In the past of Kayleigh Brown of Derry

Sitting on the edge of the small bed, Kayleigh let gravity weigh her down, and flopped backwards, laying on the bed with her arms outstretched. She had so much to think about.

When she was younger, she grew up in a loving family, her father adored her. She was his first-born child and spent most of her life enjoying more freedoms than many other girls of her own rank. Part of the reason for this was she was the only child his first wife had bore before she died, when Kayleigh was four, in childbirth. Kayleigh's current mother loved her as if she were her own daughter. Because of the necessary period of mourning, courtship and then marriage, it meant that Kayleigh's father and step- mother, when their first child together was born, had an age gap of six years younger than Kayleigh.

Kayleigh was delighted to have a little sister. In time more children were born, but it was only the last pregnancy that gave her father twin sons.

In all the time before he had a male heir, her father treated Kayleigh more like a son than a daughter, but not in all aspects. She learned to use her mind to think more critically about things than was considered appropriate for a woman. She had a much deeper knowledge of book-learning as well. Her father had even encouraged her to exercise moderately (he had drawn the line at learning how to use a rapier), and she knew practical skills such as how to start a fire and how to ride a horse.

With her father's death, in this life, all her freedoms were being taken from her one-by-one. It felt to Kayleigh both repressive and depressing.

In her previous life, she had lost her chance to finish college, and had her life taken from her in one fell swoop. In this life, the body that bore the same name as her previous one, was no less better off. The happy home was ripped apart, the sadness that she felt at losing her father lingered, she could not even have the comfort of mourning with her mother and siblings.

She was viewed as a problem to be handed from one man, to the next. She had a very high likelihood of an arranged marriage to a man she did not know and would possibly never like.

The more Kayleigh thought about her situation, the angrier she got over the unjustness of it all. If she had died and been given another chance, she should not waste it. She should think of some kind of plan. If Kayleigh was to ever marry, she believed it should be because she wanted to.

Kayleigh took a deep breath and sighed it out.

'How am I to pull off some scheme like that?' She wondered.

At twenty years old, in a world were most girls got married at fifteen or sixteen, Kayleigh had long taken her single status for granted. She would have thought her title of 'spinster' as set in stone by now, but she had not taken her natural beauty into account.

When she was younger, her beauty had not gone unnoticed. She was courted by a young man, who her father approved of. His family approved of her as well. But they never got married. At the time Kayleigh didn't love him, but he loved her; or rather loved her beauty. She was sure she would have no choice but to marry, that she may as well just marry the young man.

Kayleigh was sure she could have had many a worse man to marry. The young man was nice to her, brought her small gifts, he would give her a comfortable life and her father always told her stories of his good virtues. But it was never to be, a week before the wedding, the young man was killed. He was hunting in the woods, when he startled a white stag, who killed him. The man had his heart pierced, as well as other places on his ribs punctured by the large antlers of the white stag.

And so, the young man was buried in the ground on the same day he should have been getting married.

Between the date of his burial and the manner of his death, there was much gossip and speculation about events. Very soon rumors spread about Kayleigh. It was whispered that a fairy king had seen Kayleigh's beauty and wanted her for himself. Upon finding out her engagement, the fairy king changed himself into a white stag and murdered her fiancée. It was whispered that he still watched Kayleigh from afar and would kill any man who attempted to marry Kayleigh.

In all the years since, no man had ever shown any interest in marrying her. When it came to interacting with men, all the men she knew, or was acquainted with back home, took great pains to make sure she never mistook any of their interactions for something romantic.

Kayleigh felt like this security of her rumour safety blanket was now removed and left her feeling exposed.

'How am I to get out of any matches suggested to me or marriage offers given to me?' She wondered.

Here, Kayleigh was among strangers, and everything was new and foreign to her.

A sound of a knock took Kayleigh from her thoughts.

'Was that someone knocking on my door?' Kayleigh wondered.

The knock sounded again, louder this time.

Kayleigh got up, went to the door, and opened it. On the other side was a girl of about twelve. She held a tray covered in a light, white cloth. Kayleigh could see the steam rising from beneath it.

"Mrs. MacConnell said to bring this to you, Miss." The girl said.

"Ah! Thank you, and please also thank Mrs. MacConnell for me." Kayleigh replied, taking the tray carefully from the girl's hands.

The girl did a quick curtsy and left. Kayleigh closed the door and set the tray down. Then she lifted off the white cloth and began to eat hungerly.