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The car ride from London to Birmingham was long and uncomfortable. The roads were uneven and the driver had to stop every now and then to check on the wheels just to make sure they were still alright. The skies were grey and cloudy and it was hard for Anna to imagine she was attending someone's wedding. 

She has never in a wedding, let along at someone's who she didn't know. 

All she knew about this Grace Burgess was that she was a distant relative of Imogen's. Anna wasn't even sure was Grace blood relative but she didn't ask ― she knew Imogen would have mentioned something if it was important. 

The wedding was really all about relations and manners. Imogen wanted to see how Anna would handle a big event like a wedding. To some this might sound ridiculous and even mean in a way but Anna didn't mind this at all. She actually enjoyed all the fancy things Imogen and her life style has to offer.

But at first, Anna didn't like it a single bit. 

Anna had been terrible at everything and possessed very little if any manners. She would slouch when sitting or crossed her legs very un-lady likely. She would rest her elbows on the table when eating and talked with her mouth full of food. 

With the help of Imogen and several governesses, Anna's bad manners were now history. She did slip into her old habits every now and then but never for too long. She herself wasn't exactly the biggest fan of her poor old manners.

"I haven't seen Grace in years," said Imogen.

The older lady was sitting next to Anna, her hands gracefully on her lap as she looked at the road ahead. 

"I don't even really know the man she's marrying but I heard that he isn't exactly suitable but Grace has always had a mind of her own. Even as a child she was wild and never did as she was told," she continued.

Anna nodded. "You knew Grace when she was a child?"

"I saw her every once in awhile," Imogen said and turned to look at Anna. "But now it has been years. You don't know my relations to her, do you?" 

"You never said," admitted Anna. 

Imogen hummed. "Yes well, Grace is my late brother-in-law's cousin."

"But you must be existed to see her," said Anna and smiled. "She's your family after all."

Family was a strange concept to Anna.

She had once had one but she didn't remember them. She was born to that family but separated from them at a young age for reasons unknown to her. To spare herself from the cold harsh truth, Anna never really sought out for any answers. 

Then she had another family back in Stafford but she never liked them. They weren't horrible like the nuns in Australia but they weren't great either. Sometimes ― before meeting Imogen ― Anna wondered if she had been nicer to the family in Stafford, maybe then Australia would had never happened and that was a world where she would like to live in.

No Spring Fever or nuns.

Anna would had never lost her faith.

"Yes she is," Imogen said. "Are you nervous?"

"Not really," said Anna and shook her head. "I'm more excited, if I'm being honest."

Imogen arched her brwo. "Excited?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I get to meet new people, learn new things. It's fun and exciting," Anna explained. 

"You are a very strange girl Anna," observed Imogen and though she looked serious and unbothered, she was slightly amused by Anna's excitement. 

When Imogen first saw Anna, she was a walking skeleton. Her collarbones shone through her pale skin, her ribs were alarmingly visible and her cheeks were as hollow as they could be. She was sickly disoriented ― the lack of nutritions had made Anna dizzy and confused. She was tired and her big brown eyes looked empty. 

Still, to this day, Imogen couldn't understand why she took such likening in a girl like Anna. But she did and with all pure intensions in her heart, she decided to help the orphan girl. For her surprise, Anna possessed needed manners when she was taught those. She was a girl who learned fast and it was clear that she had wit and brain. 

Now Anna's been in Imogen's care for almost two years and the sickly young girl Anna once was, was now gone and a confident young woman had taken her place. Anna still had a childlike mind though and while it wasn't exactly what Imogen had hoped for, she didn't try to get rid of that ― she found Anna's childless manners rather sweet. 

But she wasn't going to let Anna know this ― she thought perhaps the girl might forget all that she has learned over the time. 

"Have you ever been in Birmingham before?" Anna asked after a moment had passed. 

Imogen shook her head gracefully ― just like she has thought Anna to.

"I have not," she also said.

"Me neither," said Anna with a nervous smile. "I think this will be fun, and educational."

Imogen smiled a thin lipped smile but it was still a genuine one. 

"As much as I love that you are taking all this so seriously, you don't need to do so all the time," she said. 

Anna was aware of how committed she was to Imogen's studies. At first it was because she was slightly intimidated by Imogen. Then because she was scared that Imogen might see that she was a hopeless cause. Now it was because she was used to it. She was used to sit up straight, keep her elbows from the table and speak with polite but short answers. 

"I know," said Anna. "I just can't help it anymore."

The fear the nuns in Australia had set in her was one of the many reasons why Anna was so obeyed ― the consequences of disobeying in the nunnery were painful and had left several marks on Anna's skin. 

Over the time Imogen has known Anna, she has tried to understand and learn what Anna has endured over the time of her short life. Anna spoke about her past with vagueness and always assured Imogen it was not important. 

Also, Anna didn't quite remember everything and that was Spring Fever's fault.

Spring Fever had taken the best of her and left her a shell of a human ― then Imogen came to her rescue. 

At first, Imogen's intensions were to have an heiress to leave her fortunes to but she had grown to like Anna over the years and now Anna wasn't a project of hers anymore but a goddaughter, a granddaughter even.

"The wedding is in two days, correct?" Anna made sure she had understood everything correctly. 

"Yes," said Imogen.

"And do you know this husband of Grace's?"

Imogen sighed. "No I do not but from what I've heard, he isn't exactly who Grace's family wishes her to marry."

"What is he like? Do you know?" Anna asked.

"Well don't you have questions," said Imogen and arched her brow. 

Anna shrugged. "I am only evaluating what's to come. Research."

Imogen smiled rather proudly ― she has thought Anna well.

"This man is a well-known gangster or something like that, a brutal man to be honest. His entire family is like that. I honestly don't know what Grace is thinking of when marrying this man. But they do have son already, he's two years old so I imagine they are just doing the right thing for the poor bastard," Imogen explained. 

"They have a son?" Anna repeated. 

"Yes," said Imogen and shook her head disapprovingly. 

"And the rest of his family?" 

"I understand that they aren't any better than this Thomas Shelby Grace is marrying. Thomas has this company he runs but I've heard some rather nasty things about it and that there's some side businesses as well, illegal ones. Of course all of theses are just rumors I've heard but I quite believe them."

Anna frowned and turned to look out from the window. "Then why on earth is Grace marrying him? I mean, sure they have their son but Grace comes from a good family. She's disappointing her family by marrying him, isn't she?"

She didn't understand how someone would want to do that ― disappointing a family. She would give anything to have a family and disappointing them would never even be an option. Anna did consider Imogen as family but she was more like her fairy god-mother.

Imogen gave her a home, gave her a better life and Anna couldn't be more grateful. 

"I am as interested to know as you are. I think Grace believes in love and all that nonsense," Imogen said.

Anna knew nothing of love. She has never had it in her life. She did love Imogen but it was different love than one must have for their family and significant others. The love Anna has for Imogen is one based on trust and second changes. 

She knew nothing of a parents' love ― she has never had that. She can barely remember her time with her adoptive family let along her life with her biological family. She didn't remember her real family at all actually ― she didn't even know their names. When she left the nunnery in Australia, she thought about finding her biological family but she had no leads, no information. 

"You don't believe in love?" Anna wondered.

"I do believe in love, Anna. I loved husband but I believe love has boundaries. I believe you love the right person and let me tell you, this Thomas Shelby is not the right man for someone like Grace," said Imogen coolly. 

Anna nodded ― she understood what Imogen meant. 

"Then we should hope that Grace sees her error or that Thomas Shelby is actually not that bad," said Anna and turned to look ahead. "So it's Grace's family and his? At the wedding I mean."

"Yes and then some of their friends."

Anna just smiled tiredly before leaning her head against the car and closing her eyes. 

The next time Anna opened her eyes the car had already stopped in front a big house. The light felt uncomfortable and too bright against her eyes and she had to blink several times before she was able to really see anything. She turned to her left to see the door on Imogen's side open and the woman was already outside and waiting for her.

Anna gathered her coat from an empty seat before getting out and walking to Imogen.

Imogen had rented a house, more like a manor, just outside Small Heath. She was not too keen into the idea of spending the next few days in an Inn. Anna wouldn't had minded staying in an Inn ― she used to live in the streets ― but she did like the manor Imogen had rented for them. 

It was huge, way too big for two people and the staff that came with the manor. 

"You can go and pick out a room of your liking. I will have someone send your trunk there," said Imogen.

"Okay," Anna grinned before running the big staircase up to find herself a room. 

After looking into several rooms, Anna chose a room looking over the small but beautiful gardens. She has always found nature as something calming. Even when she lived in the streets with no money or food, she would find some joy whenever in nature. 

Once Anna's trunks were brought to her room, she unpacked everything. She was still amazed by the amount of materialistic beauty she owned now. She had dresses for every hour of a day, sometimes even two dresses for an hour. She had sparkling jewelry and tiaras, silk gloves and fancy shoes with heels.

There was a point in Anna's life when she owned just one item of clothing, a dress which had moth eaten holes and looked more like a potato sack than a dress. 

"Anna?" Imogen knocked on the door. "May I come in?"

"Sure!" Anna called while neatly placing her clothes into one of the closets.

Imogen frowned when she stepped into Anna's room. "You know the help can do that."

"Oh I know, I just like to do it myself. I'm sure they have more important things to do than unpack my trunks," explained Anna.

Imogen wasn't a rude woman who didn't appreciate the help ― she appreciated them highly and was a good mistress to them. Anna however felt odd whenever using the help. She used to be help. In the nunnery she used to help around a lot ― she never really had a choice. If she refused, the nuns would make sure she remembered to obey the next time. 

"Alright then," said Imogen. "I have something for you."

She handed Anna a small box.

"What is this?" Anna asked and took the box.

With a small smile across her lips, Anna opened the box and saw a sparkling pair of earrings. She sighed, she thought it was too much. Everything Imogen has ever given her was too much ― Anna thought of herself as a very moderate person. 

"For the wedding," explained Imogen. 

"But I already have a pair, more than one," said Anna. "I don't think I can take these."

"Anna darling, all of this, everything that I have is going to be yours one day. You can accept a pair of earrings and I hope one day you will accept my entire fortunes," Imogen explained.

"I know and I still find it very hard to believe that someone would do that for me," said Anna and turned to look at Imogen. "But thank you."

Imogen smiled at Anna. "I like to think that I have a good judge of character and when I first saw you, all starved and tired in the streets, I knew you could inherit the Bernard name."

"I have asked this many times, but why?" Anna asked, her big brown eyes wide. 

"You have seen life and the world the way many will never. That makes you smarter, more mature and kinder than anyone else I would even consider giving my fortunes to. I trust Anna, you have come a long way from the girl you were."

Anna chuckled. "Well that's true. I remember you calling me feral at one point."

"You did curse like a sailor," Imogen remind Anna. 

"I did, didn't I?" Grinned Anna.

Imogen nodded. "Alright then. I have to go and see that everything is in order, I was wondering if I should invite Grace over before the wedding or after. Oh and dinner should be ready in an hour."

"Okay," said Anna and flashed her smile once more before Imogen left the room. 

She was excited for what's to come.