Dear Past, You Suck!

This Nasty Little Provincal Town

I left the house quietly. I had a feeling that these people would be the overprotective-don't-let-their-daughter-out-of-the-house type people. If I remembered right the town should be just to the right down the road. The short walk down the road would have been easy if I was wearing normal clothes, but I wasn't so it wasn't. My shoes had the tiniest of heels which made walking in the muddy gravel on the road even more difficult. After barely one hundred feet of walking, I decided to take my shoes off and barefoot it. It wasn't the streets of the city so it should be safer.

I severely overestimated the distance from the estate to the town. I finally got to the outskirts of the town after an hour or so of walking. I kept the time by checking my phone discreetly every then and now. The dress didn't have any pockets so I tucked it between my corset and skin. I had considered leaving it in the room but having my phone on my was familiar and almsot comforting to have. When I got to town it was...dirtier than I expected. I guess I was expecting something out of Beauty and the Beast. But of course it wasn't, it's Disney anyway. The streets were muddy. Buildings seemed worn out. People called out to others in the street. I didn't really know what the plan was to do here. Go to a British pub? Or to a local bakery? I decided on simply wondering the streets. As I passed by other woman on the streets, I realized that they worn shabby dresses compared to mine. They gave me hard, rude stares. The men I passed looked at me with a cross of lust and hate. Which to me was a very dangerous look. I was beginning to regret coming out here.

I nearly got hit with a dumped bucket of something I didn't even want to know what it was. I gaped up at the woman standing in the open window holding a bucket. She looked disappointed that she missed.  I gave the woman the middle finger. I don't care if she understood what that meant or not. If she didn't then she got the gist. She looked surprised then huffed and backed away. Alright, Elizabeth was not well liked. Which unfortunately means I'm unliked. I decided to turn around before something worse happened.

I thought I heard footsteps behind me and the back of my neck prickled like someone was watching me. I didn't look back because I didn't want to know. I turned onto a busier street. I didn't feel safer though. I don't think this town would help if I, Elizabeth, were attacked. In fact maybe this town had something to do with the real Elizabeth's disappearance.

"Elizabeth? I mean Alice." A voice called across the street. The footsteps stopped. Abraham got out of a horse drawn carriage. He pulled me inside and the carriage started moving again. "What are you doing here. Especially alone with these cumbergrounds. I would bet my title that they had were responsible for your kidnapping."

I sighed, "We don't know if Elizabeth was kidnapped. She could have just ran off." I suggested.

"Please do not talk in third person," he pleaded, almost like he wanted me just to remember.

"I'm not her I'm sorry. Perhaps I'm a cousin of Elizabeth and I don't know it," I knew I wasn't her cousin. There was no possible way. Perhaps I was her great great great great great great give or take granddaughter. A thought struck me. Ohhhhh. I know where Elizabeth went. She must have ran off to what they call the colonies now. That would make sense as to how my family got over to the new world, where she went, and why I look like her.

"No, the only cousin she has is her mothers sisters daughter. Her name I believe is Margaret." He said. "Unless. Oh yes that could very much be. Elizabeth's father had a sister who ran off very young."

"Yup that must be it. Don't tell the Duke and duchess though, I wouldn't want to,uh, upset them." I said. He nodded like he understood and took my hands in his. His hands were warm despite the nip in the air.

"I shall not utter a word to them until you wish me to. I will stand by your side." He spoke softly. He looked at me for a while and I tried not to squirm out from under his gaze. "You are different from Elizabeth and the other women."