Louise

Chapter 3

Three years had passed since the twin sisters entered the world of the affluent and wealthy. Louise and Lucy could not have turned out more differently, now both at the age of 15. Lucy's once curly hair was now smooth and straight, her skin lighter, her features sharper, and her mannerisms more refined. She had become a dutiful daughter to Aunt Abigail, her once defiant nature replaced by a submissive and obedient one. She was the perfect heiress to the wealth and power that Aunt Abigail had promised her. Now attending the prestigious Witherstone Academy, Lucy acted every bit the entitled socialite.

Her only friend was the daughter of a duke, and she would often spend time at her home, enjoying the lavish parties and balls held there. She refused to acknowledge her sister, Louise, even when they passed each other in the hallway. The continuous pampering had moulded the once sweet girl into a self-centred and entitled young woman, devoid of empathy or compassion. Louise, on the other hand, had blossomed into a curvaceous beauty, with thick curls spilling down her back. Her skin was the colour of dark chocolate, and her features were a mix of her father's and her mother's. She possessed the same captivating eyes as her father, but her full lips and high cheekbones were undeniably her mother's. Louise diligently performed her duties as a servant, always making sure to be quiet and unobtrusive. She knew that it was the only way to avoid drawing attention to herself. Despite her beauty, her darker complexion relegated her to the life of a servant in her sister's shadow. Her warm spirit remained, yet none bothered to look beyond the colour of her skin.

The manor bells tolled a grave tune on May 20th, 1842, announcing the passing of Uncle Edward. The entire estate was cast into mourning. The funeral was a sombre affair, with friends and family from far and wide attending to pay their respects. Louise observed the mourners with a lack of interest. She had never been close to her uncle; he spent most of his days ignoring her aunt's maltreatment and confining himself to his office. The only thing she knew about him was that he was a man of silence. As she glanced at Aunt Abigail, who seemed to wear an inappropriate smirk on her face amidst the grieving crowd, confusion clouded her thoughts. Louise felt uneasy as she watched Aunt Abigail exchange knowing glances with the solicitor. There was something about the way they avoided looking at her that sent shivers down her spine. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong, and that it was going to affect her. The air in the church was thick with tension, and even the servants, usually so accustomed to the family's eccentricities, seemed on edge.

Three days after the funeral, Aunt Abigail summoned Louise to her chambers. With a heavy heart, Louise entered Aunt Abigail's chambers. The overpowering scent of perfume assaulted her senses as she knelt on the cold marble floor, eyes downcast.

"As you know, your uncle has passed away," Aunt Abigail began, her voice cold and distant. "His vast fortune will go to my son," Aunt Abigail declared, her voice dripping with triumph. "While he completes his studies abroad for the next several years, I am in charge of this estate."

Louise trembled, staring at the intricate patterns on the marble floor. She would not give this spiteful woman the satisfaction of seeing her pain.

"As you know, I have never cared for you, or... your kind," Aunt Abigail continued, her words like daggers of ice. "I have decided..." she paused, drawing out the tension, "...to send you off to boarding school!"

Louise's head jerked up in shock, eyes wide with a mix of disbelief and betrayal. She knew Aunt Abigail harboured great disdain for her, but such outright cruelty was unfathomable. "But why must you send me away?" Louise pleaded, her voice cracking as tears welled up in her eyes. "This manor is the only home I have ever known."

Aunt Abigail let out a grating laugh before standing up and looking downwards at Louise. "Your father promised to give your uncle a sum of one hundred pounds if we took you and your sister in. Now that both your uncle and father are gone, I see no reason to continue such a ridiculous arrangement!" she spat. "There is nothing preventing me from ridding this house of your wretched presence once and for all. Your sister, on the other hand, will remain here, for she has proven herself worthy of a life of luxury."

Each word felt like a fresh lash across Louise's heart, tearing it further to shreds. The thought of being violently ripped away from the only life she had ever known, discarded like rubbish, was unbearable. Her body shook with silent sobs as she struggled to keep her composure. She had always known that Aunt Abigail was cruel, but she had never imagined she would be so cruel as to send her away to a boarding school. She would be sent away while her pampered twin sister lived on in the lap of luxury, it was too much to bear. It was not fair. None of this was fair.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Louise fled from the room. She ran blindly down the corridor, hot tears blurring her vision, her breath coming in ragged sobs. She couldn't believe that Aunt Abigail would do this to her. It was as if she didn't exist at all. The once familiar halls now felt like a maze she could never escape from. She rounded a corner and bumped into Lucy, who was dressed in fine silks and dripping in jewels. Lucy recoiled in disgust from seeing her sister's tear-stained face and dishevelled appearance.

"I heard Aunt Abigail is sending you away to boarding school," Lucy said coldly.

"You knew?!" Louise wailed; her voice hoarse from crying.

"Of course I knew," Lucy replied with a sneer. "Aunt Abigail told me herself, and I must say, I am glad she is finally getting rid of you. You are such a burden on this family!" Louise stared at her sister in disbelief. The pain of betrayal was almost too much to bear.

"You are happy about this?" she choked out; her voice barely audible. Louise desperately searched her twin's eyes for any trace of the girl she once knew, the girl she had played and laughed with as a child. But she found only a cruel and spoiled stranger gazing back at her.

"Of course I am," Lucy replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "People like you do not deserve to live in such wealth and luxury." She paused, relishing the look of anguish on Louise's face. "But do not worry, dear sister. I am sure you will find your place at that dreadful boarding school. You will be able to make friends with all the other unwanted people just like yourself."

"You swore we would always be together, that you would protect me," Louise wept, her slender frame trembling. "How could you do this to me?"

Lucy tossed her lustrous brown hair over one shoulder and scoffed. "I am your superior now in every way. We may share blood, but that slave woman who birthed us was never a mother to me." Staggering back as though physically struck, Louise felt as if her heart had been torn from her chest from Lucy's hateful words. Her own sister's rejection tore what little remained of her heart into scattered shreds.

"If our mother could hear you speak, she would turn over in her grave," she managed to choke out, her voice barely audibles over the roaring in her ears. "You are nothing but a cruel, selfish monster." Lucy's stony expression faltered for an instant before her face twisted back into a resentful scowl. "My mother is Lady Abigail. I owe that wretch nothing."

Rage flashed hot inside Louise's chest, momentarily banishing her pain. "You are a disgrace to our mother's memory and our family's bloodline. No matter how you try to deny it, we share the same ancestry. I stand here today before God as my witness and renounce you as my kin and sister. Never will I forgive you! I hope you find peace in your heart one day, but I fear that you're beyond redemption."

With those final bitter words still ringing in the air, Louise turned and fled up the stairs to her attic bedroom. Only after slamming the heavy oak door shut behind her did Louise finally release the heavy, ragged breath she'd been holding for what seemed like an eternity. Her heart felt as though it were being torn apart, shredded into a million tiny pieces, and she crumpled to the floor, her sobs racking her body as she clutched at her chest.