SkyGirl5
Cadet
:hi:
okay, so here's the deal with this one - it sounded way better in my head, not that its bad just... well, it didnt turn out like i had planned exactly
it's set in the 1860's which i always have trouble doing because - obviously - it's the past and i dunno... it all seems very Jane Austen-ish to me and i HATE - allow me to repeat HATE - Jane Austen books - they make me want to kill myself from bordom
anyway, enough ranting and on with the story!
Title: More Than This
Genre: AU s/v set in 1860's London
Summary: Sydney Bristow is an unhappy servant, who wishes to have more from her life. When she meets Michael Vaughn, a wealthy banker, for the first time she sees a way out of her life, but the only problem is Michael doesn't know her true identity.
12 chapters
Chapter 1
Waking up to another day was the exact thing Sydney Bristow wasn’t looking forward to. In fact, she couldn’t think of one good reason to drag herself off of the pile of old rags known as her mattress. What could have been a reason to face the day? Cleaning out the chamber pots? Scrubbing the upstairs hallway? Listening to Annabelle’s insufferable complaining? Surely none of those things.
Every morning when she awoke, Sydney wished for something different, but sadly those were only fool’s wishes. In her world, you were born into a class, you lived in it and you died it in. The only hope for rising above it was nothing short of a miracle. She had been praying for nineteen years and hadn’t seen a miracle yet. She knew her wishes were foolish, but she wished them anyway.
“SYDNEY!” came Mrs. Cole’s screech, signaling that time for wishes and dreams was over and it was time to take her place in life.
“Coming,” she grumbled while sliding to the floor. Quickly, she grabbed the pot of water boiling over the fire and placed it on the tray to carry upstairs. Then, she scurried out of the kitchen as quickly as she could without dropping the three cups and saucers on the tray.
Bringing the Cole women their morning tea typically wasn’t part of Sydney’s job description, but their usual maid was sick, so Sydney had the pleasure of interacting with the Cole’s even more than usual, which made her want to retch. The Coles’ insisted on having their first cup of tea before they even got out of bed in the morning, which Sydney found to be absurd, but her opinion didn’t matter.
The first bedroom door she came to was Mrs. Cole’s. Sydney knocked gently, then opened the door and curtsied before walking over to Mrs. Cole’s bedside and pouring her a cup of tea. Sydney wasn’t exactly sure what Mr. Cole’s occupation was, all she knew was that he returned only once or twice a month and the Coles’ were disgustingly rich. “Morning ma’am,” Sydney said quietly before curtsying again. Mrs. Cole’s only response was to scowl disapprovingly at her, so Sydney left the room and moved on to the next: Annabelle’s.
Annabelle Cole was sixteen years of age and one of the most sought after girls in all of London, despite the fact that Sydney found her to have the most detestable personality on the planet. She was as stubborn as she was rude, and unfortunately as beautiful as she was both, which only made her worse. Annabelle’s response to Sydney’s presence was her typical upturned nose in the obvious ‘I’m far better than you’ way. Sydney ignored her and moved on to the third and final room.
Elizabeth Cole was a year younger than her sister and much less irritating in Sydney’s opinion. Elizabeth was never as rude to her as Annabelle or their mother tended to be and while she was equally as eligible as her sister (due to their massive fortune) she was plainer, less glamorous. When Sydney gave Elizabeth her tea, Elizabeth gave her a polite but quiet ‘thank you’ before Sydney left to continue on with her regular chores around the Cole household.
Typically, Sydney’s day consisted of waking up very early and making the fire in the kitchen so that breakfast for the Cole’s could be cooked. Then, she would walk the twenty minute walk each way to the market to pick up food for that day, rain or snow, winter or summer, no matter what. Mrs. Cole kept a close watch on the amount of money that Sydney was spending there and never gave her any more than she needed. After she returned each day, Mrs. Cole would scrutinize the amount she spent and the change she had left over as if their lives depended on every pinched penny, whereas really they had plenty of money, they just didn’t want it to fall into the hands of the servants.
After her market excursion, Sydney would empty the chamber pots, make the beds and do laundry as necessary. Throughout the day, as well as at night, it was Sydney’s job to keep the fires burning, especially in the winter. She also had the task of making sure the oil lamps were burning properly in the house. Also, there was the occasional scrubbing of floors and whatever other tasks Mrs. Cole decided for her.
Put simply: Sydney loathed her life. There was nothing about it that she found enjoyable, except for perhaps the occasional amusement caused by one of Annabelle’s tantrums when she was completely out of line. It’s not that she wanted much. She didn’t want to be filthy rich like the Coles. She didn’t want to be a complete and total snob like Annabelle. All she wanted was a life of her own, where she could choose what she did on a daily basis and where she had a husband that loved her and maybe a few children. Unfortunately, she could have none of those things unless, by some grace of God, the Cole’s allowed her to leave, which wasn’t likely at all. Besides, even if they did, she was nineteen, far past the prime age to marry, so she was stuck, doomed to lead that life and no matter how much she wished for more, she knew she could never have it.
okay, so here's the deal with this one - it sounded way better in my head, not that its bad just... well, it didnt turn out like i had planned exactly
it's set in the 1860's which i always have trouble doing because - obviously - it's the past and i dunno... it all seems very Jane Austen-ish to me and i HATE - allow me to repeat HATE - Jane Austen books - they make me want to kill myself from bordom
anyway, enough ranting and on with the story!
Title: More Than This
Genre: AU s/v set in 1860's London
Summary: Sydney Bristow is an unhappy servant, who wishes to have more from her life. When she meets Michael Vaughn, a wealthy banker, for the first time she sees a way out of her life, but the only problem is Michael doesn't know her true identity.
12 chapters
Chapter 1
Waking up to another day was the exact thing Sydney Bristow wasn’t looking forward to. In fact, she couldn’t think of one good reason to drag herself off of the pile of old rags known as her mattress. What could have been a reason to face the day? Cleaning out the chamber pots? Scrubbing the upstairs hallway? Listening to Annabelle’s insufferable complaining? Surely none of those things.
Every morning when she awoke, Sydney wished for something different, but sadly those were only fool’s wishes. In her world, you were born into a class, you lived in it and you died it in. The only hope for rising above it was nothing short of a miracle. She had been praying for nineteen years and hadn’t seen a miracle yet. She knew her wishes were foolish, but she wished them anyway.
“SYDNEY!” came Mrs. Cole’s screech, signaling that time for wishes and dreams was over and it was time to take her place in life.
“Coming,” she grumbled while sliding to the floor. Quickly, she grabbed the pot of water boiling over the fire and placed it on the tray to carry upstairs. Then, she scurried out of the kitchen as quickly as she could without dropping the three cups and saucers on the tray.
Bringing the Cole women their morning tea typically wasn’t part of Sydney’s job description, but their usual maid was sick, so Sydney had the pleasure of interacting with the Cole’s even more than usual, which made her want to retch. The Coles’ insisted on having their first cup of tea before they even got out of bed in the morning, which Sydney found to be absurd, but her opinion didn’t matter.
The first bedroom door she came to was Mrs. Cole’s. Sydney knocked gently, then opened the door and curtsied before walking over to Mrs. Cole’s bedside and pouring her a cup of tea. Sydney wasn’t exactly sure what Mr. Cole’s occupation was, all she knew was that he returned only once or twice a month and the Coles’ were disgustingly rich. “Morning ma’am,” Sydney said quietly before curtsying again. Mrs. Cole’s only response was to scowl disapprovingly at her, so Sydney left the room and moved on to the next: Annabelle’s.
Annabelle Cole was sixteen years of age and one of the most sought after girls in all of London, despite the fact that Sydney found her to have the most detestable personality on the planet. She was as stubborn as she was rude, and unfortunately as beautiful as she was both, which only made her worse. Annabelle’s response to Sydney’s presence was her typical upturned nose in the obvious ‘I’m far better than you’ way. Sydney ignored her and moved on to the third and final room.
Elizabeth Cole was a year younger than her sister and much less irritating in Sydney’s opinion. Elizabeth was never as rude to her as Annabelle or their mother tended to be and while she was equally as eligible as her sister (due to their massive fortune) she was plainer, less glamorous. When Sydney gave Elizabeth her tea, Elizabeth gave her a polite but quiet ‘thank you’ before Sydney left to continue on with her regular chores around the Cole household.
Typically, Sydney’s day consisted of waking up very early and making the fire in the kitchen so that breakfast for the Cole’s could be cooked. Then, she would walk the twenty minute walk each way to the market to pick up food for that day, rain or snow, winter or summer, no matter what. Mrs. Cole kept a close watch on the amount of money that Sydney was spending there and never gave her any more than she needed. After she returned each day, Mrs. Cole would scrutinize the amount she spent and the change she had left over as if their lives depended on every pinched penny, whereas really they had plenty of money, they just didn’t want it to fall into the hands of the servants.
After her market excursion, Sydney would empty the chamber pots, make the beds and do laundry as necessary. Throughout the day, as well as at night, it was Sydney’s job to keep the fires burning, especially in the winter. She also had the task of making sure the oil lamps were burning properly in the house. Also, there was the occasional scrubbing of floors and whatever other tasks Mrs. Cole decided for her.
Put simply: Sydney loathed her life. There was nothing about it that she found enjoyable, except for perhaps the occasional amusement caused by one of Annabelle’s tantrums when she was completely out of line. It’s not that she wanted much. She didn’t want to be filthy rich like the Coles. She didn’t want to be a complete and total snob like Annabelle. All she wanted was a life of her own, where she could choose what she did on a daily basis and where she had a husband that loved her and maybe a few children. Unfortunately, she could have none of those things unless, by some grace of God, the Cole’s allowed her to leave, which wasn’t likely at all. Besides, even if they did, she was nineteen, far past the prime age to marry, so she was stuck, doomed to lead that life and no matter how much she wished for more, she knew she could never have it.
