1752 [S.P.C]

1775: Boy Becomes a man

Florence
I looked at my engagement ring, smiling! I was torn, I was engaged, I was going to marry my love, and I couldn't even tell my family about it. I can't even tell my mother that she's going to have to help pick out a wedding dress. The only person who knows is my brother Liam, but I doubt he actually knows anything, anyways. Jacob my own twin, who I tell you everything to, doesn't know that I've been engaged for two years to Benedict.

Mama and Papa forbade me to see Benedict but I've been seeing him behind their back. I've become a very good liar and the trick to being a good liar is always to be prepared to have a backup. So, if you were to ask me where I was going and I was going to Benedict's I'd say, just to the market! I want to see if they have the new hair accessories from America. Now, the backup to this lie would be linking it to something my parents don't like, like Papa for example, he hates going to the market because he hates people, honestly, I can understand that. So, I'd use that on him. However, with my mama! She just wants to spend time with me and would come, so I have to change it to a rooster fight. See mama doesn't think it's a good sport and neither do I, it's just an excuse.

So, the final step is when they're talking and you've told your parents two different things. You use the excuse I'm a young lady, I spend more time outside of the house than I do indoors. Trust me when I say that it works perfectly every time, and it's been working since sixty-seven so nearly ten years.

I placed my engagement ring in a box lifted a broken floorboard in my room and hid the box underneath the board. I was going to meet Haytham with Patrick today, I haven't seen Haytham since sixty-seven and I was excited to see him. He and I have always been close, people used to joke about me and him. Well, mainly my older brothers, particularly Jacob.

"Florence, hurry up!" Patrick calls from the outside of my door. "He's expected to arrive in five." I rolled my eyes at my brother's anticipation. Haytham was coming to indoctrinate him into the Templar order. I'm not a part of the order, I was never interested in following in my parent's footsteps. My brothers will do just fine, Patrick, Jacob and Liam. I wanted to write stories, particularly romance. However, as I'm a woman I don't get the privilege, so I'm writing underneath my twins' name.

I've already published a story. It's called Goldmine, I saw it in the shop when I walked along the streets in Paris when I went with my uncle. "FLORENCE STOP DAYDREAMING ABOUT BOOKS AND HURRY THE FUCK UP." Patrick grows impatient and bursts into my room.

"You're not even reading and you're still taking forever." I rolled my eyes at my older brother, who was just a pain. "I'd understand if you were reading, but you're just standing there." I walked over to him, taking his arm.

"Well, we better hurry if we're going to meet up with Haytham." I laughed as Patrick and I made our way out of the house and towards the dock.

——
I held onto Patrick. Who leads us through the busy streets. "Ahh, it smells like home." I chuckled at my brother's statement. "I was in Paris with Papa, and it's just crazy at the moment." Papa has been taking him on missions to help him find some box, I don't know I never pay attention when they're talking about the order.

"You were in Paris only two hours ago." I reminded him as we reached the docks. "Ahh, well fancy that Patrick! He's not even here yet!" I chuckled as I noticed the only boat in the harbour was an old fishing boat.

"Well, if you trained. You'd notice that he's standing right over there, staring at us with his arms crossed." He pointed to his left, showing a displeased Haytham. I gave him a long hard look, he's changed a bit since the last time I saw him, he's gotten more greys and he's a little smaller, he's introduced the world to a few extra wrinkles but he's still quite fine looking for an old guy.