Days Gone By

First impressions

April 1944 - Aubrey Hall, Kent

Sophie couldn't help but feel at home at Aubrey Hall. The country manor felt so warm and comforting and the green of her room felt so much like her old room at Penwood before she'd been moved into a smaller room because Araminta demanded her room for Rosamund...

Sophie sat on the end of the bed sighing deeply, it felt so strange how a new place felt like home, how she felt like she knew Benedict and she was certain she'd never met him before.

It was just something in her gut, the way her heart seemed to sing and skip a beat when she was around him. The way her entire body reacted to him the first time she saw him was too similar to that of when she first met her mystery man.

There were definite similarities between the two but there was something older about Benedict, something more worn, less carefree and artistic about him than her mystery man.

His glasses looked different and his hair was a lot less kempt than the Officer she'd met, and his eyes appeared to be darker blue and surely if he had been her mystery man, he'd have recognised her...

She looked the same as she did those few short months ago, yes she wasn't wearing heels so she was shorter but her hair, her eyes... everything else about her was the same.

So she had to assume that he wasn't the man she'd been looking for.

It was with a sigh that she started to unpack her things, she didn't own much, she'd gotten into the habit of not having much, it made it easier as Rosamund wouldn't steal things from her, even now, several years after the death of her father, she didn't have much.

She had a few things that were family heirlooms from her mother's side that she'd kept hidden away and her clothes, in which lay the silver dress she'd worn the night she'd met her mystery man.

She had unpacked the rest of her clothes but she left that in the bottom of her trunk, she had no real desire to get it out and she was pretty sure she'd not have the need for it and it would just take up space so she left it there. She was just getting her books out when there was a knock on the door and the person didn't even wait for her to say "come in" when they burst in and it was Kate beaming at her.

Sophie let out a happy squeal and hugged her best friend "see I told you i'd help you out of that shit hole" Kate grinned as she hugged her best friend

"You did, and a lot quicker than I thought you would" Sophie admitted

"Have you met everyone yet?"

"I've met 4 of them, Ben, Hyacinth, Greg and Violet" Sophie replied

"What did you think?"

"Hyacinth and Greg are sweet kids, they shouldn't be a bother to teach, just need someone they can respect really, who will encourage them but know how to handle them" she smiled "Violet seemed lovely enough but it wasn't long that I saw her for, she wants me to meet the rest of the family before dinner"

"What about Ben?" Kate asked

"What about him?" Sophie asked "he seems nice enough..."

"Honestly Sophie, you need to stop being such a Nun... he's hot right? He's perfect for you to get over this loser from your office!" Kate said to her

"He's my boss Kate, he's hired me to look after his sister and brother..." Sophie said.

"And...?"

"It's a non-starter"

"But..."

"Kate just, I love you but come on. The whole, us marrying Brother's was cute when we were little but now... it's just... not gonna happen okay"