Charming Soot: Verreal: Second Age

By Patricia A Green

The Prince is throwing seven Grand Balls for his birthday. Marian has seven nights away from her stepfamily. She never meant to find true love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Patricia Green
• Release date: Oct 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781519920669

Patricia A Green

I'm a writer because I can't stop telling stories. I started telling stories as soon as I learned to speak, and started writing them down as soon as I learned that. My Gran encouraged my stories when  was little and I kept it up all my life, even though I got into some trouble for it in High School. As for what I look like and where I live: My eyes are brown, everything else is subject to change without notice.

Book preview

Charming Soot

Verreal: Second Age

Patricia A Green

Published by Patricia Green, 2015.

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

CHARMING SOOT

First edition. October 6, 2015.

Copyright © 2015 Patricia A Green.

ISBN: 978-1519920669

Written by Patricia A Green.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Charming Soot

Also By Patricia A Green

About the Author

This one is for Catherine, my editor extrordinare, who was so kind as to take dictation while I walked out my writer's block.

But Papa why do I need a Mother? I have you don’t I?

Yes my sweet Marian, but there are many things that I can’t teach you about how to be a Lady. You want to be a Lady don’t you? Her father teased. Of course she wanted to be a Lady, her mother had been a Lady, which was why everyone had loved her so much. So now her father would marry another Lady to be her mother.

And you’ll have sisters. That would be nice, would it not? The seven year old girl nodded her blonde head eagerly.

Her father married a few weeks later and Lady Vanessa moved in with her daughters Jewel and Pearl. Jewel was a year older and so she had a bed chamber to herself, Pearl was a year younger than Marian so they would share a chamber. At first, Marian liked sharing a space with her new sister, but soon Pearl began complaining about everything: the room was too hot, too cold, too bright, too dark. Her wardrobe was too small, her bed was too small, her vanity needed a bigger mirror. Marian didn’t want to listen to her so she would spend as little time in their bed chamber as possible. She spent most of the time in her secret place, a small room in the top of the garret. Her secret place had a couple of bookshelves and a big old chair. She had one of the stewards move a wardrobe to the garret room and started getting dressed there. She always woke up well before Pearl, so the other girl didn’t even notice. She finally got so annoyed by Pearl’s snoring that she begged her Papa to put a bed in her little room. He was surprised she would want to give up her bedroom but he made the garret cozy for her and now all the girls had their own private place.

Her Papa doted on all three girls and treated her stepsisters like they were his own. Her stepmother, on the other hand, all but ignored Marian. Marian was sent to the garret to practice her violin when the other girls had their music lesson together. She learned to dance like a boy, always made to partner Pearl, and often chastised for making her sister look bad. Her stepmother scolded her for doing too well at her lessons, saying that no man would want a wife smarter than he. She was told that she would ruin her eyes with too much reading and her stepmother took away her books. Marian was able to hide many of them under the bed without fear of discovery since she cleaned herself, for the maids hated going up all those stairs.

Her Papa was away a lot in those days, managing things on the various country estates they owned, and generally ensuring that life remained comfortable for the family. It was while returning from one such trip, that tragedy befell them. Bandits set upon him as he hurried home late one night and killed him for the gold in his pockets.

The constables arrived with the news early in the morning of Marian’s ninth birthday. It was the first time in her life that it rained on her birthday and it continued to rain all that week. Marian cried herself to sleep each night, but struggled to control her tears during the day. Her stepmother told her repeatedly that ladies did not bawl like infants and that crying would only make her ugly.  After her Papa’s funeral, her stepmother called her into the parlor.

Do not sit down, Marian. This should not take long. We find ourselves in a rather difficult position. Your father, God rest his soul, did not leave a will to provide for you. I am not a cruel woman, Marian, I am not going to just turn you out, but I also think it would be irresponsible of me to give you charity. We do not learn or grow from charity. Therefore, you will be allowed to remain in this house and in your little garret, but you will work in this house. For now, report to Martha in the kitchen, and she will tell you what to do. Marian stood for a stunned moment, not understanding what her stepmother was saying.

Marian, you will go to the kitchen and begin work this instant, or I will throw you out of my house and you will have to live on the streets. Do you understand me?

Yes, Stepmother. Marian struggled not to cry at the threat of being thrown out of her home.

You will not call me Stepmother anymore. You will address me as Ma’am. Now go.

Yes ma’am. Marian hurried from the parlor. The moment that she stepped into the kitchen Martha, the cook, folded the young girl into her arms and Marian broke down crying.

When Lady Vanessa was around Martha treated Marian like any other scullery maid, but when she wasn’t, Martha taught her everything a good cook knows. Marian soon found that she was happier working in the kitchens than she ever had been doing the Lady Lessons. Her violin was the only thing she missed. Marian spent several years working in the kitchen forced to watch as Lady Vanessa spent lavish sums on her girls. There were new frocks every season and new hobbies and amusements to go with them.

In most households outgrown clothing was given to the servants to cut down for their own garb, but Lady Vanessa refused to part with