"Mama, stop!" I yell.
"You will get dressed up, and you will be on your best behaviour! You will be a proper young lady tonight!" she snaps.
"I don't want to be a lady! I don't want to get dressed up! I don't want to go to your stupid dinner!" I scream at her.
"Do you want me to start a fire and throw your bow into it?" she asks.
I know she is completely serious, and that is the only reason why I give up. "Fine, you win..." I mutter.
A pleased look crosses her face. "Thank you. Now, the blue one or the pink one?" she asks.
"The blue one," I grumble. At least the blue one is softer. I would rather wear my breeches. Well, dad's breeches. Same thing.
"Yes, the blue one will go perfectly with your eyes. Well... eye," she says.
I look into the mirror, taking full notice of my one blue and one green eye. It is quite unusual, and Mama says she's never seen anything like it. Some people say it was a gift from the angels, and others call it a sign from the devil himself. I think it's some inherited thing, one green eye from Papa, and one blue one from Mama if that makes any sense.
"A young unmarried duke is coming! I have someone else in mind for you, but he shall be just fine for Anastasia." Mama smiles.
"Ana is sixteen!" I gasp.
"That is not an unordinary age to come out. I just wish for my daughters to come out after I feel they are properly educated," she replies. "And he has not shown interest in any young ladies yet, and I am taking that as a sign of good fortune. Maybe he will still be without a wife when I allow her to come out" she continues.
"But Mama, I don't want to get married," I complain, as always.
A look of horror washes over Mama's face. "Do not dare say that! You are tempting fate. You shall get married. And the unmarried son of a plantation owner is coming tonight, I want you to impress him." she orders. Impress him? A smile crosses my face. "And before any ideas cross your mind, I want you to impress him in a good way. Do not scare him off!" she adds. My smirk quickly falls.
Mama struts out of the room, her back straight, hands placed neatly in front of her. In every way, she is a perfect lady. She never has a hair out of place, and her clothing is never wrinkled or stained, she never slouches or frowns. She never smiles, for that matter. Andra managed to escape her. She got married right after her season. Me, I came back with zero proposals. I don't need a husband to feel complete. I don't need a husband at all.
Once I am sure Mama is gone, I grab my bow from resting on the wall and making my way to the door in my room. I reach for the handle, but just before I can turn it, a voice stops me. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Ana says.
"And why not?" I ask.
"Mama is waiting right outside for you," she gestures towards the door. "She knew you would sneak out for a little target practice." she laughs.
"It keeps me sane," I say.
"She doesn't want you to get dirty before the party," Ana says.
"I don't even want to go to her stupid party" I complain.
"At least you get to go, I have to stay up in my room and watch Marie and Macy." she pouts.
"I much prefer their company to that of all the gentlemen mother keeps trying to set me up with," I tell her.
"You just need to choose one! And do it before I turn 18, you know how embarrassing it is for a younger sister to get married before an older one." she points out.
"It won't be embarrassing for me," I reply.
"Not for you but for our mother. You know just how hard she'd take it." Ana frowns.
"And just how much she would be overdramatic about it." I joke.
"Yes." Ana giggles. I smile. "You should go talk to Macy before she has an outburst. She is really upset about not being able to go to the party. The only one who has proven capable of calming her down is you." she sighs.
"I should go. You need to enjoy your freedom while it lasts, soon enough, you'll be the one wanting to hide from Mama." I smile. She struts off, her long, dark hair waving behind her. I'm so jealous of her. It is perfectly smooth and straight. However, I have a wild brown mess of waves and curls. I have to go and find Macy.
I find her, sitting in the middle of the hallway. "Hey, Macy..." I say, my voice is so soft it's almost a whisper.
"Why can't I go to the party with all of you?" she asks.
"Because Mama doesn't think it is proper for a young lady who isn't looking to court to go to formal gatherings. Or something like that." I say. I know exactly how she is feeling. She wants to get into the party, and I want out. We're the same, her and I, both of us reach for things we cannot have. I just wish I could want the same thing she wants, and I wish I wanted the dresses and parties. Maybe then life would be easier. A voice snaps me back into reality.
"I just see you and Andra putting on the pretty dresses, and you get to dance, and I don't." she sniffles.
"You have so many years left just to be a little kid, enjoy them, Macy," I say reassuringly. "I wish I didn't have to wear those dresses, and they're so uncomfortable. You know I prefer breeches or trousers. You still have free time to get messy and be silly. Once you come out, you don't have those luxuries anymore." I continue. "Besides, I'll tell you everything that happens," I say.
She nods her head, wiping away her tears. "You promise?" she sniffs, her big blue eyes looking up at me.
"Promise." I smile, holding up my right hand. She smiles, doing the same, interlocking her fingers with mine.
"You just made a Taylor sister swear, you can't break it." Macy looks up at me, her expression showing total seriousness. It completely contrasts her bright blue eyes.
Macy may be looking forward to hearing about the party, but I am completely dreading it.
***
And dreading it, she is. Louisa Madelaine Taylor won't know what hit her by the next chapter. Y'all are gonna love it. And just curious, would you guys want me to add pics of the characters? If so, which ones? :) Ok so... just in case you were wondering... here's the Taylor family tree
George and Athena Taylor
Alexandra 'Andra' Taylor (23)
Louisa 'Louie' Taylor (19)
Anastasia 'Ana' Taylor (16)
Marie 'Mare' Taylor (11)
Macy Taylor (5)
Is it just me, or are they playing the same commercials OVER AND OVER again? My TV just keeps playing that Kurieg ad on replay. It's kind of getting annoying. I don't know. Ok so... My week is pretty chill so far. I think I'm a little extra lazy today. It's fine. With all this spare time, I've been reading and watching Hulu. At this very moment, I am watching old Veronica Mars episodes. Well, I'm not really watching it. Just using it so I'm not sitting in complete silence. I hate silence... it's so dull and distracting. Ok, so I should go. It's like 11 pm so...
Hey guys!!! It is currently 5:34 pm and releasing the finished version of the first chapter!!!!!!! What do you guys think?
Wait! Before I go, do any of yall have reading recommendations? On Wattpad or otherwise. thx
XOXO
Livvy
YOU ARE READING
Fall
Historical Fiction" 'This was where we first met, remember?' he smiled, looking upward at the top of the tree, the sunlight dappling his face and making his warm brown eyes look like melted gold- the kind you'd spend any wealth in the world on. " Louisa 'Louie' does...
