Acting Ladylike | On Hold

✩ T W O ✩

"It's nearly ten o'clock! Wake up Adele!" I wake up to Mother pulling the cover away from my face. An excited smile is plastered across her face.

Suspicious.

"Breakfast is ready downstairs. Get up! Get up!"

I groan and rub at my eyes before swinging my legs to the side of the bed and sitting up just as the door closes signifying Mother's exit.

I wonder what she could possibly be so happy about.

Unless Father suddenly came back overnight, I had magically decided to never try to run away again, or some man showed up at the doorstep requesting my hand in marriage, I have no clue what could excite her so much as to not immediately insult my appearance and call me lazy for waking up so late.

I get ready slowly, mostly to delay the pace at which I have to go downstairs to face Mother but also because I have quite a struggle with my corset.

Turning around, I check how I look in the mirror before picking up a small stub of white chalk from its spot on my dresser. I hold it in between by pointer and middle fingers as I grab the edges of the dresser's wood and pull it out from the wall.

A frown makes its way onto my face as I survey the spot in front of me. Tally marks decorate the wall almost like some ancient design.

Biting my lip, I maneuver the chalk between my thumb and pointer finger before leaving an unattractive slash next to a pair of neat vertical lines and then step back to admire my work.

Seven horizontal and one diagonal line. Eight in total. I let out a sigh.

Eight times I've attempted—and failed—to run away.

Setting the chalk back down on my desk, I start downstairs.

The dining room table is littered with various letters and writing utensils, all shoved carelessly to the side to make room for two open spots.

As I draw nearer, behind all the papers strewn across the table, I notice a plate of bread and butter. I make myself comfortable without a second thought.

The second Mother enters the room and finds me stuffing my face with bread, I'm concerned.

The happy smile doesn't leave her face once and she doesn't even reprimand me for being a sloppy eater. Quite strange, I must say.

"Would you guess what came in the post this morning?"

"My new gown?" I ask taking a wild guess while wiping at my mouth with the back of my hand.

This makes her smile falter a little, but almost as soon as it happens, it's back in full swing again.

"No, even better!" she exclaims before moving her hand from behind her back, displaying an envelope to me.

After squinting at the elaborate cursive for a few seconds, I'm finally able to decode the outside of the envelope.

"Davenport...family?" I murmur slowly, hoping I got the words correct. "Someone wrote us?"

"Not just someone."

Mother walks over to my side of the table and sets the letter down in front of me proudly. I wipe my hands on the napkin next to my plate before taking the letter from her hands, tearing the wax seal off, and pulling it from the envelope.

After glancing at the illegible cursive words for a few seconds I hand it to my mother.

"Would you please read it, Mother?."