･:*:･ﾟ✩𓆩♡𓆪✩･:*:･ﾟ

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Born into nothing
At least you have something, something to cling to
Visions of dazzling rooms I'll never get let into

– Beautiful Ghosts (Taylor Swift)

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Next day, Audrey could still hardly believe that she was going to the Fox residence. Nervousness was bubbling inside her but she was also partly excited. She knew that in order to do a good job she couldn't let her fear swallow her. Instead, she'd rather embrace the thought of this perfect opportunity to prove her worth. She wasn't a doctor like her brother who continuously saved lives but she still liked to believe that what she was doing was somehow useful to the world as well.

Another thing she was curious about was also the garden which she hoped that she would get a glimpse of. She was convinced that a wealthy family like theirs, they wouldn't go to shame with the outdoor designs

Audrey repeatedly checked the time to see if she should already depart to avoid being late. But she definitely wasn't expecting a sudden visit in the shop.

"Leave," she firmly told Fagin who seemed to pay no attention to her words as he scurried over to the counter.

"Little Mouse, let's leave the bad memories behind. Don't ya think?"

"I don't, Fagin." The man's name sounded like the name of the devil from her mouth.

"I remember you was such a tiny, cute baby. Little Dodge would not leave your side–"

"Enough," she cut him off. Just a minute ago she was anticipating the time when she would leave for the Fox residence but right now all she wanted was to hide in the backroom. It was quite interesting how she had managed to bury her past in the last three years but now that Fagin returned, her stable life didn't seem so stable anymore.

Fagin raised his arms in defence. "Okay, okay. I just wanted to ask a question. You know this place better than I do and I am in need of your help. If you was to sell some precious and shiny rubies, where would you go?"

"I'm afraid I cannot help you."

Audrey was so tired and upset with the conversation that she left her position behind the counter and headed for the backroom. Of course, Fagin would not leave her alone despite her obvious protests.

"Little Mouse, even Dodge accepted me back. Why won't you–"

This time, Audrey didn't hold herself back. She spun on her heels so precisely and quickly that even a ballerina would envy her elegance. "Are you being serious right now? You abandoned us. You left me and Jack alone. While Jack was rotting in a cell I was on the streets completely and utterly alone! I was only a child, Fagin! A little girl in a world so big and cruel that was ready to eat her alive. I cannot even imagine my life if Jack wasn't so lucky to meet Captain Grimm. And now you are here wondering why I cannot just forgive you for what you did."

"Little Mouse..."

"Leave."

This time, Fagin did not object and he turned towards the door without another word. And when Audrey remained alone once again, she could only lean against the wall as she stared at the shut door with tears threatening to spill any second.

✩𓆩♡𓆪✩

Somehow, Audrey had managed to pull herself together. She also reminded herself that she was not a little girl anymore. She was a twenty-five years old woman now. She had a job. A roof over her head. A brother who supported her and helped her whenever she asked him to. What else could she wish for?

Finally, Audrey arrived at the Fox residence and the term shock would be a weak word for what she felt. She was astonished. This was the first time she even neared this place and she could hardly believe the fact that she was about to step into the mansion. Not to mention that she had never been to this part of the town before and it was an impossible thing for her to imagine ever living in a place like this.

A servant opened the door for her. As soon as Audrey confirmed that she was indeed the seamstress they were awaiting, she was let in.

Inside, the place didn't lack elegance and beauty either. Audrey had never visited such a luxurious place in her life. She instantly felt the pang of not belonging. Her clothes didn't even fit into such a room.

For some reason Audrey expected Christian to pop up and greet her but that didn't happen. Instead, the servant led her up the stairs and soon they stopped in front of a closed door. When a woman's voice allowed them to enter, Audrey's nose got hit by a familiar scent. At first, she couldn't match the familiarness but then the picture of the hospital appeared in her head. But why would it smell like the hospital here?

A well-dressed woman walked into her sight. "Thank you, Frank. You may leave."

With a curt bow the servant left the room, closing the door behind himself. For a second Audrey kept her eyes on it, unsure what she should do now.

"Hello, I'm Belle," the woman, Belle, introduced herself.

"It's nice to meet you, Lady Fox," Audrey replied politely, bowing to show respect. The same way she did in the shop when Lord Fox paid her a visit.

"Lady Belle is fine," Belle assured the woman. "So, I'm guessing my brother's attempt to buy me a dress didn't go as planned?"

Audrey smiled slightly. "Not really."

"Typical of men. They think we work with magic."

"Yes."

Audrey already liked the woman. Before, she was afraid that a big-headed woman would be waiting for her in the Fox residence but so far she was pleasantly surprised by the kindness she showed. However, she couldn't truly help her wandering eyes as they roamed around the room, looking for the source of the smell. Her interest didn't go unnoticed by Belle either.

"Are you interested in medicine?"

"What? No. Certainly that isn't something for me."

"That's something a man would say."

"I've never been interested in it truthfully. Nor have I the talent needed for it. But you would probably get along better with my brother," Audrey said.

"Your brother?" Belle questioned as her words sparked up interest in her.

"He's a doctor," Audrey clarified.

"I see. Doctor Dawkins, I presume?"

"How did you know?"

"I can see the resemblance. No wonder he's your brother," Belle explained. "And I've had the pleasure of meeting him as well."

"That doesn't sound like a pleasant meeting," Audrey noted as she noticed the tone of her voice.

"No, no," Belle objected. "He's an... interesting person. But you're the better sibling."

"I'm glad to hear that, Lady Belle."

Soon, Belle and Audrey got into work. They occasionally exchanged a couple of words between each other and found each other's company quite pleasant. Audrey even almost forgot where she was. And when they finally finished and Audrey wrote down every information she needed she would almost claim to be disappointed by how quick the time flew.

"Do you have any preferences about the dress?" Audrey asked as she put everything back into her bag.

"Surprise me."

Audrey was about to leave and since Belle had some books to return to the library as well, the woman offered to escort the seamstress out. But on the way they bumped into another person.

"Brother!" Belle called out excitedly.

"Sister," he nodded, then he looked at Audrey. "Glad to see you've made it well, Miss..."

"Dawkins."

"Miss Dawkins," Christian tried it out. "Is your finger alright?"

Belle raised her eyebrows. "Her finger?"

"Oh, it's fine now. Thank you," Audrey answered quickly but hardly hid the shock from the question. She certainly didn't expect him to remember such a detail.

"Brother," Belle spoke up, "do I remember correctly you shall be leaving for the town soon?"

"Yes, sister." The sentence could have been interpreted even as a question since Christian had no clue what his sister had in her mind.

"Brilliant! You may take Miss Dawkins with you then," she suggested, surprising them in the process.

"I..."

"Come on, Brother, be a gentleman," his sister urged him.

Christian formed a tight smile. "Of course. Miss Dawkins, would you like to travel with me to the town?"

Audrey didn't dare to object. "It'd be my pleasure, my lord."

"It's not a problem. But I need to do something before we depart. In the meantime you may wait in the library.

Christian left the two girls alone and Audrey and Belle entered the library.

"Wow," the seamstress breathed out.

"Impressive, isn't it?"

"It is."

When Belle returned the book to its place, she excused herself saying she had something important to take care of. Audrey assured her that she wouldn't mind staying alone so she hurried off.

When Audrey remained alone, she still drank in the beauty of the room. She breathed in the scent of the pages. Carefully, she touched the backs of the books with the tip of her fingers.

Audrey liked to read even though it was hard to come across cheap books so she could only dream about having so many stories in her possession.

However, she instantly stopped when she read the title of a book she recognised. She gently pulled it out and opened it to examine it. Audrey couldn't help but smile.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

There were so many fond memories attached to this story. Back when she was saved from the cruel streets by the Grimm family, Mrs. Grimm used to read her from this book. It was a gift the older woman received from her husband for her birthday. And she gladly used it to help little Audrey to learn how to read while her brother was on the seas. Mrs. Grimm would usually settle down beside her and read the love story between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. And, as a little girl, Audrey dreamed about meeting her own Mr. Darcy as well.

"Miss Dawkins."

Audrey flinched at the sudden voice and she almost dropped the book. "Lord Fox. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to–"

"What are you reading?" Christian stepped inside, hands behind his back. He approached Audrey who was still standing on her original spot, too frozen to move. Was it wrong of her to pick up the book? After all, it wasn't hers.

Audrey didn't dare to say anything more as she watched with fearful eyes the man walk up to her to get a look at the object.

Christian looked at the cover, reading the golden letters. "I didn't know you were the romantic type."

She glanced up at him, surprised he recognised the title. "Have you read this book, my lord?"

Christian immediately straightened up as if her words hit him like a slap. "Of course not. But my younger sister is rather fond of such stories. In fact, she's the reason we keep them at all."

Audrey couldn't help but smile at the sight of his typical manly behaviour. Of course a man such as him wouldn't claim to have read a romantic novel.

"You shouldn't underestimate these books, my lord," she told him. Then she carefully went to put the book back to the bookshelf between the rest and the distance between them finally grew. "Jane Austen is an exceptional writer. And I have many good memories tied to it."

Christian's eyes followed the woman in front of him and even if he wouldn't willingly admit it, he was curious to hear more about her and her story. "Such as?"

"Someone I care about used to read from it to me before bed," Audrey revealed. She caressed the book one last time and turned back to the man. "It always calmed me down on stormy nights."

Christian nodded. He was surprised by how easy it was to lead a conversation with the seamstress. He came here to tell her they were ready to go but then he saw her with the book. Honestly, he was even surprised she could read because from experience he knew that not many people below him had the ability. And that left him impressed. He'd been taught that people below him were something less and that they weren't worthy of his full attention. After all, he was the only son of the governor. The heir. One day, he would watch over this place. But the woman in front of him, a regular seamstress, seemed to be more intelligent than some of the rich people he'd met. She spoke with such passion about her favourite book. It was clear from her voice that she missed the person that read to her. And even though she showed her respect, she didn't express negative feelings. His memories brought him back to their first meeting in the shop when she didn't recognise him so he had to correct her. His title was something he was grown to, something his parents had always carved into his brain to remember. But sometimes people would not react warmly. They would close him off. But Audrey didn't. She fluently corrected her attitude without a bit of irritation.

Suddenly, the silence disappeared as the sounds of the clock filled the room, signalling that another hour had already passed. That broke Christian out of his bewilderment as he swiftly pulled out his pocket watch to check the time.

"It's time for us to go," he announced.

Audrey and Christian left the calming comfort of the library behind. Outside, a carriage was already waiting for them and Audrey adjusted her bag on her shoulder.

Christian was the first to reach the door and he opened it but instead of jumping in, he turned to Audrey and stepped aside, holding out his hand for her.

Audrey's lips parted from the surprise which brought his gesture. But she could've been expecting it. After all, she believed he was raised in a gentlemanly way. Even though she wasn't one from his line, he was still here offering some kindness and respect.

Gratefully she accepted his help and together they settled down, choosing their seats opposite to each other.

Audrey looked around curiously. She had never seen the governor's carriage from the inside. The seats were comfortable and there was a curtain to give the travellers some privacy. At the same time, she couldn't make herself fully ease.

"How long have you been a seamstress?" Christian suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

"Only around three years," she answered politely.

"Have you always lived here?"

"I came here from England with my brother."

"So you have a brother," Christian noted.

"My lord, you seem to have the urge to gather as much information about me as you can and yet I barely know anything about you," Audrey challenged him, tilting her head.

There was a hint of a smirk on Christian's lips. "You're right indeed. What would you like to know about me?"

Audrey was left speechless. She didn't expect him to be so open and now that she had her chance, her mind was as blank as a clean paper.

"I'm the oldest son of the governor. I've got two younger sisters which means I'll be the one to inherit my father's fortune and title."

Audrey had already met one of his sisters, Belle. And the funny thing was that even her brother's path crossed with the governor's daughter's.

But before their conversation could go on, the carriage suddenly halted and Audrey almost fell out of her seat but caught herself just in time. A scream sounded outside and it sent chills down Audrey's back.

"What was that?" she asked.

"I don't know," Christian answered, trying to glimpse something through the window but his attempts were unsuccessful. "Stay here."

With that he exited the carriage, leaving Audrey on her own with only her thoughts giving her company.

･:*:･ﾟ✩𓆩♡𓆪✩･:*:･ﾟ

Hii!

After some waiting, a new chapter is here! I hope you enjoyed this one :)

Feel free to vote and comment! Have a nice day/night

Sincerely, writingmagic 🤍