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Maison Burberry was in full swing that morning, with the servants and staff walking around with suitcases ready to be packed away.
The lady of the house was strutting around, making sure everything was in order for their travels. "Monsieur Jaques, please be careful with that, it's Ophelia's debut dress. Very delicate." The man nodded, bowing his head at her before walking out of the room to hand the dress to a ladies' maid.
Tatiana was stressed. It's been a long while since they've done that trip, a long time since they've been in their trusty ship, and an even longer time since they've been in England. She needed everything to be perfect and things were running smoothly so far but there were still doubts in her mind.
"Sister, you need to breathe. Everything is in order. Amelie made sure of that." Francis was always the one with the calming aura, the one to make Tatiana feel relaxed during stressful situations. He sauntered inside the room, his hand behind his back.
"Aren't you supposed to be doing business, Francis?" Tatiana questioned her older brother, turning around to face him. "Of course, that's the reason why you and Arthur are not setting sail with us right away."
Francis rolled his eyes. Due to their upcoming travels, his duties as a Viscount were never ending and he being the head of the house needed to stay behind for a few days before going back to his birth home. "Yes, but I came to say my goodbyes. I am sure you will be safe but I need to see you off, for my peace of mind."
Tatiana smiled, and walked forward to embrace her brother. "We will be fine. And you're supposed to join us soon, before the first ball of the season. It's not forever, brother."
Francis smiles, his dimples in full display. "I know. I just want to tell my sisters that I love them. Besides we have been together, here, for the past five years. You leaving, even for just a few days, is going to feel strange."
Tatiana chuckled. "I know. Separating for so long," she exaggerated her sentence, "is going to be strange. We've never done that."
"Brother!" The two oldest Burberrys turned to the left and saw the youngest of their siblings running at full force to her eldest brother. Francis opened his arms to catch Lilibeth before she crashed against him. "I will miss you the most."
"Don't be like that little Beth, I know I'm your most favorite sibling," the voice of Arthur Burberry said from behind. He walked into the room, his hand crossed and a smirk on his lips. "After all, I'm the one that always spoils you." Lilibeth looked at him, tongue out before she ran at him, wrapping her arms around him.
"I hope you miss your twin more, Arthur."
Arthur rolled his eyes, pulling away from Lilibeth and running a hand through his messy curls. The twins were never as close as one may think but they still care deeply about each other. "How could I not? We are twins, after all, Ophelia."
"Now now, don't be like that. Hug it out," Francis urges his younger siblings when he sees the piercing looks they are sending each other. "After all, as Tatiana and I were discussing, we will be separated for a while."
The twins looked at him before looking at each other before breaking into a smile, one they shared, and embraced. It was weird for the twins, having that connection, to be away from one another for a longer time than expected.
"How long until you and Arthur are back with us, Francis?" Lilibeth asked.
The oldest Burberry looked at his sister with a small, tight-lipped smile. "Just a few days, Lilibeth. We will arrive before the first ball of the season. So count down the days for that and we shall see each other again."
Tatiana smiled.
And the conversation ended with Amelie barging into the room, notifying the Viscount and the Viscountess that they were ready to part to the shipyard. They nodded before ushering their siblings to get properly dressed. The three women entered the carriage while the two men mounted their horses. And that's how they made their way to their ship to take them back home.
"Make haste. We can not be late. Then we will not be able to be presented to Her Majesty the Queen," Ophelia said, most excited for her debut to society and to find the most perfect husband.
"Come say goodbye to me first, Ophelia." The girl turned around and hugged Francis, before curtsying, a sign of respect for his title. "Now sister, you know you don't have to do that to your brother." Francis laughed between words.
The rest of the siblings bid goodbye to each other before only the oldest ones remained. "We must not make such a fuss about this. Let's see each other soon. Brother."
Francis smiled, hugging Tatiana one last time before the woman boarded the ship.
Arthur stood beside his brother, both looking at the departing boat before turning and mounting their horses back to the Maison and to business.
————— Author's Note: A small prologue so you can see some dynamics between the family before I launch them to the plot. Also, there will be a few sentences in italics that represents French, I don't want to have to do translations and have something wrong. Sometime I will put the French words for plot purposes.
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