The Governess and the Duke (Completed)

Chapter 1. 1811 

WARNING: this chapter contains scenes of child abuse.
***
The group of five beautiful dolls sat on the dressing table, each one dressed in their finest gown. Their hair ranged in color from black to gold, their gowns consisting of either pink yellow cream or blue silk. Each doll had a smile on her face and lovely eyes to complement that smile.
Staring longingly at the dolls before her, eight year old Olivia Radcliffe sighed sadly. The dolls weren't hers, but her half sister Matilda's. She didn't have any beautiful toys of her own. She yearned for at least one doll to hold and play with.
Glancing behind her to make sure no one was watching, Olivia reached up and gently plucked a blonde doll with blue eyes and a blue gown from off the dressing table. Sitting down on Matilda's bed, she began to stroke the dolls face, tracing her nose and lips with her index finger. She smiled softly, carefully hugging the doll to her chest.
Matilda. "What are you doing? That's mine!"
Before Olivia had any time to react, the doll was ripped from her grasp and placed back onto the dressing table. Her blue eyes filled with tears. "I just wanted to hold it. I'm sorry."
Nine year old Matilda Swanson growled viciously, her brown eyes flashing with rage. "You can't play with my dolls! Papa told you that you can't play with any of my toys!"
Olivia sniffled. "But I don't have any dolls to play with."
Matilda put her hands on her hips. "And you won't get any dolls to play with. Papa doesn't want you to have any dolls, or any pretty things."
George. "What the devil is going on in here?"
Matilda pointed an accusing finger at Olivia. "She was playing with my dolls."
George glared at Olivia. "Do I need to hit you again in order for you to understand the rules? You know you're not allowed to play with any of Matilda's toys."
Olivia wiped her eyes. "I didn't ruin them papa, I just wanted to play with them. They are very pretty."
George grabbed her by her shoulders, dragging her out of Matilda's room and shoving her into her own room. "You know damn well you don't deserve anything that Matilda has! You are not my daughter! You don't deserve any pretty dolls or dresses, nothing!"
Olivia began to cry, curling up into a ball and trying to escape George Swanson's terrible wrath. She didn't like her father, not one bit. No matter how many times she tried to give him any affection, it was never reciprocated.
George slapped Olivia across the face. "You are not allowed to go into Matilda's room again, do you hear me?"
Olivia whimpered, nodding her head. "Yes papa."
George turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him. He couldn't believe that he was stuck with Olivia Radcliffe. The bastard daughter that he didn't want. He didn't even want to be in the same room as her mother, Caroline.
Olivia continued crying, burying her self beneath the scratchy blanket of her bed. She couldn't wait to be in her mothers arms, in the beautiful cottage that the two of them would soon be living in. One more week, she thought. One more week before she and her mother could finally be free.
***
Later that night, Olivia was sitting at the small desk in her mothers room, her eyes focused on the drawing she was working on. The image she was conjuring up was of a family. A husband and a wife with two children, a boy and a girl. Smiling, she added two more children, a heart around the image.
Caroline Radcliffe smiled sweetly at her daughter as she walked into the room. "What are you doing my love?"
Olivia turned and smiled at her mother. "Drawing."
Caroline walked over to the desk, glancing at the drawing her daughter had made. "It's beautiful darling. How many have you drawn today?"
Olivia smiled proudly. "This is my third one. Do you want to see the other two?"
Caroline. "I would love to see them sweetheart."
Jumping off the desk chair, Olivia rushed over to her mothers dressing table, opening the top drawer and pulling out two more pieces of paper. Skipping back over to the desk, she placed the two drawings beside the third. "What do you think?"
Caroline gazed adoringly at the drawings her daughter had made. One of them was of a woman sitting at a desk with two children sitting across from her, books and papers in front of them. The other drawing was of the same trio playing  in a  garden. "These are beautiful my love. You are very talented."
Olivia smiled. "Thank you mama. I imagined these three drawings in my dreams."
Caroline picked up her daughter, carrying her over to the bed and sitting down with her in her lap. "Do you believe your dreams have a significant story?"
Olivia. "I believe so."
Caroline. "What do you believe they are telling you?"
Olivia. "They are telling me that I should be a teacher and help children."
Caroline. "Do you mean like a governess?"
Olivia looked at her confused. "What is a governess?"
Caroline. "A governess is like a teacher. She helps boys and girls learn how to read and write, as well as learn math music and geography. She also plays games with them."
Olivia smiled brightly. "I want to be a governess when I grow up mama."
George. "A governess? You? Ha, I don't believe you could do that. You are much too naïve to be a governess."
Caroline glared at him. "Olivia is very smart George, you just don't give her credit. Quite frankly I believe she is much smarter than Matilda."
George growled, stepping into the room. "That brat is nowhere near as smart as my daughter! She is absolutely naïve, stupid in fact. She doesn't deserve to be educated like Matilda is being educated."
Olivia climbed out of her mothers lap, standing up straight and placing her hands on her hips. She tilted her head up to glare at her father. "I am not stupid. I do deserve a good education, and I am going to be a governess when I grow up."
George burst into cruel laughter. "You are nothing but an ignorant pig."