The Letter I Wrote To The Duke (Seriously Editing Had A Huge Plot Hole)

Chapter 1: Writing The Letter

Once she has untied my corset, she goes over to my closet to get my night dress. She plucks it from the hook it hangs from and then hurries back over to me. Her face shows a small amount of concentration as she holds it up to me. I put my arms in the air as she places it over my head and lets it slide down on me. She then takes my corset and takes it away to the laundry. She will be back soon enough.

I start thinking about my dilemma again, the reason I'm in this situation is because of my parents' deaths. I stand up and make my way over to the desk in the far corner of my room. The letter to the Duke won't write itself and I need help. I don't know who else to go to.

I slide open the drawer on the left side, the loud creaking of this drawer really gets on my nerves. From it, I pull out a blank sheet of parchment and then close the drawer. I open the top drawer that traces on the under edge of the entire desk and pull out a quill and an ink well. I place the ink well in the ink well hole in the top of the desk. I light a match for my desk lamp and the flame dances gloriously in the dark corner. I touch the flame to the wick and the lamp bursts with light, lighting up the whole corner of the room with glorious yellow light.

I reach for the small oil can sitting on the edge of the desk and pour a small amount into my lamp. As it starts to brighten the light of my lamp, I smile at it, feeling almost as if the light it lighting up my life or making my situation a little less hard.. I look back at the can and realize that it feels quite light. I might need to get it refilled; it is starting to run low on oil. Although, I might not need it to be refilled if everything goes according to my plans. I place the oil can back on the top of the desk where it cannot bother me as I write.

I then set the blank page in front of me and the quill down beside it. I stare at the page wondering how I should start the letter; should I start it by asking for his help? Or should I start by telling him my dilemma? I pick up the quill and give it a quick dunk in the ink well, a few drops of ink splash onto the desk with the movement. Then in the top right corner of the page I start to write. I start by writing "Dear Duke," and then continue on, two generous spaces underneath my first words and start on writing to Duke Charles.

I don't understand why a man is so much more appropriate to be a leader. I think I would have done quite well without a man's help, but I suppose I will have to live with what has happened because the circumstances won't be changing, I think to myself. I will just have to take some time away from this town and think about my decision.

Elena comes back a short while later and prepares my bed for me; she pulls back the covers and arranges my pillows just the way that she knows I like them. She then proceeds to stand next to the bed looking at me and waiting. I smile and nod at her and she nods back at me with a generous smile of her own. She looks pretty when she smiles, she has a very nice smile, and it brightens up any room she is in.

"You can go now Elena, I have some things I still want to finish before I retire for the night." I smile at her wondering what she will do when she leaves me to myself. Will she start doing more chores? Will she finish doing chores? Will she go straight to bed? She does look tired and worn out.

"Okay, my lady, but do not retire too late, we do not want you to be tired for tomorrow. It is a special day you know," Elena inquires with a smile. She is always taking care of me, making sure that I get enough sleep and enough to eat and drink. She is like my mother would have been, always making sure that I am as healthy as I possibly can be. Although, my mother would have most likely been doing it for a different reason altogether, she would have been keeping me healthy so that a man will see fit to marry me, to see fit to ask for my hand and then my family would pay his with dowries for marrying me.