Against the World

Chapter Two
Just a few minutes in bed, Joan hears a loud knock on her bedroom door followed by James’s, the butler, voice, “Miss Joan, it is time to wake up. Miss Elizabeth will be here to help you get ready for breakfast.” He says and walks off to the next occupant of another room. Joan decides to get out of bed and get ready for breakfast. First, she makes her bed. Then, she goes to her dresser and pulls out a forest green dress that has small buttons from the waist up. The dress forms a small v-neck that shows off her neck and the area around her neck. The rest of the dress stops before her ankles. Her long dark blackish hair which reaches the middle of her back, is tied up in a ponytail. She puts on her brown loafers. She reaches the door to exit her room, but it opens before she can get out.
“Do you always have to do my job?”
“Hey, if I can do it myself, then why get you to do it?”
“Come on, Joan. You have to let me do something sometimes.”
“No, you are my friend, and friends do not make friends their maids.”
“Ah, how your sisters would love to argue with you on that?”
“That’s fine because I’m not them anyways. So, Liz, how has your morning been?”
“Nothing much, I went into town, and it is buzzing with gossip.”
“Oh geez, what now?”
“Well, word has it that the Duke’s son is looking for a wife-to-be.”
“Oh woo hoo,” Joan says sarcastically twirling her finger dramatically. She motions for Elizabeth to exit her room. Once out in the hallway, they resumed talking.
“But Joan, the man, is a god! Any girl who has been with him have had some very interesting experiences in and out of bed. Whoever will become his wife will not have a boring marriage let me tell u that.”
“Ugh, please don’t go into any details of his nightly excursions,” Joan says making a face
“Joan, what do you have against guys anyways?”
“All I have against them is that they treat us girls like crap and expect us to wait on them hand and foot. Besides, I don’t need to get married. I don’t want to be shackle down with anybody.”
“Oh Joan, one day you will change your mind.”
“When pigs fly, ha!”

---
“Good morning, pumpkin, please sit down for breakfast,” Seth McBrody greets Joan as she enters the dining room.
Joan smiles at her dad. She sits down in the seat to the right of her little brother and left of her father, who is at the head of the table, and across from her mother, Uma McBrody.
“Morning, Jason.”
Her brother, Jason, gives a groggy hello all the while staring at his plate sleepily. Joan turns to greet her mother and sisters and sees that her sisters, Clarissa and Penelope, are crowding around her mother’s chair looking at a letter in her mom’s hands. Uma McBrody looks up from the letter and gives Joan one of her ‘good news’ look.
“Good morning, darling, guess what?”
“Morning mom. What’s up?”
“That is not the proper way of greeting.”
“(sigh) Good morning, dearest mother, what a lovely day it is. May I ask what you and my dear sisters are busy reading?” Joan says a little more politely but still having a sarcastic tone.
“Well, I’m in too much of a good mood to scold you about your attitude. We have just received a letter from the Duke, he is holding a ball for his son to find a wife-to-be, and you and your sisters are invited. Is it not wonderful?” her mother exclaims happily.
“Very, mom,” Joan says with a forced smile.
“Oh, now, one of my girls might have the chance to be marry and become a duchess. We will try every which way to make you girls presentable to the Duke’s son.”
“Can Clarissa and I go shopping?” Penelope asks her mom.
“Of course darling. Buy something to make you stand out from those other girls. Joan, you have to go with them, too.”
“Why do I need to? I don’t even want to go to the ball.”
“Joan, it is my duty as a mother to find husbands for you girls. I am most worried about you because of your attitude and personality. If you don’t start acting proper, none of the young men will want you.”
“Well, that’s fine by me because none of them are good enough for my pumpkin, anyways,” her dad speaks up with a wink and smile to Joan but quickly puts on a serious face when his wife gives him a ‘your-dead’ glare
“Mom, why do I need to go? I hate those parties. There won’t be anybody to talk to because most of those people will be too self-absorbed to even get their noses out of their snobby, skinny butts.”
“Joan, watch your words! It is not lady-like to say such vulgar languages!”
“Mom, don’t even try to argue with her,” Penelope says. “Joan is a hopeless case.”
“See! Snobs like Penelope need to go to these functions because they don’t have friends and are boring.”
“Hah, look at the little dork who will never be married!” Penelope counters back.
“Look at the snob that needs a man to do her thinking because she doesn’t have a brain!” Joan shouts back.
“Enough! If you two don’t stop, I will ground you two until the ball!” their mother yells. “Now, you three girls go into town and make sure Joan buys something good for the ball.”
“Yes, mother,” all three girls reply some muttering it.

-----
“Damn it, I can’t believe my mother is actually making me go to this stupid ball!” Joan says to Nathan as they were preparing the horses for the ride into town.
“Good thing, she doesn’t go out of her way to buy a dress for you herself. If she could hear your language now…”
“What’s wrong with this language? I can talk like this if I want to. There is no rule that I can’t stop using them, and there is no rule that I should go to the ball either.”
“Well, there are moral rules against disobeying your mother.”
“I am not disobeying her. It’s just not what I want. I don’t want to be stuck in this
crummy life anymore. The snobs at the party are the other reason I don’t want to be part of this society. What will I actually gain from this anyways?”
“Just see this as an opportunity to see and meet new people,” Nathan says as the last horse is secured to the carriage.
“Yeah, and most of the people are the ones that I least want to meet or to see.”

“Mr. Angle, is the carriage ready yet?” Calissa asks as she and Penelope step out of the kitchen door only to stop on the little patio with steps to the kitchen door and to the stables.
“Yes, Miss McBrody,” Nathan says as he settles the last horse. Joan was about to mount a saddled Terrence when Penelope stopped her.
“Joan, you can’t possibly think to take that animal with us into town,” Penelope says with her nose in the air.
“Who are you to tell me otherwise, Priss Pene?” Joan argues as she mounts Terrence anyways and pats him.
“Joan, get off of that horse right now,” her mother’s voice booms out of the kitchen door.
Penelope gives a satisfied smiled to Joan. Joan just rolls her eyes, dismounts, and turns to whisper, “sorry boy,” in Terrence’s ear. Turning around to walk to the carriage, she gives Nathan a “help me please I am going to be stuck with my sisters” look. Nathan just smiles and shakes his head. After picking up her sisters from the patio because they did not want to step onto the grassy ground, the carriage takes off into town with Nathan as the driver.