HELP!
So we have to write a short story in my english class, and I have no idea how to end this...I can have up to 3 pages more, but I don't know how to end it satifactorily, because I cannot finish the story within the pae limit... It's due fridays, any comments or help is GREATLY appreciated...
Rose stared at her folded hands as the silence weighed heavily on the carriage's two occupants. She twisted the fabric of her skirt in her hands as she glanced toward the man beside her. Mr. Kent sat stiffly, staring straight ahead. No, not Mr. Kent. William. Her new husband. Rose shivered as the magnitude of that thought finally struck her. He was her husband. She was his wife. They would be together from this day onward. Her parents, sisters, and brother had been left behind. William was her present and her future now. With some difficulty, she swallowed the lump at the back of her throat.
"It was a lovely ceremony, Mist-oh, well…I suppose I must call you William, now…" Her voice trailed off to the barest whisper and her face flushed brilliantly red. William's eyes flickered towards her and his stoic mask faltered.
"Yes. Rose," he added as an afterthought. His fingers brushed her arm for the briefest moment, before he cleared his throat nervously and turned from her in favor of the view out the window.
The carriage turned onto a long drive and Rose used her last minutes of security to contemplate the man beside her. She knew William was young, despite the fact that this was his second marriage. He had first married at nineteen, which caused a great stir amongst the townspeople. For weeks, all discussion pertained to the two youths' 'foolishness', and ominous predictions of their married life. At the time Rose had wished them well. The two had seemed happy enough, and it had been a comfort to know that someone so young could love as strongly as they did. And, now, barely three years later, Augusta Kent had passed from this world, and Rose had married William just this morning.
The carriage slowed to stop, jolting Rose from her thoughts. The view out the window was overwhelming, and her head spun as memories of her now childhood home rushed into her mind. With an effort, Rose pushed the thoughts from her head and contemplated her new home. The even, clipped lawn provided a stately balance to the grand house before her. Perhaps a dozen windows winked at her in the sunlight, and every detail was perfectly placed and tended. The scene was picturesque.
The door opened and William stepped out before turning and offering her his hand. Rose stepped down gracefully, until her shoe caught on the step and she was forced to grab, flailing, at William in order to keep her balance. William held tightly to her waist as Rose stepped down, blushing furiously.
"Are you all right?" He watched the crown of her head as she nodded slowly.
"Yes, thank you. Excuse me," Rose avoided his gaze.
"Let me…." He waved vaguely at the house, and led Rose up the sweeping drive as the carriage rolled away behind them, taking the last glimpse of familiarity along with it. The front door opened to reveal a tall, thin woman.
"Good morning, sir." The woman nodded as they stepped into the wide foyer. "Mrs. Kent."
"Where is Jacob, Liza?" William looked around, searching for someone.
"His little boy fell from the loft this morning, sir," Liza ducked her head. "Jacob took him home and went to call on the doctor. I told him I could mind the house, sir, it's no trouble for me."
William nodded and turned to leave, almost running into Rose. He stared at her for a moment, as if he'd forgotten that she was standing there.
"I should go." he said nervously. "And see Jacob. Check on his boy."
"Yes, sir." Liza's expression was one of practiced neutrality.
"You should show Rose the house."
"Yes, sir."
With a nod at them both, William practically fled out the door. Liza watched him go, before grinning openly at Rose. "Don't mind him, too much, ma'am. He's rather nervous. Though I suppose you must be as well. It must be very awkward between the both of you, right, ma'am?" Rose's shock must have shown on her face, because Liza cheeks colored and she looked stricken.
"Oh, please excuse me, ma'am! I had no right to say such a thing. It's not my place at all! I'm sorry, ma'am, I do chatter on awfully, sometimes I don't even realize what I'm really saying. Please, ma'am, I never meant to offend you-"
"It's fine, Liza, really." Rose couldn't help but smiling. Liza couldn't have been much older than herself, and she reminded Rose of her sister, Sarah. "I don't mind. I was just surprised that you could tell exactly how I felt."
"It'll work out, ma'am," Liza voice was slow and reassuring. "Mr. Kent is a good man. Would you care to see the house, ma'am?"
Rose nodded and followed Liza through the house, as the older girl pointed out various objects and rooms. Just as the colorful, comfortably-furnished rooms began to blur together, Liza turned to Rose expectantly.
"Would you like to meet the children now, ma'am?" Rose stopped short. She had forgotten about the children.
"Um…yes, why not." Rose said nervously. Liza smiled and motioned for Rose to follow her.
Rose stepped carefully into the quiet nursery. The sound of rustling fabric emanated from one of the cribs along the wall. Two dark eyes blinked owlishly at them from under a mess of soft, fine baby hair. The little boy pulled himself to standing and reached out at the women.
"Hello, James," Liza cooed, walking over to the child. "Come meet your new mama." She picked him up and handed him to Rose. James stared sleepily at her. After a moment, his eyes widened when he realized he was in the arms of a stranger, and he cried out and lunged at Liza.
"Sorry, ma'am. He just doesn't know you yet." Liza took James back and he buried his face into her neck with a contented sigh. "Give him a few days and he'll warm right up to you. Here, you can meet the baby. She won't mind." Rose looked into the other crib. A tiny pink-faced infant was sprawled on the mattress. Rose carefully picked her up. The girl's eyes opened for moment, but she simply turned her head and fell back asleep in Rose's arms. Joy bubbled up inside of Rose at the baby's acceptance.
"What is her name?" Rose asked, running her finger along the baby's cheek. Liza looked at her strangely.
"She doesn't have one yet, ma'am." Liza said. She added philosophically, "One cannot get attached too quickly. Infancy is a troubling time."
"Oh, yes, of course." Rose agreed, though she looked sadly down at the nameless infant lying contentedly in her arms. "Actually, Liza, I am a little tired. I think I will go lie down for a bit." Rose placed the girl back into the crib and rushed from the room.
Rose quickly shut the bedroom door behind her and leaned heavily against it. Her head spun as a hundred different thoughts overwhelmed her. This marriage, this house, William, James, the nameless little girl; it was all happening too fast. Rose had never felt so young or so alone. Yes, she knew several women who had married at her age, but why did she have to? And to a grieving man she hardly knew with two toddlers, none the less! Why had her father agreed to this marriage? Was it so bad to wait a few years? How could her family have abandoned her with a perfect stranger? With a dry sob, Rose slid down into a heap on the floor and covered her face with her hands.
After some time, Rose lifted her head and sniffed, wiping her eyes. For the first time, they noticed the sole familiar object in the room, her trunk that had been brought over the day before. It sat open against the wall, next t the wardrobe. Someone, Liza, probably, had unpacked her clothes and hung the in the wardrobe, to prevent creasing. Quickly, Rose found her dressing gown and changed into it. She still felt quite lost concerning her present situation, but there wasn’t much she could do to change it. Such disheartening thoughts weighed heavily on her mind and were very tiring. With a sigh, Rose laid down on the edge of the bed and, to her relief, quickly fell asleep.
Rose woke in the grey dawn the next morning, in a moment of panic before she remembered where she was and all of the events of the previous day. Something moved beside her and Rose shrank quickly away. William was asleep on the opposite edge of the bed. Rose realized that she still wore her dressing gown over her nightclothes and the only change was that someone had pulled the bedspread over her. Rose quietly slipped out of the bed and tiptoed out of the room.
Rose shuffled into the kitchen, noticing that someone had built up a fire and set the kettle to boil over the crackling flames. Rose sat down on a chair beside the fireplace with a yawn. Liza walked in from the dining room, humming softly to herself.
“Oh, good morning, Mrs. Kent. You’re up rather early.” Liza walked over to check on the water. “Would you like some tea, ma’am?”
“Yes, please,” Rose croaked. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since yesterday afternoon.
“Mr. Kent will be up soon, ma’am, then I’ll lay out breakfast.” Liza informed her. Rose nodded and turned sleepily back to her tea. She did not have to wait very long. After a few minutes, footsteps echoed from the next room. Rose walked slowly into the dining room. A fully-dressed William was talking to an older, heavier man. They turned as she entered. William took in her appearance with an expression of mild surprise. Rose self-consciously tightened her dressing robe.
“Good morning, miss,” said the older man genially.
“Rose, this is Jacob.” William nodded at the older man.
“I am truly sorry I wasn’t here when you arrived, Mrs. Kent,” Jacob smiled. “Had a bit of trouble with my youngest. The missus worries something terrible, insisted on calling the doctor.”
“How is your son, Jacob?” Rose asked, remembering the story from the day before.
“Oh, he’s just fine, ma’am. Takes more then a knock on the head to keep him down. He’s a stubborn one.”
“Jacob?” Liza called from the kitchen. “Can you help me with this?”
“I’m coming, Lizzy. Excuse me,” Jacob moved towards the doorway.
“Don’t call me Lizzy!” Jacob chuckled. Rose and William were left alone in the room. Rose avoided his gaze.
“I should get dressed for breakfast,” Rose said quietly, feeling foolish. Before he could reply, she hurried from the room.
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Rose stared at her folded hands as the silence weighed heavily on the carriage's two occupants. She twisted the fabric of her skirt in her hands as she glanced toward the man beside her. Mr. Kent sat stiffly, staring straight ahead. No, not Mr. Kent. William. Her new husband. Rose shivered as the magnitude of that thought finally struck her. He was her husband. She was his wife. They would be together from this day onward. Her parents, sisters, and brother had been left behind. William was her present and her future now. With some difficulty, she swallowed the lump at the back of her throat.
"It was a lovely ceremony, Mist-oh, well…I suppose I must call you William, now…" Her voice trailed off to the barest whisper and her face flushed brilliantly red. William's eyes flickered towards her and his stoic mask faltered.
"Yes. Rose," he added as an afterthought. His fingers brushed her arm for the briefest moment, before he cleared his throat nervously and turned from her in favor of the view out the window.
The carriage turned onto a long drive and Rose used her last minutes of security to contemplate the man beside her. She knew William was young, despite the fact that this was his second marriage. He had first married at nineteen, which caused a great stir amongst the townspeople. For weeks, all discussion pertained to the two youths' 'foolishness', and ominous predictions of their married life. At the time Rose had wished them well. The two had seemed happy enough, and it had been a comfort to know that someone so young could love as strongly as they did. And, now, barely three years later, Augusta Kent had passed from this world, and Rose had married William just this morning.
The carriage slowed to stop, jolting Rose from her thoughts. The view out the window was overwhelming, and her head spun as memories of her now childhood home rushed into her mind. With an effort, Rose pushed the thoughts from her head and contemplated her new home. The even, clipped lawn provided a stately balance to the grand house before her. Perhaps a dozen windows winked at her in the sunlight, and every detail was perfectly placed and tended. The scene was picturesque.
The door opened and William stepped out before turning and offering her his hand. Rose stepped down gracefully, until her shoe caught on the step and she was forced to grab, flailing, at William in order to keep her balance. William held tightly to her waist as Rose stepped down, blushing furiously.
"Are you all right?" He watched the crown of her head as she nodded slowly.
"Yes, thank you. Excuse me," Rose avoided his gaze.
"Let me…." He waved vaguely at the house, and led Rose up the sweeping drive as the carriage rolled away behind them, taking the last glimpse of familiarity along with it. The front door opened to reveal a tall, thin woman.
"Good morning, sir." The woman nodded as they stepped into the wide foyer. "Mrs. Kent."
"Where is Jacob, Liza?" William looked around, searching for someone.
"His little boy fell from the loft this morning, sir," Liza ducked her head. "Jacob took him home and went to call on the doctor. I told him I could mind the house, sir, it's no trouble for me."
William nodded and turned to leave, almost running into Rose. He stared at her for a moment, as if he'd forgotten that she was standing there.
"I should go." he said nervously. "And see Jacob. Check on his boy."
"Yes, sir." Liza's expression was one of practiced neutrality.
"You should show Rose the house."
"Yes, sir."
With a nod at them both, William practically fled out the door. Liza watched him go, before grinning openly at Rose. "Don't mind him, too much, ma'am. He's rather nervous. Though I suppose you must be as well. It must be very awkward between the both of you, right, ma'am?" Rose's shock must have shown on her face, because Liza cheeks colored and she looked stricken.
"Oh, please excuse me, ma'am! I had no right to say such a thing. It's not my place at all! I'm sorry, ma'am, I do chatter on awfully, sometimes I don't even realize what I'm really saying. Please, ma'am, I never meant to offend you-"
"It's fine, Liza, really." Rose couldn't help but smiling. Liza couldn't have been much older than herself, and she reminded Rose of her sister, Sarah. "I don't mind. I was just surprised that you could tell exactly how I felt."
"It'll work out, ma'am," Liza voice was slow and reassuring. "Mr. Kent is a good man. Would you care to see the house, ma'am?"
Rose nodded and followed Liza through the house, as the older girl pointed out various objects and rooms. Just as the colorful, comfortably-furnished rooms began to blur together, Liza turned to Rose expectantly.
"Would you like to meet the children now, ma'am?" Rose stopped short. She had forgotten about the children.
"Um…yes, why not." Rose said nervously. Liza smiled and motioned for Rose to follow her.
Rose stepped carefully into the quiet nursery. The sound of rustling fabric emanated from one of the cribs along the wall. Two dark eyes blinked owlishly at them from under a mess of soft, fine baby hair. The little boy pulled himself to standing and reached out at the women.
"Hello, James," Liza cooed, walking over to the child. "Come meet your new mama." She picked him up and handed him to Rose. James stared sleepily at her. After a moment, his eyes widened when he realized he was in the arms of a stranger, and he cried out and lunged at Liza.
"Sorry, ma'am. He just doesn't know you yet." Liza took James back and he buried his face into her neck with a contented sigh. "Give him a few days and he'll warm right up to you. Here, you can meet the baby. She won't mind." Rose looked into the other crib. A tiny pink-faced infant was sprawled on the mattress. Rose carefully picked her up. The girl's eyes opened for moment, but she simply turned her head and fell back asleep in Rose's arms. Joy bubbled up inside of Rose at the baby's acceptance.
"What is her name?" Rose asked, running her finger along the baby's cheek. Liza looked at her strangely.
"She doesn't have one yet, ma'am." Liza said. She added philosophically, "One cannot get attached too quickly. Infancy is a troubling time."
"Oh, yes, of course." Rose agreed, though she looked sadly down at the nameless infant lying contentedly in her arms. "Actually, Liza, I am a little tired. I think I will go lie down for a bit." Rose placed the girl back into the crib and rushed from the room.
Rose quickly shut the bedroom door behind her and leaned heavily against it. Her head spun as a hundred different thoughts overwhelmed her. This marriage, this house, William, James, the nameless little girl; it was all happening too fast. Rose had never felt so young or so alone. Yes, she knew several women who had married at her age, but why did she have to? And to a grieving man she hardly knew with two toddlers, none the less! Why had her father agreed to this marriage? Was it so bad to wait a few years? How could her family have abandoned her with a perfect stranger? With a dry sob, Rose slid down into a heap on the floor and covered her face with her hands.
After some time, Rose lifted her head and sniffed, wiping her eyes. For the first time, they noticed the sole familiar object in the room, her trunk that had been brought over the day before. It sat open against the wall, next t the wardrobe. Someone, Liza, probably, had unpacked her clothes and hung the in the wardrobe, to prevent creasing. Quickly, Rose found her dressing gown and changed into it. She still felt quite lost concerning her present situation, but there wasn’t much she could do to change it. Such disheartening thoughts weighed heavily on her mind and were very tiring. With a sigh, Rose laid down on the edge of the bed and, to her relief, quickly fell asleep.
Rose woke in the grey dawn the next morning, in a moment of panic before she remembered where she was and all of the events of the previous day. Something moved beside her and Rose shrank quickly away. William was asleep on the opposite edge of the bed. Rose realized that she still wore her dressing gown over her nightclothes and the only change was that someone had pulled the bedspread over her. Rose quietly slipped out of the bed and tiptoed out of the room.
Rose shuffled into the kitchen, noticing that someone had built up a fire and set the kettle to boil over the crackling flames. Rose sat down on a chair beside the fireplace with a yawn. Liza walked in from the dining room, humming softly to herself.
“Oh, good morning, Mrs. Kent. You’re up rather early.” Liza walked over to check on the water. “Would you like some tea, ma’am?”
“Yes, please,” Rose croaked. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since yesterday afternoon.
“Mr. Kent will be up soon, ma’am, then I’ll lay out breakfast.” Liza informed her. Rose nodded and turned sleepily back to her tea. She did not have to wait very long. After a few minutes, footsteps echoed from the next room. Rose walked slowly into the dining room. A fully-dressed William was talking to an older, heavier man. They turned as she entered. William took in her appearance with an expression of mild surprise. Rose self-consciously tightened her dressing robe.
“Good morning, miss,” said the older man genially.
“Rose, this is Jacob.” William nodded at the older man.
“I am truly sorry I wasn’t here when you arrived, Mrs. Kent,” Jacob smiled. “Had a bit of trouble with my youngest. The missus worries something terrible, insisted on calling the doctor.”
“How is your son, Jacob?” Rose asked, remembering the story from the day before.
“Oh, he’s just fine, ma’am. Takes more then a knock on the head to keep him down. He’s a stubborn one.”
“Jacob?” Liza called from the kitchen. “Can you help me with this?”
“I’m coming, Lizzy. Excuse me,” Jacob moved towards the doorway.
“Don’t call me Lizzy!” Jacob chuckled. Rose and William were left alone in the room. Rose avoided his gaze.
“I should get dressed for breakfast,” Rose said quietly, feeling foolish. Before he could reply, she hurried from the room.
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