THE HEART IS GOLD
Chapter Two

It was a beautiful, sunny day when Celeste awoke the next morning. Her maid laced up her corset, helped her into her undergarments, and styled her long, curly blonde hair in a French bun, making her blue eyes stand out more. She decided to go for a nice walk this morning. She slipped quietly and safely out, glad to be able to get some fresh air. She walked out along the street, coming upon many bustling people. She breathed a soft sigh of relief to be out of that hotel for a little while. She walked farther and came across a bridge that crossed a dazzling river. She looked down and saw fish swimming. She wished she could try to catch one, but knew John and Mother would not approve. She caught sight, in the corner of her eye, of a young man with blond hair staring at her as if in a stupor. She narrowed her eyes, wondering what had caught his attention. He looked to be a bit older than she was. She caught sight of a brown-haired man standing beside him.

"Ah…‘tis like dreams of beauty swarm out before you like angels," she heard the brown-haired one say to the blond-haired. The blond-haired one took a quick look at him.

"Leave me alone, James," the blond-haired one said to the brown-haired, who must have been James. She decided that she had better be headed back now before it was known that she had left. She felt the dazed stare of the blond-haired man as she walked. Hmm…I wonder what his problem is, she thought, and then turned her attention to the road ahead of her. She dreaded turning onto the street back to the hotel, but she knew she had to, or the consequences would be quite harsh.

*****

Celeste quietly opened the door to her room, and relief flooded through her body as she saw that no one else was in there. She sighed softly, sat down in the chair by the wall, and picked up a book. She began reading it. As she was reading, she heard footsteps coming down the hallway, and her heart began pounding harder and harder. She thought that it was John coming after her. But the footsteps walked right past her room without even a hint of it being Mother or John. She gave a deep sigh of relief and went back to reading. She finally decided that she was tired of reading and decided to go out onto the balcony that overlooked the well-kept courtyard. She opened the white doors with windows covered with beautiful, white lace curtains. She slipped out and softly shut the doors. The balcony was covered with an overlapping eave, but she could still see things beyond it. She studied the grass and plants below, examining how the yellow and pink flowers stood out greatly from the purple and blue ones. The grass seemed to be cut down for walking purposes, and was ever so green. It was only the beginning of spring, and everything was in full bloom.

If she looked a little farther out, she could see the docks of Southampton, England, where she, John, and Mother resided. She saw that the docks were barely crowded at all, so she figured that there were no major departures today. She looked and saw the vast blue ocean that sparkled in the bright daylight. She wished that she could go beyond the horizon, just to see what stood beyond it. She had only read about some of those things, like the different countries surrounding her. But one interested her the most--America. She had been told that everyone had freedom there. She wondered if it meant that she would have freedom, beyond the chains that held her tightly. She watched as many different people passed along the road, back and forth. She watched the birds as they flew to and fro, watching how they always seemed to get along. It fascinated her. She thought, as she looked out, about what it would be like if she could escape this loveless marriage. Suicide, she thought to herself. Well, it is the only way out, but…how? Why? She was unhappy. Their was no point in having a loveless marriage. She could also plan on running away somewhere…but that could risk her being found and severely punished by John.

She was rudely pulled from her thoughts by a voice behind her. "Celeste!" she heard the deep, angry voice call. Her heart began to pound hard as she slowly made her way back in. She took her time in walking. She opened the door to find an angry man in her room. John. "Where have you been?" he demanded angrily. His expression scared her as he took her by her arm.

"I…I went for a walk…and I was outside for a minute…" she said timidly. She stood perfectly still as fear spread in her heart and eyes of what was about to happen.

"Did I say you could go for a walk?" His voice struck the most angry note.

"N-no…" she said, barely above a whisper. Her eyes were wide with fear as he tightened his grip on her arm.

"Well, do not do it again!" he said, and finally released his harsh grip, leaving her eyes filled with tears. "We shall go to breakfast," he informed her, giving her a warning look. It was all too much for her to handle! He was mean to her. They walked slowly to breakfast. It was bright outside now, as the early morning had already come and passed. They came to a nicely set table. She felt like she was held tightly by painful chains. She heard her mother continuously talking about the wedding plans and everything. Her eyes suddenly clouded over with tears. She quickly rushed out before anyone could catch her, crying all the way. She ran on, straight toward the docks, her heart hurting. Her life did not seem like it was worth living. She flung herself against the railing that separated the dock from the cold ocean. She sobbed deep, painful sobs and looked at the railing. She carefully placed her foot upon the first rail, then the other, and cautiously made her way up the railing, holding tightly to the pole and rails beside her. She carefully got herself to the other side and held tightly to the railing. She found little footing in the small amount of dock space. She leaned over slightly. It was a long fall. The fall alone would kill her. She leaned a bit further over, thinking. A sudden voice behind her startled her.

"Don’t do it!" the voice said. She soon realized it was the voice of a man. But what did he want with her? She turned, looked at him, and narrowed her eyes. He was the same blond-haired young man she had caught staring at her earlier that day.

"Who are you to tell me what I will and will not do? You do not even know me!" she snapped. She noticed from his voice that he must not be from around here; he did not have an English accent like she did. He had more of an American accent.

"Gosh…sorry!" he exclaimed.

"Go away." She made an angry face at him.

"Come on. Please. Trust me. You don’t want to do this. I mean, I’m sure you have something to live for!" he told her.

She glared coldly at him. "Why should I trust you?"

"Look, that water is extremely cold, it being that winter has just ended. And I really don’t feel like jumping in there after you, but I might have to." He shifted his gaze from the water to her.

"I said leave!" she snapped, but knew he was right. Committing suicide could never be the best idea.

"Come on. Give me your hand," he said softly, his eyes full of concern. He held out his hand to her.

"I’m Sam Dulles," he said to her, taking hold of her hand, which fit perfectly into his larger one.

"I’m Celeste Callie Martha Callister," she told him. She hated her name being so long.

"I think I’m gonna have to get you to write that one down!" He laughed, and she smiled at him. He got her over safely, and she sighed with relief.

"Thank you, Mr. Dulles," she said gratefully.

"Thank you, but please, call me Sam." He smiled.

"All right, Sam." She smiled at him, enjoying his company.

"May I escort you home?" he asked politely.

Celeste frowned at the thought of going back to the hotel. She mostly feared what John would do to her after she had ran out from breakfast earlier. She sighed. "Yes…sure." She forced a smile.

"Gladly," he said, grinning.

He walked her home in comfortable silence. "Here we are. Thank you," she answered softly, showing deep gratitude for his kindness.

"Good-bye. And it was no problem. I hope we meet again." He looked at her, and she saw his blue eyes glowing.

"Yes. I, too…" Her green eyes held sadness and depression. He waved good-bye, and she did the same. She carefully and quietly walked into the lobby of the hotel, her heart pounding. What will he do to me? she thought in fear. She took careful steps towards her room, not making much noise. She shivered, and it was not from the cold. She turned the doorknob, anticipating what was on the other side.

"Celeste Martha Callister!" the deep voice shouted as she walked in. She yelped in pain as he grabbed her by the arm and slung her against the hard wall, crying.

"No!" she screamed, attempting to free herself from his painful grasp.

"Where have you been?" he yelled, striking fear into her heart.

"I…I went for a walk…" she stammered timidly, avoiding his gaze. Oh, why did I have to end up with him? she thought to herself.

"Did I ever give you permission to go for a walk?" he asked sternly, and slapped her across the face, making her cry out in pain.

"John…please…I’m your fiancée…" she said between gasps for breath.

"My fiancée! You are my wife in practice if not yet by law, and you will honor me!" he shouted at her.

"Yes…" she said, sobbing. She could not go on like this…somehow, she was going to have to find a way to break free, but how?

"And stop crying! I will have none of it!" He walked out, slamming the door behind him, and sending a picture crashing onto the floor. She sat there sobbing, wondering what to do. John was dangerous. He was terribly abusing her. At first, she had liked him. But then, after she had accepted his proposal, he had changed his ways. She breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that he had left. She ran her hand over her eyes and cringed when it hit a bruise. She was glad when her maid, Marilyn, walked in.

"You poor dear! What has happened?" Marilyn gasped as she saw Celeste bending over the broken picture, which very much resembled her heart.

"He…he struck me…but please, do not tell Mother…" she stammered between sobs. Marilyn looked at her and gave her a comforting hug.

"I’m terribly sorry, dear. How may I help?" Celeste loved Marilyn’s acts of kindness towards her.

"You can help by removing John from my life." Celeste had a pleading look on her face.

"I’m afraid I will not be able to do that! But here. I’ll help you get this cleaned up." Marilyn gave her a warm smile and grabbed a broom.

"Thank you, Marilyn," Celeste answered, giving a slight smile to her maid. She thought back to her encounter with Sam earlier and smiled. She had never gotten to properly thank him for what he had done. She decided that tomorrow she would try to find him.

*****

Celeste settled into a restless sleep.

She was running, running farther and farther, a blond-haired young man right beside her, gripping her hand tightly to help her get away from John.

"Run, Celeste! Run!" the young man called. She followed his orders, running faster and faster. Suddenly, she saw a dark-haired figure before her.

"Keep going. I will see you through," the figure said. She had no clue who this figure was. She kept running with the blond-haired young man, and screamed as John fired a pistol at them. They both ducked without getting hurt. Fear gripped her heart. John stood taunting her.

But the blond-haired young man said, "Aw…just ignore him. I promise that I’ll get you to safety, where he can’t harm you."

"All right. I trust you," she whispered to him.

*****

Celeste awoke the next morning to find bright daylight shining through the windows of her room. She wondered who she had just dreamed about, and why. She sighed and got up. She awkwardly headed down to the dining room for breakfast. Instead of going there, without anyone seeing her, she made her move and slipped out the door leading to the outdoors.

Chapter Three
Stories