Authors Notes: It would seem we're getting all kinds of flooding where I live in Kentucky. Be ready for another involuntary hiatus. Just in case. Also George is 5 years older then Violet making him 12.

Safe in Your Arms

Chapter 10

Doctors Orders

Violets POV

I've been alone for as long as I could remember. The orphanage walls were the only thing I had. Even the shoes on my feet or the cloths on my back were borrowed. I gave them to someone else once I grew out of them. I actually don't remember ever being hugged, or kissed, much less said 'I love you' by someone. I actually believed at some point that I didn't know how to love in the first place.

Holidays came and went. I think the only holiday I got to celebrate was Halloween and that was because it was easy to dress up as a hobo and go from door to door collecting as much candy as we could and race back to the orphanage to find a good hiding spot for your spoils. I…had a huge habit of hiding them in the garden and go back out in the night to get some. No one ever found my spot.

I grew dark, and depressed for quite some time. Even the potential parents that came to see me were taken aback by how I looked. How unkempt my hair was, how boyish my looks were. One of them even looked at the caretaker 'we asked for a girl' my hair was tucked under a hat till the caretaker took it from me. I never saw that hat again.

But then it happened…this man…I still can't and don't understand how we found one another. What kept drawing me to him, but every time I look at him, every touch every thought everything that I can see…I feel like I'm home.

As far as everyone else is concerned I don't talk because my heart and mind are to exhausted from the turmoil's of my life before I fell into Sir Percy's hands. I have nightmares of our previous adventures but I think that would be common. Percy is forgetting that I am a very strong girl, and I'm not afraid of many things…but being alone has turned into a phobia of mine. I really didn't expect it to turn into a phobia until he left me alone in the manor. I thought he…like all the other potential parents put me back in the orphanage because of certain things that I had done. I thought he stopped loving me.

Lets just say the moment before he returned I was thinking of suicide. If Percy left me…took me to an orphanage, left me for to long without explanation…I would be dead upon his return…if…he returned.

Without my family I have no reason to live anymore and I wouldn't want to be here anymore.

These thoughts sprang into my mind so many times. I kept wondering if I was crowding him. Staying under foot for to long. I'm sure I was making him angry so on occasions I would stay with one of my three Uncles to try and save myself from being yelled at. I love my Papa…and I know he wouldn't hurt me. I guess…there are things I'm never going to outgrow. I always think I'm going to be hurt again. I always think I'm going to be left behind, I'm always going to be left alone. So I try to stop myself from falling in love, and that hurts me. That's why I don't speak. I'm scared…so very scared that the one family I love more then myself…will leave me alone. I don't know what to do, and the bad part is…I can't tell anyone how I feel.

Authors POV

There she goes again…sitting there staring at her tea. Not only that but she was slouching. Marguerite touched her daughters hand and smiled when she looked up.

"Darling your slouching again. Come…sit up. Ladies must always look there best." She said and helped her daughter to sit up straight and set her tea back down on the saucer which was bright pink with golden edges.

It had been six months now since Violet came to stay with them. Her words still hadn't been spoken. She could tell that it was starting to get on Georges nerves a bit because he swears she talks to her horse. Which wasn't true at all. Her nurse maids would talk to her as if she were talking to them, and on occasions she would hum in the bath. But two weeks ago Percy had been called back to Paris to handle a friend whose wife and six kids were being accused of treason. Violet of course was very apprehensive of him leaving her alone, but once again…she thought he needed the space from her clingy arms. She planned to stop holding his hand all the time, but she was actually very afraid of her surroundings. Nothing here was something she knew. Much less the mannerisms of the 17th century. So she still played the shy little girl until she understood them better.

"Vi what do you think?" George walked over to her and pointed to the giant tree that was placed in the middle of the greeting hall. She had never had a Christmas tree before, and wondered just how they were going to decorate it. She walked around the tree and looked it up and down. It was a good twelve feet tall. Violet was very impressed it made her look like a mouse she thought.

She took her brothers hand and smiled at him.

"I take it you like it then." He said. Being a good five years older then herself he was much used to decorating trees unlike herself.

George heard Violet gasp and looked around at the falling snow. She ran out into the light falling flakes and smiled at him.

"I take it you like snow." Violet nodded so hard her hair fell into her face.

"Violet get back inside before you catch a cold." Marguerite took her hand. She grabbed her brothers hand as they walked back over to the fireplace. George pulled his hand away from hers with a grunt.

"Violet…" He looked down at her. Oh no…he was mad at her again. Now she wouldn't move from the couch again for a few hours.

"George…apologize to your sister. That was very rude. She didn't know you didn't want to go with her."

"Yeah as if she'd ever ask me." George walked back over to the tree and pulled out a few things and began to stick them on the tree. Violet wanted to watch. She got up off the couch and walked over and looked into the box. There were bits and bobs within. Some of which were gold in color or silver bows.

"Are you going to help me or not. Because if your not just sit down and watch." She tried to tell him she didn't know the first thing about decorating a tree. But even if she did tell him…he didn't give her a chance to. He rolled his eyes and walked back around the tree with a piece of gold colored wood in the shape of a bird.

She reached into the box and pulled out something that looked light and simple. It was something that Percy had made Marguerite just before they got married. Violet watched her brother put another onto the tree and then watched Violet as she put hers on. She looked so satisfied with how hers went on and smiled up at her brother.

"You've…never decorated a tree before have you?" He asked. Violet shook her head and looked back around at the ornament and then at her mother who smiled at her.

"Its in a good spot darling. Try some more." It was about that time she gasped. Violet saw the ornament falling and jumped for it since she was closer to the box then the tree. She caught the ornament…and skidded into the tree. George grabbed Violet before the tree fell on her, but the tree was now laying down flat in the middle of the greeting room.

Violet pulled herself from her brothers arms and looked from the maids who rushed into the room and then at her mother and brother who seemed to stare at her in shock. Violet wasn't sure how to take this so she put the ornament onto the floor and ran out into the snow.