"Susanne."

I looked up from the mannequin I was focused on. The worn-out brown measuring tape and the freshly-cut red fabric fell limply as I released two fingers to hold the pins clenched between my teeth to speak.

"Yes, Mistress Gibson?"

My employer, owner of the tailoring and clothing store I worked at, walked out from the front room, and inspected the work I had done on the other mannequin.

"Very tidy," she said, nodding in approval of the stitching, "but forget about the dress Miss Lydia Pierce ordered for the ball next month. Two other orders for baby dresses just came in and they want it as soon as possible. One blue, one pink."

"Baby dresses." I smiled. "I haven't made those in a while."

"Well, you'll be making them in a while," Mistress Gibson replied, taking the red fabric from my hands. "You're already twenty-three this year, you can't expect to stay a bachelorette and work here forever."

"I can't?" I asked. Five years had passed since I left Beardsley, and I've been working at The Gibsons' Tailoring as a seamstress ever since. The couple was old, nearly sixty, so I did the majority of the work since their youngest got married recently and left.

It was out in the countryside, on the border of England, so I was sure I wouldn't be seen by the Beardsleys or Beth and the girls.

I rented a small room in a house shared by many people, mostly old people who I didn't talk to besides an occasional greeting, and I got by well without much socialization nor need to talk to people.

People did whisper about me and look at me, but once I thought of how Clo would snap, or Beth would pout, and Rhiannon would stand there coolly like it had nothing to do with her, I felt stronger and managed to straighten my back.

For work, I sewed and worked behind the scenes while Mistress Gibson took measurements and orders, so no one knew I worked there, to my relief.

"That's not what I meant," Mistress Gibson said with a sigh. She ran her hand through her almost entirely grey hair. "Ever since you started working here our store has received more orders and my husband can rest his back."

"So why?" I asked.

"It's simply that I don't think it's right for you to live like a recluse. You have no family, no friends, no lover, and you don't seem interested in any of those."

"I have friends," I said.

"Yes, you told me the same thing four years ago, but I still haven't seen the shadow of a single friend—"

She was interrupted with the sound of the bell.

"Oh, there's a customer, Mistress Gibson."

"I know, Susanne. Now don't worry about Miss Lydia Pierce's dress, I'll tell you the details of the baby dresses, you can take a rest as of now." She opened the door and then went to the front of the store.

I stood up, and smoothed out the dress on the other marionette.

It was a richly saturated purple, and I knew it would look great on Clo. I wondered how she looked after five years. The others too. Maybe Rhiannon's hair was even longer—if that was imaginable. I had stopped wearing my hair in two braids and instead they were in a simple coiffure.

I hadn't grown taller, but I wondered if Beth did. After all, she was fourteen before. Did she grow out her hair, maybe?

"Susanne?"

I raised my head, not expecting her to be back so soon.

"Is something the matter, Mistress Gibson?" From her expression, it was plain that something, in fact, was.

"It's quite a silly question, but do you perhaps go by a different name? Something like Shuyan?"

At the name, I froze up.

"I don't understand, why are you asking?"

"There's a young lady asking for you."

A young lady?

"I don't," I said. "There's a mistake."

"Shuyan! I know you're in there, come out!"

At the familiar voice, I gasped. Mistress Gibson crossed her arms at my reaction. "I think you ought to greet your guests properly, Susanne."

I stood there for a moment before nodding. She held the door open, and I walked outside.

"There you are!"

At the sight of Beth, I lost my breath.

She was dressed in a brown coat with checkered with red, and she had, indeed, grown to my height. More surprisingly she had grown out her hair. She kept her fringe, but the rest was waved and tied back with a white ribbon, some strands falling to frame the side of her face.

"Shuyan? Say something?"

"I—I'm sorry," I said, suddenly aware of my presence, "Miss Elizabeth Beardsley."

"What did you call me?" Beth folded her arms, in an arm a wrapped package. "I didn't come all the way from Ravensborough to Elmsville just to hear you talk to me like I'm a stranger!"

She walked to me, and I saw her face up close. She had grown even more beautiful in those years: her cheeks were still full, but her cheekbones more prominent, her lips pink, and her figure molded beautifully by corsets.

"I can't believe you found me," I stuttered, every word difficult to come out. "How—?"

"It was thanks to this."

Beth produced the strangely wrapped package from her side. She handed it to me.

"What is it?"

"It's yours, Shuyan." At my bewildered laugh, she laughed a sad, mature laugh that wasn't like her.

"Open it," she said gently, "and you'll see."

With a finger, I gingerly unwrapped the paper that covered it. With each layer I unpeeled, I began to smile, all the while crying.

It was a bonnet.

A very familiar cream bonnet, although now it had yellowed, and the lace was frayed at the edges, but the dairies still had their pearly white color and didn't look a day old.

Yes, they hadn't wilted at all.

"You kept it."

I looked at Beth, and then she looked away from me and sniffed.

"Of course. I treasured it more than anything."

She had indeed matured.

"Clo and Rhiannon treasured their gifts, too, but it was only recently when I realized how important my gift was." She turned to face me again. "I heard of a popular place where young ladies got their ball gowns made. The stitching was familiar, and there was detailed embroidery of flowers and birds as well as flowers made out of cloth, so I knew it had to be you."

Beth laughed, wiping her moist eyes. "It took us five years. Imagine that! I'm nineteen now, nearly twenty! And Mister Kupka is ancient! He's retired, but he comes to visit every so often."

"How else are the others?" I dared to ask.

Especially him.

"Oh, there's so many to tell!" Beth's voice softened as she held my hands, which were still holding on to the bonnet. "Silas and Phillip thankfully left, but Tobias did too. Rudy stayed, though. He's head butler now, but truth is, he doesn't have much of a commandeering presence and Mister Kupka rules from behind the scenes anyway. And Otis—he passed away."

"Oh, my."

"He was such a wonderful man and cook up until the end. Always calming down Mister Kupka if he got mad, cracking jokes to cheer us up. We played cards even when I stopped being a maid, and he treated me no different."

"I see." I looked down, trying to stifle the tears. "I wished I had talked to Otis more before I left."

"Don't be sad—wonderful things happened too. Mother is living with us, and Lady Rachel visits all the time, as Germany has economic issues now. Elias and Mother are always happy together, although she still isn't ready to step back into high society." She was quiet for a while. "And of course, I'm happy to be with them, too."

"I'm glad."

"Oh, but enough about me! Rhiannon and Olive are close too. Olive and Elias went to boarding school, so the house is a bit empty without them."

"And Clo?"

"Oh my, how could I forget? She sworn off cigarettes until you find you again! It's the perfect time to go back."

"Wait—" I drew back from Beth. "Bring me back? I can't go back."

I turned to look at Mistress Gibson, who pretended she didn't care.

"If you've got somewhere to go, Susanne, you can go. I can manage perfectly fine, so don't pity me."

"That's not it," I explained.

"You heard her," Beth insisted. "And besides, I'm not the only one here. There's someone else outside waiting for you."

At that, my heart thudded and my blood grew warm.

"No," I whispered, pushing the bonnet back to her and turning around. "I will not see anyone else!"

"It's only Matheus!" Beth said, "Please?"

I turned around, and then frowned. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Fine."

"Then I'll call him in." Beth walked outside to the store and waved someone in.

Matheus entered, dressed in a grey twill suit, newsboy cap, and looking timid in a store full of pink and reds. He glanced around before his eyes met mine, and then he broke out in the grin I always loved.

"Shuyan!"

He ran over, and was in tears before I knew it.

"That day you left I was devastated! I thought it'd be the last time I'd see you!"

"I'm truly so sorry for it," I said and hugged him. He hugged me back, and I remembered that time we danced during the Christmas ball.

"How have you been?" he asked when we pulled apart. I gestured around the store.

"I've been working here and I really enjoy it; this is the place for me, not the Beardsley manor. Here, my race is of no concern, and I am a nobody." His face fell. "And this is my employer, Mistress Gibson." I turned to her.

"Mistress Gibson, this is Miss Elizabeth Beardsley and Mister Matheus Peterson."

"I take it as you are the butler?" Mistress Gibson asked. At that, the two turned to look at me.

I didn't want to say it, but I smiled and tried to say his name as if it had no importance to me.

"No, he's the valet of Lord Eugene Beardsley."

It still hurt.

"Lord Beardsley!" Mistress Gibson looked ashamed, and then titled her head down apologetically. "I am sorry, it's just been so long since we've heard any news from that house. And yes, I've forgotten the new heir's name is Eugene, and about the case of Miss Elizabeth Beardsley. It was quite the story some years ago."

"Yes, that's me," Beth said, smiling so ladylike you couldn't believe she was the infamous young runaway. "In fact, I'm curious about the new dress designs that are out for this spring. Would you mind showing me the catalogue?"

"Of course."

Mistress Gibson walked away with Beth as Matheus turned to face me. I understood Beth wanted to give us time alone.

"How are you, Matheus?"

"Good and bad. Otis passed away."

"I heard about it from Beth, I'm terribly sorry."

"I see. It's fine, it was a year ago. The only problem is no one can cook like him or joke like him."

"I'd believe so."

"I'm also going bald under my cap." He grinned, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Most importantly, though, the Beardsleys don't have an ill reputation anymore," he began. "They have ladies visit, let people in and out, Master Augustin and Master Valentin have debuted in society, and Lord Eugene has done his best so far."

I turned around, unable to hear anymore.

"Shuyan—"

"No," I firmly cut him off. "I'm not going to return, no matter what."

"You knew I was going to ask?"

"You're Eugene's valet. Of course you would want him to be happy." I thought of the way he spoke to me, a maid, like a friend.

There couldn't possibly be a single member of his staff who didn't want the best for him.

"I'm sorry, I promised." I didn't want Silas to come back and take away all of this happiness Eugene had finally achieved—for both everyone and himself.

"There's no need to fear Mister Silas anymore, Shuyan."

"There is!"

I turned to him, hair loosening with the sudden movement and falling over my shoulder.

I could still remember how that night, five years ago he grabbed me by the face and stared at me with those eyes—those unfeeling, dead eyes. The way he smiled with satisfaction at Eugene's anger, as Tobias cried, as he watched his two brothers fight because of him.

The footman and coachman, and Phillip—his henchmen hiding behind every corner, maybe there was one still one at the Beardsley house.

"Lord Eugene always wanted to know one thing," Matheus whispered, "why you believed in Mister Silas more than Eugene." I froze.

"It's not that I believed in Mister Silas more." I looked at my helpless hands. "It's only that I've being on the edge of Silas's wrath before, and I know how scary it is. Eugene should know too: he had his legs injured by him. Even Tobias."

"And did you think Lord Eugene wouldn't protect you from Mister Silas? That he wouldn't be able to protect someone he cared so much about?"

I looked up at Matheus, and on his face was a soft frown. I suddenly realized how he, too, had wrinkles and grown older.

He was right, too.

Why did I never believe in Eugene?

"Well, it's too late," I choked out. I tried to smile. "I never even managed to let him say what I promised to hear after the Christmas Ball. Even though I wanted to hear it so much." I put my face in my hands.

"I didn't believe in him. I believed in Mister Silas over him. I left him—I broke our promise."

I was sobbing, and Matheus patted me on the shoulder.

"Don't cry. Clo told us what you said, that you believed you were sacrificing yourself."

"It was the closest thing I could've done to ever feel like we had a connection—a connection that wouldn't be taken away by his lover or wife."

"Did you really think Lord Eugene didn't care about you?"

"I—I don't know." I looked up at Matheus.

"He's been searching for you for five years." Matheus suddenly stepped away. "I think it's time you asked him yourself what exactly you are to him."

I stared at him dumbly before Beth joined us.

"Go on, Shuyan," Beth said, her nostalgic cheeky grin back. "You couldn't have possibly thought we came without the rest of them, could you?"

The door opened, and there was a tall silhouette of a girl with golden hair. She held the door open as Clo ran in, and then she hugged me and cried,

"Shuyan! Shuyan, you're here!"

"Of course she is. I couldn't possibly be wrong," Rhiannon said, but she wiped her eyes.

Then he walked in.

The girls parted away for him.

His familiar walking stick was by his side, but he walked with ease. His face was the same as I remembered: gentle and warm.

His eyes marbled green and brown.

Hair still messy.

Smile still childlike.

"Shuyan," he said, and stood there, a few feet away. He opened his arms.

"Master Eugene—" I whispered.

"Come," he simply said.

"Eugene—"

At that moment the gates I created to bar my memories from surfacing broke.

His smiles, our talks, the love I felt—I could no longer pretend I could forget about it.

I could no longer pretend I could live without it.

I couldn't give up on my happiness after all.

"Eugene!—Eugene!"

My feet raced without my command, and then I crashed into his chest.

It was the first time I've let myself go.

It was the happiest I'd been in years.

"The koi fish has swam upstream," he whispered into my ear, squeezing me close to him, "and found his Snow-White."

I cried harder as I held on to him.

I had found the place I belonged to. This time, for sure, nothing would tear me away.

I've returned to my 'happiness'.

THE END

***

If you have read up to here I would like to give you my sincerest thanks. I hope you enjoyed the book and characters as much as I enjoyed writing it! I've never had such a fun time both working with such a setting and era and loved characters as much as these. By now, each of them feel like family. Did you have favorites? 

There will also be three special chapters coming after this in the point of view of some other characters. Take a guess on who will they will be :)