"Katrina, what do you believe it is like to be a bird? Is it as freeing as it appears to be?" Isabel asked her maid. She was sitting at her window sill, knees up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. Her cheek rested against her knees as she looked out at a throng of birds flying ahead of the bright, blue background of the sunny sky, a wistful smile on her face.

"A bird, miss?" Katrina asked. She was sitting nearby and mending a tear in one of Isabel's dresses.

"Yes, a bird. They have the freedom to fly wherever and whenever they choose. Yet they also have the freedom to alight wherever they please such as on a tree branch or atop of a house."

Several birds broke from the group, disrupting the cohesion of the aerial dance.

"They are free to explore the world and journey to places whereto even man has not ventured. A truly envious species."

"You do not think yourself free, miss?"

Isabel cocked her head slightly but gave no answer as she pondered the question. Was she free? But of course, she was. She was not imprisoned in a cell. But did she feel free? Certainly not at the moment. In fact, she felt trapped and unable to break away from the unpleasant course her life was heading toward. A creeping realization dawned on her that her sense of freedom had always been just an illusion.

"My person is free and unrestrained," Isabel began, "yet my actions have always been strictly governed by decency. We have all been brought up with the importance of upholding the notions of respectability at all times. But you see, I am also limited by expectations assigned to our gender. As a lady, I am expected to remain modest until I marry and then must bear a son for the sake of producing an heir. Therefore, I do not think of myself as free in the full sense of the word. Certainly not as free as a bird."

Isabel noticed two birds flitting about, twirling around one another in a sort of waltz. She felt a twinge of envy watching them as they swiftly maneuvered through the air.

She had been back with her mother from taking tea with Lady Penbrooke and a few other ladies. The afternoon went exactly as she had expected with her arrival immediately prompting the ladies present to flock to her and congratulate her on her betrothal. However, no one was more delighted than Lady Penbrooke who had, along with her mother, taken the wedding reins out of her hands without further ado. As they discussed wedding venues and invitations, Isabel had sat quietly, offering few remarks and answering when she was addressed. Her cheeks had grown sore from bearing a smile the entirety of the occasion despite the conversation topics leaving an unpleasant knot in the pit of her stomach. The feeling was not made any better from the several cups of tea and cakes she had consumed so as to keep herself occupied. The only solace to have come out of the afternoon was Lord Penbrooke's absence.

A cloak of weariness had draped her body the whole of the day. She could only put on a display for so long before her true emotions surfaced. If only she could escape the fate that had been laid out for her. All of a sudden, a simple idea appeared in her mind.

I am going to run away, Isabel thought but was surprised to hear her voice. Had she unintentionally spoken her thoughts aloud? The words came out in a manner so casual as if she had remarked on the weather.

As soon as she registered what had been said, Katrina's head shot up. She was in such a state of shock that instead of pausing her task she unknowingly drove the needle into her finger.

Isabel was startled out of her musings by her maid's yelp of pain and swiftly leaped from the window to run to her aid. Katrina held out her hand, blood starting to trickle from the perforation.

"Oh, you silly goose, you pricked your finger." Isabel went to grab a handkerchief and returned, kneeling before her and taking her hand to hold the cloth to the bleeding finger.

Katrina regarded her with a face devoid of color and eyes as wide as saucers. She intently searched Isabel's face for any sign that her mistress had spoken in jest but was ultimately dismayed when she failed to find any such sign. Isabel kept her gaze down on the bleeding finger as if wiping any trace of blood was a task that required her full attention.

Katrina had still not spoken, the shock having rendered her unspoken thoughts to lodge in her throat. She opened her mouth to speak but no words emanated from beyond her lips. Isabel finally met the gaze of her horrified maid.

"Oh, do not look at me like that. It is the only solution to escape my impending fate."

"But, miss, the very idea," Katrina spoke at last, finding her voice, "It is preposterous! It- it is inconceivable!"

Isabel stood up and walked over to the window, her hands clasped behind as she watched the world carry on without cease. It was to be expected that such an idea would be met with protest; she would have felt the same had she been in her situation. Though she could not help but wish, as she looked out with hazel eyes that were tinged with melancholy, that she was able to put a pause to it all for just a moment.

"The course of my entire life has been dictated by those other than myself; what I must say, what I must wear, how I must behave and conduct myself. I have always wondered what I would have done had I been allowed to exercise my free will. Or what I would have been able to do, I should say. If we are naturally granted the ability to act of our own volition, why must there be a need to place restrictions? Because society deems it so in the name of propriety? I feel if I marry Lord Penbrooke I will wither in my cage until I become no more but an empty shell of my former self. Therefore, must I continue to live by expectation at the expense of my own happiness?"

Isabel felt an uncomfortable lump form in her throat as she felt her eyes water with an onslaught of unshed tears. She had always known the day would arrive when she would become betrothed but now the realization that she was affianced to Lord Penbrooke had made its tangible appearance as she was hit by its full force. She had felt numb up until now, the impact having effected her emotions to surface with an intensity. Isabel felt her cheeks tickle as the first few tears trickled down. She quickly wiped them away not wanting Katrina to see her in a fragile state.

"But, my lady, where will you go? And how will you leave? What if you are to happen upon someone with whom you are acquainted? What am I to say to your mother and father when they inquire about your absence?" Katrina rambled in one breath, her agitation gradually peaking with each question.

Isabel smiled faintly, still facing the window. A couple of birds had landed on a nearby tree and proceeded to preen one another.

"Despite what you may believe, I welcome your concern with gratitude. You have lent me your ear and have grown to be my closest friend and confidant. But there is nothing that can be said or done that will dissuade me from what I plan to do."

Isabel heard sniffles and turned to find Katrina crying into the handkerchief. Isabel swiftly went back to her friend to bring her comfort.

"My dear," she said while kneeling before her, "it was never my intention to upset you."

"You in- intend to- to make off into the world and- and-," Katrina stammered tearfully before letting out a sob and noisily blowing her nose into the blood-stained handkerchief.

"It pains me to see that I have caused you so much distress but you must understand that I cannot continue to tread down the path that has been laid out for me. Katrina, dear, please look at me," Isabel pleaded.

Katrina was looking down at her hands that had turned white at the knuckles from tightly gripping the handkerchief but she looked up into Isabel's misty eyes. The pure anguish radiating from her gaze slashed Katrina's heart with pain. She truly hated to see her friend in such a way and wished she could somehow lift the burden off her.

Katrina had listened to Isabel's many tirades and condemnations against Lord Penbrooke over the years that she herself had developed an aversion toward a man she had never formally met. He sounded arrogant and disagreeable especially after Isabel recounted what had happened between them at the soiree. Once she heard what he had said and done, Katrina could not contain her anger and let slip a few choice words before profusely apologizing for doing so in her mistress' hearing.

She could not imagine her friend running away into a dark and cruel world with which she was not familiar. But more so she would not be able to forgive herself if her friend entered a union that took away her lighthearted ardor and self-assured disposition. Katrina could not bear the thought.

She let out a heavy and exhausted sigh.

"I do not agree with what you intend to do but neither will I stop you."

Isabel was aware of Katrina's strong reluctance but was grateful for her acceptance, resigned though it was.

"Only promise me one thing," Katrina intently continued, "that you will be absolutely careful and stay out of harm's way."

Isabel took her cold and pale hands into her own and squeezed them.

"I promise with all my heart. And Katrina, I trust that you will not utter a word I have told you to anyone. Not even to the other servants, do you understand?"

Katrina nodded and released her hands from Isabel's grasp before silently returning to mending the dress.

Isabel stood and once again went to her window and sat at the ledge. She felt tired and drained all around but a small streak of excitement coursed through her. Ships in the distance dotted the horizon but she took no notice of them.

The thought of running away had not entered her mind until the words had formed and left her lips. She was not normally inclined to speak without thinking yet the words had slipped out just as naturally as if she had given them consideration.

Isabel brought her fingers to her lips and realized that a small smile had formed. She had thoroughly surprised herself. Shielding her face from Katrina's line of sight, she looked out at the expanse of water, sparkling with the reflection of the afternoon sun. Her head rested on the cool glass and for the first time she broke out into a grin, unable to contain the emotions that were surging up within her. She did not feel the need to question or consider the matter because she had made her decision the moment she spoke it. It was time she took the reins of her life into her hands and live by her own will.

Her head rang and her body tingled with exhilaration and for just a moment she felt what it was like to be a bird.

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Sorry for the late update! I've been planning the course of the story and how the next couple of chapters are going to unfold. I'm also probably going to edit previous chapters a bit more. Hope you enjoyed this chapter though.

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