From Ashes to Gold

A New World

The sun shone its long, warm rays into the cold, dank room, signalling the start of another dreary winter day in Brunswick, Melbourne. Adelaide stared at the ceiling through the tiny, moth-eaten holes in the canopy over her bed. She didn't want to get up and face another freezing day of rain and mud-covered streets. Her parents, who once owned a massive estate in Somerset, England, lost it all 6 months prior due to her grandfather's brewery going up in flames. They had promised a better future in Australia, saying that with the prospect of gold and the bright sunny weather, the new country was sure to hold hope they needed after everything they lost. So far in the 3 months of being there, Adelaide failed to see the grand future she had been promised. Although they were still more well off than most families, the weather had been miserable and the gold lacking.

She turned over to face the window and watched the cold, icy rain pelt against the smogged glass before dripping to the street below. A heavy sigh escaped her slightly blue lips as the growing scent of horse manure and the busy sounds of a city reached her senses. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that maybe it was all a dream. Maybe if she kept her eyes closed long enough, she would eventually wake up to the smell of fresh country air and breakfast wafting up from the kitchen. She strained her ears, hoping to catch a glimpse of familiar quiet. Just as she was about to let her imagination get the better of her, a loud pounding brought her away from the fantasy.

"Adelaide!"

The firm but tired voice of a woman clearly at the end of her rope burst through the door.

Adelaide ignored her mother, hoping that she would go away. She squeezed her eyes shut again, but heard the squeak of her bedroom door opening and the sharp tap of her mother's heels across the floor told her that ignoring her wasn't going to work this time. Her bed creaked as her mother sat beside the covered lump of her body on the bed.

"Adelaide dear, you really have to come out of this room. It's not that bad once you get outside. You could even come down to the church this morning with me to make baskets of food for the poor."

Adelaide didn't move when her mother rested her hand on her arm as she continued gently. "Mrs Taylor will be there with her daughter, who is around your age. She is the president of a young women's book club. If you come with me, you can talk to her daughter about joining."

After a few more moments of listening to the city bustle and coming to the realisation that the stink wasn't going to leave her nose, she rolled over to face her mother. "I will think about it."

Her mother stared back at her as if waiting for more words. But when none more came, she sighed and left, glancing back at Adelaide once more before closing the door behind her.

With one more long blink, Adelaide threw off her heavy blankets and quickly tugged on her thick dressing gown and slipped her cold feet into her fur-lined slippers. She stepped over to the window and looked into the street below, taking in the sight she had spent the last 3 months staring at. She shivered as she felt the frosty breeze whistle through the tiny crack where the window just didn't quite meet the ledge. She made a mental note to ask her father to fix that. Her soft green eyes wandered over to the worn grey stone of the bell tower built over the small church on the corner.

Adelaide had watched from her window all these months as her parents made the short but slightly treacherous walk to that church every Sunday morning. Then every Tuesday afternoon, she would watch as all the ladies on the street would trail in for weekly Bible study. Every Thursday, Adelaide would watch her mother walk down the street to the church where all the ladies of the parish would pack baskets for the poor.

The view from her window was very different now than it had been 3 months ago, and no matter how much Adelaide hoped that if she looked long enough, the city would melt away into the estate she missed so much. A wave of homesickness swept over her. She missed the lavish parties, the bright colours of all the flowers in the gardens and the rolling hills that went on as far as the eye could see. She missed the fresh air that was now replaced by smog and the stink of a busy Victorian-era city.

She turned away and went to go back to bed when she paused and shook her head. Enough, Adelaide, get a hold of yourself. Sitting around doing nothing won't get you back to England. It was in that moment that she decided that enough was enough; the rolling hills of her father's English estate were long gone. With determined steps, she walked to her dresser to get ready. Maybe going with her mother to the church would be a good thing. Maybe finding a friend would be a good thing, maybe if she made herself useful, the ache she felt would disappear.

Thirty minutes later, she was sitting down at the lavish dining room table, downing a humble breakfast of warm toast, eggs and steaming hot tea. She ate in silence, ignoring the silent stares of their maid, Alice.

"Your mother left only ten minutes ago. If you hurry, you can catch her."

Adelaide simply nodded. After months of eating next to nothing, the slightly dry bread and somewhat rubbery eggs had never tasted so good. Once finished, she quickly raced upstairs to grab her travel bonnet before bounding back down the stairs, where their butler, Thomas, smiled at her as he opened the door.

"Do you need an escort m'lady"

Adelaide took a deep breath as she stepped outside into the street.

"No, thank you, Thomas. I know the way well enough, and I think I will be just fine"