Story: Memories (chapter 2)

She blinked a few times, getting the heaviness of her eyelids to go away and adjust to the daylight that was streaming into the carriage as day broke. The things that had happened over the last few days, now flooded her thoughts. She gasped softly, as it all flooded back to her all at once.

As she layed there on the bench seat, she could feel the carriage was still moving along, the constant clopping sound of the horses had also reassured her of what was going on. She clutched the dull grey wool blanket she found layed on her around herself tightly noticing the chill in the carriage was sinking into her. She ventured a glance to the seats across from where she layed, and saw that both Mr and Mrs. Smyth were still asleep leaning against one another.

Waking like this, everything seemed almost surreal, like some fog shrouded dream, but looking over and seeing the still sound asleep couple across from her made it clear just how real it was for her.

" It was not a dream..." She said to herself, looking over at the sleeping Mr. And Mrs. Smyth for a few moments. " I have been adopted!"

The girl stayed where she was for awhile more, not wanting to chance waking the sleeping people. Cuddling back into the blanket a little more, as the chill in the air was still going right through her,.she layed perfectly still but her mind had already started to drift into many thoughts all rolled into one..

Susan thought over just what her new life might be as she layed there. She was now just a little worried that she would not ‘fit in’ to her new family. Mr and Mrs. Smyth both seemed very nice, and the fact that they were wealthy seemed to indicate that she would be taken care of more than well enough... but that point alone made her think that she wouldn’t fit in. Whether or not she could or could not matted nothing though...it seemed like she had to .

All of this was very overwhelming to Susan, as she drifted back to some happier memories. She had made good friends back in the orphanage, friends that had helped with the loss of her family and helped with a sense of structure.. now that structure felt like it had completely collapsed again on her. She had been happy at the orphanage for those years, although always missing her own family still... and now she was faced with this.

In the space of a few very short feeling years, she had lost in essence two families... and now she had another family to get used to. This new family seemed so far removed from how she had been raised both bu her real family, and the one that she had found in the orphanage. From how her new ‘parents’ seemed to be and they way they both dressed, that life seemed to be so far away from her now.

She had been brought up a simple farm girl, raised on a little farm near a small town before her Ma and Pa had been killed. The population of that area only was roughly one hundred or so by what she knew, but now here she was... on her way to live near a city of many, with a family that was wealthier than anyone she knew.

She had never been to a real city in her life, she had been only near to one of the larger towns that were located near her farm, called Hamptondale... which had around three hundred people living in it. The City that she was now on her way to was called Cabot, a place that she had only heard about when she had layed in bed and listened to her mother and father talking about from time to time.

Susan really wondered just what this new city and being with the Smyth’s would be like for her, but it also made her more than scared as well. She had never been to such a large place... and what it might be like, and what her future might hold there. With a new family also in the mix for her, it seemed so overwhelming.

Not knowing what else to do, Young Susan simply let herself lay there and doze off and on for awhile... tired of worrying like she was doing. There was not a thing she could do about anyways, and she felt like she should be grateful for being adopted like she had been. She just decided to let that fall on to God’s shoulders for awhile.

******

The morning had dragged on for a time, until all of the occupants of the carriage finally all rousted from their sleeps. The young girl sat there looking at the couple, and still was wondering about everything like she had before falling off to that little sleep.

The overall tone between the three was kind of quiet and very stiff feeling, as no one really spoke as they rode on. It seemed like there was more tension in the air than there was the day before, a sense of almost apprehension that each person seemed to be carrying in each of them.

To pass the time, the couple seemed to settle each into reading a book they had brought, as the carriage lurched along steadily. They offered a book to Susan to pass the time, which the girl gladly accepted so as to also pass the time better and not to be thinking so much on things..

The thick leather bound book was an type of adventure novel filled with far away lands and large wooden ships, which Mr. Smyth explained that he knew the person who had actually wrote it. It looked like it could be a rather good book to Susan, and she opened it up and dove right into the pages.

The couple went back to silence as well, returning into the pages of their own books. It seemed like, even without saying it, everyone just wanted not to talk for a time.

Morning passed on int to the heart of the afternoon, as the three read away. The carriage that carried them all suddenly had came to a complete stop Susan looked up from her book, quite puzzled at the sudden stop the driver seemed to had made. The girl looked at the couple, hoping that they had a answer for why they had just stopped

The Smyth’s seemed to be not very alarmed at all of this, seeming to Susan that this had been more than expected by the couple.

Mrs. Smyth pulled the flimsy curtain that was on the window back a’ways, a smile painted her face almost immediately.

" You just take a look out of the window, Susan. " Said the woman, in a excited voice." We have arrived at your new home at long last. "

The girl took a somewhat of a nervous look out of the window. What greeted her widened eyes made her gasp loudly, and her mind to literally stop working for a time... as if she had just seen God right there in front of her.

A large house with a long stone walk up stood proudly, looming massively over the carriage. The pillars that held up the stone roof over the entrance way were imposing and cold, but still so very grand set against the brick and mortar of the structure as well. Budding bushes and the green starts of the flowers that skirted the entire perimeter of the mansion made the structure the most grand thing that Susan had ever seen in her entire life.

The monstrous size of the mansion towered into the sky, back dropped by the blue sky of afternoon from above, like some regal king holding court overlooking his subjects. The girl took in ever inch of each large window and every detail she could see, and found no words to even explain what was running through her mind. Awestruck would be used to describe the young girl, at the house that was now her home.

" This is my new home?" Asked the brown haired girl, while she was being urged by her new mother to exit the carriage.

" It is." Smiled the woman, proudly as a peacock on a strut around the forrest.

" I was told that you were a wealthy family, by the sisters at the orphanage..." Started the young lass, still trying to take it all in. " But I never would've have thought..." She took a deep breath. " Not ever in my dreams.." She was rendered almost speechless.

" This is your new home, Susan." Chucked the Man, motioning to the grand mansion. " We have stables full of horses, a fifty acre parcel of woods that surround the back of the estate... we even have our own small lake back on the farthest part of our estate." The man nodded his head with a pride that showed through his eyes. " All of this is now yours too."

Astonished by all of it, Susan could only nod slowly , as she scanned the creeping vine covered wall that seemed to circle the outside perimeter of the Smyth estate, for it went on as far as her eye could see. She marveled at the large gate that guarded the front entrance to the expansive front yard, as she stepped out of the carriage first.

A tall man dressed in a black suit and flat tie came up to Mr. Smyth from the house, startling the young girl with his sudden appearance. The man had pepper tinged black hair that really accented his height, his elongated thin features gave him almost a hawk like appearance. He stood so rigidly, that he seemed to be a pole stuck in to the ground.

" I surmise by the presence of the young lady, that your trip to Hedger Creek for adopting a child was a very successful one." Said the man to Mr.Smyth, in a heavy accent which was punctuated with a very distinguished way of speaking

" Yes, we did, Patrick." Glowed Mr. Smyth, as he slipped off his white gloves, and placed his hand on the young girl's shoulder. " I would like you to meet the newest member of the Smyth family, Susan."

Susan blushed slightly, as the man in the black suit gave her a stiff smile and a small nod of acknowledgment.

" I am pleased to be making your acquaintance, Miss Susan." Said the man, in a well refined voice. " I am the Smyth's head butler, Patrick. I hope that I can serve you well in anyway you shall need me." He bowed gracefully, like a well trained stallion at the county fair.

" I am... pleased to meet you too, Patrick." Said the girl, not knowing what else to say, while trying to match the perfectness of the words that the man had used.

Mrs Smyth joined her husband side, as the butler bowed low at her approach.

" Patrick, would you take Susan's bag in to the house and see that she gets settled in, while Mr. Smyth and I freshen up and have some tea and a good meal after that dreadfully long ride." She paused to think for a second or two. " You get one of the maids to take her up to her room, and supply her with some refreshments as well." She paused to think for a second, then spoke once more. " Could you call Ambrose, to come and meet his new sister?"

" Master Ambrose is not at home right know. He had the other driver take him over to the Sheffield’s early this morning with the spare team. He will be back by the morning time, sir." Replied the stately man, taking the girl's cloth bag from the driver. " I will attend to the young Susan's needs forth whith." He said, bowing low to his employer. He looked over to the chestnut brown haired girl. " Please follow me, Miss Susan."

With that, the man turned smoothly on his heels and headed to the large front steps that led up to the house. Susan silently followed the man, still trying to take all of it in while she did.

The entrance hall of the mansion was grand, to say the least. It's wide space made the butler's footsteps resonated with a deep sounding echo. A large spiral staircase met the girl's gaze, as it gracefully wound up and led ones eyes to the second floor. The wood of the bannister was dark and rich, like the color of the pews at church but they gleamed like glass and the red carpet that covered the stairs was such a deep red as Susan had ever seen in her life. The candle filled chandler that hung over the entrance way was made out of the finest glass, that twinkled in the light from the windows that adorned every wall.

The man stopped in front of a large settee in the hall area, and set the girl's cloth bag down beside it.

" Do wait here, Miss Susan." He said, his lips scarcely moving. " I will go and get one of the housemaids to escort you up to your room, as was instructed by your mother. "

Susan nodded, as the man walked off, disappearing into the expanse of the house rather quickly. She took a seat tentatively, wondering if she was really suppose to sit on something so beautiful as the settee was, but the shock of this all had made her legs feel weak and felt like they could not support her weight any more. She sat silently, but her eyes darted around to take in all of the sights of the house that she could see, many of the things she saw she did not have a name for.

After a few minutes had passed, a red headed girl, about a year or two older than Susan was, came up to her. Dressed in a black and white dress with a white cloth wrapped around her head made, her seem a few years younger though. The girl gave a low curtsy, with a practiced smoothness that was cat like in the fluidness of it.

" I am Alice, Miss Susan." The girl said in a soft voice, her light colored eyes almost searching the chestnut brown tressed girl's eyes. " I will be the one to help you settle in, an' be your main servant."

Susan looked at the young girl, her eyes meeting Alice's. The friendly gaze eased the new Smyth's anxiety level. Looking at the girl oval face, she also felt her heart jump in a way that she never knew before, and she noted just how pretty this girl was, captivated by the greenish blue of her eyes that seemed to capture her.

" I will follow you, Alice." Susan said, giving the red haired girl a soft smile.

" Follow then, please." The girl said, some of the nervousness gone from her face. She picked up the girl's cloth bag and headed up the staircase to the seconded floor of this expansive house.

The young servant girl led the girl up the winding staircase, that showed off the different doorways to rooms on the main floor that Susan did not know about as yet. The young girl tried to take mental notes of what she was seeing, so as to have a small map in her head to get around with... but knew that she would have to look around to settle things in her head.

At the top of the stairs, was a long hallway. Lit by a long ceiling window overhead, the hallway was covered by a long woven rug that was dark and rich. Many doors lined the hall intermittedly, each was made with a rich wood and had brass turning handles. The maid walked down the corridor, with the young Susan following closely behind.

The young girl that worked for the Smyth's stopped at a the last door on the right. She turned the Handle, and peered over one shoulder.

" This is going to be your room, Miss Susan." She said, a small grin painted the thin face of Allison. She opened the door and walked in to the room behind the portal.

Susan looked around as she entered, and gasped. The room was large, and very well lit by the glassed door that led out on to a balcony made out of a type of stone. A huge canopy bed stood against the wall nearest the doors, the satin dark green canopy with its heavy looking drapes was elegant, the dark wood of the framework was a good accent to the piece of furniture that dominated the room. A roll top desk stood on the other side of the balcony doors, with the matching chair stood as a silent marker of the room. A armoire was in another corner with a dresser that had a delicate white colored pitcher on top. The room was capped off by light colored rugs and three large glass oil lamps, placed strategically in the room and a bookcase full of books along the wall next to the door leading back in to the rest of the house.

Susan's head swam with it all, as she continued to glance around the room. The room was nothing like she had ever seen in it grandness and opulence

" This is my room?" Susan asked, stunned.

" Yes, it is, Miss Susan." Replied the servant. " Mrs. Smyth decorated it herself. Every single thing in this room was bought with a girl in mind. She enjoyed doing this very much, because they have only Master Ambrose. After she bore him, they found out that she would not be able to have another babe."

" It... It's so grand. I never have seen anything like this house, or this room, in my entire life."

Alice nodded, as if she was agreeing with the girl.

" This Mansion is the biggest one of many of the outlying towns and even in the city itself." Explained the girl. " It’s a honor to be able to work for the Smyth's. Many wanted to, but all of us were handpicked by the Smyth's. Mrs. Smyth can be a bit taxing at times, but she is good to all of us whom work for her."

" It is all very grand." Just Said Susan, as she nodded to the girl.

" It is just like Mrs. Smyth herself, I guess..." Agreed the servant girl. " She is larger than life, I would have to say."

Susan walked over to the bed and sat down, feeling how soft of a mattress she now had for her place to sleep. She looked around, still not having it sink in that this was going to be her room, considering that her room back at the orphanage had been shared by seven other girls at one time.

As Susan sat there, the quick young servant quickly unpacked and put away the entire contents of the young Smyth girl's bag before far too long. Once done, the young maid turned to the newest member of the Smyth household.

" Now that I have settled you in for the rest of the day....." The maid said, with a smile that was a bright as the sun. " ... I will gather up something to eat and drink for you, after that long trip... you must be hungry."

With that, the ruby haired girl gave a curtsy, the swiftly whisked out of the room with almost no hint of a sound. Susan was shocked at the cat like smoothness the girl had left with, noting that she would not have been as silent

The young girl stayed sitting on her new bed tried to settle everything that had happened to her in the last few days. It was all a amazing experience that she had never had in her life, one that she knew had changed that life forever.

Looking around the room for what seemed to be the one hundredth time since she had came into the room, Susan sighed deeply as she stood up and pulled off her coat, draping it on the end of the bed in fear of messing up the pristine room. She took a seat again on the bed, and just let all of this sink in.

Only a few minutes passed, and the read headed girl was back carrying a tray with a bowl of stew and a flask of milk to give to her. Alice set the tray down on the desk chair, and slid it over to the girl.

" Here you go, Miss Susan." She said. " If you want, The other servants ‘n’ I will boil some water up for a bath. It was such a long trip for you, you might enjoy getting the dust off, and would chase the chill that was in the air.

" Really?" Asked the girl, unaccustomed to being waited on.

" Would take only but a few minutes.. We have some water already boiled up for the pouring."

With that, the girl left, once again, like the wind. Susan just began to eat, as her hunger had gotten to her. She could here the other servants somewhere on this floor, working on filling her bath.

Being waited on like this, was very strange to her, but she was resigned to this new life. Rich people had it easy, she thought to herself reminded of all of the chores she had done over the years just to help out her family survive... and the orphanage she had to do many chores as well.

She then hit upon something in her mind, something that she had not thought of yet. she had realized that she was one of them now, the waited on. As amazing as that realization was, the thought actually disturbed her to some degree.

A few hours later, after eating and bathing, young Susan was dressed in a nightgown that Alice already had out, once she jumped out of the water. It was long and soft, made out of some ivory colored cloth that was very luxurious against her skin when she slipped it over her head. She looked down at herself in the night attire and smiled, she had never owned a nightgown like this.

As the sky was now starting to darken, and the sky was colored with a collage of colors as evening was falling, Susan stood quietly looking out of the balcony door windows, surveying the estate under the early spring moon. She just could not get over what new things this day had brought to her, and she was still unsure about the future ahead of her. Shaking her head, she tried to clear her head of all the stuff she was thinking on- as a wave of extreme tiredness began to creep through her.

Mrs. Smyth entered the room, in a flared fashion. The tall woman was dressed in a robe of a beautiful silky blue, carrying a brass candle carrier that had a very large white candle lit on it.

" I see that your ready for bed already?" She asked.

Yes, ‘um." Susan replied, punctuated by a long yawn. "I feel really tired after the trip."

" We are both tired.. Your father and I." Agreed the lady, nodding, her face was showing the effects as well " You should just jump into bed then, Your brother will be back in the morning so as to meet you, and we are having a few of the upper class family’s over in the afternoon and evening time so as to properly ‘bring you out so to speak."

Susan did not really know what to say to that, for she did not understand what the woman was saying The girl give a little nod of her head and listened to the woman speak of this gathering she had planned out, too embarrassed to tell her new ‘mother’ that she had did not understand why they were doing this for her..

The woman turned on her bare feet, unknowing that Susan had not understood what she meant, and started to leave the room with the lamp she held lighting up her way.

" Good night, Susan.... I hope you will sleep soundly in the comfort of your new home here." Mrs. Smyth said.

" Good night, Mrs... er... Ma’am!" Susan said back, stumbling over her own words.

" You must remember to call me ‘Mother’ now... You are now a part of the Smyth family..." The woman said in a oddly correcting way.

" Yes, Mother!" Said Susan with a hesitant cadence, obviously feeling more than a little uneasy with saying it.

Mrs. Smyth seemed to smile a flat grin, then exited the room quickly, giving a unusual smile over to the girl as she did. The woman closed the door so quietly, and then was gone just like that. Susan sighed, as just having that little conversation had taxed her a little more than she already was feeling.

By the light of the largest oil lamp that was set on the little table near the bed, Susan headed off to get some sleep. She put aside the uneasiness of the day past, as her heavy fatigue seemed to take over from all of the other emotions that were sitting there.

She folded back the thick , well stuffed covers and slipped herself in, hurrying against the chill that seemed to now hang in the room. The bed was extremely soft and spacious, and the comforter seemed to warm the lass up the very instant that she had gotten in. She could feel her body sink in to the mattress, and hug ever inch of her as she did. Wiggling in the covers, the girl seemed to enjoy the feeling of the bed.

Turning down the lamp flame until it had vanished, the room quickly was draped in darkness. The chestnut haired girl layed there for a little while, listening to everything she could hear from her bed.

There were sounds that were familiar, and others that were not as she layed quietly. She could easily picked out the obvious sounds of the horses from the stables she had seen off to the east of the house, along with a owl somewhere off in the distance. She listened and smiled, as the brays and snorts of those mighty horses seemed to be involved in some secret conversations amongst themselves - conversations that would never to be understood by the their owners. She also picked out the noises of many people going around inside the house as well, but she did not know who it would be... knowing that she had not even come close to meeting everyone here yet.

The sounds of the people were a little scary to be hearing in her new home, but in some ways they had almost a comforting effect on Susan... reminding her so much of the constant movement and motion of everyone back in the orphanage from where she had came from. The orphanage never seemed to be totally still, she thought back, but it had the effect of making a person feel like they were never alone..

Her eyes soon fluttered shut, as the softness of the bed seemed to bring the arrival of the sandman on fast. She murmured into the thickness of the pillow as she let her body relax, and her mind finally had followed suit.

With a last sigh coming out of herself, the girl almost instantly drifted off to sleep, yet in the very back of her mind... unknown to here, that part was still wondering about her new life as a Smyth.