The Moonlit ball

The Beginning

Hello My name is Eloise and this is my journey into life experience abandonment, being loved, knowing loss, mysteriously gaining a big chunk of money, to finding true love all because of this little black book that was cherished by the woman who raised me. In all of my life I never once expected my life to end up teaching me the ways of aloneness, lost, grief being found, then alone again and then eventually in the end finding love in the most hardest and tragic way

My life started out a bit rocky. I was abandoned in the forest by my parents as a 2 week old baby for whatever reason I truly don't have the faintest one. I was apparently starving and near death when I was found by this kind older lady whose name was Lady Veronica Valham and her husband Lord Henry Valham. Lady Veronica told me it was love at first sight for her with my white blond hair shining in the sun and my beautiful icy blue eyes glistening with tears as I was crying wrapped in a wool blanket in the cold spring morning. She told me later that they couldn't have children so they were happy they could take me in and treated me like a daughter but I still always felt like an outsider. They lived in the woods in a modest house that was surrounded by a huge garden and then it was nothing but trees for miles as they liked their privacy. They appeared to look like they were wealthy but in reality we weren't. We had the basic necessities but nothing fancy unless we had guests but that's a story for another time.

Lady Veronica took me in and cared for me like a mother should have. Lady Veronica was always so kind and gentle to me unlike Lord Valham who insisted I make the perfect bride and bring good fortune to the family. Lady Veronica had taught me how to read and write in 4 different languages, English, German, Dutch and Japanese. She always said a lady must know how to speak not only in English but be able to converse with other proper people in multiple languages although it really meant so i could talk to other gentlemen at balls. The most important one was to act like a lady. Being born in the year of 1805 I had some very strict rules i had to follow, one of them being was always wearing the corset so tight that i could hardly breath or bend down, after taking it off at night you could see the imprint of the coreset and the bruises it had left behind to have to wear it the same way the very next day, i swear some ribs were broken since the whole fashion was the have an hourglass shape to our body which meant squeezing out waist to an unnatural way but i didn't have a choice as Lord Valham would always tell the maids who did the corsets that it had to be tighter almost daily, lady veronica would always flinch when he would demand that it has to be tighter, she would always look at me with piety, my waist was already so narrow i wasn't sure how much smaller it could go since i've been wearing one since i was 14 of age. I just did as I was told.

Life and the people in it could just be downright cruel but i always thought it was a bittersweet life since if they didn't take me in i could very well be dead.

The tragedy

It was a warm summer day when I was allowed out for my daily riding lesson. I always enjoyed the weekly lesson outside. The smell of leather mixed with sweat, hay, and horses was always a breath of fresh air compared to the stuffy study room that smelled like dust, old books and must. My lesson today was in a sidesaddle of course where we sit in a saddle meant for ladies, our legs are to one side and we use a leather crop on the right side to simulate the missing leg on that side. The lesson was on collecting the horse and maintaining balance. My horse's name was firefly. He was a beautiful chestnut Arab he had a good high step, little bit of fire/ spirit but would never intentionally hurt me. My instructor was a rather ugly man his name was philp he was in his mid forties with thinning hair, brown eyes too close together, and a bright red nose, and to top it off he smelled so bad. But it was worth putting up with him to be able to ride Firefly. As my lesson was ending a maid came running out telling me to hurry something happened to Lady Veronica “ hurry miss Lady Veronica has taken a turn for the worse and is requesting your presents “ the maid named Sarah said in a hurried tone. I leaped off my horses with absolut grace and took off running towards the house to Lady Veronica's room. She was laing pale faced in her sky blue bedding looking so weak, i felt my eyes start to swell up just looking at her she looked so friglal and i didn want to lose the only person who loved me but i knew her time was starting to fade from this earth. I just pray to God that she will pass peacefully. When she opened her eyes to see me standing there she smiled so hopefully, lovingly and happy. “ come sit my beautiful child” Lady Veronica called out weakly. I hurried over and sat on the edge of her bed reaching out to take her cold wrinkled hand in my own young , smooth soft ones and started to run them to warm them up. She looks up to me and states so bluntly “ my child you've grown up to be such a beauty of a lady i am so proud you're my daughter “ I know my time now is limited and she raises a hand to brush back her raven black hair that never greyed. She then turned to look at me straight in the eyes, her green eyes sparkled with some mischievous glint to them. She says i probably won't make it to the morning but i have one last game for you to play, find a black leather book and all they keys in life will open up to you and you'll understand” i was so confused by that but i just nodded as i didn't want to leave her side. It was getting late in the evening and I fell asleep beside my lovely Lady who I so much admired. When i awoke the next day i found i was moved to the daybed in Lady veronica's room, i turn my head too look at the bed only too see it was emptied i knew what that meant she was gone forever, and i wept.

The ball

The season of balls and dancing, it has begun soon i was being shoved into different dresses and going out almost every night, that i almost forgot got about the little black book, as soon as i got home from yet another tiring ball i went searching for that little black book i looked everywhere but i couldn't find it then i thought and came up with under Lady Veronicas bed so i went there and i found it on the right side under the feather duvet . so i started reading it and found that she had secretly left me 20 000 she told me to use that money to travel and see the world, she described in the book where the money was hidden it was in a old cabin where we use to go and have tea parties when i was child. i was so over joyed and excited but she tell me in the book that i couldn't tell anyone and i had to keep it a secret.

the next day i was getting ready for the biggest ball of the season it was being held at the dukes huge place. i heard that he was a rude man and that he wasn't looking for a wife and wanted to like out his bachelor life. when i arrived at the ball in the sliver white dress with my hair all done up i felt so beautiful and wanted to dance. when i bumped into the most handsomest man in the whole room. he was tall dark and handsome and i so wanted to dance with him when he spoke his voices deep and husky " watch where your going" ohh I'm so sorry ? he looked at me don't you know who i am he demanded i stuttered out a no, he looked so bemused and said you came to a party without knowing who the host is, my mouth dropped open, i kept apologizing to him, he then asked if i wanted to dance and we dances the whole night way. i found true happiness that night and i felt loved . i started to see the duke of castlehill almost every week after that one ball room dance at he moonlit ball. his name is Christopher Castlehill and i hope we have a future together .