A/N: A big thank you to everyone who Reviewed/Favourited/Followed this story. You rock!
Now, I should warn you, parts of this chapter are written in Cockney English. I appreciate for some that it maybe a little hard to understand to start with. But hopefully as the chapters go on, you'll get to understand it.
Chapter 4.
Charlus led Dorea and the boys down to the kitchen, to find Lily eating sausages and slices of bread.
"Hello again Lily, I would like to introduce you to our son and nephew."
Lily looked up and saw two tall lads stood at the end of the table. One had smooth black hair, grey eyes, and a cheeky smile. The other, made Lily gulp. This boy had smooth features, twinkling hazel eyes with rectangular metal framed glasses, and the most gorgeous smile Lily had even seen. Lily cocked them both a supercilious look, before dropping her head so her hair covered her blushing face.
"The scamp without the glasses is our nephew, Sirius Black, this other rapscallion is our son, James," said Charlus with a grin. He'd seen the flush appear on Lily's face.
"When you're done eating I'll show you where your room is," smiled Dorea.
"Come along then boys, lets not stand here making our guest feel like she's an entertainment, lets go up to the playroom and play a quick game of snakes and ladders before bed," said Charlus gleefully.
The younger boys turned and fled from the kitchen energetically, Charlus followed on more sedately.
"Tea, Miss?" asked Milly of her mistress.
"Please."
Dorea sat down at the table opposite Lily, as a cup of tea was placed in front of her.
"So Lily, tell me about yourself," said Dorea kindly as she palmed her cup of tea.
"What ya wanna know Missus?" asked Lily through a mouthful of sausage and bread.
Dorea inwardly shuddered at the less than desirable manners of their evacuee.
"Please answer when you've swallowed your food Lily," Dorea gently admonished.
Lily looked up at the Mistress of the house, and fought the urge to stick her tongue out.
"My name is Lily Helen Evans, I come from Stratford, East London. I'm eleven years old, I live wiv me mum, I dunno who my dad is, and me mum won't tell me eiver. I 'ave no uvver family, apart from me Aunty Marge."
Lily's head dropped and easy tears filled her eyes. She was missing the loveable lady more than her own mother.
"Who is Aunty Marge, sweetheart?" prompted Dorea, gently.
"She lives next door to us, she's not really me Aunty, I just call her that cos that's what me mum told me to call her as I grew up. She has a husband, Uncle John, he's funny. He makes me laugh. They 'ave a son Remus, and he's me best friend, he came wiv me from London, but a man chose him and took him away, he told me I couldn't come."
Again Lily dropped her head as tears coursed their way down her cheeks.
"Aw, don't cry lit'len. Maybe the Mistress or the Master can find out where he went and you can go and visit him," said Missus Braithway patting the child's hand.
"Do you really think so?" asked Lily hopefully.
"'Course I do little love."
"Of course I'll find out for you darling. Now if you've finished eating, I'll take you up and show you your room.
"Fank you for the sausages Missus," said Lily kindly as she rose from the table.
Dorea took Lily by the hand and led her back up the stairs to the entrance hall and up the wide sprawling staircase to the first floor.
Lily was led to a room that by daylight would be a rosy pink. A huge four poster bed greeted her, a merry fire popped in the grate.
"This will be your room, for the duration of your stay Lily, let me show you the bathroom."
Dorea led her to a door in the corner of the room and opened it, beyond it lay a huge white bath, toilet and hand basin. Big white fluffy towels hung over the lid of the toilet. Steam rose from the bath.
"Would you like a bath before you go to bed Lily?" asked Dorea softly. "I have some lovely smelling bath salts, and some lovely shampoo that will make your hair all shiny."
Lily looked nervously at the bath and gulped.
"I can't get in there, I might drown!" exclaimed Lily nervously.
"Of course you won't my little love, I won't leave you."
"You promise?"
"Promise."
"Missus.."
"Dorea."
"Dorea, I fink I have fings in my hair," said Lily ashamedly.
"Ah, don't worry about that, I have a special comb that'll help with that."
Lily sighed and started to undress. Dorea spotted several now yellowing bruises and guessed, but didn't say anything.
"Okay love?" asked Dorea reassuringly.
"Okay," replied Lily.
Dorea sponged the girl all over. Once she was satisfied the child was clean, she tackled her hair. Lily's hair was full of dirt and knots, the child winced and yelled as the comb pulled her hair.
"Ow! That hurts!" shouted Lily.
"I'm sorry love, do try to sit still."
Gradually all the knots and dirt were out of the child's hair. Dorea used the sponge to wet Lily's hair, and shampooed her hair thoroughly.
"Now I need to rinse your hair Lily, keep your eyes shut tight."
Using the clean water in the hand basin, Dorea rinsed Lily's hair of all the shampoo.
"All clean and shiny," pronounced Dorea.
Just then Milly stuck her head around the bathroom door.
"Do you need any help Miss Dorea?"
"Take her to her room and dry her in front of the fire please Milly."
Milly wrapped Lily in a huge white soft fluffy towel and led her back to the bedroom. The maid quickly had Lily dried.
"Have ya got a nightie mi duck?" asked Milly.
"Nah Miss, I 'aven't."
"Hold on a sec."
Milly made her way to the cupboard in the other corner of the room and removed a fluffy looking blanket. She wrapped the child in the blanket and sat her in front of the fire. Dorea crept in with another towel and dried Lily's hair.
"That feels nice Dorea," Lily said sleepily.
"Bed for you lit'len," whispered Milly.
She lifted the child easily and placed her in the soft bed and tucked the clean sheet and blanket around the sleepy girl. Once that was done, Dorea gently brushed the curls now forming off of Lily's forehead and gently kissed the child.
"Good night my little love, we're just across the hall if you need me," said Dorea softly.
She stopped in the doorway for a moment and watched the child drift off to sleep.