"I just lost it!" Hollyhock's voice shrieked, waking Bramble with a start.
Slowly she sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She looked around and saw most of her sisters already up, except for the little ones. Bramble replayed Hollyhock's words over in her head and immediately jumped out of bed, knowing what was missing.
The girls tore the room apart, but Mother's brooch was nowhere to be found. Bramble zoned out while Azalea interrogated the girls. Two words repeated through her head on a loop: We're dead, we're dead, we're dead. The King was going to murder them all.
"Keeper," Azalea's snarl brought Bramble back to the present.
Clover, all goodness, said, "We. . . don't know it was him, not for certain."
"Oh, it was him alright," Azalea responded, her eyes flashing. This was the maddest Bramble had ever seen her sister. Usually she was the one with the uncontrollable temper, not Azalea, especially not in front of the girls.
Azalea reached over for the silver handkerchief and looked across the room, her green eyes locking on Bramble's, "Tell Tutor I won't be to lessons, invent some sort of illness. I'm going to get it back." She stormed over to the fireplace, angrily scrubbing at the brick until the curtain of silver appeared. She walked through it, not looking back.
A few of the younger ones were still crying, not quite sure what was happening but sensing the distress in the room. Clover calmed a wailing Lily while Bramble picked up Kale and started dressing her.
Bramble wasn't nearly as good or fast as Azalea, since she usually didn't get the girls ready, so they were a few minutes late to breakfast by the time all eleven of them were dressed. They trooped down the stairs, Clover in the lead and Bramble taking up the rear.
Bramble's thoughts were so focused on Azalea and wanting to help her that she forgot about the stupid riddle game and the gentleman who was sitting at the table, waiting.
"Hulloa," he called, catching sight of them as they entered the nook.
Bramble froze in her tracks, wanting to turn the opposite way but knowing she couldn't. Az wasn't here now so the responsibility of dealing with Lord Teddie fell on her shoulders. A wicked glint entered her eyes, This was going to be fun.
The girls all scrambled for seats at the table, the younger ones fighting to sit next to Lord Teddie. Since Bramble was the last girl in, her seating options were limited. She could sit next to the King or directly across from Lord Teddie. She sighed, picking the lesser of two evils and plopped down between Eve and Jessamine, across from Lord Teddie. The King looked up when no one sat by him and counted their heads.
"Where is Azalea?" he asked, once he determined the missing girl.
The young girls all turned to Bramble, who answered, "She wasn't feeling well this morning, she's still up in bed."
"Oh?" said the King, concerned, "Should I send for Sir John? Is she ill?"
"No!" Bramble said, too quickly. He looked at her with suspicion, "I mean," she struggled with words, trying to find the right thing to say to get the King off her back without concerning him. Then it hit her, she knew exactly what to say, "It's just her time of the month right now, that's all. I'm sure she'll be right as rain come this afternoon." Though her face burned with the words, Bramble kept her chin high, risking a glance at Lord Teddie, who was suddenly very interested in the contents of his bowl and wouldn't look up.
The King's ears reddened as well, "All right then, I hope she feels better," he said before falling silent.
With that out of the way the ten other girls all began chattering amongst themselves, like usual. Bramble's face was still burning but her thoughts were on Azalea and the pavilion. How had Bramble let her go alone? She should have gone with Azalea. What was she thinking?
Bramble stirred her, now cold, porridge around her bowl, not eating any. She usually didn't mind porridge but eating it every day did get tiring and cold porridge was worse than usual. She scooped up a spoonful and let it fall back into the bowl with a plop.
She was so busy messing with her porridge to avoiding eating it, that she jumped when she felt a light kick on her shin. Bramble looked up to see which of her sisters needed her. Eve was busy reading beneath the table and Jessamine was talking to Flora on her other side. Across from Bramble, Delphinium was busy drawing something, sneaking glances at Lord Teddie every so often. Ivy was so busy shoveling porridge into her mouth that it couldn't have been her, she even reached over and stole a spoonful from Lord Teddie's bowl. Bramble was surprised when Lord Teddie didn't say anything, but realized why when she looked up.
Bramble lifted her yellow-green eyes and saw that Lord Teddie was no longer looking at his food, he was looking at her. She scowled when she realized it had been him that kicked her. He obviously wanted her attention, but before he could open his mouth to speak Bramble smiled sweetly, pulled back her foot, and kicked him as hard as she could. Her boots were hard and Bramble didn't need to see him wince to know that her kick would probably leave a bruise.
After his initial shock at her assault, his smile was back. There truly was nothing that upset Lord Teddie.
Before he got a chance to say what he wanted to, Bramble jumped up. "May I be excused?" she asked. Then, without waiting for an answer, she leapt up from the table and ran from the nook.
She slowed down once she reached the stairs, stopping for a minute before going over to a window and pulling back a corner of the curtains so she could look outside. The gardens were just as pretty, if not more so, in the winter then they were in the summer. They were a frozen wasteland with the icy paths and snow covered trees.
"Bramble?" she started at the voice behind her.
She turned and standing in front of her was Lord Teddie. His hair was a bit rumpled with his ever present bright green bow tie at his neck. Unlike usual, his hands were not in his pockets. They were clasped in front of him, full.
"What?" she snapped, trying to move past him.
One of his hands reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her.
She glared at his hand for a minute before snarling, "Let. Go." she yanked her arm from his grasp, nearly knocking him over as she pulled away from him.
"Well I-I say," he sputtered, "You didn't eat anything so I thought you might be hungry. A rum girl like you not eating anything. I thought maybe you didn't feel good so I got some bread. It's easier on the stomach, you know." He held out his hands, holding a few slices of bread wrapped in a towel.
"I don't want bread," she said, stepping around him.
"Well what do you want?" he asked, "I'll just nip off to the kitchen and grab it. I'll be back in a jiffy." He looked up at her, hopeful and eager to please.
Bramble's eyes narrowed and her lips pursed, "I don't want anything," she said, "from you."
Hurt flashed through his eyes but he smiled anyway, approaching her again, "Please take the bread, Bramble."
She resisted the urge to throw the towel and bread over his head.
He sighed when he realized she wasn't going to reply.
Precariously he balanced the bread in one hand, using the other to reach into his pocket. He dug around for a moment before pulling it out triumphantly, brandishing one of the candies that he always had on hand for the younger girls.
Lord Teddie reached out to Bramble, grabbing her hand. She was too shocked to protest. He turned her hand up and placed the candy in it, curling her fingers around it. He kept his hand on hers a beat longer than necessary before pulling away.
She stared at the candy in her palm before her fist turned hard. This time she didn't resist her urge. Bramble threw the candy as hard as she could at his head. It missed and the colorful confection hit the wall before shattering and falling to the ground.
She whirled on him, her eyes flashing yellow and her deep red hair escaping its pins, "I said I didn't want anything," she told him, "so shove off." The last part was punctuated with an actual shove. Bramble pushed Lord Teddie in the chest, sending him stumbling back a few feet before she turned and stormed away from him. She quickly made her way back to the nook where all of the breakfast dishes had been cleared away and the girls waited to start their lessons.
They all stared at Bramble as she entered. She was in no mood to teach and Clover seemed to sense that. As soon as Bramble plopped down in a chair, Clover had jumped up and began teaching the younger girls. Bramble didn't pay any attention as Clover went through the lessons and only realized they were finished because the other girls all stood up.
Bramble felt a tug on her dress and realized that Jessamine had said her name multiple times. She bent down, picking up the young girl and holding her so she could hear better.
"What is it, young chit?" she wondered.
In her sweet voice Jessamine asked, "Can we go to the gardens now?" she looked at Bramble hopefully, blinking her bright blue eyes.
All the other girls heard and instantly jumped on Bramble, begging to go.
Bramble sighed, remembering the rules of mourning, "Alright, let's go get Lord Teddie."
While Bramble was not a fan of the man who had stolen the only picture they had of their mother, she had to admire Lord Teddie's endless energy.
When the girls had found him he'd been delighted to take a walk with them in the gardens. The young girls had all latched onto him, and after he'd spun Ivy around and tossed her in the air all of the girls had clamored for a turn, even the twins who were probably too old. He had run around the gardens, never once complaining when the many sisters had pulled him in different directions and climbed all over him. When Bramble coaxed the twins, Hollyhock, and Ivy to throw snowballs at him he'd just exclaimed, "What-ho, jolly fun". Even when Bramble used a rock to dislodge a clump of snow from a tree (directly onto his head), he hadn't complained. In fact, the only reason he'd suggested going inside was because he saw Bramble shivering after she'd forgotten her cloak. And she was too proud to accept the coat he'd graciously offered her.
Once inside the girls didn't want the fun to end, and Lord Teddie was up for whatever they suggested. Eve wanted to play hide and seek. Bramble knew Eve only liked the game because it allowed her to curl up somewhere and read undisturbed until she was found. All the young girls loved the game and jumped at the chance to play it.
"But who has to seek?" Delphinium asked.
None of the little girls were good enough to do it and Bramble and Clover always ended up doing it.
"How about you?" Bramble suggested.
Delphinium balked at that, "Why not you?"
"I always do it," Bramble explained, "it's your turn, Delphi."
She rolled her blue eyes but said, "Fine," and started counting.
All of the girls scattered, off to find their own hiding places, leaving Bramble and Lord Teddie standing alone in the room while Delphinium counted. He looked over and met her eyes, smiling brightly. Bramble had no time for that.
She bounded across the room and grabbed his arm, pulling him along behind her, "Come on. Hurry up or she'll be done counting."
Lord Teddie didn't say anything, he just followed Bramble along, going wherever she took him and beaming the whole time. Bramble had the feeling that he would follow her like this anywhere, even off the edge of a cliff. Too bad there were no cliffs nearby.
She dashed up the stairs, Lord Teddie hot on her heels. She raced across the second floor, headed to the gallery; however, she stopped short when she saw the broom closet across the hall.
"This is perfect," she said, walking over to it. She stood up on her tiptoes and groped around on top of the door frame, looking for the key. She found it and brought it down, unlocking the door.
"Just corking," Lord Teddie agreed.
She smiled at Lord Teddie, "They'll never find you here, go on."
Lord Teddie beamed again, Bramble would swear there was never a time he wasn't smiling, and ducked his head to enter the closet.
She started to shut the door behind him but he stopped her.
"What-ho, Bramble, aren't you coming?" he asked.
"Um, no," she said, "we won't both fit."
She tried again to shut it but he stopped her.
"Sure we will, come on," he scooted back, shoving himself to the back of the closet to make room for her.
"That's okay," Bramble told him, "you stay here, I'll find somewhere else."
He started to come back out, "I say, I'll come too."
"No, stay here. The girls will never find you here. Every time I hide here I win. Don't you want to win?" she asked innocently.
"Well, I suppose so, but I don't want to take your hiding spot. I'll find somewhere else."
Bramble waved off his offer, "I have plenty of spots, you stay here and I'll find you when the game is over."
"Alrighty then," he slipped further into the closet, "it's a corking game really, isn't it?"
Bramble nodded along and shut the closet door, Lord Teddie chattering away the whole time. She smiled as she took the key in the lock and turned it. The door could unlock from the inside of the closet, but sitting on the outside was a sliding latch that also locked the door. With a grin Bramble silently slid the latch, locking Lord Teddie inside.
She carefully backed away and surveyed her handiwork. Lord Teddie wouldn't be getting out of there anytime soon. That would teach him to come here and take Mother's portrait, the last thing the girls had to remember her by. As long as she kept the girls away from this corridor for the rest of the day, everything should be fine.
Bramble started off down the hallway, a new spring in her step. This had all worked out perfectly, now all she had left to do was find a spot to hide.