The Night I Flew

Chapter 5

How much longer must I stay here? Etiquette lessons were about the most boring part of my day. I've been taking them since I was 12 years old so I knew basically all the material.

My mind was still trapped in the shade under that tree where I felt as if it were only me and Alex questioned n the world. My instructor noticed I was spacing out and slapped her giant ruler on my desk. "Answer the question." She had asked me a question? "May I ask for you to repeat your question miss?" I asked in my most polite voice.

She gave me a disgusted look then asked, "How many utensils should be placed for each plate?" I was glad this was an easy question. "Five. A dinner knife, dinner fork, salad fork, a table spoon, and a tea spoon." I answered confidently. "Correct. I better not catch you spacing off during a lesson again. Do you understand?" She gave me a cold stare. "Yes ma'am." And we continued our lessons.

About 30 minutes into the lesson there was a knock on the door. Me and my instructor both looked at the door. "Enter" my instructor announced. One of my maids walked in. "Ella, what are you doing here?" I asked, getting up to greet her. "I'm so very sorry but I need to see miss Anastasia." She said to my instructor. "Very well, don't be long." She answered shooing us away.

When me and Ella closed the door her face erupted with joy. "Oh miss! He told me to give this to you and not say anything. He said that he trusted me not to tell the other maids and I came straight to you." She started rambling. "Slow down Ella. Who is "he"?" I asked.

"The boy. The boy from the barn. He said he had a message for you. Oh, miss did you find love? Real and true love? That's all your mother ever wanted for you." She was grinning. "I don't know..." I answered honestly. I had also just noticed the letter and the rose in her hand. She noticed me staring. "They are for you. He told me to let you know that he will be waiting in the barn tomorrow." She said gleefully.

She handed me the note and the rose then hurried off. I slipped them both into my pocket and went back to my lessons, saving them for later.

I open my bedroom door after my etiquette lessons and sit down at my vanity. I pulled out the letter and the rose from my pocket, making sure no maids were around.

Dear Anastasia,
   I hope this letter finds you well. I just wanted to tell you how things were going in my life. I have no one else my age to talk to and I quite enjoy the time I get to spend with you. My baby sister just learned how to walk. I really enjoy playing with her. I can't even fathom the fact that she is almost a year old now. My mother is struggling to find good jobs to keep us all under a roof and fed. We'll manage though. With all that I'm being compensated for simply cleaning out an old barn and talking with a pretty girl. And no, I am not being paid to necessarily talk with you. Just on my break time I enjoy your company. Speaking of which, I would also like to enjoy your company outside of work if you would let me. I hope you like the rose. It was the only rose with a meaning that fit with how you make me feel. You are an amazing person and I hope that you will continue to light up my life in the future.
Love, Alex

The only rose with a meaning that fit with how I make him feel? What do lavender roses symbolize again? I quickly turned to find my book about plants and their meanings. I flipped to the section about roses. Lavender: Love at first sight, Enchantment. I smiled to myself and sat down to start writing a letter...

Snowfall had started. Leaves were long gone and there was almost none of any sign of green to be found outside. Decorated trees were going up and the fires were being lit. The letters between me and Alex had continued. Every letter came with the same thing, a lavender rose. I had started collecting them, I had a large vase filled with lavender roses on my bedside table.

My maids had never asked where the roses were coming from, nor how I was able to get them at this time of year. I still had no idea how Alex acquired them either. I still continued to see him nearly every day and we would often talk for hours. I was so at peace with everything I had almost completely forgotten about my father. Almost.

He still very often set me up with different men, all varying of ages and ethnicity and backgrounds. He had no idea that while I was growing farther away from him, he was still getting what he wanted. I wanted to marry someone. Maybe not someone he had wanted me to marry, but at the very least, someone.

When I went outside that day, I was wearing a large fur coat and my regular riding clothes.  I saw Alex and ran to him, hugging him when I reached him. He hugged me back and I smiled. There I was, back in his warm embrace I had come to love so dearly. The arms that would never let the hurt get to me, and the walls that would protect me always. "Hi, Ana." He said, pulling away.

He had mentioned something about thinking that "Anastasia" was too long and wordy so he shortened it it Ana. For some reason that made me feel special. I knew he called his sister Marigold "Goldie" and his older brother Reginald "Reggie". Maybe it's because he only did that for people close to him. Maybe it's because it gave me a sliver of hope that I held a special place in his heart just as they did.

"I missed you." I said, still holding onto him. "You saw me the other day." He responded pulling away slightly and grinning at me. "Maybe but it's exhausting living with that man. And I didn't even see some of my maids yesterday either. Just let me recharge  in peace." I said, pulling him back into the hug. "Ok,ok. I missed you too." He held me tighter. Suddenly the cold winter sting didn't seem so apparent...