Disclaimer: I own nothing and all rights go to Stephenie Meyer
Sorry for the ridiculously long wait, but I've been really busy lately; As always: Read, Enjoy, & Review
Chapter one:
London, 1891
Victoria shivered as she hurried down the street toward the park, her brilliant red hair trailing behind her like a ghost in the the wind. She wrapped her coat more securely around her, but it was so thin it was hardly any insurance against the bitter London weather. But her mother insisted it was the height of fashion, so cold or no, Victoria must wear the most fashionable clothes if she wanted to find a husband. And she did, she thought as she hurried down the cobblestone street, just not the men her mother and aunt wanted her to marry. They wanted her to marry for money and social standing, like most of London's other elite young women. They didn't know that Victoria was currently on her way to meet the only man she was interested in marrying, a man they would never approve of because of his social standing. Peter Jacobs may have been just a carpenter, but he was the only man Victoria could see herself marrying. Seeing him was worth the risk of her family's disapproval and social ostracism, and she had never cared about society's rules. Neither had Peter.
She remembered the first time she met him. They had both been ten years old, their families out for a picnic in the park on a sunday afternoon. He had snuck away from his parents and she had snuck away from her mother and aunt to join a group of children playing baseball. The group had been made up entirely of boys, and they hadn't wanted to let a girl play, except for one boy, Peter. He argued that anyone should be able to play, but they didn't listen to him. Victoria, who had always been clever, had an idea. She had always been very fast, and decided to suggest a race; if she won, she could play. When she challenged the boys' leader, he had smiled, thinking he was going to win. He had looked at Victoria in shock when the race started and she beat him, uncomprehending that he had lost. The boys gained respect for her after that and let her play, Peter watching her the whole time with a smile. He played on her team, and their side ended up winning. After about an hour, though, her mother and aunt came looking for her, shrieking in dismay to see Victoria looking as dirty as the rest of those boys. They had dragged her home to change, scolding her all the while, as Peter waved goodbye. She waved back, instinctively knowing she had found a friend.
Over the years they stayed friends, and she also befriended his sister, Bridget, despite the difference in social standing. Bridget often stayed home with her mother, who was sick, so it was usually just Peter and Victoria. They had to be careful not to be seen together too often, as it would have been considered improper for a wealthy young lady to have poor friends. They met up often in the park to play on sundays, Victoria carefully making sure she didn't get dirty so her mother and aunt wouldn't be upset with her. As they grew older, though, they didn't have as many chances to see each other. Victoria's family started staying home after church on sundays, and Victoria spent many long, boring afternoons learning to perfect her needlepoint skills. Victoria also had a tutor, like most of the upper-class, and Peter's family was too poor to send him for longer than a few years, but he could read and write. He missed school, though, so Victoria began teaching him whatever she learned when she would visit the park. It was right after one of these lessons that they shared their first kiss. Victoria turned to leave, tripped, and landed in Peter's arms. He had leaned closer to see that she was all right, and then he kissed her. She had frozen in shock, but then returned his kiss with equal fervor. They stayed like that for a while, out of sight of the world, sheltered by a nearby tree, when Peter broke away from her to tell her how he felt. He told her that he'd been in love with her ever since that day when they were ten years old in the park playing baseball, and that he hoped she felt the same way. Peter looked nervous as he spoke, and Victoria could imagine how he felt. It was never easy to put your heart on the line, but if you never did, you could never find love. Victoria was thrilled; she had been writing "Mrs. Peter Jacobs" in her diary since she was a girl. They talked for hours, about their daily lives and what they hoped their futures would be like. Peter wanted to one day have his own carpentry shop like his father, and Victoria confessed that if she could, she would be a lawyer. Peter was the only one she had ever told that to. Her family would never have understood it; they thought she should be happy as a wife and mother, and so did the rest of the world. No one seemed to think that women could handle having a career and a family except for Peter. She remembered that day on the baseball field when they were children, and how he had stood up for her. Things had always been like that with Peter; she could tell him anything and felt he really listened to her. It was such a refreshing characteristic in a man, so different from most others who patted her head and told her not to worry; this infuriated her. As though she were stupid or less for being female. She knew he valued her opinion, and it brought them closer. And when they got around to talking about it, they both had similar family plans, both wanting five or six children, with a house next to Peter's family.
Little did they know that first loves and the plans they make together rarely work out.