The Future Magician's Guardian

1800s

"And of course I didn't forget the little girl...", the woman in clothes that could be called odd and gaudy even in the late Nineteenth century bent and pulled from her bag a doll. A simple, plain doll. Not to say ugly or cheap, it looked bought from one of the nicer department stores about really, but...it should have been quite Ordinary.

Yet Letitia Ketterly had a feeling it was anything but!

Nothing Mrs. Lefay was involved in was ever Ordinary! The woman was...well for being all of their Godmother, though most specifically Andrew's, Letty was hesitant to say evil in so many words but...she didn't like her. If that was alright; though for Mother and Father's sake she was always polite.

That fairy nonsense was all of course Andrew's imagination. Her brother was a very impressionable child, always had been, dodging from one thing to another off any number of his friend's recommending it...but this...Godmother's talking of magic...seemed almost dangerous...

"Come here child", Godmother's gaze came over to Letty, though it wasn't her she addressed. It was Mabel. Who was only five. Letty's hands squeezed involuntarily on her little sister's shoulders where they were placed as both girls had watched their visitor settle herself on the sofa and arrange her bag.

No...not her...bad enough you're putting ideas into Andrew's head...

Mabel walked across the room with slow steps. The small girl also didn't seem to like their godmother much.

"She has more sense than you do at Thirteen!", Letty would snap at Andrew sometimes when their arguments were fiercest. Often over this very topic.

Mabel reached their godmother and the doll was handed over. The tiny child glanced from her parents also in the room back to Mrs. Lefay. "Thankyou...", she said in a small voice, having been raised proper even this young of course.

"What else did you bring us, Godmother...", Andrew might as well have shouted the word Me, though his tone was merely curious and polite still. Letty shot him a look. Was he honestly jealous of a five year old?! And who needed Godmother Lefay's attention anyway!

The woman chuckled, "Oh Andrew my dear, never fear, I've a trinket or two for you as well". Her eyes sparkled and she ruffled the growing boy's locks also while Mabel dashed back over to Letty once more. The eldest of Lefay's godchildren put her arms on her sister's shoulders once more but her gaze stayed fixed on Andrew and the woman and her eyes almost flashed.

"Get away from him you w-"

But she couldn't say those words for a whole number of reasons, still Andrew was her little brother, if only by a few years, and Letitia's persistence and even calling her brother a fool was born of love and fear.

Their godmother removed her hand and Letty, while still not satisfied Andrew wasn't too close to corruption, glanced to her other sibling and the doll that had been handed to Mabel. She took it as her sister handed it over as if asking her opinion and investigated it. Nothing out of the ordinary forthwith it seemed...

"Shall I tell you how it was made...?", she heard Godmother whispering to Mabel even from across the room. "It wasn't here at these shops you know and...".

"Oh of course it was!", Letty snapped before she was fully aware of it and raised her gaze to her Godmother almost challengingly, ignoring her parents as they started in surprise and seemed like they would even gently scold her. "Don't go lying to...".

Mother wished to speak to her. Great!

The conversation away from their guest and friend of the family's and their godmother! was a bit one sided. Letty of course knew that after a bit of stating her point it was all lost and she had to, in the end, just take to what the grown-ups said and apologize to Mrs. Lefay whether she really felt it or not!