Azalea's POV

I sighed. Today was the day. Needless to say, Papa would be in a horrid mood for the entirety of the day. It was Clover's seventeenth birthday today, and the day he had promised my second sister Clover and the ex-Prime Minister, Charles Fairweller, that they could get married. All eleven sisters would be here, with eighteen-year-old Bramble and her husband, Lord Edward Albert Hemly Haftenravenscher, Esq., who was better known as Lord Teddie, coming from Delchastire, and my fourth sister, thirteen-year-old Eve traveling from school in Werttemberg.

Like always, on a sister's birthday, Easthsbury was shut down. No one (except family) could come or leave, shops and businesses were closed, and everyone got a day off. All in all, I had always thought the Easthsbury was thrilled to have twelve princesses, as it meant one extra day off most months, and two days in some.

"'Lea!" It was twelve-year-old Flora, who was my fifth sister. She and her twin Goldenrod were watching my eleventh (and youngest) sister, Lily, who was almost four. The other sisters were Kale (five), Jessamine (seven), Ivy (nine), Hollyhock (eleven), and Delphinium (fifteen).

"Coming Flora," I said, following her voice to our old bedroom. When Lily had outgrown her bassinet almost two-and-a-half years previously, Papa had finally relented. Now, I shared a room with my husband, Prime Minister John Bradford, Bramble of course lived in Delchastire with Teddie, Clover through Hollyhock (minus Eve) shared a bedroom on the third floor, which was just down the hall from the one Ivy through Lily shared. Now, I gaped at the mess on the floor. "Great Scott! How-who-what happened here?"

"I'm sorry 'Lea." Goldenrod said, miserably. "She-we were watching her, and then she-she just-"

"It's alright, Goldy," I said, sighing again. This was exactly what I didn't need. "I'll call the girls and we'll do a search alright. It isn't your fault. Lily's as mischievous as Bramble, we really don't need two of them, but she's only two. She can't have gone far."

"Should we tell Clover or Papa" Flora asked, ever a practical one. I shook my head.

"No. Clover's excited to see Fairweller, because she hasn't seen him in two years, and we don't need to ruin her mood. It is her birthday. And Papa is already trying not to challenge Fairweller to a duel, because he's still too old-fashioned." I was just about to head to the older girls' room when-

"'Lea!" This time it was Delphinium. "'Lea, we have a problem!" She ran up, clutching two letters in her hands. "This-" she indicated the letter in her left hand, "is from Bramble and Teddie. They can't make it because Teddie's mum is ill, and Bramble doesn't trust trust him not to burn the house down if she comes alone. And this one-" she indicated the one in her right hand, "is from Eve. Her Latin teacher won't let her go because 'she has too much homework'. Which is garbage, because he was the one to assign it to her class."

I sighed for the third time in ten minutes. Yes, this was shaping up to be a good birthday for Clover, and it wasn't even noon yet.