Widow's Peak

Chapter 2:

Chapter 2:
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I didn't know I had fallen asleep until I felt a large, cold hand on my shoulder. I snapped open my eyes to meet a pair of frosty, blue orbs gazing back at me. Irvin sat back "we must board the boat now." Stepping out of the carriage, I saw a large boat waiting for us. The dock was swirling with fog. The sky above was gray. The water was choppy and unsettling. There were people milling about. Men did their duties tying ropes to boats. There were women in far more grand dresses than I wore trying to catch their attention. One women noticed me next to Irvin with my luggage, and suddenly whispered to the woman beside her. It would be all over town tomorrow that I married, and was moving away from Oregon. Then, there would be questions of who would marry a penniless, homeless, orphaned girl like me. Poor Janine would be attacked with the questions. Even though Irvin and I showed no sign of being betrothed, they would still assume that. I still referred to Irvin as Mr. Remington in our conversations. How little, and scarce they were. Irvin led me away from the carriage towards a large boat. It was made of dark wood, but it was polished to perfection. The side of the boat spelled out proudly 'Widow's Sea.' I suddenly remembered the name of the island. Widow's Peak. I stepped ahead of Irvin. I'd never been on anything that hinted at such prestige before. "Your father helped found Widow's Peak," Irvin commented "he named it. This is his boat. Well, it is yours now." I shook my head. Suddenly, I'd gone from living in a homeless girl's home to owning my own boat. But, one thing still worried me. If my father was so rich, why did he leave me on Janine's doorstep? Why didn't he care? Widow's Peak must be a relatively new island for my father to have founded it. My father couldn't have been much of an elder. They left me at Janine's home, so they were young. I liked to fool myself into thinking that they panicked. They didn't know how to raise a girl in society, so they sent me to the next best place they could. But, I knew the truth. They didn't want me. I was probably too plain, too quiet, too unattractive. So, why had my father left his estate to me? I was so into my thoughts that Irvin had to shake me slightly to make sure that I didn't make a false step and fall off the boat. I blushed lightly as we boarded. The ladies on this boat wore beautiful dresses of the finest silks. My dress was ratty, patched in some place where it had torn, and a thin layer of dirt from me having it for so long. I heard the whispers. Ladies leaned into partners, husbands, and even the servants whispered. 'Isn't that Mr. Remington? Why is he with a girl like that,' a tall, willowy woman said to her husband. 'Do you think perhaps that's Lincoln Roux's daughter? She's famous, you know. She inherited everything,' another woman whispered to a cloaked figure. The figure turned slightly 'everything, you say? I see. I wonder how she will feel when she finds out about them. All of them.' I furrowed my brows. Them? Who was them? Maybe, the residents of Widow's Peak weren't all that conventional. Perhaps, they were not what I was used to in Oregon. Janine always told me that her upbringing in the glittering light of prestige wasn't all good. She said she felt trapped, powerless, and undeniably alone. I knew the feeling. Mine was just in a different way. You see, we all learn that the world is a cruel joke at some point in our lives. Parents cannot seem to tell their children that, and as a result, a child lives in a dream world until the real one hits. I, however, was spared that shocking reality. I knew what my world was made of from the time I was old enough to learn. But, I was happy in a sense. Now, I was on the way to a remote island I'd never heard of, to inherit an estate from a father I'd never met. "Mr. Remington," I waited until his icy eyes found mine "do you know why my father left me at Mrs. Holbrook's home"? The question seemed to hit a nerve. The protective stance he took by my side melted away until he stood stiffly across from me. His eyes burned with an almost hidden, quiet fury. His hands clenched "no, Ms. Roux, I do not. And, you should not ask such questions. Whatever your father's reasons, they were for your safety." With that, he turned and marched away. I heard the whispers again. The long awaited answer burned quickly through the throng of people. I was Lincoln Roux's daughter. It was confirmed. I had come to take the estate that was rightfully mine, and I would be joining the residents of Widow's Peak. I leaned against the railing to watch the fog roll by as the boat surged on. It cut through the waves easily. I then wondered, how had my father gotten his wealth? Was he investing? Did he own a coal mine, or perhaps his estate sat atop gold? However he made his wealth, I would have to continue it. Even better, I would have to marry a man who knew what to do. I'd never been this close to riches before. All of Janine's she sold to take care of us. I leaned my hand out off the railing, so I could feel the thin sprinkle of water hit my skin. I shook my head. Whatever was awaiting me just beyond this fog was bound to be a mystery. Little did I know, that the mystery had already begun.

AN: SORRY THIS CHAPTER IS SO SHORT!! THE NEXT ONE WILL BE LONGER I PROMISE!!

-Erica