"Ya think ya see ya self loving an old, rough outlaw like myself?"
"No....I see myself loving a broken man who just needs a little bit of love."
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Gwendolyn Washington was born into a wealthy Australian family, all she knew was being higher cl...
"sometimes a stranger can bring great meaning to your life." ~ unknown
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Gwendolyn stared at herself in the mirror not recognizing the girl dressed in the chartreuse colored ball gown, the sleeves stopped just at her shoulders, and her brown curls cascaded down her back like a waterfall.
The diamond necklace adorning her neck shined with every move she made. Is this who I am? She questioned herself for what seemed like the millionth time that night. She's been to a thousand of these dinner parties yet she was still nervous. She swiped her hands down the front of her dress as she took once last glance at her reflection before leaving her room swiftly, quietly clicking the door closed behind her.
"Gwen."her brothers voice called out as he rounded the corner from his bedroom. He was dressed in his usual black tuxedo, and his brown hair slicked back. "Yes Jacob?"the dark haired girl questioned as the two made their way down the staircase leading down to the bustling party that was happening in the back courtyard. The sound of voices and laughter got closer as the two siblings made their appearance known to the party guests.
Gwendolyn feels her face flush with embarrassment at all the attention, as she tries her best to keep her head low while they move through the crowd of people. Jacob on the other hand...he craved the attention they got, so while he soaked it all up greeting the guests and stealing a wink or two at some of the ladies; Gwendolyn excused herself and glided swiftly over to where Fredrick was stood holding a tray of champagne.
Fredrick greeted her with one of the glasses filled with the bubbly liquid. She murmured a thank you as she accepted the glass; her green eyes danced around the party, at every guest that stood conversating or sucking up to her parents. She rolled her eyes when she noticed Catherine Braithwaite was stood next to her mother as they spoke quietly, probably trying to marry Penelope off to some other wealthy son. Gwen thought as she took another sip from her glass.
The Braithwaites knew how smitten Jacob and Penelope were. So keeping them apart would be damn near impossible. Gwen despised the kind of love they had...she yearned for that type of love. Like in the romance books she secretly kept hidden away underneath her bed. "I'm gonna step out front for some air."the young girl announced to her butler as she grabbed the bottom fabric of her dress in her hands, excusing herself.
As soon as she was out of eyesight from the party she fell back against the cold feeling wall to the Manor. The coolness on her skin calmed her down instantly.
Gwendolyn
"I take it ya ain't too fond of a fancy party." A low gruff voice spoke from beside me causing me to jump in fright. "Oh my."I gasped out as my hand grabbed at my chest, feeling my heart pounding heavily.
A stranger stood leaning against the same wall I had been. It was too dark to see anything but I could make out the outline of a cigarette that hung loosely from his lips. "Sorry. Didn't mean to frighten ya."the stranger apologized as he pulled the cigarette away from his lips, the smoke escaping with every word he spoke. I cleared my throat waving my hand towards him as I let out a light laugh. "Oh no need for apologizes...you wouldn't happen to have an extra would you?" I motioned toward the cigarette in his hand.
He rummaged around in the satchel that hung by his side for a moment before retrieving another cigarette. He struck a match on the bottom of his boot and lit the cigarette. He puffed on it a couple of times before outstretching his arm towards me.
"Thank you." I took the little white stick from him as I put it to my lips to inhale the nasty smoke. It was a disgusting habit that I had picked up on while mother and father had gone away on one of their trips and I was left with Jacob. Not a good role model hence the smoking.
"I didn't catch your name."I spoke after a moment or so, my accent clear as day as I spoke. "That's 'cause I didn't tell ya."he gruffed as he took another puff from the cigarette and tossing it on the ground to be put out by the heel of his boot. My cheeks flushed at his words as I did the same, making sure not to catch my dress on fire. "Callahan...Arthur Callahan." The man said with slight hesitation as he pushed himself off of the wall and into the light.
My breath hitched in my throat as soon as he did. He was handsome. He was a broad tall man. He had the most beautiful blue eyes, his hair was a dark brownish blonde color and kind of shaggy, a little bit of stubble lined his jaw and I caught a glimpse of a small scar on his chin. I wondered how he came to get the scars I noticed.
"Gwendolyn Washington...or just Gwen."I replied back in a soft tone as I lifted my dress in a curtsey. He stood and stared at me for a moment, he licked his lips and scratched his stubble as he spoke lowly. "So this is ya folks party....figures."he muttered the last part as he cast his look down to the cobblestone ground. I opened my mouth interject but the sound of footsteps approaching stopped me.
"Gwendolyn" Jacobs voice called out coldly as he rounded the corner catching sight of me with this strange man whom referred to himself as Arthur Callahan. I sighed at the sight of my overprotective brother, he only really cared about himself unless it involved me and another human being. "Mother and Father are starting...come now."Jacob demanded in a stern tone as his dark eyes never left Arthurs tall figure who stood just a few feet behind me.
"Oh alright...I need to use the loo anyways." I announced with a sigh as my fingers once again gripped the fabric of my dress. "Goodnight Mister Callahan....perhaps we'll meet again." My green eyes locked onto his blue ones and I felt my heart flutter a little. Gwen stop it! You just met the handsome stranger, you don't know a thing about this strange man. "Goodnight Miss Washington." The gruff voice called after my brother and I as we disappeared around corner, but I steal one last look at Arthur.
He already had another cigarette between his lips as he locked his eyes on mine once again. I felt my cheeks flush at the action and took small strides behind Jacob. Not in any rush to get back to the dinner party just listening to the sound of my boots hitting the hard cobblestone pathway.
Arthur Callahan who are you and where did you come from?
Authors Note:
I'm so sorry if some of the images aren't showing up😵💫 and sorry for the shitty chapter🙂 criticism is accepted thank you lovely's🥰
