Days turned into weeks as I slowly came to recognize Theodora's schedule. Her day would start with bickering with Genevieve or her mother, proceed with funny sibling fights but end alone. She was really friendly but all her free time would be spent either reading a book or sitting in the garden. The most interesting time of the day would be when she would play dress up on herself. Theodora was really beautiful and would spend her afternoons in her room trying out various hairstyles and dresses on herself.

Today was no different. I watched with fascination as Dora's experienced hands flew over her dressing table perfecting her already perfect face. Personally, I never understood fashion statements but even I had to admit that Dora was brilliant in her work. As she tied her hair in an unusually pristine way, Genevieve made her way into her room.

"Need help?" She asked. Though Ginny was supposed to be her lady servant, Dora considered her as her best friend. The feeling was totally mutual between the two and both of them can spend the whole day joking with each other.

"No, I am almost done." she perfected her lipstick while Ginny straightened her gown.

"You look dazzling." Ginny complimented Dora.

"What can I say. My talents just cannot stay hidden inside me," she smirked at her.

"Someone is modest, are you not?" Ginny said sarcastically. But in her eyes, I could see the happiness she found at seeing Theodora this charming. The little girl had grown into a princess by her side and she was proud of her friend. "Come on. All your siblings are in the living room. Spend some time with them. You need to socialize."

Dora who was giggling at her response immediately silenced. She scowled at her. "No. I do not want to. I will just read a book here." she stood and took a book to make her way to the couch.

"You are coming. It was not a suggestion." Ginny snatched the book from her hand and went out of the room. Dora just stood and stared at her open-mouthed. The nerve of the girl! Her angry mind told her to take another book and stay in the room but she knew better. If Ginny wanted her to come, she would have her way even if it constituted taking all of her bookshelf downstairs. And besides, the suggestion wasn't that bad. Dora can go and read downstairs. She made her way out of the room to see Ginny standing near the stairs. As soon as she saw Dora, Ginny burst into giggles. Dora went to her, took her book from her hands and even if she really wanted to smack her head with the book, ignored her to make her way downstairs.

She entered the living room to find Lionel and Edward bent over the canvases, painting Nicholas who himself was sitting on the sofa. Edward was the only one who was elder than her. Nicholas was just one year younger than her followed by Lionel and Beatrice who was the youngest. The said demon girl sat near Nicholas engaged in sewing a pattern. Dora could never understand the passion her little sister had for stitching. But then again Beatrice had a habit of being overenthusiastic and stitching was the only activity that could make her sit down in one place. As her heels clicked onto the wooden floor, four pairs of eyes turned to look at her.

"You look splendid, sister." Edward complimented her as she made her way toward the painters.

"As always." Nicholas smiled at her as Dora bowed back thanking them.

"Who did your hair, Dora?" Beatrice asked.

"I did it myself."

"Really! Will you...umm...do mine just like yours?" she pouted back.

"With pleasure."

Beatrice grinned at her and immediately ran away after thanking her to grab her hairbrush. Dora went to sit at the place Bea had just vacated when she saw Lionel shaking his head at Bea. Obviously, he thought Bea's request was stupid. But Dora decided to ignore him. Bea came back with lightning speed and settled herself on the floor near Dora's foot as the latter began to work on her hairstyle. Beatrice allowed Theodora to make any design of her choice, so she decided to experiment on her for some time. Bea meanwhile continued with her sewing work.

Theodora was busy playing with Bea's hair when she heard yelling. "Hey! I am warning you. One more time you put hands on my paints, I will bring a separate table." It was Edward with Lionel.

"It is hardly a warning brother. You know I would not mind a separate table." Lionel scoffed back. Edward gave him a death glare.

"Why are you guys not working together if you are making the same art piece?" Theodora interjected but it was Beatrice who answered "They are competing against each other."

"Really? Who do you think will win then?" Beatrice shrugged. "I am the judge. Not allowed to take sides till they both complete."

"Oh my god." A loud voice interrupted all of them from the corridor. But everyone recognised it at once. "All of my children in one room" Their mother smiled entering the room. Everyone stiffened at once. All of them knew from experience that lovey-dovey mother meant work.

She stopped at the door looking at all of us and her grin widened. "Boys. So nice to see all three of you in the house together." Dora visibly relaxed and let out a sigh.

"I am in the safe zone." Beatrice sang happily in a low voice but Dora still heard it. She chuckled as their mother proceeded toward the men. They however looked anything but happy and complained at exactly the same time.

"Do not look at me." Edward shrieked.

"I am busy, mother," Lionel whispered matter of factly.

"I cannot move from here." Nicholas literally said aloud.

Their pleas however fell on deaf ears. "I want a job done. You can decide among yourself who will do it." Edward and Nicholas looked at Lionel immediately. Being the youngest does have its own pitfalls.

"Great. Come with me Lionel." and their mother began dragging him away. Lionel gave his elder brothers a sharp death glare but they smirked at him without any regrets.

"THEODORAAAA..." a loud shout from Genevieve erupted into the living room as the girl herself appeared at the door with a wide smile on her face. Lady Pembridge covered her ears with her hands and glared at Ginny. As soon as the latter saw her mistress she sobered down.

"I am sorry Lady Pembridge. I did..did not see you there." Ginny apologised in a timid stuttering voice.

"I expect more decorum from a lady servant Genevieve. Make sure the incident does not repeat itself." mother scolded Ginny after a disapproving glance.

"I will, Milady."

As soon as mother and Lionel left the room Ginny looked around to see all four siblings giving her an apologetic smile. She waved it off and made her way toward Dora.

"You were shouting my name like mad. So, what is the big news?" Dora asked encouragingly.

"The big news is...." Ginny looked back at the door possibly looking out for Dora's mother, then turned back and cried as loudly as possible without attracting unwanted attention "Lord Haddington is here to meet you!"

"Oh!" Lord Lawrence Haddington was Theodora's best friend and lover. At one point in time, both of them were ready to marry each other with both the families supporting them. But after Dora learnt about her illness, she had called off her wedding without telling Lawrence the actual reason. After the incident, he started loving her more than before (if it was even possible) but Theodora became inclined on avoiding him. He didn't know about her early death prediction and Dora wanted to keep it that way in order to avoid pity from his love-filled eyes. "I can not leave Bea's hair in between. I will be done in a few minutes. Please tell him to wait."

"But...It's HADDINGTON!" Ginny shouted back at her.

"Dora's ex-fiancé. Why are you more excited to meet him than Dora?" Ed pondered loudly looking at Ginny.

Nick and Bea burst into laughter at his statement while Ginny and Dora flushed.

"I will take him to the garden. Come quickly." Ginny told Dora and left the room as their laughter died down.

Fifteen minutes later Dora was sitting on a bench in her garden with Lawrence and a bouquet of her favourite white daisies in her hand. It was the first time I was seeing him. Having a tout built, classic full beard and dark black eyes, there was no denying that Dora's lover was really handsome. He had a hoarse voice and a gentleman's aura around him in everything he did. It was no wonder that Ginny fancied him and Dora herself was head over heels with him. I myself was captivated by his looks and was zoning out when I heard a part of the conversation bringing me back to reality.

"It is just four blocks away. And you may come only for an hour." Larry said in a slightly desperate voice.

"I cannot Larry. I have to visit someone else on Saturday. Attending the Royal Ornate Gala will not be possible for me at all. I am really sorry but please take someone else with you."

"One hour?"

Dora looked at her lap to hide her guilt. Even if she really wanted to go with him to spend a night she couldn't. She actually wanted to spend her time with him but she couldn't. All because of a doctor who had diagnosed her condition months ago and who again wanted her company on Saturday for himself.

"Who is this person who is more important than me in your life?" Lawrence asked with hurt in his voice.

"Are you not a little high on your self-esteem issues?" Dora tried to joke. But Lawrence didn't even crack a smile and continued looking at her. She sighed before continuing "No one is more important than you in my life, Lawrence. It is the situation that demands my presence, not a person."

Lawrence turned his head away from her at her words. It was clear that he didn't take a word of what she said.

"Larry! A lady like me never lies." she chided at him.

"That is because a lady like you knows how to hide a truth." he yelled back at her, anger clear in his eyes "This person or situation is the reason our marriage got cancelled. Tell me I am wrong."

He waited for an answer but Dora just turned her face away. She couldn't bring herself to see the pain on his face. And she herself had to hide her guilt-filled eyes from him.

"Look, Dora. I trust you. But I want you to trust me as well. I know you had a perfectly well reason to take that call five months ago and I respect that. But I can see the pain it is causing you. I want to erase it. And it would not be possible if you do not tell me. All I know is time will bring words for me and this delay in the actual reason is killing me. I am not asking you to marry me, just tell me the damn reason." he had started soothingly but his voice had risen once again at the end.

Dora blinked away the tears that were forming in corner of her eyes. Larry's love would have been the death of her if she already wasn't dying. "Larry... I cannot..."

"There is nothing that you cannot do Miss Pembridge. It is just you would not for whatever goddamn reason you yourself know." he snapped at her. It wasn't like him to curse in front of ladies but then every patience has its limits. Tears made their way from Dora's eyes but Lawrence just scowled at her. "You, milady, trust me enough to show your tears but not to share your problems. You are something else, Dora. And I am not really sure if I want to deal with you right now or not."

With this, he turned and left her house without a second glance at her. Leaving her sitting alone in the garden, shedding her tears. It hurt like hell to keep this big a secret from him but she had no choice. The fact that Lawrence just shouted at her because of this made her believe herself to be a total coward.

"You are not a coward." It was Bea. She was sitting at the place that Larry had just vacated with her hands around Dora's shoulder. Amidst her crying, she hadn't seen her arrive. "The fact that you are fighting a deadly disease and want to do it alone does not make you weak at all."

"It is not about the support." she said immediately "I do not mind him with me through this. In fact, I would welcome it. But it is the pity. All of you have the feeling of rue in your eyes and you cannot deny it because you know it. You might not do it intentionally but you do it. His eyes are the only ones that I see filled with only and only love. And I do not want to do anything to replace it."

"You cannot have pity but you will have anger." she mused.

"BEA!"

"I am just asking. He trusts you so much and I do not think that his love for you will ever die. If you do not plan to marry him, at least tell him. Do not break his trust, sister."

Dora looked at her lap in guilt. "I will think about it."

"Great. Now I have a plan to improve your mood. How about you, me and Ginny go shopping tomorrow?"

"Shopping? Mother will never allow three girls to go shopping alone."

"Three girls - alone? Yeah... but I know what you mean." she became sad so Dora gave her a smile. "It is alright. I am okay."

"No! Why not we leave without telling mother? Lionel promised you once that he will help you, remember?"

"I do. But I also remember that you are not allowed to go anywhere without mother's permission."

She frowned as if hoping that she would have forgotten about that clause. "It is okay. I will talk to Lionel and you and Ginny can go. Since I am really modest, I will allow you guys and keep your secret."

"Wait... slow down. I never said I want to go. In fact, I can see that you want to."

"I wanted to but now you will and I will help you because I am your best sister."

"You are my only sister." Dora rolled her eyes at her. Bea giggled at herself as Dora started to go inside the house.

"Hey." Bea called her back "I guess a little thanks is in order before going."

Dora turned back and gave her a hard stare. "Well, I can thank-hug you for improving my mood and give you a beating for eavesdropping on my conversation with Lawrence or I can forget about both."

"Let us forget about both," Bea said almost immediately. Dora laughed at her and both of them went inside.  

Oops! Things are getting heated up between Theodora and her ex-fiancé. But I'm sure they'll make up soon. Anyways, I am more excited for the next chapter. Who else is ready for a girls' outing? Maybe we'll get some twists on our way to the market. Who knows what lies lurking on the corner of the streets? 😉

Do vote if you liked the chapter. Comment and share the book to show your love and support.