The rain chattered endlessly against the glass. A gentle wind whined for attention occasionally and the murky grey sky cast a dull aura over the landscape. A typical ‘summer’ in the north east of England, Rothbury to be exact. A young woman of only 19 sat a window seat gazing mindlessly at nothing, her eyes darting every so often to a passing bird. Her dark blonde hair was teased lightly into a comfortable bun with cascading curls underneath. Her skin was not too pale and her blue eyes were clearly her best feature. Her dress was of a simple design and baby blue in colour. She was of a slim build and sat proudly, but yet she was not conceited.
She was not the best looking woman in the village, but not the worst. She believed that it was the beauty people possessed inside that counted and many thought her a fool for it.
Except for one person.
“Katherine?” an familiar voice called.
“Yes mother?” I replied, turning my attention to the direction of the door.
“How do I look?” my mother asked as she entered the room. She was wearing a new dress, similar in colour to my own but a completely different design. It had a new smell and the fabric looked crisp.
“Lovely, new dress?” I enquired.
“Yes, isn’t it splendid? ‘Twas a gift!” she replied, spinning and giggling into the mirror.
“From who?” I asked, beginning to become interested.
“Now, never you mind Katherine,” she answered while moving towards me. “That is nothing for you to worry your little mind over,” she said, rather sarcastically.
“Then I won’t,”
“What are you doing anyway?” my mother asked. I could sense the tiniest hint of venom in her voice.
“Just gazing, thinking,” I answered with a light sigh.
“You are truly strange, why can’t you be more like your sister? Ah! Here she comes now, doesn’t she looked ravishing?” she exclaimed excitedly, throwing her hands up to invite my sister into an embrace. “Oh, Natalie! You look stunning! Doesn’t she Katherine?” they both turned towards me, waiting for what they wanted to hear.
“Stunning,” I said, obviously forced and unenthusiastic.
“Honestly Katherine, like I’ve said time and time again, why can’t you be more like your sister?!”
“Because that would be a pitiful existence,” I averted my gaze towards the window again, wishing to look at them no longer.
“Hmph, come on mother, we must leave now,” Natalie spoke up, beginning to usher my mother out of the room.
“Yes, of course. Right, Katherine?” grudgingly I turned towards her once more. “Your sister and I are heading to town. We shall be back in time for supper, so make sure the cooks know we’re eating. Understand?”
“Of course. Goodbye,” at that I turned back around for the final time and fixed my sight on the gravel in the drive. I hardly noticed the front door shutting closed as my mother and sister stepped outside and into the carriage. The horses started with a soft neigh and began trotting down the drive, pulling their passengers towards town. Halfway down the path they passed another carriage coming towards the house which happened to contain only one passenger.
A man.
