Sapphire

Chapter 1~ English Garden

Mary Branbrook woke at exactly 6:30 in the morning to start with an easy task from the mountain of chores; wash the dishes and clean out the chamber pots from the night before. To Mary, 6:30 is a very late start to her morning but she had missed so much sleep the night before due to her drawing habits. She drew landscapes mainly, flowers and flowing bodies of water were her favorite to draw. She let her mind wonder while she scrubbed the dishes.
It was now 7:30 time for morning breakfast. Mary jumped up from her kneeling position and began making breakfast for her whole family. It was not that they had asked this of her, it was her own free will. She felt like a bit of a burden sitting around her house having afternoon tea. As she swung the cauldron of porridge over the fire to continue on with other tasks, she heard a small noise on the wooden steps from behind her. She quickly turned around to see her sister standing there at the bottom of the stairs, her brown eyed gaze was tired, and there she still stood, silent.
"Minnie? Are you alright?" Mary asked as she gazed upon her concerned, and confused as to why she had been so silent. Minnie was always the outgoing one, the one that was sure to bring home a husband well before her six sisters would. Minnie's eyes began to swell with tears as she choked out the words, "Robert is dead." "When did you receive word?" Mary said as she motioned for Minnie to sit with her at the table. "Yesterday, I couldn't keep it in anymore than a day." Minnie said while staring off blankly at the wall. "Why did you keep it in at all?" Mary asked, confused, and even a little outraged by Minnie. How could she keep such a devastating secret from her own family? "I don't know, it just seemed like a terrible time to bring up death," Minnie admitted. They sat in silence.
Mary broke the quiet by saying, "Can I get you anything?" Minnie nodded, "Some tea and breakfast, I'm famished." Mary rose from her seat and began fixing Minnie her tea and breakfast. Minnie sat in silence. "Minnie? If you don't mind me asking, how did Robert die?" Mary asked hesitantly as she fiddled with the tea kettle. "He was on his way to the post office when his horse saw a snake and it became frightened and leap into the air, knocking Robert off and he landing on a large stone from behind him that broke his neck." "That is just another reason to hate snakes,"Mary said. Minnie nodded her head in agreement. "His funeral is today. Will you come with me?" Minni asked softly with tears in her eyes. "Yes, of course I will," Mary said as she placed a plate of food in front of her sister.
"Thank you, Mary!" Minnie said with a smile. The tea had just enough cream and sugar to her liking. Mary turned from Minnie to continue making breakfast before the others woke up. Before the next hour the other seven people have woken, and joined Mary and Minnie for breakfast. Mr. Branbrook and Mrs. Branbrook sat at the head of the table and had their morning tea with just a small amount of cream and sugar. "Lydia, how are you getting along with your gown?" Mrs. Branbrook asked from across the table. Lydia turned her head to answer when there was a knock at the door. Mr. Branbrook rose from his seat and answered the door. The mail had came unusually early. It usually doesn't arrive until noon or 2:00 in the afternoon. Mr. Branbrook sifted through the letters, "Mary, Lydia, Minnie, Theodora, and.....Lucille.....All five of you have letters here," he said as he gave out the letters to the correct person. Theodora, only 17, eagerly opened the letter and quickly read the contents. She tossed the crumpled paper to the side and continued to eat her breakfast. Lydia, 20, carefully read her letter while stroking her long, wavy, golden hair. Mary sat at the edge of the table, reading, she took a deep breath and took a bite of her food. Minnie, 21, could hardly focus on the letter, her hand trembles and her breaths were shaky. Lucille, 19, the only child with green eyes and red hair, who looked more Irish than English, clicked her tongue in protest of the contents of the letter. "Well, what does it say?" Mrs. Branbrook asked. Theodora's amber eyes flicked up to meet her mother's chestnut brown eyes, "There's a ball. Tomorrow night." "Oh, are you going, all?" She asked as her honey blonde hair fell to her shoulders.
Lucille clicked her tongue once again in protest, "If I do go, it will never be for any man. I am my own person, after all." Mrs. Branbrook closed her eyes just for a moment and breathed in deeply before shaking her head in disappointment. "What about the rest of you?" She asked. Mary looked at Minnie, her eyes beckoned her to tell her family the secret she had been holding in, but she didn't. "I think I'll just go," Lydia, Mary, Minnie, Theodora, and even Lucille said in unison. Mrs. Branbrook smiled and sat back in her seat.
After breakfast, Mary set off to find Minnie to ask when the funeral was. "Minnie, what time is the funeral?" Mary asked through the wooden door. "At 1:00 in the afternoon," Minnie answered. "Alright, then I'll finish up and then I'll get ready. Do you have a carriage to take us?" Mary asked. "Yes, I do, l want to stay for the reception, if that is alright," Minnie said. "Of course it is!" Mary said. "See you in a few hours," she said through the door.
After the chores were done, there was still 1 hour and 35 minutes before Mary had to get dressed for the public. She decided to take a small walk to the garden to admire the flowers. They were so beautiful. The light pinks and soft yellows against the dark, rich green leaves and vines were stunning. It was hard to believe that Christmas was right around the corner. In the month of December it was unusually warm. The flowers still grew but, they did wilt, but only at night. Mary walked over to the rose bush, here bright red, blood red roses grew. Spotting a vibrant rose, Mary gently held the rose in her hand as she tried to pick it, but then, a large black spider that was hidden in the folds of its petals emerged. Mary gasped and dropped the rose. She shook her hand and checked herself for the spider. Thankfully it had stayed on the flower. Mary then went into her house to get ready for the funeral.
12:00, the carriage had arrived. They had an hour long journey to the funeral. Mary put on her best dark blue gown and a black ribbon in her hair. Minnie had followed after Mary moments later in a black gown with a black veil covering her face. "We should go now, I left a note for the others," Mary said as she guided Minnie out of the front door and into the black carriage. With a whip of the horses, they started off on their journey. Mary grasped Minnie's hand. They rode off in silence.