If Only You Knew

1 - The Beginning of My Ever After

September 29th 1874 - Whitehall Manor, Northern Europe

The shining purple jewels gleamed in my chocolate curls, spilling down my back to my waist. The pins held half my hair up in rolls like a crown around the back of my head. I was staring at myself in the mirror, my eyes meeting with my older sister's as we shared a knowing smile. Her hair was a little lighter than mine, but almost the same, and yet we shared the same pale, porcelain skin, our cheeks a light rose.

But when our eyes met, it was the collision of two colours. Mine were a stunning, deep sapphire, compared to her shining turquoise. Her eyes had always been a mystery to all of us. That is, my mother and father, the Lord and Lady of Whitehall and my older brother Frederick. He was older than both Scarlette and I.

"You look beautiful Alice," Scarlette smiles, showing pearl white teeth.

"Thank you Lettie, you look rather lovely yourself," I smile and turn a little, my curls bouncing.

She smiles in return, matching my own wide grin as I finger the pearls at my neck with my lace gloved hand. A ring sat lightly underneath the glove and I gave it a quick glance before I stood, smoothing out my skirts.

A huge lilac gown, my corset done tightly as I moved about. Delicate lace detailing was around all the seams and the hoop swung as I moved. Scarlette wore a similar dress, but in a shade of pastel green. Her hair hung in curls almost as long as mine, pinned in a similar fashion with our matching gloves. And we both wore our pearls, as usual.

A knock on the door caused us to both spin around, but Scarlette called out instead of me. "Come in."

The door opened to reveal our brother Frederick, his chocolate brown curls combed neatly, to go with his formal attire, complete with polished black boots. His eyes matched Scarlette's and they lit up at the sight of us.

"Will you two ever stop dressing in matching clothes?" His voice was joking, as was his smile.

"Never!" We both exclaimed with a giggle.

"Of course not," he puts his hands in his pant pockets. "Anyway, mother and father wanted to leave now, or very soon at the latest."

"Alright, just let us apply more perfume Freddy," Lettie turns back to the vanity where I was just seated and grabs the perfume, dabbing some on her neck and then hand it to me as I do the same. "Now we can leave."

We walk out of my bedroom and Frederick closes the door behind us, then holds out both arms and we take one each. I'm on the left and Lettie is on the right.

Our mother and father wait at the bottom of the grand staircase and they smile as we approach. Father gives a quick smile and then turns to speak to our carriage driver, but mother speaks. "Ready my dears?"

"Yes mama," I walk over to her, kissing her cheek lightly.

"Good my sweetest," she gives a quick kiss on my cheek, and then on Frederick's, and then Scarlette's, before father does the same.

"Lettie, Alice, Freddy, you three will have your own carriage today and your mother and I will ride separately." My father was always a strict, harsh business man but always spoke with kindness, adoration and a softness in his voice when he spoke to us children and our mother.

"Wonderful papa," Scarlette smiles at him, squeezing his hand lightly in her own gloved hand.

We all walk out into the brisk morning, the chilling air biting at our exposed skin and blowing our hair lightly in the breeze. My mother and father walk to the front carriage, in matching red clothes, as my siblings and I approach the second carriage.