Love in black and white

ENGLAND, LONDON 1830 9th August, 8:03 PM The guests had just arrived, and the dining room was filled with twelve people. The Duchess, Mrs. Elizabeth, was seen chatting pleasantly with her guests while Annabelle remained in her room. From upstairs, Annabelle could hear the Duchess and her guests laughing and making japes. She stayed quietly in her room until, after a while, she heard her name being called. “ANNABELLE! ANNABELLE!” Annabelle quickly hurried downstairs. “Yes, Madam?” She spotted her five year old son, Colin beside his mother, tugging at her gown. It appeared he had been interrupting their conversation. “Colin is awake. Please take him away,” the Duchess said. “Yes, Madam.” Annabelle reached for Colin, but he refused to move. Instead, he began to cry, insisting that he wanted to stay with his mother. “Colin, you’re disturbing Mommy right now. She’ll come and play with you later,” Annabelle said gently. “If you keep being stubborn, Mommy won’t be happy with you.” Colin sniffled, but still clung stubbornly to his mother’s gown. Annabelle kissed Collin gently on the cheek and promised to play his favorite game with him later. That made Collin cheer up a little, and he decided to follow her. Annabelle lifted Collin into her arms and carried him upstairs toward his room. Once they were out of sight, one of the guests scoffed. “I can't believe you let a coloured touch your child.” The duchess glanced toward the staircase, her expression cold. “Let alone let her dirty mouth touch his face. You really take a lot of risks, Elizabeth,” one of the guests added. “At home, I don't let any of the blacks touch my children. I only allow the white helps to bathe and feed them. The coloured carry all sorts of diseases,” another woman added. The others burst into laughter. Elizabeth felt mocked. She clenched her fist beneath the table and cleared her throat. “That is enough, ladies,” she said, forcing a smile. 9:44 p.m. The guests had eaten their fill and were beginning to take their leave. Yet two ladies remained behind, lingering near the entrance as they watched Elizabeth bid farewell to the others. “She does carry herself rather proudly for someone who has only recently acquired a title,” Lady Margaret remarked, adjusting her gloves. “Indeed,” Lady Charlotte replied with a quiet laugh. “One would think marrying a duke had somehow rewritten her past.” Lady Margaret covered her smile with her fan. “She certainly enjoys pretending she belongs among the nobility.” “How amusing,” Charlotte murmured. “A few years ago, she was dancing in a brothel for spare change. Now she hosts dinner parties and expects everyone to bow before her.” “Do you suppose she has forgotten where she came from?” “I doubt it,” Charlotte said. “People may change their dresses, their manners, even their names. But society has a rather long memory.” The two women exchanged a knowing glance. “And no matter how grand her husband's title may be,” Lady Margaret added, “there are some things a duchess can never wash away.” They both laughed quietly before finally stepping into their waiting carriage. What the ladies didn't know was that lady Elizabeth heard everything. Elizabeth Blackwood, now known as the Grand Duchess of Devonshire, had once lived on the streets of London. LONDON ENGLAND 1819 Before she ever knew the life of a duchess, Elizabeth had danced in brothels for money and begged alongside her mother for whatever coins kind strangers were willing to spare. London was a city where wealth could buy comfort, while the poor were often left to fend for themselves. The little money Elizabeth and her mother gathered was never enough. Sometimes, hunger forced Elizabeth to steal. One evening, she spotted a grand carriage approaching and saw an opportunity. She attempted to steal from it, but before she could succeed, the Duke of Devonshire's guards caught her and brought her before him. Instead of punishing her, the Duke took pity on the ragged young girl and gave her several gold coins. Elizabeth never forgot him. From that moment, she found herself longing to see him again. She had fallen deeply for the mysterious duke who had shown her kindness when almost no one else had. Two years passed. Elizabeth was seventeen when her mother died. With nowhere else to go, her aunts agreed to take her into their home. Her aunt was the Marchioness of Whitmore, wife to the Marquess of Whitmore. They had a daughter named Georgiana. Georgiana was everything society admired in a young lady. She had thick blonde hair, rosy lip's, almond shaped, light brown eyes, a graceful height, and an elegant figure. Wherever she went, men seemed to notice her. She was, by society's standards, the very picture of perfection. Elizabeth was beautiful too, but she never received the same attention as Georgiana. As the years passed, both girls reached an age when marriage became a subject of great importance. Letters began arriving from noblemen across England, each expressing interest in one of them. Then, one afternoon, a letter arrived from the Duke of Devonshire. Elizabeth froze when she heard the name. The Duke. The same man who had once found her stealing from his carriage. The same man who had given her gold instead of punishment. The same man she had never stopped thinking about. Her heart raced. When the letter arrived, Elizabeth wanted more than anything for it to bear her name. She watched as Georgiana received it. Unable to contain herself, Elizabeth snatched the letter from Georgiana's hands and tore it open. But the moment her eyes fell upon the words, her heart sank. The letter was addressed to Miss Georgiana Whitmore Not Elizabeth. For a moment, she simply stared at the page. Then she threw the letter aside and fled to her room. Elizabeth did not come out for the rest of the day. She cried until there were no tears left. But somewhere beneath the grief, something darker began to grow. Her sorrow slowly turned into anger. And her anger turned into hatred. Hatred for the girl who seemed to have everything Elizabeth had ever wanted. Georgiana. Georgiana noticed the sudden change in Elizabeth's attitude toward her. She had become rude, impatient, and seemed to find fault with everything Georgiana said. Being soft-hearted, Georgiana decided to speak with her. One afternoon, Elizabeth sat alone in the library, struggling to read a passage from one of the books on the shelf. Since coming to her aunt's household, she had finally been given the opportunity to learn. Her mother had never taught her to read or write, and Elizabeth had grown up knowing very little beyond what she had learned from surviving on the streets. Georgiana had taken it upon herself to teach her. Elizabeth tried her best, carefully sounding out each word even when she struggled. As Georgiana entered the library, she noticed Elizabeth staring at one particular word. "You are trying to pronounce that word," Georgiana said gently. Elizabeth remained silent. Georgiana leaned over the book. "It is pronounced, 'exquisite.'" She smiled. But for some reason, that smile only irritated Elizabeth further. Elizabeth slammed the book shut. "I have had enough." She stood and tried to walk past her, but Georgiana gently caught her hand. "Tell me, sister. What have I done wrong? Why have you suddenly begun treating me this way?" Elizabeth pulled her hand away. "You always think you're perfect," she snapped. "You act as though you know everything." Georgiana's expression fell. "I never said I was perfect." "You don't have to say it. Everyone else does." "What do you mean?" Elizabeth laughed bitterly. "Look at you. Everyone admires you. You are beautiful, educated, graceful... even the gentlemen who come to this house cannot keep their eyes away from you." Georgiana stared at her, confused. "I don't understand why that should make you angry with me." "Of course you don't," Elizabeth replied coldly. "You have never had to understand what it feels like to be overlooked." She turned toward the door. Georgiana watched her leave, still unable to understand what had happened between them. But Elizabeth knew exactly why she hated her. And she hated herself even more for it. Elizabeth left the house, hoping that a little time away would clear her head of all the anger that had been piling up inside her. As she walked along the street, she noticed a small candy shop. Perhaps a few sweets would cheer her up. She stepped inside, but there was no one behind the counter. "Hello?" she called, looking around. Just then, a young lad, seemingly around her age, suddenly appeared from beneath the counter. "Yes? How may I be of help to you today?" he asked, catching his breath. Elizabeth noticed a small feather caught in his hair. She tried to hold back her laughter, but a soft giggle escaped her. The boy looked puzzled. "Is there something on my face?" he asked, hurriedly checking his cheeks. That only made Elizabeth laugh harder. "No, silly." She stepped closer. "Bring your head here." The boy cautiously leaned towards her, and Elizabeth gently removed the feather from his hair before holding it up for him to see. "Oh, that!" he said with a chuckle. "I was looking for where the chicken had gone beneath the counter. It must have got stuck in my hair." Elizabeth smiled. She found him rather amusing. And, to her surprise, rather handsome too. He had thick brown hair, light-brown eyes, rosy lips, and fair skin. There was something almost princely about his appearance. For the first time in days, Elizabeth found herself thinking about something other than Georgiana. "My name is Elizabeth," she said, offering him a handshake. "Oh, and my name is Joshua. Just call me Josh for short," he replied, taking her hand and placing it gently against his lips. Elizabeth was startled and quickly pulled her hand away. "What are you doing? I asked for a handshake, not a kiss!" she exclaimed, her face turning bright red. "Oh, really? I thought that was a normal way to greet ladies," Josh said, wearing a rather gullible expression. Elizabeth only blushed and glanced down at her hand. "So, what sort of sweets would you like? We have cakes and lollipops." "I'll have cake chocolate flavored." "Coming right up," Josh said as he turned to package her cake. Elizabeth watched him for a moment. She knew she couldn't let the opportunity pass. "Um... when are you free? I mean, when you're off work... if you want to hang out and get to know each other better," Elizabeth asked nervously. Josh looked up. He remained silent for a moment, simply staring at her. Then, to Elizabeth's surprise, he asked, "Are you asking me out on a date?" Elizabeth froze. "Aha... aha... a... a date? Of course not! Why would I ask you on a date?" she stammered nervously. Josh raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by her reaction. "Well, I was rather hoping it was a date," Joshua said. Elizabeth's eyes widened. "IT'S A DATE!" she blurted out. The instant the words escaped her lips, she realized what she had said. Her face flushed with embarrassment, and she quickly covered her mouth. Joshua burst into laughter, thoroughly amused by her reaction. "Very well, then. I am always free on Sundays. Where shall we meet? And at what hour?" Josh asked, leaning casually against the counter. "I haven't quite decided upon a place yet, but I shall let you know once I have," Elizabeth replied, still rather flustered. She was secretly delighted that he had agreed. "Very well. I shall be here whenever you need me," Josh said. He handed her the cake, which had been neatly wrapped in pink paper. Elizabeth took the parcel and reached into her pocket for the coins. She held them out to him, but rather than take the money, Josh took her hand and gently pressed his lips against it once more. Elizabeth froze. Her entire face turned scarlet. She quickly snatched her hand away and hurried out of the shop. Josh watched her disappear down the street, a soft smile settling upon his face. "Goodness," he murmured, amused. Elizabeth made her way home, her heart racing all the while. She could not seem to put Josh out of her mind. Upon arriving at the house, she paid little attention to anyone she passed and hurried straight to her chamber. The moment she closed the door behind her, she threw herself upon the bed and buried her face in the pillow, letting out a muffled scream of excitement. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, her thoughts returning to Josh. His smile. His teasing manner. The way he had taken her hand and kissed it. A smile slowly crept across her face. Elizabeth knew she could no longer deny it. She had fallen deeply for him.