The Velvet Face

The Velvet Face

Good news, a Ballerina, a Letter, And a Servant.

Lilly Logan was petite girl, even though she was now seventeen and becoming a young woman, she was more then often mistaken to be much younger then what she was. Never the less she was still a very attractive young lady. She had thick brown hair which rested quite nicely on her paper white shoulders, delicate facial features and soft deep blue eyes.

Miss Logan had a number of talents; one she took dreadfully seriously was dancing, she had been training to be a ballerina ever since she was a little girl with her own private ballet instructor. While the over children where playing in the beautiful lush countryside she was indoors, with her Instructor practising each brutal step until her feet blistered. At first when her Mother had made her start the tutoring she was adornment not to do it, but being a small child at the time she was quite easily bribed into the lessons with something sweet. As the years passed Lilly had learned that the dance lesions where now apart of her life and did it quite willingly with out the bribe, and soon ballet turned into a passion of hers.

It was a beautiful Sunday morning; there was a light breeze in the air and still a comforting warmth seemed too rain from the sky. Lilly stood on the porch of her and her mother's house. She was bare foot wearing a charming white dress with a silky red ribbon tired round there waist. In her hand she was holding an opened letter marked to her. She began jumping foot to foot with the look of utter excitement on her face, hair bouncing on her shoulders as she waved the letter in the air.
Suddenly the front door to house opened and a tall ageing woman walked out. She had impeccable posture and a large amount of greyish brown her which had been tied up producing a rather huge bun.

The woman stood behind Lilly, Who had automatically noticed her presence and had stopped jumping from foot to foot very rapidly. She turned round to face the woman "good morning Mother" she said politely. The Woman's face remained firm and cold. Then her thin white lips began to move and she said in her usual gravely voice "Why are you such a fool" Lilly frowned at her mother with confusion of the harshness of her words.
"Your outside bare foot...we're not savages" she continued her wondering eyes avoiding her daughters deep emotional ones.
"Why where you bouncing around like a mad man...like a fool?" her voice got louder and louder "what is causing this unladylike performance?" She spat. Lilly was puzzled at how cold her mother was being on such a pleasant day, but didn't take her mother's own unladylike performance in to account, because she was still in a stat of bliss, for she had been given some very excellent news in a letter she had received that very morning.

She sighed still with a smirk on her face, and then she looked up so see her Mothers twisted bitter face, one of which was highly unimpressed with the grin spread across her daughters pale perfect face. The girl moaned quietly then began to speck in a frantic voice "Mother, I'm deeply sorry for the smirk painted on my face, it's just I have some very brilliant news which is in the letter that is marked to me." The Mother looked at her daughter straight in the eyes then, and then her eyes wondered to the letter which was in her daughter's tight grasp.
"If the news is of such a positive manner that even I am empowered to jump from foot to foot like an insane person I shall for give you" The woman muttered as she gave Lilly a gesture to hand the letter over to her. Lilly did as she commanded and handed her the letter still with a smirk on her face. "I assure you Mother dear you will for give me"
"I'll be the judge of that" she said stiffly as she opened the envelope and pulled the letter out of it. And began to read it, the letter was written in blue ink by the very colourful hand of Mr Rupert Tomas the acting manger of the Royal Angel Theatre in the grand city of Vex. Lilly's mothers eyebrow cropped up as she read the name which had been stamped on the top of the letter over and over again just to be sure she was not see things. The woman looked at Lilly with astonished eyes "How do you no Mr Tomas? Such an important man!" she gasped as she waved to letter in Lilly face. She was still smiling, quite rather happy with her reaction so far.
She cleared her throat and began to explain her and the incredibly famous Mr Rupert Tomas meet.
"Mother to you remember last fall when my ballet instructor organised for me to perform a dance with some over ballerinas, in the Harvest festival at Victoria Gully" The woman nodded to show she was following, Lilly looked over toward there flower invested garden which surrounded the humble porch then continued, "Rupert, I mean Mr Tomas was there, he so happened to have been pacing by while he was travelling to his sisters house. He saw me dance and dare I say was very impressed with my performance. He said that he would be overjoyed if I would come to the Theatre of Angels in Vex and be a ballerina their! But he said at the time that he was not sure if there was a spare room for me and said he would write a letter when he had time telling me if I was able to join the as they all it "army of ballet girls" She stopped and took a deep breath the giggled and clapped her hand together like and excited seal.
"Read the Letter Mother, Read it you will love me so much" she said in her beautiful, enchanting voice.

Dear Miss Lilly Logan
I am terribly sorry for the lateness of my Letter I have been very busy with some trouble which has been happening at the Angel theatre, you see half of my cast have walked out due to the new performance we have been practising for, and they said it was against the beliefs. I shall tell you more about this subject when you arrive is you chose to, Yes indeed Miss Logan I would be incredibly delighted for you to come and be a ballerina at my Theatre, dare I say I need you very mush due to the lack of dancer I have left. I trust you will now inform you Mother of my invitation, from what I hear she is very keen of you becoming a famous ballerina, and I assure you that if you come to live in Vex and work in My theatre of angels that dream of your and hers is very close and its in a City called Vex.

Yours sincerely
Mr Rupert Tomas

PS I'm sorry for me being so forceful. I will not take it no account if you chose to except my offer and my opinion of you will stay the same, Charming.

Lilly watched her mothers face as she read the letter, it seemed to get softer and softer which both pleased and disturbed Lilly at the same time. Then a remarkable this happened Lilly's cold harsh Mother, Mrs Logan smiled. Lilly's eyes shone with pride her mother had not smiled for ten year. The last time Lilly remembered it well, it was the last hour of her Fathers long eventful life and her Mother poured herself over him crying and smiling at the same time as the Love of her life muttered his last words in a gruff voice. Lilly's mother looked at there daughter there was love in her eyes, Lilly was sure that, that had been lost many years ago.

"Lilly when where you going to tell me?" she asked softly
"When I got the letter, I didn't want to get you hopes up, just in case Mr Tomas had no room for me at the Angel theatre." Lilly said back, she would have been worried of what where Mother would do to her as a punishment for her keeping a secret but the smile of her mothers face seemed to whip away all of her fears of what she might to her.
"So do I have your permission to go?" Lilly asked eagerly.
"Of course, I would be a fool to let you pass up such an opportunity." Her mother cried as she literally jumped from foot to foot like she was insane. Lilly laughed out loud she felt so much happiness in side her she feared she would never be so content again in all her life.
"When shall I go? Mr Tomas said I had to be their as soon as possible is I was allowed." Lilly said to her mother who was in a stat of ecstasy.
The woman thought for a short moment and then said in a frantic excitable tone which Lilly did not expect "You shall go today, it still early morning I could have you packed and on your way by the evening."
Lilly blinked in amazement, who was this woman? Her Mother was acting so different why had this news of her dance career improving made such a large impact on her Mothers personality?
Unable to talk to her Mother properly, the maids had soon packed Lilly's suitcases, and her mother had called one of her servants to run into town and collect Lilly a horse and carriage. "Make sure it's a pretty carriage with a white horse if possible." Her Mother told her servant he nodded in reply and made a quick dash down the country side path which ran down the side of the house and lend to the near by town.

Lilly stood out side her grand home; she was still wearing the charming white summer dress but she had a pair of little red shoes on and a knitted red shawl draped over her sensitive ivory shoulders to stop the sun from burning them. She had her suitcases sat of the floor beside her and a look of utter puzzlement spread across her face. That morning before she checked the post she was wealthy girl training to be a ballerina and now just over six hours later, mid-day she was an independent young lady, who was a ballerina who would soon dance on the stage of the most famous theatre in the world the theatre of angels. It had all happened so fast she was dumb struck of the speed her mother had organised her leaving home, in a mere three hours she had all of her daughters worldly possessions packed neatly away in two single suitcase. It made Lilly slightly depressed that was all she had.

Suddenly the girl herds the light hooves of houses clomping up the country side path beside her house. She walked over to the end of her front garden and waited at the side of the path for the horse to emerge and carry her away from her lovely home and her strange mother, and Lilly couldn't wait. She grinned wildly, just getting over the speed things had happened. She still couldn't believe that she going to leave home and live in the splendid Theatre of Angels, and be a ballerina! The reason I repeat myself is because I can not stress more the number of times Miss Logan said in her head "and be a ballerina!"
The horse and cart stopped in front of Lilly the servant lowered himself out of the carriage
. "Thank you" Lilly said to him "My Mothers inside helping the maids prepare me a travel lunch, will you go in a fetch her?" The boy nodded then said in a swift voice "What it like to get what ever your heart desires?" Lilly looked rather surprised at the question the usually silent servant had just asked her. She looked ill at ease "I don't always get all my heart desires do I?" she stuttered as she stumbled towards the white horse and began to stoke its nose. The boy looked around making sure her mother was not around and then said gravely "yes you do, you have a big house, every thing you could every want, beauty, talent your dreams just come true. I hate you so much..." he paused and saw the look of distress on the girls face and yet he still continued "Tell me one thing you want which you don't have?" he spate. The girl stopped patting the beautiful white horse and simply held on to its nose and then she whispered. "My Father..." she looked up at him with watery eyes "I'm not that lucky servant" she hissed, trying to sound harsh and cold like her Mother usually did But it was not working with her soft voice.

The Boy turned away from the girl and with out a word went in to the house to fetch her mother like she had commanded. Lilly watched the boy she was biting her lip as she wiped the tears away from her years. What he had said was so strange so random so unnecessary, was it because of her wealth?
She looked up to see her smiling mother walking across the front lawn with the vile servant boy who was looking at his feet. Her Mother was holding a small brown bag with contained several slices of banana bread and glass bottle of fresh orange juice the maids had just freshly squeezed. Lilly smiled warmly at her Mother as she approached her, the strange woman gave her daughter a colossal hug, and it was so warm and kind. Lilly embraced her with equally as much love. Her Mother placed the bag in her daughters hands "a little snack to keep you going. It a long trip you wouldn't get there till early morning tomorrow. Lilly nodded she felt that the snack wouldn't keep her going for that long but she didn't say any thing to her mother.
"There's also an envelope in there with some money for you to spend when you get in to Vex. You'll be earning money in the Theatre to buy food and drink so spend that on what you like." Lilly nodded at her mother. Then her eyes met with the servants, who had been looking at her since Lilly's mother and himself had came to the side of the path. They both looked away rapidly.

"I better go" muttered Lilly to her Mother; they had one last tearful fare well and then Lilly stepped into the black carriage and shut the door behind her, Then to her a amazement the vile servant took a leap on to the front of the carriage, she remembered her was the one who have ridden it to her house, it would be more then possible that this boy who have taking such a dislike to Lilly would be her travel companion. She looked out of the window her curly brown hair hanging over her shoulders. "Mother why must he be the one who will take me all that way?" she cried Her Mother being slightly poor of hearing just called back "Good luck!" and the carriage began to move of down the lane and in to the thick wood lands which surrounded her house. "Mother! Mother!" she yelled louder as the carriage moved deeper in to the woodland. Her Mother looked so far away, and soon her strange Mother and her loving home where gone hidden under the green reflections of the mighty green trees. "Mother..." Lilly let out one final little cry and then sunk but in to the carriage, dreading the long Journey which awaited her.

The carriage journey was a nasty business poor Lilly sat alone in the back of the carriage her mind wondering as she recalled what the servant boy whose name have never been spoken to her. She kept on leaning forward and peer her head out of the window in front of the carriage, and watching the servant as he rode the beautiful white horses down the country side roads. Lilly on several occasions she almost called the word "servant" to get his attention and maybe ask him about by he was so bitter towards her. Just as she was about to peer forward again and huff and puff out of the window until she could work out if you was going to say anything to him of not. He said in a low dry voice, very different to the one he used early when he was spiting pointless questions and verbal abuse at her.
"Miss Logan...I'm sorry" he seemed to choke the words out like some one had a gun to his head and was telling him to apologise.

Lilly this time more confident peered out of the window half her body hanging out and then in a quiet little voice muttered "Your forgiven...it must be hard for you to have grown up with me and watched me get so much while you got so little." The servant thought back his childhood, watch miss Logan play in her huge lush garden and dance around the hall so content so happy. She never even looked at him or asked him his name, they could have been friends. The servant nodded agreeing with what Lilly was saying about how he felt. He kept his eyes of the road though the whole short conversation and even though Lilly could not she his face probably she could see how his face lifted up at the side, she could see that he was smiling. "You hit the nail on the head Miss Logan" he spoke much softer this time. Lilly spent one last moment hanging out of the window then lowered herself back in the carriage grinning to her self, then she called to the Boy "call me Lilly, Not Miss Logan" she shuddered "Sounds like my mother." The servant chucked dryly
"And servant what shall I call you?" she said as she dug around the brown bag her mother gave her.
The servant was silent for a while then uttered his unspoken name in his deep, soft voice "Robert."