Guardian Angel

Chapter 3

I woke up to see the sun shining in through my window. Today looked like a beautiful day. I thought to myself that this was a sign that my life was turning around. Laura was standing there at the door. "Good morning miss Scarlet," she said with a smile. I had almost forgot that my new name is Scarlet Blackwood. "Did you sleep well?" I nodded at her politely. She reminded me that I am to be fitted for new clothes. This would be new for me. Usually I wear hand-me-downs. I sat up in my bed as a small team of ladies rushed in. Two were carrying many, many dresses and the other one was carrying sewing materials and extra fabric. I tried on one dress after another and the ladies made alterations so that they fit me better. After what seemed like an hour and a half, we stopped. There had been so many dresses but the ladies were so fast that we got through all of them. The ladies then asked me to choose my favorite dress. I said that my favorite was a blue and purple one I had tried on earlier. The ladies quickly put the dress on me and then they cleaned up their supplies and left. Laura re entered the room and presented me with a blue and purple headband to match my dress. She also had a pair of shiny black lace-up boots. "These are lovely," I said to her nicely. "I love them." Laura smiled. "Well I would hope u would like them," she chuckled. "After all these boots are the ones you already owned." I couldn't believe it. The boots that I had scuffed, caked with mud and soaked with rain were right in front of me. They looked brand new. I slipped them on my feet and tied them tight. Then I made my way over to the vanity. I brushed my hair the way I always do, making sure my scar is covered, and then put my headband in. I took a step back and stared at the mirror with my dark green eyes. I have never felt beautiful but today I did. I even spun around in my dress and smiled. Laura giggled. "Time for breakfast miss Scarlet," she said. I followed her down the stairs to the dining hall. Once we reached the table I saw my grandfather. He was dressed basically the same as yesterday only today his outfit color scheme was more burgundy. "Good morning dear," he said with a smile. Then he gestured to a women sitting at the other end of the table across from him. She waved at me. "This is your grandmother, Cecilia." She seemed very nice and was dress in a pretty dark red dress. Her hair was similar to my hair color but hers had some gray hairs. She wore her hair in a braided style and just like grandfather, she too wore glasses. I took a seat in between the two of them on one side of the table. An older gentleman, who I assumed was the butler, came out of the kitchen carrying trays of food for us. He placed a breakfast dish in front of each of us. "Thank you James" said grandfather. I looked down at my plate. There were two scones and some fresh fruit. There was also a cup of tea. This was the best breakfast I had ever seen. I controlled my urge to inhale all the food on my plate at the speed of light. Then i glanced out the window. I could see that there was a garden outside the manor in the back yard. After I finished my breakfast I went to explore it. I walked out the back door and began to walk around among the beautiful flowers and plants. I loved it out here. I didn't have a care in the world. All of a sudden I collided with someone and landed flat on the ground. "Excuse me," I shouted not looking at the person. "Watch where you're walking!" I looked up to see a hand extended to me. "I'm terribly sorry miss," he said. He was very tall and had dark hair that looked blueish- purple. He had dark blue eyes too. He wore a white button-down shirt and black trousers. "Are you alright?" He said helping me to my feet. "Yes I am fine," I said brushing myself off. "May I ask who you are?" He smiled. "I'm simply the gardener," he said. "My name is Garren. Now you know who I am, but I don't know who you are." I looked at him. "My name is Scarlette Blackwood. I am the granddaughter of Byron and Cecilia Blackwood," I said. Garren stared at me. "I did not know that they had a granddaughter," he said a but confused but then laughed it off. "Oh well. It's nice to meet you though Scarlet." I looked at him a litte more then asked, "how old are you? You seem a bit young to be working at an estate like this." He chuckled and replied, "My, my, my. Aren't we inquisitive. If you must know, I am 16. Judging by your appearance and size I would guess that you are 14." I stood there in shock. He was right. I am 14. "Yes I am," I replied at last. He laughed at me again. "Well I should be getting back to work. Maybe later on I can meet you here in the garden," Garren said and then started walking away. I waved goodbye to him. Before he left however he handed me a beautiful rose and whispered "until we meet again Scarlet." I walked back inside smiling. I have a feeling that I am going to enjoy my stay here at Blackwood manor. And tonight I will meet up with the mysterious gardener Garren once again.