The Whispering Flowers

The Family

I shift my dress to at least be comfortable while I sit. Servants stream into the dining hall and place down freshly brewed tea and crumpets while I adjust my silverware. The dining hall is a magnificent tall room, with large windows covering one main wall, making the room a light shade of pink. The roof is arched and the rest of the walls are covered in portraits of past family members, including a portrait of me and all my siblings in the gardens with my father. Across from me sits my brother Alexander who was shifting uncomfortably in his fancy attire, barely able to see over the table.

He was the youngest in the family and the only boy out of the 6 of my siblings. His mother, Juliet, is married to my father right now and she is sitting next to him. She has long red hair that was fitted tightly in a bun, and she is wearing a dark green silk dress. At the head of the table across from Juliet is my father. He is a plump man with blonde hair and blue eyes. He spends most of his days eating or scolding my sisters and I. A combination of their attributes had been passed on to Alex, for he has strawberry hair, green eyes, and a face full of freckles.

My father always wanted a son but all three of his former wives couldn't bear one, until Juliet. My eldest sister Dahlia and my second oldest sister Magnolia had the same mother. John, our head butler, told me that she was very slender with dark hair and deep blue eyes and that my two eldest sisters looked almost like replicas. Dahlia is a bit strange, or so my father says because she always has to be reading. She had taught herself how to read when she was 13 and ever since she always had her nose in a book. On the other hand, Magnolia loved the outdoors. Gardening is her favorite hobby and she loves getting her hands messy.

Rosemary, who is two years younger than me, shares the same mother as me. Her name was Elizabeth. When I was only three, she grew ill and passed. Rosemary and I both have chestnut hair and grey eyes, just like our mother. Rosemary loves painting and spends most of her time in the greenhouse with Magnolia painting flowers. Father thinks she shouldn't be doing those trivial things but he can't really stop her.

Cornelia and Primrose are my younger sisters. Their mother passed away too but I remember her. She wasn't the nicest and didn't treat us or my father the best. However, she didn't deserve to be murdered by highwaymen on her travels. Cornelia is very disobedient. She doesn't really care what anyone thinks about her and doesn't listen to Papa. Primrose isn't much different, as they both have blond hair and blue eyes like our father, but instead of being clever like her sister, she is mainly just stubborn. She doesn't like dresses or girlish things and spends most of her time with Alexander, playing in the mud and climbing trees.

Next to my father, at the end of the table, sat a young man who looked about 20. He was quite handsome and sat there gazing at Dahlia. I would quite like it if he would take notice of me but I knew immediately what he was doing here. He is the man who was here to wed Dahlia. At least my sister had someone decent looking to marry. I remember one of my distant cousins who got married to an old man but most of the marriages were just business anyway, to bring two kingdoms together.

My father tapped his glass with a small gold spoon and everyone drew quiet. "Please bring a warm welcome to Prince James Edward. He will be staying in the castle for a few weeks so we will make sure to be kind and hospitable." My father drew a sharp stare at Cornelia and Primrose and continued. "He has come from the distant kingdom of Primpit and is here for business, please do not disturb him. Alright... maids! Bring out the food."

Note:

Hey everybody, thank you for the support so far. This chapter is a little longer than the last but we have much more planned. The next chapter will be up soon!

- S and S