Rosemary Constance

Chapter One: A Ward's solitude

Chapter one: A ward's Solitude

The sun was still rising in the quiet little village of Throwley. Around the quaint cottage of her tutor's family, a young lady was walking in the silent morning heather. The dirt path, dry and dusty, was leading Rosemary Constance back to her home. She was the soul of this cottage for two years now. The pale rays of the sun were caressing her strawberry blonde hair. Her steps, light, and her brown eyes embracing the landscape that she was so fond of. The dirt path was full of potholes and she needed to be careful not to break an ankle. However, the young girl liked the quietness of her morning walks, no maid or butler to disturb her. Rosemary needed peace.

As she was getting back to her place, the Lister's Family cottage seemed to be guarding the domain like an old sentinel. The way to the house was paved with a white dusty stone, grass was growing in between the cobblestones but these imperfections were the charms of this old mansion. Some cracks were showing around the entry door, and vines crawling against the aged walls. The aspect of this house was making Rosemary memories floating back to the surface of her mind. She was fifteen, running around her parents cottage, free spirited like she was raised to be. She grinned at the thought of these old times.

When she crossed the entry door, and stepped in the hall, her governess was waiting, a worried look on her face.

" How was your morning walk milady?" she asked as usual.

" Calm, as I like it to be."

" Milady, may I suggest something to you?"

" Speak freely," said Rosemary, intrigued.

" Next time you go out, I beg you to take a maid, or a valet with you! It is dangerous and unsuitable for a young lady to walk alone." Mrs.Smith stated.

" Please, Mrs.Smith, I think I am old enough to walk by myself on my godfather property! And you know me, I like the peace of the morning." said Rosemary, finishing this conversation.

Leaving Mrs.Smith to her dismay, Rosemary went to her study, and called her footman to bring her a solid breakfast and the newspaper. The old Mr.Jenkins brought her what was asked almost immediately, he knew her well and must have prepared her usual for morning while waiting for her to get back to the cottage. She took it gratefully and sat down behind her desk. Her tweed chair was comfortable and she sank in it before opening the newspaper and reading it with attention. She flipped through the pages and had a peculiar interest in the "gossip" rubric; she'd never admit it but she liked to know what was going on in London. And the only gossip these days was about some Lord Williams that apparently had been engaged, provoking a wave of disappointment amongst the young ladies. Rosemary chuckled to herself, this lord must have been extremely rich and probably young and handsome. She grabbed a toast, and started eating greedily. To her eyes a good morning had to start with a good toast and some eggs. She looked to her desk, a pile of documents was waiting to be taken care of.

It had been a while since Rosemary was taking care of her godfather estate. He had been kind enough to let her run the affairs of his countryside domain. She took care of his farmers or other habitants, but to say the least, Throwley was a tiny village, and most of it was Lister's estate. Recently, the young girl had some problems. Two farmers were in an argument, one accused the other of stealing some of his cattle. This had given her headaches. The first farmer had no proof of the stealing and she couldn't figure out a way to resolve this. However she had an idea on how to make this a unique matter. And she was to wait for her solution until the old Jenkins entered in the study.

" Milady" he said, " A gentleman is here to see you, his name is Mr.Bentham and pretend that you sent him a letter, calling him to discuss a serious matter."