A/N - Well now that i'm getting back in the mode of writing chapters, i'm able to update them more. It's a way to prcrastinate against homework. Anywho, here's the next chappie!
Chapter 4
Ten years later
"Hurry up Leopold!" sixteen year old Darren called to his cousin as they ran through the woods on the property of West Wessex. The three of them, Darren and Leopold, as well as eighteen year old Craig, were suppose to have returned an hour ago, but had gotten stopped when they came upon a doe and her fawn. Never before had they seen deer that close, so they stayed where they were and watched the family graze until Leopold had stepped on a twig, which set the doe alert. She dashed off into the woods with the fawn behind her.
"Mother's going to kill us!" Craig said catching up to his younger brother and matching his pace.
"Hurry up Leopold!" Darren called to their cousin again who was running ten feet behind them.
"You try running in a skirt and then we'll talk about hurrying up!" Leopold called back as her hair came out of it's braid and was pulled back by the wind. She lifted her skirts to help her run faster. Leopold knew she was going to be in big trouble with her aunt when she returned. Her cousins were arriving tonight and staying with them until they were to escort Leopold to South Wessex. Of her twenty-four cousins, Ace was one of her favorites, along with Xavier and John Luke, and she was hoping at least one of them would be there. Breathing deeply she hurried over fallen limbs and tree roots, hoping to see a glance of the mansion. Her cousins stood waiting for her at the edge of the line of trees, they all knew that once they stepped out of the protection on the trees, Darren and Craig's mother would see them and start hollering at them from the mansion, that was a good thirty feet from the line of trees.
"We might as well get if over with" Craig the oldest of the three said as he turned to stare at his house. Taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders, Craig took a step out of the line of trees. From a distance, you could make out the figure of his mother turning and shielding her eyes against the sun as she squinted to look in their direction. Craig panicked after another few steps and ran back to join his brother and cousin. Leopold gave a small laugh at the scared look on his face as he dashed past her into more shelter.
"I'd like to see you try!" Craig responded coming to a halt and turning to stare at her "She always come down hardest on the first one out!"
"Yeah," Darren replied looking at his mother as she paced the balcony waiting for them to exit. "And Leopold's never been the first."
"Well go on then!" Craig urged pushing her towards the edge
"Maybe she'll go easier on you!" Darren suggested stepping out of her way.
Leopold took a deep breath and stared at the clearing. Last year it had been used for growing vegetables, but the planters were giving the soil a few years to rest before they planted again. The grass had grown back and an animal would go by every few seconds. To the left and right of it were nothing but forest, and directly in front of it was the south side of the mansion of West Wessex. "Wait a minute!" Leopold exclaimed turning to her cousins "I'm the only girl…"
"Exactly!" Craig interrupted putting his hands on her shoulders and directing her towards the clearing. "That's why mother is going to go easy on you!" He gave her a slight nudge and she stumbled out of the protection of the woods and into the clearing.
"LEOPOLD!" she heard her aunt Carlotta calling. "LEOPOLD YOU GET IN HERE THIS INSTANT! YOU'RE IN TROUBLE YOUNG LADY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING GALAVANTING OFF INTO THE WOODS ON A DAY LIKE THIS? YOU SHOULD BE IN HERE PACKING, NOT HAVING SOMEONE ELSE DOING IT FOR YOU! YOUR COUSINS ARE ALREADY HERE AND YOU'VE MISSED THEIR ARRIVAL, AGAIN! AND WHERE ARE DARREN AND CRAIG? THEY SHOULD BE WITH YOU! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO GO OVER THIS! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON THOSE TWO BOYS, THERE'S GOING TO BE HELL TO PAY!"
Leopold rolled her eyes and heaved a big sigh as she listened to her aunt drone on and on. Behind her she heard Craig and Darren emerged from the trees. She turned and faced them grinning. "Looks like she did go easy on me!"
"Yeah," Darren replied crossing his arms and scowling "and now we're getting in trouble because of it!"
"Well you know what they say," Leopold said wrapping her arm around both her cousins' shoulders' and starting to direct them towards the mansion.
"No," Darren said confused "What do they say?"
"Last one home is a rotten egg!" Leopold pushed both of her cousins behind her and took off running towards the mansion. Craig and Darren exchanged glances with each other before laughing and running after her. They didn't catch her until they found her leaning against the kitchen door out of breath. Darren bent over putting his hands on his knees as he breathed deeply, trying to ease the pain in his chest, while Craig leaned an arm against the side of the house. Leopold leaned against the kitchen door hugging her stomach and trying to talk.
"I---I---"
Suddenly the kitchen door swung open and Leopold fell back, landing between her aunt Carlotta's feet. She stared up at her aunts face, and even from on the floor she could see how mad she was.
"Hello aunt!" Leopold said cheerfully
Her aunt made a growling noise and grabbed Leopold's upper right arm, hauling her to her feet. For a woman who was 5'2", her aunt had a lot of strength. All three of her cousins were taller than their mother, as their father is 5'10", but all of them no better than to smart off to her. Leopold herself was only 5'6", and was then an easier target on her short aunt. Aunt Carlotta let go of Leopold's arm, leaving a bruise as usual, and glared at the three teenagers as Darren and Craig joined them in the hallway that led directly to the kitchen. Inside you could hear the cook yelling at the servants as they frantically tried to get dinner ready for the guests who just arrived. Before her aunt could start lecturing the three of them they were plastered against the wall, as a servant ran by with a dead goose, plucking the feathers as she ran, and a small boy followed collecting them. More servants ran by going either way, and thoroughly squashing the youngsters. Aunt Carlotta tried to tell them the importance of being on time, and that Leopold should start acting like a young lady, etc. etc. but her voice was cut off by the mayhem around them.
"Mistress!" the cook suddenly yelled above the noise as his rather large figure appeared in the doorway leading from the kitchen to the hallway. Darren, Craig and Leopold found this as their chance to escape while Carlotta was being held up by the cook. Slipping out the side door, the three ran around the house, dodging servants and dead animals. Leopold rounded the last corner, a small nook leading to the West Wing, and collided with a man, sending her flying into Darren, who caught her and re-gained his balance before the two of them fell to the floor. Leopold shook her head to get over the shock and looked up at who she had run into.
"Xavier!" she cried jumping forward and leaping into his arms.
"The one and only!" Xavier replied wrapping his arms around her waist and twirling her around in a circle. She laughed and gave him a kiss on the cheek as set her on the ground again and stared at her. "It's been so long since I've seen you! Look how much you've grown!"
"You always say that Xavier! And it's only been a year since I last saw you!" Leopold replied giving him a small punch in the arm.
"Hey don't hog all of him!" Darren called from behind them. Xavier turned to see his younger cousins standing there staring at them.
"Craig, Darren!" Xavier said holding out his arms and embracing them against their will. "It's been so long! Look how much you've both grown!" Xavier teased
"Very funny!" Craig replied
"I didn't mean it like that!" Darren said laughing
"of course you didn't!" Xavier replied laughing
"Who else is here?" Leopold asked tugging on Xavier's arm.
"Well it's looks like my welcome is over!" Xavier teased "I'll tell you who else is here, but they're being hounded by uncle Anthony right now. I was able to escape until I ran into you three."
"Well?" Leopold asked
"Ace, Sebastien, Eryk and Emery" Xavier replied as he watched Leopold's face light up.
Leopold turned towards the door and opened it hurriedly, wincing as it slammed into the stone wall. She gathered her skirts and ran down the hall, ignoring the calls of her cousins behind her. She passed many doors that she had thoroughly explored earlier on in her stay there, and ran down stairs to the library, where she figured her uncle would be. Once there, she stopped outside the room, catching her breath, while she fixed her hair and smoothed out her skirts. She wanted her cousins to at least get the impression that she was a lady, for they already knew she wasn't. Taking a deep breath she knocked on the door and not waiting for a reply, she let herself in. Closing the door behind her, she turned to see her four cousins, all quite grown up, sitting squashed together on a couch, while her uncle stood over them, obviously talking.
"Yes Leopold?" her uncle Anthony asked "Can I help you with something?"
"I was sent by aunt Carlotta to welcome our guests!" Leopold said attempting to curtsy. She ended up stumbling into the lamp next to her, and frantically grabbing for it, as it fell to the floor with a crash, the candle catching on fire with the edge of the rug. Shocked, Leopold stood from reaching over and lost her balance, colliding with the bookshelf behind her. She grabbed for one of the shelves to regain her balance. The shelf instead came loose and scattered the books around her, which caught on fire. Eryk jumped up and grabbed a pillow from the couch he sat on, and started beating out the flames, as Leopold watched with her hands over her mouth. She saw Ace and Sebastien laughing and pointing on the couch, until the flames ceased to exist. Emery started laughing but soon turned it into a cough when he received a glare from his uncle. Through it all their uncle had stood calmly with his hand on his chest, drinking more and more brandy, drops of which were still on his moustache. When Eryk was done he dropped the pillow on the ashes, and laughing rejoined the others on the couch, stopping with a stern look from his uncle.
"Yes," her uncle muttered not amused "Well you've obviously welcomed the guests. You may go now."
"Actually," Ace replied attempting to stand from the couch. He had some trouble as the couch was old and sank in deep. He had grown quite a lot since the last time Leopold saw him. Like his older brother Eryk, both of them were tall and tan, with light brown hair like they're father. Ace had recently grown a small goatee, which he kept neat and short. "Actually, I was wondering if Leopold could give me a tour of your lovely home." he said turning to his uncle and smiling. Leopold smiled from behind him and glanced at her uncle nervously awaiting his answer.
"Well if it's a tour you want my boy, I shall be glad to give you one." their uncle replied setting his brandy glass down and checking his pocket watch. "Yes we do have time before dinner! I shall be glad to give you a tour. In fact why don't you all come!" their uncle made a sweeping movement with his arms towards the door, as if ushering them out. Groans came from the three on the couch, and they swore curses at Ace.
"But uncle!" Leopold stuttered trying to quickly come up with an excuse as to get her cousins out of the tour. Their uncle had a habit of starting on one topic and continuing to others for hours on end. The person listening to him would be lost and confused, as well as bored within ten minutes of trying to talk to him, as he never shut up. Her cousin Alphonse actually counted the minutes before he started falling asleep. "I'm sure they are tired from their journey here, and would like to rest before dinner!"
The boys exchanged worried glances before nodding in agreement with Leopold.
"Well if it's rest they want," their uncle replied "They can stay here, and us men will talk some more. That will give them lots of rest."
Sebastien, Eryk, and Emery groaned again and plopped down on the couch simultaneously.
"But I'm sure they'd rather rest in their rooms. And I'd be happy to show them where they are located!" Leopold argued. Immediately the three boys struggled to stand from the couch.
"Well I'd be happy to show them the east wing. I can show them the gallery of fishing rods I've collected over the years. It's on the way in fact." their uncle replied. The boys groaned and fell onto the couch again, deciding to rather sit and be bored, than have to stand and be bored.
"Yes, but I'm sure they'd like me to show them the kitchen, so they could get a taste of the food that will be served tonight at dinner." Leopold replied as the three boys jumped up from the couch, startling her.
"Excellent idea!" their uncle replied "I shall come along. Have I ever told you boys about the time I attempted to cook dinner?" he glanced oddly at the boys as they fell onto the couch again in complaint. Their uncle seemed to realize then that something was wrong. He looked angrily from Leopold to the four boys. "Never mind this nonsense!" he hollered "Leopold, go get ready for dinner. Your aunt laid out a contraption for you to wear on your bed, and I suggest you wear it! Your cousins and I are staying here, until dinner is ready, and will return here after!"
Leopold exchanged glances with her four cousins, before looking at her uncle shocked. "Yes uncle," she muttered turning and exiting the room.
Chapter 4
Ten years later
"Hurry up Leopold!" sixteen year old Darren called to his cousin as they ran through the woods on the property of West Wessex. The three of them, Darren and Leopold, as well as eighteen year old Craig, were suppose to have returned an hour ago, but had gotten stopped when they came upon a doe and her fawn. Never before had they seen deer that close, so they stayed where they were and watched the family graze until Leopold had stepped on a twig, which set the doe alert. She dashed off into the woods with the fawn behind her.
"Mother's going to kill us!" Craig said catching up to his younger brother and matching his pace.
"Hurry up Leopold!" Darren called to their cousin again who was running ten feet behind them.
"You try running in a skirt and then we'll talk about hurrying up!" Leopold called back as her hair came out of it's braid and was pulled back by the wind. She lifted her skirts to help her run faster. Leopold knew she was going to be in big trouble with her aunt when she returned. Her cousins were arriving tonight and staying with them until they were to escort Leopold to South Wessex. Of her twenty-four cousins, Ace was one of her favorites, along with Xavier and John Luke, and she was hoping at least one of them would be there. Breathing deeply she hurried over fallen limbs and tree roots, hoping to see a glance of the mansion. Her cousins stood waiting for her at the edge of the line of trees, they all knew that once they stepped out of the protection on the trees, Darren and Craig's mother would see them and start hollering at them from the mansion, that was a good thirty feet from the line of trees.
"We might as well get if over with" Craig the oldest of the three said as he turned to stare at his house. Taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders, Craig took a step out of the line of trees. From a distance, you could make out the figure of his mother turning and shielding her eyes against the sun as she squinted to look in their direction. Craig panicked after another few steps and ran back to join his brother and cousin. Leopold gave a small laugh at the scared look on his face as he dashed past her into more shelter.
"I'd like to see you try!" Craig responded coming to a halt and turning to stare at her "She always come down hardest on the first one out!"
"Yeah," Darren replied looking at his mother as she paced the balcony waiting for them to exit. "And Leopold's never been the first."
"Well go on then!" Craig urged pushing her towards the edge
"Maybe she'll go easier on you!" Darren suggested stepping out of her way.
Leopold took a deep breath and stared at the clearing. Last year it had been used for growing vegetables, but the planters were giving the soil a few years to rest before they planted again. The grass had grown back and an animal would go by every few seconds. To the left and right of it were nothing but forest, and directly in front of it was the south side of the mansion of West Wessex. "Wait a minute!" Leopold exclaimed turning to her cousins "I'm the only girl…"
"Exactly!" Craig interrupted putting his hands on her shoulders and directing her towards the clearing. "That's why mother is going to go easy on you!" He gave her a slight nudge and she stumbled out of the protection of the woods and into the clearing.
"LEOPOLD!" she heard her aunt Carlotta calling. "LEOPOLD YOU GET IN HERE THIS INSTANT! YOU'RE IN TROUBLE YOUNG LADY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING GALAVANTING OFF INTO THE WOODS ON A DAY LIKE THIS? YOU SHOULD BE IN HERE PACKING, NOT HAVING SOMEONE ELSE DOING IT FOR YOU! YOUR COUSINS ARE ALREADY HERE AND YOU'VE MISSED THEIR ARRIVAL, AGAIN! AND WHERE ARE DARREN AND CRAIG? THEY SHOULD BE WITH YOU! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO GO OVER THIS! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON THOSE TWO BOYS, THERE'S GOING TO BE HELL TO PAY!"
Leopold rolled her eyes and heaved a big sigh as she listened to her aunt drone on and on. Behind her she heard Craig and Darren emerged from the trees. She turned and faced them grinning. "Looks like she did go easy on me!"
"Yeah," Darren replied crossing his arms and scowling "and now we're getting in trouble because of it!"
"Well you know what they say," Leopold said wrapping her arm around both her cousins' shoulders' and starting to direct them towards the mansion.
"No," Darren said confused "What do they say?"
"Last one home is a rotten egg!" Leopold pushed both of her cousins behind her and took off running towards the mansion. Craig and Darren exchanged glances with each other before laughing and running after her. They didn't catch her until they found her leaning against the kitchen door out of breath. Darren bent over putting his hands on his knees as he breathed deeply, trying to ease the pain in his chest, while Craig leaned an arm against the side of the house. Leopold leaned against the kitchen door hugging her stomach and trying to talk.
"I---I---"
Suddenly the kitchen door swung open and Leopold fell back, landing between her aunt Carlotta's feet. She stared up at her aunts face, and even from on the floor she could see how mad she was.
"Hello aunt!" Leopold said cheerfully
Her aunt made a growling noise and grabbed Leopold's upper right arm, hauling her to her feet. For a woman who was 5'2", her aunt had a lot of strength. All three of her cousins were taller than their mother, as their father is 5'10", but all of them no better than to smart off to her. Leopold herself was only 5'6", and was then an easier target on her short aunt. Aunt Carlotta let go of Leopold's arm, leaving a bruise as usual, and glared at the three teenagers as Darren and Craig joined them in the hallway that led directly to the kitchen. Inside you could hear the cook yelling at the servants as they frantically tried to get dinner ready for the guests who just arrived. Before her aunt could start lecturing the three of them they were plastered against the wall, as a servant ran by with a dead goose, plucking the feathers as she ran, and a small boy followed collecting them. More servants ran by going either way, and thoroughly squashing the youngsters. Aunt Carlotta tried to tell them the importance of being on time, and that Leopold should start acting like a young lady, etc. etc. but her voice was cut off by the mayhem around them.
"Mistress!" the cook suddenly yelled above the noise as his rather large figure appeared in the doorway leading from the kitchen to the hallway. Darren, Craig and Leopold found this as their chance to escape while Carlotta was being held up by the cook. Slipping out the side door, the three ran around the house, dodging servants and dead animals. Leopold rounded the last corner, a small nook leading to the West Wing, and collided with a man, sending her flying into Darren, who caught her and re-gained his balance before the two of them fell to the floor. Leopold shook her head to get over the shock and looked up at who she had run into.
"Xavier!" she cried jumping forward and leaping into his arms.
"The one and only!" Xavier replied wrapping his arms around her waist and twirling her around in a circle. She laughed and gave him a kiss on the cheek as set her on the ground again and stared at her. "It's been so long since I've seen you! Look how much you've grown!"
"You always say that Xavier! And it's only been a year since I last saw you!" Leopold replied giving him a small punch in the arm.
"Hey don't hog all of him!" Darren called from behind them. Xavier turned to see his younger cousins standing there staring at them.
"Craig, Darren!" Xavier said holding out his arms and embracing them against their will. "It's been so long! Look how much you've both grown!" Xavier teased
"Very funny!" Craig replied
"I didn't mean it like that!" Darren said laughing
"of course you didn't!" Xavier replied laughing
"Who else is here?" Leopold asked tugging on Xavier's arm.
"Well it's looks like my welcome is over!" Xavier teased "I'll tell you who else is here, but they're being hounded by uncle Anthony right now. I was able to escape until I ran into you three."
"Well?" Leopold asked
"Ace, Sebastien, Eryk and Emery" Xavier replied as he watched Leopold's face light up.
Leopold turned towards the door and opened it hurriedly, wincing as it slammed into the stone wall. She gathered her skirts and ran down the hall, ignoring the calls of her cousins behind her. She passed many doors that she had thoroughly explored earlier on in her stay there, and ran down stairs to the library, where she figured her uncle would be. Once there, she stopped outside the room, catching her breath, while she fixed her hair and smoothed out her skirts. She wanted her cousins to at least get the impression that she was a lady, for they already knew she wasn't. Taking a deep breath she knocked on the door and not waiting for a reply, she let herself in. Closing the door behind her, she turned to see her four cousins, all quite grown up, sitting squashed together on a couch, while her uncle stood over them, obviously talking.
"Yes Leopold?" her uncle Anthony asked "Can I help you with something?"
"I was sent by aunt Carlotta to welcome our guests!" Leopold said attempting to curtsy. She ended up stumbling into the lamp next to her, and frantically grabbing for it, as it fell to the floor with a crash, the candle catching on fire with the edge of the rug. Shocked, Leopold stood from reaching over and lost her balance, colliding with the bookshelf behind her. She grabbed for one of the shelves to regain her balance. The shelf instead came loose and scattered the books around her, which caught on fire. Eryk jumped up and grabbed a pillow from the couch he sat on, and started beating out the flames, as Leopold watched with her hands over her mouth. She saw Ace and Sebastien laughing and pointing on the couch, until the flames ceased to exist. Emery started laughing but soon turned it into a cough when he received a glare from his uncle. Through it all their uncle had stood calmly with his hand on his chest, drinking more and more brandy, drops of which were still on his moustache. When Eryk was done he dropped the pillow on the ashes, and laughing rejoined the others on the couch, stopping with a stern look from his uncle.
"Yes," her uncle muttered not amused "Well you've obviously welcomed the guests. You may go now."
"Actually," Ace replied attempting to stand from the couch. He had some trouble as the couch was old and sank in deep. He had grown quite a lot since the last time Leopold saw him. Like his older brother Eryk, both of them were tall and tan, with light brown hair like they're father. Ace had recently grown a small goatee, which he kept neat and short. "Actually, I was wondering if Leopold could give me a tour of your lovely home." he said turning to his uncle and smiling. Leopold smiled from behind him and glanced at her uncle nervously awaiting his answer.
"Well if it's a tour you want my boy, I shall be glad to give you one." their uncle replied setting his brandy glass down and checking his pocket watch. "Yes we do have time before dinner! I shall be glad to give you a tour. In fact why don't you all come!" their uncle made a sweeping movement with his arms towards the door, as if ushering them out. Groans came from the three on the couch, and they swore curses at Ace.
"But uncle!" Leopold stuttered trying to quickly come up with an excuse as to get her cousins out of the tour. Their uncle had a habit of starting on one topic and continuing to others for hours on end. The person listening to him would be lost and confused, as well as bored within ten minutes of trying to talk to him, as he never shut up. Her cousin Alphonse actually counted the minutes before he started falling asleep. "I'm sure they are tired from their journey here, and would like to rest before dinner!"
The boys exchanged worried glances before nodding in agreement with Leopold.
"Well if it's rest they want," their uncle replied "They can stay here, and us men will talk some more. That will give them lots of rest."
Sebastien, Eryk, and Emery groaned again and plopped down on the couch simultaneously.
"But I'm sure they'd rather rest in their rooms. And I'd be happy to show them where they are located!" Leopold argued. Immediately the three boys struggled to stand from the couch.
"Well I'd be happy to show them the east wing. I can show them the gallery of fishing rods I've collected over the years. It's on the way in fact." their uncle replied. The boys groaned and fell onto the couch again, deciding to rather sit and be bored, than have to stand and be bored.
"Yes, but I'm sure they'd like me to show them the kitchen, so they could get a taste of the food that will be served tonight at dinner." Leopold replied as the three boys jumped up from the couch, startling her.
"Excellent idea!" their uncle replied "I shall come along. Have I ever told you boys about the time I attempted to cook dinner?" he glanced oddly at the boys as they fell onto the couch again in complaint. Their uncle seemed to realize then that something was wrong. He looked angrily from Leopold to the four boys. "Never mind this nonsense!" he hollered "Leopold, go get ready for dinner. Your aunt laid out a contraption for you to wear on your bed, and I suggest you wear it! Your cousins and I are staying here, until dinner is ready, and will return here after!"
Leopold exchanged glances with her four cousins, before looking at her uncle shocked. "Yes uncle," she muttered turning and exiting the room.