Forever Begins Somewhere

I'd like to tell you about mine.

I'm Justine. I love flowers (especially roses), English sunsets, rainstorms, and Lucas (of course). But that’s not where my story starts. It begins in a small country town in 1789, on a family estate like many others.

It was lonely. No servant girls my age, no neighbors with whom to play… But I had my nanny, Sophia. She made the sun shine on rainy days and mediocrity feel like splendor.

Father strove to build our social standing because he wanted more for me than what life had handed him. Unfortunately, he also locked me away from the world.

He rarely spoke of Mother, and then only in passing. It could not have been easy, for contrary to popular beliefs of the day, he never expected to see her again. Nor did I.

Attendance at church was a show. Father had a standing in the community which must be maintained.

I love him. I think of him often with a heavy heart. He was my first and most constant influence.