Doe (#Wattys2016)

Chapter Three

For a week, Francis and Doe went through the same routine: getting up early going, through their lessons, learning how to eat and sit properly at the Luries' table for tea and then rushing home with Thom and the girls on the bus. Then Francis would tear off her nice new clothes and go to play with her friends in the street until bedtime. 

Draco had become a lot friendlier after the first day too once Francis had proven her intelligence in class. She was determined not to cry again and so contented herself with calling Miss Humbert the names that Harri had taught her in her head whenever she was being berated. Her favourite time came after afternoon break as this was followed usually by art or music lessons, which were difficult but fun.

Finally it was the weekend and Francis moaned all the way to the bus stop that she wouldn't be able to spend the whole day with her friends. Lucia too was a little disheartened as she sat Doe down in the coach, her shift didn't start until that evening and she had felt lonely all week. Francis saw this and stopped moaning to lean over to give her mother a kiss.

"You know I really am enjoying it though, mother." She smiled at her.

"I'm glad." Lucia said in a flat voice.

Francis thought about this as they travelled towards the Lurie mansion. She was hardly ever going to see her mother, perhaps only on Sundays. Her mother worked most evenings and she and Doe desperately wanted to play with their friends on the street but got so tired afterwards that they went straight to bed. By the time they arrived at the mansion Francis was feeling uneasy though she couldn't say what was particularly wrong. She felt spooked.

Draco was waiting for them in the entrance hall when they arrived.

"So where do you want to explore first?" he asked.

"Doe, do you want to come with us to look around or do you want to be with Kitty?" Francis asked her little sister.

Doe looked torn. She looked up anxiously at Francis.

"I think Kitty will miss you if you don't see her. She's wanted you to play with her dollhouse this whole week." Draco told Doe kindly.

Doe nodded, so together they all walked to the nursery floor like usual. Francis was too occupied to supply any conversation so they walked in silence. She could feel the tension- that had started in the coach- rising. They dropped Doe cheerfully off at Kitty's playroom where the little girl was ordering Nanny and servants to move the huge dollhouse into the middle of the room. It looked like chaos and they laughed as the house wobbled to and fro.

"So do you know where you want to go?" Draco asked her, once they had got their fill of the funny scene.

Francis shrugged, "I don't really mind."

"I'll show you the West Wing then." He said dully and began to walk down the hall.

Francis followed him in silence as they climbed up and down stairs. She just noticed how haphazard the place was as they moved through different areas of the house, it was almost as if they moved through different houses. It was when they were climbing a spiral staircase that Draco stopped in the gloom.

"Are you all right?" he asked her.

"Mmm."

"You haven't said anything for ages. Which I don't really mind but for you it's weird and this is a really cool part of the house." He told her slowly continuing up the stairs.

"Why's it so dark in here anyway?"

"There's no lights, they didn't bother putting them in. There are candle brackets though along the wall so be careful." He told her.