Lily
Lily adjusted her position on the couch. The doctor assured her that Leo would be fine, but she couldn't help but worry. What if he suddenly became worse? What would the doctor do then? She stood up and started to pace.
A little girl and little boy ran in a moment after.
"You can't catch me!" The little girl called behind her.
"Are you sure about that?" The young boy crouched down and swept the little girl off her feet, spinning her in his arms.
The little girl squealed in excitement.
Lily smiled as the two played.
"No! Isaac! You're not supposed to do that!" The little girl yelled.
"Then what am I supposed to do? You told me to start sneaking up on you at this part!" The boy, Lily assumed was Isaac, said.
“Olive, Isaac, you better not be fighting. We have a guest.” A woman said from the doorway.
Lily assumed that was the childrens’ mother.
Both children turned their gazes on her.
Lily smiled. “Hello.”
Isaac gasped. “You are the lady Xander came here with!” he pointed out.
Lily nodded. “My brother hasn’t been feeling well, so I am staying here until he is better.”
"Is your brother sick?" The little girl, Lily assumed she was Olive, asked.
"Maybe. He hasn't been eating a lot for the past fortnight." Lily stood up and sat on the floor next to the children.
"Why?" Isaac asked.
"Our father died. He's been so sad that he couldn't eat." Lily explained. Just talking about Father choked her up.
"That's sad." Olive slouched and pouted her lips.
Lily nodded. "What are you children playing?" She asked, changing the subject.
"We are playing catch the thief!" Olive sat up straight.
"Oh? And who's the thief?" Lily asked. She could tell these children were going to be an absolute joy to be around.
"I am!" Olive stood up and pointed at herself. "You and Isaac can be the officers!" She walked over to a small side table. "I have to steal this bracelet to win." Olive explained.
Lily laughed softly.
Olive smiled. "You and Isaac have to stop me!"
Lily stood up. "Alright, where should we start?" She asked.
Olive pointed at a door on the other side of the sitting room. "Over there. I start in that hall." She pointed to the hall next to the sitting room entrance.
"Come on, er…" Isaac looked at her in confusion.
Lily knew what he was wondering. "You children can call me Lily." She said.
Isaac smiled. "Come on, Lily! We are going to win!" He guided her to the other door.
"Not if I win first!" Olive called, running down the hall.
Lily was right. These children are an absolute joy to be around.
"Goodbye, Miss Clover. I hope you can come back some time. The children loved having you around." Mrs. Cooke said at the door.
"I loved being around them. They are the definition of pure joy." Lily smiled.
"And as for Leo," Dr. Cooke added. "Make sure he is eating small meals this week, then you can start to gradually increase the size until he is eating a proportionally sized meal." He explained.
Lily nodded. "Thank you ever so much. I have no idea what I would have done without you." She wrapped her arm around Leo's shoulder.
"That is what I do. You are welcome to come visit anytime you like to have me check on him." Dr. Cooke smiled.
"Thank you. I will." She looked down at the little children.
"Bye, Lily! It was fun playing with you!" Olive waved at her.
"Goodbye, Olive. I hope we can play our game again soon." She smiled at the girl.
Olive smiled, then ran into her, hugging her legs. Well, attempting to, she mainly laid against Lily's poofy dress.
"Bye Lily! I liked having you on my team." Isaac said.
"Thank you so much for letting me stay." Lily looked up at Dr. Cooke.
"Anytime. Have a safe walk home." Dr. Cooke said.
"Thank you." Lily grabbed Leo's hand, and started walking down the street. Leo seemed pretty tired, so she picked him up, keeping the conversation to a minimum.
"Lily?" Leo asked.
"Yes, Little Lion?" Lily asked.
"I'm tired, and hungry." He complained.
"You can rest until we get home. I will have Cook make you something to eat." Lily rubbed her hand on Leo's back in circles.
He made a noise of acknowledgment, then quieted down. Lily assumed he fell asleep.
She turned a corner, and neared the bakery. She saw Mr. Brooke locking up. He had been nice enough to help Leo get to Dr. Cooke super fast, but she was still skeptical of him.
She slightly sped up her pace, and walked towards the bakery. The faster she was, the faster she could get home.
"Miss Clover." Mr. Brooke looked up as she neared.
Ah, (curse). "Mr. Brooke." She greeted. She continued walking.
"How is your brother? Is he better than yesterday?" Mr. Brooke asked.
Lily groaned inwardly. "Yes. He is fine. I need to get him home so he can sleep. He is very tired." She didn't turn to look at him, or stopped walking.
Mr. Brooke didn't say anything.
Lily stepped up the stairs to the front door, and Mr. Garret opened it for her.
"Welcome Back, Lady Clover. Miss Clover is in the dining hall." He said.
"Thank you, Mr. Garret. Will you tell the nursemaid Leo will be asleep in his bed?" Lily asked.
"Of course, Lady Clover. Would you like me to carry him to his bedchamber?" Mr. Garret suggested.
"Oh, I would like that very much. He has slept on my shoulder the entire way home." Lily carefully handed Leo over to the kind butler, and watched as he took the small boy up to his rooms. Lily took a deep breath, then walked into the dining hall.
"Good afternoon, Lily." Rose sat in her normal seat at the dining table. A plate of her favorite meal in front of her.
"Good afternoon, Rose. Did Mr. Brooke treat you well?" That had been worrying Lily the entire time she was at Dr. Cooke's house.
“Yes. He asked a lot of questions on our way here.” Rose said. She pushed her plate away from her, and stood up.
“What kind of questions?” Lily asked.
“Stuff about our family, and about Leo.” Rose said as she walked out of the room.
Lily nodded. If Rose wasn't worried, then she didn't have to be. She walked out of the dining hall and up the stairs to the mistress’s rooms. Lily was given the house mistress rooms after Mother died. Mother died two years after Leo was born due to (whatever sickness), which left Lily to fill the role of mother for her siblings at the age of fourteen. Six years later, Father had died.
She opened the door connecting the master’s rooms to the mistress’s, and looked around. The bed was neatly made, and everything was organized. A small box laid on Father’s bed. He had set it there the day he died. It hasn't left. Lily stepped towards it, her curiosity getting the best of her, and opened the small box. A gold necklace with a moon as a charm sat inside. Why does Father have a gold necklace in his room? She pulled it out of the box and examined it. It also had a smaller star shaped charm on it. It reminded her of Mother. She put on the necklace and admired the beautiful shimmering charms.
YOU ARE READING
The Necklace of Revenge
Romance(This is the second book from The Crowns Curse so please read first one pls!) Lily Clover, who is known to almost every child in town as their second mother, recently lost her father and was buried under the responsibilities that came with it. She i...
