Finding Francis

Prologue

I awaken with a start, my skin flushed a shade of rose. I jump out of bed and rush towards my vanity. I do all my drawing at my vanity.

I flip through all the scribbled pages, finding the one I was looking for. Konrad, I sigh loudly, feeling the blush return to my skin slightly. There was a detail today, one that wasn't there before. He had a pocket watch attached to a chain around his neck. The pocket watch had the word Blackburn on it. Blackburn? I think to myself. There has to be hundreds of Blackburns in this world.
I’d know Konrad all my life. When I was younger, he used to play dolls with me in the garden. As I grew older, he painted my nails and did. On my 18th birthday our relationship changed into something more, he’d stayed the same in my dreams, so he didn’t appear his age.

I drew strokes in forest green over his eyes, a beige rose over his lips, an ink-black over his thin strands of hair. That’s when a knock interrupted my time with my Konrad. I close the sketchbook and rise from my seat, smoothing down my dress. 

“You may enter,” I said. “I’m decent don’t worry.” Mother maid walked in, “Hello, Miss. Mavis, how was your sleep?” Heated, I think to myself and smile. “It was the same as normal, uneventful.” She pitters around my room a little before turning to me, “Mavis, your father wanted me to tell you we have a visitor in the castle. Another noble of the name Joseph De La Cruz, he will be in the guest room down the hall. Your father also wanted me to tell you, you’ve been summoned to dinner after your nap. I’ll fetch Haylee to dress you.” “Thank you, Margret,” I said to her as she headed out the door.

I sit near my vanity and sketch my Konrad for the next three minutes it takes for Haylee to arrive at my room. 

“Miss. Mavis, which dress do you prefer to wear to breakfast?” She asked me, immediately getting to the point. I look to my choices and see something new, a dark purple dress, with a white bow sitting right in the middle of the dress. Its beauty took my breath away. 

“The purple and white one,” I breathe out. Haylee immediately gets to work, helping me put my underdress on, then the outer layer. After helping me with my dress she stands behind me, as I sit at my vanity, her fingers diddling through my hair. After a couple of minutes of just watching, I decide to close my eyes, add to the element of surprise. 

After a few minutes more I hear a small, “Done.” I open my eyes and cover my mouth, concealing my gasp. 

“What have you done?” She stutters slightly before I interrupted her, “This has to be the most beautiful thing you’ve put on my head.” A bright smile beamed across her face at my words. 

“Thank you, Miss. Mavis,” She said to me as I stood up, about to head out the door. My heels click and clack as I walk down the hallway to the private dining room. When I enter the room, I see three people, two gentlemen, one of which I recognize. I’d assumed the second gentlemen was the alleged guest, Joseph De La Cruz. I took to my chair at the table, silently waiting for everyone else to sit. 

Once seated, my father, at the head of the table, loudly announced. “Mr. De La Cruz, I would like to introduce to you, my only daughter and heir, Josephine Mavis Westmond.” 

“Hello, Mr. De La Cruz and father you know I go by Mavis,”  I said to both parties. I looked over to the only other woman in the room, my mother. She said at her plate like it was the most interesting thing in the world with this half-dead look in her eyes. She hasn’t been the same after the miscarriage, three years ago. 

“Mavis, what do you do in your free time?” I look over to Joseph and answer with the appropriate answers, 

“I like to—” I’m feeling brave today, screw that, “I like to draw in my free time, I believe I’m quite good at it. Would you like to see some?” Before my stuttering father could spit out a word Mr. De La Cruz said, 

“I would love to. Lead the way.” I stand from my chair and head out the door. Clicking and clacking down the hallways leading to my room. I stop outside of my door, 

“Wait here, Mr. De La Cruz. I will go get my sketchbook.” I open the door and walk to my vanity, picking up the book, I walk back out. I close my door and turn round, as I’m doing so, my picture of Konrad falls out. I close my eyes waiting for retribution to me drawing a man in such an intimate position. After a few seconds of him saying nothing, I hear the paper scrape across the floor, as if he was picking it up. “How do you know Francis?” He breathes the question out as if he can’t believe he’s asking it. “Francis? Who’s Francis? This is Konrad.” He gasps once more, turning his head from the drawing he rasps out, “This man is Francis Konrad Blackburn.” Oh, well this all makes sense now. “Who is he, though? Is he a noble?” As soon as my second question flies out of my mouth this man lets out the biggest bellow of a laugh I’ve ever heard. “This man is no noble. This man right here, he’s a pirate.”