Wealthy Hearts Part 6 *FINALE*

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.

AHH IT’S THE FINALE GUYS!

Elizabeth was right.

I was a fool.  Why did I decline his invitation?  Why?  I was so very lucky to have possible suitor for when I was older.  William liked me, and I liked him.  It had nothing to do with our older siblings and relatives.

Right?

He was sitting by a willow tree in the yard of Rochester Abbey when I approached him.

“Hello William!  Oh my, I have some things to say to you, my-”

“Lavinia, please do not pity me or worry.  I invited Lady Edith Vancor to the ball instead, and she accepted!  Isn’t that just perfect?  Everything  always works out in the end.

“What a Lucky, lucky girl.  And one more thing before I depart you, Sir William..”

“Yes Lavinia?”

“Not everything works out in the end.

The following night

I was standing in a garden.

My feet were bare.

I wore a beautiful blue dress of satin and glitter tule.

I looked around.  Where am I?

And then I heard a voice behind me.

“Lavinia, you are a beautiful girl,”

Tears flew out of my eyes, “Papa!”

There stood my father.  In real life.

Or was it real life?

“Lavinia, we don’t have much time together, but I have something very important I must tell you,”

“No Papa!  Stay with me forever!”

He grasped my hand, “Follow your heart my darling girl.”

He plucked a daisy from the garden, and stuck it in my blond locks.

 I woke up in tears.

Jane combed and curled my hair as silent tears ran down my face.  How could Mother make  me go to this ball?  How could I bear to face William again, and how could I bear to see him dancing with someone else?  I couldn’t.  And I wouldn’t.  I would make absolute sure of that.  

And I couldn’t help but stare at the flowers he had given me on that fateful day.

Jane soon noticed that I was weeping.

“Your ladyship, whatever is wrong with you this evening!?”

“Jane, I’ve made a mistake.  I have no intentions to go to this ball, and have the very victim of my mistake pushed at me and salting my open wound.”

“Oh sweet girl.  I know that you are not forced to take my advice, but I offer you this my dear, if you hurt someone, it is better to make it right than to mope about it in your bedroom.  The compassionate are always rewarded, no matter what they must sacrifice to continue their good virtues.”

I thought of Jane’s wise words all the way to the ball.  I was going to follow her advice, to go to the ball, and face my mistake, and be compassionate.  But my feet disagreed with me, and carried me all throughout Mama’s garden.

and then I saw him. 

William stood there, staring at me.

Why wasn’t he at the ball?

I tried to turn the other way, but it was too late.  He called out my name to the bitter winds, “Lavinia!”

“My goodness William!  Why are you here?  Why do you bother to come here when there is a ball to attend?”

He looked up to me with his striking blue eyes, “I could ask the same of you.”

“But you see Lavinia, I am without a companion to the ball,”

I was shocked, “I thought that-”

“She is ill with a cold.  Though I doubt that that is the case.  It is to my belief that she is at the very ball right now, dancing with others,”
“Yes, but you should be dancing with others as well William!”

“Oh, but there are no others that I want to dance with.  Lady Lavinia Parkington, will you dance with me?”

It seemed for a moment that the breath had been knocked out of my very own lungs.  But with a quivering voice, I managed one word,

“Yes.”

And so, with the imaginary music, we danced.

“Lavinia Parkington, I need to inform you of something.  You see, I don’t like you because my brother is forcing me to like you.  I like you because I believe that you are a kind girl with a beautiful outward and inward appearance. Lavinia Parkington, it was quite a pleasure to dance with you tonight.”

An as we hugged and departed, I knew who I was and who I was meant to be with.

I am Lady Lavinia Parkington.  I belong with Sir William Rochester.  I am a young lady, surrounded by people who may or may not be wealthy, but have wealthy hearts.