David looked up lazily as the door swung open, but when he saw who slipped quietly in and shut the door behind her his heartbeat shot up. “Are you not enjoying the company of your fiancé?” He questioned bitterly, standing up and walking to the fireplace, his back to her ( Read more... )

This was it. The very moment that Cassie had been planning for almost a month. It was now the height of summer, and although dusk was just falling the heat still shimmered through the great house. Another party - yes, reader, you may well be sick of them now - but recall that this was the country, and without company the long dark evenings can be ( Read more... )

Cassie was sitting in a warm field of yellowing grass with Josie’s baby. She was tickling his nose with a piece of grass while he gurgled with pleasure and tried to chew on his foot. Just then she noticed a brilliant flag of colour out of the corner of her eye. It was a fluttering stream of silk, apple green and liquid-like in the breeze. Cassie ( Read more... )

Josie watched Suriyan storm back int the room to stand moodily besides his brother. He muttered something in his ear which was probably 'can we go yet???' Mali politley offered him a drink she'd fetched for him, and he snatched it without glancing at her. Every comment she made to him was returned with a curt and rather nasty rejoinder - but for ( Read more... )

"I-nothing!-what...are-you-doing?" She gasped and stuttered a hasty reply. Suriyan released her hastily as if just realising what he had done. He glowered at the floor, to avoid looking at her in the eyes ( Read more... )

So, Cassie awoke to a crowd of haughty faces. Josephine helped he rup and enquired nervously after her health - Cassie laughed the incident off and claimed she just needed some fresh night air. As she bid the crowd farewell she headed out to one of the balconies that looked out into the cool summer gardens ( Read more... )

It was a starlit evening and a wine spangled crowd gathered in the ball room at the old Hall. Cassie stood lifeless and dull - wrapped in a thick shawl with the ring on her left hand weighing her down. Josie came up to her and put an arm through hers ( Read more... )

Good things do not last forever - even the best of things. Once upon a time there was a group of four friends - but they had no happy ending ( Read more... )

In the hot, small stuffy room of Josie's confinement all the girls were gathered, pensively. All four were pink and sweaty with exhaustion -their hair falling in limp tendrils round their faces. Eleanor, despite all her protestations, was beside Josie, holding her hand - as was Lydia. Both refused to become involved with anything remotely to do ( Read more... )

Hours lengthened into days, days into weeks…and little changed. William went away and so the girls felt a wonderful sense of female community grow up. Cassie fussed over Josephine’s every need - eventually moving n as the morning sickness did. She was always there to mop her poor friend’s brow and with some miraculous remedy. Take this morning for ( Read more... )