2017 Stories

The Ocean

Violet couldn't help but smile as she watched her sister Pearl's red air flew around her face as she moved faster and faster to the tune been played by the servants down in the third class quarters of the ship, they both weren't suppose to be down there, but when Pearl had asked Violet hadn't been able to refuse, though Pearl denied she manly came down here to see Thomas the coal servant , at only 12 and in the upper class part society Pearl was to young to marry, however Thomas being a servant didn't matter. Violet sighed as she looked at the clock above the the coal hole it read 2:30 time for her to meet her future husband.

"Pearl, it's time to go", Violet said, she tried to make her voice sound airy and pretty as to catch the eye of the William the junior chef but he didn't seem to notice. Sighing Pearl stopped dancing and turned around and faced Violet.

"Can't you go up and I stay down, after all I'm not the one meeting my future husband", Pearl said.

"I wish you could, but it would rouse suspicion and we don't want that, and anyway that wouldn't be very proper", Violet said.

"Says the girl, who's talking like she comes from the slums", Pearl said as a grin spread across her face.

"Now what would be wrong talking like I come from the slums" Violet said letting the same grin play across her face.

"It seems so young doesn't it, you are only 16 and you are to be married", Pearl said, the smile gone from her face now replaced with the familiar grim face that made Violet want to run and wrap her arms around her, protecting her from the harsh society she was about to enter.

"Why would you prefer me to marry at 24 than", Violet said trying to impersonate her mother, which both Pearl and Violet found rather annoying.

"No, I couldn't possible image you being married at 24, you would just be so old", Pearl said, trying to impersonate their mother as well.

"Well we best be off", Violet said as she clasped her sister's hand and walked up the stairs to the landing, luckily it was deserted taking advantage of the situation Violet slowly climbed the stair's to the deck...

"Mamma, I'm just going off for a while, I will be back for supper", Luisa called.

"Oh if you must, but if I find out you're of to one of those Suffragette meetings again there will be trouble", Luisa's mothers voice floated down the corridor.

"Do not fret mother I shan't go to one of those meetings", Luisa called again as she stepped outside into the cool London air.

She hated lying to her mama but some things where more important than lies like the rights for women. As Luisa walked she couldn't help but think that she was very young to join the Suffragettes, at 16 she still was not classed as an adult, but she wasn't complaining, the meetings where always interesting and she always loved been told the story of how Suffragettes had started, it had all started with a girl Luisa's age about 50 years ago, she had been on a boat about to meet the man she was to marry, but when she met him she didn't really like him so she simply refused to marry him, in shame her parents disowned her but she went on to tell others that women deserved equal rights to men and so the Suffragettes began.

"Lady Darcy, how nice to see you here again, I do hope you didn't get into too much trouble on my behalf", I turned to see Mr Editington he was one of the few men who believed in votes for women.

"Oh Mr Editington I managed to get out of it this time, luckily, it was a narrow escape", I replied smiling sweetly, I sometimes I felt he saw me and talked to me without noticing me, I guess I just wished he noticed me and, there was no point denying it I loved him and I wished he felt the same way about me but he didn't seem to.