Staring at the beautiful view that she awoke to every morning, she dragged herself out of the warm cocoon of her double bed and wrapped her body in an oversized dressing gown. Almost jumping from the height of her bed, she sauntered to her windows, sunlight streaming through the cracks in the tattered, thick curtains. 

After engulfing the room with the bright incandescent rays from outside, her eyes closed from the change, a slight smile crept onto her lips and she breathed in the life of the morning. Her eyes cracked open slowly and were fixed on the beauty that she had seen countless times before but still made her heard pound and her body tremble with anticipation of what the day had to offer.

At the top of the village, on a hill was where the house was situated, with views of the estuary, and flowing fields and hills, wildlife all around her; the sound of the sea birds started her into movement. Hearing no sound from the other occupants of the house she decided to treat her body to a luxurious bath. Water filled the ceramic bowl whilst she let her flowing hair out; tumbling past her shoulders and gently caressing her lower back, her hair naturally wavy, like the water that rippled into the bath. She let her robe slide off her shoulders and fall on a heap to the floor. Stepping into the warm womb of the water in the bath, a sharp intake of breath filled her lungs with the steam, fragranced by the scent of flowers that edged its way through the window left ajar.

The hint of rose and the subtle notes of lavender took her back to being in the arms of her mother, on a hot summers day, with her two older brothers playing cricket on the back lawn, whilst listening to the clucking of the elder women that had been a constant every Sunday since she could recall. Obviously, when she was old enough, she could rejoice in the fact that she could have a seat to her self and join in the debate of what the best way to cook scones were; although she had not cooked anything in her life. It was a matter of etiquette, of course… women like she had maids to do that for her!

Unfortunately, when her mother passed from influenza and her father drank himself to death and the house had to be sold to pay off the debts; all worldly duties fell on her shoulders and she had to take care of the household. Lying in the bath, she comforted herself that she had not a care in the world until her brothers were up. She had at least time to daydream before that would happen. She knew that her brothers had been drinking as they awoke her at some ungodly hour with the shushing and shouted whispers that could only escape a drunken mans lips.

The faint call of the gulls and the lapping of the water against her body made her mind slip into a semi-consciousness where her relaxed muscles sank deep into the bath. Ducking her had under the water, the only sound she could heard from the muffled dense liquid that surrounded her ears was the tinny sound of the drips from the stiff taps. She counted twenty and then sat up in the bath, allowing the water to pour from her tendrils of her hair, washing away the bubbles that were slowly making their way southwards to the water from the soft curves of her body.