e lucevan le stelle
anna gray was dead on paper, thanks to people's laziness.
in 1924, anna bernard was suppose to go to Birmingham with her guardian, attend grace burgess' wedding and leave the city. easy and uncomplicated ― the reality however was...
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Churches made Anna uncomfortable.
She knew it even before going to Grace and Mr Shelby's wedding. When she lived in the streets in Australia, people told her to seek for shelter from a church ― she never went. She didn't care how badly it rained or how hot it was, she didn't go to a church unless someone would drag her there or hold a knife against her throat.
But she had to move on and going to this wedding was going to be a big step for her. She hadn't realized how nervous she was to go to a church until the morning of Grace's wedding.
Anna looked at herself from the reflection of the mirror in her room. She looked fancy, like she was a girl who came from money but she was not that.
Sometimes Anna thought she was only fooling herself, thinking that she could actually be a real heiress and eventually the next Lady Bernard. She was an orphan, orphan Anna who has had a very bad childhood.
She thought about the first family she can remember ― the stationmaster, his wife and their two sons. They weren't the worst people Anna had been with but they weren't the greatest ones either. She couldn't remember their names or what they were really like, and Anna had Spring Fever to thank for that.
Every now and then Anna was grateful that Spring Fever had rotten her brains and memories but sometimes she wishes she could remember things better.
Anna didn't even remember why she was sent away from the stationmaster ― all the nuns in Australia ever told her was that she kept running away so she had to be sent away. She was no good.
"Elliot sent you a letter," said Imogen from the threshold of Anna's room.
The girl turned to look at the older woman, a small smile creeping on her face.
"He did?" Anna smiled.
Elliot Brighton was a friend of Anna's ― no matter what others might say. Many thought there was something romantic between Anna and Elliot but there was nothing, Anna could pawn her head for insurance. They were like brother and sister, and nothing else.
The Brighton heir was Anna's first friend in London. It had been Anna's first formal introduction to the finest society of London and Elliot Brighton was there, bored out his mind. He was the second eldest boy of four and was destined to inherit his family's fortunes and fame because his older brother abdicated himself from the family.
Anna took the letter and opened it, eagerly waiting to see what Elliot had written to her.
"I hope he is all right," said Imogen when Anna was reading the letter.
