Wilshire- A Proper Romance

Chapter 1... Oliver

 "Alice! Get in the drawing room at once to start your French studies. I don't know how you expect to make a charming impression on any of the noble french men if you can not speak to them!" Oliver could hear Lady Ophelia's voice ring through the open window from outside. 

"I'm coming, mother." Alice replies as she rolls her eyes. 

I had been watching Alice snip roses from my post at the stables. I pride myself for knowing her routine during the summer and never grow tired of catching glimpses of her walking through the gardens. As she walks by, I can't help but to be mesmerized by her light blonde hair, for it is blinding. 

Before I have the chance to wish her a good day, Alice enters the grand house from a set of french doors right at the garden entrance. The riding trails are next to the gardens, and as a stable boy, I have the pleasure of scooping up horse dung every day. I consider this a blessing in disguise, for it gives me the chance to see her. 

As I'm feeding the horses their morning oats the other stable boy, Harvey, comes up to me with a big smile on his face. He leans against the stable wall and looks at me with bright eyes. 

"There must be some reason for a look like that." I say with a laugh.

He excitedly jumps up from his relaxed position, spooking the mare in the process. "Did you see Alice this morning?"

I shush him while also gentling the mare. "We are supposed to address her by her christian name. If someone were to hear you call her by her common name, they would assume things that are not true."

Harvey looks at me and shrugs. "I wouldn't mind." A huge smile takes over his face and soon we are both laughing about the surreal prospect. Once the laughter fades, Harvey joins me in grooming the chestnut mare. 

There is no silence with Harvey around and soon the stable is full of the sound of his young voice. A thoughtful look passes over his face and he asks,  "what do you think Alice does all day in that house? drink tea?"

I chuckle. "Well she certainly doesn't make it, I know that." I smile at the thought that enters my head. "I bet she... I bet she sings in her room... with a voice like a nightingale." I can just imagine the sound of her melodic voice as if she were singing to me herself. I close my eyes and picture her humming to herself while gracefully twirling in her room.

My daydreaming is disrupted by Harvey's loud, joyful voice. "Or maybe she plays the piano forte with lightning fast fingers drumming the keys!" He plays an imaginary piano in front of him and does a little dance with his feet. I can't imagine such ruckus from Alice. 

"no, you're wrong. She plays with a light touch so soft the keys shiver. Her graceful fingers glide across the keys, creating a tune so forgiving it makes your heart ache for more..."

Once I realize all is silent, I open my closed eyes and look at Harvey. His eyes are glimmering with awe and his mouth is open with a smile. "Wow..."

Embarrassed for being caught  in my daydreams, I turn my back to him and begin brushing knots out of the horse's mane. I scold myself for thinking such thoughts of the young women in the grand house taking proper french lessons. 

"Of course I could be wrong."

Harvey chuckles behind me then says, "but probably not." With that, he throws the brush at the pail next to me, missing it completely, then runs out of the stall and into the tack room. I hear a crash and laugh at his lack of coordination and jittery enthusiasm. 

I spend the rest of the day cleaning out the other nine stalls and the move on to grooming the horses. By the time I'm done it is dark outside and my feet and hands ache. I pull on my coat and take the lantern with me. 

Taking the hidden path that leads to the mansion, one I know by heart, I anticipate the pale light in the windows and flowing sheets outside the back door. Most of all, I await the look on my sister's face scolding me for being late. I trot up the end of the trail, not expecting to see her tapping her foot as well. 

"You're late."

"I know. I'm-"

""Ollie! If someone were to catch me out after curfew, I would probably lose my position! Try not to be so reckless, okay."

I look at her with a sorry expression. "I know, I know. And I'm sorry, Mags." 

"Good. You should be. Now, are you going to give your twin sister a hug?"

I chuckle and pull my sister into my arms, delighted by her familiarity. "How was your day?"'

She releases me and then paces the cobblestone beneath her. "This morning I over heard Cook in the kitchen saying that Lord Edward and Lady Clara are visiting in two weeks! Do you know who they are?"

I stop a moment to think, but before I can answer, Mags is flinging her hands in the air with anxiety rising in her voice. 

"Lord Edward and Lady Clara are only one of the most important people in all of England.... well besides the Queen. They have dined with the Viscount and Viscountess, attended balls with only the best opera singers, and stroll the streets as if they own them... maybe they do!"

I try to catch up with her and struggle to see the issue. "Mags, what-"

"There has to be a reason as to why they're coming! I heard Amelia on the  third floor saying that she thinks they are in town for the return of Mr.Keystone, the archaeologist who went to India. But I don't know why people like them would care about a bunch of old bones... unless... unless he struck gold. Oh I have to tell Amelia!"

Before Mags can step a foot into the doorway, I grab her by her arm and pull her back. With a deep breath, and a bout of patience, I ask, "What does this matter?"

Uh oh. 

"What does this matter? What does this matter! This matters because... because... well it just does. If they come, who knows who else will." Her voice softens and she looks down at her worn, blistered hands. 

"If they come, maybe other people will. Maybe even the Duke and Duchess... and well anyways, If charming people come, and Alice marries a wealthy, noble man, then maybe I could become a lady's maid. Imagine the places she will go, and if she goes, then of course I will go to..."

I see tears pooling in her eyes and hold her close to me. I try not to chastise her for her outlandish dreaming, for it is all one girl can do to stay sane as a house maid. I feel her soft sobs against my shoulder and kiss her head, trying to soothe her like mother used to. 

"I think you are right Mags. It does matter that Lord Edward and Lady Clara are coming. And if... if Miss Alice does marry a noble man, then you can have your hearts dream."

It hurts me to say such words, but I know Mags has to hear them. If she doesn't, then she will lose hope of all that is good. All she has been wanting since mama died and papa left us was to be free of her cruel, little world.

I give her a tight squeeze and send her on her way. Once I've made sure that no one overheard us, I pick the lantern off the ground and walk back to the stables. 

Thoughts of Alice marrying an attractive, wealthy man churns my stomach. The few moments that I have spent with her have been the most affectionate moments of my life. When I see her, butterflies flutter in my stomach and I know I have to find a way to see her again. If only it weren't for her mother, Ophelia. 

Thoughts like this rage inside me, pulling my attention away from the ladder leading up to the stable attic. I bump into it, banging my head on the bar above me. My legs fumble up the ladder rungs, and my weak body struggles to pull itself up. 

Once I have accomplished the ladder, I toss myself on my bed. My eyes flutter close, and the last thing I remember is the flash of hair as bright as the sun and a giggle as dainty as the rose she is picking.