Hampshire, England 1816

Cecilia:

"Ce!" The shout punctured the still air of the forest and my head whipped around in the direction the call had come from. The small figure of Lacey, dressed from head to toe in pale lilac her hair swept into a neat coil, emerged from the dense foliage that surrounded the clearing I was stood in, a triumphant grin stretched across her face.

"Lacey," I laughed placing a hand over my chest, "You gave me a fright. I did not think you would be here so soon."

"Neither did we," a mumbled voice drifted into the opening before a rustle of leaves and a few muttered curse words followed a mop of dark auburn hair and a pair of olive green eyes. "Lacey here," William turned to shoot Lacey a look of annoyance from atop his horse,

"Dragged us from our game of cricket so as we might be here sooner." Finished another male voice as Denny appeared from behind an oak tree, the scowling Rory in tow.

"And just when I was about to bowl you out too." Rory cuffed Denny on the shoulder playfully.

"You were not!" Denny instantly retorted, batting away Rory's hand. "Just because I was winning."

"Were not!" Rory returned. I rolled my eyes and turned to Lacey who was still grinning.

"You wouldn't think they were men of twenty years." Lacey shook her head biting on her lip to stifle a laugh.

"Say, where is Sybil? She was right behind us-"

"Here!" Came a voice from the dense shrubbery of the forest but no person appeared.

"Sybil?" I called out questioningly. What had the girl gone and got herself into now?

"I'm just- dang and blast it, wretched branch." Silence fell once more over the glade before an exasperated huff interrupted the air followed by an irritated voice, "Would someone mind giving me a hand?" Denny immediately jumped down from his horse and retreated into the undergrowth as William and Rory let out knowing wolf whistles.

"Five pounds they're engaged before Michaelmas," William hollered.

"Ten!" Clamoured Rory. It wasn't a secret that Denny and Sybil were head over heels for each other. This year was to be Sybil's first season though and if Denny wasn't fast enough she'd be snatched up by some Duke or Earl in London within the month.

"You do realise we can hear everything you're saying." Denny's voice broke into the boys' laughter as he re-entered the clearing with Sybil trailing behind him, a few leaves stuck in her tangled hair and a rosy blush blossoming over her cheeks.

The boys burst into another round of laughs as they clapped Denny amiably on the back and Sybil rushed towards us, her mare following obediently behind her. Climbing down from atop Shadow, my beautiful stallion, I reached my arms out to her and she embraced me quickly, the blush slowly fading from her cheeks.

Behind me Shadow whinnied and I turned around to stroke his soft nose, promising him he would not be left standing still long. Shadow was my pride and joy; I had seen him for sale at a market and had instantly fallen in love with his majestic beauty. I managed to get him for a reasonable price and named him Shadow, as his coat was the shiny blackness that you only find at the dead of night stealing between the branches of trees, small stars flecking the inky canvas beyond the canopy.

I returned my attention to Sybil who had begun to talk of the position she had just taken up in a dressmakers. I listened tentatively to her animated chatter, even though the latest fashions were very trivial in my mind, to her they were of the utmost importance. I noticed Denny watching her from his place by William as she talked, a dreamy smile on his face lighting up his soft features.

"A dress is a dress, who honestly cares?" Rory interrupted. I shot him a dirty look as I noticed Sybil's countenance fall at his words. Trust Rory to make an unnecessary comment like that and dampen her spirit. I saw Denny also send a scowl in Rory's direction at his snide remark before tactfully moving to Sybil's side and smiling down at her encouragingly.

"I think it is great you're so enthusiastic about it Sybil." Sybil immediately perked up and thanked him with a glorious smile that lit up her whole face.

"Send for a priest, there's to be a wedding imminently!" William said in-between laughs. Denny immediately moved himself a more respectable distance away from Sybil as his face reddened and a slight frown formed on his face.

Having wandered away from the glen we had met at we took the left fork in the path leading towards the town of Obern. We laughed gaily as we shared tidbits of unimportant information we had learnt since we had last seen each other. Lacey's sister Jane was to be married next April to a London lawyer and William's aunt had moved her family up to Manchester in search of a better life there.

We had been ambling aimlessly for several minutes when I felt the distinct burn of eyes boring into my back. Spinning around I found myself staring into the dark eyes of Rory. He glowered at me his face crinkling unpleasantly.

"What are you staring at?" I snapped. A trace of something flashed through his eyes but it was gone so fast I could not place it, a steely glare settling into his chestnut depths instead.

"There's nothing to look at Seal." He spat back, using the nickname he knew I loathed. I growled at him in response but held my tongue, I wouldn't let him ruin a perfectly nice day like today. Rory and I had never seen eye to eye, it was loathe at first sight you might say. I had immediately disliked his conceited manner and lack of respect, if it weren't for the others I wouldn't spend a moment longer than I had to in his company.

"Hey Ce!" William shouted breaking me out of my reverie, "Race you to the lake!" He and Lacey chimed in unison. I chuckled at the eager looks painted across both their faces before hoisting myself onto Shadow's back.

"On your marks, get set, go!" William yelled.

I dug my heels into Shadow's side willing him to go faster with each stride. We hurtled down the well trodden path and before long I could only hear one other set of hooves behind me. I turned my head to the left to see Rory keeping a steady gallop alongside me.

A gleeful smile spread across my face knowing that I was going to win the race. I had always been a skilled horsewoman and I could easily outrace Rory any day. I laughed at the marks of deep concentration etched into his forehead, and the nervous beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead.

"You won't be laughing when I win!" He growled at me his brow furrowing harder causing me to laugh all the more.

"Naive ambition is so adorable," I chuckled mockingly. I watched as his hands gripped his reins tighter and he shot me one of his finest grimaces before I gave Shadow a forceful nudge. He responded immediately, his sinewy muscles tensing beneath me as he worked harder, his legs moving faster, propelling us towards the lake.

I closed my eyes for a moment allowing myself to soak everything in. My hair flying back from my face, small strands whipping my cheeks in encouragement as the wind hurtled past me, the sound of the metal horse shoes on the old mud track reverberating through my ears, the feel of warm leather beneath me, and the steady thumping of Shadow's heart filling the calm of the forest.

I reached the lake and dismounted lazily from the saddle. I rubbed Shadow's coat with the back of my hand before leading him closer to the edge of the lake so he might drink.

The sun glared down on the rippled surface of the amorphous mass of blue turning it silver. Flowers and bulrushes lined the edge of the lake standing tall and proud, the oranges, yellows, pinks and browns reflected in the clear water. I watched mesmerised as fishes darted around beneath the surface of the water, dancing in time with one another as they negotiated their way through the plants buried deep within the confines of the lake.

I turned around with a victorious smile on my face as I watched Rory approach angrily on his horse. He jumped off before the horse had slowed to a stop and marched over to me, his eyes ablaze with outrage and humiliation.

"How could you win?" An unattractive scowl marked his face, "What trickery did you use?" I rolled my eyes at him, but my triumphant smile remained glued to my face. He had never been one to accept defeat, especially not to the fairer sex.

"And pray tell me how I might have been able to deceive you so?" I countered. His scowl deepened, a look of disgust swimming in his eyes, one that I was sure my own mirrored even through my jubilant grin.

"Lord!" Lacey exclaimed, "Who would have thought we'd see the day, look! They are staring lovingly into each other's eyes, oh how romantic."

She clasped her hands together and looked dreamily up towards the sky. The others fell into fits of laughter as they rejoined the group and Rory's lour intensified, his face darkening like swollen rain clouds before a storm.

"It would be more likely that I were to fall in love with a rat than to fall in love with him." I snorted, shooting a disdainful look in Rory's direction for extra measure.

"And I would rather lie with a heifer than lie with you." He snarled back. I flung him a look of contempt to hide the mechanical hurt his words inflicted on me. Yes I despised him, so it shouldn't have caused me pain, but it always did. The pain that accompanied a beating was brief in comparison to what damage the tongue could inflict.

I pushed the dark, oily creature that had started to seep into my brain sticking to my mind like mucus, into the back of my head. I knew it would eventually find a way to break down the weak defences I had put in place to hold it back. It would consume my mind like a maggot feeding off a rotten apple, but for now it would have to do.

**********

I rode slowly homeward, trying to delay my arrival home by as long as possible. I lowered myself down until my body was lying along Shadow's back as we continued to ride through the dense forest.

Gazing up at the thick canopy above me I watched the smudges of blue blend in harmony with the streaks of green, a watercolour of natural beauty. The strong smell of spring filled my nostrils with a freshness only found at that time of year, a mixture of recent rain and new life, mingled with bursts of sunshine and budding flowers. I wished that time might halt in that moment, surrounded by the comfort of the forest, I felt at peace.

I continued on my way through the forest with my head lying on Shadow's rump, my long hair flowing down the back of his legs and blending with the hair in his tail. My eyes remained closed as I listened intently to the sounds of the birds calling to each other through the trees, a language of their own.

I squinted as I stared through a gap in the leafy ceiling, a murder of crows flew over my head, caw-cawing a war cry, their beady eyes glinting menacingly in the late afternoon sun as they scanned the ground below. They glided smoothly through the sky, covering the sun's rays with their sooty wings, stealing the light from the sky and purging the joy from their surroundings in an ominous spectacle of beauty.

"Cecilia?" I recognized that voice. I swiftly sat up and my eyes flashed open. I blinked adjusting to the light and then focussed on the man in front of me. It was Edward. I don't know if it was the same lopsided smile he had or the twinkle in his ivy green eyes that made me so certain it was him.

"Edward?" I wondered aloud.

He had found me one day stealing medicines from the doctor's practice in the village when I was nine, and he helped to heal my wounds. He was twelve when I first met him so he would be twenty now. We had been firm friends for three years, but at the age of fifteen he was sent away to boarding school and I had never seen him since. Edward was the only person who knew about what my father did, he was my light in the dark back then.

"Cecilia!" He smiled, "It is you! My, you've grown up..." He said as his eyes slowly raked over me. I shifted slightly uncomfortably at his strong gaze, and cleared my throat.

"How are your parents?" I asked, in an attempt to make conversation.

"They are in excellent health, all the more so if you would pay them a visit I am sure. They have told me of the kindness you have bestowed upon them in my absence and I believe I am indebted to you. Thank you." He smiled kindly at me and I returned his smile with one of my own, however, it immediately left my face when he brought up the one thing I so badly didn't want to come up. His eyes suddenly turned serious and he looked me straight in the eye.

"And your father?" he asked, "Does he still...?" There was no need for him to finish, I simply nodded in response. A grim look came over his face.

"So what brings you back to Obern?" I asked, trying to fill the loud silence that had ensued. His countenance significantly brightened and he walked his horse over till we were facing one another.

"You." He simply responded, a large smile playing across his face. I frowned, confused. Truth I had often thought of marrying him when I was a girl, but the way he had said "You" Had sounded wrong.

"Excuse me?" I politely asked when he didn't elaborate, calming my palpitating heart. His pupils dilated and he looked directly at me.

"You're so beautiful Cecilia." He stated plainly. Suddenly I felt him place his hands tightly on my small waist, I lifted my gaze to his eyes, they had turned a much darker shade of green as they focussed on my face.

"Edward, what are you doing?" I managed to breathe out. His stare intensified and he pulled me closer to him roughly using his iron grip on my waist. My eyes were wide and alert now, my breaths coming out shakily as worry clouded my mind. This definitely wasn't how I had imagined this moment. This wasn't right.

Suddenly, he crushed his mouth over mine in an aggressive kiss. I tried to pull away but he only pulled me closer, I felt the familiar flow of tears begin to course down my cheeks as I tried to hit him with my feeble fists, managing to let out a tiny shout as I did so, however this only gave him an opportunity to ravage me further.

I trembled all over as he possessively attacked my mouth with his own, suddenly I heard a male voice behind me, "Get your filthy hands off her!" I didn't wait to thank my saviour, I propelled my foot into Shadow's side and galloped as far away from Edward as I could.

I slowed to a trot after putting enough distance between me and Edward and let the sobs rack my body. I leant forward to hug Shadow's neck whilst he patiently waited for me to compose myself. I didn't understand, what had happened to the selfless kind boy who dressed my wounds for me and helped me gather wild herbs in the forest.

I sniffled loudly as my tears began to cease and I gasped for breath, feeling starved of oxygen. I sat back up on Shadow and we began to follow the path again. We started the descent down Reed Hill and as the outline of the house slowly became more visible I shivered at the thought of what I would be receiving from my father tonight.

Hello all!

Thanks so much for all the kind responses so far! I shall be uploading a new chapter everyday (30 or so in total) And please continue to vote and comment as it means a lot! Hope you enjoy the first proper chapter (I promise it gets better as the story develops!) Let me know what you think!

Much love

xxx

(Picture of Catherine Zeta-Jones as Cecilia the way I imagined her - of course you may picture her (and all the other characters) differently in your mind!)