabelle pouted. "I wish you were coming to finishing school with me. It sounds so dull!"
Eliza had to laugh. "But Annabelle, if you don't go there you wont be able to be a debutante!"
"Yuk!" Annabelle replied. "An awful dress, and some awful young man Mother wants to line me up with, who is as boring as his fortune is large! Really, I think you're going to be luckier than me!"
"How's that?" Eliza asked wondering. She hadn't admitted her fears to anyone yet, not even her best friend, but she was worried that Cal would turn her into a maid or something boring like that, putting all her education and manners to waste. But a little voice nagging inside her reminded her that Cal had already done way more than was expected of him! Sometimes she wondered why he actually did so much for her, but she had no idea!
"It would be nicer to be able to not worry about it, that's all." Annabelle replied.
"Well trust me, I've got plenty to worry about!" Eliza assured her. "I don't know what I am going to be doing when this summer is over since I'll be finished with school and all."
Fourteen year old Eliza sighed as she read the latest letter off her guardian:
"Eliza,
Sorry I have not written for awhile, but I've been very busy with business matters. After the War business has been a little down. Of course I am sure it will recover eventually. I have been receiving most satisfactory reports from your headmistress about your behavior as well as your education. As you are no doubt well aware you will soon be leaving school for good, so it is time we gave some consideration to what exactly you will be doing. When you return this summer we shall discuss it in detail.
Fondly,
Caldeon Hockley."
Of course Eliza had been considering what she would do with herself when she finished school. There was no way that Cal would send her to a finishing school or something like that. As it was people thought it extremely strange that Cal took her in, and even stranger that instead of putting her straight to work he engaged a governess for her, and then after his father's death sent her to school. And what a school this one was! Unlike at her previous school nobody here really knew, or cared, about the fact that she was an orphan who Cal had taken in after the Titanic sunk. Cal paid the money for her to have a private room and keep her clothes up to date fashionwise, so she didn't stand out from the crowd. Thinking about all that life had given her made Eliza think about her parents for a moment. The last few years had seen her regain her memory completely about her parents, and her old, poor life in Sweden. The only thing which was missing was the trip on the Titanic. "Who would ever have guessed Mama?" She whispered to herself. "Did you think, when you gave me to Cal to get off the sinking ship onto a lifeboat that he would do what he has done for me?"
There was a knock on Eliza's door, and she called for the person to come in.
"Aren't you coming down for dinner?" The person, who entered, asked.
Eliza realized that it was darker, and she must have been sitting on her bed with the letter thinking longer than she knew. "Sorry, I got distracted." She said. "I'll be right down Veronica."
"Well hurry." Veronica said. "We are having a roast tonight-and you know how Annabelle loves it."
Eliza had to grin. When Annabelle had heard that Eliza was not returning to school in Boston she'd thrown a fit, and demanded that her father transfer her too. She told her parents about how she and Eliza were both treated, and how Eliza was her only friend in the whole world! Anxious to avoid any conflict they had agreed, and now she and Eliza were happily part of the new school community.
*****
"Was the letter you received earlier today from Cal?" Annabelle asked later.
Eliza nodded. "He wants me to give some thought to what I want to do when I finish here."
Annabelle pouted. "I wish you were coming to finishing school with me. It sounds so dull!"
Eliza had to laugh. "But Annabelle, if you don't go there you wont be able to be a debutante!"
"Yuk!" Annabelle replied. "An awful dress, and some awful young man Mother wants to line me up with, who is as boring as his fortune is large! Really, I think you're going to be luckier than me!"
"How's that?" Eliza asked wondering. She hadn't admitted her fears to anyone yet, not even her best friend, but she was worried that Cal would turn her into a maid or something boring like that, putting all her education and manners to waste. But a little voice nagging inside her reminded her that Cal had already done way more than was expected of him! Sometimes she wondered why he actually did so much for her, but she had no idea!
"It would be nicer to be able to not worry about it, that's all." Annabelle replied.
"Well trust me, I've got plenty to worry about!" Eliza assured her. "I don't know what I am going to be doing when this summer is over since I'll be finished with school and all."