On the other end of the city is a poor farming family where the father goes on business trips. The children stay at home with their mother, there are three lovely daughters: Susan the oldest, Lucy the second oldest, and Belle the youngest of the three. Susan has curly red hair and brown eyes while Lucy has curly dark brown hair and hazel eyes, Belle has straight dark brown hair and brown eyes just as her mother. Their father spoils Susan and Lucy while Belle doesn't allow herself to be spoiled. She spends her days with her mother taking care of the house chores. Susan and Lucy do some chores as well but they complain while they do them.
"Now children, if you do the chores without complaint while I go off to the market, I will bake a special treat," says their mother.
"Mother, can I come with you and help you in the market?" asks Belle.
"No not today Belle, you went last time. I need you to stay with Lucy today and help clean the house. Susan, you shall come with me today. We aren't going clothes shopping we are going food shopping," says their mother.
"Yes, mother," says Susan.
The children love their mother very much and respect her wishes. Their mother kisses Belle and Lucy's forehead going off with Susan giving her the basket.
"You are a big girl, you are getting the basket today. I trust you to carry the items I give you but not go too far from me. You are thirteen sweetheart," says Mother.
"Thank you, mother," says Susan.
Their mother smiles rubbing her hair and leading Susan to the market with her. Lucy hands the broom to Belle and sits on the chair. Belle starts sweeping the room around Lucy.
"Do you think sister will get a husband this time?" asks Belle.
"Don't be silly Belle; she won't get wed until she's fifteen. Daddy already said so," says Lucy.
"But to who? Shouldn't she date him for a year or two before marriage?" asks Belle.
"Why should she do that?" asks Lucy.
"To know that she loves him," says Belle.
"True love doesn't always take years it can be an instant like in the books you are always going on and on about. I am done with this conversation I am going to do the morning dishes," says Lucy.
"Why not do all the dishes?" asks Belle.
"Gross they are covered in old food!" says Lucy.
Belle sighs and gives her the broom and goes into the kitchen to do the dishes. The girls do the chores cleaning up the house, Lucy does the easy stuff and Belle does more of the grimy work such as cleaning up the bathroom bucket, the dishes, straightening up the garden and garden shed. After two hours, Susan comes dancing in the room with the basket of food from the market.
"Sisters! I am going to be wed to the most handsome man on this planet!" says Susan.
"To who?" asks the girls.
"George!" says Susan.
"The young shopkeep?" asks Belle.
"Yes, he asked for my hand when he saw me, mother said she has to ask father," says Susan.
"That's wonderful!" says Belle and Lucy.
"Yes it is, now children go wash up I am going to start dinner," says their mother.
"Okay!" they all say.
They all run off, their mother gives a cough and runs off do so she sees blood on her hand but thinks nothing of it. She continues cooking and makes a flat cake with strawberries and powder sugar. Her husband comes in the door and kisses her cheek. While telling her about his day he helps her with the cooking and sets the dinner table up and checks on the children. Maurice loves his children but Belle is his favorite. Everyone knows that Belle is his favorite mainly because Belle never wants expensive gifts from him and always wants to help him or his mother relax. Always asking her parents what she can do to help them out. He does love his other two children as well all three of his children. He hears about Susan's proposal and talks to the mom and the boy with his parents before approving it for two years from now with a dowry. The next couple of years is a frightening one as the plaque takes track of the world. The wedding gets pushed off until Susan feels that it is safe to do so.
In the two years, Susan gets engaged to the local hunter Anthony. Belle is only ten but is excited for her older sisters. Of course, both sisters want an expensive wedding when their mother is getting sicker. Belle takes up the housework so her mother can take care of her sisters and herself. Some days her mother has to lay in bed because she can't sit up at all. The children get really worried about this, their father calls for the doctor, and unfortunately, the doctor gives them the bad news that she has the plague and there is nothing they can do for her. Two weeks later she passes away. Belle's sisters move back in to help their father out in the house but what they actually have in plan is to win their father's favor to get their mother's fortune and hopefully win their father's good graces to get their father's fortune as well when he passes.
