Everlasting

1817

Chester, England 1817

Julie glared at the needle and thread on her hands. She was instructed to finish the embroidery but her attention was elsewhere. It was sunny outside and she would kill to go out and play. Though, she didn’t know who to play with since there wasn’t anyone near her age she could bother with. But it will make do than sitting inside the salon and destroying the perfectly fine napkin. She sighed. Deeply, and this had caused her mother to look up from her book across from her.

“What is the matter dear?” Julie sighed again before voicing out her discomfort.

“I’m bored. When will Jeremy be here?”  Her mother, Ethel, smiled at her.

“Why don’t you find a book instead? That will take your imagination a kick before young Jeremy arrive.” Julie discharged her embroidery work on the table and went to sat beside her mother on the couch. She picked over her mother’s to scan the book. When she can’t understand a single thing on it, she turned to look up at her mother in puzzlement.

“It’s not in English.” Her mother giggled and scoots to make her daughter more comfortable on the couch.

“No, it’s in German, my mother language.” Ethel continued to read when her daughter broke the silent.

“Mama, why did you leave Berlin?” Ethel closed the book and give her daughter her full attention.

“To marry your father and have Michael and you.” Julie laughed at her mother went to tickle her.

“Haha! Mama!” Ethel smiled at her daughter, she looked so much like me, except maybe her hair, she got that shade of dark blond from Jonathan, Ethel thought.

“Mama, did you ever miss your mama and papa?” Ethel’s eyes showed a little sadness at the mention of her parents. “Every time, dear.” Not sensing her mother’s sudden drop of happiness, she continue to asked more.

“Why don’t they ever visit us?” And true enough, Julie was more curious why she never met her grandparents from her mother side, even though they would get letters and present on their birthdays and Christmas but nothing more.

“The journey from Germany to England is quite far and I don’t think that my parents are young enough to travel that far.” Julie was still too young to notice that her mother wasn’t enjoying the conversation but luckily for Ethel, Jonathan was standing at the doorway and knocked on the door panel to let them know he was there.

“Julie, stop stressing your mother.” Julie gave a puzzled look and turned to her mother.

“Am I disturbing you mama?” Ethel kissed Julie’s brow and shook her head weakly. Jonathan walked into the salon and placed both of his large hand on his wife’s shoulder from behind the couch.

“If you’re curious why your other grandparents never came to visit us is because they ne—“

“Jonathan, please, she is too young.” Ethel interrupted but her husband just squeezed her shoulder.

“She needs to know, Ethel. She’s already eleven, she can handle it.” Jonathan whispered to his wife and Ethel nodded her head and turned to look at their confused daughter.

“Julie, listen carefully. You know your mother’s sides are German, right?” Julie nodded her head.

“And my side of the family are English right?” Again, Julie nodded her head.

“What you didn’t know was that your mother,” He looked down on his wife and she smiled weakly at him before he continued. “Is the niece of the current Emperor of Prussia.”

Julie’s eyes popped open so wide that she was about to shriek in excitement but Ethel, knowing her daughter, went to cover her mouth and her scream was muffled but the jumping on the couch wasn’t easily controlled.

“Are you done?” Jonathan deadpan when his daughter was still shaking with joy.

“That means Michael and I are the prince and princess of Prussia?” He was afraid of this. After all, he did have the same reaction from Michael two years ago.

“Sadly no.”   

“Eh?” Julie stopped midway of jumping again and this time, Ethel was the one to explain.

“You see, I was disowned by them after marrying your father.” Julie frowned and looked at her mother.

“Why would they do that? You’re still their daughter.” Jonathan noticed that his wife was about to cry, so he went around the couch to hugged her.

“Your mother was supposed to marry the Emperor’s son, however, the night before their wedding.” Ethel smiled at him and brought him down to give him a lingering kiss. “And I never regret it one thing.” Ethel whispered.

Julie stared at her parents as they giggled and reminisce about their past.

“Do you love him , mama?” Ethel shook her head.

“I love your father, dear. And that’s why I agreed to elope with him.” But Julie was curious and confused, her lady lesson of not prying to other’s business was never taught yet, so she asked again.

“So papa kidnapped mama and grandmother and grandfather got angry at her?”Truly, she was baffled.

“Well, your grandparents never really like the idea of me courting your mother since that she could be the next Empress of Prussia but with me. She can only be a Duchess of Grosvenor.”

“A happy Duchess of Grosvenor with two healthy children.” Ethel said, all of her sadness was removed once she remembered of her brood. She kissed Julie’s head and a footman announced the arrival of the Thayer.

“Jeremy’s here?” Julie jumped out of the couch and went to the front door to greet her long awaited friend.

Back in the salon, Ethel grabbed her husband’s hand and gave it a strong gripped. “When are you going to tell her?” Jonathan patted her hand to reassure her. “One at a time. She might not understand it yet.”

That night, before the children were send to bed, Julie and Jeremy lay on the cool grass, star gazing on the yard, with a footman observing them from a far. The conversation she had with her parents earlier had sparked Julie’s imagination. She turned to her friend, smiling contently at the clear night sky.

“Who will you marry, Jeremy?” Julie asked softly, Jeremy turned to her with a startled look.

“I’m too young Julie.” She rolled her eyes and plop her arm so that she can rest her chin and stared at her friend.

“No, I mean, will you marry for money? Rank or love?” Jeremy was quite for a while, his blue eyes darken before whispering his reply.

“For love.” Julie smirked and lay back down on the grass.

“You know we don’t have the luxury of that, right?” Jeremy snorted. “Then why ask? If you know we are bound by our duty to marry the best for our family interest.”

This time, it was Julie’s turn to be quite.  Taking a deep breath, Julie continued to observe the stars, opening her mouth to say. “I was just thinking, if we are free from this duty, we could go around the world and met anyone and fall in love and—“

“Do you like anyone?” Julie was surprised when Jeremy interrupted her. He was looking at her with intense that she swallowed a lump on her throat.

“N-not at the moment.” Her voice cracked and Jeremy raised his brow.

“You’re lying.” He teased and she glared at him.

“I’m not! I just never met anyone that caught my interest.” If Julie was more observant at that time, she would have noticed the hurt look Jeremy showed her. He, however, was a gentleman in training, so he would never force her into anything. Even if its only for his fantasy.

“Julie? Jeremy? Time for bed.” Both children turned to Ethel’s voice and returned inside the house.