Eternal Flame

Lost and Lonely Souls

"Is she dead?" The question fell bluntly from the lips of a small girl next to her. She had yet to open her eyes, but she was could feel her pressing into the mattress next to her.

"Of course not, poppet," the older male replied in a warm yet slightly twisted London accent. It sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place it. "The doctor says she's gonna be fine," he assured the little girl.

"When's she gonna wake up?" She asked.

Now, the woman hoped, pushing against the pain to force her eyes open. "Soon, I hope," the man answered, tenderly brushing a loose curl from her forehead.

"She's really pretty," the girl said, softly brushing against her curls in a failed imitation of his movement. "Like a princess," she added, and had the woman had more control of her facial muscles, she would have smiled.

The man hummed in agreement, stepping away from her. "Why don't you go tell your sister and the others to ready for supper, eh, poppet?" She felt the girl jump from the mattress and listened to the echoes of her feet pitter pattering across the floor. Seconds passed until she felt a cool wet cloth being draped across her forehead. She scrunched her face against the sensation, finally finding the strength to open her eyes. "Miss? Miss, are you alright?" The man asked in a panic upon realizing her awake.

She winced at the bright morning light shining through the windows. She made to answer him but found her throat was too cry to speak. "I...I..." she croaked.

"Water," the man mumbled, scrambling across the room to retrieve a glass and bring it to her lips. She took a long drink before he pulled back. "Better?" She nodded in thanks, hissing in pain at the exertion. "Best not to move if you can, Miss. Doctor said you banged your head up real good in the accident. You'll need to rest for a while," he explained, scratching at his neck in a somewhat endearing gesture.

As her eyes adjusted, she noticed that the man was quite attractive, even covered from head to toe in soot. She wondered if she looked as much a mess. "W-what happened?" She rasped, still finding her voice. "Where am I? I...who are you?" She asked, not sure which question she wanted answered first.

Luckily, the man answered each in that order. "There was a carriage accident, it tipped over and caught fire. You hit your head and passed out, so I brought you here and called for a doctor. Well, he's trained in first aid, so close enough round these parts. Anyway, you're at Miss Hartley's Shelter for Lost and Lonely Souls. Long name, I know, but it didn't feel right to change it after she passed. In short, we're an orphanage, and I'm Henry Somerset. I look after the kiddies when I'm not driving round London."

She stared at him blankly, processing the overwhelming flow of information. Finally, pieces of the accident started coming back to her until she was left with an unfinished puzzle of events. She remembered this man, Henry, calling to her before she closed her eyes, but everything before the carriage tipped was a blur.

She cleared her throat, glanced down at her hands which were folded across her chest, then back up at Henry. "And who am I?" She asked carefully.

Henry's shoulders tensed and his face tightened. "I...don't know. I'm sorry, Miss," he added genuinely, his voice cracking. "I'm so sorry," Henry repeated, tears welling in his eyes.

She wished she could sit up and comfort him, but even the thought of doing so brought her pain. "Mister Somerset," she began, willing him to look at her. "Henry, please do not place blame on yourself. I do not remember much of what happened, but I know that it was indeed an accident, and you tried your hardest to spare me from harm." When he still didn't look, she risked reaching out a hand to take his. It took some effort, but the pain was worth it. "You saved me, Henry. If anything, I should be thanking you. I am eternally grateful to you," she finished, smiling softly at him as she stroked the back of his hand.

They stared in silence for a moment, lost in each other's eyes until Henry eventually cleared his throat and pulled away. "Right, well, I better get supper started for the hellions," he tried to joke, making his way to the door. "Are you hungry?" He asked, turning around.

"Famished," she answered, and the two shared a light laugh before she laid her head back down.

Two days later, but what seemed like an eternity, she was able to stand without her legs giving out or the corners of her vision blurring. Finally, she could leave that blasted room, though she was still grateful to Henry for giving her a place to rest. But she was getting stir crazy, and she needed to get out. So far, none of her memories had come back, and she was getting incredibly frustrated the longer she was cooped up within those four walls.

"Miss!" Henry shouted in surprise upon seeing her up and about. He was carrying a tray of soup that must have been intended for her.

"I though I would join you all today. I am feeling much better."

Henry's eyes raked over her form. She knew he was inspecting her health, but the action made her thighs clench together with an unexplainable flutter of need. "Are you certain, Miss? You shouldn't exert yourself."

She waved him away. "I think if I spend another minute in that bed, I am going to lose my mind. Well, more of it than I already have," she amended upon remembering that she still didn't remember much of anything about who she was or what life she was currently missing out on, who might be missing her.

"Of course, Miss," Henry replied curtly, nodding his head as he set the tray down in the hall and offered her his arm.

"Henry?" She asked. He hummed for her to continue, taking his time in walking her to the dining hall where the children were already eating. "Could we not introduce me as someone other than Miss?"

"What would you prefer?" He asked with a furrow of his brow.

She contemplated for a moment, then as the reached the end of the hall, she said, "Elle. I am unsure why, but I feel that name must be important to me."

"Very well," Henry nodded, allowing her into the room first. "Everyone," he announced to the five children and a middle aged woman seated around the table. "This is Elle. I'd like you to all be very kind to her as she recovers here," he added with a pointed, fatherly glare to the 'hellions' in front of them.

A little girl bounded over and grinned up at her toothily. She immediately recognized her as the little girl by her side when she first woke up. "Hi, Princess Elle. My name is Madeline Hain," she said proudly.

"It is lovely to meet you, Madeline," she replied politely, resisting the urge to curtsy.

"That's my sister, Evangeline," she introduced, pointing to a meek little blonde in the corner, stirring at her potatoes.

She smiled warmly at the girl, sympathizing a bit as she tried to hide herself. "Hello, Evangeline."

"And that's---" Madeline continued before the boy cut her off.

"We can introduce ourselves, Maddie," the boy spat. "I'm Tate," he said, shovelling food into his mouth. The sight sparked a memory in her, but she couldn't quite place it.

"How many times have I told you not to call me Maddie?" Madeline snapped.

Tate shot her a smug grin. "It's your name, is it not?" He teased. They very much reminded her of a familiar pair of siblings that she must have known in her past life and could no longer quite name.

"I'm Cosette," a sweet befreckled girl in a lilac dress said, interrupting the two children's squabble.

"And I'm Liam," the last child said with a smile and a wink, causing her to burst out a laugh.

"Ignore Mister Roalding, Ma'am. He thinks he has the charms to sway any pretty young thing who looks his way. I am Missus Lennox, the madwoman whose job is to wrangle this lot," the elder woman joked, smiling fondly as she ruffled Tate's messy locks.

Henry set a place for her beside him, then placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her to sit. "Y'alright?" He whispered.

She nodded and smiled gratefully at him before turning back to the rest of the table. The whole scene made her heart melt. This was a family. She wondered once again if she had a family. Where were they? Had they noticed she was gone? Were they out there looking for her?