Sarah's Roses, Book I: Roses of Blue

Chapter XVII

Chapter XVII

October 15th, 1856. Oxford, England.

Dear Sarah,

Thank you so much for your letter and for all the wonderful news from home. Oxford is certainly different from our plantation and it might take me a while to completely settle down and get used to my surroundings. Still, I find that I am getting accustomed quite quickly to life here. The truly strange thing is the British accents that constantly surround me. I have a lot of classes and hardly any free time to do interesting things, which does not leave me as happy as I could be. I hope to be able to make a trip to London as soon as possible, if I manage to find a moment to myself that is. The voyage to England wasn’t quick enough. I find I have neither heart nor stomach for sea and could not wait to get off the blasted ship! I miss you and Uncle and Aunt, inform them I shall write them shortly. Of course I miss Priscilla Thompson too, pass on greetings from me. I hope to be able to write her as well, though perhaps it would be considered improper. Well, I must end this letter.

I hope you are in good health, please write to me and keep me informed of life on the plantation.

Yours affectionately,

Jeffrey Greensten.

“And he calls this a letter?” I grumbled to Sammy, waving the pathetic piece of paper in the air. “This random collection of sentences on a feeble sheet? The boy is halfway across the world and he can’t even fill me one complete page. Does it even cross his mind I want to know details! Goodness, I…” My voice suddenly trailed off as I caught myself before blabbering that I got more information from the letter Albert had sent me.

“You?” Sammy looked at me with raised eyebrows.

“I…I filled up nearly five pages, writing on both sides of how life was going here,” I quickly found a different subject that still had to do with Jeff’s letter. “If you notice, the only reason he almost filled a page was because of his handwriting, write a little smaller than this and it won’t even be half a page.”

“Sarah, stop exaggerating.” Sammy laughed. A noise from the house made him jump up and assume to be tilling the ground under the rosebushes. I looked up and stiffened; Aunt Helen had just entered the garden and was walking up to me.

“You got post from Jeff?” She asked once she was near me.

“Yes Aunt.”

“What did he write?”

“It was a very short letter, he wrote that he is well and settling in.”

“That is all?”

“He also mentioned he will write you and Uncle Andrew when he gets the chance.”

“Is that all?”

“Just about, if you wish, you may read the letter.” I handed the letter to her. Aunt Helen gave a crisp shake of her head.

“I don’t read letter addressed to other people, it is bad manners to do so!” With that she turned and left the garden. I allowed myself to relax and let out a long sigh of relief. “Thank God, it went better than I thought.”

“What do you mean?” Sammy came back and seated himself on the bench.

“Jeff wrote me first and not Aunt Helen, I was afraid she might be mad at me because of it.”

“Why is it that you are so afraid of your Aunt?”

“Trust me, if you knew her the way I do, you’d be afraid of her too. That woman has nerves of steel and a sharp tongue she’s not afraid to use!”