Estelle

Chapter One

10 years later

It was early dawn when Estelle donned a blue-gray day dress, pulled her dark auburn hair back with a matching ribbon, and quietly slipped out of her room. The rest of her family was still asleep, worn out from the long travel. There was no need for her to sneak out of the house as all the servants were aware of her morning adventures. Upon reaching the stables, she found her horse, Luna, already saddled and ready to go. None of the stable boys were in sight, so as she mounted Luna, Estelle made a mental note to thank them later.

Estelle took off towards her favorite place, a small hidden clearing in the woods surrounding her family's property. The clearing was seemingly untouched by man, and had been her favorite place to go since she found it ten years ago by accident. She had spent many a summer's day there, and for all she knew, no one else knew about it. That was her belief until this particular morning.

As Estelle approached the clearing, she heard a whistled melody coming from behind the bushes that hid the clearing. Quietly, she dismounted and tied Luna's reins to a nearby tree. Moving slowly, careful to not make a sound, Estelle crept behind a bush she was able to look through into the clearing. At first she didn't see anything, but then a boy, around 17 or 18 years of age, appeared in her line of sight. He was dressed plainly, with shoulder length, wavy chestnut hair. He was pacing the clearing, whistling a melody that Estelle couldn't place. While trying to get a better look at his face, Estelle forgot to watch her footing when a twig snapped beneath her foot. Struck by fear, she immediately stopped moving and prayed he hadn't heard her misstep. Unfortunately for Estelle, the boy stopped whistling and looked in her direction. She felt that he could see right through the branches at her. After a few moments that felt like an eternity, the boy spoke.

"I know you're hiding in the bushes," he said as he began to pace the clearing again. "Just like I know you come here every morning to watch the sunrise, and you come back when you want to escape."

Against her common sense of not speaking to strange men in a forest, Estelle slowly emerged from her hiding spot when the boy had his back to her. "And how is it that you know all of this?" Estelle stood tall like a lady should, trying to conceal the fear she felt. That fear though, turned into curiosity as the boy turned around to face her.

Estelle felt that she had seen him before, but she had never actually met anyone who wasn't an elite or a servant of the elite. His bright golden green eyes burned into her steel blue ones. Every feature was strong and defined, but soften by a light spattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks. The soft waves of his hair tapered to perfectly frame his face. His lips were thick and full, and a shadow was beginning to form across his jaw as if he hadn't shaved in a few days. Everything about his appearance, besides his clothes, looked like that among the elite, but Estelle decided to ignore the red flag.

"I pass through this area everyday-" his mouth stayed partially open as he debated whether or not to continue to explain himself.

Estelle could tell there was more to his story, but she decided not to pry any further. "What is your name?" she asked trying to maintain a level voice, but her curiosity was starting to get the best of her.

The boy paused for a moment in thought before responding. "Will. My name is Will. Now I believe it is only right for a lady to introduce herself?" he asked with a smirk that was slightly infuriating to Estelle.

Annoyance and frustration began to fill Estelle with this boy's - no, Will's - knowledge of her routine and proper etiquette. With her hands fisted at her side, she tried to maintain a calm, indifferent facial expression and voice. "I am Lady Estelle Lafontaine, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Whitevale." Her answer seemed to have no affect on Will as his smirk remained, and he continued his pacing of the clearing. "Does that not mean anything to you?" Estelle asked, incredulous that he made no response.

"Of course it means something to me. If the daughter of the first advisor and close friend of the king didn't mean anything to me, I'd most likely be dead. So what number child are you in the lineup? Everyone knows Phillip who will inherit your father's title and position, Vivianne who just finished her first Season, and Luc who is labeled as the number one bachelor of the upcoming Season."

Estelle watched Will pace warily, unsure by his knowledge of her father's standing and her older siblings. "After Luc. My Season is next year."

"Ah, so that would make you," his sentence drifted off as he was lost in thought. "Oh! So that would make you the - oh what do you call it - the 'Black Sheep' of the family, right?"

She had heard that phrase before, some claiming she wasn't the duke's daughter. Many believed her mother was unfaithful, and is the daughter of a lover, but their family's standing with the king kept the duchess from being ruined and kept Estelle with her family. Estelle looked nothing like the archetypal Lafontaine look - blonde hair, bright blue eyes, slim bodies with defined facial features. No, Estelle had long auburn hair that flowed down her back in loose curls, steel blue-gray eyes, and a full and curvy figure with much rounder features. Although her father exhibited none of these features, her mother had more blue-gray eyes and naturally loosely curled hair.

Despite her looks, Estelle was the most spoiled and loved daughter of the duke and duchess. She got everything she wanted, but she never came to expect everything she wanted. When she wasn't at her lessons or helping Vivianne as one of her ladies in waiting, Estelle could be found helping the servants around the home. Although told she didn't have to, Estelle would insist on helping, especially if it was her mess. She excelled in her lessons and was the perfect lady, although she was quite adventurous and didn't enjoy being stuck in a place for too long. Estelle would make the perfect wife for anyone who could pay the duke's price.

"Yes, that would be me," she replied quietly, casting her eyes downward to not reveal too much of what she was thinking and feeling.

"Well, little lamb, it was nice to meet you, but I suppose I should get going now," Will stopped pacing and gave Estelle a genuine smile. As he turned to leave the clearing, Estelle called out after him.

"Are you going to come back?"

"I'm sure we'll meet again."

And they did. Every morning, Will and Estelle would meet each other in the clearing, watching as the summer sun turned into the colorful world of autumn. Although they didn't fall in love, Estelle considered Will her best friend and would miss him when she returned with her family to their main residence. As far as she knew, Will was a commoner who lived on her father's lands. In the following months after Estelle's family left their summer home, she realized that she had been developing feelings for Will, but pushed it down as she prepared for her brother's Season and her's the following year.