TWB Prequel Arc Two Update!

Hey everybody, it’s been a while since I posted.

However, here’s a little update. I have been working on the prequel Arc Two story, which was originally titled Relocations and Fortunes. As I was working on this, I realized that it kept getting longer, and the first part of the story—which ended up being about the removal of Emma from her family—ended up growing into its own little prequel arc story.

So I’ve decided to separate it and make two arcs. Instead of the originally planned three prequel short story arcs, there’s going to be four.

Arc Two is now titled Fortune and Family, and it deals with the Turners’ proposal to take Emma away and the emotional journey of the family during that whole experience.

Then, what was going to be the main half is going to be Arc Three, which I’ve titled Living and Loss. This will deal with the story from when Mr. Watson receives the offer for the living in Stanton, two years after Emma's removal, and the family decides to move. The story spans until after Mrs. Watson’s death and will show how each of the Watsons experiences with grief: both internally and externally.

Out of all the prequel short stories, these two are going to be the most emotionally raw. (You may need a box of tissues.)

Even though I’m splitting this into two prequel arcs, I plan to release both before Volume 2. This might push back my planned release date for Volume 2, but you’ll get two emotionally charged prequel short stories while you wait.

Anyway, thanks for sticking with me! Keep scrolling for a little preview.

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Prologue

Omniscient

The Reverend Mr Robert Watson and his wife Cassandra had lived happily on a small income for several years, though the family seemed to grow more quickly than the means to support it. Mr Watson often counted himself blessed in frugality, and she, having endured the consequences of her first husband’s vices, was willing to follow his lead. Mrs Watson was a devoted wife and mother who made sure all their children were seen, heard, and loved—while Mr Watson struggled with understanding and coping with their differing personalities. In addition, each new child brought fresh expenses—their clothes, shoes, and overall semblance of gentility relied on the generosity of the Turners and Willoughbys which galled Mr Watson’s pride and his wife’s independent spirit.

The patronage of Mr Watson’s uncle—Sir Charles Turner, 1^st Baronet of Kyrkelidun—and his brother-in-law, Henry Willoughby—then Baron Middleton, later extended to the Watsons sons and daughters in other ways. In 1782, when Robert Jr turned eleven, he matriculated at Beverley Grammar School—his godfather’s alma mater. A year later, in September 1783, Elizabeth was sent to a girls’ seminary in York, where she remained for the next three years. Though school fees were covered by relatives, easing the family’s expenses, each departure deepened the heartache of separation—especially after Sir Charles’s death, a month after Elizabeth left.

In his will, Sir Charles named Mr. Watson as principal guardian of his children and estate, further adding to the Watson’s domestic duties. With the Briddhalh Willoughbys occasionally assisting with transportation, Mr. and Mrs. Watson could only visit Elizabeth sporadically. Then, in November 1784, the widowed Mrs. Turner remarried Sir Thomas Gascoigne, Baronet, and took her three children to live at his estate of Perlintun. This left Mr. Watson with only the Turner estate to oversee—a burden in its own right, though it demanded less of his time than child-rearing. Yet the separations grew longer: Robert Jr. and Elizabeth spent most holidays at school or with friends, and Mrs. Watson’s bouts of melancholy worsened with their absence.

Mrs. Watson’s distaste for being separated from her children only deepened when, in January of 1786, she was summoned to Perlintun at the behest of Lady Gascoigne. Her old friend was suffering from complications following the birth of her son, Thomas, and longed for the comfort of familiar company. Yet nothing Mrs. Watson could do availed; Lady Gascoigne passed in early February, leaving Sir Thomas devastated. A widower with an heir, he had no intention of remarrying and thus offered to continue raising the Turner children, to whom he had grown deeply attached. However, as there was no mistress or other female relative to oversee the education of the girls, it was decided they would return to Kyrkelidun and, like young Charles, would spend half their holidays at Perlintun.

Mrs. Watson returned home weak and wan; her spirit further diminished by the loss of her friend. That summer, when Elizabeth finally completed her schooling and returned, the Watsons decided to send Penelope to a smaller, less prestigious seminary in Stockton-on-Tees from September, where visits would be easier. But Cassandra’s resilience—already tested—shattered entirely when Emma, their youngest, was permanently removed from their home.

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Copyright © 2026 Eireanne Michaels (Erin Michelle Harris)

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