Fan Fiction ❯ Once a Lady ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter One

 

The taller woman dramatically sighed as she looked down at her mother, her slim finger waving lightly at the shorter woman, “I didn't ask father to through such a part—“

 

Before her words could be finished the smaller lady grabbed her finger and twisted, Paige's dirty face quickly revealed the pain her mother was causing her, however her mothers eyes only narrowed as she hissed at her daughter, “Young lady if you point this finger at me one more time you aren't going to have a finger to point. Now I demand that you get dressed at once, your father is beginning to ask questions and I want to be able to him that his precious daughter is simply taking a long time to prepare herself for her birthday. Now, get cleaned up at once.” Quickly the woman turned and left Paige alone in a room with three chamber maids, before she could say anything the woman were tearing off her clothing and hurrying her to a bath,

 

“Miss Paige you should have known better, today is your 18th birthday, you shouldn't have run off on such an important night.” The second maid quickly agreed as did the third, all of the slightly chubby began nodding their heads, the third however continued to talk,

 

“Especially with the engagement and all, you should have been ready hours ago.” Shifting Paige gave the woman a strange look before a bucket of water was poured over her head and she became to cough,

 

“There's an engagement? Who is getting married?” The second maid kicked the third and the three women looked worriedly at each other as they continued to clean the young lady in the bath tub. Their reactions scared Paige and she quickly looked from one to the other, all of them avoid her gaze. Shifting in the tub she made her way to her feet and glared at them as she demanded,

 

“Who is getting married!?” The women looked from one to the other and finally the first and oldest maid looked up at her mistress; she was a towering beauty of black hair and ivory skin, a wild child that was for sure. Slowly she answered,

 

“You are.”

 

 

--

 

Her world had come crashing down; there she stood at the top of the stairs, her sapphire blue eyes staring down the spiral steps, these steps that would lead to her doom. The maids and constantly tried to comfort her as they placed her hair into an elegant Pouf, the rest of her long black hair cascaded down to her mid back. The dress she wore was a beautiful white that was trimmed with a dark blue, almost the shade of her eyes, the neck was square and dipped low but was just barely enough for a man to see the top of her bosom. Swallowing hard the girl moved down the steps, a weak smile on her now painted pink lips. She didn't know what to think, her world was at an end, her fun was at an end; one who was overly dramatic like Paige could even say that her very life was at an end.

 

People had already turned to stare at her as she reached the bottom of the stares and she forced a bigger smile onto her face, nodding her head in greeting. Having only walked a few steps into the room her mother quickly appeared at her side and gripped her by the elbow steering her in the direction she wanted her to go. Through her force smile Paige hissed,

 

“How could you not tell me about this? How could father do this to me?” Glancing sideways at her daughter Elizabeth sighed slightly, her own smile well in place as she greeted friendly, family and other members of the court with a nod,

 

“I've told you Paige, I've told you a hundred times what your actions would get you. I tried to stop him but he's dead set on this.” Tears threatened to swell up in her eyes as she tilted her head slightly, blinking rapidly,

 

“Mother please, I could not stand such a life. I can't do it.” At this words her mothers grip on her elbow became almost ferocious as she glared softly at her daughter,

 

“You will do what your father asks of you young lady, you have brought these actions down upon yourself.” Turning to avoid a grey haired woman Elizabeth quickly smiled, avoiding any confrontation with the gossip. Finally reaching her destination the crowd seem to part and there Paige saw her father, a tall elegant man who was undoubtedly a little rough around the edges. Beside him stood and elderly man who much had been at least 60. Paige's heart sank into her white satin shoes, was this him? This couldn't be him, her body and mind, her very soul prayed that it wasn't so, but when she saw her father smile and introduce him to her as “Count Amherst” her heart sunk lower (if that were even possible.) She saw this ugly smile curve onto his face, a smile that spoke to her of greed and sick lust, her father must be out of his mind.

 

For the most part Paige seemed to be so numb inside that she didn't hear the conversation between the two men; only the thud of her ever breaking heart filled her ears. The pinching of her elbow brought her back to life and she gave her mother a soft glare and pulled her elbow from the smaller woman's grip. Her mother only nodded slightly towards the two men. Turning to look at then with an apologetic smile Paige nodded,

“Sounds wonderful gentlemen.”

 

Her father gave her a slightly surprised looked and laughed as he pulled his daughter to him for a hug,

 

“Well said Paige, now for you to meet him; here is your new fiancée, meet soon to be Count Amherst, Nicholas Grant.” It was about that point that Paige gave herself a swift kick in the rear, she felt like dieing right there and then as a man about a foot taller then her self came into view. He had sharp that made him more scary looking then handsome, his hair was black and slicked back, she noticed instantly that he seemed to barely look at her at all and paid more attention to her father; It was a business deal, They are bargaining me off to the highest bidder.

 

Paige suddenly felt the room close in on her and she placed a hand to her forehead as she turned to her mother,

 

“I don't think I feel very well, I think I'll go lay down.”

 

She knew her mother hissed something about her fooling around but it was lost to her as her vision went black and she almost collapsed to the floor, saved by her father's arms rather then the arms of her future husband.