Adeline

Chapter 13 - Say Yes

"Who is it?" Adeline called through the old wooden door. She pressed her ear up against the panelling to try and hear who it might be. Her brothers and sisters waited expectantly not three feet from the front door, curious to see who could be calling at 6 pm. They were curious to see who it was that could get their sister, a girl known to be quite solemn and dull, in such a frantic tizzy. She had been getting ready for tonight since she'd woken up that morning, shouting at her sister to help curl her hair and iron her dress whilst she got her brother to polish her smartest black shoes. Adeline, of course, knew exactly who was waiting behind that door, and when she heard the knock, as she waited impatiently on the old sofa. He was right on time.

"Mark Church." A voice came through. Adeline, trying not to seem to eager, swung the door open and couldn't help but grin like an idiot when she saw him, standing there, tall and handsome with a beautiful silken evening suit on, white gloves, a black bowtie, shining black shoes and a tall hat. His brown hair was lazily tossed back over his head and he smiled at her, with white teeth and dark eyes that swallowed her like melted chocolate, "Miss. Dainford Brown!" He proclaimed excitedly, "I've brought you something." He handed her a large paper bag. It looked like it had come from one of the expensive shops in town, with a beautiful calligraphic logo scrawled on the front of it.

"What is it?" Adeline said, taking the bag and peering inside. She gasped with surprised and her heart jumped into her throat. Neatly folded inside the bag was a gorgeous silver and blue evening dress wrap, one to put over the dress that she already had on. She brought her hand to her mouth, tears forming in her eyes – she almost dropped the bag. "Mark!" She nearly fainted, "You didn't have to!"

"No," He said, "But I wanted to."

"Oh, Mark!" She cried, "I don't know what to say! I've never seen a dress more beautiful!"

"Please," He gestured inside the flat, "Go and put it on."

Adeline grinned, invited Mark inside and rushed off behind the curtain that led to the one mattress that her and her siblings shared. Mark stood in the single-room apartment that was really more like a shed and looked down at the children that stared up at him. Their eyes were large, round, their faces were hungry and thin. He didn't have anything to say to them so simply smiled and put his hands in his pockets as he waited for Adeline. She had told him about these children, her sister, Georgia, and her brother, Victor. Victor was the same age as David, which meant he was the same age as Mark himself, but he had been so deprived in his developmental years that he looked about ten years younger. Mark didn't feel pity for them, was he supposed to?

Adeline emerged from the curtain with the dress on. The silver bodice glistened in the dim light, she was a diamond. Her slender hands stroked the baby blue material with beads and stones sewn into the fabric. Golden thread made up the hem and the silk clung to her chest and shoulders. Her brown hair sitting above her head, she looked a picture. She looked the best she'd looked in years, and she stood there, in her new dress, grinning with happiness. Her child-like face was round, plush, her pink cheeks accentuated by her innocent smile. "I don't have a big mirror. How does it look?"

"You look a delight." Mark smiled, holding out his arm for her. She jumped forward, putting her coat and hat on and wrapping her hand around his arm.

"I can't thank you enough - It's beautiful."

She waved goodbye to her siblings and closed the front door behind them. Mark took her out to the main road where he called a carriage and rode it out into the centre of London. Life was insane here. Adeline looked out of the windows with awe in her eyes, and all the while her grin didn't disappear once. Lights glistened on the west end, trams and buses chugged along past and carnival horses wearing colourful feathers and coachmen in bright suits lined the roads. The pavements were swarming with people, ladies with bright feathered hats and long dresses, thin in the warm summer air, and gentlemen taking them out. It was a dream, and soon, Adeline would be among them.