Amelia Haylor

Back to London

Back to London

          I lived a happy life with the Stowner family. Mr and Mrs Stowner loved me as if I was their real daughter and Ben, Edward and Jimmy cared for me as if I was their real sister. Even though my new family's surname was Stowner I still kept my real surname. I was still called Amelia Hayler, not Amelia Stowner. I went to the same school Jimmy went to and Mrs Stowner taught me everything about cooking, playing piano, dancing and sewing. By the time I finished school at sixteen everything was different.

          My eldest brother Ben became a great lawyer. He went to a school where they studied laws, after turning eighteen years of age, and two years later he got his license. He is now living in London and is married to a woman named Kelly Stone. Kelly was a nice woman; I had met her before and she was now like an elder sister to me.

          Edward became a great doctor. When he finished school at sixteen he studied at medical school for four years and is now a well-respected doctor in London. He is married to a girl named Anne Moore. Anne studied at the same medical school as Edward and is his nurse as well as his wife. She is also a nice girl and like a second elder sister to me.

          As for Jimmy; a year before I finished school he became a cabin boy. He does odd jobs on the ship he is travelling on, but he still has high hopes of becoming a captain of his own ship one day.

          I still didn't know what I wanted to do after I finished school, I had no job yet. I just stayed at home with Mr and Mrs Stowner.

          "I'm glad we adopted Amelia" Mrs Stowner would say to Mr Stowner "now that our sons are gone, I'm glad we still have our daughter to keep us company". Mr Stowner always agreed with that. I always felt happy by that comment; it made me smile knowing how much I was loved by them.

          One day a letter for Mrs Stowner arrived. "It's from my old school friend Maria Crewe" said Mrs Stowner. "I remember her" said Mr Stowner "nice woman she is. What has she written?" "She's asking me to come to stay with her in London for three days" Mrs Stowner replied "and she wants me to bring you along Amelia". I couldn't believe that! I had not seen London for eight years, yet I was going to go back there again. I accepted the invitation; I actually wanted to see my old home again. "You don't mind us leaving you here for three days do you dear?" Mrs Stowner asked Mr Stowner. "Of course not" Mr Stowner replied "besides you haven't seen Mrs Crewe for years. This is a great chance for you to see her again".

          Mrs Stowner and I set off early next day to London by carriage. I felt nervous inside; I never thought I would ever see London again. "Mother" I said "I know we are going to London to visit your friend. But would you mind if I visit the places I used to live, when I lived in London?"

          "Of course you can" Mrs Stowner replied "Mr Reed told me that you lived there before you arrived at the orphanage. You can visit whatever you wish to visit".

          My plan was to first visit the place I lived in with Aunt Millie, then visit the place I worked at as a child, then visit my mother's and aunt's grave.

          We soon arrived in London. London still looked the way I remembered it from eight years ago; lively, noisy, full of stoned streets and houses and the park in London still looked pretty as always.

          "I have been away from this place for eight years" I said to Mrs Stowner "yet everything still looks the same to me".

          "Even though nothing stays the same forever" Mrs Stowner said "there are some times when things do stay the same".

          Soon we arrived at Mrs Crewe's home. Mrs Crewe lived in a small white terraced house, with a black metal fence surrounding her very small garden. We got out of the carriage, paid the cab driver and walked to Mrs Crewe's door.

          "Before we see Mrs Crewe" Mrs Stowner said "there are some important things I must tell you. Her marriage to Mr Crewe did not turn out to be a happy one, so she lives separately from him. Mrs Crewe does not like talking about it, so don't ask her questions about it alright?" I understood and felt sorry for Mrs Crewe; I imagined that Mr Crewe was not a nice man.

          Mrs Stowner knocked on the door and Mrs Crewe's maid answered. "Ah welcome" the maid said "madam has been expecting you". Mrs Crewe was in her lounge, waiting for us. "Ah Grace and Amelia" she said "welcome". "You look well Maria" said Mrs Stowner. "You do too Grace" said Mrs Crewe "and I finally get to meet you at last Amelia". "It's nice meeting you Mrs Crewe" I curtsied politely. "Ah your daughter is both beautiful and charming" said Mrs Crewe "please sit down and help yourself to tea and biscuits".

          I found the lounge very pretty; the wall paper was light green with dark green diamond patterns. There were pretty clay animal decorations and paintings on the walls, a piano, shelves full of books and a warm fire was blazing and picture frames with photos were lined up on the mantelpiece. I thought that Mrs Crewe was a nice woman and I still couldn't understand why her marriage did not go well. But I didn't ask Mrs Crewe; I didn't want to upset her.