𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 ▻ 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘚𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘣𝘺 [1]

𝙊𝙣𝙚

𝙊𝙣𝙚. 𝘉𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘞𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯

...

11 years later

AS ELIZABETH SIT AT HER DESK, pen in one hand, the other twirls the strand of hair that falls in front of her face. Not a day over the past five years has Miss. Alder, or now to be called future Mrs. Flander, had a day off. Her dreams of becoming a nurse became true, but only in time for the war, where she was thrown into the front line fields to aid the poor dying and injured men. To return home was a miracle and all she had hoped for when she got home was a decent nights sleep, but the spread of the Spanish Flu took that away from her quite quickly. Helping people is what Elizabeth loves and had always loved to do as she finds purpose though it, but the almost permanent dark circles and bags under the now 29 year old women's eyes tell a different story.

    She places the final dot at the end of her sentence and folds up the paper which is to be given to her fiancé, Mr. William Flander. She had been requested up north in Manchester and for Elizabeth refusal was not an option. Although she has only been at her home in Dartford for not even a week, leaving wasn't something that pulled at her heartstrings. William being the successful and wealthy business man he is, means he is barely around, which leaves Elizabeth all alone the times she is home; And that time alone only leaves Elizabeth with her thoughts. More specifically her thoughts and memories of her job and of the war. The sounds of crying and injured men never seem to leave her head, and when she's alone they eventually begin to echo down the empty hallways. The cries of family members of patients she could not save linger in the background, ensuring there is never a moment of god forbidden silence.

Her bags already packed, Elizabeth walks down the lonely hallways of the Flander mansion and down towards the door. "When Mr. Flander returns, please do inform him of the letter on my desk", she smiles at the house maid who gives a quick nod.

    She looks at herself in the grand entry mirror, and next to it the large portrait of herself and her fiancé from the day of their engagement. Looking down at the ring on her finger, she lets out a deep breath. The large diamond stone that rests upon her dainty left ring finger somehow still sparkles even in the dim light inside the home. Elizabeth can't seem to decide whether this life she has stumbled into yet also made for herself is everything that she always wanted or a lonely prison cell.

"Mrs. Flander, your car is here", the maid softly says, taking Elizabeth out of her trance.

She gives herself a mental shake and she plasters on a smile as she walks up to the car. The driver politely opens the door for her and takes her bags as per usual, and Elizabeth slides into the back seat of the black Rolls Royce Silver Ghost that her fiancé insisted on gifting to her as an engagement present. "To Manchester Mrs. Flander?", the man says as he gets into the drivers seat.

    "The train station please", she decides on the spot and the man looks at her through one of the side mirrors.

    The blonde haired women quickly came to the conclusion that taking the train would give her time to decompress in a place that wasn't so lonely, which maybe meant she could try and get a half decent nights rest for once. The trip to Manchester by train should only be a few days at most she thought.

    Without a question the driver gives a nod and begins to drive off to the train station.

...

    Elizabeth sips a hot cup of tea as she sits by the window in her first-class train car cabin. As much as she doesn't like to admit it, she has grown attached to some luxuries that her new career and fiancé have made possible. The first night on the train she fell asleep the second she closed her eyes. God knew she was tired, but she never realized how much so until she woke up that next morning, feeling as if she slept for an eternity and suddenly was a whole new person. But the next night, this night, of course could not be the same. She stare out the window at the dark landscape quickly passing by her, her mind also racing, but not about the usual clutter. Instead she found herself thinking about her future. She is to be married soon. She would have already been Mrs. Flander if it weren't for the war, and that thought brought her both comfort yet discomfort.

    The golden haired girl always thought she would marry for love, yet she finds herself in an arranged marriage deal which sets the means of business at the top of the pedestal. She has been William's fiancé for almost five years now and when she thinks about it, she barely knows the man. Sure he showers her with expensive gifts and a luxurious home, but who this man is outside of business she is not sure. Of course William Flander after laying eyes on Miss. Elizabeth Alder could not turn down the opportunity to have such a beautiful wife, through business or not. The whole not knowing his fiancé didn't bother him as it did her for more than a couple reasons. A wealthy businessman such as himself just doesn't have the time to sit down and spend copious amounts of time with his wife, at least that's what William believes to be true. He knows Elizabeth enough that she will marry him and one day give birth to his children, which he sees as the utmost valuable thing a women can do.

    Her thoughts lulled her to sleep that night and the next morning is woken up by the train car jolting a couple times and then slowly coming to a halt. Surely they can't be in Manchester yet she thought, unless she slept a whole day which is less than likely. She quickly changes into her day clothes and opens her cabin doors. To her surprise everyone else on board in her car has their heads stuck out their cabins too, quiet muttering amongst themselves. "What's going on?", an older woman asks.

    The possibilities begin to run through her head: Maybe there was a stop along the way that she had just missed on the itinerary, or possibly they are just stopping for supplies. A man in a uniform appears down the hall and everyone turns to look at him, waiting for him to say something. Anything.

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[ Chapter Status: Not Edited ]

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author's note: been absolutely procrastinating the hell out of my school work so here's an unexpected first update :) hope you enjoy!