02-17-2020, 06:50 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-19-2020, 09:20 PM by Alice Appleton.)
[content warning: Reference to child marriage, reference to statutory rape]
The girl sat on a bench on the platform, bent over, with her face in her hands, sobbing. Her cotton bag sat beside her, forgotten. She didn't care if people coming off the train that had just arrived saw her like this. If they despised her for such a public display of emotion, she despised them back. And perhaps even now, when all hope was gone, she was still hoping for someone, anyone, to feel some pity for her. That someone would care.
Tomorrow was her wedding. And in a last act of despair, Alice had gone to find Noah. If he had changed his mind and wanted to marry her, like Elijah said, why had he still been avoiding her? He had hurt her more than she could ever express, but as long as there was a glimmer of hope that he loved her, or at least cared about her, and that she could marry him rather than Tobias, she was willing to forgive him.
She had found him at last and had begged him to marry her, to talk to father, to work with him, and love her again. He had told her she was better off with the other guy, who had a farm and money, and who knew what he was doing. Alice had cried and had told him she still loved him. Noah had said that there was no way he would go near her father. Alice had begged and begged and begged, promising she would do anything, and she would always love him, and accept any conditions, if he just married her. Reluctantly, the boy had finally suggested they could run away together to Scarborough. Alice had agreed, although her heart had been aching. She would still have to leave her family and Whitby. She would hurt her family, running away again. She couldn't even risk telling Anne in advance. But perhaps once they were married, they would be accepted, and they could return to Whitby. Either way, had she any choice? And so she had agreed to steal money from home once again and meet him at the station at three. And she had done so.
Except, Noah hadn't been there.
She had waited. She had watched people board the train to Scarborough, wishing the boy would hurry up, and beginning to despair. She had watched the train depart at quarter past three, with a lump in her throat. And still she had waited, dying a little every minute. She had watched other trains come in and depart. And finally, she had sunk down on the bench.
She should go home. Otherwise, father would find out her things and the money were gone. But what did it really matter? Tomorrow she would have a different man in charge of her anyway.
The girl sat on a bench on the platform, bent over, with her face in her hands, sobbing. Her cotton bag sat beside her, forgotten. She didn't care if people coming off the train that had just arrived saw her like this. If they despised her for such a public display of emotion, she despised them back. And perhaps even now, when all hope was gone, she was still hoping for someone, anyone, to feel some pity for her. That someone would care.
Tomorrow was her wedding. And in a last act of despair, Alice had gone to find Noah. If he had changed his mind and wanted to marry her, like Elijah said, why had he still been avoiding her? He had hurt her more than she could ever express, but as long as there was a glimmer of hope that he loved her, or at least cared about her, and that she could marry him rather than Tobias, she was willing to forgive him.
She had found him at last and had begged him to marry her, to talk to father, to work with him, and love her again. He had told her she was better off with the other guy, who had a farm and money, and who knew what he was doing. Alice had cried and had told him she still loved him. Noah had said that there was no way he would go near her father. Alice had begged and begged and begged, promising she would do anything, and she would always love him, and accept any conditions, if he just married her. Reluctantly, the boy had finally suggested they could run away together to Scarborough. Alice had agreed, although her heart had been aching. She would still have to leave her family and Whitby. She would hurt her family, running away again. She couldn't even risk telling Anne in advance. But perhaps once they were married, they would be accepted, and they could return to Whitby. Either way, had she any choice? And so she had agreed to steal money from home once again and meet him at the station at three. And she had done so.
Except, Noah hadn't been there.
She had waited. She had watched people board the train to Scarborough, wishing the boy would hurry up, and beginning to despair. She had watched the train depart at quarter past three, with a lump in her throat. And still she had waited, dying a little every minute. She had watched other trains come in and depart. And finally, she had sunk down on the bench.
She should go home. Otherwise, father would find out her things and the money were gone. But what did it really matter? Tomorrow she would have a different man in charge of her anyway.
