" Hello... We... we were just... " I tried to come up with an excuse." Miss Ferguson, go pack your bags " Henry requested with a serious expression.Is he really going to send me away?" What? Why? " Georgie widened her eyes." Where am I going? " I stammered." Georgiana, come with me " Mrs. Crawford requested." Mother..." Georgiana, I insist " She gave her daughter a significant look.I watched the two of them walk away before turning to Henry once again, who still had a serious look." Emma..." I got it, I'll pack my bags " I sighed defeatedly " I'll be back soon." I'll wait for you here " He assured.I headed to my room, starting to pack everything I had there. What was happening? Where am I going? Is Henry upset with me?These questions circled my mind as I tried to pack everything as quickly as possible. A knock on the door interrupted me; I opened it, finding Hill standing there." Mr. Dashwood asked you to pack only the essentials to leave and let me take care of the rest
HenryI left Emma's room feeling disoriented, how could I lose control like that? I tried in vain to forget that kiss, but it was impossible to ignore the feeling of having her in my arms. I was using all the restraint I had left not to return to that room and claim her for myself.I decided to leave the house while I still had some resolve to distance myself from Emma. I walked through the garden for a while, thinking about everything that had been happening in my life since I saw her dancing in that town.I hadn't realized the extent of my feelings until our argument in the carriage; I couldn't even consider the possibility of her being away from me. But what could I do about it?She is under my protection, lives in my house; I am responsible for her and will mold her into an exemplary woman. No one would ever suspect her past, and then I could...I could what?I took a deep breath, resuming my way home. I am exaggerating. As I told George, I admire Emma, that's all. I also desire h
HenryI went to the library, occupying myself with answering some business letters for the rest of the afternoon. According to my mother's letter, she would arrive before dinner. As the hours passed, my mother started taking longer than I expected. I tried to distract myself by reading a book, but worry began to consume me."Mr. Dashwood," Jerkins entered the room, "Mr. Thorpe is here to see you."George... I completely forgot about him. I had assured him that I would notify him before bringing Emma to Casterly Park. He will probably disapprove of my actions."George," I stood up as soon as he entered the library. "I didn't expect you.""I'm sorry, Dashwood," he smiled, "but I couldn't help but come after meeting Mr. Crawford in town.""You met him?" I sighed, putting the book aside."How is she? I didn't quite understand what happened, but it seems Mrs. Crawford considered some of her behavior improper.""She's fine," I reassured, thinking of Emma. I haven't seen her since our outing
EmmaI withdrew immediately from the room, leaving the entire family there. A whirlwind of emotions grew inside me; I felt frustrated with Henry, irritated with Lady Kinghley, and disconcerted by being introduced to his mother and sister in that manner. They didn't understand the reason for Henry's bad mood; George and I were just teasing him.Maybe we're not as close as I thought. For a moment, I thought we were making progress in our relationship after the walk this afternoon, but I guess I was mistaken.I headed towards the stairs, wanting to get as far away from Lady Kinghley as possible. I didn't have the opportunity to interact with the rest of Henry's family, but it was clear that that woman would not make my life easy, and certainly, I couldn't even dream about my origins." She thinks I'm taking advantage of her nephew's goodwill " I murmured to myself as I approached the stairs " as far as I know, it's exactly the opposite that's happening, and..." Are you crazy? " A voice
EmmaI woke up earlier than usual the next day, probably feeling strange in the new place. I went down to breakfast, and the place was completely empty, only the servants were busy with their chores.I returned to the library where my unfinished drawing from the previous night lay under a table there. I picked it up and walked to the garden, deciding to occupy myself for a while.I sat on a bench, observing the landscape around me; this place is stunning. Am I really living here?A memory of my father hit me hard as I tried to sketch the mountains behind Henry's eyes.We were walking through the woods of an unfamiliar village to me; I was just over fifteen, and we spotted a beautiful building nearby. Our custom was always to stay away from houses, but that day my father guided me to the location. I was annoyed because I had just turned down his first attempt at arranging a marriage, and he had called me for a lecture on my responsibilities."Look at that," he said when we got close to
Mother, have you seen Christopher?" I asked as I met her in the corridor after leaving Emma in the music room with Kitty."I'm sorry, dear, I haven't..."I didn't wait for her to finish her sentence, heading towards the garden. He's crossed the line this time. Proposing to Emma? I could kill him.Unfortunately, he wasn't in the garden anymore, so I went back into the house to look for him."Mrs. Jerkins, have you seen Mr. Kingsley?" I intercepted my housekeeper, who looked at me surprised."I'll look for him immediately," she suggested."Not necessary, I'll find him," I assured her before walking away.Where is he?I went to his room, knocking on the door insistently until I was convinced he wasn't there. When I find him...I locked myself in my room, trying to calm down. I can't kill my cousin for proposing to Emma. But I still need to make sure this doesn't happen again.I went to the window, looking out over the inner courtyard of Casterly Park. My room was the only one in the hous
HenryI ran towards the stairs, seeing Emma finishing climbing them with determined steps. I hurried my pace in an attempt to catch up with her, and I succeeded as we reached the door to her room, preventing her from closing it. I entered, closing the door behind me, while Emma went to the window, deliberately ignoring me."Emma.""If you're waiting for an apology, give it up," she turned towards me with a furious look."I'm sorry...""Don't you dare," she stepped closer, "don't you dare apologize again.""I didn't want you to hear any of that, she went too far, but you need to understand.""Understand what?" She raised her voice, "That my place isn't here? I got it already.""Your place is here!" I held her arms, feeling desperate as I tried to make her understand the danger that defending the gypsies represented. "But if you keep acting this way, they'll find out about you... How could I explain everything?""Sorry..." She pulled away from me, giving me a sad look, "I didn't mean to
EmmaI walked to the bed feeling my legs trembling and something churning inside me. The sensation of Henry's lips on my skin still sent shivers down my spine.What were we thinking?Although I had kissed a boy before in my life, I had never felt this way. It had never been so intense, and I had never wanted someone as much as I wanted him. My body desperately longed for Henry; I couldn't think of anything else."This can't be happening," I lay down on the bed, burying my face in the pillow.It's okay, Emma, you need to calm down right now.I decided to undress and try to get some sleep, even though it was still early. I needed to get rid of those thoughts somehow, I needed to be able to. A knock on the door caught my attention as I finished loosening my hair, having just put on the long nightgown.Is he back?I walked to the door with anticipation, but to my disappointment, it wasn't Henry who was there.I stared at Kitty for a moment, not knowing what to do. She was pleasant company
Henry I was trying to concentrate on the letter I was answering while I waited for Mr. Martin, one of the local farmers who had arranged a meeting with me, but my mind kept returning to Emma. I should have insisted on accompanying her, even if I had to take Christopher and Kitty with us.I gave up what I was doing and started pacing back and forth in my living room. Why am I so bothered by this? Emma's right, Dyrham Park isn't far away, she must be with Georgiana by now.Perhaps I should go there, just to make sure everything is all right. Mr. Martin arrived for our meeting, forcing me to take my mind off Emma and devote my attention to the man in front of me. I tried my best to listen to his plans for expanding his farm, but I couldn't concentrate.As soon as he leaves here, I'll go to Dyrham Park, I won't let you go back to Casterly Park alone. I don't understand what's going on, but I feel something is wrong.A knock on the door echoed through the room, before Christopher opened
EmmaI took a few shaky steps back.He was dead, what's going on?" Emma " He held my arms, assessing me " It's really you!" No... You're dead! " I exclaimed, trying to get free." I'm not dead. I managed to escape " he gasped " I wasn't the only one." What? " I repeated, blinking dazedly " Others survived?" What happened to you? " “We've been following you since Melrose. Lash saw you get into a carriage, but it took us a while to find out where you ended up.I couldn't answer. I continued to stare at him in confusion and disbelief. Was Lash alive too? How many survived?" Why are you dressed like that? " He grimaced." I live here now " I recovered my voice " Two gentlemen helped me escape and sheltered me." Sheltered you? " He growled " Are you living among the Gadjikanes¹?" I'm alive,” I retorted." “Good, then you can come with me,” he replied in a dangerous tone.Go away? Go back to being a gypsy, he meant? Could I do that? And Henry, would I leave him behind?" I can't " I
EmmaWe left the house, walking through the gardens until we reached a secluded spot at the back of the property. When she saw that we were indeed alone, she sat down on a bench, urging me to do the same.I waited for her to say something, feeling a little anxious." Ms. Ferguson, we need..." I'm sorry " I interrupted her." “Wait for me to say what I want before you apologize, Emma.” She held back a smile." Yes, ma'am. " I bit my lip." You must have realized by now that Henry told me everything. " She took a deep breath " What you did was very serious and irresponsible!" Yes, I know..." You could have lost everything, Mrs. Ferguson " she continued, causing me to laugh nervously. Lost everything? As if I had much to lose. " Did I say something funny?" I have nothing left to lose, Mrs. Dashwood " I looked away " I have no family, no fortune, and that's the least damage to my reputation if they find out where I came from. " “I'm aware of your situation, Emma,” she assured me, “bu
EmmaI did what Henry asked and managed to get to my room without attracting anyone's attention, despite my pounding heart. It had been like this since Henry woke me up, and I was sure he had used me and was kicking me out of his life for good, but after his brief explanation, I calmed down a bit, as much as possible.I carefully cleaned up all that blood, then got dressed. A feeling of guilt began to consume me. How will I face everyone knowing what I did? What will my conversation with Henry be like? What is he thinking about all this?I hope he was telling the truth when he said he loved me, because I certainly was sincere.I was considering whether or not to leave the room when a knock on the door startled me. Who could it be? Henry? I don't think the conversation would happen in my room. Did he ask someone to call me?I went to the door nervously, finding Katherine Dashwood standing there, holding what looked like some sheets."Mrs. Dashwood, what...""I don't have time right now
HenryI woke up feeling a little bewildered a few hours later, the room was dark because the candles had been extinguished and the curtains were closed. I sat up in bed, feeling a little cold because I wasn't dressed, before observing Emma asleep next to me.Emma!No, no, no... What have I done?Emma shifted on the bed, turning her face, which displayed a peaceful expression, towards me.How could I have done this to her! The details of the night before began to hit me as I watched her lying on her stomach with part of the skin on her back exposed. I should have waited, we were going to get married, I should have waited! It was my duty!What would happen to her fragile reputation if someone found out what happened here last night? Emma has already had so many problems adjusting. I've ruined everything!I realized that a servant would show up at any moment, she needs to get out of here, no one can know that she spent the night in my room." Emma, wake up " I shook her gently " Come o
HenryEmma left me standing there in the library bewildered, I couldn't think of anything but her, nothing else existed in my mind. But she was right to walk away like that, what I was about to do was unacceptable.I took a deep breath and went to my room, I had to marry her. I need to marry her as soon as possible, it's more than clear that my plan for a long engagement is unfeasible for both of us.I took off my boot and started to undress, trying to extinguish the excitement that had taken over my body, but all the time my mind wandered to Emma, she was only a few meters away, I could easily go to her, no one would know.No one would know.No! What am I thinking? I couldn't do that to Emma. She's the most incredible, strong and dedicated woman I know. I can't disgrace myself with her like that.On the other hand, I want to make her my wife! It's clear that I'm not having fun with her! I'd marry her tomorrow if it were possible!That's it. I gave up thinking, opened the bedroom doo
EmmaAs much as Henry says my essence hasn't changed, that's not how I see it. This dance was proof of that, I had fun! I had fun when I shouldn't have, that tambourine was a part of me that I had been ignoring for a long time, suffocating it day by day.I moved it gently, listening to the sound it made. I missed it, I really did. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes, letting my mind wander to the song my mother always sang to me. It wasn't a gypsy song, but I loved the rhythm and even my father learned to play it so we could dance."I hear your voice on the wind. And I hear you call out my nameI began to chant in a tone that resembled a whisper; if I concentrated hard enough, I would hear the melody and my mother's voice soothing me."Listen, my child!' you say to me, I am the Voice of your history, Be not afraid "come follow me, Answer my call and I'll set you free.'I started to move according to my imaginary rhythm, shaking the tambourine with my body, that dress was getting in
As soon as we separated at the end of the melody, I noticed Henry standing watching me from a distance. Didn't he dance with anyone?I planned to go to him, but Georgie intercepted me on the way."Did you really dance with Mr. Kinghley?" She whispered."Unfortunately," I sighed, watching him approach the young woman from earlier."You did well, you're attracting attention," she teased."I don't want to attract attention," I groaned."Has Mr. Dashwood asked you to dance yet?" Georgie prodded."No," I sighed, debating whether or not to tell Georgie about our kisses, giving up the idea immediately. No one could even dream about it. "Mr. Kinghley was quicker.""Do you think he'll ask you?" She smiled."I don't know..."I fell silent when I noticed a red-haired boy approaching, coming directly to us."Miss Crawford," he greeted her, "It's a pleasure to see you again.""Mr. McGregor," Georgie smiled openly as the young man cast an eager look in my direction. "I didn't see you at the ball."
EmmaI was about to respond to that teasing when Henry appeared at the edge of the stairs. I couldn't help but admire his beauty as he patiently waited for us to finish descending the steps."The carriage is waiting for us," he announced with a slight bow."Henry, you must praise us immediately," Kitty scolded."You two don't need my praise to know that you look beautiful," he assured. "Although I...""Miss Ferguson," Christopher interrupted as he emerged from one of the rooms, taking my hand in a swift motion and bringing it to his lips. "You look divinely charming.""It's very kind of you, Mr. Kingsley," I returned, trying not to ignore the young man in front of me, while Henry gave his cousin a stern look."You should learn how it's done, brother," I heard Kitty tease him."Allow me to escort you to the carriage," Christopher offered his arm, leaving me unsure how to react.I couldn't refuse and expect Henry to take his place.Kitty linked her brother's free arm while I accepted Mr