Becoming A Lady

Chapter One - Black Carriage

May 27, 1796

A shiny black carriage pulls out of a gated neighborhood and makes its way through the streets of Caulway, heading towards the edge of town as quickly as the rain-slicked roads would permit.

From inside the carriage, two well-dressed children were accompanied by a middle-aged woman with graying hair pinned back tightly. The lady was presently busying herself with straightening out her skirts, tut-tutting as she moved and straightened out the fabric which had twisted itself around her legs upon entering the coach. The young children sat across from the lady; both of the girls stared out of their respective tinted window, their emotions causing them to zone out and become unaware of the actions of the lady. The only sounds that filled the carriage came from the outside such as the pitter-patter of the torrential downpour of rain onto the windows, and the clopping of the horses pulling the lone carriage through the streets of the town.

Having satisfied herself with how her skirts were now arranged, the lady breathed out a small sigh to calm her nerves, and looked up at the young children in front of her, who sat hunched over and were leaning against the doors. She was sure they felt as poorly as they looked. Feeling her heartstrings tug the longer she looked at them, she cleared her throat in a poor attempt to clear the air thick with emotion, and wracked her brain for anything that could possibly bring the children out of their daze.

"Now my dear Madeline and Margaret, the lady began firmly, when we arrive at Kinsington Academy, remember your manners and do try to keep the sniveling to a minimum; it isn't proper." Her statement only caused the girls to sink further back into the seat cushions, eyes now cast downward towards the hands clasped in their laps. The lady pressed on, in the hopes of snapping them out of their impropriety.

"We should be arriving to the Academy in the next ten to fifteen minutes, I think. Its on the outskirts of Caulway, on a small bit of land. I believe when I looked into it, I was told it was about twenty-five acres!-" She continued in a cheerful manner, but neither of the girls had the heart to pay enough attention to the words that seemed to flow freely from her lips.

The girls glanced sorrowfully at each other before Margaret looked back out her window, and Madeline leaned against her sister, her head resting on Margarets shoulder. Both of their youthful faces displayed tired eyes and down-turned lips. The girls were finding it difficult to verbally express themselves at the moment.

The trio continued on in this way for the next little while, until the lady hastily tapped the girls knees, bringing to their attention that the carriage was about to turn onto the road which lead to Kinsington Academy. Madeline and Margaret peered out of the windows, taking in the lush green grass and thick trees that lined the red dirt road. This land reminded them of the estate they previously lived on, with their parents. So much had changed in the past week, and Madeline and Margaret were struggling to keep up.

As the carriage rolled down the road, the sun began to peak through the clouds, shining down on the school grounds and casting the plant-life in a warm and welcoming light. They noticed the grass nearer to the immediate school grounds had been trimmed down quite short, and there was a garden full of bushes and a colorful variety of beautifully organized flowers, and even a few benches. Madeline and Margaret were gleefully in love with the beauty of the academys grounds that they momentarily forgot why they were going there in the first place.

The lady cleared her throat, turned up her nose, and looking down upon them, spoke in a nasally voice, "Madeline. Margaret. Dears. Kinsington Academy is the most prestigious school in the country, and you girls are incredibly lucky to be able to attend this marvelous school.

"They will not only teach you proper schooling, but also proper etiquette. When Kinsington Academy is done with you girls, you will be the epitome of a proper lady, and quite marriageable, too. Yes...yes." She nodded her head enthusiastically, the feather on her hat threatened to forcefully detach from the hat.