SERIAL STORY #1

Running Free

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Vivienne Chester is living a seemingly perfect life as a wealthy British citizen, charaded by Tutors, Chauffeurs and doting parents. However, all is not as it seems, as Vivienne finds herself trapped in a pressured lifestyle of fake smiles, strict deportment and total lack of freedom.

 As she enters her fourteenth year, Vivienne begins to despair, as she finds no escape from her pressured lifestyle. Beginning to give up hope, she starts to succumb to the pressures and withdraws into an emotional shell. However, her mood is soon changed as she discoverers a set of mysterious writings that lighten up her soul and begin to change her in a different way. Drawn to the calling of the wild, Vivienne must make a fateful choice.

To discover yourself, you must loose everything

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Prologue.


The great doors of Fieldside Mansion close with a terminating clunk that echoed through the silent halls. That was it. The party was over.

Mrs Lavinia Chester sighed with satisfaction and peeled off her crisp black gloves. On the whole it had been a successful evening. The fireworks had gone off efficiently and had very effective when in the air. She smiled as she remembered the gasps of delight from her guests as the lights had exploded across the sky. How she loved to be hostess.

She waited for her husband to turn back from locking the door before coming forward to kiss him on the cheek. He had done well, and in the end had spared no expense for the grand occasion. He was withdrawn, though, and she knew their secret was affecting him more than he would let on.



“It’ll be fine, Roderick. “ She consoled him once more. “No one will know a thing. I have people who can give us the child and no one will know.”



Roderick Chester looked unconvinced and let a sigh escape his lips. The whole party had been for this celebration. Why, oh, why, had he let his wife go ahead with it?

“My dear, how can I live with a child who is a lie? I’ll know it isn’t mine, and I don’t know if I can-“



“If you can what?” His wife pulled away sharply. “Roderick, I will leave you if you ever tell anyone. And you know if I leave, you are ruined.”



Roderick looked at his wife weakly. “I know.” He said in a low voice. “I won’t tell anyone, dear.”



Lavinia Crawley smiled and stood on tiptoe to kiss her husband once more. Roderick, however, was not in the same mood. He loved his wife, he did, for her money and her character, but he was sure he could live the rest of his life caught up in a lie.

The truth was, Lavinia Chester’s pride had been damaged severely by the events in those past few days. She was the eldest daughter of a wealthy businessman, with a large allowance and equally large ego. She had married Roderick for love, request and stability. Lavinia wanted her life to be perfect. 

First she would be regarded as the beautiful wife of Roderick Chester, a notable businessman, and host his many parties and run his household. Then she would have three perfect children, preferably one boy and two girls. And finally, she would raise them to become cherubs of society and celebrities of the next generation.

First, however, she needed to get pregnant.



It had been a disaster. One minute she was planning a party in arrangement for the announcement, ready to be famed throughout London for birthing and raising a perfect child…the next, she had fallen from her daydream and the doctor had delivered the soul-crushing words that would echo in her memory forever.



“I am afraid, Mrs Chester, that you are unable to have children. Any pregnancy will result in a miscarriage a week later. It is best you have an operation to prevent this.”



Roderick had been very supportive. He had tried everything. Not just for her – it wasn’t just Mrs Chester dreaming of perfect children. But there was nothing to be done than have the advised operation. 

But she wasn’t going to let society be sympathetic. She had raised Roderick up to a new level with her money, one of lords and ladies and famed millionaires, and she wasn’t going to be pitied by them. 

So she’d gone ahead with the announcement party, and had received congratulations with no guilt whatsoever.

You see, Lavinia Chester had a plan. No one would know she couldn’t have children – the doctor had been paid and her husband would stay silent as long as he loved her and she threatened him. Instead, she would go away for a year…Zurich, perhaps, in a cabin on a mountainside with no one but a trusty old servant to keep her company. Then, slightly prematurely so the birth was emergency and the old servant had to deal with it, a child would be born. Not her own, of course, but with a false name and plenty of cash one could get a respectable baby from somewhere.



“Anyway, Roderick, I’m off to bed. Remember to book the trip, won’t you?”



Her husband stiffened, but as she turned away, called. “You’re going to Scotland. I won’t have you abroad.”



She could hear the subdued anger in his voice and turned back with a smile. “As you wish, my love.” She blew him a kiss and climbed the stairs, triumphantly smiling to herself as she went. 



In the end, she always won over him. When you were close to Lavinia Chester, the first thing you learnt was to let her have her way.



If you didn’t, well, best not to find out…







***

The urgent knocking on the cottage door brought the middle-aged servant to her feet as she made her way to let her mistress in. Deirdre Halbert had worked for Lavinia Chester since she was a teenager, and was a most trusted advisor, and possibly even friend, you could say. She adored Lavinia to the bottom of her heart, and doted upon the young woman. Never had she failed to support her Mistress and never had she defied her. 

Unbolting the door, Deidre was greeted by a pale-faced Lavinia, who hurried in out of the wind and started gabbling as soon as the door has shut.



“Did they call, Deirdre?” Lavinia entered the snug cottage in a state of surprise and hope, slipping off her boots and coming forward eagerly



The servant shook her head with sadness. “I’m sorry, Lavvy. Nobody called.”



Lavinia’s expression changed to that of panic and anger. She threw down her coat with anger and fell back into an armchair with an usual lack of grace. “I don’t believe it! They said they’d get in contact.” She rubbed her brow in hopelessness. “They have to do it, they have to! We’ve been here eight months and it should be time! Every one is emailing me about it…we can’t stay here much longer…I-I don’t know what to do...”

Lavinia Chester rarely cried. But this was one of those rare occasions. The motherly Deirdre stepped forward and handed Lavinia a tissue, knowing Lavinia was not one for hugs, and said consolingly;

“Lavvy, they’ll call. I’m sure-“



“But what if they don’t?” The young woman cried, looking up at her nurse with watering eyes around which Mascara was smudged. “What am I supposed to do then?”



“Tell me about the babe, love. Tell me what it’ll be like.” Hushed Deirdre as if she was speaking to a child on the matter of a doll.



Deirdre knew what she was doing, though. The very though of owning her scheduled possession made Lavinia smile.  “Not it, Derry, she. She’ll be a girl. She has to be a girl.”



“And what will she be called?” Deirdre knew the answer but had perfected her level of interest.



“Vivienne. Not ‘Viv’. Always Vivienne.”



“And she’ll be able to dance-“



“-And sing. My daughter will sing and dance and play the piano. And be beautiful.”



“Well of course. Any girl with a Mother like you will be beautiful.”



But it was then the calmer conversation stopped. Lavinia frowned and looked up at Deirdre with more concern. “But what if she’s not beautiful? What if she’s plain and ugly, and…”



“She won’t be.” Deirdre said quickly. “She’ll be perfect, you wait and see, she’ll be-“



“But you can’t guarantee that.” Lavinia said. She turned in her seat. “What if? I want to know the answer, I hate all the stupid ‘if’s!”



Deirdre sensed the warning. “The company are reliable, they will-“



“You don’t know that.” Lavinia said darkly. “We know nothing about them.”



Deirdre turned round to face the young woman and placed her bony hands on Lavinia’s shoulders. “Then forget the company, Lavvy. We’ll go and find an orphanage today, or tomorrow, whenever you want. And then we’ll find a child. When you have blackmail and bribery behind you, you cannot possibly fail.”



Lavinia, however, was not convinced. “We’re in the middle of nowhere, Deirdre – where’d you think we’d find an orphanage around here? It’s hopeless.”



“Look, I’ll go to Inverness – they’ll be plenty of children’s homes there, won’t there, now?”



“But they’ll be common children – who knows what they’ll be like? And we need a baby – a young baby.”



“We’ll find one. A girl, like you want.” Deidre consoled once more.



“No.” Lavinia fell back in her chair and dramatized the moment. “We’ll never find one in time. Stop getting my hopes up, Halbert.”



Deirdre’s unease was now visible. Lavinia’s anger could always be sensed when she started being unnecessarily formal. “I’ll find one, love. You wait here and I’ll come back with a beautiful baby girl.



“No you won-“



“Yes I will. Now don’t despair, Lavvy.”



“If you don’t want me to despair, then go!” Lavinia threatened. “We have to find a child!”



Deirdre didn’t pause to consider, she took it as an order. Nodding after a pause, she rose. “Will you be alright on your own, Lavvy?”



Lavinia looked up, surprised. Then she smiled. “Yes, Derry.”



Deirdre smiled in return. She loved the smile of her employer. It was dazzling and beautiful. Spoilt in a way, yes. But Deidre never saw this. ‘That’s my little Lavinia. I’ll go now, and when I return, I’ll return with your beautiful baby.”



Lavinia continued to smile innocently as her Nurse hurried to put on her coat and fetch a bag. The purse went in as well – it contained a lot of money, but Deidre could be trusted. And then finally, after a little wave, Deirdre was gone from the quiet cottage.



Lavinia’s expression changed within seconds as she began to scowl. Deirdre was extremely tiresome, and Lavinia doubted that she would ever speak her mind to her mistress, making her an extremely boring person to be isolated for eight months with. 

Still, she had her uses. For one, she was extremely loyal, and could be made to do anything. And also, she would never betray her – no dark secrets of Lavinia Chester would be discovered from Deidre Halbert.



Lavinia rose and went to the freezer. Ben and Jerry’s was the only thing that kept her sane – and the one thing she ate everyday. 

It was going to be a long wait.









***







Lavinia looked at her hand as it came up towards her mouth and firmly set her arm back down on the arm of the chair. If she didn’t watch it, the nail biting would begin.

She turned her head to look at the clock once more. Twenty to Eleven. There was a storm outside – high in the Scottish hills Thunder and lightning came to visit frequently – and the lines of connection were down, as were the lights dead. The power supply had somehow cut off and Lavinia was relying on the light of the fire and her phone to see through the darkness. 

All the time she was waiting for the sound of a rumbling car engine, for the golden beam of headlights to flash outside the window. But Deidre still hadn’t returned and as a result, Lavinia’s panic was growing.



It wasn’t a surprise then, that the deep sounds of the grandfather clock striking eleven made her jolt in her chair with surprise, nor that the urgent knocking produced the same reaction.



Lavinia, in her innocence, did not expect it to be anyone but Deirdre. The car must have broken down, Lavinia thought, as she raced to unlock the door and greet a sodden Nurse and hopefully a dryer Baby.



The latter was correct. Unfortunately, the first was not so much so, as you could not call a redheaded young man a sodden nurse – although he was soaked to the skin.



Lavinia reeled back and began to shut the door, emitting no sound for her terror. She forgot that he was holding a baby and simply let her instinctual fear guide her actions. It was this that made her claw out at the stranger as he stepped towards her.



“No – please! Please – I, I need your help!”



She paused at this and in that pause the child he carried began to wail. Lavinia lowered her eyes onto the infant.



The young man saw her looking and held out the baby. “Please – help her.”



Lavinia Crawley, despite her instinctual fear, found herself taking the child off him and rocking it in her arms. There was silence as she swept a glance over the infant before looking up at the young man.



“A girl?” She said in a hushed voice that was clearly bathed in love.



The stranger’s face cracked into a smile that was of innocence, pride and most definitely hope. “Yes.” He breathed. “Yes.”



“And how old is she?” Asked Lavinia. She said this in the same low tones but there was a hint of something more orderly, now. She had calmed down and now, she was making plans.



“Three weeks.” The stranger answered. The joy in his voice had gone. “Her Mother – her mother died yesterday.”



As if on cue, the baby began to cry. Lavinia moved her hand to stroke the child’s cheek and hushed her. “You’re hungry then, aren’t you.” She said to the child, rocking her. “Don’t worry, you won’t be for much longer.”



The young man’s face became not confused but hopeful. “You’ll take her then?”



Lavinia looked up at him and narrowed her eyes. “As you planned?”



He looked confused then worried. “No – no, I just…she needs safety. A home. She will not survive in the wild. Not until she is older.”



Ignoring his strange wording, Lavinia continued to regard him with a lack of trust. “If I take this child, she will be mine. You will never see her again and she will never know you.”



His horror was certainly genuine. “No – I – I have to protect her, I-“



“You will protect this girl by giving her to me. No harm will come to her.” Lavinia told him bluntly, using her best persuasive tactics. “You are the Father, I presume?”



He looked surprised. “No, no, I’m her…guardian. I was close to her parents.”



“Good. That means you can give her up easily – for her own sake.” Said Lavinia briskly.



“But no – I can’t, she-“



“You said the child would die if she is not taken in by me. Is that what you want?” Lavinia knew her words were affecting this vulnerable young man. “Give her to me and she will live.”



The young man looked from the child to Lavinia Chester. Lavinia saw his emotion, the way he was torn between options. He looked up at her after a pause, face wearing a look of hopelessness and dread.



“Take her.” He said faintly. “Just take her.”



Lavinia couldn’t help smiling. But she had to be sure of one thing first, and she looked at the man sharply as he turned. “Wait! I need to know you won’t talk.”



The hope returned to his face and Lavinia cursed herself mentally. She knew what was coming.



“I won’t talk if you give me a job near to you. So that I can watch over her.” He said, taking a step towards the door again.



Lavinia looked at him with loathing. “You-“



“You can’t have the girl without me speaking or you giving me a job. Choose which – scandal or a willing worker.” He lowered his eyes to look at the child and Lavinia could see the love in his eyes. This infuriated her further, but she had no choice.



“You know who I am, then.”



“Yes.” He nodded. “And I know your position.”



“Been snooping around? Quite a little spy you must be.”



“You are interesting to watch, Mrs Chester.” This was said carefully, but Lavinia could see the bite in it. There was a pause before she relented. 



“Fine. Have it your way.” Lavinia felt in her coat pocket with one free hand and produced one of her husband’s business cards that had lingered there for a considerable time.  She handed it to the young man.

“Go to London and call this number. I’ll send my husband a message explaining. He’ll give you a job.”



The stranger smiled. “I’m good at Math’s.”



“Great. Good for you.” She said dryly, regarding him with dislike. “Now, off you go.”



He began to walk away, but turned round after two steps forward. “Mrs. Chester?”



She looked up from rocking the Infant and frowned. “What?”



“Well, don’t you want to know her name?”



“No.” She answered bluntly, causing him to raise his eyebrows in surprise. “From now on this baby is mine, and she will be named as I see fit. None of her old identity will remain.” She looked at the young man cruelly. “Got it?”



He nodded and swallowed, but didn’t turn away. “The thing is…she’s not normal.”



“And how is she not normal?” Lavinia was getting even more annoyed, her pleased feeling always pushed down by irritation for this young man. 



“She – I – it’s hard to explain.” He faltered. “Just – don’t keep her away from…”



“From what – heroine?” Lavinia laughed bitterly. “Which is probably what you’re on. As long as she’s not mentally unfit, I’ll have her, you mad man. Now, is she impaired in the brain or not?”



“No – no, of course not.”



Lavinia smiled. “Good. Now, on your way.” She shooed him with her free hand.



The young man gave up and turned away. If Lavinia did ever understand, she’d probably disown the girl.



But it would show. One day soon, it would happen, and the child would be hunted again, not only by her enemies, but by her own confusion.



He shook his head, trying to remove the thoughts from his tired mind. For now, the child was safe. And that was all that mattered.



For now.

© Lilia Le Fay