Molly-Jane Walter

Chapter Three

Months passed by, and my heart sank lower and lower as no mention had come to my attention of my going away to school. Winter came and was gone once again, and still, there was no mention of school. Upon one spring day, Laura came out to where I was sitting on my wooden bench in the garden and informed me that Mrs. Miller was in the Drawing Room and wished to see me. 'What could she possibly want with me?' I think, fear making my heart beat fast. Taking the stairs slowly, I prepare myself for the encounter. Laura announced my arrival to Mrs. Miller who told her to bring me in at once. I walk towards my aunt, standing in front of her. I dared not make eye contact. "Well, Molly-Jane I suppose you've wondered whether or not I have chosen to send you away to school?" She asked, her voice low. I nod once, still refusing to make eye contact. "You shall go to school, but only on account of my being relieved of your presence. You leave in two days. Not a day later." I look up at my aunt, unable to speak. Was she lying? Or was she truly telling me that I would be relieved of her and her horrid children? "Go back up to your room now. Laura will pack the rest of your things. I really wish that you and I had gotten along better, Molly. I'm your aunt after all, and I do love you, and wish that in return, you could love me however much you might hate me so." A lump formed in my throat. Love her? How could I possibly EVER love Mrs. Miller, my cruel aunt who treated me so poorly and shunned me for all those years of my childhood? I take a slow, steady breath. "You have never loved me. From the very first day I came, you never loved me. You shunned me; your horrid boy Desmond Miller was cruel to me! He beat me while his sisters and you turned away, ignoring his behaviour! How could I EVER possibly love such a cruel creature as yourself?" I was surprised at the words that flowed from my mouth, for my anger had gotten the best of me, and I could not control my cry of outrage.

"Go up to your room now, Molly-Jane." came the reply. As cruel of me as it is to think, I felt glad that I had said such things. It felt as though a weight had been lifted from my chest, and as though I could finally breathe again. Two days, and I was on my way to Lancaster School. Laura had dressed me in a shawl that was neither too hot nor too cool for the warm spring weather. Before getting inside the carriage, I turn back, and to my surprise, Laura embraced me. She told me how much she would miss me, and how much she loved and cherished me. It broke my heart to be parted from her, but I knew that this was the next chapter in my life. The ride to Lancaster School took five hours. Along the way were grassy pastures and hills that touched the sky. I had never seen such things, so my curiosity was captured by the incredible landscape before me. There were the occasional cows grazing in pastures on top of these hills, but after a while, I was beginning to get bored. I had nothing but myself and my little doll in the carriage, so all I could do was look out of the window at the landscape. After about three hours, or what I assume was three hours, I fall asleep to the gentle rocking of the carriage, and the sound of the horses' hooves as they trotted along. I wake up to the sound of voices; night had fallen, and all was dark except for a single lantern held by a person captured in darkness. My heart beat wildly. Was it a ghost? Perhaps it was an evil ghost, come to take me away from the earth. The person stepped forward and revealed themself to be a woman. I sigh, relieved that this woman was not a ghost of any type. "Are you Molly-Jane Walter?" She asked me, her voice as soft as silk. "I am indeed Molly-Jane Walter. But please, you must call me Molly, for Molly-Jane, is indeed too long a name." I say, desperation clear in my voice. The woman nodded. "I shall call you that as you request, Molly." She smiled warmly. "Now, I imagine you are quite tired and hungry. If you'll follow me this way, I shall take you to the kitchen." The woman opened the carriage door and helped me out. She introduced herself as Miss Helen Braxton.

Once inside the kitchen, a delicious plate of roast potatoes, bread with butter, and some cold pieces of turkey were delivered to me. I was very grateful for the food for I had not eaten since breakfast that morning. Also offered to me was a glass of water, which I drank gratefully. While I ate and drank, Miss Braxton explained to me how things worked around Lancaster School. She told me that the school was a mixture of girls and boys, which included separate dormitories, there were twelve classrooms, a church, and a dining hall. We would all rise at exactly seven o'clock in the morning, we would have breakfast from seven-fifteen until eight-thirty, and then we would say our prayers at eight-thirty. After prayers, classes would start at nine, where they would commence until twelve o'clock. From twelve o'clock until one o'clock, lunch would commence. Once lunch was finished, one o'clock until three o'clock consisted of more lessons. At five o'clock every Sunday, every pupil would walk down to the church which took roughly half an hour's walk, and from six o'clock until seven o'clock, we would be in church saying our prayers. Dinner would follow at eight o'clock and then bedtime at nine. All of this seemed a lot to me, for as you know, reader, I had never been to school before and had no idea how such things worked. After finishing my meal, Miss Braxton took me to the girls' dormitory. I was instructed to quietly undress and put on the nightgown that had been placed on my bed and go straight to sleep. I marvel at how quiet the dormitory was. For when I slept in my room at my aunt's Manor, I could hear Desmond snoring loudly in his room below mine. It was quite hard to get a good night's sleep when Desmond snored. Sleep came upon me quickly, for I felt very tired from my travels. I was woken up by a loud bell ringing. Looking around, I remember where I am: I am at school, in the girls' dormitory, and it is time to get up for breakfast. I dress quickly and make my way to the dining hall with the other girls. Strangely enough, there was no assigned place I was to sit at, and even stranger, the girls and boys were permitted to sit with one another if they wished to do so. As I sit down on the wooden bench, a boy came and sat beside me. He had hair as fair as the sun, the bluest eyes I had ever seen, and skin so pale, that it looked like freshly fallen snow. He introduced himself as Gilbert Harding. "I am very pleased to meet you, Gilbert." I say in my most lady-like voice. "I am Molly-Jane Walter, but I prefer to be called Molly." I tell him, trying not to smile at how excited I was to meet someone new. "Molly, yes indeed I do like that name. We shall be great friends you and I," He smiled widely, and in that moment, I knew that I had found my first true friend at Lancaster School. Gilbert was kind to me, unlike that of my cousins, he was quite interested in everything I had to say. At times though, I felt that I was talking too much, and told Gilbert that at any time, if he felt I was boring him or that I was talking too much, he need only tell me so. Reader, you must understand that talking a lot was not seen as attractive, only an annoying habit for which no one wished to obtain. Gilbert smiled, shook his head, and told me that he quite enjoyed my chatter. He told me of books he had read, of places he had seen, and we found that we both enjoyed quite a few of the same books. Personally, I liked books with adventure and romance, as did Gilbert. He also liked books that had a mystery to them, and informed me that his very first dream had been to become a detective. However, Gilbert's family had other plans for him, and so, he told me, he was forced to give up that dream. It saddened me that Gilbert could not become what he had always dreamed of, but he insisted that there was a better future for him than that of a detective. His mother wished only for his happiness, however, his father wished for him to take on Rosefield Hall when he was gone. "What a lovely name!" I exclaim. Gilbert smiled. "It is indeed lovely, although, at the moment, none of my family lives there. It is used as a holiday house, so we only go there every three months or so." I sigh happily. "I hope this isn't too forward of me, but might you take me with you on your next holiday? I should very much like to see Rosefield Hall." I explain, hoping he did not think me rude. "Not at all, I should very much like to take you. There are fountains and miles and miles of grass to run in. It has spectacular views from the third floor as well, views that overlook the lake!" Gilbert explained, and spread his hands in the air as though he were painting the very picture of Rosefield Hall. We smiled at one another, and in that very moment, I just knew that Gilbert and I would become very good friends.