"you have no idea what it is like to be in a room with someone you cannot live without, and yet still feel as though you are oceans apart."
Sevyn was born in the slums of England, beginning to dance at age two, she was discovered by Henry Granville...
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"girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes."
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March, 1813
Sevyn groaned, frustrated that the sole was not budging. She continued to smack the slipper against the wooden sculpting table, but to no avail, "Papa!" She called, trying to dig into the satin on the shoe. "Papa, can you come here!"
Henry appeared, peeping his head through the door. "What is it, Sev?" She merely motioned to her shoe, which she gently tossed onto the counter. "Stretching, or cracking?"
"Cracking." She heard the snaps echo throughout the room. "Thanks," she smiled. She hated the process of breaking in new pointe shoes, but she required new ones every week. Lucy always thought it was funny to see the girl standing on her toes, using a chair to hold herself up while her shoes adjusted to her foot.
It was amusing.
The girl took breaking in her pointe shoes extremely seriously, for it could cause an extremely painful injury- which she was not willing to face due to laziness.
It always seemed Henry was the only one could probably prepare her shoes for her, having been called upon to do the action since she realized just how she had to do it. At that time, she was simply too weak, now, she uses it as time to bond with him.
"I shall be leaving soon, before your guests begin to arrive." She clarified, pulling out her needle and thread to attach the nude ribbons to the satin fabric.
"No need to rush," Lucy promised, sitting in the loveseat next to her husbands easel, "they do not arrive till it is pitch black."
She let out a small laugh, bringing the matched thread through the fabric, allowing her to place the ribbon.
Within time, her shoes were ready to wear, and she began to leave the house. "Remember to wait for one of us to bring you up to your room." Henry reminded, standing at the threshold of the door.
"Highly unnecessary. I think I can make it to my room without either of your guidance today." Henry's eyes narrowed, "I guarantee, I shall be fine without one of you."
The man sighed, motioning for her to move on, but not before pressing his lips to her temple, "do not over do it again," he leaned in seriously, "do not need another fracture."
"Ay, Ay, Captain." Sevyn saluted, causing him to laugh out as she began her way to the opera house for training.
She walked in daily to Siena Rosso's warming up, it was intriguing. Sevyn had begun singing aria's when she got cast in the dance ensemble, but she was too fearsome of ever singing alone.
Today was different, a young man stood in the audience, watching Siena quite intensely. She knew what was to happen, so she took her leave, preparing to run the routine on the stage as soon as Siena were to exit the stage. Sitting in the front row, she began tying up her shoes. "How is your ankle?" Siena asked, kneeling down to engage the girl in conversation. "Looked painful last time."
Sevyn seethed, recalling when Adam had to lift her from the floor, her ankle had given out beneath her, "Henry assured I stayed in bed," she confirmed. "I made sure to warm up properly today."
Siena nodded, looking to the man in the back of the house, "may I see you practice?"
"Do you not have other affairs," The girl joked, nodding towards the man, "to attend to?"
"I am sure he would be eager to watch, as well." Siena brushed up, removing herself from the stage, as Sevyn could finally make out who the man was- Anthony Bridgerton. Her lips parted in shock. She had heard of the man being a rake. He spoke to every woman within the opera house, but had quickly noted her as uninterested.
She was only eighteen, she had no business flirting with a man almost fifteen years her elder. "If you are certain you wish to stay, can you alert me if I get to close to the pit?" With a mangled laugh, Siena nodded, using her hand to tell Anthony to come to the front row.
Sevyn began counting aloud, "one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight." Determining her tempo as her feet began to move.
A piece from La Fille mal gardée, or The Poorly Guarded Girl, a comic opera, but this was Lise's moment of vulnerability, and it often moved the girl to tears, evaluating her characters story through and through.
Her body moved effortlessly, Anthony noted. He was curious as to why ballet was considered taboo, when women as highly respected as Miss Granville participated in it.
The girl came to a halt, catching her breath, and Siena stood, clapping her hands together. "Brava!" Sevyn knew she had to run it about a hundred more times to truly do it as well as needed prepared, but she wanted to work more on her comic moments.
The ballet was inspired by a painting, La réprimande/Une jeune fille querellée par sa mère, and Sevyn had been taugh by the Ballet Master Jean Dauberval, himself. A great experience, but she was his number one, so she had major weight on her back.
Siena and Anthony took their leave, bidding the girl farewell, before moving to the dressing rooms. The girl would be deaf is she claimed she did not hear all the ruckus on the walls, and it distracted her severely.
After practicing turns for another turn of the clock, Sevyn made her way through the doors of the opera house, noticing the dark night, "may I walk you home?" She heard, quickly being caught off-guard by Anthony Bridgerton.
"I think I should be just fine, my Lord." He sighed, nodding in her direction, before beginning his crusade home.
Of course, the night scared the girl. It scared most women. Never knowing what lurked in the alleyways, but at long last- she made it home to the Granville's house. Quickly using her key to unlock the door. It was always steamy. Many came to watch her father hold the painting parties, but many came to fool around.
She assumed tonight was a quiet night, walking into two naked women standing at the center of the room. "Sevyn!" Henry took quick notice of her arrival, presenting her to the room. "My daughter, Sevyn." Many waved, but Henry took quick notice of her disdain, leading her up the stairs. "You must speak to your mother." He stated,
"My mother?"
"Lucy, yes. Sevyn- young girls are being debuted tomorrow." She stepped back, leaning against the wall.
"And?" She pressed. "What do you mean, Papa?"
"Sev, you have a fitting with Madame Delacroix tomorrow- we have to go to the ball, unfortunately" the girl huffed, "I know I promised you not needing to attend, but think! Eloise will be there. Daphne will be debuting." He tried to reason, but to no avail, the girl let out a loud groan, running up the stairs.
