Emiline dreams of being a fair lady. She longs for drama, fashion, cities and fancy tea parties. But as a twelve-year-old, farm girl in the late 1800's, those things seem to be out of her reach. Meanwhile, a mystery begins to grow as she and her bes...
Susan lived in a very big house on the brink of a rushing river. It was surrounded by willows and aspen trees. And all around it, sunny daffodils were blooming. To Emma, it looked just like a castle. And every time she stepped into the elegant rooms, she felt like a beautiful princess.
Susan opened the door with haste and hurried into the front room. Without even thinking, she handed her shawl to a nearby maid and ran up the stairs.
"Hello, Olive," Emma greeted the lady. She unbuttoned her jacket quickly and handed it over to the woman.
"Evenin'," Olive replied dully.
Emiline scurried after her friend, but she couldn't help noticing how tired the maid looked that day. She looked as if she had been working extra hard, and as Emiline glanced around the house, she could see why. The paintings on the walls had been taken down to be dusted, and the floors had been polished until they glowed.
I wonder what all the fuss is about? Emiline thought to herself. The maid usually kept Susan's house tidy, but today she had the place sparkling.
When Emma reached the library's door, she paused, smiling joyfully. Susan had dashed inside, but Emiline could never rush. Every time she entered that lovely room, she had to go slowly so she could look at all of the beautiful things. Inside, towering shelves held hundreds of books, and comfortable sofas sat around a crackling fire. There were heavy velvet curtains on the windows and the prettiest statues on the mantelpiece. Emma stared, her eyes sparkling with pleasure. Suddenly, she could imagine her simple plaid dress away and see herself in an elegant cream satin.
Someday, she dreamed, I'll have a house of my own. And I'll make a library just like this one.
Sometimes, she couldn't wait to grow up. She was tired of being twelve. She wanted to be a fair and beautiful maiden like Juliet. Only, she would make her life happier than the lady in that sad story.
"Emma, stop dawdling!" Susan exclaimed with playful impatience.
Emiline snapped out of her daydream and focused her eyes on her friend. Susan had already opened two large trunks, and she was just lifting the lid of another. Emma giggled and ran to her side. Within those enormous containers, she could see heaps of beautiful stories.
"Oh, Susan, how wonderful!" the girl gasped. She picked up a book of poetry and opened its pages excitedly. "How many books are there?" she asked in amazement.
"Goodness, I don't know," Susan answered. She shrugged her shoulders carelessly and sorted through the books with searching fingers. "I can't wait for Olive to organize them on the shelves," she said. "I told her to do it last night, but she didn't. Sometimes, I can't stand that woman. She never does things in a timely manner."
Emma smiled and laughed. It was always funny to hear Susan complain about her servants. In Emiline's house, she had to do her own chores.
"Why is Olive doing so much extra work?" Emma asked, remembering all of the dusting and the cleaning the woman had begun.
"Oh, just spring cleaning," her friend answered. Then her eyes began to glitter with excitement. "But she'll be doing even more cleaning by the end of summer because my family is coming to visit us! I can hardly believe it!" she added with a giggle. "I never thought they would come out here. My cousin Anastasia has never been away from a city, and Auntie Marge is terrified of the country!" She blushed and looked down with a smile. "But then, I never thought Mother and Father and I would come here either," she said.
"Do you miss your old home?" Emma asked.
"Sometimes," the girl answered wistfully. "Sometimes, I remember the ocean and all of the shops in town. You would have loved the candy shops and clothes shops, Emiline! I used to spend hours just trying on hats and tasting different chocolates!"
"How wonderful!" Emiline exclaimed. She had always wanted to go to the seaside and watch the waves roll in. But more than anything, she had wanted to go to the city and see all of the fashionable people and things there. Susan had enjoyed all of that. Her wealthy parents had taken her all over the world, and she had seen practically everything there was to see.
Maybe when I'm older, I'll get rich, Emma thought. And then I'll move to the ocean and see all of those lovely things!
"But you know," Susan began after a pause. "I...I don't miss the city very much. I think I like the country just as well, maybe even better."
"You do?" Emiline asked in shock. Those words seemed strange in that gorgeous room. Had Susan really said them? Emma glanced out of the window and looked outside. The land was pretty to look at. The fields of green grass were just coming alive, and the mountains looked blue in the distance. But it was nothing special. As for the town, it wasn't worth mentioning. There were only a few shops: Mr. Harvard's General Store, The Black Smith's, and a little cottage where a lady named Greta Hillenbrand sewed and mended clothes. How could Susan like a shabby little town like this one?
"I think the country is charming," Susan said brightly. "It's so peaceful and quiet. In the city, there are a hundred eyes watching you all the time. But here, I don't have to worry about what people are thinking. Besides, I used to get so tired of the salty air back home. I can actually breathe here! And I'm sure the air has done Mother's lungs some good." She gave a delighted smile. "We'll have so much fun showing my aunt and uncle around! Oh, and Anastasia! She'll be so surprised by the things we do!" she laughed. "We'll take her on a picnic, Emma, out in the woods!"
Emiline smiled and nodded her head. I guess it's good that Susan is happy living here, she thought silently. But she was sure that if she had lived in a city by the ocean, she would never have wanted to leave. She could just see herself standing on the golden sand, her hair flying in the wind. She wouldn't mind the salty air at all. To her, it would be the best air in the world. Oh, if only I could see the ocean! she yearned. It would make me so happy.
It wasn't long before Emiline had to hurry home. Susan handed her a book of beautiful poems to read, and the girls decided to read it every day at school during lunchtime. Then they said goodbye, and Emiline walked back to her little house in the hills.
Author's Note: Hello everyone! I hope you're having a splendid day, and I really hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. If you did, please give it a like and let me know what you think in the comments! It has been HOT where I live! Above 100 degrees Fahrenheit on some days--whew!! What's the weather like where you live in late June? Well, I will see you here next time with chapter 4. Until then, take care and God bless!
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