･:*:･ﾟ✩𓆩♡𓆪✩･:*:･ﾟ

✩

I'm like the water when your ship rolled in that night
Rough on the surface but you cut through like a knife

– Willow (Taylor Swift)

✩

Audrey Dawkins's footsteps got lost in the chaos of the streets as many other people were out to complete their missions. She had been tasked to bring lunch to her boss, Mrs. Fawny, which she had already been used to thanks to the three years of practice and time spent in the sewing shop where she worked in exchange for a roof over her head and food to fill her belly.

As she made it past a couple of officers who were aiming for the local bar, her ears caught the news of another hanging happening on the square in just a few minutes. She shuddered at the picture of the horrific scene that instantly appeared in her brain. If there was one thing she hated, it was death. She despised the unanswered questions that came with it. The unknown. No one really knew what followed life after it came to its end. She was familiar with the catholics' belief that sins shall be forgiven to the honest and find peace but she wasn't a believer. She had long stopped having faith in a greater good that might be watching out for her.

"Jack!" Audrey called out in surprise at the sight of her brother that appeared from a corner.

As usual, he was wearing a top hat and a coat was lining his body, a waistcoat and a shirt underneath it. At first, he didn't notice his younger sister's presence but his head flew up at the sound of her voice.

"Audrey, hello. Hate to disappoint, but I must be on my way now," he blurted out quickly and intended to walk past her but didn't expect Audrey's fingers to wrap around his arm.

"What happened, Jack?" she asked him. She had known him long enough to notice that something was bugging him real hard.

"Nothing for you to worry about, Auds," he assured her but his repeating nervous turns of head betrayed his words.

"Oh, yes, and I have two heads," his sister scoffed, tired of his lies. "Seriously, what's wrong?"

Jack's fingers brushed his forehead. Originally he wasn't planning on sharing his troubles with Audrey but she seemed to give him no choice as she held him captive on the street while Darius and his men were currently looking for him. "I'm in debt of twenty-six pounds which I must pay or else they'll chop off my hand."

Audrey's eyes widened at the words that left his mouth. "But... that's a lot! Jack, how are you going to pay that amount of money? You don't even earn that a year..."

"I know! I know, Auds," Jack said in desperation. "But I'll make it somehow. I will."

"I wish I could help you but–"

"I've got this," he interrupted her offer. At that moment he noticed a familiar figure making his way through the crowds of people and he knew it was his cue to leave. "See you."

He hurried away before Audrey could bid him goodbye. She could only watch her brother get lost in the crowd while she remained standing.

Audrey sighed to herself. There was once a time when Jack and her were inseparable. It wasn't as if they weren't in contact anymore but ever since they moved to Australia, they built their own lives. Jack got a job as a doctor while she found her place in a small sewing shop. Neither of those were fancy places but the two siblings had been through enough to know how to appreciate the things they had in possession. Once, they couldn't even be sure if they lived long enough to see another sunrise.

However, while Audrey wanted to leave everything behind and live as a normal citizen, her brother Jack missed the adrenaline. He missed their old life even if he feared to admit it. But Audrey saw through his facade. And she was afraid that someday he wouldn't be quick enough to dodge all his problems.

✩𓆩♡𓆪✩

Christian's steps were firm and confidence was radiating from him as he made his way through the corridors where servants were scurrying out of his way. His head was held high while a white shirt hugged his muscles and a royal blue fitted waistcoat was buttoned around it.

He almost reached the stairs when another pair of angry footsteps echoed in the room and a red-haired girl descended.

"Where off to, sister?" Christian asked as he leaned against the wall.

"Don't talk to me," she huffed in response.

Fanny tried to get away but Christian stepped into her way. "What's the matter with you?"

"My matter is that our dear sister Belle is planning on staying a lone woman for the rest of her life! Especially when there's a fine gentleman coming to meet her and it doesn't even move with her!"

"Maybe you're taking this too seriously, don't you think?"

Fanny raised her chin as if what her brother was saying was absurd. "Absolutely not."

Without giving Christian another second of attention Fanny succeeded in walking out of his sight.

Meanwhile, with a new goal in mind, Christian walked up the stairs and headed toward Belle's room. He knocked. For a few seconds he received no response but at last he heard the words that allowed him to enter.

"I just had a great chat with our sister," Christian informed Belle who was cleaning away her work in progress. Christian eyed the contents of her table with furrowed eyebrows. "I will rather not ask."

"Fanny is just over-dramatic. She'll survive," Belle said.

"You know that you will have to marry at some point in the future, right?" Christian questioned as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"But for some reason I don't see the same pressure being put on your shoulders," Belle commented as she put together a set of body sketches.

"It's so that you have a stable future. Our family's good name is important."

"So just because you're a man and I'm a woman, I must comply with society's expectations and marry a bore with money. Is that right?"

Christian tilted his head in thought. "Well..."

"Do us both a favor and don't finish that sentence."

Christian chuckled shortly, enjoying the process of teasing his younger sister.

"Maybe we should visit the town to brighten up your day? So that you can make a great impression on the gentleman that will be asking for your hand," he suggested.

"There's no time. I'm in the middle of something," Belle objected, picking up another piece of paper as she quickly scanned it with her eyes.

"Fine, then. I'll be on my way then."

Belle didn't even look at him. "Sod off already."

✩𓆩♡𓆪✩

Once again, Mrs. Fawny sent out Audrey to take care of some errands while the older woman kept working on the dresses. Things like this were nothing unusual since the woman liked to highlight Audrey's young age and that she had more strength in her legs to carry her all around the town than her. And Audrey wasn't the one to complain. In fact, she rather enjoyed the feeling of fresh air in her lungs. Her most favourite activity would probably be visiting clients' houses with Mrs. Fawny to take their measurements. A lot of those people did not live poorly and Audrey would often admire their beautiful gardens with flowers blooming there and colouring them.

She had always dreamed of having one of her own.

The sound of Audrey's steps got lost in the noises of the world around her. As always, the town lived. It was filled with numerous people with their own tasks that needed to be done. Then Audrey's eyes fell on the familiar silhouette of her brother who was also walking among the busy folk but what caught her off guard was another man trailing after him. And it took her only a millisecond to pin a name to the face of the older man. But neither of that made any sense to her. She would have sworn that the man was dead. Executed. Despite that he was still breathing. In the flesh. And her eyes were the witness of that.

Fagin was lively whispering something into Jack's ears when he noticed a woman staring at the two of them in the crowd.

He nudged him. "Look, Dodge, we've got an admirer."

Jack looked at the person his companion was pointing at. He instantly shrugged the man off his shoulder as he made his way over to Audrey who had not moved since the minute she spotted them.

"How?" she voiced out when they were in a distance short enough to be heard.

"Wait! I do know you! You! Little Mouse!" Fagin exclaimed in great excitement.

"Jack," she turned to him, craving an explanation. She had no desire to give the older man a second of attention which he did not even deserve at all. Only the sight of him brought back memories of the times she wanted to push down into the deepest corner of her mind.

"I know, I know." Jack raised his arms in defence. "Trust me, I was just as stunned to see him as you now."

"Come on, Little Mouse, you could at least show me some happiness, will ya?"

"Don't call me that," Audrey objected. She hadn't heard that nickname in fifteen years. Which was exactly the amount of time she had not seen Fagin for.

Fagin winked. "You had a soft spot for me once."

"Fagin is now working for me as my assistant," Jack explained as he ignored the man's comments. "He came in on a ship today."

Audrey didn't reply to that. She had no right words she could say that would fully reveal her thoughts and feelings that were bubbling inside her like hot water, ready to burst out. And Fagin would be the first person to aim at. But she didn't want to cause any scene people would be most likely gossipping about later. So far, she had perfectly blended into the crowd and she didn't want to step out of the comfortable shadows.

"I have to go," she uttered at last and this time she was the one to leave Jack behind without a proper goodbye.

And truthfully, Jack wasn't even blaming her for her quick departure.

✩𓆩♡𓆪✩

Audrey had already returned to the shop and Mrs. Fawny was out to visit some of her clients. Audrey automatically headed towards the backroom where she tried to busy herself by working on a new dress for one of their clients. However, neither that activity could make her messy thoughts flee away. It seemed like Fagin triggered something in her. As if he was a key to a long locked and forgotten box of memories in her mind. And now that it was opened, it would not close no matter how hard she tried.

Then the front door once again opened. It was accompanied by the lively ring of the bell that indicated the presence of a new customer. However, as Audrey was not expecting anyone to come by at this hour, she was startled by the sudden sound that filled the backroom for a moment and she ended up pricking her finger.

"Hello?" a deep masculine voice echoed from the next room.

A quiet curse slipped through Audrey's lips as she put her wounded finger into her mouth to stop the drop of blood falling to the wooden floor. As she hurriedly got up from her seat, she accidentally knocked down a sewing form which held one of her works in progress. It brought a not so subtle commotion with it as it hit the ground with its weight.

"Is everything alright?" the man's voice reached her ears again but this time it was from a smaller distance which meant he must have made his way over to the backroom.

"I'll be with you in a moment, sir," Audrey called back as she returned the form to its original position.

With one last checking look behind her Audrey stepped forward the door that led to the room with the waiting customer.

"Hello, I'm sorry for the delay," she apologised as she took her position behind the counter. "How may I help you, sir?"

She quietly observed him. He was wearing a short-fronted tailcoat and underneath that was hiding a white linen shirt. But with the few years of experience she had, Audrey could already tell that the fabric his clothing was made from was high quality. And definitely more expensive than what her brother could afford. His dark brown hair was delicately adjusted – not even a strand falling in the way of his eyesight. The man seemed to be freshly shaved as well, the absence of his beard only proving it. The colour of his eyes perfectly matched his hair too.

"I'm Lord Christian Fox," he corrected her, clarifying his status.

Audrey's mouth slightly opened as she realised her mistake. Honestly she wasn't even that shocked by it. But she instantly bent her knees a little bit and lowered her head. "Of course. I apologise, my lord."

The man nodded, pleased. "Thank you. A little while ago my sister and I were on a stroll around this shop and she was very intrigued by one of the fabrics in the window. Her birthday is coming up and I thought you could make her a dress. The price doesn't matter, obviously."

Audrey was silently listening to his words, slightly nodding as the wheels had already started rotating in her mind in the process of thinking of a perfect dress. However, their shop had never gotten a visit from the governor's family – who were considered to be the royalty of this place – before and she wanted the quality to be fitting. And Mrs. Fawny would not forgive her if the governor's family were to be displeased.

"Which fabric do you have in mind specifically?" she inquired as she left her spot behind the counter to approach the window with the fabrics.

"The pink one."

"The blossom or the sweet pink?" Audrey asked, eyeing the colours.

Christian was taken aback by the question but thankfully recovered very quickly. "The one on the right side."

"The blossom one it is then."

Audrey swiftly returned to her previous spot, her dress slightly brushing against the wooden floor.

"When can I expect the delivery to arrive?" he said, his eyes wandering around the shop, occasionally stopping on a few extraordinary fabrics. It surely wasn't as fancy as the ones he had visited during his life but it wasn't very fading against them either. And he knew that Belle wasn't as tight on the brands as other high positioned people he had met.

"Well, my lord, first I must take measurements from the person you intend to give the dress to," Audrey explained as she rested her hands on the counter this time.

"But this is a gift," Christian uttered, his brows rising a little. His gaze then ended up on her face and it slowly lowered.

"Excuse me, but dresses cannot be bought with a blind eye. Of course, I can try to make one but I shall not guarantee that it'll perfectly fit..."

"Is your hand okay?" he suddenly interrupted her.

"What...?" Audrey uttered in confusion as she glanced down to check what got his attention and saw that she had accidentally smudged some blood from her prick from earlier on the counter. "Oh, it's fine."

"Maybe you should clean it and wrap it before it gets infected," Christian suggested, remembering what his sister Belle taught him when he accidentally cut his finger a while ago.

"My brother would probably say the same thing," Audrey noted but hid her finger under the counter. "Nevertheless, when could we take measurements for the dress?"

Christian immediately straightened his body. He didn't even realise that his body relaxed a bit until they returned to the former topic of their conversation which was the reason he came here in the first place.

"Of course, you can come to the Fox residence which is located just outside the town. I believe you won't miss it. Does eleven o'clock work for you?"

His immediate change of posture shocked Audrey. There was no doubt that he was no new to solving problems in the blink of an eye. But considering his title and family it was logical to think that he had some experience in this field.

She nodded. "It does, my lord."

With that, the satisfied man left the shop. If Audrey could not smell the faint trace of cologne left after him, she wouldn't even believe that the governor's very son had just been inside the shop where she worked. This day was surely full of unexpected surprises.

✩𓆩♡𓆪✩

Soon enough, the bell by the door chimed once again and this time it was the owner of the shop herself who had just returned.

"Audrey!" Mrs. Fawny called out, noticing the absence of her worker.

The young woman didn't leave her boss waiting and she walked out from the backroom where she was working on some dresses. "Yes, Mrs. Fawny?"

"Has anyone been in here?" the woman questioned as she set down her bag filled with everything she needed in her line of work.

"Lord Fox paid us a visit," Audrey revealed and she watched her boss's calm expression form into a shocked one.

"Truly?"

Audrey nodded. "He wanted us to go to the Fox residence tomorrow at eleven o'clock to take measurements of his sister for the dress."

"Eleven?" Mrs. Fawny replied, deep in thought. "Unfortunately, I already have an appointment booked at that time. I can't just turn down the Captain's wife. If it were someone else, maybe but..."

"Should we cancel it?" Audrey inquired.

Mrs. Fawny was very quick to object. "That is absolutely out of the question, Audrey."

Audrey patiently stood behind the counter while the older woman started pacing around in hopes to find a perfect solution for their current problems. And soon, it was visible that she got an idea.

"Do you think you could do this one?" she suggested. "You've been here for enough time to catch up with everything so maybe this could be your chance to prove yourself."

Audrey was hesitant to believe the woman's words. She had never attended a client on her own. And certainly not one in the governor's house. But she had watched Mrs. Fawny work enough times to know exactly what she shall do once she was there. However, Audrey had always been in the background. In her boss's shadow. Only a few people knew she worked for Mrs. Fawny. Even though her dresses were widely praised which could only mean that she was doing something right. But this... this would be a completely new experience. Honestly, she was nervous but there was also a part of her that wanted to see the governor's house. And she was grateful that Mrs. Fawny trusted her well enough to let her take care of this.

And she would do everything in her power not to mess it up.

"Can I count on you, Audrey?"

"Yes."

･:*:･ﾟ✩𓆩♡𓆪✩･:*:･ﾟ

Hello! The first chapter is here!

What do you think of Chris & Audrey so far? I really should come up with a ship name for them haha. Any ideas?

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Sincerely, writingmagic 💚