For breakfast that morning Vivian was treated with delicacy. A bowl of stew and boiled eggs, topped with a side of cold bread. After she'd finished Vivian waited alone in the kitchen for Jasper to come back inside. He never did as he was promised. Vivian peered out the window, flabbergasted. Jasper was no where to be seen. "That little-" her whisper was cut short by the harsh tap on her shoulder.
Vivian whirled around to see Jasper with a smug look on his face. Whilst Agatha stood right by him awkwardly. "Come on, Will, we don't have all day," Jasper said Vivian's masculine name with a hint of vein. He then pushed right past her, knocking her to the side by the shoulder. Vivian let out a grunt as Agatha was left to balance her.
"Sorry," Agatha mouthed, brushing past her.
Vivian mocked Jasper silently to herself as she trailed behind the most wealthiest siblings in town. She gazed up at the diamond chandeliers that still hung from above, serving as a reminder that this was all so real. She was really in the Wright's house.
But where was the father and mother?
Vivian's questions lingered in her head till the maids escorted them out of the mansion and she got distracted by a boy on a bike. He was riding what they called an 'Ordinary' around town. The front wheel was enlarged for a smoother ride, and the rear wheel reduced for speed. Vivian remembered her father reading it out to her on a newspaper. Since Vivian could only read basic words she often misspelled things while writing.
Autumn leaves flourished along the dirt trail that led to downtown, it doesn't a long walk so there wasn't a need for a carriage. For the Wright's enjoyed walking in nice weather and preferred to keep their shape. A dead leaf scraped past Vivian's shoulder and she brushed it off, heading toward the mass of townsfolk that led into the clearing.
"Guns. Pistols. Ammunition. Hardware and Tinware!" the first shop advertised as they passed. Jasper eyed the store with a keen interest as he passed. Something told Vivian that he was going to stop roundabout to have a conversation with the talkative men in the front of the building, which he did, but that's for a later time.
"Oh look!" Agatha gushed, stopping by the Hat store window. She gushed over a elaborately decorated woven straw bonnet, with ruffled silk ribbon, pink silk bows, pretty ribbon ties, and a garland of flowers ornament. "Look at the the color of that silk!" she squeaked, "oh! how that'd go lovely with my pink dress."
"Isn't it lovely Will," she turned to Vivian, who was also infatuated with the Bonnet that Agatha was gushing at the window. "It's marvelous" she said in awe, unaware of the men giving her weird looks on the sidewalk.
"It's ugly," Jasper grumbled, turning away. "I don't understand why women have to have such lavish a dress. When it should be plain, simple, and to the point."
Agatha rolled her eyes and trailed behind him with Vivian reluctantly following, catching a few glances at the window every now and then. Vivian did not care what Jasper had to say, she was smitten with girls clothes, and she always would be.
Jasper walked across the street, disregarding the carriages and other people as they came near close to crashing in the middle of the road one billion times. "Why don't you look where you're going?" Agatha asked her brother angrily.
Jasper gave a casual shrug. "Some days you're lucky and get hit, others not so much."
The was a twinge of sadness in his eyes before he turned away; marching off toward the men's shop for suits & hats without a word. "Come on Will, or should I say.. Mr. Smith," he mumbled almost sarcastically, opening the door for her. "Let's get in here and get this charity thing over with."
Vivian winced at his mentioning of the word 'charity'.
"I'll be in the A. Raymond shop down two stores," she said quietly, pointing to the vegetable shop with fresh produce set out by the windows. There, turnips hung on the railing above as an elderly lady stood by them, eyeing her customers wearily.
Vivian was about to protest to go with Agatha as she rather look at plants than suits, but Jasper interjected.
"No further," Jasper warned before pushing Vivian inside; carefully closing the ringing door behind him. Jasper jammed his hand in his pocket and pulled out his pocket watch, checking the time. "Well well well," he mused, eyeing Vivian up an down mischievously. "What shall we do next?"
*************************
A/N - Thank you all so much for sticking by and reading my story (:
YOU ARE READING
Hiding from Mr. Billionaire
Romantizm"You cannot fool me, I know who you really are." His hot breath fanned Vivian's lips as she stared into his hooded grey eyes. "And if you don't reveal yourself to me, I shall do it by force" It is the mid-19th century. Despite society's efforts to t...