The Marchioness

Chapter 9 -23rd Of June 1867

Morning broke in uffern, it was the day the twins were set to leave the manor and head off to Lord Llewellyn boys school. The sound of the heavy raindrops beating against the windowpane accompanied by the coal coloured clouds lent a melancholy feeling to an already sombre occasion. Aurelia sat upon the top step of the grand staircase against the mahogany bannister, her ivy green frock with a matching lace ribbon tied in a bow around her ringlets. She sat with her chin resting upon her knees with a frown slowly growing across her little face as she watched the grandfather clock tick away the minutes.

"Tick, tick, tick..."

Come eight o'clock this morning the twins would be gone.

I thought the twins leaving would bring me great joy! so why is it that I feel so.. So..joyless..?" The little marchioness thought to herself rather perplexed and beside herself. "With them gone I would not get in as much trouble with father, I would not get picked on and taunted and teased... why is it that I feel so glum?." She spiralled with herself in thought.

However Before she could finish her thought the sounds of bickering and yelling filled the hallway, Aurelia peered her head around the bannister. With no surprise, the noise and chaos seemed to come from Issac's bedroom. Aurelia rolled her eyes and turned back to the grandfather clock, as she did the twins came storming out of the bedroom towards her a rather infuriated Mrs Jones at the doorway with their trunks and bags at her feet.

"Get back here at once and get your things" she yelled at the pair with great anger.

"You are not the boss of us, you are not even our governess as of today" Idris retaliated with a smug snarky grin.

Mrs jones stood in a mixture of disbelief and outrage in pure silence for what seemed a lifetime. She stared at the pair as they too stared daggers right back at Mrs Jones, it was surely the longest staring competition aurelia had ever witnessed. A moment passed and at that moment something changed... Mrs Jones' face changed in a rather worrying fashion.. it broke into an almost grin.

"you know what boys? You are completely right, you are no longer my problem... Haha," Mrs Jones laughed to herself as she walked past the pair toward the staircase, a look of confusion spread across the faces of the twins.

"Idris, why does she laugh?" Issac inquired nudging his brother with a whispered tone.

"What is funny? I demand to know. " Idris demanded.

"you demand do you haha.... the pair of you is what I laugh at! .. Haha.. I'm fetching your father for you are his problem until Lord Llewellyn arrives". Retorted Mrs Jones as she continued down the stairs without so much as a turn ahead.

The twins stood and looked at one another with an air of perplexity, what had just happened?
Before either of them had a second to speak out stormed their father thundering toward them furiously clambering the staircase. Without so much as a word the lord grabbed the twins by their napes jackets and escorted them to the front door.
The Lord swing the large mahogany doors open with force almost launching the twins to the cobble path,

"I have had it! you wish to behave like animals? Do you? Well Then you shall both wait outside as the animals do". The Lord snarled as the large doors swung closed with force.

Aurelia still perched upon the top step as she sat in sorrow for her brothers, the heavy rain continued to pour down accompanied by the claps of thunder that began to echo through the village and the lighting crept through the windows of the manor in between claps.

The Lord paced the foot of the stairs back and forth, back and forth in a concoction of anger, confusion and disappointment...

"However did I raise such creatures? How? Where did I go wrong?" he thought to himself as Mr rees threw the boys' luggage at their feet.