Chapter 2
380 Words
The next few weeks went by in a rush of dress makers and society lessons. Her mother was in her element ordering materials and lace, while her father sat grimly in the corner muttering over the cost of this or that. He wrote long letters to Sarah’s brother who was managing the property at home while they were gone and annoyed more than one servant with his insistent on doing everything his self. “I do not know why someone would need all these people to run a house. We do fine with the few servants we have.” He told her mother one day as they sat to have tea. “This is why I left England. A man needs some space to move.”
“It is a much larger house,” Julie Douglas said sweetly. He grumbled under his breath picked up his tea cup and drank it as if he was drinking a shot of whiskey. He stood and walked over to the window and look out towards the road. Sarah mother turned to her and set her cup on the small table in front of them, “He is nervous about meeting his older brother tonight. He afraid he has forgotten what it was like to be a gentleman in England. I do believe he misses home.” She patted Sarah hand.
“We could go back to America?” Sarah asked hopefully.
“No, this is better for you.” Her mother picked up her tea cup as she stood and walked over to her father. Sarah father was a second son to a gentleman that had only a modest estate and very little left for any other son after ensuring his daughters had enough in their dowry to obtain a proper marriage. He was educated and trained to be a lawyer. But upon his graduation, instead of going into law he climb aboard a ship and headed to America. The new country suited him and when he saw the lovely farmer’s daughter he knew he found his wife. Sarah mother linked her arm into her father and laid her head on his shoulder as they both looked out the window. Watching them Sarah’s heart hurt. This is what she wanted from a marriage.
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