Author Note: Thank you all for reviewing. Here is the second chapter. Happy reading!

Chapter Two

"Child, he is here." The old nurse, Mary, who had served Lady Elisabeth since she was young, said quietly. She was ancient, no doubting it, but she was warm and kind to everyone, especially to the motherless Carlynne. Her hair was grey, boldly streaked with white, and nothing escaped her watchful blue eyes. She wore always a black gown, ever since Lady Elisabeth's death.

"He is? Oh, Mary, I'm so happy I think I might faint!" The young lady exclaimed, "I wonder if he'll like me."

"Don't you worry, he will love you, child."

"Do I look pretty?" Carlynne asked childishly. The nurse knew that she would always see Lady Elisabeth's face staring back at her if she looked at Carlynne. The young woman wore a daisy colored gown, trimmed with lace. Her face was just as radiant as her mother's had been, a very long time ago. The big, brown eyes sparkled, and the softly shaped lips smiled happily.

"Of course you do. You are as beautiful as your mama was. Every man worshipped her, even dukes' and kings', but your mama refused all of them for your papa, who had then not a penny to his name. After a few years, your papa made a fortune, and became a famous man." Mary said, trying to stop remembering Lady Elisabeth, but Carlynne was an exact replica of her mother.

"I wish I could meet my mother just once…" The words were uttered softly, tinged with sadness.

" Your mama will always be by your side, no matter what, even if you cannot see her, she is there. Now child, you wouldn't want to keep him waiting, do you?"

"No, that won't do at all, right Mary? I'm going down now, wish me luck!"

The words were accompanied by a lovely smile, a smile that brought tears into the old nurse's eyes.

She could not help it. The girl was her mother's child. She had the same face, the same determination, the same generosity, and the special way she touched the lives of everyone around her, making their day filled with joy and anticipation.

She hoped that Carlynne would find happiness, and enjoy the happiness of motherhood, as Lady Elisabeth had no chance to do, in her short but eventful life. Oh, how she wished that the Lady was not dead, that she was alive and well, raising Carlynne, laughing happily together with her, but god had not gave her a chance.

The old nurse sighed, wiping a tear away from her eye, left the room, closing the door behind her as she walked away.

"Sir, I came here to inform you that I do not wish to marry your daughter, although I know that this marriage was arranged by my father, I have to object to this marriage, for if I married your daughter, it would be a mockery to both families. I love another, and I wish to marry her. I am deeply sorry and filled with regret if I have offended you in any way."

Lord Hadrian looked at the young man thoughtfully, and smiling, he said "Well, it is a surprise, but not totally unexpected. I suggest you tell this to my daughter yourself."

Carlynne, who had heard part of the conversation, heard enough to break her heart into thousands of shattered pieces. She turned away, trying to stop her tears, but unable to, as she ran crying, into the maze in the garden, where no one but Aven and her could find their way out of, for they had spent hours in it playing, until they could find their way out, and after a few times of getting out successfully, they knew every nook and cranny intimately.

She ran till she was at the center of the maze, where she sank down onto the ground, unable to stop the streaming liquid dripping to the soft earth. What was she to do now? Aven didn't love her anymore, he didn't want to marry her. As a child, she had fantasize about marrying Aven when she was older, but now, her life long dream was shattered, as her heart was, to a thousand pieces. She knew where she would go. She would go to the gardener Ernie's house, and hide there for awhile, while she thought of a solution. She remembered how she and Aven would always run to him, when they found a plant, or an insect, that they didn't recognize, asking him countless questions.

She lifted herself up, and walked toward the gardener's small cottage. When she had reached it, it was nearly nightfall. As she knocked softly on the wooden door, the face of an old man appeared at the window, staring at her. His eyes widened as he saw her, and he hurried to open the door to let her in. She threw herself at the old man's frail arm, and stood there, weeping as he comforted her.

"Little One, I haven't seen you for a long, long time. What made you come to old Ernie here?" The old man with twinkling black eyes, and shockingly white hair asked, as he gently stroked her hair.

"Er…Ernie, A…Aven d…oesn't li…like me any…more, he d…doesn't wa…nt to m…marry me any…more." She said unsteadily as the old man led her to the couch, telling him the whole story, and then giving way to tears again.

"Try to get some sleep, Little One. It is getting late now."

She fell into a troubled sleep a few minutes later. Ernie sat at her side, watching her sleep. She slept fitfully, her face twisting agonizingly a few times, while she uttered Aven's name over and over again. Ernie looked at her, wishing that he could help, even though he knew he couldn't. She lay curled up on the sagging couch, twisting and turning every few minutes.

"The boy is a fool, not knowing how much Carlynne is worth." He said to himself silently under his breath.

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AN: Is it good? Tell me, okay? Please review! ; )

calyn