Insanity © Lynn Falcon 2013

Chapter Two: Innocent Gambling

© WrittingNinja Insanity

"Truthful words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not truthful. Good words are not persuasive; persuasive words are not good." - Lao Tzu

The echoes of the dripping water from the bathroom bounced off the walls of the dining room. The dining room wasn't extravagant, but it was nice and beautiful to the emerald eyes of Amelia Walker.

Victorian arches curved along the doorways, creating an elegant feel. Dark red drapes covered the frosted windows, the glow of the moon seeping through and into the room just a bit. The candles lit reflected off the wooden, glossed table of the dining room.

Maria Bird, Amelia’s adopted mother, got her petite daughter ready for the gathering of Nobel Bachelors. Her daughter would win the heart of a man tonight, and there was nothing that would ruin the plans this time. Amelia gasped as Maria tightened her corset.

“M-Maria,” she said, turning to look at her adopted mother. Maria waved her hand at Amelia in a dismissive way.

“Don’t argue. Men love to look at a woman with a small waist,” she said, turning to finish the corset. Amelia sighed, facing the table once more.

Her reflection on the glossy table stared back at her. Unlike the bath water that she was staring at moments ago, her reflection didn’t waver. It wasn’t a perfect image, but it stayed still like frozen, muddy water. She wondered if she would ever find herself in such a chaotic world. She didn’t want to find a husband at the age of 18. She wanted nothing more than to waste her life at the Savage Club.

She looked down at the rug that she had won in a gamble. The rug was from India, and a very lavish one at that. The patterns of vines and flowers always reminded her of her life here. She wondered why her mother wanted her out of the house so badly. Her was turned away from the table by Maria’s hand. She stood there, studied by the dark eyes of her mother.

“I know just what you should wear.” Maria smiled, turning and walking towards one of the elegant doorways. Along the way, Maria stumbled on the stool she had set out before. Amelia quickly grasped her mother’s arm, steadying her.

Power.

“Careful, Maria,” she said through a gasp of surprise. Maria blushed faintly, embarrassed by her clumsiness.

“I guess I should look where I’m going…” she mumbled, and then laughed with her daughter.

Maria left the room, leaving Amelia alone to her thoughts. Amelia walked into her room, looking straight towards her mirror. She took her seat in the elegantly carved stool in front of her dresser mirror, pulling pins from a dish for her hair. She neatly raised her hair into an elegant twist, pinning it so just a few curls fell to her shoulders.

She did look like Maria in some ways, but it was obvious they were not truly related. Her green eyes were a deep, emerald color while her mother’s were possibly a dark brown. Her cheek bones were a bit higher than her aged mother, and her hair was brighter and thicker than her mother’s thin, graying hair. She sighed, looking down at a dying rose that lay on her dresser.

She picked it up gently so the petals would crumble and fall. She remembered getting this rose from a young man at the Savage Club, but only because she had won a gamble. She didn’t want her mother thinking she was out again not looking for men. She had to win a rose to convince her mother that she was truly out looking for suitors.

Maria came back into the room, a bright smile on her face as she presented a dress to Amelia. The dress was red and black. Ruffles lined the shoulders and thin waist. Along the chest and stomach were crisscrossing ribbons for tying. The top of the dress looked a lot like the corset Amelia wore now. The bottom fell to the floor, red draping on the sides. The sides opened up to the black material underneath, ruffled red ribbons connecting them together. Amelia gasped in surprise at the dress, knowing it was probably another favorite of hers already.