Crimson Peak fanfiction

3. "Save me a dance"

The days following the visit from my dead mother were far too busy, not giving me either time nor the energy to think much about her warnings. It was not until six months later, well after my morning period. While sitting with Edith as she pulled dresses from my dressers and still to be unpacked trunks, looking for the perfect dress to make my entrance to society, that her warning came back to mind. "What about this one? I do so love this crimson red or even this forest green against your hair and skin. Oh and you can wear my ruby and emerald combs in your hair with either one, to bring out your eyes." Edith rambled as she held up two beautiful gowns of satin and silk and black lace. They were the last gowns mother and I had picked out together. Mother had planned for one of them to be my coming out gown. She and papa planned to invite the whole county as well as close friends and family. Papa had hoped that I would draw the eye of a young man, as most fathers do, wanting me to make a good match. To have someone to care for me long after they had gone, but we didn't know that just a short month after commissioning the gown, that I would be alone.

"Hmm, what was that? Sorry,"I glanced over at the gowns and Edith, having lost interest in the last hour of her pulling out gowns only to find something not to her taste.

"I said both of these would look lovely on you." Edith replied as she draped them gently over the sitting bench beside my vanity.
"No you said something about crimson..." I started to say before I was interrupted.

"Edith, are you girls nearly ready? Allen will be here shortly with his new motor car. We shouldn't keep him waiting."
"I'm not going Father. I want to change a few things in my story. Give me a few moments to get Freya dressed." Edith replied before I could also decline on going due to the fact that I found going to events like this tedious and plain boring.

Not even twenty minutes later I was finding myself being helped into Allen's new motor car dressed in the deep green gown that Edith finally decided. My hair was mostly down but pulled back with her emerald and ruby covered hair combs.
"You look lovely this evening," Allen said as he drove like he had been doing it for years. "I do hope you will be so kind as to save me a dance?" I knew he was only asking because we both knew that after he and uncle danced with me, I would wander off to a sitting room or a library and be reading the first thing my hands landed on. Allen had caught me one too many times in past years hiding away reading everything from the news papers to his father Kamasutra.
"Always." Allen smiled at me when I finally replied as he helped me out of his machine having arrived. Knowing who he truly fancied made not falling for Allen much simpler, though he was pleasing to the eye and kind and smart, he has always and forever would be in love with Edith. Though he would never be so bold as to tell her.