One shots and one offs

Your nose isn't big enough.

Hello! Wait.... was I too energetic? Probably, anyways hello I'm Emily but you can call me Em. I'm Allie's little sister. If you don't know who Allie is that's Alexander, he's my big brother. He asked me to write a story for all of you people to celebrate the new year. So happy new year! 

I'm going to tell you the story of the first time I arrived at Blackwood House. Incase you never read the story about Allie and Alice (Hurting and Deserting) I'll tell you a few things you need to know so that this story makes sense. If you haven't read their book though you should, even if you don't like romantic stuff I'm in there which obviously makes it a hundred times better. 

So here's what you need to know:

1. I'm 10 but I'll be 11 very soon. People still treat me like I'm 5 but I'm practically a grown up now.

2. Allie is 19 but he's not in this story as he and Alice were busy sneaking around on trains while this was happening.

3. At the time I thought both my parents were dead. I won't say anything as I don't want to spoil Allie and Alice's book.

4. And finally, this all happened a long time ago so if I forget things I'm very sorry. Now onto my story.

It was a cold and rainy day in early November, I was sitting in a car that it felt like I'd been sitting in for months. Apparently Mr Edwards (that's Lady Blackwood's butler and driver) liked to drive so he offered to drive down to Coventry to take me to Scotland. (Coventry is where I lived before mummy and daddy's house got bombed by the way.) I really wanted to go on a train but I didn't get to do that until much later. It probably would have been faster though. It seemed like it took forever in the car but Mr Edwards said it was "only 8 hours." 8 hours! That's a really long time to be sat in a car, especially when you have nothing to do.  

Mr Edwards and I played I spy for a bit, but we ran out of things to use. Then we played the alphabet game. If you've never played this it's really fun. You choose a topic, like animals or something and then you take it in turns to name something that starts with every letter of the alphabet. If you can't think of anything when it's your turn the other person wins a point. Just so you know, I won.

When we finally got to Blackwood House Mr Edwards opened the door. He showed me where the things on the bottom floor were including a huge dining room with chairs that were bigger than me. Apparently a dining room is like a fancy place where you sit and eat, I'm quite sure that a kitchen does exactly the same thing.

He also showed me a room which he called 'The Office', which he said I'm not allowed to go in. (I did sneak in there later on and it's just a room with loads of papers on a big desk, I'm not sure why I wasn't allowed in there.) Then he knocked on the door to the last room that we hadn't been in yet. 

A lady's voice answered "come in."

Mr Edwards pushed open the door. "Miss Emily has arrived" he said.

I came into the room but I looked at him "Emily is my first name not my last name, my last name is Stuart. So it should be Miss Stuart."

The lady laughed and explained "Mr Edwards must call you miss because that is your title now. While you're staying here you are my pretend daughter, at least for a while." 

I wasn't sure if I wanted a new mother. Mine was far better than this lady would ever be.

"Oh how rude of me," the lady said "I haven't introduced myself. I am Lady Blackwood, while you are here you will be attended to by Mrs Blanche. I have tried to inform her that you prefer to be called Emily but she insists on calling you Emmeline. I hope you don't mind."

I did mind very much but I didn't want to be rude. Allie always taught me that if someone calls you by your full name you don't correct them, so I replied "that's ok Mrs Blackwood." 

She laughed. I hate being laughed at. "You don't need to call me that, if you don't want to call me mother or anything similar Mary is fine" she said.

"Thank you," I said though I don't know what I was thanking her for, it just felt like the right thing to say "do I get my own room?"

"Yes of course darling," Mary said "Mr Edwards show Emily to her room."

"Certainly my Lady" Mr Edwards replied, and he took my hand and led me up the stairs.

It seemed like forever until we finally stopped. He opened the door to the biggest room I've ever seen. It was bigger than my whole house. Standing in the room was an old woman. She had glasses on that were so far down her nose I thought they might fall off. 

"Mr E why is there an old lady in my new room?" I asked.

The lady turned around. She looked cross. I don't know why as I asked a perfectly simple question. "Well really!" She said "you clearly need to be taught some manners young lady. I am Mrs Blanche, your nanny and tutor." 

"Mrs B I don't need a nanny. I'm 10." 

"Yes you do. You need to learn how to speak to people properly. And it's Mrs Blanche not Mrs B."

It was much more polite than the other names I wanted to call her. I decided on calling her Mrs B as it was the most polite name I had in my head at the time.

"I'm hungry," I said looking at Mr Edwards "can I have some cookies?"

"Certainly Miss Emily" Mr Edwards said but Mrs B stopped him.

"Eddie you can't give her biscuits now, it's almost dinner time."

"Only one or two Betty," Mr Edwards said "it won't hurt. She's just lost her parents, the poor thing." 

"Alright, she may have one or two I suppose," Mrs B said. Mr Edwards left and Mrs B looked at me "I can already see that I'm going to have my work cut out." 

I was still looking at her glasses. I was sure they were about to fall off her nose. 

"Mrs B you should really put your glasses on properly," I said "they're almost falling off your nose. Your nose isn't quite big enough to hold your glasses up if you wear them that far down."