The first though was to hire someone specialized to find Frances Belmont until I realized not a soul should know of my true parentage. No one could be trusted with this secret, when too many people already knew and were so anxious to bury it. I had to gather the information I knew and make the most of it. First he was a writer so it could not be so hard to find him in London in the land of newspapers he was bound to have a mention somewhere. Some trail left behind of someone who knew him as our parish priest did seem very convinced the man would not have moved away from here. There was bound to be a corner of this city he was at but from his origins I did not expect to bump into him where my aunt lived so I went away.

The grey dirt war zone streets of London were nothing compared to the glory I had last looked upon. I searched minutely for a newspaper, a bookstore, or anywhere where I might find writers who could point me towards Frances Belmont. Yet my completely distracted cousin could not stop talking dragging me all too quickly along the streets for me to the next store front she found of interest.

"Cousin we are almost there! Do you see it?" She perturbed me with too much enthusiasm when I was doing something by far more important than just looking at things to buy.

"Angelina please. Stay put for one second!" I whined looking at the other side of the street where I thought I saw a bookstore but was mistaken.

"No! Just come this way! I saw a necklace please..." She begged me by the hand as I tried to make out the name of the bookstore.

"No let's go to the bookstore," I sighed frustrated.

"There are far too many books at home why would I ever want to go there? Look I see some bows over there!"

"Wait!" I said as she hurried down the busy streets of London.

"Come I can already see it from here!" She shouted running in front of me and when I looked again she disappeared.

"Angelina? Angelina? Angelina!" I panicked for having lost my cousin as shopping stores seemed to appear all at once together. "Oh dear God where is she now?!"

"Miss watch out!" A voice came a bit too late as someone carrying newspapers almost trampled me over and I took myself out of the way by slamming my back to a building wall.

"Do watch where you are going!" I told the youngish man riding a bike in a hurry who then stopped abruptly letting his stack of newspapers fall.

"Bloody murder." He mumbled looking at his papers. "Mind helping me with the papers milady or is your dress too dusty now?"

"Me? After knocking me to a wall you dare ask without as much as an apology for help? Mind your own papers you brute."

"You were the one standing in the middle of the streets."

"And?!"

"And there's not a scratch on you so what do I owe the apology to?"

"I hope your papers all fly away!" I told him and just then it began to drizzle.

"Witch," he called me.

"A witch can still have manners unlike you!"

The young man huffed and puffed picking up his newspapers. I turned every which way looking for Angelina as the street began to clear out because of the rain.

"Angelina? Angelina!" I feared.

"Aren't you going to get out of the rain?" He bothered me.

"The street is not yours sir. And I have to find my cousin so I shall stand in the rain until I do."

"Then stand in the corner where you'll be less of a nuisance."

"Do not tell me what to do."

I slowly walked away from the middle but not to the corner like he told me to. Still looking for Angelina and when I turned back there he was with his bike, drenched hat, and newspapers.

"What are you doing?" I thought him gone.

"You need help finding your cousin."

"I do not and stay away from me, I shall find her alone."

"My, my, by all means, do it yourself, at least it won't be on my mind that I offered no help."

"How gentleman like," I smiled sarcastically.

"Yes you are." He said it back and my eyes looked like they were about to walk out of my face from how shocked I was at his insinuation.

"I would answer you but seeing your newspaper get drenched will have to be enough."

"And seeing you get rained on will have to be enough for me then."

"It would be if I didn't love the rain. I am not the one running for cover here." I showed him how well I could stand in the rain for it reminded me of Whitby and great memories.

"I hope you catch a cold."

"I won't. Goodbye." I waved with a smile at him and he went away with his bike at last.

Eventually after a couple of stores I did find my cousin who was completely unaware of the trouble she put me through but I still needed her company as an excuse to go out so I let her off with a warning.

"Now make sure your mama does not see me like this or she'll ask questions and you'll never be able to go out with me again." I warned her.

"It won't happen again I promise."

My cousin said and I sneaked upstairs to the room where I undid my own hair and brushed it to hide the fact I had stayed out in the rain. I warmed my dress by the fire then waited for a maid to come help me out of my dress.

*

The next day I had a different approach to looking for Frances Belmont thanks to the newspaper fiasco the previous day. I would buy a newspaper and ask for his name. The second day did not turn up any news either, nor the third, fourth, or fifth.

Once again I got ready and told my aunt that Angelina and I would be going for a stroll in the park which she approved the idea as for the bachelors who often perused there too.

"Oh let me see the news here," I told Angelina.

"The news? Didn't you read it at home in the morning?"

"Yes I did but this is a different one, now come on." I pushed her over to where I needed to go and bought one.

"Thank you," I said and seeing as she was distracted looking at other girls passing I asked the man, "by any chance do you know of a writer called Frances Belmont?"

"No Miss I ain't know such a fella."

"Thank you," I opened the newspaper and looked for his name everywhere but didn't find it.

We searched for so long Angelina began to drag her feet and sigh and look out into the stores longingly wanting to be anywhere else but with me.

"I am so hungry cousin, may we go home?" She pleaded after a fruitless day without getting one piece of news that was worth following to Mr. Belmont but I still had it in me to walk a little more.

"Please?"

Just as I was about to say no and deny her right to food I saw the same bike who bumped into me coming down the street our way.

"Yes of course, let's go home, we have had an invigorating walk today."

"Invigorating? Not even our servants walk around this much," she complained squishing her feet in and out of her shoes.

"You are far too young to be complaining about proper exercise, now come let's walk home quickly."

"Oh no! No more walking, I shall faint! Pay for a carriage to take us back. Or I will faint in the arms of the next handsome gentleman that passes us by." She put her hand to her forehead reciting a dramatic line worthy of a stage.

"Do not dare or I shall never take you out again." I pushed her through the streets till we were to her home and even my aunt was already waiting for us to change for dinner as we'd been away for too long.

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No part, character, names, plot, setting, conflict or resolution, point of view, theme or symbolism of this story may be replicated.

Copyright: All Rights Reserved to A. Sena Gomes.