Faith was a quiet girl. And in Surrey, at the time of our story’s beginning, that is 1828, it was expected of a girl to be quiet. She had recently attained her sixteenth birthday and preparations were underway for a lavish party. There was to be a grand ball, where Faith would be presented to society. It was hoped that Benjamin Gould would be in attendance. He was considered suitable for Faith and Faith’s father had been working hard to assure that Lord and Lady Gould considered Faith suitable for Benjamin. If the truth be told Faith’s mother, Lady Greene, was not as keen on Benjamin Gould as her husband, not that it tandoğan escort mattered. Lady Greene was a quiet woman, Lord Greene pointed this out as an inclination to what Faith would grow into. Lady Greene had never said she didn’t like Benjamin, but Faith knew. Faith understood her mother a lot more than her father did. Physically there were both alike. They were both small, elfin even, excepting for their breasts which were unfashionably large. These were constrained with whalebone bodices to bring them into a more acceptable shape. After all as her maid pointed out, Faith didn’t want türbanlı escort to look ‘like a milk maid’. They shared too the same large, deep brown eyes. Some times Faith caught a flash in her mother’s eyes that told her that she wasn’t the quiet woman she appeared to be. Sometimes Faith felt things that she knew she wasn’t supposed to. Inside she felt wild and excited and for a moment free. But then she tightened her corset and reminded herself that that wasn’t how ladies acted. When she saw her mother sometimes she knew that she felt the same. And she was a respectable lady, so maybe it would be alright, maybe she could control these feelings. As the preparations continued around her Faith felt bored. She had been given no say in what she wanted at her Ball. It was all to be decided on what was ‘right’ and ‘proper’, on what would give the ‘right impression’. She wondered outside into the grounds. Being winter is was already getting dark though dinner was yet some way off. Faith walked over to the stables. Riding was one of the only times she could feel free. Her father insisted she rode side saddle but when she was by herself or when Gabriel the groom was with her she rode properly. And this way she could gallop and really feel the wind through her hair and across her cheeks. Gabriel was always kind to Faith. Sometimes she thought about him. About his wide, strong back, his arms, as thick as her legs.