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Authors: Jessica Wolf
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Father got it specially made in London.”
Luciana had heard of London before, but she was unsure of the significance. The gleam of pride in Esther’s eyes told her having a barouche made in London was something to be especially proud of. She just nodded and stepped inside, taking her seat beside Jack, and focused her eyes on the distant rooftops of Eastbourne.
The barouche rattled to a start, and the sun warmed her frigid skin. It felt good to be outside again. She’d forgotten how much she’d missed the outdoors.
As they drew closer to town, her head filled to the brim with thoughts and plans. Her surroundings began to disappear as her heart rate quickened. What would Eastbourne be like? Would she be able to find work?
“Where would you like to stop first, Miss Renaldi?”
Luciana blinked. She’d been so lost in her worries she forgot where she was. She furrowed her brow. “Excuse me?”
Jack stared at her with questioning eyes. “On your job hunt? Where would you like to stop first?”
Her eyes flitted between Jack and Reed before resting on Jack. “I thought you had your own plans for the day?”
Jack held a hand against his heart. “And leave our guest out? Hardly. No, we will wait. Won’t we, Reed?”
Reed looked at Luciana. His eyes softened for a fraction of a second before returning to their usual hardness. A flutter arose in her chest, but she stamped it down. What was wrong with her today?
“Certainly,” was Reed’s gruff word of response.
“Right then. So, where would you like to stop first?”
After two and a half hours, Luciana decided it was time to give up. She’d visited nearly every establishment on Eastbourne’s main street and heard the same resounding answer. No. It wasn’t even a polite no. It was a door-in-the-face, hand-in-the-air, tight-lipped no. To say that she was discouraged was an understatement. They had all said the same thing. She was too foreign, too Italian. She shouldn’t have assumed it would be easy, that the first place she visited would offer her a job, but in her own naïve way, she had. No, making her own way in the world required much more work than that. She’d been foolish to think otherwise.
She stared at herself in the washroom mirror of a run down pub. She hadn’t started crying, but tears rested on her eyelashes, ready to fall. She rubbed them away with a groan. When leaving the establishment, she would keep her chin erect and her eyes planted firmly on the door. She would not waver. Doing such a thing was easy to say, but putting it into action was much harder than she’d anticipated. When she stepped onto the sidewalk outside, she sucked in a deep breath of air, letting it stretch her lungs to capacity.
“And?” Jack pushed away from the wall he leaned against. He uncrossed his arms, his eyebrows raised. Reed stood from a bench nearby. Esther held his hand tightly, her lower lip clamped beneath her teeth. Luciana could only shake her head for fear of hearing her voice crack.
“Next time,” Jack said.
She released a deep breath and let his infectious smile rub off on her. Her mouth struggled to form a grin at first, but soon melded into what she hoped was a passable smile. “ Si , next time.”
“Can we show her the pier, Father?” Esther made no attempt to lower her voice, but she cupped her hands over her lips anyway.
Reed looked at Luciana, his shoulders pushed back. “I don’t know, Esther. You’d have to ask her yourself.”
Esther turned her smile to Luciana. “Would you like for us to show you the pier?”
She would gladly take anything to get away from the pubs and shops that had so coldly rejected her. “I would like that very much,” she said.
“Goody.” Esther grabbed Luciana’s hand and tugged her away.
She allowed herself be dragged down the road and around the corner. The brick sidewalk faded away to a wooden walkway and onward to the pier. On the shoreline, people gathered to wade on the edges of the
Luciana had heard of London before, but she was unsure of the significance. The gleam of pride in Esther’s eyes told her having a barouche made in London was something to be especially proud of. She just nodded and stepped inside, taking her seat beside Jack, and focused her eyes on the distant rooftops of Eastbourne.
The barouche rattled to a start, and the sun warmed her frigid skin. It felt good to be outside again. She’d forgotten how much she’d missed the outdoors.
As they drew closer to town, her head filled to the brim with thoughts and plans. Her surroundings began to disappear as her heart rate quickened. What would Eastbourne be like? Would she be able to find work?
“Where would you like to stop first, Miss Renaldi?”
Luciana blinked. She’d been so lost in her worries she forgot where she was. She furrowed her brow. “Excuse me?”
Jack stared at her with questioning eyes. “On your job hunt? Where would you like to stop first?”
Her eyes flitted between Jack and Reed before resting on Jack. “I thought you had your own plans for the day?”
Jack held a hand against his heart. “And leave our guest out? Hardly. No, we will wait. Won’t we, Reed?”
Reed looked at Luciana. His eyes softened for a fraction of a second before returning to their usual hardness. A flutter arose in her chest, but she stamped it down. What was wrong with her today?
“Certainly,” was Reed’s gruff word of response.
“Right then. So, where would you like to stop first?”
After two and a half hours, Luciana decided it was time to give up. She’d visited nearly every establishment on Eastbourne’s main street and heard the same resounding answer. No. It wasn’t even a polite no. It was a door-in-the-face, hand-in-the-air, tight-lipped no. To say that she was discouraged was an understatement. They had all said the same thing. She was too foreign, too Italian. She shouldn’t have assumed it would be easy, that the first place she visited would offer her a job, but in her own naïve way, she had. No, making her own way in the world required much more work than that. She’d been foolish to think otherwise.
She stared at herself in the washroom mirror of a run down pub. She hadn’t started crying, but tears rested on her eyelashes, ready to fall. She rubbed them away with a groan. When leaving the establishment, she would keep her chin erect and her eyes planted firmly on the door. She would not waver. Doing such a thing was easy to say, but putting it into action was much harder than she’d anticipated. When she stepped onto the sidewalk outside, she sucked in a deep breath of air, letting it stretch her lungs to capacity.
“And?” Jack pushed away from the wall he leaned against. He uncrossed his arms, his eyebrows raised. Reed stood from a bench nearby. Esther held his hand tightly, her lower lip clamped beneath her teeth. Luciana could only shake her head for fear of hearing her voice crack.
“Next time,” Jack said.
She released a deep breath and let his infectious smile rub off on her. Her mouth struggled to form a grin at first, but soon melded into what she hoped was a passable smile. “ Si , next time.”
“Can we show her the pier, Father?” Esther made no attempt to lower her voice, but she cupped her hands over her lips anyway.
Reed looked at Luciana, his shoulders pushed back. “I don’t know, Esther. You’d have to ask her yourself.”
Esther turned her smile to Luciana. “Would you like for us to show you the pier?”
She would gladly take anything to get away from the pubs and shops that had so coldly rejected her. “I would like that very much,” she said.
“Goody.” Esther grabbed Luciana’s hand and tugged her away.
She allowed herself be dragged down the road and around the corner. The brick sidewalk faded away to a wooden walkway and onward to the pier. On the shoreline, people gathered to wade on the edges of the
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