Evening, Late April, 1890 — Hunniford Home, Bartonburg

Rosalie had waved off all offers for help packing earlier in the day. This was a task that was meant to be exciting and hopeful. The heavy trunks laden with all of her cherished belongings were meant to be packed with the intention of being settled in her home. Not her parents' or the school dormitory's or her aunt's house — hers. Hers and Ezra's. (And his family's, she supposed, but Rosalie had clung to hope throughout their engagement that she might convince him to move into a space of their own.) And now, Rosalie felt nothing but grief as she cleared the space that had been her haven this past month. Nothing but grief and intense loneliness.

Ezra had lied.

Their wedding was supposed to be next week, her dress had been delivered the day before last.

(Were all the plans successfully canceled now? Rosalie had removed herself from the process early on, but now wished she hadn't in favor of feeling some sense of closure.)

The walls were bare now, only the curtains remaining as she packed away her favorite paintings and sketches. Everything — save for the dress she'd wear tomorrow — was now securely in her trunks, for Rosalie knew she would never return to this room. She'd sooner move into a boarding house than breathe the air of this room again. The room where she'd written countless journal entries professing her love for Ezra. The room where she'd buried herself under the covers for weeks following their last argument. Rosalie would die in this room if she remained, she had never been so certain of that.

There was only one last thing to part with, which left her standing in Delly's doorway with her once beloved music box in hand. The box, ornately decorated and still gleaming despite its years of use, was the final gift Rosalie had received from Ambrose. "I'd like to leave this with you, if I could." Rosalie offered in quiet explanation for her sudden appearance. When had she last had a conversation with Delphine? Standing there now, Rosalie suddenly felt as though years had passed since the sisters had shared anything meaningful. "He'd want you to have it."

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Delphine Hunniford

  

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Beautiful set by Bee <3

The past few months had seen everyone in the Hunniford household in a hazy high. Rosie was happy because she was in love. Their mother was happy because her eldest daughter was getting married to a reputable man well off enough that Rosie would be well taken care of. And then Delly was happy because Mother was so focused on Rosie's wedding, Delly had been able to slip through her first season while only a small part of the attention she ought to have been paid. (And obviously, she was happy that her sister was happy). The past few months had been the first time Delly had felt the shadow of her brother's death lifted from the house.

And then she'd gone from that high to not even five minutes later being shoved into the carriage by Momma with a crying Rosie and no one had stopped to tell Delly quite what had happened. The wedding - the flowers, the food, and the musicians - were all canceled. Even worse, Rosie was still leaving. The wedding decorations were packed away and Rosalie's things continued to exist in their trunks and her sister had decided to move in with their aunt. And still, no one had told Delly why everything was happening. The abrupt emotional flip had left Delphine swimming in a simmering, sickening concoction of confusion, anger, bitterness, and something that felt a bit like the world might be ending but she couldn't really put a name on. Despair? A loss of faith? She didn't know.

All she knows is a part of her hated her sister now.

It wasn't even that the wedding was ending. Yes, she hated that her sister was heartbroken. But she hadn't really even known Ezra all that well. That was by no means something that would make her hate Rosalie. It was that Rosie was running away from the consequences of her actions leaving Delly home alone to deal with society's looks and judgments and even worse - to deal with Mother and Father. Did Rosie not see that leaving like this felt like she was losing a sibling all over again? That mother and Father would see it as Ambrose all over again? But somehow Delly thought Mother would take it even worse because this time her child was choosing to leave. That she would see as a slap to the face and that Rosie might as well have screamed at them all that they weren't good enough to help her anymore.

And of course, it was like her thoughts had summoned her sister. She should have shut the door and locked it. Frowning, Delly looked up from her book but remained silent - forcing her sister to speak first. But when Rosie did, what was left of anything good came crashing down and she wished as soon as her sister had tried to come in that she had risen and slammed the door in her face. There was pain. She hadn't been hurt before. Just angry. Rosie was trying to give Ambrose's music box to her. The act of her sister giving away one of her most treasured belongings... it was a goodbye. A final goodbye. She had the audacity to act like Ambrose would want that.

"I don't want it," Delly snipped, anger leaking through her voice Not that she'd bothered to conceal her emotions the past few weeks if Rosalie had ever bothered to look.

  

Rosalie remained in the doorway, the music box now clutched tightly to her chest, staring at her sister in dismay. The furious response was a bit much — bordering on unfair even. Had the marriage worked out the way everyone had hoped it would Rosie would've been leaving in a few days anyway. Delly was always going to be left alone with their parents for the first time in her life regardless. And, while Rosie could recognize that her parents were far more desperate and upset than they would have been in happier times, she simply couldn't accept the guilt of leaving.

Delly was going to have to be alright with this. There was simply no other alternative.

"What do you want, then?" Rosie demanded. "What? You want me to stay here in that room and - " she broke off, biting her lip to refrain from saying something that would see every plan of escape come crashing down. Rosie paused for a moment, her expression hardening as she tried to sort through the swell of emotion rising in her chest. Then, a half a breath later she added in a slightly calmer tone, "I have to go, Delly."

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Beautiful set by Bee <3

Rosalie clearly didn't understand. "Yes! That's exactly what I want!" Delphine retorted, fingers clinching into the leather bound cover of the book in her lap. Her sister didn't get it! Would likely never. Rosie had always been the favorite. The perfect debutante. The perfect daughter. And Delly was just... the odd one. Momma's second one.

She didn't move from the bed. Didn't invite her sister in further than the doorway.

"So you have to leave, cutting any trace of you? A clean break just like his death was? Isn't that what you want?" her gaze narrowed and she slammed the book shut before biting out. "You don't have to do anything, Rosalie. Don't give me that."