e lucevan le stelle
anna gray was dead on paper, thanks to people's laziness.
in 1924, anna bernard was suppose to go to Birmingham with her guardian, attend grace burgess' wedding and leave the city. easy and uncomplicated ― the reality however was...
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The car ride from London to Birmingham was long and uncomfortable. The roads were uneven and the driver had to stop every now and then to check on the wheels just to make sure they were still alright. The skies were grey and cloudy and it was hard for Anna to imagine she was attending someone's wedding.
She has never in a wedding, let along at someone's who she didn't know.
All she knew about this Grace Burgess was that she was a distant relative of Imogen's. Anna wasn't even sure was Grace blood relative but she didn't ask ― she knew Imogen would have mentioned something if it was important.
The wedding was really all about relations and manners. Imogen wanted to see how Anna would handle a big event like a wedding. To some this might sound ridiculous and even mean in a way but Anna didn't mind this at all. She actually enjoyed all the fancy things Imogen and her life style has to offer.
But at first, Anna didn't like it a single bit.
Anna had been terrible at everything and possessed very little if any manners. She would slouch when sitting or crossed her legs very un-lady likely. She would rest her elbows on the table when eating and talked with her mouth full of food.
With the help of Imogen and several governesses, Anna's bad manners were now history. She did slip into her old habits every now and then but never for too long. She herself wasn't exactly the biggest fan of her poor old manners.
"I haven't seen Grace in years," said Imogen.
The older lady was sitting next to Anna, her hands gracefully on her lap as she looked at the road ahead.
"I don't even really know the man she's marrying but I heard that he isn't exactly suitable but Grace has always had a mind of her own. Even as a child she was wild and never did as she was told," she continued.
Anna nodded. "You knew Grace when she was a child?"
"I saw her every once in awhile," Imogen said and turned to look at Anna. "But now it has been years. You don't know my relations to her, do you?"
"You never said," admitted Anna.
Imogen hummed. "Yes well, Grace is my late brother-in-law's cousin."
"But you must be existed to see her," said Anna and smiled. "She's your family after all."
Family was a strange concept to Anna.
She had once had one but she didn't remember them. She was born to that family but separated from them at a young age for reasons unknown to her. To spare herself from the cold harsh truth, Anna never really sought out for any answers.
