Emma shut her chamber door and looked down at her mud-splattered outfit ruefully. She knew Lucy wouldn't really mind, but sooner or later she had to get some clothes of her own here. She couldn't keep borrowing the other girl's clothes. Or her horse for that matter. The bay mare was lovely, but she was Lucy's. It somehow felt wrong to be borrowing so much off of Edmund's sister. And anyway, if she was going to stay here, she needed her own things.
She took the dress off and selected a new and more formal outfit for dinner that evening. She ran her hands through her honey-blonde hair, which was gradually being bleached lighter by the daily bright sun. The wind was getting up tonight though, she thought, as the small window in one corner of her chamber rattled in its frame. She walked over to pull it more securely closed. As she pulled it shut she felt a stabbing pain in her side, like someone had put in a knife and was twisting it. She caught hold of the window frame and held onto it, blinking back tears and breathing heavily. Gradually, the pain subsided, becoming a dull ache and then disappearing altogether. It took several minutes for Emma to be confident enough to move again though. She wobbled over towards her dressing table and sat down. She looked at her herself in the mirror; she looked dreadful. Her face had suddenly paled under its tan and her face looked drawn. She wished she had her trusty make-up bag here, like she did at home… Home.
A bolt of fear shot through Emma as she looked in the mirror again. There was a fleeting glimpse of a face, a terrible and beautiful face, one she was certain she'd seen before but couldn't place. At the same time she felt a warm breath on her neck and heard a deep rumble like thunder. She leapt back from the mirror, finding her feet again, and grabbed her borrowed robe, before leaving the room.
Lucy followed her elder sister up to her bedchamber that night. Susan was more than a little surprised; it had been a long time since the two sisters had been that close. In fact, the last time they'd shared a room had been back home in London.
"What's wrong, Lu?" she asked now, as she removed her outer robe and began tying her black hair up.
Lucy shrugged as she stood awkwardly, looking through Susan's jewellery box. Her older sister had so much jewellery, brought by ambassadors from various countries when they visited. Somehow Lucy always seemed to be forgotten by those men.
"Don't shrug, Lucy, it's not becoming," Susan reprimanded her automatically and immediately wished she hadn't. She knew she was forever being the bossy elder sister, the boring and proper mother-figure, and she hated it, but she didn't know how else to be. Someone needed to remind Edmund and Lucy to eat their vegetables, and go to bed at a reasonable time and someone had to take charge of the domestic staff. It wasn't as if Peter was volunteering for that job.
Lucy stifled the urge to stick her tongue out. "I was just wondering…"
"Yes," Susan said too quickly and sharply.
"It doesn't matter," Lucy replied instantly, before leaving the room.
"Oh, Lucy, wait!" Susan called after her. Too softly and too late.
Peter watched out the window as his brother and their guest took the horses out yet again. They galloped off up the beach, Emma's long blonde hair streaking out behind her. The horses attacked the path up off the beach onto the cliff top, and shortly afterwards, Peter could see them no longer.
He sighed heavily and tried to get his mind back onto the mound of paperwork in front of him. There were so many letters from various parts of the kingdom, treaties to deal with, invitations to answer. And Edmund hadn't even asked if he needed any help.
The door opened. Lucy came in, carrying a tray precariously.
"I thought you might want some tea," she said, smiling prettily.
Peter smiled back. "Thanks, Lu. You're right, as usual." He cleared a bit of space on the desk, mainly by pushing a pile of papers to the floor. Lucy set the tray down.
"It's a mess in here," she remarked, stacking the papers more neatly. She looked at the top sheet of paper. "Peter, this one's been sitting here for nearly a month!" she exclaimed. "Shouldn't it have been dealt with already?"
Peter nodded. "Yes, probably."
Lucy skim read the sheet. She looked up at her brother, frowning. "This is Edmund's paperwork," she said. "Peter, what are you doing with it?"
Peter looked at his sister pointedly. "Why do you think?" he asked.
Lucy sighed. She leafed through a few more pages of work. "They're all addressed to Edmund. Peter, you need to tell him, he needs to do some work."
"He won't pay any attention." Peter shook his head. "He's too busy entertaining her."
Lucy hesitated before saying, "Do you think she'll be here forever?"
Peter sighed. "I don't know. It looks like it." He looked at his sister. "Is that a problem, do you think?"
Lucy bit her lip. "I… I don't know. I mean, if Edmund's going to ignore all the work…"
Peter nodded. "I think maybe it's time she left."