The Redeemed Soul [Dorian Gray]

Prologue

The train leaving from the countryside of England stopped at its destination - the station in Victorian London. The head of a young man wearing a newsboy hat and an old pressed suit with long black hair and innocent dark eyes peeped out of the window.

He got off the train and thought about how his life was going to change from then on, but he couldn't have anticipated as to how much it would change. He looked around in wonder and awe when a man approached him, offering to take his bags for him. His trunk with his initials 'D.G.' was taken by the carrier and he went behind the man.

But on his way, he was stopped by four children who asked him for some spare change. He was lost in his own thoughts to give them the change from the side pocket of his jacket, but felt some hands going inside and taking the change out. It happened so quickly that he only noticed it completely as the children ran away from him, thinking that the naïve man would chase them for stealing from him, though it didn't really matter to him.

He was happy to be back in London and everything caught his attention. He was smiling ever since he got off the train. He caught sight of his trunk and followed it when a woman walked by him, and he apologized to her for no reason.

The trunk was nowhere to be seen now but he was still walking forward. As he scanned the station for a familiar face, a group of men leaning against a counter spoke to him. "Are you looking for someone?" He asked the young man.

Not knowing what their true intentions were, the young man turned around to face and answer them. "Uh....yes-"

Thanks to God, he was approached by a man who knew he was. "Mr. Gray? Welcome to London." He saved Dorian's fate that day as he led him far away from the group of men. "My name is Victor." He introduced himself as they got on a carriage.

Victor was older than Dorian and had a moustache and was wearing a bowler hat. He had been working as a valet for Dorian's grandfather all his life. Now, he was Dorian's valet and a potential friend as well.

On the same morning, in a house in the town, a young woman was painting a vase that was kept in front of her. She was biting her lower lip as she wanted to get the paint in the exact right consistency, having been staring at that same vase for three days continuously and wanting to finish the painting as soon as possible.

Her brother walked into the room and tripped over the long stool on which the vase was kept, almost causing the vase to fall down and break. But he caught it before it did and exhaled in relief.

"Basil!" She exclaimed, having a small attack of shock in that mini second.

"My apologies, Rosemary." He carefully placed the vase back in its place and made sure that no one else would trip over it.

"What happened now?" Their mother screamed from the kitchen.

"Nothing!" Both of them shouted back and then smiled at each other.

Being twins, they had the twin-thing between them. They knew what the other was feeling or thinking and could finish each other's sentences. They knew each other better than they knew themselves.

"Are you coming, Mary?" Their mother, Diana asked from the corridor. She was wearing a scarf around her neck as she spoke.

"I'm coming." Rosemary washed her brushes in the bowl of water next to her and then washed her hands. After that, she walked into the front hallway and wore her coat.

"I'll see you both during lunch." Basil spoke from the living room as he sat down to paint his piece on a different easel stand.

The two women walked to the small library a few streets nearby. Diana was an old woman who loved books and had opened a library during her youth, despite society's belief of a woman working. Her late husband had been very supportive of her idea of the library and had helped her out when everyone else sneered at them. 

He had always been a supporter of women and their rights. The same persona had been passed onto Rosemary. She defied the cultures of the society that she lived in and didn't play by their rules. Doing so, she didn't have friends, except for a few maybe.

I wouldn't say that people didn't like her, because she was one of the kindest people in all of London, but they didn't agree with the way she lived her life and how she disagreed with all the principles of the society.

As the two women opened the shop, the young man from the station was on his way to his new home - the mansion that he had inherited. He felt déjà vu wash over him as he was returning to that place after many many years.

He was sitting inside his carriage, looking at the city that was once his home and maybe it would always be his home. He was nervous to enter that house again but he was a grown man and had nothing to worry about.

London was not the countryside that he had spent most of his life in but he was going to miss it dearly. London had always been where he belonged, but the countryside had been a home to him when he needed one desperately.

As they reached the main part of the town, Victor informed him so. "This is the main square, Mr. Gray." 

Dorian was looking at the shops that lined that street when he saw a young woman with brown curls that caught his eye. His eyes widened as his eyes became fixed on the woman. She was the same age as him and was standing outside what looked like a book shop and was wearing a coat. 

Not many women wore a coat like that. In fact, no women in the eighteenth century wore a coat that was really a man's coat. But the woman was beautiful as such. Dorian thought that she was the most beautiful person he had seen all his life. Her smile warmed his heart like the sun never could.

She had a small puppy in her hand when three children approached her, asking for spare change. She pulled out all the money she had from her pocket and gave it to them.

The carriage had crossed the library but Dorian was intrigued by that woman. He turned around and looked at her, the carriage being an open one. The woman was now sitting on her knees, talking to the children who had approached her. She handed them the puppy and ruffled one of the boy's hair with her hand.

Dorian wanted to note down the name of the library but the carriage had already turned around the corner and he couldn't see the woman anymore. He had a last glimpse of her as she entered the shop and a small smile crept on his face.